But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

“If he lied, it’s gonna take more than you to keep me off of him,” I said in a serious tone.

Susan’s head whipped around, but she relaxed when I started laughing.

“I’ll follow you home,” I said. “I’ll get some rest, spend some time with you, Achilles, and the girls, and see if I can’t dream up an idea. I’ll think of something—I always do.”

She smiled. “Yes, you do.”

But I didn’t think of anything. I stayed up most of the night, tossing and turning, trying to come up with a plan, but I only came up empty.

Sometime during the early morning hours, with Susan’s head resting against my bare chest, I drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 41

When I woke up the next morning, I had no clue where the investigation was headed or what I was going to do next. After kissing Grace’s forehead and saying goodbye to my dogs, I left in my Tahoe. Susan was still upstairs getting dressed. Before I left, she had warned me not to do anything without her. I had only laughed and walked downstairs.

I parked my Tahoe at the police department but didn’t go inside. Instead, I walked west along Washington Avenue. It was Friday, so I figured I’d celebrate by getting donuts for the office.

The sidewalks were nearly empty of tourists. I passed a few people on my way to the end of the street, but most of them worked for the businesses that lined both sides of the street. In addition to Bad Loup Burgers and Granny’s Bakery, we had a couple of barrooms, a hardware store, and various other shops along the strip. And while it was quiet now, it would not stay that way for long. Mardi Gras was fast approaching, and this town would soon turn into a miniature Bourbon Street, but without the nudity and rancid smell of urine.

I cursed to myself. I needed to solve this case before the tourists descended upon our town. Every officer on the force—and that included me—would be busy with crowd control, breaking up fights, and numerous other challenges that large, drunken crowds brought with them. Our Friday night parade was always raucous and well attended. It took weeks to prepare for such an event. Susan had already met twice with Mayor Pauline Cain, the chief of the fire department, and the parade captains, and they would have to meet again to finalize the route and other details. It was during times like these that I was happy that I wasn’t the chief of police anymore.

“Well, good morning, Chief,” Granny called when I stepped into the bakery.

I smiled and gave her a nod. “How are you?”

“Great, but you’ll be better. I’ve got a fresh batch of brownies about to come out of the oven.”

“Good!” I said quickly. “I want two dozen, along with two dozen donuts—one chocolate and one glaze.”

She pressed the intercom button on her microphone and called to the back with my order. There was one other patron—a young woman dressed like she’d just stepped out of a fashion shoot—in the place and I stood to the side to wait for my order. When the woman had finished paying and walked out, Granny waved for me to approach the counter.

“So, you remember how on Monday you asked me to be a spy for you?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. “I think you said something about me being an undercover operative and letting me carry a gun?”

“I don’t remember it going down quite like that,” I said with a chuckle, “but I do remember the conversation.”

She nodded and glanced past me to make sure no one was about to enter the shop. When all was clear, she said, “Well, I think I might have something for you.”

I arched an eyebrow and leaned closer. “What is it?”

“This lady came in here a few minutes before you walked in and she had a little boy with her,” she said. “The little boy reminded me of you. He was begging for my brownies and he threw a fit when I told his mom I ran out.”

“Hey!” I protested. “I don’t throw a fit when you run out.”

“Oh, yes you do.” She laughed. “The pout you make is cute. Anyway, the lady came in here with her little boy. I had a couple of other customers in the bakery and they were talking about the parade coming up. And then someone asks the others if they heard about Ty. They went on to say that he was found murdered in the field behind Jezebel. I heard that, too, and I said so. Well, this little boy, he blurts out that his aunt ran over Ty and that’s how he died.”

“What?” I asked incredulously. “Are you serious?”

I knew this kid’s aunt hadn’t run over Ty, because that wasn’t how he’d died, but there was definitely some truth to what he’d said. His aunt must’ve been the one who almost ran over Ty. I would need to speak with her right away.

“Yeah, the little boy said his aunt killed Ty. Now, that made his mom angry. She really climbed all over him.” Granny shook her head. “I thought she was gonna slap his face right there in front of everyone. I wasn’t about to let that happen! But she told him to stop making up stories and she threatened to punish him if he told that lie again.”

“Did he say the aunt’s name?”

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t say her name, and his mom wouldn’t let him say another word.”

“Do you know the mom’s name?”

“No.” Granny’s brow furrowed. “I’ve never seen her in here before. She’s not one of the permanent residents in town, but she wasn’t a tourist either. She must be living in one of the rent houses in town. If she hasn’t