A Mold For Murder by Tim Myers Read Free Book Online

I’m not going to enjoy either conversation.”
    Bob smiled smugly. “I love being married. That way I just have to worry about one woman being mad at me. You’re going to have a ton of them upset with you, at the rate you’re going.”
    “I did what I had to do,” I said as we pulled up in front of the bookstore.
    I told Bob, “Wait here a second, would you? I need to talk to Rufus before we start carrying books in.”
    The clerk was sitting behind the register reading something dark, and when I spoke his name, the college kid nearly fell off his stool. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, Ben.”
    “Sorry, I didn’t realize that I had. What are you reading?”
    He pushed the book aside. “I’ve seen your taste in books. Trust me, you wouldn’t like it.”
    “You’re a powerful salesman, aren’t you?”
    He shrugged. “I know my books, and I know my customers. It’s a real bummer about Diana, isn’t it? Have they arrested her yet?” He seemed a little too eager to have his speculation confirmed.
    “She’s getting a checkup at the hospital right now,” I said. “When she heard about the murder, she fainted and hit her head.”
    “Man. Is she going to be okay?”
    “I think so, but we all thought that it would be a good idea to make sure.” I asked him, “Hey, how did you hear about it so quickly? I know Harper’s Landing is small, but this just happened.”
    “One of your customers at Where There’s Soap happens to shop here, too. She came straight to the bookstore as soon as she heard about what happened. What I don’t get is why they think Diana had anything to do with it.”
    So he hadn’t heard everything. “The murder victim’s real name was Connie Brown.”
    It was the first time I’d ever seen Rufus speechless. After ten seconds, he said, “It can’t be the same woman. It just can’t be.”
    “I’m afraid it was,” I said.
    “Oh, man, no wonder they want to arrest her. Has she got a good lawyer?”
    “I called Kelly Sheer,” I admitted. “She agreed to represent her.”
    Rufus whooped with delight. “You’re kidding me, right? Do you have any idea what Diana thinks of her? No, you couldn’t have, or you never would have called the lady.”
    “She needed someone good to represent her,” I said. “Listen, we’ve got a truckload of books outside that we’re not going to need. Where can we put them?”
    Rufus thought about it a second, then said, “Why don’t you bring them around back? You can stack them near the door until Diana can decide what to do with them. She’s got a little more on her mind right now than returns, you know what I mean?” He handed me a key as he said it. “That will unlock the door.”
    “Aren’t you going to meet us back there?” I asked.
    “Somebody’s got to watch the store,” he said as he picked his book back up.
    “Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell Diana that you were the model employee in her time of need.”
    “I’d appreciate that,” he said, missing my jab entirely. “I’ve been pushing her for a raise for months, but so far I haven’t had any luck.”
    I shook my head as I walked back outside.
    Bob was leaning against the side of the truck as if he were guarding the cargo. “What’s up?”
    “We need to take these around back,” I said as I got inside. Bob joined me, then circled the block and pulled up beside the bookstore’s loading dock.
    “Sorry we’re not getting any help,” I said as I unlocked the back door.
    He lowered the truck’s tailgate, then said, “Are you kidding? Carrying boxes beats sweeping up back at the shop. I never have minded a little physical labor.”
    After we got the books transferred to the back, I told Bob, “I’ll meet you out front. I’m going to give Rufus this key back.”
    “Suits me. And take your time, Ben. I meant what I said. I’m not in any rush to get to the shop.”
    I started to walk through the back of the store when I popped my head into Diana’s office. I