A Little Sin by Sionnach Wintergreen

Author:Sionnach Wintergreen [Wintergreen, Sionnach]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-23T06:00:00+00:00

***

Home of Rufus Larson

Avery followed Rufus Larson, owner of the timber mill, into the parlor. Rufus, a broad, pasty man with a horseshoe of silvery hair, motioned him to a violet wingback chair. He took a tin of matches out of his breast pocket and lit a cigar, then sat down in the matching chair opposite Avery.

“In your message,” said Avery, “you said Dr. Watkins had some gambling debts. What can you tell me about those debts?”

“We were friends. Had been since he married my niece. He always gambled some. It became worse, recently. He had to borrow money from me. Said he’d gotten in over his head with some fellow.”

“You don’t know the man’s name?”

“Obadiah Clark. You should know him.”

Avery certainly did. Clark had run a gin joint before Prohibition. He ran bootleggers now. The man always had his mitts in something dirty. “What was he doing with a man like Obadiah?”

“Gambling and drinking, most likely.” Rufus puffed his cigar. “Truth be told, Sheriff, Hiram always had a wild hair. Irish blood, you know.”

Avery, who was Irish on both sides, could only stare at Rufus for a moment. Finally, he blinked. “Half the county is Irish. They aren’t all gamblers.”

Rufus shrugged, puffing smoke. “A third of the county’s Negro. They aren’t all layabouts and thieves, but some are. It’s in the blood.”

Avery coughed. “Uh…how much money did Dr. Watkins borrow from you?”

“Six hundred dollars. He asked for two thousand.”

“Two thousand dollars! That’s enough for a car!”

“It’s a tidy sum, that’s for certain.”

Avery drew a deep breath. He felt like he was finally getting somewhere. He could start seeing the puzzle now, how the pieces fit together. “What was his state of mind when he asked you for the money?”

“I’m no mind reader.” Rufus laughed smoke.

“No. I’m sure that’s true. What did he sound like when you talked to him? Nervous, cheerful, angry?”

“I would say nervous. He seemed very nervous.”

“And when was this conversation exactly?”

“I don’t remember when exactly. It was about a week ago.” He squinted over Avery’s shoulder. “Friday, maybe. Last Friday.”

Avery thanked Rufus and left without shaking hands. Didn’t want to get his Irish on him, after all. He knew who he needed to talk to now. Obadiah Clark. He just had to find him.

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