Buffalo Bill's Defunct (9781564747112)
Page 29
She straightened to look at him. “Then Vance is safely in the county jail?”
“Under sedation at the hospital, with Ethan and his lawyers in attendance and a deputy at his door.” He constructed a cracker-and-cheese sandwich and ate it with deliberation.
“He should be locked up.”
“Hey, he will be.” He brushed crumbs and took another sip of whisky. “They’ll bring him in tomorrow when the doctors release him. Want to bet he has your garage door key on his key chain? Thayer found the other one.”
“Where?”
“Buried behind the garage. He took another look.”
Meg snuggled against him.
He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Further questions, madam?”
“Carol confessed to me that she killed Eddy Redfern.” She burrowed in his sweater.
“I know. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather.”
“Cliché number five.”
“I’m on a roll. Are you okay, Meg? That must’ve been hard to deal with.”
“I have the feeling I haven’t even begun to deal with it.” Her voice shook a little. She cleared her throat. “And I’m full of questions. If Carol killed Edward Redfern, why was his wallet in Brandstetter’s file cabinet?”
“I gather from what Vance said before the lawyers showed up that he and Carol panicked. They did what Vance has done all along, left it to Hal to do their dirty work.”
“So Brandstetter buried Eddy in the garage?”
“Hal and Meek did. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, according to Vance, but I suspect Hal liked the idea. It gave him a strong hold over Vance. Hal was blackmailing him, bleeding him dry. Or so Vance said.” His voice trailed off. He sounded tired, but he was warm and alive. For now, that was enough.
Time for closure. Meg sat up and took a long, fortifying sip of whisky. “Remember when you swore me in as a deputy?”
He smiled at her. “Sure. A moment of inspiration.”
“Among other things, you said you wanted somebody to tell you when you were crazy.”
He grinned and pulled her to him. “So I did. Can you hold off doing that for a while?”
Meg kissed him on the mouth. “Not indefinitely.”
THE next morning, Sheriff McCormick called a press conference for eleven o’clock. Madeline Thomas held hers at ten.
Mickey Simonson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sheila Simonson is the author of ten novels, six of them mysteries. She taught English and history at the community college level until she retired to write full-time. She has a grown son and lives with her husband in Vancouver, Washington.
Set along the Columbia River Gorge, Buffalo Bill’s Defunct wrestles, on the local level, with the global problem of the destruction of ancient artifacts. Simonson remembers visiting the salmon fishing sites along the Columbia as a child, before their tragic drowning by the waters of The Dalles Dam. She likes to hear from readers, who can visit her website at http://sheila.simonson.googlepages.com.
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REFERENCE/
MYSTERY WRITING
KATHY LYNN EMERSON
How To Write Killer
Historical Mysteries:
The Art and Adventure of
Sleuthing Through the Past
ISBN 978-1-880284-92-6
CAROLYN WHEAT
How To Write Killer Fiction:
The Funhouse of Mystery &
the Roller Coaster of Suspense
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Available from your local bookstore or from
Perseverance Press/John Daniel & Co. at (800) 662-8351
or www.danielpublishing.com/perseverance.