Murder Passes the Buck Read Online Free PDF Page A

ice. I broke through with my boot and picked it up. It was a spent rifle shell. My heart started to pound in my ears. When the pounding subsided, I rummaged in my jacket, found a tissue, gently wrapped the shell, and tucked it into my pocket.
    Little Donny was sound asleep in the truck, his head thrown back on the headrest, his mouth wide open. I took the opportunity to snitch the girly magazines out of Chester ’ s blind to show to Cora Mae. There were some hot male bodies in there, too.
    “ What the hell were you doing back there in the first place? ” Blaze yelled. “ And you, why were you helping her? ” Now he was glaring at Little Donny and jabbing his index finger at Little Donny ’ s chest. “ Keep
     
    your hands off my pa ’ s truck, Little Donny, if you can ’ t keep her out of my business. Next time I see you behind the wheel of that truck and her sitting next to you, I ’ m pulling you over and arresting you for obstructing justice. Do you understand? ”
    “ Okay, okay, I get it. ”
    “ And the next time… . ”
    “ You can ’ t do that, ” I interrupted. “ That ’ s my truck and you can ’ t arrest him for driving it. ” I turned to Little Donny and patted his knee. “ Don ’ t worry. He can ’ t do that. ”
    “ I ’ m the sheriff. I can do anything I want to. ”
    “ But you didn ’ t let me finish. Look at what I have. ” I pulled the tissue out of my pocket and carefully unwrapped the shell. “ Evidence. ”
    Blaze wasn ’ t looking at the shell. He seemed to notice me for the first time. “ What the hell happened to your hair? ”
    He sat at my kitchen table sucking down all my sugar doughnuts. His eyesore yellow truck was still running in the driveway and a cloud of smoke-like exhaust hovered over the truck, a sure sign that it was cold outside.
    I ignored that last question and explained where I found the shell and about the footprints in the ice. Blaze didn ’ t look
     
    happy but it didn ’ t stop him from continuing to stuff his face.
    “ And I want you to test it for fingerprints, ” I finished, pleased with myself. I thought about having DETECTIVE JOHNSON printed on the side of my truck.
    “ You ’ ve been interfering with my work again. ” Blaze wiped his hands on a napkin. “ Did you ever think that maybe I was going to check back there using proper police procedures? Did you ever think to check with me first? ”
    “ No, I didn ’ t. Knowing you, you already closed the case, calling it an accident. ” That was Blaze ’ s style and we both knew it.
    “ Did you ever think that maybe you screwed up a crime scene? Anywhere else you ’ d try a stunt like that, you ’ d be arrested for interfering with a police investigation. ”
    “ Then you ’ re admitting it was a crime. ”
    Blaze ’ s nostrils spread out and his face turned the color of an overripe tomato.
    “ Floyd Tatrow came by for a lie detector test last night. I suppose you don ’ t know anything about that? ”
    “ Not a thing, ” I said.
    “ What have I done to deserve you? ” Blaze shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. I could tell he was getting ready to go into all my past sins against him. He was the most
     
    paranoid person I ever met. “ Why do I put up with this? ” he continued, rising from the table. “ You know what you are? You ’ re the family curse. ”
    I settled in for a go-around, which, I could have reminded Blaze, I always win. I stood up next to him and leaned in close.
    “ You put up with it for a lot of reasons, Doughnut Boy. You put up with it for those freebies you ’ re stuffing in your mouth, for one. You put up with it for the free rent, for another. ”
    This was one of those times I was talking about earlier when I don ’ t appreciate the close family ties quite as much as I could.
    Blaze reached for the rifle shell and gave me an angry scowl.
    “ Be careful with that, ” I said. “ I don ’ t want your fingerprints fouling up the works.