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

lived here more than a couple of years, I wouldn’t really know her—unless she came in here a lot.”

I frowned and nodded, lost in thought. That kid’s aunt could be the key to everything. Logan had witnessed her almost hit Ty with a car, so if Logan saw her, she might’ve seen Logan. If she saw Logan doing anything other than standing on his porch, then I could prove that he had lied yet again. If he lied again, he might be hiding something.

“I really need to talk to that aunt,” I said. “So, anything you can remember about the kid or the mom would be helpful. For starters, what did the mom look like?”

“Oh, she’s a pretty girl.” Granny nodded for emphasis. “She had red hair and cute little freckles. She was too skinny, though. It looked like she needed to eat a few more brownies to fill out—”

“Did the boy have red hair, too?” I asked, straightening.

“He surely did. He had hair and freckles like his momma, but he was a little healthier.” She smiled. “You could tell he likes to eat hamburgers and fries.”

“Blue Watts,” I said. “His mom’s name is Phoebe.”

Granny clasped her hands together. “His name is Blue! I thought I heard her call him something that sounded like Blue, but figured I was wrong. I mean, who names their kid Blue? Do you know them?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know them, but I did talk to them. They live at the very end of Orange Way.”

“Wait a minute!” Granny covered her mouth with a wrinkled hand. “Carol and Ty live down Orange Way! That boy’s aunt did kill him!”

“No,” I said quickly. “Ty was definitely not hit by a car.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “The little boy was sure of himself.”

“No, I’m positive,” I assured her. “But this is extremely helpful.”

After my order was ready, I gathered up the boxes and hurried back to the police department. Susan was already there when I arrived. I put the boxes of donuts on the table in the break room, kept the brownies for myself, and met her in her office. She was studying last year’s map of the parade route. She glanced up briefly and smiled when I entered.

“We’ve got a lead.” I placed the box of brownies on her desk and grabbed one. “This young woman named Phoebe Watts went into the bakery with her little boy this morning and the boy blurted out that his aunt hit Ty with a car.”

Susan’s head jerked up. “Who’s the aunt?”

“I don’t know, but I’m heading out to the house to find out.” I lifted a hand. “You coming, or am I off the leash?”

  CHAPTER 42

Phoebe Watts was no longer wearing pajamas when Susan and I knocked on her door ten minutes later. She was fully dressed and wearing makeup. She stared nervously at us when she answered the door.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

“How’s Blue?”

“Daddy!” I heard a boy scream from inside, his feet stomping toward the door. He skidded to a stop when he saw me and scowled. “You’re not my Daddy!”

“No, Buddy, I’m sorry,” I said with a frown. “It’s me again.”

He slinked behind his mom and hugged her leg.

“It’s okay,” Phoebe said as she roughed up the little boy’s hair. “Every time he hears a man’s voice he thinks it’s his dad.”

I frowned, but Phoebe quickly waved a hand.

“No, don’t feel bad. He gets to see his dad every weekend, and sometimes during the week.” She looked down at Blue. “Don’t you, Baby Blue?”

Blue was holding onto his mom’s leg while swaying back and forth. He stared at me like he wanted to fight me.

“I need to ask about your sister,” I said, after giving up on breaking the ice with Blue. “I understand she saw Ty Richardson on Friday night. She might’ve been one of the last people to see him alive, so she might be able to help us.”

“She’s not my sister,” Phoebe corrected, shifting her feet and hugging her chest. “She’s my sister-in-law. We, um, we married brothers. I married Burt and she married Dillon. When I got divorced from Burt, she and I stayed good friends. We actually got closer, in fact. Burt never let me hang out with her while we were married. He thought she was a bad influence or something.”

When she was done explaining the family history, I again asked about Ty.

“Um, yeah, she told me he was playing in the road Friday night when she left my house. She did almost hit him. She said he was wearing dark clothes and was either lying in the road or kneeling down. She said she never saw him. He just suddenly stood up in front of her. That’s the only reason she didn’t hit him.”

“Did she know him?”

“Yeah, she’s seen him walking in front of my house before,” Phoebe said with a giggle. “One day, we were sitting outside smoking and we heard some branches snapping. I knew it was Ty, but I told her a hunter had reported seeing Big Foot in the woods. I pretended to jump up when Ty appeared, and Betty, she screamed like she’d been shot. It was so funny I almost peed in my pants.”

I nodded and glanced down at the note pad I’d brought with me. “So, her name’s Betty?”

“Yeah, Betty Watts.”

“Does she live here in town?”

Phoebe nodded. “She lives on Green Grove, the second to last house on the right.”

“She lives there with Dillon?”

“Yeah, but he’s never home,” Phoebe said. “He works offshore.”

“Did she tell you if she saw anyone else out there on Friday night?” I asked. “Either on the street or in a neighbor’s yard?”

“If she did see someone else, she didn’t mention it. She