Dance of the Winnebagos (Jackrabbit Junction Humorous Mystery Book 1) by Ann Charles

Author:Ann Charles [Charles, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series (Book 1)
Publisher: Ann Charles
Published: 2011-10-03T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Sighing in relief, Mac parked his truck in front of Ruby’s store. Behind the drooping crown of the old willow, the horizon glowed with the day’s last light.

Lately, he cringed every time he stuck the key in the ignition. No amount of what he’d come to think of as his pre-flight inspections eased the tension that tightened his shoulders after flying across U.S. Route 191 the other night.

Whoever wanted him to stay away from the mines must have noticed he was still poking around. How long until he received another not-so-subtle “No Trespassing” hint?

He grabbed his pack and headed around the side of the store. Bullfrogs croaked their nightly serenades down by the creek, sounding like a symphony of squeaky bed springs.

As he stepped through the back door, a wall of cigar smoke smacked him in the face. Coughing, he waved a path through the haze.

“So I told Fanny it’s only a heat rash,” Chester’s voice rose above Garth Brooks’s, who was crooning about having friends in low places. “But she still wouldn’t touch it.”

Mac grimaced. He didn’t blame Fanny.

“Howdy, Mac,” Ruby called from her seat at the card table. “There’s beer in the fridge and chips on the bar.”

Harley, garbed in his usual cigar and suspenders, card-playing attire, lounged directly across from her. Manny and Chester bracketed her on either side. Each of them had three cards left in their hands.

Food sounded good. Beer, even better. Mine dust still coated his throat.

“Where’s Jess?” Mac asked, grabbing a cold Corona from the fridge. It was too early for her to be in bed already.

“Upstairs,” Ruby said. “Probably plotting against me.”

Where was Claire? The question weighed on his tongue, but any answer from these jesters would be dealt with plenty of ribbing, and his ribs still hurt from this morning’s jabbing.

“Let’s see you try to take this, you lousy bastard,” Chester said to Harley, and flung an Ace of hearts on the table.

“Any trouble tonight?” Ruby asked Mac, her gaze piercing.

She’d made it clear at lunch that she wanted Mac to stop fooling around with the mines. The multiple attempts to deter him hadn’t gone unnoticed, but, like his aunt, obstinacy ran in Mac’s blood.

“Nope.”

“Trouble with what?” Harley asked around his cigar.

“With—” Ruby started.

“Coyotes.” Mac cut in, not wanting to cause alarm.

Harley eyed him for several seconds, then turned back to his cards and threw out a ten of hearts. “Thanks for dealing me such a shitty hand,” he told Chester.

Chester smirked back at him.

“Mac’s a lousy liar, worse than Claire.” Manny tossed a Queen of hearts on the pile.

“Did you finish with Two Jakes?” Ruby asked.

“Almost.” Mac wetted his whistle with a swig of Corona.

Last week, while gathering samples, the ones he’d exchanged for the bone yesterday when he visited Steve in Phoenix, he’d noticed the mine maps he had copied from the library were outdated. Several drifts and chambers near the main adit in Two Jakes weren’t shown, and he’d bet more sections of the mines weren’t mapped, either.

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