slathered it with mayonnaise. “An education’s one thing they can’t take away from you. Everything else is fair game.”
“I saw a dent in your trailer.”
“What dent?”
So it was definitely new. “Did you hear any noises before you found the finger?”
“Something woke me up, that’s for sure. It wasn’t just me rolling off the couch. I’m used to that.”
“Any other body parts besides the finger? Big chunks of metal?”
“The one finger is all I found.” He took a huge bite of the sandwich. A glop of mayonnaise oozed onto the table. “There’s something’s fishy going on, though. These two old boys been snooping around ever since the fire.”
“Don’t say?”
“You making fun of me?”
“No, sir, I’m not.”
“Wouldn’t be no first, I tell you what. My family’s been laughing ‘hind my back the whole time, but like I told them, I heard two booms that night—a little one and a big one.”
Two booms? That was the first I’d heard of that. “Did you show the dent in your trailer to the sheriff?”
“Hoyt ain’t caring about no dent.”
“What about the finger? Are you going to show it to him?”
“No way, no how. Cops all think I’m crazy. That scrawny deputy come around yesterday. He wrote my statement down, laughing the whole time like I was the village idiot. I could tell.”
“You said two men were snooping around?”
There was one strip of crinkled bacon left in the bowl. He picked it up and offered it to me.
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He gobbled it down. Another belch. He fanned the gas away and yawned. “Time for my nap.”
It was time to go, anyway. “Thanks, Stumpy. Been nice seeing you.”
“Let me pass on some advice.” He held the door open for me. “Stay out of family business, if you know what I mean.”
He winked, and I nodded, but I had no idea what the man was talking about.
The door shut, and the blinds closed.
As the town drunk, Stumpy was like a janitor in school. People treated him like he was invisible, so he heard and saw all. Gut instinct told me he was hiding information, and I had to figure a way to extract it.
Stumpy Meeks may have been done with me, but I definitely wasn’t finished with him.
3
For my date with Cedar, I wore a black blazer and a pair of dark jeans. I chose a restaurant called The Point on Red Fox Lake. It was a drive from Galax, but the steaks were juicy and the view from their dock was so sweetly romantic, it could cause a blood sugar spike.
When the server seated us outside, the sun was just setting behind the mountains, and the yellow-orange sun was shimmering on the glass-smooth lake. The reflected light glowed on Cedar’s face, making her even more beautiful.
“You always seem to be framed by the sun.”
“It’s my personality,” she said. “Solar flares are drawn to gingers. It’s a scientific fact. Look it up.”
She wore a strapless little black dress that pinched her narrow waist and left her tanned shoulders bare. The server had to ask twice before I noticed him handing me a menu.
“Oh. Yeah. I was…”
“Distracted?” He placed a basket of corn muffins on the table. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Could you bring us a bottle of your house wine, please?”
“Of course, sir.”
He left, and I looked at Cedar. “You look fantastic.”
“You clean up mighty fine yourself. Nice jacket.”
“This old thing?” I said. “It’s just something I picked up at the thrift shop.”
“Nice. I like a guy who knows how to handle his money.”
The server brought the wine and poured us both a glass.
“A toast," I said.
“To?”
“The truth, and everything that comes with it.”
“I’ll drink to that.” She tapped my glass and took a sip. “That’s got some bite!”
“Let the wine rest,” I said. “Scuppernong grapes need to air out a little, or they can overwhelm your senses.”
“Sort of like you.”
“Me? How am I
“I saw a dent in your trailer.”
“What dent?”
So it was definitely new. “Did you hear any noises before you found the finger?”
“Something woke me up, that’s for sure. It wasn’t just me rolling off the couch. I’m used to that.”
“Any other body parts besides the finger? Big chunks of metal?”
“The one finger is all I found.” He took a huge bite of the sandwich. A glop of mayonnaise oozed onto the table. “There’s something’s fishy going on, though. These two old boys been snooping around ever since the fire.”
“Don’t say?”
“You making fun of me?”
“No, sir, I’m not.”
“Wouldn’t be no first, I tell you what. My family’s been laughing ‘hind my back the whole time, but like I told them, I heard two booms that night—a little one and a big one.”
Two booms? That was the first I’d heard of that. “Did you show the dent in your trailer to the sheriff?”
“Hoyt ain’t caring about no dent.”
“What about the finger? Are you going to show it to him?”
“No way, no how. Cops all think I’m crazy. That scrawny deputy come around yesterday. He wrote my statement down, laughing the whole time like I was the village idiot. I could tell.”
“You said two men were snooping around?”
There was one strip of crinkled bacon left in the bowl. He picked it up and offered it to me.
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He gobbled it down. Another belch. He fanned the gas away and yawned. “Time for my nap.”
It was time to go, anyway. “Thanks, Stumpy. Been nice seeing you.”
“Let me pass on some advice.” He held the door open for me. “Stay out of family business, if you know what I mean.”
He winked, and I nodded, but I had no idea what the man was talking about.
The door shut, and the blinds closed.
As the town drunk, Stumpy was like a janitor in school. People treated him like he was invisible, so he heard and saw all. Gut instinct told me he was hiding information, and I had to figure a way to extract it.
Stumpy Meeks may have been done with me, but I definitely wasn’t finished with him.
3
For my date with Cedar, I wore a black blazer and a pair of dark jeans. I chose a restaurant called The Point on Red Fox Lake. It was a drive from Galax, but the steaks were juicy and the view from their dock was so sweetly romantic, it could cause a blood sugar spike.
When the server seated us outside, the sun was just setting behind the mountains, and the yellow-orange sun was shimmering on the glass-smooth lake. The reflected light glowed on Cedar’s face, making her even more beautiful.
“You always seem to be framed by the sun.”
“It’s my personality,” she said. “Solar flares are drawn to gingers. It’s a scientific fact. Look it up.”
She wore a strapless little black dress that pinched her narrow waist and left her tanned shoulders bare. The server had to ask twice before I noticed him handing me a menu.
“Oh. Yeah. I was…”
“Distracted?” He placed a basket of corn muffins on the table. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Could you bring us a bottle of your house wine, please?”
“Of course, sir.”
He left, and I looked at Cedar. “You look fantastic.”
“You clean up mighty fine yourself. Nice jacket.”
“This old thing?” I said. “It’s just something I picked up at the thrift shop.”
“Nice. I like a guy who knows how to handle his money.”
The server brought the wine and poured us both a glass.
“A toast," I said.
“To?”
“The truth, and everything that comes with it.”
“I’ll drink to that.” She tapped my glass and took a sip. “That’s got some bite!”
“Let the wine rest,” I said. “Scuppernong grapes need to air out a little, or they can overwhelm your senses.”
“Sort of like you.”
“Me? How am I
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