Bed & Breakfast Bedlam (A Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Abby L. Vandiver Read Free Book Online

talking brought me back from my reverie. “How crazy
is that? Now if that don’t tell you the man don’t know shit from Shinola shoe
polish, I don’t know what does.”
    “That sounds like a good question to me.
He needs to check out everyone’s alibi.”
    “Well, it’s not a good question,” she said
with an air of disgust. “At least not a good one to ask me. Everyone in this
town, all five hundred and eighty three of ‘em, know that I haven’t left this
house in twenty years. Nearly all his life. So where else would I be? Even Cat
knew he was asking dumb questions, she barked at him the entire time. That boy
ain’t got half a brain. He couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag.” She bit
her bottom lip and scratched across her chin with her fingertip. “But I think I
can find out what happened. Maybe even before the Sheriff does. I’m already one
step ahead of him.”
    “How’s that?”
    “I know that Renmar’s bouillabaisse didn’t
kill her.” She paused. “And with the body having to be sent to Augusta for the
autopsy, we’ll have a least a week’s jump on the Sheriff’s investigation.”
    “Why do you want me to help you?”
    “I just told you, you’ve got experience in
digging up stuff. Plus, you think anyone else around here’ll help me?”
    No. I thought. Because no else
around here cares if you know they think you’re crazy.
    “Do you really hail from Ohio?” she asked.
    “I do.” I nodded. “I’m from Cleveland. And
before you ask, I don’t think I’m from Mars. And neither does my mother.”
    “Too bad. That may have actually worked to
our advantage.” She looked at me. “Super powers and all.”
    “How did you know I was from Ohio?” I
asked.
    “Bay told me.” She took in a breath. “I’m
from Ohio, too. That’s a secret, though. But since we gonna be partners,
thought I should tell you that up front.”
    “I would’ve thought you were born in
Georgia.”
    “That’s just what I tell my girls. They
don’t need to know everything about me. I’m a hundred years old.  I’ve done a
lot of things in my time. But nobody around here is old enough to remember
anything about me. I, on the other hand, remember pretty much everything about
everybody.”
    “You’re a hundred?” I wouldn’t have ever
thought she was that old. She got around really well, and was so alert.
    Maybe I had been too stereotypical when
assessing her.
    “Closer to it than anybody else around
here. But not too old to conduct a murder investigation.” She nodded her head.
“You can be sure of that.”
    “You have any experience solving murders?”
    “Don’t need any experience. Just common
sense and I’ve got plenty of that. But like I said, I need a partner. Just not
sure if I can trust you or not,” she said.
    “Understandable,” I said seeing the need
to start trying to get out of this “partner” thing. “But,” I tried to look
sympathetic. “I wouldn’t have much time to help you with your sleuthing, anyway.
I’ve got my own digging to do. I’ve got my work over on Stallings Island,
remember?”
    She cut her eyes over at me. “You and I
both know that you don’t have no real business over there.”
    “What? What do you mean?”
    “And I’m just as sure that it was you that
was snooping around up there by Gainesville. In that locked up government
reservation.”
    I opened my mouth to say something.
    “Don’t lie,” she said. “You know it’s the
truth. My grandson, Bay is good at his job. He said he knows it was you, but
they didn’t have any proof.”
    Ugghh! I do not like that man.
    “But no never mind ‘cause that’ll work out
fine for us,” she said. “I’ll just tell everyone I’m helping you over at the
Island.” A smile came across her face and she leaned in to me. “That could be
our cover.”
    “Cover?”
    “Yes. The story we’ll tell everyone why,
after all these years, I’m leaving the house. Why we’re spending time together.
Believe