Read Online With Baited Breath by Lorraine Bartlett - Free Book Online

into her ear and patted her back.
    “My daddy’s dead,” Anissa managed between ragged breaths.
    “I’m so, so sorry,” Tori murmured, not knowing what else to say to ease Anissa’s sorrow.
    Eventually, the sobs grew more quiet, and Anissa pulled away. “Sorry about that,” she managed, dug into the big pocket on the left side of her overalls, and came up with a balled-up tissue. She blew her nose—loudly—and let out a shaky breath. “How long has it been?” she asked Tori.
    “More than twenty years.”
    “You don’t look at all like you did as a kid,” Anissa said.
    “Neither do you,” Tori said, and they both laughed.
    Anissa’s smile was short lived. “The detective I spoke to said that a woman found my daddy. Was that you?”
    Tori nodded, finding it hard to meet Anissa’s gaze. “Me and my Gramps.”
    “How could someone kill my daddy and nobody saw it happen?” Anissa demanded.
    “We buried my grandma that day. We were gone from nine in the morning until late in the afternoon.”
    Anissa nodded and turned back to the motel. “What a dump.”
    Tori let out a breath. “Yeah.”
    “I mean, it’s a terrible place for someone to die.”
    “Do the police have any clue what happened?”
    “Do you think they care about a dead old black dude?” Anissa asked with disdain.
    “I sure hope they do. I’m trying to breathe some life into the business.”
    “Oh, so my daddy being killed here is bad for business?” Anissa asked hotly.
    “That’s not what I meant,” Tori said, defending herself.
    Anissa turned away. “I’m sorry. I’m angry and I guess I just want to blame someone for this.”
    “I can understand that,” Tori said with sympathy. “When did you find out?”
    “Last night. It took the cops that long to track me down. I guess it didn’t occur to them to look in the phone book.”
    “Do you live in Rochester?” Tori asked.
    Anissa nodded, then she shrugged. “Sort of. I’ve got an apartment in half a house, but my lease is up and I haven’t had a chance to find a new place. I was going to put my stuff in storage and move in with a friend for a while. I’m between jobs and money is kind of tight,” she admitted.
    “I can relate to that,” Tori said, but wasn’t about to go into details.
    “I was actually thinking I might stay in daddy’s house for a while—at least until the cops figure out what happened. He had a will. He left the place to my brother and me.”
    “How is James?” Tori asked, looking back at the bait shop; Kathy was still on the phone.
    “Probably pulling teeth.”
    “Oh?” Tori asked, confused.
    “He’s an oral surgeon. I’m my mother’s greatest disappointment. I didn’t want to go to college. I followed in my daddy’s footsteps and found a job in construction, mostly working on houses. Despite my appearance,” she said, taking in her battered truck with a wave of her hand, “it can pay quite well. I just have the unfortunate habit of shooting off my big mouth at the wrong moment and screwing myself in the process.”
    “Been there, done that,” Tori admitted.
    “My mother expects me to have a debilitating accident just like daddy. So far, I’ve been lucky. I’ve stepped on a few rusty nails, and nearly crushed a toe or two, but that’s about the extent of the accidents I’ve had. Not like my daddy, whose leg was pretty mangled. It put him out of work for a long time and led to my parents’ breakup.”
    Tori nodded. “Do you still have friends in the area?”
    Anissa shook her head. “I lost track of all of them years ago. I hadn’t even seen daddy in a couple of months, but I talked to him every few days on the phone.”
    “Did he mention having any trouble?” Tori asked.
    “You mean apart from annoying that witch Lucinda Bloomfield up on the hill?”
    “Yeah.”
    Anissa shrugged. “My daddy wasn’t one to complain. All he wanted to do was watch a little TV, fish a little, and live his life in peace. But he didn’t