Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) by Barbara Graham
Authors: Barbara Graham
Tags: MURDER BY SERPENTS
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identify him.”
“Don’t say?” Quentin lifted his eyebrows but he didn’t actually look interested. Years of alcohol and drugs had aged his body and destroyed a lot of brain cells, and he hadn’t started with a full set. “Run off the road?”
“No. Definitely, not that.” Since Tony didn’t have a good idea what had happened to the man, he was not going to speculate about it with the cousin. “Where’s he been doing his preaching?”
“Huh?” Quentin blinked several times while he processed the question. “Oh, yeah, you know that old motel out on the highway, just past the road towards Townsend? Well, they’ve been using the office building.”
“Is he married?” Sheila asked. “Or is there someone else who can identify him?”
“Naw, John ain’t never married. I can do it just fine.” He scratched again, dislodging more grime. A jaw-cracking yawn released a puff of putrid air. “Want me to come along now?”
“No, not now. If you have a phone, we can call you and let you know when.” Tony doubted that Doc Nash had the body cleaned up enough to make any kind of identification possible and he would just as soon not share the Blazer with Quentin if it wasn’t necessary.
“You bet. I’m in the book and everything.” Quentin stayed in the yard and waved to them as they drove away. A wide smile illuminated his homely face.
Using the mirror on her door, Sheila watched Quentin until they made the first turn. “I wouldn’t say that Quentin is exactly broken up by the possibility that his cousin is dead, would you?” She didn’t pause but continued musing. “I wouldn’t even say that he seemed all that surprised, either.”
Tony nodded without taking his eyes from the treacherous road. “Not only was he
not
all torn up by the possibility, but I’ve never known anyone to be that eager to identify a body. It’s not something that I would expect him to enjoy.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like his cousin.” Sheila turned to look out the back window. “Do you suppose that the snake handling cousin does the same drugs that Quentin used today? If so, he might not have realized that he had been bitten.”
A shrug of his shoulders was Tony’s initial answer, but he frowned. “Whatever Quentin is taking now is powerful stuff. If he keeps on, it is going to kill him.”
Back on the county road, he returned to two-wheel drive and looked at the houses in the little settlement. Everything looked normal, but if something turned up in the autopsy, he would have all the residents interviewed. “Most of those preachers are so fundamental that they won’t even touch anything that isn’t in the Bible.”
“I guess that rules out a lot of vices.” Sheila pointed to a narrow drive. “There’s a shortcut.” After they made the turn, she looked at Tony. “What bothers me is that the last I heard, the stealing of license plates is not encouraged in the Bible either.”
C HAPTER F IVE
----
Theo watched the influx of the curious into her quilt shop. Even the air seemed to buzz, sending Theo into hiding in her studio. After the excitement in the parking lot at Ruby's, a wave of gossip seekers descended on the shop. She hoped that they were buying fabric and not just talking down there.
The shop's main room was large enough to accommodate several thousand bolts of fabric plus a couple of large cutting stations. The back room served as classroom, meeting room and what Tony referred to as “gossip central.” Built to Theo's specifications, the spacious room had fantastic lighting, skylights and fixtures, plus a kitchenette. The electrician she hired to install the myriad outlets on several circuits maintained that NASA didn't need that much electricity to track a rocket.
At one end of the room, chairs surrounded a quilt on a full-sized frame. Anyone who wanted to work on the current quilt for charity was welcome. Theo supplied free coffee and most of the regulars had their own
“Don’t say?” Quentin lifted his eyebrows but he didn’t actually look interested. Years of alcohol and drugs had aged his body and destroyed a lot of brain cells, and he hadn’t started with a full set. “Run off the road?”
“No. Definitely, not that.” Since Tony didn’t have a good idea what had happened to the man, he was not going to speculate about it with the cousin. “Where’s he been doing his preaching?”
“Huh?” Quentin blinked several times while he processed the question. “Oh, yeah, you know that old motel out on the highway, just past the road towards Townsend? Well, they’ve been using the office building.”
“Is he married?” Sheila asked. “Or is there someone else who can identify him?”
“Naw, John ain’t never married. I can do it just fine.” He scratched again, dislodging more grime. A jaw-cracking yawn released a puff of putrid air. “Want me to come along now?”
“No, not now. If you have a phone, we can call you and let you know when.” Tony doubted that Doc Nash had the body cleaned up enough to make any kind of identification possible and he would just as soon not share the Blazer with Quentin if it wasn’t necessary.
“You bet. I’m in the book and everything.” Quentin stayed in the yard and waved to them as they drove away. A wide smile illuminated his homely face.
Using the mirror on her door, Sheila watched Quentin until they made the first turn. “I wouldn’t say that Quentin is exactly broken up by the possibility that his cousin is dead, would you?” She didn’t pause but continued musing. “I wouldn’t even say that he seemed all that surprised, either.”
Tony nodded without taking his eyes from the treacherous road. “Not only was he
not
all torn up by the possibility, but I’ve never known anyone to be that eager to identify a body. It’s not something that I would expect him to enjoy.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like his cousin.” Sheila turned to look out the back window. “Do you suppose that the snake handling cousin does the same drugs that Quentin used today? If so, he might not have realized that he had been bitten.”
A shrug of his shoulders was Tony’s initial answer, but he frowned. “Whatever Quentin is taking now is powerful stuff. If he keeps on, it is going to kill him.”
Back on the county road, he returned to two-wheel drive and looked at the houses in the little settlement. Everything looked normal, but if something turned up in the autopsy, he would have all the residents interviewed. “Most of those preachers are so fundamental that they won’t even touch anything that isn’t in the Bible.”
“I guess that rules out a lot of vices.” Sheila pointed to a narrow drive. “There’s a shortcut.” After they made the turn, she looked at Tony. “What bothers me is that the last I heard, the stealing of license plates is not encouraged in the Bible either.”
C HAPTER F IVE
----
Theo watched the influx of the curious into her quilt shop. Even the air seemed to buzz, sending Theo into hiding in her studio. After the excitement in the parking lot at Ruby's, a wave of gossip seekers descended on the shop. She hoped that they were buying fabric and not just talking down there.
The shop's main room was large enough to accommodate several thousand bolts of fabric plus a couple of large cutting stations. The back room served as classroom, meeting room and what Tony referred to as “gossip central.” Built to Theo's specifications, the spacious room had fantastic lighting, skylights and fixtures, plus a kitchenette. The electrician she hired to install the myriad outlets on several circuits maintained that NASA didn't need that much electricity to track a rocket.
At one end of the room, chairs surrounded a quilt on a full-sized frame. Anyone who wanted to work on the current quilt for charity was welcome. Theo supplied free coffee and most of the regulars had their own
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