Rubbed Out (A Memphis BBQ Mystery) by Riley Adams Read Free Book Online

of the Back Porch Blues Band, a regular customer of Aunt Pat’s for the past sixty years, and a good friend. He was in his eighties and resembled a black version of Mr. Clean. Although he kept calling himself retired, you couldn’t tell it. He and his friends Big Ben and Buddy still played regular gigs at Aunt Pat’s, and any wedding or even funeral that they could be booked for.
    “What’s going on, Lulu? You were frowning up astorm when you came out on the porch. Everything going okay in the kitchen?”
    “The kitchen is great—no problems there. But wait until you hear what happened to Cherry and me last night,” said Lulu and launched into the story. It was good to sort out some of the details by telling them to her friend.
    “Do you think that Cherry will get into any trouble?” asked Morty, eyebrows drawing together. “Considering the argument she had, and the fact that it was even witnessed by a police officer…and then y’all discovering the body—that’s sort of suspicious, isn’t it?”
    “I sure hope she won’t get into any trouble,” said Lulu. “They’ve got to realize that Cherry wouldn’t have been in any hurry to search in that storage tent if she’d thought there was a body in it. Especially a body wrapped in a tarp with her name on it.”
    Morty said, “Who was on pig duty at the barbeque pit?”
    “Cherry was. And I was right there with her the whole time while Evelyn was hostess to the different guests who came in the booth.”
    “I’d say that’s an alibi and a half if she had y’all there to vouch that she was cooking spare ribs all night,” said Morty.
    Lulu shifted in her rocker, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “Morty, there’s a problem there. Flo left yesterday afternoon with a headache and I took her spot untilmidnight. Cherry did leave the booth for a short while last night. She has this good friend of hers with a booth and she left to visit a spell with her.”
    “Well, that’s all right then. So that woman will give her the alibi and everything will work out fine,” said Morty.
    Lulu shook her head. “It’s not that easy, I’m afraid. Cherry had a hard time finding her friend’s booth. It was dark, you know, and foggy. And loud. While she was looking, there were some folks who came up to talk to her—you know, because she was dressed like Elvis.”
    “Did those people have names and could give her an alibi?” asked Morty.
    “She had no idea who they were, so no. Basically, it boils down to the fact that if Cherry had really wanted to kill Reuben, she had the opportunity to do it. And I guess there were enough butcher knives at that festival that she also had the means to do it—along with thousands of other people. Of course, none of us believe that Cherry would murder anybody”
    Morty said, “You’ve got me all worried now. I’d sure hate anything to happen to Cherry. Maybe I can get friendly with the other team and find out some information for you, too.”
    “That sounds like a good plan, Morty. You could maybe even offer to help Sharon and Brody out for a while, since Reuben isn’t there cooking with them anymore.Besides, folks always like talking with you.” Lulu reached over and gave her friend a hug. “And I do, too.”
    Cherry was definitely in a funk at the grill. “Nothing is going right. I’m so distracted that I hardly even recollect what spices I’ve used on the ribs. The tent next door has gone from being too loud with arguments to being too quiet. And the police keep popping their heads in to talk to me like they think I have something to do with all this. That Lieutenant What’s-his-face.”
    Evelyn drawled, “Well, clearly the police haven’t found anything that would pin this murder on you or you wouldn’t be at the festival—you’d be cooling your heels in jail.”
    Cherry glared at Evelyn as she shook out what appeared to Lulu like a heap of cayenne onto her barbeque. “Somehow the thought of being in jail isn’t