Cold Bullets and Hot Babes: Dark Crime Stories by Arlette Lees Read Free Book Online

‘jump’ you jumped.
    After Pastor Blevins was gone and Dad and Bell were on their way to town, Robby and I made a beeline for the attic. Jimbo had to be somewhere and we were sure as hell going to find him. We rummaged through the dust and cobwebs, sneezing as we went.
    “Abby, look what I found!” I knew right away it was Bell’s mysterious suitcase, the one we were forbidden to touch.
    “Open it!” I squealed, plopping down in the dust beside him.
    “Maybe it’s full of money. I bet she’s been holding out on us.”
    A hanger proved too awkward, but, Robby worked his magic with a bobby pin and the case popped open. He sat back on his heels with a groan. “Just some clothes,” he said.
    I pulled out a red satin dress, a pair of black lace stockings, a classy blonde wig and silver high-heeled sandals. “Look at this lingerie,” I said. “She never wears anything like this for Dad.”
    I dug deeper and surfaced with a packet of documents. There was Bell’s face on half a dozen driver’s licenses under various aliases: Belinda Jenson, Bella Johnson, Becky Jackson.... “I don’t think our new mother is who she pretends to be.”
    “Holy shit!” said Robby. “Look at this baby.” He pulled a small, ivory-handled pistol from the bottom of the suitcase.
    “It’s too small to be real,” I said.
    “It’s real all right and it’ll shoot you just as dead as a big one. Look. It’s loaded.”
    “Dad will kill us if he finds out we’ve been monkeying around with her stuff.”
    “He won’t find out.”
    We heard the screen door slam downstairs.
    “Cal!” we said, in concert, shoving everything back in the suitcase and slamming it shut.
    We caught Cal raiding the fridge. Bell had very strict rules about the kitchen. The fridge and pantry were out of bounds to us peons.
    “Busted!” laughed Robby.
    “So put me on the Ten Most Wanted list,” grinned Cal, a shock of black hair falling over one incredibly blue eye. “You two look like you’ve been rolling around in a dust bin.”
    “We were in the attic looking for Jimbo. We’re not supposed to be up there,” said Robby.
    “Find anything interesting?”
    “Just old junk,” I said, quickly.
    “Well, you don’t tell on me, I won’t tell on you.” He stuffed half a pound of roast beef between two slices of rye. My stomach growled and Robby laughed.
    “We’re going to get in trouble,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
    Cal cut the sandwich four ways and gave Robby and me each a quarter. “If we’re going to catch hell, we might as well be in for a dollar as a dime.” He sat two big mugs of milk on the table and we all pulled up chairs. Cal pulled a beer out of his overalls pocket and popped it open with a hiss.
    “Bell would kill you if she caught you bringing liquor into the house,” said Robby.
    “Can I have a sip?” I said. “Just to see what it tastes like.”
    “Come over here and sit on my lap,” he said. I sat on his knee and he gave me a little sip out of the can. “Robby?” he said, lifting the can. Robby shook his head and gave me a warning look I chose to ignore. The beer didn’t taste all that terrible and I loved being close to Cal, the sun-warmed feeling of his skin, his big protective arms.
    “Just one more sip,” I begged. He pressed the can to my lips and I drank far more than I’d planned to. I felt great, all relaxed and giggly.
    “In only eight years I’ll be eighteen” I said. “Grandma was only sixteen when she married Grandpa.”
    He gave me a gentle squeeze. “And when you’re eighteen we’ll run off to the circus together. I’ll tame the lions and you can walk the high wire.”
    “Promise?”
    “On my honor,” and he kissed me on top of the head.
    I slid off of his lap and took a couple gulps of milk which didn’t set all that well with the beer. I don’t know how I could have been feeling so chipper one moment and....
    Robby grabbed my hand and hurried me off to the bathroom. I gagged a couple