Murder And Rubber Chicken E-Book

Jim Riley

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

While attending a social function at the local library, Sam Cates's uncle keels over. Autopsy results confirm he was poisoned.

After looking into the man's past for enemies, Sam receives a note that changes the direction of the investigation. But what connects the murder to the girl who served the dead uncle's table?

Sam has to use all her deductive skills to find out the identity of the murderer. And then, she has to figure out how to prove it.

Leseprobe

MURDER AND RUBBER CHICKEN

WADE DALTON AND SAM CATES SHORT STORIES BOOK 2

JIM RILEY

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Notes

Next in the Series

About the Author

Copyright (C) 2021 Jim Riley

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2022 by Next Chapter

Published 2022 by Next Chapter

Cover art by CoverMint

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

To the Most Beautiful

You Always Were and Always Will Be

1

“For a hundred dollars a plate, you’d think we would get something better than five-day-old rubber chicken and green beans out of a can,” Wade Dalton said to his fiancée, Sam Cates.

She replied, “I’m only here because I support the addition to the Evergreen Library. It’s also sorta expected as part of the job.”

“You’re the Sheriff, not the Librarian.”

“I know, but we’re supposed to mix with the public and put on a good face for the department. I would have preferred to make an anonymous donation instead.”

“Me too.”

“Hey kids. How are ya‘ll doing?” A booming voice resounded from directly behind Wade.

“Uncle Ken. What are you doing here?”

“Same as you. Except I’d rather be at Popeye’s, but your aunt decided we should attend. She’s afraid some of her social friends would be here and then ask her where she was if she didn’t come.”

“Where are you seated?”

Ken Willis pointed to the back of the room.

“As far back as they could put us. I guess my hundred dollars doesn’t count as much as being the Sheriff of Evergreen County.” He laughed.

“How is Aunt Marian doing?”

“Just as mean and ornery as a wild boar in rut.”

“Uncle Ken, you don’t mean that. She is as gentle as a lamb.”

“Hah. You need to come around when I don’t make it in on time to suit her. She’s not a lamb at two o’clock in the morning. I can assure you of that.”

Sam laughed. “I don’t blame her. If you weren’t our chasing girls half your age, she probably wouldn’t be so upset.”

He grinned. “It’s when I catch one she really gets mad.”

Ken strode confidently away from the table towards his wife in the rear of the hall.

Wade leaned over to Sam. “He seems like a piece of work. I’ve only met him once.”

“Uncle Ken? He’s more than a piece of work. He’s tried his lines on every skirt in south Mississippi. Aunt Marian has tried to get him counseling several times, but it never works.”

“Are we going to stay for the speech? We could sneak out now and go get some actual food.”

“No, we can’t sneak out. I have to speak to the mayor when he finishes with his speech.”

“With him talking, we might be here until midnight.”

“Hush, he’s starting to speak. Finish your chicken.”

“For what we paid, I should be eating Kobe beef.”

“Shh. Act your age, little boy.”

The mayor had only warmed up when a loud scream from the back of the hall interrupted him. All eyes turns toward the lady standing beside her table, looking down at the figure slumped over his plate.

“Oh my God! That’s Aunt Marian!”

Sam leapt from her chair and sprinted towards her aunt. Wade followed her step for step. Reaching the table, they saw Ken Willis lifeless upper body draped over his plate. Sam checked his pulse and pulled him back in his chair. Wade could smell the faint aroma of almonds in the air.

“Cyanide, Sam. He’s been poisoned.”

“Okay. Everyone back away from the table. Don’t touch anything. We have to preserve it for evidence.”

Wade put his hand on Sam’s shoulder.

“I’ll take care of this if you want to be with your aunt.”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“Thanks.”

Sam rose and escorted her aunt out of the room. Wade stood by the table ensuring nothing was disturbed until the detectives from the sheriff’s office arrived. When they got to the table, Wade pointed to the people who had been seated with Ken Willis. He then went to find his fiancée and her aunt.

2

Wade looked across the desk in Sam’s office.

“Any idea who put the cyanide in his food?”

She shook her long blonde hair. “No. We found traces in the glass. Somebody must have spiked the punch. It had to be the worst punch I’ve ever had, even at one of the city functions.”

Wade grinned. “I don’t know, Sam. I’ve had some that tasted like week old raw fish left out in the sun.”

“I might prefer the raw fish.”

“Any suspects?”

“Not many so far. Aunt Marian was seated right next to him. His business partner was at the same table, and one of his current girlfriends was at the table next to him. With all the mingling and whatnot, any of them could have poisoned him. Or it could have been a server, or anyone else in the room.”

“Boy, I’m glad you narrowed down the suspect list to only a few hundred. I thought we’d use the telephone book instead. Then we could go in alphabetical order.”

“We still can if you want. After you sort them.”

Wade picked up the file and was not surprised to see cyanide poisoning listed as the cause of death. Fingerprints from the glass belonged to Ken and the server, a young lady still in her teens.

“Have you checked out the server?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. She has no connection to Uncle Ken. She’s one of the few girls in Evergreen he didn’t get in the sack.”

“You shouldn’t talk about your dead uncle like that. It’s disrespectful.”

“No, what he did for years to Aunt Marian was disrespectful.”

“Maybe he was only going through a mid-life crisis.”

Sam laughed. “Since he was sixteen? That’s an awful long crisis.”

“Where do you want to start?”

“The probabilities tell us to start with the spouse. That’s Aunt Marian.”