The Black Cat Knocks on Wood by Kay Finch Read Free Book Online Page B

another reason I could give for coming when Pearl called, ’cause I sure didn’t want people talking about my cat.
    Again.
    I was obsessing about Hitchcock and whether he was at home sleeping or had actually come into town, when a low voice sounded near my ear.
    “You want me to break you out of there?”
    I jumped in the seat and turned to see Sheriff Jeb Crawford standing outside the car. His mouth was set in a grim line, but his eyes twinkled in the way that reminded me so much of my late father.
    “Please do,” I said. “Deputy Ainsley is completely out of line locking me up in here.”
    The sheriff nodded as he opened the door. “And here I thought Deputy Pat was your favorite of my employees.”
    I climbed out and smoothed straggly hairs from my sweating forehead. “Ainsley’s running a close second.”
    “I already had a talk with him about this,” the sheriff said.“He made a bad judgment call. You’re free to go. We’ll call if we need to ask you any further questions.”
    “What about Pearl?” I said.
    The sheriff looked away from me and chewed the inside of his cheek for a second before turning back. “She’s a person of interest.”
    My heart jumped. “That term insinuates something more than an accident. I’d say the construction workers are of more interest than Pearl since their bricks obviously went off like a booby trap when Crystal walked near them.”
    The sheriff looked at me sharply. “Did you see that happen?”
    “No, I didn’t see anything. That’s how it looked.”
    “Don’t surmise,” he said. “Best to keep quiet, actually. It’s not your job to solve this.”
    He thinks Crystal was murdered.
    A cry went up from people gathered on the sidewalk. A young man had lifted the crime scene tape and was attempting to cross under it.
    “Go on. We have our hands full here.” The sheriff turned and took long strides toward the sidewalk. He reached the young man and grabbed his arm, keeping him from stepping inside the building.
    I knew I should leave while I had the chance, but my curiosity ruled once again. A teenage girl jogged up to the sheriff and took the young man’s other arm. She rested her blond head against him.
    Sheriff Crawford leaned in toward them, and I saw his lips moving. From the crowd, I heard the words “Cody” and “son.”
    Good Lord, the kid was Crystal Devlin’s son. No wonder the sheriff had rushed to stop him.
    Cody Devlin was tall, a good six feet, and wore knee-length shorts with a T-shirt. Dark bangs nearly hid his eyes, and I was glad for that under these circumstances.
    The sheriff instructed the onlookers to stand back andled Cody down the sidewalk. The girl stuck close to Cody’s side, and as they moved away from the crowd, they grew closer to me.
    I could hear the girl murmuring, “It’s okay, baby, it’ll be okay.”
    Sheriff Crawford said, “Is there someone I can call for you, son?”
    Cody Devlin moved down the sidewalk, his gait zombie-like, and didn’t appear to hear either one of them.

7
    My sense of self-preservation kicked in, and I turned away from the sad scene. Better to leave now before Deputy Ainsley came up with a convincing reason I should be held and questioned. As I quick-stepped down the sidewalk, I felt sorrow for Cody Devlin. The kid would have a hard time, losing his mother, even if what Ethan related was true and they hadn’t had the best relationship.
    I felt a twinge of guilt for leaving Pearl behind, too. In her distressed state of mind, she might blurt out things better left unsaid. Not that the whole town hadn’t already heard about her dispute with Crystal Devlin. If Pearl had cooled her jets when she saw Crystal, instead of rushing over to that building for a confrontation, we’d all be having a normal, peaceful morning.
    Too late for that.
    I’d feel better after I confirmed Hitchcock was at home sleeping the morning away as he usually did. First, I had to retrieve my computer and phone from the