Under the Gun by Kelsey Browning & Kelsey Browning

Author:Kelsey Browning & Kelsey Browning [Naigle, Nancy & Browning, Kelsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crossroads Publishing House

* * *

Lil and Maggie flashed the picture of Charlie around town most of the afternoon and got absolutely nowhere. When they spoke with Dottie at the Atlanta Highway Diner, even she had no insider info for them. Nothing much ever got past the longtime waitress, so that was disappointing. Wherever Charlie ate when he was in Summer Shoals, apparently it wasn’t at the diner.

This investigation was not going well at all.

Maybe Lil was messing up the girls’ mojo.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to be part of the team.

She and Maggie came back to Summer Haven no closer to the truth than when they left. Lil bristled at the thought that she might not fit in, and she dropped her purse on a chair in the parlor as Sera and Marcus came downstairs.

Sera rushed into the room ahead of Marcus. “I’m going to run over to Angelina’s with Marcus.” She lowered her voice. “He’s still mad, insisting if I plan to talk with Brad that he’s going with me. I’m hoping I can investigate and soothe Marcus all at the same time. Maybe you girls can get a good lead at Earlene’s Drinkery. We were lucky there before, remember?” she said. “But wait until Abby Ruth goes out or somehow keep it from her. We don’t want to upset her again.”

She shot Lil an okay symbol, then draped her poncho over her arm and left with Marcus.

No. Lil didn’t remember, because she hadn’t helped them crack that case. And danged if she didn’t sometimes feel like the last one picked for the kickball team, and she didn’t like that feeling one bit. But she wasn’t about to be left out this time.

So Lil followed Maggie outside and climbed into her little red pickup. At least she could get herself up into this truck, unlike Abby Ruth’s beast.

“Earlene’s it is,” Maggie said.

No surprise the parking lot was full. Dollar draft night always brought a crowd to Earlene’s. Harlan had cozied up to the bar regularly when he was alive, but Earlene’s wasn’t a place Lil normally frequented. Especially now that she knew the bar had sold Harlan plenty of lottery tickets over the years. On principle she’d waged a personal boycott on the joint.

Maggie slid out of the truck and headed for the door. “Someone in here has to have seen Charlie.”

“Just because a man drinks doesn’t make him a thief,” Lil said, hearing the sulk in her own voice.

Maggie slowly turned to Lil. “After all we’ve all been through over the past couple of years, you’re the last person who should believe all people who seem good are good.” She placed her hands on Lil’s shoulders. “Repeat after me. Bad Charlie.”

“Bad Charlie?”

“Yes. That’s right. Say it again.”

“Bad Charlie?”

“Charlie isn’t a good guy.”

“He was nice.”

“He lied. Lying is bad. He’s Bad. Bad, bad Charlie.”

“Oh stop it. Besides, we aren’t all that much better. We were keeping the truth from Abby Ruth about her guns and now we’re investigating without her.”

Maggie swung open the bar’s front door and walked inside.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.