The Backseat Mystery: a Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery (Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 25) by Dianne Harman

Author:Dianne Harman [Harman, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2022-12-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

It felt like the drive back to Cottonwood Springs from Louisburg hadn’t taken nearly as long as it had to get there. When they entered the city limits, Brigid was glad to be in their own town so they could concentrate on the case. Davis had the address for the landlord, and they drove directly there.

His name was Dez Taylor, and he was the owner of a number of properties in Cottonwood Springs. None of them were very attractive looking homes, but they weren’t so bad that people thought something should be done about them.

Brigid had heard about him once or twice before in passing, and people often referred to him as a slumlord. They said he didn’t care about his tenants, and all he wanted was people living in his properties and paying rent to him. He only fixed what was critical, and that was often only repairs that were long overdue.

The possibility that he was an addict started to make Brigid change the way she thought of him. It made so much sense. He didn’t care about his tenants, only their money and what it could buy him.

When they pulled up to his house, they weren’t surprised to see it didn’t look much better than the places he rented out. The siding was missing in a few places, and the shingles on the roof of the small home looked as though they’d been there for far too long.

It was very clear Dez hadn’t put the money he made into his own home. She wondered again if his money was being spent on drugs. He didn’t maintain his rentals well, he didn’t maintain his own home well, and his car, she saw parked in the driveway, was old enough that she assumed it was paid for. Immediately, she felt suspicious.

Davis parked in the street and shut off the truck. “Let’s hope this guy is cooperative. I’ve had to deal with him once or twice when he’s had tenants complain. He ain’t stupid, but he’s sleazy. He don’t help anyone unless it’s in his best interests.”

“I hope he thinks helping us will help him,” Brigid said before they opened the doors of the truck and climbed out.

They hadn’t gotten far when the front door opened. A man with shaggy blonde hair and a beard that looked to be a few days old stepped out onto the rundown porch.

“Can I help you, Sheriff?” he asked.

“Afternoon, Dez. How are ya’ today?” Davis asked as they approached him.

Dez eyed them both carefully. “I was doing pretty good until you showed up on my doorstep. Is another tenant complaining? Hope not, because I’ve done everything that I’m legally required to do.”

“Nah, nothin’ like that,” Davis said as he shook his head. “I do need to talk to ya’ about one of your tenants, though. Name’s Frankie Sullivan. What can ya’ tell me about him?”

He and Brigid stopped in front of the man who had stepped outside without a coat on, and was wearing only a thin flannel shirt.

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