Dead Giveaway Read Online Free PDF Page B

in the entry to the kitchen.
      ''Yes, son?'' Burl said.
      ''I think I found a place to start.'' He was holding a thick business-size envelope. ''It's her last will and testament, sir.''
      ''I assume you've had a look?'' Burl said.
      ''Yes, sir,'' he answered.
      ''Well? Who gets what? Is it someone we can contact right away?''
      ''She left everything to a man named William Knight,'' he answered.
      Burl Rollins blinked then leveled his wise eyes on me. He was not smiling when he said, ''Is that so?''

    3

    ''Don't look at me, Burl,'' I said, scrambling to answer while trying to gulp down my surprise. ''I didn't know anything about Mrs. Olsen's will. My client didn't either.''
      ''You know for sure, do you?'' he said.
      ''What's going on?'' the deputy asked.
      ''Nothing. I'll handle things from here,'' Burl said. ''You've been a big help, but you can get back to your regular watch.''
      ''You'll call HPD with this?'' Glen held up the envelope.
      ''That's right,'' came Burl's smiling response. But his gleaming charm was tarnished by a hardness in his voice.
      Before the deputy left, the chief got the name of the HPD officer who had made the original request to the Liberty County Sheriff's Department.
       Thank goodness Jeff gave that chore to someone else, I thought, remembering his request to one of the policemen at the coffee place. I watched the chief flip open a cell phone and punch in the number.
      After a few seconds he said, ''This is Chief Rollins of the Bottlebrush Police Department. I understand you need information for a notification on a victim named Verna Mae Olsen?'' Another short pause as Burl listened, then he said, ''I'd be happy to discuss what we've learned with whoever's in charge of the investigation.''
      I sat back in my chair, stomach in my throat. Damn. He wanted to talk to Jeff. I might be up a creek in a wire boat after all.
      ''Hold on.'' Burl looked at me. ''Got something to write on?''
      I took a deep breath and pulled the crumpled paper with Verna Mae's phone number from my pocket.
      The chief smoothed it out, pulled a pen from his shirt pocket and said, ''Go ahead.''
      Meanwhile, I marveled at how cooperative I was being at assisting in my own demise. Even upside down I recognized every digit he wrote. Jeff's cell number.
      Burl thanked the officer, disconnected and started to dial again. I reached across and grabbed his thick wrist. ''Could we talk before you make that call?''
      He closed the phone. ''About what?''
      ''The detective who's in charge is . . . a friend of mine. Got me my PI job, as a matter of fact. I don't think he'd be too happy if he knew I'd driven here tonight.''
      Burl sat back, arms folded, that stupid, evil phone tucked under one armpit. ''Bet he won't be happy. So?''
      ''Is there some compelling reason he needs to know?'' I asked.
      ''How would you answer that question if you were in my position, Abby?''
      I hung my head. Bit my lower lip. ''I'd say I had to give the investigators everything I knew. This is a murder case, after all.'' I stared him in the eyes. ''But I could tell Sergeant Kline myself when I see him. It's not like my trip here has anything to do with the murder. I just had questions for you, questions about a woman who wanted to talk to me tonight and never got the chance.''
      Burl placed the cell phone on the table between us. ''Tell your friend now that you're here at Verna Mae's, and then we'll continue our conversation.''
      ''Now?'' I stared at the phone, the little palm-size
    instrument of torture seeming to grow larger the longer I looked at it.
      ''If this pisses your friend off, work it out later. Right now we owe Verna Mae Olsen our best effort before more time passes.''
      I sighed. He was right. I was being totally selfish. Still, my hand trembled when I picked up the phone. The chief pushed the paper toward me, but I shook my head. ''Don't need