Made-up for Murder by Moira Bates

Author:Moira Bates [Bates, Moira]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-945419-92-8
Publisher: Fawkes Press

11

I sat in the back of a sheriff’s cruiser. The mosquitos were eating me alive outside, but deputies made a swift and decisive ruling against my suggestion to be allowed to wait in my own car.

Sheriff Henderson slipped behind the wheel, huffing and cussing as he maneuvered his considerable bulk in the tight space. He picked up his radio. “I’m gonna need some EMTs out here at Hollywoods. Dang idgits had pokeweed for dinner!”

I leaned up to the screen dividing us. “Pokeweed! Don’t they know that’s poisonous?”

The sheriff startled and cursed some more. “They don’t know their hind-ends from a hole in the ground! They said, ‘oh, we’ve read about poke salad,’ Dang, idgits, it’s poke sallet and ya’ gotta’ cook it!”

“Oh, yes, sir,” I said, sensing an opportunity to secure my release. “I was born in Savannah, Georgia, myself. I know a thing or two about pokeweed. How in the world did they even pick it without getting an itch all over their hands?” I let my words slip into a lazy drawl.

“Lord knows,” he muttered, then turned around to face me. “What’re you doing in my car, anyways?”

“Danny,” I said, “That is, Officer Cook, thought it best if I waited in here until y’all interviewed me.”

The sheriff gave me a once over. “You one of these hippies?”

“No sir,” I said, “I came out to clear up a miscommunication with someone and—”

“Here you are,” he replied.

“Here I am.”

He grunted and hauled himself out of the car. “COOK! Git on over here.” He gestured to me in the back seat. “Why is this sweet young lady waiting while we process these dirty hippies for setting the vet’s office on fire?”

I perked up, both at being called “young” and the news that Western Eco-Warriors were involved in the incident in the town square. I smiled through the window at Danny and tried not to look smug.

“Sir,” Danny said, “Julia has been—”

“Julia?” the sheriff roared. “You know her by her first name and got her locked up here like a common criminal?”

“But sir—”

The sheriff opened the door to my freedom. “Miss, I sure apologize for this. The young ones don’t quite know how to treat a lady, especially one that hasn’t done anything wrong. You be careful goin’ home, ya’ hear.”

I thanked the sheriff, avoided eye contact with Danny, and jumped in my car before he had time to convince the sheriff he’d made a mistake. I had just reached the gate when my phone rang. “Hello?”

My son’s voice filled the car, his tone a mix of merriment and scolding. “Whatcha’ doin’, Mom?”

I glanced at the flashing red and blue lights behind me. “Just out for a drive. Are you okay? You never call to talk—”

“I got a call from Andy.” Oh. Ben’s lifelong friend, now serving as a state trooper.

“Lovely!” I hoped I was selling it. “Has he heard from Poppy? Will she be back soon?”

“He didn’t have news about Poppy; he had news about you,” he said. “Just giving me

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