Dead Dancing Women by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli Read Free Book Online

excused herself to Gloria, and slid into the seat across from me.
    Gloria was off like a shot with Dolly calling after her that she wanted tea. Dark and straight up.
    â€œSaw your car in the lot.” She stared back at the people staring at us, then sniffed, and took her hat off, setting it on the table beside her. She had bad, dirty-blond, hat hair.
    â€œWell, what did you think of that?” she demanded in what passed as a whisper for Dolly. Her eyes gleamed. A little too bright for comfort. She dipped her head, gave me a conspiratorial smirk, and thumped her broad hands on the tabletop.
    â€œOf what?” I asked.
    â€œOf the state boys taking over.”
    I shrugged. “They’re not. Officer Brent said they don’t have the time, though I’d say they’ve got more resources than you and Lucky.”
    â€œComes to the same thing. You watch. They’ll be breathing down our necks. Like they could do it without us. Like they know the people around here. They don’t have a clue where to begin. Who to talk to. They went out to see Amanda again, poor woman—like she didn’t have enough on her hands already. Then what? They won’t know where to go next unless we tell ’em.”
    â€œWell, you will, won’t you? I mean, you’ll all work together. They’re trained investigators, after all. You and the chief—well, you’re not really used to murder.”
    Dolly scowled heavily at me. “You think I’m not a trained investigator? You think the chief and me don’t handle all kinds of things? Why, just last winter there was a shooting down at the Skunk. Got the guy right away because we know who’s fighting who. We went right out and apprehended the culprit …” She hesitated, giving me a hard look. “Anything I say to you here is not for publication. Hope we got that clear right here at the beginning.”
    I nodded, wondering where she was going with all of this.
    â€œI was thinking.” She dipped her head and glared at me. “Because of your problems selling those books of yours, and working for the paper, well, maybe we could, well, kind of work together. The two of us could find out who did this to poor Miz Poet in about half the time it would take alone. I mean, you know old Harry Mockerman, out by you. You got other neighbors. I know the people here in town. I’ve got some ideas already …”
    I smiled. “So you think this experience will sharpen my detective skills? Maybe I’ll get a book out of it?”
    â€œI don’t know about that.” She looked wary now. “And no matter what comes of this, don’t you ever put me in one of your damned books. That’s not what I mean. I just figured with my detecting skills and your reporting skills—and maybe because you’ve got the education—we could look into this tragedy and find out what in hell happened to Ruby Poet.”
    Dolly looked fierce, and dedicated. I wanted to laugh but the little woman was serious.
    â€œWhere would we begin?” I asked, willing to hear her out because I was a little short of ideas myself and had to come up with something for Bill.
    â€œI thought maybe we’d start with old Harry, across from you. He’d never give me the time of day if I went there alone, but with you—maybe he saw something, or heard something. He’d tell you, wouldn’t he? I mean, I hear he works for you from time to time, so he trusts you.”
    I nodded then made a decision. It didn’t look as though the state police relished giving me information and I wouldn’t get much on my own. Maybe, with Deputy Dolly … I sighed. There weren’t a lot of choices.
    I leaned close after Gloria set a cup of tea in front of Dolly and sauntered off. I was determined to hold up my end, if we were going to do this together. “Gloria was just telling me there’s gossip in town about Ruby Poet.