Aretha Moon and the Dead Hairdresser: Aretha Moon Book 2 (Aretha Moon Mysteries) Linda Ross (books for students to read TXT) 📖

I almost never swear, and when I do it’s not a really serious curse, but this one came out of my mouth without me even thinking about it.  I could feel panic rising in my throat.  My heart was pounding, and I’m sure the blood had drained from my face.

Conversation ground to a halt, and everyone stared at me.  Jimmy reached over and took my phone.

“Really, Aretha,” Momo said, “there’s no call for language like that.  The good Lord will put that on your record.”

My voice was shaking when I answered.  “The good Lord hasn’t recently found two dead bodies, eaten weed brownies, had a rat in his car and been thrown out of a B and D club.”

“Your aunt and I stayed at a B and D in Louisiana last winter,” Dad said, apparently oblivious to my outburst.  “The owner made the best cinnamon rolls for breakfast.”  Now we all stared at Dad.

Eileen cleared her throat.  “I think that was a B and B, Dad.  A bed and breakfast.”

“Well, that’s what we were talking about, isn’t it?”

Jimmy was scrolling back through my messages.  “Is this the only one?” he asked.

I nodded.  One was enough.  I could see that Jimmy had gone into cop mode.

The phone rang, and I jumped.  Jimmy looked at the ID and handed it to me.  “Thelma.  Ask if she got one of these messages.”

I didn’t have to ask.  As soon as I answered, Thelma launched into a panicky account of a similar message.  Hers didn’t mention the rat, but it promised similar retribution if she didn’t leave the person alone.

Jimmy took the phone from me and asked her if she had a safe place to stay.  He told her he was going to stay with me and she could come here if she wanted.  I glanced sideways at my family and saw Eileen staring with her mouth open.  Jimmy voluntarily staying with me was probably high on her list of improbable events.  Momo was frowning in disapproval, and Dad was cutting himself another piece of cake.

When Jimmy clicked off the phone he was still all business.  “Thelma’s going to stay with her brother.  I’m going to go pick up her phone to check it out.  I’ll take yours too.  I’ll be back tonight.”  He stood and nodded at the rest of the table.  “Thanks for the food.  It was good seeing you again.”  And he was off.

Eileen’s mouth was still open.  “What was that all about?” she asked.

I didn’t want to alarm Momo and Dad, so I said, “Just some information about a case.”

I’m sure Eileen knew there was more to it than that, but my explanation seemed to satisfy Momo.  Of course that also triggered another lecture from her.

“Aretha, you need a hobby.  You shouldn’t go poking around in things that don’t concern you.  And what are you doing eating something like weed brownies?”  Trust Momo to pick up on that.  “You don’t know what kind of poison people put on weeds these days.  I used to eat dandelions all the time in the spring, but I wouldn’t touch them these days.  What kind of weeds were they, anyway?  You weren’t eating nodding spurge, were you?  That’s poisonous, you know.  You have to keep it out of the pastures or it will kill your cattle.”

Momo was a font of agricultural information, having once dated a farmer.

“Don’t worry, Momo,” I said.  “It wasn’t spurge.”  I looked at Eileen, who rolled her eyes.

 I volunteered to wash the dishes for Eileen, who looked like the migraine was taking over.  I sent her to bed and then sat and visited with Dad and Momo.  By the time I headed back to my house dusk was falling.  Jimmy pulled into the drive in his truck just as I reached the porch.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“No luck with your phone,” Jimmy said, handing it back to me.  “Whoever sent the text probably just bought a phone at Dollar General, then pitched it.  It could be anybody.”

I sighed and started for the door, but Jimmy told me to wait.  “I’d better check first.”

He opened the door, and Nancy charged out, promptly squatted and peed.  She was actually doing better lately with the house training program.  I picked her up and rubbed her ears while Jimmy went inside the house.  When he gave the all clear, Nancy and I joined him.

I was finding this whole threat to kill me thing pretty depressing now that the shock was wearing off.  On the plus side, Jimmy would be staying with me.  It was almost worth being targeted by a psycho killer.  Almost.

After I put some clean sheets on the guest bed, Jimmy got a beer from my fridge and handed me a Diet Coke.  We sat at the table, and I took a deep breath.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Maybe a little.”

Jimmy pulled out a notebook and pen.  “Let’s go over everybody you’ve talked to about the murder in the last several days.”

I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes.  “Well, first was Derek.  You know all about him.”

“Right.  Who else?”

“Ralph Pierce, the farmer.  Loren Haskell, the iron worker.  Jordan Kirsch, the art student who tends bar.  And I guess the B and D club guy, David Henderson, although that wasn’t exactly an exchange of information.”  I could feel myself flushing at the memory of Jimmy seeing me being escorted out of there in that costume, carrying a buggy whip and wearing handcuffs.

“He still counts,” Jimmy said.  “He realized what you were looking for.  And he may have told Jeffrey Connell, so he goes on the list too.”

“Either of them would have had to move fast to get a rat in my car that night.”

“True.  But not impossible.”  Jimmy took another drink of beer.  “What did these guys have in common, aside from Kara?”

I