Playing with Poison: A Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Cue Ball Mysteries Book 1) by Blackburn Cindy

Author:Blackburn, Cindy [Blackburn, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: A Cue Ball Mystery
Published: 2013-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The usual suspects were in their usual places when Karen and I arrived at The Stone Fountain that night. While Bruce Springsteen reminded everyone where he was born, Matthew and Bryce concocted Long Island Iced Teas, Gina delivered Long Island Iced Teas, and Evan McCloy and the Dibbles drank Long Island Iced Teas. Meanwhile, over at the pool table, the gang waited patiently as Bernie and Camille Allen argued over who would shoot next.

Karen and I took our seats and Bryce pulled out the Corona and Korbel.

“Where’s Candy?” he asked as he poured Karen’s beer.

“You mean you haven’t heard?” she said. “Candy’s been arrested.”

“What? What for?”

“Like, duh.” Karen reached for her glass. “For murder.”

“For accessory to murder,” I clarified. “But surely Jimmy Beak has reported this by now?”

Bryce shook his head and made confused and bewildered faces while Karen explained that no, Jimmy had not reported the latest. “He showed that scene outside your door last night, Jess. When he had his panties in a bind about your bank account? But then he went right back to the school board scandal. No mention of Kiddo whatsoever.”

I joined Bryce in bewilderment. “You mean Rye hasn’t informed the media yet?”

“I’m guessing not,” she said.

“But she’s innocent.” That was Bryce. “I mean, she’s gotta be innocent, doesn’t she?”

“Not according to Captain Rye.” I waved him toward the Korbel bottle he had yet to open. “He’s convinced she and Carter O’Connell killed Stanley.”

“Who’s Carter?” my neighbors asked together.

“Candy’s new boyfriend.”

“What?” Again, they spoke in unison.

“Perhaps I should say old boyfriend,” I continued as Bryce finally handed me a drink. “They were high school sweethearts.”

Labeling the delinquent duo high school sweethearts may have been a bit misleading, but did everyone really need to know the sordid details of Candy’s past?

Unfortunately, I did know the details. After looking into Amanda in the Clarence Courier’s web site, I had moved on to my neighbors.

A ten-year-old article confirmed what Rye had told me about Candy. It outlined the juvenile court’s ruling against her and Carter and offered an extensive summary of the kinds of trouble they had gotten into—truancy, underage drinking, a couple of DUI’s, disturbing the peace, and grand theft auto.

Grand theft auto. I whimpered slightly and decided to focus on the present. “Carter’s moved back to town,” I explained. “He and Candy have gotten back together.”

“But she was engaged to Stanley,” Bryce argued.

“Was,” I repeated. “Believe it or not, she broke up with Stanley Saturday night. Right before he showed up here.”

“So let me get this straight,” Karen said. “Kiddo had two boyfriends at once?”

“When she was already engaged?” Bryce added.

I shrugged. “You did tell me Candy’s love life is hard to keep track of.”

“I guess I wasn’t kidding.” He knocked on the bar and wandered off to tend to some other customers.

I watched him create another batch of Long Island Iced Teas and recollected my research efforts in the Clarence newspaper’s web site. I had found no mention of Bryce Dixon. This made sense, considering he had only moved to town a few years earlier, but it was still a bit disappointing.

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