Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf) by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

Finally Skye's brother, Vince, ambled into the dinette and kissed his mother on the cheek before sitting next to Skye. He was far too handsome for his own good. His at- tractiveness to the opposite sex had already gotten him into serious trouble twice; it had gotten him into minor difficult- ies too many times to count.

Tall, with emerald-green eyes and long butterscotch hair worn in a ponytail, Vince got his tan from the machine at the hair salon he owned rather than from the great outdoors.

May said the blessing, and then started the platter of roast around the table by handing it to Jed. As the man of the house he got first pick. There was silence as they all filled their plates and started to eat.

After his initial helping had been devoured, Charlie leaned back, took a long swig of beer, and belched. He patted his belly as if it were a pet he was fond of, then said, ``I had a really striking-looking lady in one of the cabins last night.'' He owned the Up A Lazy River Motor Court--the only place to stay in town. DEAD BLONDES TELL NO TALES 191

Skye's investigative radar engaged. ``Really? Did she have blond hair and drive a pink car?''

``Yeah.'' Charlie's thick white eyebrows flew up until they nearly met the matching hair on his head. ``How did you know?''

``Sounds like Bunny's friend Ruby.''

``Ruby? I don't think that's the name she registered under.'' Charlie frowned. ``She paid in cash, so I didn't ask to see any ID.''

Skye buttered a roll. Could there be two platinum blondes in town driving pink vehicles? ``She was tall and statuesque, right?''

``Yep. That's her.'' Charlie took the bowl May had handed him, and spooned another pile of mashed potatoes on his plate. ``Fine figure of a woman.''

``Wally arrested her this afternoon,'' May announced, a line forming between her eyebrows.

``For what?'' Charlie stopped, fork poised midway to his mouth.

Skye took a drink of her Diet Coke and listened to her mother's version of what had happened.

May finished with, ``Then she came strutting into the po- lice station, as if she wasn't a wanted fugitive, and de- manded that she see the chief and no else.''

``Did you hear what she had to say to Wally?'' Skye had been waiting to ask this question since she heard that her mother had been dispatching that day.

``No.'' May took a sip of wine. ``Wally took her into the interrogation room. He usually keeps the door open if he has a female prisoner so I can testify that no hanky-panky took place, but that woman insisted on closing the door and turning on the radio.'' May stood and started clearing the table. ``I couldn't hear a thing, even with my ear pressed against the door.''

Skye got up to help. The men stayed seated and waited for dessert to be served. Skye had long ago given up trying to explain the women's movement and equal rights to her family. It might be the twenty-first century in the rest of the country, but in Scumble River they had barely left the nineteenth.

While May cut apple pie and Skye scooped vanilla ice cream, Vince said, ``You know, a woman like you described 192 Denise Swanson stopped at the salon yesterday afternoon. She wanted me to dye her hair black, but I didn't have time.'' He took the plate Skye handed him and dug into the pie. Around a mouthful he said, ``I told her I didn't think she would look good as a brunette, but she wanted me to color it anyway.''

Skye filed away that piece of info with the fact that Ruby seemed to have arrived a day earlier than she had thought, and used a false name to check into the motor court. Evi- dence was adding up against Miss Ruby.

As Skye set her dad's dessert in front of him, Jed spoke for the first time. ``Caboose seems to be pulling the engine with that lady.''

Skye considered her father's statement. Ruby did seem to be letting events control her life, rather than being in control of her own actions. Jed didn't talk a lot, but when he said something, it was usually worth thinking about. Maybe what he meant was that Ruby was a train wreck waiting to happen. Chapter 5

Monday-morning Blonde When Skye arrived at the bowling alley Monday around eleven-thirty, she kept an eye out for Ruby, but it wasn't until midafternoon that she spotted the blonde descending the steps from Bunny's apartment.

Obviously Ruby was not a morning person; her first words were croaked out in a desperate tone: ``Coffee, black.'' As soon as Skye handed her a cup she took a gulp of the hot liquid, swore when she burned her tongue, than took another sip. Finally she sat down.

Skye joined her. ``Did you and Bunny have a good time catching up last night?'' she asked.

Ruby nodded, eyes still half-closed.

``How far back do you two go?''

``We met twenty years ago, when Bunny first came to Las Vegas to be a dancer. I was a magician's assistant at the time. Then it just seemed that we always ended up in the same shows and we became best friends.'' Ruby sipped her coffee. ``Bunny had a lot of talent but could never make it to a headliner spot.''

``Why?''

``Mostly bad luck.'' Ruby's gaze became unfocused and she didn't answer right away. ``It seemed like whenever she was about to get her big break, something would go wrong. She'd agree to go to Mexico with a boyfriend and their car would break down, so she'd end up missing a rehearsal. Or someone would talk her into going on a skiing trip, and she'd fall and sprain her ankle.''

Skye nodded. Ruby's description sounded like the Bunny she had come