Deal Gone Dead by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Author:Carolyn Ridder Aspenson [Ridder Aspenson, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-15T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

I found myself on the outskirts of the county at Old Man Goodson’s small engine repair shop. I hadn’t consciously intended to go there, so when I arrived, I was a bit surprised. Old Man Goodson wasn’t surprised to see me though.

“Wondered when you’d show up,” he said as I entered the shop.

“Really? Why is that?” I admired the old antique tin signs hung throughout his shop. The Coke® ones were my favorite, but I got a kick out of the ones with the pin-up girls sitting on cars, too.

He handed me a bottle of cold water. “Here. Sit a spell. I’ll tell you the story.”

“I feel like you were expecting me or something.”

“That woman your partner got sassy with this morning? She come by and told me you were asking questions. I figured you’d be stopping by, too.”

Word got around fast in a small town.

I unscrewed the bottle of water and took a sip. I wasn’t thirsty, just polite. “Do you think Jesse killed Myrtle?”

Something metal crashed in the back of the shop and landed on the ground. I jumped. Old Man Goodson took his time turning around and headed toward the sound. He tossed a few pieces of equipment I couldn’t recognize around on the floor and then grabbed a broom resting against the wall.

“Darn rats. Can’t seem to get rid of the little boogers.”

I wanted to run out and vomit. I’d never been a fan of rats.

He wandered back my direction after scooting the varmint out the back of the shop. “Now, what’d you ask again?”

“I wanted to know if you thought Jesse killed his aunt.”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that. Don’t really know but figured the boy could use someone on his side for a change.” He finished off his bottle of water and wiped the beads of sweat pooling on his brow. “Figured it ought to be me since I’m part of the reason he and Junior ain’t friends no more.”

“How do you mean?”

“If I’d kept my big trap shut, those two boys wouldn’t have had their falling out and they’d still be friends. But because of me, Junior told Jesse his daddy might have had a fling with another woman that resulted in the making of another baby. A little sister for Jesse. One he never knew about.”

Part of me felt empathy toward the guy, while another part of me saw even more reason for his desperation and angst.

“Do you think it’s true?”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

He shrugged. “Lot of men have affairs. Wouldn’t surprise me none if he did. Can’t say if the kid is his or not, but that wouldn’t surprise me none either.”

I watched a bug crawl along a crack in the cement floor.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. He opened a can of tobacco chew and stuffed a pinch behind his bottom lip.

“You do?”

“You want to know who the kid is.”

Actually, I wondered more about the mother, but the daughter interested me, too. “It’s not my business.” But yes, please tell me.

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