The Spider Bites by Medora Sale Read Free Book Online Page B

said. “I saw her yesterday, right after the fire. She looked to be in shock, shivering with cold. So I took her for a pizza.”
    â€œI’m not surprised.”
    â€œBut the weird thing is that she looked amazing. She had a gorgeous red dress on. Hair and makeup like a model. You must have seen her. Didn’t you notice?”
    â€œYesterday?” I nodded. “No. No red dress. I think I saw her in her usual jeans and black sweater. Neat, clean jeans and sweater.”
    â€œI guess she changed at work.”
    â€œProbably. Look, Rick—that stuff you said last night about Rodriguez was all bullshit, wasn’t it?”
    â€œYeah, it was. I was sort of out of it. It seemed a good idea at the time. I wanted to see how you’d react. But, of course, you didn’t.”
    â€œYou should know by now that I don’t fall into your traps.” He grinned. “But I want to know what made you come back? Just in time for Freddie to get incinerated?”
    â€œBelieve it or not, it was because my job was over. I picked up my pay and came down to the terminal with the last load of apples. End of season.”
    â€œNothing to do with Freddie?”
    â€œEverything to do with Freddie. Except for the date. But I was not expecting him to be in my apartment. And I was certainly not planning on him being dead. I wanted to talk to him.”
    â€œAnd did you?”
    â€œNo. I got to the apartment. I saw that someone was living there. I had no idea it was Freddie. But I was mad as hell. It was around six, I guess. I’d been up and working since four in the morning. I needed to shower and change. I figured it could wait. I got a room, went to bed and slept for twelve hours.”
    â€œDid you go down to the house then?”
    â€œNo, I spent the morning getting cleaned up and buying some clothes that fit me. Then I went to see the lawyer. I saw something on the news about the fire and went down to see what had happened. I figured that Cheryl and Susanna were at work.”
    â€œBut it was Wednesday.”
    â€œI know you won’t believe me, Tony, but I lost track of the days up there.”
    â€œI don’t believe you.”
    â€œI was working seven days a week from before dawn to after dusk. Doing the same thing, over and over again. The days blend into each other. It sounds feeble. But it’s the truth.”
    The waitress set down two bowls of pasta. As soon as she left, Tony leaned forward.
    â€œSo who’s on your short list of guys with torches? Besides me, of course.”
    â€œYou?” I said.
    â€œOf course. We’re at the top of everybody’s list. We’re the guys Rodriguez would try to bribe.”
    â€œMakes sense,” I said carefully.
    â€œSo if it was Rodriguez, he was aiming to get rid of Freddie and one of us.”
    â€œKill Freddie and put the blame on me, more likely. He’d already set me up with that money stuffed under my mattress.”
    â€œThe problem’s going to be getting to Rodriguez,” said Tony.
    â€œHe’s left town,” I said.
    â€œI heard that. Where is he?”
    â€œMexico. For Christmas.” I raised my hand. “Don’t say it. It’s still October. But that’s what I was told.”
    â€œThat’s not going to be easy.”
    â€œNot that hard. I sent him an email. I asked him who torched Freddie. He answered.”
    â€œNo shit. He answered?”
    I took the printout from my pocket and handed it over.
    â€œIt’s in Spanish.”
    â€œWell, of course it is. But he says two things. He isn’t the one trying to cut my throat, and he wouldn’t burn down a barn to kill a rat. It’s just possible he had nothing to do with it.”
    â€œMaybe. Who else then?”
    â€œWho could get in the house?” I asked.
    â€œWithout breaking in? The two of us.”
    â€œAnd four other people, I think. Susanna, Angela’s friend Mark,