Trouble at the Red Pueblo by Liz Adair Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t buy the argument or the Jag. He bought a brand new Yugo.”
    Spider chuckled and stuck out his hand. “By the way, my name’s Spider Latham.”
    “Spider, you said?” The stranger clasped his hand. “I am Karam Mansour.”
    “Where you from, Karam?”
    “By birth and,” he touched his heart, “in here, I am Palestinian, from Gaza. But I live and work in Dubai.”
    “Is that so?” Spider leaned a shoulder against one of the pillars supporting the awning. “So what brings you to this neck of the woods?”
    Karam’s brows came together. “I do not understand this… neck in the… woods, was it?”
    Spider stood. “Sorry. I was just wondering what you’re doing in these parts. Around here. In Kanab.”
    Karam’s white teeth flashed. He took out his phone and tapped the screen several times and then began keying in the phrase, saying each word softly as he spelled it. “I collect American idioms, since I teach American History.” He put the phone back in his pocket. “To answer your question, I was on my way to San Diego, and my car broke down. The man at the garage sent me to a man who is confident he can fix it, but we are awaiting parts.”
    “Oh. How long’s it going to take?”
    “Two weeks.”
    “Two weeks? Great suffering zot! Where do the parts have to come from?”
    “Unfortunately, from London.”
    “What kind of a car do you have? No, don’t tell me. A 1974 E-Type Jag?”
    Karam raised his hands in surrender. “It’s a ’73, and I perfectly understand why my father would not buy me one.”
    Spider laughed. “Speaking of being humble, there’s nothing lower than being afoot in a one-horse town.”
    Noting the confused look on Karam’s face, Spider changed the wording. “There’s nothing worse than not having transportation in a very small town.”
    “It is very inconvenient. There is a museum in the next town that I wanted to see, but there is only one taxi in Kanab. He is already booked.”
    “The Red Pueblo? I was just getting set to go down there myself. Want to come with me?”
    “That would be excellent.”
    “Tell you what. How about you drive the Yugo and follow me, so I can drop my rig off for my wife. Then we’ll head on down to the museum.”
    Karam agreed, and the Yugo shadowed Spider’s truck to the Taylor residence. When Laurie answered Spider’s knock, she put her finger to her lips and said, “They’re both sleeping.”
    “I just wanted to give you this.” He held out the pickup keys in one hand and the plastic bag carrying her cell phone in the other.
    As she took them, she spied the Yugo sitting at the curb and looked questioningly at Spider. His whispered explanation about Jade, the Yugo and Karam only seemed to confuse the issue.
    “We’ll sort it out this afternoon,” she said. “Thanks for bringing me the pickup.”
    “Call me,” he said backing away. He pointed to the yellow bag.
    Laurie’s brows drew together, and when Spider motioned for her to open the sack, she looked inside. Letting the door close behind her, she stepped to the edge of the porch. “What’s this?”
    “Brick Tremain wants us to stay in touch. Call me when you’re on your way home. My phone number’s in it.”
    Spider walked back to the car and got in the passenger seat. “Just head on down to the end of the block and hang a right.”
    Karam put the car in gear. “Go straight then turn right?”
    “That works, too.” As they pulled away, Spider adjusted the air conditioning, sat back, and looked around. From the inside it wasn’t a bad looking car. A little Spartan, perhaps, but the price was right.
    Karam broke into his thoughts. “Your wife is beautiful.”
    “I’ve always thought so.”
    “I will be marrying this winter. She is my cousin. We have been promised for several years, but getting in and out of my country is hard. If she emigrates successfully, we will marry in Dubai.”
    “Your cousin? First or second?”
    “This will be my first