Murder Grins and Bears It by Deb Baker Read Free Book Online Page A

tools,” she
said, eyeing his groin and standing so close to him they looked
like Siamese twins.
    She’d been after him without snagging him
for the longest time. Cora Mae usually gets what she wants right
away. George is her first holdout and, true to form, she wasn’t
handling it well and was acting more aggressive than usual,
especially after my reluctant approval.
    George slid back his cowboy hat with the
coiled rattlesnake on the brim. He wore a tight white undershirt
and snug blue jeans, and I figured, if you’re going to dress like
that around Cora Mae, you’re just asking for trouble.
    To tell the truth, I’ve never seen a
sixty-year-old man look so good. George Erikson and I have had a
special friendship, relaxed and easy, ever since his wife picked up
and left him on Christmas Eve the year before last, and I didn’t
want Cora Mae busting in and ruining it.
    George was my best friend after Cora Mae,
and I wanted to keep it that way. I felt a twinge of irritation
every time I thought of them maybe getting together.
    George slapped a wrench into Cora Mae’s
hand. “I sprayed oil on those rusty bolts,” he said, pointing at my
new truck’s strobe lights. “Give it a minute to work, then see if
you can pry them loose.”
    By the look on Cora Mae’s face, the wrench
in her hand wasn’t the tool she loved so much.
    George winked at me.
    I hid a grin and went to work opening the
lettering kit and arranging the letters on the ground.
    Cora Mae and I had had a
heated discussion on the way over to George’s house about the name
of our company. I won, since starting the business was my idea, and
to top it off, it was my truck. She wanted to go over every little
contribution she had made. I acknowledged her points, but still won
because it was my truck.
    Putting lettering on the side of a truck is
harder than it looks. I stood back and viewed my work. THE TROUBLE
BUSTERS. The letters swayed and swerved along the passenger side of
the truck. I tried to peel a few off and set them right, but they
were already cemented on like dried concrete.
    I did a little better on the driver’s side.
By the time I finished, George had the lights and siren in working
order, and we were ready for business.
    I gave him a quick cheek kiss and pulled
Cora Mae toward the truck before she could give him her version of
the same.
    We bounced along a gravel road north of town
with the lights and siren going just for fun. “Where are we going?”
Cora Mae asked.
    I shouted back over the blare of the siren,
“We’re going to have to interrogate the bear hunters camped in the
area where the murder occurred. Maybe someone saw something.”
    I turned onto the rutted dirt road leading
to Walter Laakso’s house, remembering at the last minute to warn
Cora Mae about his typically friendly greetings to visitors.
    Walter barreled out the front door with his
sawed-off shotgun leveled directly at me. Cora Mae had decided to
wait in the truck till introductions were over.
    “ Dang,” I said, stepping
away from the truck, my hands in the air. “It’s Gertie Johnson. Put
that thing away. Do we have to go through this every time I come to
visit?”
    “ Hey, Gertie,” Walter said,
glancing at the passenger window and frowning. The shotgun didn’t
waver, it just redirected. “Who’s that with ya?”
    “ That’s Cora Mae. Come on
out, Cora Mae. It’s safe.”
    After Walter lowered the gun, she slid out
of the seat and followed us inside. We sat at the kitchen table
while Walter boiled a fresh pot of coffee on the stove. He poured
coffee all around, then dumped brandy in his and added some to Cora
Mae’s before she knew what was happening. I spread my hand over the
rim of my cup to ward him off.
    “ No thanks,” I said. “I’m
on the job.”
    Walter gave me a wide grin, exposing the
gaps where his front teeth used to be.
    I looked around. Walter’s place was what
you’d expect from an old guy who’s lived in the backwoods alone
pretty