[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Clara returned Grayson s affectionate look but removed
A Deadly Dealer 177
her hand from his. That is such a nice offer, Grayson, and
at any other time I would gladly accept. I love Charleston!
But I have to work. We ve got a big catalog sale coming up
and there s a rumor that the Hogg family is going to sell
their ancestral home with all of its contents. Lex has been
in contact with the family, but they d like me to be present
when the contract terms are discussed. She rubbed her
hands together in anticipation. It s the kind of sale I ve
dreamed about and I ve got to be in Hillsborough to close
the deal. She scowled fiercely. Besides, no one is going
to force me to change my behavior. Not even a murderer,
she added with conviction. He d better watch out if he in
terferes with the Hogg contract. I ve got a big gun and I
know how to use it.
Grayson chuckled. Somehow, that was the answer I ex
pected, so I ve contacted a friend of mine. He s a former
FBI field agent. Retired now, but he takes on an occasional
job. He paused, studying both women. I ve hired him to
keep an eye on your houses. He ll be in a dark blue Cadil
lac, so if you see one patrolling your street, that s my friend
Roy.
That is very kind of you, Mr. Montgomery. Thank
you. Molly spoke up as her mother seemed to be at a loss
for words.
This is for my peace of mind, more than anything, he
said graciously. I ll enjoy my trip abroad much more
knowing that someone is looking after you both.
Clara stood, obviously flustered. We really should go.
Thank you, Grayson.
Grayson also rose and then leaned over and kissed Clara
softly on the cheek. Look after yourself until I return.
Clara flushed and headed for the door.
One moment, Molly. Grayson touched her on the arm
and spoke very softly. I can see that you and your mother
have a close relationship. Therefore, I would like to ask
your permission to, well, to use an old-fashioned term, to
178 J. B. Stanley
court Clara. She is the most remarkable woman I have ever
met.
Molly beamed. Of course! Give it your best shot, Mr.
Montgomery. I m behind you all the way.
Please, call me Grayson. And I have a gift for you. He
placed a book-shaped package wrapped in red tissue paper
in her hands. No need to open it now. It s just a small to
ken. Your mother mentioned that you enjoyed the writing
of Agatha Christie and I figured after the weekend you ve
had, you deserve a little treat. Have a safe flight home.
Inside the squad car, Clara released a heavy sigh. That
man is something else! What did he say to you while we
were leaving?
He wants to date you, Ma, and he asked for my bless
ing. I gave it to him, naturally. You d be an idiot not to at
least give him a chance.
Clara shrugged. Who said I wasn t going to? He likes
cats, after all.
He has quite a list of admirable qualities, Molly said.
He also gave me this. She held out the wrapped parcel.
As a bribe? Clara issued a mock frown.
I highly doubt it. I had already told him to abduct you
if necessary. She tore off the tissue and examined the
book. Wow, she breathed. It was a signed first edition
copy of The ABC Murders. Ma, your boyfriend is so
cool.
Boyfriend! Clara took the book from Molly s hands.
Ugh. That s going to take some getting used to.
As it turned out, there was absolutely no need for the
twentysomething officer driving the Applebys to the air
port to employ his siren, though it looked as though noth
ing would have pleased him more. In between telling the
two women why he had joined the force, Officer Reynolds
casually imparted the news that most of the flights depart
A Deadly Dealer 179
ing from Nashville International were delayed due to a
front of heavy rains bearing down from the plains states.
A perfect ending to a miserable trip, Molly stated
glumly. She hated sitting around at airports and didn t want
too much dead time on her hands. If she wasn t busy, she d
start thinking about Mark. Her anger toward Mark would
then cause her to rehash her failure to help Detective Butler
find the Heart of Dixie Killer. The two subjects were likely
to cause her to spiral into a state of complete depression.
Officer Reynolds insisted on accompanying the women
to their gate, despite their protests that there was plenty of
security in the airport already. As the threesome approached
the boarding area, Molly was relieved to see that their
flight had not yet been delayed. If they were lucky, they d
be airborne within the next half-hour.
Molly thanked the young officer and joined her mother
in one of the few available seats. Disgruntled passengers
were complaining loudly on cell and pay phones about
their tardy flights while bored and restless children ran
wildly about the area, their parents too tired to correct the
rowdy behavior. Most of the people seated around them
had their faces hidden in books and newspapers and only
surfaced to take giant gulps of coffee, glance with irritation
at their watches, or to shoot dirty looks at the gate atten
dants as if the men and women were personally responsi
ble for the inclement weather.
Clearly excited by the possibility that one of these un
happy travelers might suddenly become hostile, Reynolds
began strolling around the boarding area, darting sharp
glances at the wayward children or invading the personal
space of those being too vociferous on their cell phones.
Now that s a good cop, Molly declared. She quickly
changed her mind, however, as Reynolds began to aggres
sively question the passenger who had just arrived to their
gate via electric car. The skycap handling the passenger s
luggage momentarily blocked Molly s view, but as he
180 J. B. Stanley
stepped aside, she was able to see Dennis Frazier. The ex
pression on his face was a combination of puzzlement and
dismay as Reynolds pointed repeatedly at Frazier s cane
and then began to furiously punch numbers into his cell
phone. Molly hustled over to Dennis s side, prepared to de
fend him against the zealous officer.
Are you okay? she asked him. What s going on?
This young policeman seems to believe that my walk
ing stick is stolen property. I ve been trying to tell him that
I ve had it for years but he won t accept my story. I believe
he s been unsuccessful in reaching Detective Butler, yet he
isn t going to let me board my plane. He smiled sadly. I
believe we are on the same flight.
We ll see about that. Blood boiling, Molly tugged on
Officer Reynolds s sleeve as he finished leaving a long
voicemail message for Butler. Mr. Frazier has been using
this cane since the beginning of the show. I saw it myself
on both Friday and Saturday. She lowered her voice. The
missing cane has a snake s head. Mr. Frazier s cane has a
hand holding a bird as a handle. Just look at it!
Reynolds put his hands on his hips and put on his best
authoritative look. I can t take your word on this, ma am.
You re a civilian. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
Clara returned Grayson s affectionate look but removed
A Deadly Dealer 177
her hand from his. That is such a nice offer, Grayson, and
at any other time I would gladly accept. I love Charleston!
But I have to work. We ve got a big catalog sale coming up
and there s a rumor that the Hogg family is going to sell
their ancestral home with all of its contents. Lex has been
in contact with the family, but they d like me to be present
when the contract terms are discussed. She rubbed her
hands together in anticipation. It s the kind of sale I ve
dreamed about and I ve got to be in Hillsborough to close
the deal. She scowled fiercely. Besides, no one is going
to force me to change my behavior. Not even a murderer,
she added with conviction. He d better watch out if he in
terferes with the Hogg contract. I ve got a big gun and I
know how to use it.
Grayson chuckled. Somehow, that was the answer I ex
pected, so I ve contacted a friend of mine. He s a former
FBI field agent. Retired now, but he takes on an occasional
job. He paused, studying both women. I ve hired him to
keep an eye on your houses. He ll be in a dark blue Cadil
lac, so if you see one patrolling your street, that s my friend
Roy.
That is very kind of you, Mr. Montgomery. Thank
you. Molly spoke up as her mother seemed to be at a loss
for words.
This is for my peace of mind, more than anything, he
said graciously. I ll enjoy my trip abroad much more
knowing that someone is looking after you both.
Clara stood, obviously flustered. We really should go.
Thank you, Grayson.
Grayson also rose and then leaned over and kissed Clara
softly on the cheek. Look after yourself until I return.
Clara flushed and headed for the door.
One moment, Molly. Grayson touched her on the arm
and spoke very softly. I can see that you and your mother
have a close relationship. Therefore, I would like to ask
your permission to, well, to use an old-fashioned term, to
178 J. B. Stanley
court Clara. She is the most remarkable woman I have ever
met.
Molly beamed. Of course! Give it your best shot, Mr.
Montgomery. I m behind you all the way.
Please, call me Grayson. And I have a gift for you. He
placed a book-shaped package wrapped in red tissue paper
in her hands. No need to open it now. It s just a small to
ken. Your mother mentioned that you enjoyed the writing
of Agatha Christie and I figured after the weekend you ve
had, you deserve a little treat. Have a safe flight home.
Inside the squad car, Clara released a heavy sigh. That
man is something else! What did he say to you while we
were leaving?
He wants to date you, Ma, and he asked for my bless
ing. I gave it to him, naturally. You d be an idiot not to at
least give him a chance.
Clara shrugged. Who said I wasn t going to? He likes
cats, after all.
He has quite a list of admirable qualities, Molly said.
He also gave me this. She held out the wrapped parcel.
As a bribe? Clara issued a mock frown.
I highly doubt it. I had already told him to abduct you
if necessary. She tore off the tissue and examined the
book. Wow, she breathed. It was a signed first edition
copy of The ABC Murders. Ma, your boyfriend is so
cool.
Boyfriend! Clara took the book from Molly s hands.
Ugh. That s going to take some getting used to.
As it turned out, there was absolutely no need for the
twentysomething officer driving the Applebys to the air
port to employ his siren, though it looked as though noth
ing would have pleased him more. In between telling the
two women why he had joined the force, Officer Reynolds
casually imparted the news that most of the flights depart
A Deadly Dealer 179
ing from Nashville International were delayed due to a
front of heavy rains bearing down from the plains states.
A perfect ending to a miserable trip, Molly stated
glumly. She hated sitting around at airports and didn t want
too much dead time on her hands. If she wasn t busy, she d
start thinking about Mark. Her anger toward Mark would
then cause her to rehash her failure to help Detective Butler
find the Heart of Dixie Killer. The two subjects were likely
to cause her to spiral into a state of complete depression.
Officer Reynolds insisted on accompanying the women
to their gate, despite their protests that there was plenty of
security in the airport already. As the threesome approached
the boarding area, Molly was relieved to see that their
flight had not yet been delayed. If they were lucky, they d
be airborne within the next half-hour.
Molly thanked the young officer and joined her mother
in one of the few available seats. Disgruntled passengers
were complaining loudly on cell and pay phones about
their tardy flights while bored and restless children ran
wildly about the area, their parents too tired to correct the
rowdy behavior. Most of the people seated around them
had their faces hidden in books and newspapers and only
surfaced to take giant gulps of coffee, glance with irritation
at their watches, or to shoot dirty looks at the gate atten
dants as if the men and women were personally responsi
ble for the inclement weather.
Clearly excited by the possibility that one of these un
happy travelers might suddenly become hostile, Reynolds
began strolling around the boarding area, darting sharp
glances at the wayward children or invading the personal
space of those being too vociferous on their cell phones.
Now that s a good cop, Molly declared. She quickly
changed her mind, however, as Reynolds began to aggres
sively question the passenger who had just arrived to their
gate via electric car. The skycap handling the passenger s
luggage momentarily blocked Molly s view, but as he
180 J. B. Stanley
stepped aside, she was able to see Dennis Frazier. The ex
pression on his face was a combination of puzzlement and
dismay as Reynolds pointed repeatedly at Frazier s cane
and then began to furiously punch numbers into his cell
phone. Molly hustled over to Dennis s side, prepared to de
fend him against the zealous officer.
Are you okay? she asked him. What s going on?
This young policeman seems to believe that my walk
ing stick is stolen property. I ve been trying to tell him that
I ve had it for years but he won t accept my story. I believe
he s been unsuccessful in reaching Detective Butler, yet he
isn t going to let me board my plane. He smiled sadly. I
believe we are on the same flight.
We ll see about that. Blood boiling, Molly tugged on
Officer Reynolds s sleeve as he finished leaving a long
voicemail message for Butler. Mr. Frazier has been using
this cane since the beginning of the show. I saw it myself
on both Friday and Saturday. She lowered her voice. The
missing cane has a snake s head. Mr. Frazier s cane has a
hand holding a bird as a handle. Just look at it!
Reynolds put his hands on his hips and put on his best
authoritative look. I can t take your word on this, ma am.
You re a civilian. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]