The Blight Way by Patrick F. McManus Read Free Book Online Page B

waiting at the entrance to the Last Hope Mine Road.
    Then he called Buck on the radio. “You about got things wrapped up there?”
    â€œYeah, Blight City Ambulance is here now. They’re loading up the victim.”
    â€œGood. Take care of that, then meet us at Dave’s House of Fry for lunch. Ask that medical examiner to come along, too.”
    â€œYou got it.”
    He called the office on his cell phone. Daisy answered.
    â€œHow’s it going up there?” she asked.
    â€œBad,” he said. “Really bad. We may be up here a couple days. You’ll remember to feed Wallace, right?”
    â€œOh, I suppose. But I’m not sticking my finger in front of him like you do.”
    â€œGood. Otherwise he might take a liking to you, show up at your house some night. Lurch still hunched over his computer?”
    â€œWhere else?”
    â€œTell him I need him up here right away.” He gave her the directions to pass on to his CSI. “We’ve got blood, bodies, tracks and a car riddled with bullets. Should make him happy.”
    â€œSounds awful,” she said. “I’ll get the unit on its way right now.”
    The ISP patrolman was sitting in his car at the entrance to the road. While Pap and Dave strung more yellow crime-scene tape across the road, Tully explained to the patrolman that they were going to grab somelunch and would be back with the medical examiner shortly. “So what happened in there?” the patrolman asked.
    â€œIt appears that three guys from Los Angeles came up here to get something, and somebody up here in Blight County didn’t want them to have it. That’s my guess, anyway. So the three guys from L.A. are now dead.”
    â€œThe L.A. guys should have known better than to mess around up here,” the patrolman said.
    â€œI can’t argue with that. Say, do me a favor, will you?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œMy CSI unit is going to be up here right away and . . .”
    â€œYou got a CSI unit?” the patrolman said.
    â€œYeah, his name is Lurch.”
    â€œFigures.”
    â€œTell him to go directly east from the Jeep and he’ll find a shell casing, a shoe and several tracks marked with sticks. He is to pick up the casing and the shoe and make some dental-stone casts of the tracks.”
    The cop wrote the instructions to Lurch in his notebook. “I feel like a secretary,” he said.
    â€œYou look like one, too,” Tully said.
    He, Pap and Dave got in the Explorer and headed to the restaurant.
    Dave said, “How do you fasten this seat belt, anyway?”
    â€œFunny,” Pap said. “I was going to ask the same thing.”

Chapter 9
    Tully, Pap and Dave were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant when Buck showed up with Susan. Even though she was tall, she seemed tiny alongside the hulking deputy.
    Buck said, “I would’ve stopped and beat on Scraggs awhile, but I thought Susan here might not like the violence.”
    Pap was the only one at the table to welcome the lady properly. He rose and tipped his Stetson.
    â€œYou are a true gentleman, Pap,” she said, beaming. “Not many of you left.”
    â€œI don’t think she would be all that bothered by a little violence, Buck,” Tully said.
    â€œA little beating might have taught the Scraggs some manners,” Susan said.
    Tully wasn’t at all sure this comment wasn’t meant for him and Dave. But he didn’t care. He was tired alreadyand the day was just getting started. “It’s your restaurant, Dave,” he said. “What do you recommend?”
    â€œLet me see. Hmmm. I think I’d recommend the chicken-fried steak. Hear it’s the best in the world. It comes with gravy over the steak and hash browns.”
    â€œThe hash browns still got that sheen of grease on them?”
    â€œStill do. Make them by hand right here from fresh Idaho spuds. Cover them with lots of the