Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

happened to him, someone would come tell her, she barely dared to breathe as she had hurried over the hill.
    She spotted Tony standing by a dark green car. One good thing about being married to an oversized man was that he was easy to find in a crowd. Almost six feet four inches tall and broad shouldered, he looked even bigger in his dark brown jacket and khaki pants. Not even the dark brown ball cap with the sheriff’s insignia on the front could disguise the fact that he was as bald as an egg. Tony didn’t enjoy being called “Mr. Clean,” like the cleaning products, but the appellation fit him like a glove.

    Theo did her best to keep her fears locked away, but sometimes they crept out like hungry mice. Now that she saw Tony in obviously good condition, she relaxed. She spotted Stan next to his truck. Her eyes were drawn to the logo on the door. “There’s a snake in the car?”

    Stan turned to face her. “Yes ma’am.” He looked like he might have said more if he hadn’t seen the local newspaper reporter coming toward them like a heat-seeking missile. As he inserted a cigarette into the gap between his teeth, he hissed like one of his snakes. “That woman from the paper is coming this way.” He pulled a wooden kitchen match from his pocket and struck it on his thumbnail. It flared to life. Cupping one hand around it, he lit his cigarette.

    “You don’t like her?” Eyebrows lifted, Theo took a step backwards, dodging the smoke that burned her nose and made her eyes water. “I thought you liked everyone.”

    “Humph, people think snakes are bad, but they’re not. That woman is meaner than any of ’em. Wouldn’t surprise me if she gets arrested some day.”

    Theo watched the object of their discussion, Winifred Thornby, reporter and editor of the newspaper. Winifred had graduated from high school with Tony, but the last twenty years had only soured her and aged her prematurely. From her frumpy clothes to her already deeply wrinkled face, she looked closer to sixty than forty. As her eyes met Theo’s, it looked like she would like to talk, but she swerved away before she reached them. A glance at Stan’s face revealed his expression of absolute triumph. She wondered why Stan disliked Winifred so much and was about to ask when he cut her off.

    “Now, I do have a complaint about you, Theo. I don’t know if you meant to, but you’ve about ruined my life,” said Stan.
     
    “Me? What did I do?” Theo’s mouth dropped open. She was absolutely baffled. Having been born and raised in Silersville, she had known Stan all of her life and he had always treated her like she was about as dangerous as a ladybug.

    “Why? Because you went and taught my wife to quilt, that’s why. I never had any idea that you were so cruel.” The laugh lines deepened in his face and his pale eyes twinkled. “I haven’t had a hot meal in months. Why just last night, she stayed in her sewing room picking out fabrics for your new mystery quilt instead of cooking my dinner. I had to go to the Food City myself because I couldn’t even make a sandwich. There wasn’t even a crust of stale bread in the house.” The corners of his mouth turned down and he rubbed his stomach. His customary paunch still existed, but it did seem a bit smaller. “She used to be a wonderful cook and now I’m gonna waste away. At this rate, I’m gonna be a skinny Santa.”

    Full of pure joy, the laugh that burst from Theo attracted all eyes. Some of the onlookers moved away as if thinking that the sheriff’s wife and the snake man knew that there was nothing to see. They didn’t appear to be discussing anything serious.

    Standing near them, Doc Nash could overhear the conversation. He leaned over to join in. “That’s nothing, Stan. She taught my wife to quilt and now we have to go into every fabric store we come within a hundred miles of, and that’s with two closets full of the stuff at home. I’m surprised she hasn’t filled my golf