Survivors Will Be Shot Again by Bill Crider Read Free Book Online

suspect than he would have if he’d told the truth.”
    â€œHe called to report it,” Rhodes said. “That’s in his favor.”
    â€œI would’ve called it in, too, if I’d killed Hunt. I’d try to deflect suspicion. Not that it’s working.”
    â€œIt’s okay to be suspicious,” Rhodes said, “but let’s not get carried away.”
    â€œI won’t,” Ruth said. “I have another question, though. How did Hunt get here? Where’s his car?”
    â€œI wondered about that,” Rhodes said. “I think he came with someone else. There might’ve been two people stealing from Billy instead of just the one we saw on the video.”
    â€œThieves fall out?”
    â€œThat’s a possibility. There are some others. Maybe he was here hoping to catch the culprits. We’ll have to see what we can turn up before we decide. Have you found anything here that would help us?”
    â€œNo,” Ruth said. “Somebody was careful. Picked up his brass or used a revolver. I didn’t look under the body, but the bullets might be there. Or they might not. As for anything else that might be here, this place doesn’t look like it’s ever been swept out, so there’s no way to separate what the killer left behind from everything else—that is, if he left anything at all. I don’t see any holes in the wall, so I guess the slugs are still in the body.”
    Rhodes wasn’t discouraged by the seeming lack of evidence. He’d always had a lot more luck with talking to people than he’d had with finding clues. He and Ruth continued to search throughout the barn but still found nothing that appeared likely to be helpful. They stopped when the ambulance drove up and parked just outside the big barn door.
    Ruth went out to tell the paramedics to wait until the justice of the peace got there. They didn’t have long to wait, as the JP wasn’t far behind the ambulance. He got out of his car and entered the barn. It was his job to make the declaration of death, and he took it seriously.
    The JP was named Franklin. He was a big man with a grim look, which Rhodes thought was appropriate to the situation.
    â€œSeems like you never call me unless somebody’s died, Sheriff,” Franklin said. “I do weddings, too, you know. Call me for a happy occasion, why don’t you.”
    â€œI’ll try to do that next time,” Rhodes said. “We don’t get a lot of calls about weddings, but I’ll keep you in mind. Meanwhile, come on in and have a look at Melvin Hunt.”
    â€œMelvin Hunt?” Franklin looked up at the roof of the barn, then looked back at Rhodes. “I know him. Well, I don’t really know him. I’ve heard of him. What’s he doing here in this barn?”
    â€œThat’s what I’d like to know,” Rhodes said.
    Franklin nodded and followed Rhodes to where the body lay.
    â€œLooks dead to me,” Franklin said. He squatted and felt for a pulse in Hunt’s neck. “Dead, all right. Looks like he was shot twice. One high up on the shoulder, another one right about where the heart would be. Looks like the first didn’t get him, but the second one finished the job.”
    â€œSurvivors will be shot again,” Rhodes said.
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œNothing,” Rhodes said. “Just talking to myself.”
    â€œSure. Anyway, his color’s bad, too. How long’s he been here?”
    â€œDon’t know for certain,” Rhodes said. “A while, though.”
    Franklin stood up. “Thought so. You know who did it?”
    â€œNot yet,” Rhodes said.
    â€œBut you will.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Rhodes said.
    â€œYou and Sage Barton,” Franklin said. “You always get your man.”
    â€œYou’re thinking of the Mounties,” Rhodes said.
    He wished people wouldn’t bring up Sage