A Baked Ham by Jessica Beck Read Free Book Online Page B

  Hopefully we’ll get a little more
from Amanda than we were able to get out of Vern.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I
said.   “I’ve heard some pretty scary
stuff about the woman.”
    “I’m sure that she’s not as bad
as folks make her out to be,” Moose said.
    “I guess we’ll find out soon
enough, won’t we?”

 
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    I hadn’t been to the furniture
outlet in years, and in the time since my last visit, the place had gotten seedier
and more rundown than I could have imagined.   What would possess someone to shop there, let alone come to work there
every day?   The signage had long ago
faded from its original bright colors, and muted flags hung limp from the
awnings, which were covered with leaves.   One of the concrete steps had a corner knocked off, and there were
cracks all through the thing.   I wasn’t
sure the steps were safe to walk up, and honestly, the building wasn’t much
better.
    I steeled myself for what was
inside, and I held my breath as Moose and I walked through the front door.   The first thing I noticed was the canned
music coming out tinny from the loudspeakers.   A handful of customers browsed throughout the expanse of cheap
furniture, wandering around a little like zombies in the flickering overhead
lights.  
    If I had to work there five days
a week, I’d stick a fork in the nearest electrical outlet and be done with it.
    There was no sales staff on the
floor, at least none that I could see, but there were a few folks hanging
around the sales counter in the middle of the store.
    “Can I help you find something?”
a middle-aged woman with a lipstick-stained smile asked us as we approached.
    “I hope so.   We’re looking for Amanda Lark,” Moose said.
    “Well, you’ve found her, sweetheart.   May I ask who recommended me?”
    “Vern Jeffries,” I answered
without thinking.
    The smile vanished
instantly.   “What did that weasel want?”
    “He told us that you weren’t too
happy about your break up with Benny Booth,” I said.
    “Is he still spreading lies about
Benny and me?   We ended things like a
couple of adults do, with a kiss on the cheek and a smile.   The problem with Vern is that he never got
over the fact that I turned him down to go out with Benny.”
    “When did that happen?” I asked.
    “When do you think?   Listen, if you’re not here to look at
furniture, sorry, I don’t have time for you.”
    “Yes, I can see that you’re
overwhelmed with customers at the moment,” Moose said.
    She was about to answer when I
decided that a little peacemaking might be in order.   “Actually, my husband has been talking about
getting a big sectional couch,” I said.   “Would you mind showing me what you’ve got?”
    “Sure, why not?   You and your husband just follow me,” she
said.
    “He’s not my husband ,” I said.   “This is
my grandfather.”
    Moose quickly added, “Not that I
couldn’t land a young lady for myself if I were in the market for one.”
    “Sure, sure.   Whatever.   It takes all kinds.”
    “Even though you were broken up,
you must have been devastated when you heard about Benny’s murder,” I said as
we started moving through the store.
    “It was quite a shock,” Amanda
said.
    “Where were you when it
happened?” I asked her.
    “I was… hang on.   Why should you care where I was?”
    I hadn’t expected her to balk so
quickly, so I had to come up with something on the fly.   I said the first thing that came to mind, and
I hoped that it would work.   “I just
wanted to know if you felt anything, like a psychic tug, when Benny was
murdered.   What were you doing at the time he died, do you know?”
    “I was busy away from the theater
having a life, and no, I didn’t feel a thing.”
    “Nothing at all?” Moose asked.
    I shot my grandfather a warning
look.   Was he trying to antagonize this
woman?   Before she could react, I quickly
asked Amanda, “How long did you and