Crossed Bones Read Online Free PDF

face it head-on. I went down to The Grove this morning to pick up Margene because her car's at the mechanics. She wouldn't ride with me. She told me to go home, that she'd find her own ride." There was hurt in Tinkie's face. "Margene's cooked for us since Oscar and I got married. She didn't want to be seen with me."
    There was little I could do to take away the sting Tinkie was feeling, but I had another theory. "She may have been afraid to be seen with you." I told her about the noose.
    "I hope Coleman finds those yahoos and puts them under the jail."
    I doubled her sentiment. "I have to say, Scott Hampton isn't doing anything to help his case."
    "Can't you just let this go?" she asked, sighing.
    "I tried. I went to Ida Mae Keys' with the sole purpose of turning the case down. You go talk to that old woman and see if you can quit."
    She shook her head slightly. "Why is she doing this?"
    I had thought a little about that on the drive to Tinkie's. "Ida Mae knows what's going to come down here. Her husband's death has the power to divide the entire community again, and she doesn't want that to happen, because he wouldn't want that. Mr. Keys had some idea that music could heal the wounds of both races." I could see Tinkie thought I was nuts.
    She put the coffee on the counter and slipped onto a stool beside me. "So tell me about Scott Hampton," she said. "He's incredibly hot. When he plays that guitar, it's like he's making love to it." She bit her bottom lip, sucking it in slightly and then letting it pop out. It was a habit of Tinkie's that made a drooling idiot out of even the most confident man. On occasion, I'd borrowed the mannerism, but I could never perform it as effectively as she did. "How did he strike you, Sarah Booth?"
    "He's a total ass," I said, recalling his insolence and contempt. I had no desire to acknowledge his sexual appeal or admit that he frightened me a little.
    Tinkie lifted an eyebrow and I could see her brain buzzing. "So how are we going to approach this?" she asked.
    I grinned. Tinkie was in. "With great caution. I don't know that there's anything we can do. The evidence points to
Hampton
as the killer. But I told Mrs. Keys we'd try."
    "Yes, we'll try, but there is one condition." Tinkie gave me a look that said she knew she had me.
    "What?"
    "An old school chum of Oscar's will be in town tonight. Go out to dinner with him."
    "A banker?" I had nothing against bankers.
    "Former banker. Independent investor now. I think you might find him interesting."
    Tinkie was being coy, but she failed to realize that I happened to really like blind dates. Gambling, as far as slot machines, cards, or bingo, had never been one of my vices. But the old roulette wheel of romance piqued my interest. My theory was that a blind date could go either way, but no matter the outcome, I never ended up empty-handed. Either I had a good date or a good story to tell.
    "Sounds perfect. What time, where, what to wear?"
    My capitulation surprised Tinkie. "Tonight. The Club. I'll get back to you with the details. Aren't you even going to ask who it is?"
    "Surprise me," I said as I walked to the door. "Now for your part, I want you to pump Oscar about the financial status of Ivory Keys and Playin' the Bones. Find out everything Oscar knows." I didn't give her a chance to ask another question. I whistled up my hound and left.
    I'd given Tinkie her assignment. Oscar, her husband, was on the board of directors of Zinnia National Bank. In a small town like Zinnia, bank officials knew all the data. And Tinkie had incredibly effective ways of making Oscar talk. He didn't just talk, he gushed. By afternoon, I'd know whether Playin' the Bones was in the red or black and what the financial future had looked like for Ivory and Scott.
    For my part, I went home to my computer. As much as I hated learning technology, I'd found the Web to be a place of many free facts. Even so, I wasn't prepared for the surfeit of information on Scott