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

Ruby's expression was puzzled. ``Someone else burned some of my personal correspon- dence.'' She bit her lip. ``He must have thought it was from Benny, but it was only a couple of notes from my fiance.''�

``It must be the casino owner, or more likely one of his goons looking for the disks, but why would they burn your love letters?'' Skye questioned.

``Who knows?'' Ruby's expression turned serious. ``How anyone figured out I even had the disks is beyond me. I would never have come here if I thought for a minute I'd put Bunny in danger. We've been like sisters for nearly twenty years.''

``But you must have had some suspicion, since you came a day early and tried to have your hair dyed.'' Skye sud- denly remembered what her godfather and brother had said during Sunday night's dinner.

``I was just being cautious.'' Ruby tossed her head. ``I figured better safe than sorry.''

``I wonder if whoever is after you lost your trail, and didn't realize you stayed at the motor court rather than here Saturday night, and that's who vandalized the bowling alley.'' Skye was starting to put the recent events together.

``Maybe.'' Ruby squirmed in her seat.

``Who knew you were going to visit Bunny?'' Simon asked.

�

``The only person I told was my fiance.''

``Have you spoken to him lately?'' Skye questioned, not liking the way the situation was shaping up.

``Yesterday. I wanted to know how his daughter took the news of our engagement. He told her the day I left Las DEAD BLONDES TELL NO TALES 227 Vegas, and I hadn't been able to catch up with him to find out her reaction before then.''

``And he hadn't told anyone where you were?'' Skye chewed her lip.

``No.'' Ruby paused. ``Well, he gave his daughter this phone number so she could call me, so we can get to know each other, but he didn't tell her where I'm at.''

``Maybe she told someone?'' Simon suggested. ``It isn't that hard to get a location if you have a phone number.''

``There'd be no reason for anyone to even question her.''

Simon shrugged. ``So where are the disks?''

``It's best if you don't know.'' Ruby got up and straight- ened the material of her top. ``I'll give them to Agent Dodd tomorrow morning, and that will be that.'' She smiled at Simon. ``See, problem's solved.'' Chapter 12

Misery Loves Blondes ``Did you know about Ruby and the FBI before today?'' Skye asked Bunny as they worked setting up the egg- dyeing stations.

Skye, Simon, and Bunny had discussed whether or not they should shut down the bowling alley and cancel the Easter-egg hunt, but finally made up their minds to go through with it. Bunny had clinched their decision by point- ing out that a bad guy among the kids would stick out like a librarian at a book burning.

``Some of it.'' Bunny had been subdued since hearing what Ruby had told Skye and Simon. ``I'm glad Sonny Boy had to leave. He was making me nervous pacing around here and grinding his teeth.''

Simon had reluctantly returned to the funeral home, promising to ask Wally to send a police officer to keep on eye on things during the party. Ruby had agreed to stay in the apartment until she turned over the disks the next morning.

``Did Ruby tell you where she hid the disks?'' Skye probed.

Bunny paused and looked over the station she had just set up. Each one would hold five kids and a teen supervisor. Each child would get to dye four eggs.

``No.'' Bunny moved on to the next table. ``And I didn't ask her. Asking too many questions is what gets you into trouble.''

The women worked in silence while Skye considered what Bunny had said. Finally she said, ``Why didn't you tell us about Ruby's predicament?''

``It wasn't my story to tell.'' Bunny put her hands on her

228 DEAD BLONDES TELL NO TALES 229 hips. ``What you don't understand is that I've lived a really different life than you have. Las Vegas is like no other place on earth, and the rules are different there. You learn pretty damn fast to mind your own business, and be awful careful about who you try and help, because there's no quicker way of making an enemy than doing someone a favor.'' She gave Skye a half smile, and then went into the kitchen to get the eggs the cook had been hard-boiling all morning.

Skye contemplated what Bunny had said as she finished setting up the last dyeing station and went over to check on the prize table. Once again, Simon's mother had proven she was far from the airhead she pretended to be.

A deep voice yelling, ``Ho, ho, ho,'' broke into Skye's musings, and Charlie strode into view. He held a purple Easter Bunny costume out in front of him.

Skye hurried up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Laughing, she said, ``Uncle Charlie, where did you get such an elaborate costume? It looks like it could walk and talk all by itself.''

``I rented it from a place in Chicago.''

``Well, it's terrific, but the Easter Bunny does not go `ho, ho, ho.' ''

He frowned. ``Well, what does a rabbit say?''

``Nothing. The Easter Bunny just nods and smiles and hands out prizes.''

``You mean you ladies talked me into wearing this stupid outfit and it isn't even a speaking part?'' Charlie pretended to be upset, but the twinkle in his blue eyes gave him away.

Bunny came out of the kitchen, put down the tray of eggs she was carrying, and walked over to him. ``There are other compensations.'' She took his arm, tugging him toward the storeroom. ``Let me show you the present Ruby brought me.''

Skye felt her cheeks flush, remembering the objects that had gotten Ruby into trouble when the blonde first arrived in town.