Sweet Betsy by Ed Lynskey

Author:Ed Lynskey [Lynskey, Ed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ed Lynskey
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Brawny Blaine Matthiessen dressed in bib overalls swept the oak plank floor to his hardware store every morning before he opened the doors for business. On this particular morning, however, he’d overslept because he’d stayed up late to watch the Washington Nationals lose a heartbreaker to the San Diego Padres on TV. He wished again he wasn’t such a baseball nut, but he could never watch enough of it. He’d followed the sport he still considered the national pastime since he was in elementary school.

This morning Blaine ran late—two hours, he cringed to think—before he unlocked the door and flipped around the OPEN FOR BUSINESS door sign. He drew in a breath and likened the musty hardware smell to the scent of money.

He’d heard the latest news of Isabel and Alma playing snoops again. It befuddled as much as it amazed him how they stumbled over so many corpses. He was leery when they entered the hardware store, and he kept a close eye on them. Who could tell? Alma might find a skeleton dangling behind the wall of nail bins. Isabel might lift a large flowerpot to reveal a skull flashing its pearly whites up at her. Right now, he was taking up the topic of murder with Alma.

“I’ve been in the hardware trade for going on twenty-six years,” he said. “I don’t recall one instance of another customer digging up a human bone in their flowerbed, or anywhere else for the matter.”

“Isabel and I were setting out the marigolds she purchased from you,” Alma said. “So, in a way, you bear some of the responsibility for our making the discovery.”

“Hey, don’t be pulling me into this big mess,” Blaine said.

“Blaine, one of our own was killed,” Isabel said. “Alma and I came in seeking information. Can we have your cooperation?”

“Ask me anything you like,” Blaine replied.

“You’re the only licensed firearms dealer operating in Quiet Anchorage,” Isabel said.

“As far as I know, that’s a true statement,” Blaine said.

“Did Betsy see you about making a handgun purchase?” Isabel asked.

“She never did such a thing,” Blaine replied. “Did she need that much personal protection?”

“We know an evil person killed her,” Isabel replied. “It wasn’t a random act or freak occurrence. Her killer must’ve had a plan in mind. Did anybody buy a handgun from you in the days before she vanished?”

Rubbing his chin, Blaine gave Isabel’s question careful thought. “I can’t say they did. Look, I’m not going to get rich from my firearms sales. Most of the business I do is with the local hunters. I grew up with many of them, and I do it as a convenience. All of my firearm sales are for new weapons only.”

“We heard you hired Troy Raft one summer,” Alma said. “How did that work out?”

“It was a bust.” Blaine hooked his thumbs under the bib overalls shoulder straps. “Troy comes across as a laid-back dude, but I know what he really is.”

“It sounds as if you’ve got a story for us,” Alma said.

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