Read Online Whisker of Evil by Rita Mae Brown - Free Book Online Page B

reached for her right hand. He held it, turned it back side up. “Holy Cross. Haven’t seen one of those rings in years. Mary Pat wore one.”
    â€œThis is Mary Pat’s,” Harry quietly replied.
    Tavener gasped. “My God, where did you get it?”
    â€œFound it in Potlicker Creek. Both Sheriff Shaw and Deputy Cooper examined it. Couldn’t find anything. Didn’t expect to, anyway, so they gave it back to me.”
    Tavener sagged and Fair caught him. “Tavener, are you all right?”
    He nodded, then leaned his elbows and weight on the counter. “I never thought I’d see that ring again. She was good to me. I worshiped that woman. I worshiped the ground she walked on.”
    Fair patted Tavener’s shoulder sympathetically while Miranda, the most expressive of the group, flipped up the divider and came around. She gave Tavener a good hug.
    He hugged her back. “Not a day goes by I don’t think of her and give thanks she walked into my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Mary Pat.”
    â€œShe was a good soul.”
    â€œAnd beautiful. I was ten when she vanished, just old enough to begin to look at women but not old enough to know why I was looking at them.” Fair remembered her honey brown hair, which had streaks of blond in it, hair so shining that light seemed to come from it instead of reflecting off it.
    â€œMary Pat was one of the great beauties of her generation.” Tavener stood up straight, wiping his eyes with his forefinger knuckle. “Sorry. Shocked me—seeing her ring.”
    â€œMaybe one day we’ll know what happened to her,” Miranda said.
    â€œI hope so, but I gave up on that years ago.” Tavener picked up his mail. “Harry, it would make her happy to know you wear her ring. You were just a sprite when she left us, but you could stick on a horse and Mary Pat liked that. Yes, it would make her happy.” He opened the door and shut it softly behind him, too overcome to stay.
    â€œI feel awful.” Harry bit her lower lip.
    â€œHoney, you didn’t do anything,” Fair comfortingly said.
    â€œI had no idea.” Harry turned as Mrs. Murphy and Pewter both came back in, the animal door flapping.
    â€œThat was very nice of him to say that Mary Pat would have liked you to have her ring. She never had any children and I think she regretted that. She liked you and Susan and BoomBoom. You were all such happy, feisty little things.” What Miranda neglected to say was that she, too, regretted not having children. For whatever reason, she and George just hadn’t had them. In those days, fertility studies hadn’t progressed very far.
    â€œHow old was Mary Pat when she disappeared?” Fair asked Miranda.
    â€œMmm, late forties, maybe about forty-five or forty-seven. And still beautiful. Maybe more beautiful,” Miranda said. “The money. We always thought maybe she was killed for money, but Alicia Palmer, hot-blooded though she was and young as she was—in her middle twenties, I guess—just didn’t seem the murdering kind.”
    â€œWomen can lose their tempers and kill. I don’t know if we don’t kill as frequently as men or if we don’t get caught.”
    â€œIt was all so long ago, and now it’s stirred up again and, really, we have a recent serious matter. What if whatever killed Barry is out there and kills again? I wouldn’t rest too easy until we know more about that unfortunate young man’s end.” Miranda sighed.
    â€œShe’s right,”
Tucker resolutely agreed.
“Brinkley!”
Tucker bounded to the front door as a handsome, well-groomed yellow Labrador retriever, tail wagging, waited on the other side of it. His human, Tazio Chappars, opened the door.
    The two dogs rapturously greeted each other. The cats, on the divider now, liked Brinkley but thought it prudent not to be too