A Trunk, a Canoe, and all the Barbecue: A Jess and Libby Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Afterlife Issues Book 2) by A.W. Hartoin

Author:A.W. Hartoin [Hartoin, A.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Tank unwrapped his brisket sandwich and groaned with happiness. “This is a real treat. I don’t get over to that joint nearly often enough.”

“I’m right there with you,” said Eric. “My second lunch of the day. Don’t tell Sylvia.”

Eric had pulled pork, baked beans, and coleslaw. Tank had fried mushrooms and grilled corn on the cob. Lynn had an encyclopedic memory for repeat customers’ favorites. I got my burnt ends without being asked.

After we were halfway through our sandwiches and having a little breather, Tank asked, “I assume this largesse comes with a price.”

“I might need a little more help on the Blazevic case,” I said, sliding over the container of homemade pickles that were Ned’s favorite thing.

Tank took one and said, “Worth it. What’s up? Have you got the lady’s details?”

“Nothing that good,” I said. “I want to know if you have anything on Steve Olsen.”

Tank finished a pickle, wiped his hands on a napkin, and then got on his computer. “Nothing springs to mind. Did he sell that trunk to Mika?”

“He did.” I told them about my encounter with Steve, and the two of them were stunned.

“Maybe he had a stroke,” said Eric.

“I didn’t think of that,” I said.

“Strokes don’t make you spin on the floor,” said Tank. “That guy’s full of it.”

“What did Leo say?” Eric asked, glancing around, but Leo hadn’t come with me. He’d gone to see if he could hear anything at the Olsen house. I don’t think he would normally have agreed to eavesdropping, but Steve’s performance and disrespect helped me talk him into it.

“Nothing. He doesn’t know what that was about, but he doesn’t think Steve will tell me what was in the trunk.”

“You could call in Larry,” said Tank.

Eric chuckled. “Libby Forest and Larry Fischer, the dream team.”

“You joke, but I’ve considered it,” I said.

“In all seriousness, Lib, I don’t think he’ll tell you. Larry or no Larry,” said Eric. “If he’s willing to do that in public, it’s a secret he’s going to keep at all costs.”

Tank nodded. “I’d still think about calling in Larry, but you’re probably right. Scaring won’t be enough, and you don’t want Larry to actually beat him up.”

“I don’t, but what other recourse do I have?”

“Let’s see,” said Tank. “I’m not seeing anything on either Steve or Hugo. They’ve never been on our crime report. At least not since we got it searchable on the computer, but I don’t see either of them committing a crime.”

“Steve did something,” said Eric. “Why else would he try to hide what was in the trunk?”

“Could be a lot of reasons,” said Tank. “My best guess is monetary gain. He wants to sell whatever it was or he already has. It was probably questionable.”

“Stolen goods,” I said. “Jess thought there might be money from a bank robbery. That sounds nuts, though.”

“I don’t know,” said Tank. “They found a safe on Storage Wars that was chock-full of money.”

Eric nodded. “And there was the video collection. Fifty grand.”

“Steve doesn’t seem so stupid for buying the units now,” I said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.