The Lady Who Sang High: A Reed Ferguson Mystery (A Private Investigator Mystery Series - Crime Suspense Thriller Book 7) by Renee Pawlish Read Free Book Online Page A

repartee was falling on unappreciative ears, I lapsed into silence. A half hour later, Spillman swooped in from the warehouse.
    “Why is it you’re always a part my investigations?” she asked, running a hand through her blond hair. She was casually dressed, khakis and a green blouse, but she was all business, as was her style.
    “It’s your lucky day,” I said.
    As I’d become a more seasoned private investigator, I’d encountered Detective Spillman, and her partners Youngfield and Moore, on more than one occasion. She’d tolerated me, like campers tolerate mosquitoes. Maybe it was my charm and dry sense of humor, but whatever it was, I had the feeling I was winning her over.
    She frowned at me, then jerked her head at Moore. He stood up, and she walked with him back to the door as they spoke in low voices. Then Moore disappeared into the warehouse.
    She turned back to me. “I’ll haul your ass into jail if you messed with my crime scene.”
    Okay, maybe I hadn’t quite won her over.
    She came over and sat at the tiny chair previously occupied by Moore, taking less than half the space he did. She fixed me with a solid gaze. “Jodie told me you work here at Blue Light. Tell me it’s just a coincidence that on your first day on the job, one of the owners ends up dead.”
    “That is strange,” I said.
    “You’re not funny.”
    “I wasn’t trying to be.” I put my hands on the table. “Jodie told you about why she hired me?”
    Spillman nodded. “She and her brother discovered a new way of growing marijuana, and she thinks someone might be trying to steal the idea. She hired you to go undercover to see if you can find out who’s behind some suspicious activities.”
    “You know as much as I do.”
    She contemplated me for a moment. “Why don’t I believe you?”
    Maybe because I’ve lied to you in the past , I thought but didn’t say.
    “Did you see any suspicious activity today?”
    “No.”
    More silence. I waited her out.
    “Moore tells me you found the body and you didn’t touch a thing.”
    “Scout’s honor,” I said but didn’t hold up any fingers because I had no clue if Scouts held up two fingers or three.
    “Did you notice anything unusual or see anyone in the alley?”
    I shook my head. “I took the trash to the Dumpster. That’s when I saw a shoe sticking out beside it. I went to check it out and found the body. Then I called the police.”
    “That’s it?”
    “Yep.”
    Like Moore, she seemed disappointed. She glanced around the store, then grimaced. “Murder at a pot store. The press is going to have a field day with this.”
    “Are they still out there?”
    “Oh yeah.” She stood up.
    “What can you tell me?” I asked.
    She gazed at me. “He was killed with a small caliber gun at fairly close range. At this point, it doesn’t look like he fought with anyone, so he probably knew the killer. Or maybe someone took him by surprise.”
    “Was the body moved?”
    “Doesn’t look like it.”
    “Was he robbed?”
    She shook her head. “Still had his wallet with forty bucks in it, and credit cards.”
    “You don’t have much.” Once the words were out, I regretted them. Acting like the mosquito , I thought.
    My words hung heavily in the air. Then she gave me a frosty smile. “You’ve heard the expression ‘Don’t leave town’?”
    I nodded.
    “Well, don’t.”
    With that, she strode through the warehouse door, her heels clicking like gun shots on the hard floor.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    I found Jodie upstairs in her office.
    “Have a seat,” she said, her tone flat.
    I sat at the chair opposite her desk. “How are you doing?”
    “I think I’m in shock.” The look she gave me was of sadness so complete it nearly tore through me. “Jude was everything to me.”
    “I know.” I didn’t know a whole lot about her and Jude, but that much had been clear, even if they’d been fighting today.
    “He watches out for me, kind of the big brother protector.” She