Blue Moon Rising: A suspense thriller by Lillian Francken Read Free Book Online Page B

well enough to have her trust him yet. In time he would get that information out of her, but for now he would respect her desire not to divulge that case.
    Once the door shut behind Dan, Nancy set the scalpel down and walked over to the phone. She punched in a few numbers and then waited.
    “Carla, would you do me a favor. I worked on a case a few years back. Henderson was the name of the victim. Pull the file and fax me my report.” Nancy hesitated a moment while listening. “No, it’s nothing. I know they never solved the case. It’s just something came up and it made me think about that case now,” Nancy said as she glanced at the corpse. “Thanks.”
    Nancy hung up the phone. She picked up the scalpel from the tray and walked over to the corpse. She had a lot of work to do yet, but knew in her heart she would find nothing more. It was like that with the Henderson case. It all led to a dead end.
     

CHAPTER 8
     
    The squad car pulled up to the large country ranch house surrounded by trees and outhouses and barns in the distance. Workers were hauling out carpet pieces from the main house. Dan got out of the squad. He hurried up the walk to the porch and rang the doorbell. A couple of workers carried out another piece of carpet.
    “You tearing the house apart?” Dan asked.
    One of the workers turned to Dan. “No, Sheriff, just the one room.”
    Dan reached up and touched the carpet piece the men were carrying. “Looks like good carpeting.”
    “The Senator got tired of the color.”
    “Must be nice. I couldn’t tell you what color carpeting was in my living room, let alone whether I liked it or not.”
    Dan appeared puzzled. He stood at the door and looked in. Maria Maxwell, the Senator’s third wife, walked out. She was a voluptuous-looking blonde in her late thirties. Definitely what one would call a trophy wife. Especially in the tight fitting black spandex slacks with the oversized sweater that hung over one shoulder. She appeared relieved to see Dan.
    “Thank goodness it’s just you,” she smiled widely. It was then she saw the confused look on Dan’s face. “I thought more workers were here. I don’t know what to expect anymore.”
    “Is the Senator in?” Dan asked.
    Maria’s face turned serious. “Is something wrong?”
    “I just need to discuss a few things with him,” Dan remarked, turning to the workers loading the carpet pieces in a truck. “You wouldn’t happen to know if Richie Ames worked yesterday?”
    Maria took a deep breath while rolling her shoulders back, exposing her breasts in a way most men found appealing. But when she did not get the usual response from Dan, she dropped her shoulders and then shrugged.
    “That was awful what happened.”
    Maria’s mannerisms became guarded. “I wasn’t here yesterday. I was in Little Rock at a Daughters of the West dinner. I pulled in early this morning.”
    Dan glanced around. “Doing some remodeling?”
    “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. We just fixed things up the way he wanted them last year. Now he’s ripping everything out and starting over again.”
    Maria stepped aside and motioned Dan to follow her. “I think he’s in the study. Follow me.”
    Dan took off his hat and followed Maria in. Maria led Dan into the study. The room was large with knotty pine paneling and an oversized earth stone fireplace that filled one wall. Half the carpeting had already been ripped up. Dan turned to the Senator, who was sitting behind the big oak desk sucking on a large smelly stogie while overseeing the work being done. Senator Maxwell was in his late sixties, with a receding hairline and a potbelly that protruded over his belt.
    The Senator stood up while extending his hand. “Why, Dan, what brings you out this way?” he said.
    “The Ames boy.” Dan watched the Senator’s reaction for a moment.
    Dan shook the Senator’s hand. His fingers were fat and clammy. If the Senator had not been watching, Dan would have wiped his