Trouble at the Red Pueblo (A Spider Latham Red Rock Mystery) by Liz Adair

Author:Liz Adair [Adair, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: A Spider Latham Mystery
Publisher: Century Press
Published: 2014-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

“ARE YOU WORRIED about Karam?” Spider asked Laurie.

“His eyes look okay. You always worry about a bump on the head, though.”

Spider grimaced. “I feel so bad that he got pulled into this mess.”

Laurie turned toward him. “I tell you what I worry about. I worry that this whole thing is bigger than it seems. What if this is some Mafia-backed real estate grab.”

Spider shook his head. “I don’t think so. It has the feel of a small-time operator. I think that he’s been successful in all these scams, and now when someone is standing up to him, he’s resorting to violence.”

“But who was the fellow who attacked Karam? Was that Austin Lee?”

“Can’t be. He knows what I look like. I think he went to Rent-a-Thug and hired someone to work me over. Austin saw me driving the Yugo, so describing the car was easier than describing me.”

“You mean orange roller skate with black flames is easier than tall, dark and handsome?”

Spider smiled. “Something like that.” Coming down the hill after crossing into Arizona, he spied the red ochre dots that would grow in size and become the Red Pueblo Museum. “I’m not looking forward to telling Matt that Tiffany was lying to him.”

“Working with people is hard on the soul,” Laurie observed. “I prefer cattle any day.”

“Yeah, well…” Spider didn’t finish his thought. The site of the museum fast approaching set his mind to searching for words to tell Matt Taylor that he had been had. Minutes later when he turned into the driveway, he hadn’t come up with anything. Matt was on the far side of the Heritage Yard with a wheelbarrow and a shovel.

“Want me to come with you?” Laurie asked.

Spider parked in the shade of a tree and rolled down the windows before turning off the engine. “Probably not. No man wants spectators when he finds out how stupid he’s been.”

“I’ll wait here, then.”

Spider got out of the cab and ambled to the gate, passing through and crossing to where Matt was methodically taking out weeds with long strokes of his shovel. “Is this executive work?” he inquired when he got within speaking distance.

Matt leaned on the handle, breathing hard. “We may lose the museum tomorrow, but by golly, it’ll look good when we do. You got anything to report?”

Spider pushed the brim of his hat up. “I’ve got things to report. Whether it’s going to help remains to be seen.” He cleared his throat. How to begin?

“Well?”

“I went to St. George yesterday, and I visited with several people. I found some answers. Found some questions, too, that I want to talk to you about. But first—”

“Yes?”

Nothing to do but get it over with. “First, I need to tell you that Tiffany Wendt was lying. She doesn’t have a quarter million dollars to give to the museum.”

Matt didn’t move. He stood still as a statue with his hand on the shovel handle, his face growing ashen, eyes never leaving Spider’s face.

After waiting for Matt to say something, Spider forged on.

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