The Mysteries of Max: Books 31-33 by Nic Saint (interesting novels in english txt) 📕

we looking for, exactly?” she asked as she walked off.

“Anything incriminating!” Vesta yelled after her.

“And then what?”

“Then we remove it and give it to Odelia. She’ll know what to do.”

“This is such a bad idea,” Scarlett muttered, but did as she was told and hurried up the stairs.

Vesta checked the kitchen, which was so neat it could have served as a model kitchen at a kitchen trade fair, and opened a couple of cupboards. For the occasion she’d put on plastic gloves, and for a few moments she admired the kitchen, then decided to snap a couple of pictures. She’d been trying to convince her daughter to remodel the kitchen for a while now, and this was just the kind of kitchen Vesta thought would be perfect.

She then moved into the garage, flicked on the light and looked around. Near the door, she saw four yellow metal jerrycans standing neatly in a row.

“Huh,” she said, and picked them up. “Empty,” she murmured, then shrugged, and carried them to the door to take out to the car. When you’re accused of arson it probably doesn’t look good to have four empty jerrycans in your garage, she figured.

“Vesta!” Scarlett suddenly yelled. “You gotta see this!”

Vesta stomped up the stairs, afraid there would be more dead bodies. Even she couldn’t explain away more dead bodies—or drag them to her car. But when she arrived upstairs, and followed Scarlett’s voice into what looked like the master bedroom, she saw to her elation that there was no dead body on the bed—or anywhere else, for that matter.

“What?” she said, panting from the exertion of running up those stairs.

“Will you look at that?”

“Who’s the babe?” asked Vesta as she took in the scene. A life-size painting of a nude hung over the bed, depicting some blond babe, her naked body draped across a sofa.

“Some movie star, you think?” asked Scarlett.

“Dunno,” said Vesta, but got her phone out again and started taking pictures.

“Weird,” Scarlett said as she shook her head.

“What’s weird about it? Some guys like to stare at pictures of Babe Ruth, this guy likes to look at naked women.”

“Woman—singular. I’ll bet it’s someone he knows.”

“And I’ll bet it’s just something he picked up in a dime store. Anything else?”

“I haven’t finished yet.”

“God, you’re slow.”

“Oh? And what have you found, Miss Amateur Burglar?”

Suddenly a police siren could be heard, and both women shut up. Their eyes met.

“Let’s skedaddle,” said Vesta.

“Good idea,” Scarlett agreed.

And so they skedaddled. And not a minute too soon, for even as Scarlett pulled the back door shut, they could hear the sound of a key being inserted in the front door.

“Damn fool,” Vesta said as she and Scarlett hurried round, both carrying two jerrycans. They took a peek to see if the coast was clear. “Why did he have to give them the key?”

“Probably because he was arrested and forced to empty out his pockets?”

“You’re such a smart-ass, did you know that?” said Vesta as they hurried to the car.

“I know. That’s why you love me, right?”

“I do, sweetie,” said Vesta. “No one else would be crazy enough to do this.”

“Oh, so now you admit this was a crazy idea, huh?”

“Less talk, more skedaddling,” Vesta grunted, and shoved down the accelerator. A cop glanced back as they drove past, and held up her hand for them to pull over. But too late.

Chapter 20

We were back at Odelia’s office, with Dooley and myself lounging in one corner, Harriet and Brutus in another, and Odelia herself busy typing on her computer. She was probably working out where to go from here. She’s resourceful that way.

“So you still haven’t told me if you’re Humpty or Dumpty, Max,” Dooley said.

Brutus guffawed. “Humpty Dumpty? What are you talking about, Dooley?”

“Dolores over at the precinct called us Humpty and Dumpty, but she didn’t say who’s Dumpty and who’s Humpty and it’s driving me crazy,” Dooley confessed.

“I think you probably misunderstood,” said Brutus. “I think she was referring to you as Numpty and to Max as Dumpty, for obvious reasons.”

Harriet gave him a shove. “Brutus, don’t be mean,” she said.

“I’m not being mean. I’m just pointing out the facts.”

“You’re being a bully, and I don’t like it,” said Harriet. “So stop it already.”

“Yes, Harriet,” Brutus muttered as he placed his chin on his paws.

“So I’m Numpty and you’re Dumpty?” asked Dooley.

I just shook my head.

Suddenly Gran and Scarlett came bursting into the office, carrying what looked like four jerrycans. “Look what we found!” said Vesta with a note of triumph in her voice.

“Jerrycans?” asked Odelia, showing us she’s very perceptive.

“Bingo!” said Gran. “And guess where we found them!”

“Um… at the gas station?” said Harriet, putting her two cents in.

“At Joshua Curtis’s place,” said Scarlett.

Odelia shot up from behind her desk so fast I thought she must have had a rocket explode under her buttocks to lend her that much speed. “WHAT?!” she said.

“We went over there just now,” said Scarlett, “to remove any incriminating evidence.” She shrugged. “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea.”

“You did WHAT?!” Odelia said as she took three big steps and joined her grandmother and her friend.

“He’s your client, Odelia!” said Gran. “We have to protect him against my son’s unhealthy obsession with the guy. If he’s your client, he’s innocent, you can see how that’s just basic logic, right?”

“But Gran!” said Odelia, as she took in the four jerrycans now dumped at her feet. “You found these at Joshua’s house?”

“In his garage,” said Gran. “They’re empty,” she added helpfully.

“I suggest you bring them to the police station at once,” said Odelia.

“Are you crazy? We can’t do that! It’s exactly this kind of evidence that’s going to make them convict the guy faster than you can say ‘He didn’t do it!’”

“We’re not in the business of concealing evidence, Gran. We’re in the business of finding out the truth.”

“Even if it means a jury of his peers will have a hard time not convicting him of murder?”

“Even if it means that, yes.”

“Told you,”