Agnes and the Hitman Read Online Free PDF

he heard Agnes say, “Cupcakes, then? Fresh out of the oven,” and Xavier’s voice loud in the doorway saying, “What the hell?” and Agnes saying, “Don’t shoot him, he’s on my side,” and Shane looked up to see the muzzle of a truly large gun pointed down at him and behind that a very powerful flashlight, blinding him.
    “What the hell are you doing down there?” Xavier said.
    Shane clicked off his own light. “Just making sure this boy didn’t need my help, sir.”
    The light went off, and Shane heard the clatter of metal as the edge of a ladder appeared in the hole and angled down until the bottom touched the concrete floor. Xavier climbed down, older than Shane expected, probably Joey’s age, his white suit gleaming in the dark, then Joey, then another man, younger, larger, blond, and goofy-looking.
    Joey came over to Shane and hugged him, then kissed him on each cheek, but Shane kept his eyes on Xavier and his gun. It was a revolver, which wasn’t cutting edge, but it was a .357 Magnum, which was impressive.
    Joey let him go and gestured to the guy with the gun. “Shane, this here is Detective Simon Xavier. An old acquaintance of mine. And his partner, Detective Hammond.”
    Xavier holstered the gun and nodded, and the young blond guy behind him nodded, too, looking friendly. “So, Mr. Shane, you felt you had the right to come down here and bespoil my crime scene because ...” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
    “I thought he might need assistance,” Shane lied.
    “And the untoward angle of his neck did not tell you that he was beyond any earthly assistance you might render?”
    “I’m not a doctor, sir,” Shane said.
    “Neither are you a miracle worker, son,” Xavier said. “Should you find any other bodies in my jurisdiction, you will refrain from attempting to raise them from the dead.”
    “Yes, sir,” Shane said.
    Joey looked down at the body, no recognition in his eyes.
    Good, Shane thought.
    “Know him?” Joey said to Xavier.
    Xavier reached into the dead man’s pockets, pulled out a wallet, and flipped it open. He stood up slowly and straightened. “Thought so. Jimmy Thibault.”
    Joey grew very still.
    Not good, Shane thought.
    “Aka Two Wheels Thibault,” Xavier said genially.
    Hammond peered at the corpse. “Yep, that’s a Thibault. They breed like rats out there in the swamp. Two Wheels’s got more cousins than a dog’s got fleas.”
    Xavier smiled at Joey, showing some teeth. “Oh, Joey knows the Thibaults, don’t you, Joey?”
    Joey’s face closed. “Nah.”
    Bad lie, Shane thought. “Why would Joey know him? This kid doesn’t look like anybody who’d come into the diner.”
    Joey nodded. “Yeah, this kid never came into the diner. I never saw him before.”
    Xavier looked at Shane, thoughtful now. “The diner. You wouldn’t be that boy who used to work in the diner, now, would you?”
    Shane nodded.
    Xavier cocked his head, interested. “Now, where you been all these years, son?”
    “Here and there,” Shane said.
    “Who you work for now?”
    “Joey. He called me to help his friend Agnes.”
    “And you came riding into town all dressed in black?”
    “Seemed the right thing to do. She’s pretty vulnerable out here alone.”
    Xavier’s eyes were flat on Shane. “And you’re gonna keep her from being all alone, are you?”
    “Yes.” Until I find out what’s going on here and get Joey the hell out of it.
    Xavier stared at him for a moment more without comment and then bent back to the body, going through the pockets in silence.
    Not much in there, Shane thought. The kid must have been dirt poor.
    Agnes called down from the doorway above. “Doc Simmons is here. Okay if I have him look at Rhett while he’s waiting for you? Rhett ate a lot of chocolate, and that’s not good for dogs.”
    “Sure, Miz Agnes. Then get him down here,” Xavier said.
    “Dogs?” Shane said to Joey.
    “The coroner is elected here,” Joey said to