Dead Before A Rival by Broussard John A

Author:Broussard, John A. [Broussard, John A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Boson Books
Published: 2006-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Kay and Sid were still talking about the case after they had finished their dinner. The dishwasher was rattling away. Kay was searching around for her unfinished mystery novel, while Sid debated between doing some work on a credit-card fraud case he was handling, or reading the latest news magazine. Seeing the three cats curled up on the sofa, his own favorite spot for relaxed reading, he decided it would not be worth the hassle to unload them. Instead, he turned to his briefcase while trying to remember salient points in the Hawaii Revised Statutes about theft involving credit cards.

“Have you figured out who the murderer is yet?” he asked, as he pulled a chair up to the dining-room table which frequently served as a desk.

“I’m sure it’s Francine,” Kay answered, sitting back in the recliner.

“Francine? Who the hell is Francine? I haven’t even met her.”

“I should hope not. She’s a really classy blonde who doesn’t look like she has anything to gain by having murdered the housemaid, so that’s why I’m betting on her.”

Sid shook himself to give full attention to what Kay was saying. “Oh, you mean in the book you’re reading. I was talking about real life, about who moved Bart on from faith to knowledge.”

“In that case, I’m stumped,” Kay said, putting down her book and pushing her reading glasses up into her hair. “Hank has a really good case against Rouse, in spite of what Qual said. On the other hand it just doesn’t fit.”

“You mean you don’t think Rouse would have done such a thing?”

Kay nodded. “I’ve known him ever since I came to Elima. He’s really a heck of a nice guy. He made a special trip to his office one evening to treat a miserable toothache I had, which doesn’t exactly fit in with the killer instinct.” She sighed, “But, then again, I suppose it just has to be Rouse.”

“In the book you’re reading, you pick out the least likely suspect and here you pick out the most likely one. How come?”

“I checked with a dental supply house today,” Kay said, ignoring the inconsistency Sid was pointing out. “They said nitrous oxide comes only in those large bottles. Experimental labs and dentists are about the only ones using the stuff. Since it isn’t toxic, at least not in the usual quantities, there’s no registration or anything similar required, but people do have to present identification and sign off for it. It wouldn’t be easy for just anyone to get the stuff.”

“How come you didn’t tell Hank that?”

“I did, shortly after I talked to the supply house. But Hank had beaten me to it. He’d already called the same place. That’s one of the reasons he’s so convinced Rouse is it.”

Sid looked at the frown on her face and said, “C’mon. Out with it. You aren’t satisfied with Rouse as the culprit for more than just feelings. What is it?”

“A lot of small things, some of which we mentioned today. In addition, he’s had some medical training.

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