Bingo Barge Murder Read Online Free PDF

myself for a loop on a rafter in the sloped roof.
    “What on earth is this … this room, doing here?” I was still having a hard time believing I was above the garage.
    Eddy patted my hand. “It was built a long time ago. It’s my own private Underground Railroad, a safe place for those in need. It’s been used mostly by women and their children running from abusive boyfriends, husbands, that kind of thing. The Mad Knitters helped restore it a few years back.” Eddy gazed around the room and sighed. “Maybe it was more than a few years. We fixed it up so it’d be almost soundproof from below, lightproof, too. It’s got an electric heater, and somewhat decent ventilation, although it can get pretty close up here during the summer.”
    The Mad Knitters met on a semi-weekly basis at the Rabbit Hole, supposedly to make progress on their knitting skills, but they usually ended up around Eddy’s kitchen table playing pinochle or poker instead. The previous summer, Eddy bestowed honorary membership upon Coop. He gamely tried but still struggled with coordinating the knitting needles and not poking his eye out. He told me more than once that he heaved a big sigh of relief when they set down the yarn and picked up the cards.
    “I guess you could call all of us modern-day Harriet Tubmans. We protect anyone who fears for their safety for whatever reason.” Eddy sighed again. “Too many reasons to be fearful nowadays.”
    I was dying to hear more about this secret room and the people who had passed through it, but I suppressed my urge to badger. Later, when we had time, Eddy had some explaining to do.
    Coop eagerly leaned toward me. “What’d you find out from Rocky?”
    I launched into the story, ending with the names Rocky had given me. “Msritabuzzrileymslavonneandsomebig.”
    Coop burst out laughing. “Nice.”
    “So who are they?” Eddy asked.
    “He means Rita Lazar, Buzz Riley, and Lavonne Smith.” Coop said. “They’re all bingo players. I don’t know who he means with ‘and some big’ though. A big huge man? We have a few that would fit that description.”
    I said, “Any of the people Rocky listed a possible deadly dauber wielder?”
    Coop thought about that for a moment. “Rita? Man, I just can’t see it, but she does have a temper from hell. Buzz Riley is just an asshole. I can see him taking a whack. Lavonne … well, she’s just plain crazy. I don’t think she’s lethal, though.”
    “Is there any chance we can get an eyeful of these bingo players?” Eddy suggested. “Maybe they’re on that video the detectives told Shay about.”
    “I don’t know,” Coop said. “The system’s digital. If they left the hard drive, we’d probably be able to see the video.”
    I asked. “Wouldn’t we be able to see the video of who killed Kinky, then?”
    Coop met my eyes. “If Kinky was killed after the bingo session was over, it wouldn’t show. The system stops recording when the safe is locked for the night. Unless—the safe hadn’t been locked yet.” Coop sat up straighter. “Hey, maybe there’s a chance the killer is on it.”
    Eddy shook her head. “Uh uh. If they had the killer on tape, there’d be an APB out on him and all the questioning those two detectives did would have been time wasted. They’d have come right out and said they were looking for Nicholas Cooper, Bingo Boss Brutalizer. If you watched more Law & Order , you’d know that.”
    We sat in silence for a couple of moments. I pondered how much faith we could place in the accuracy of primetime cop shows. Then I said, “I think we need to check out Kinky’s office, look in his files. Maybe we can find out who he wasn’t getting along with.”
    “Child, I do like the way you think. We can find us some rigged bingo cards or something!” Eddy’s grin held lots of wattage.
    “Hey, listen, you two burglar wannabes,” Coop said, a frown slicing his forehead. “Bad idea. Don’t you think the cops are still all over the