Dead, to Begin With by Bill Crider

Author:Bill Crider
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter 14

Rhodes drove back to Clearview feeling that he’d learned something important. He didn’t know exactly what it was yet, but the connections among Gwen Marley and the men Jake had insisted on casting in the play had to mean something. If Rhodes could figure out what the connections were, he might find the answer to why Jake was killed.

Or he might not, but it was a place to start. He thought about eating lunch before he talked to any of the men he wanted to see. They all had businesses in Clearview, so they might be at lunch themselves. Rhodes figured he could afford to take the time for a little bite. He didn’t want to take too long, so he drove by the Dairy Queen and got a Jalitos Ranch Burger at the drive-through. He didn’t order any fries, which he felt relieved him of any guilt incurred by having the burger.

He decided it would be a good idea to take the burger home to eat it. Ivy wouldn’t be there, since she took a lunch and ate at her desk, which allowed her to take off early in the afternoon. She always offered to fix Rhodes a lunch, too, but the idea of eating a sandwich with turkey baloney and wilted lettuce didn’t appeal to him. What appealed to him was the idea of having his burger with another of the Dr Peppers with real sugar.

Yancey was thrilled to see Rhodes come in, but he was thrilled to see anybody come in. It was as if he thought that everyone who left the house would be like poor Charlie on the MTA and never return, so he was overjoyed when someone did.

As for the cats, they were as indifferent as ever. Come, go, it didn’t matter to them as long as they had food and water in their bowls. They hardly bothered to open their eyes when Rhodes came into the kitchen. They were disturbed enough to stretch and shift positions, but it was clear that Rhodes didn’t matter to them at all.

Rhodes set his burger on the table and checked to be sure that they did have the essentials, and then he checked to be sure that Yancey did, too. All was well, so Rhodes got a Dr Pepper from the refrigerator and sat down to eat his burger, which had deep-fried jalapeños and pepper jack cheese among its ingredients. He’d need the Dr Pepper to cool his mouth.

It was a little difficult to eat at first because Yancey kept dancing around Rhodes’s feet, but he got tired after a couple of minutes and lay down beside the chair for a little nap. Rhodes ate his burger, had an occasional swallow of Dr Pepper, and thought about his next step.

It occurred to him that he didn’t know anything about Gwen Marley’s death other than that she’d died in a one-car accident. It had happened nearly fifty years ago, but if there had been any serious talk

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