Read Online Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage - Free Book Online Page B

slapping himself on the forehead. “What am I thinking? Detective, you must be famished. I’m sure the Colonel would be glad to scare you up some supper, even with the kitchen closed. Wouldn’t you, Colonel?”
    The Colonel pretended to wipe a spot off the counter.
    “Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” Starr said after a long silence. He looked around the café. “Is it unusual for Mr. Jesse to miss supper? Has he seemed worried lately?”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton sputtered, standing up at the end of the counter. Her blue-white hair glowed and her powdered face was stern. “Jesse’s like the rest of us. He eats here when he wants to and stays home when he wants to. And Jesse was so peculiar no one would know whether he wasworried or not. Excuse me for saying so, young man,” she said to Starr, “but we’ve answered a number of your questions. I think it’s time for you to answer ours.”
    Starr stared at her for a moment, his glare downshifting to neutral. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, his voice going softer. “What would you like to know?”
    She studied him, her hair shimmering in the café’s harsh light. “I hear the Tyson brothers found Jesse’s body at Fool’s Bridge. And—”
    “Who told you that?” Starr asked, his voice sharp.
    “Everybody. It’s all over town.”
    Starr sighed. “All right,” he said, flipping back through his notes. “I’d want information too, if I were you. Here’s what I’ve got. The Tyson boys hauled Jesse Tatum’s boat out of the creek around six o’clock this evening, and found his body inside. His wallet was in his pocket, with no cash in it. His death is being investigated as a homicide.”
    “Well, who killed him?” she demanded.
    “I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out,” Starr said, snapping his notepad closed.
    “Excuse me, sir,” Skeeter said in a pre-law voice of steel. “Aren’t we outside your jurisdiction?”
    The Colonel cleared his throat and pointed to the N O L AWYERS sign.
    “Sorry,” she mumbled.
    “Understandable,” the Colonel said. “These are trying times.” He looked at Starr. “Her question is a good one.”
    “Technically this isn’t inside my jurisdiction, but your mayor’s asked me to investigate and I’ve agreed,” he said. “Besides, I have a hunch this may tie in with the murder I’m investigating in Winston-Salem. Does anyone have a problem with that?”
    The Colonel swiped at a spot on the counter. The room barely breathed. “No? Good. My team’s coming from Winston-Salem in the morning. Meanwhile, avoid strangers. Travel in pairs. I don’t want any children leaving without an adult. Questions?”
    I raised my hand, and Starr sighed. “Mo?”
    “They found Mr. Jesse in a boat?” I asked. “I’m wondering if maybe he just up and died. Maybe there ain’t no murder. Like the fish weren’t biting and he died of boredom. It happens. Boredom kills. I’ve had close brushes myself, during math.”
    “Jesse Tatum didn’t die of boredom,” he said. “The back of his head … That is, he suffered a blunt force trauma.”
    An Azalea Woman moaned.
    “Are we safe?” Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton asked.
    Starr looked at her a moment, like he was weighing his words. “Keep your doors and windows locked,”he replied. Then he turned to me. “Where were you tonight?”
    “Me?” I asked, surprised. “I was at the racetrack. You didn’t see me? I sure saw you. You need an alibi for me, ask your girlfriend. How long you known her, anyway?”
    “His
girlfriend
?” Attila Celeste said, looking Starr up and down. “What kind of girlfriend does
he
have?”
    “Guess,” I said. “Too slow. It’s Miss Retzyl.”
    She staggered back. “
Our
Miss Retzyl?”
    “That’s not all,” I said. “She was wearing shorts.”
    “
Miss Retzyl?
Wearing shorts?”
    Starr clicked his pen. “She did mention running into you. You were with that spooky kid. Dale.” I glanced at