Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (3 page)

Tony peered through the driver’s window again and tapped on the glass, searching for signs of movement, of human life. Only the snake moved. Tony pulled the flashlight from his duty belt. Shining it into the car, he was able to see that the body looked like that of a man dressed in a short-sleeved shirt. Mouth open, eyes staring, his head rested against the driver’s door window, and the only visible foot was on the passenger seat.

Still crouched near the window, Tony pulled on a pair of purple, latex-free gloves and reached for the door handle. Seeing his movement, the snake countered with a lightning quick strike at the glass that separated them. With his eyes a quarter of an inch away from the interior of the open mouth, Tony got a chilling look at the fangs gleaming pink in the subdued light.

“Damn!” He jerked upright, his heart pounded in his chest and his guts tightened. His movement, or maybe the snake’s, caused a reaction inside the car and a second snake writhed into view. As it twisted around its companion, Tony recognized the reddish brown and cream bands of a copperhead.

Snakes made his skin crawl. He considered what he had seen. Two types of poisonous snakes loose in one car? What were the odds of that happening by accident? He knew the answer. Slim and none.

Tony stepped back and surveyed the area around the car. Within seconds he decided there was no way those snakes had gotten into the car without a lot of help. Equally obvious, there was no way that he could shoot them without shooting the man.

“What’s in there?” asked Wade. He stood a bit behind Tony and below him in the parking lot of the Thomas Brothers’s garage. Curiosity burned in his dark eyes.

“There’s definitely a person in here. Looks like only one and he can’t be alive, but I have to make sure.” Tony didn’t mention the snakes but searched the area for a forked stick to use to keep them away while he checked for a pulse. He considered having Wade come help but discarded the idea. It would probably be safer for him to do this alone. Getting shot by his deputy while they were both snake-dancing around the parked car would not improve his deteriorating mood.

“I want you to get Doc Nash and an ambulance. Then get someone to help tape off this whole area and start taking your photos.” His gesture covered a large part of the parking lot. “There’s something damned suspicious about this whole setup.”

Nodding, but clearly curious, Wade turned to go.

“Wait.”

The young deputy pivoted. A hopeful expression crossed his face.

“Look up the number for the snake guy and give him a call first. We’ll need him before we need the doc.” Tony knew that no one assigned to animal control would handle snakes, and he didn’t blame them. It would take all of his nerve just to open the car door wide enough to check for a pulse. Dodging snakes while removing the body was out of the question.

Wade backed up a step. “The snake guy?”

Tony could see the color leach out of Wade’s handsome face as he stared at the car. The high cheekbones seemed sharper than usual and against the sudden pallor, his thick hair looker even blacker. “Yeah, you know, Stan-the-Snakeman.”

“There’s a snake in there?” There was a definite quaver in Wade’s voice.

Tony grinned. With the door closed, he managed to seem unconcerned. “Yep. At least two of them. Tell Stan that I saw a rattlesnake and a copperhead.” He turned his attention back to the car. There were shapes in the back that looked like cages but he couldn’t see them well enough to know if they were occupied. Reluctant to disturb the snakes, he knew that his first priority was to check the body for signs of life. He pulled the handle. It was unlocked.

He hadn’t found a stick so he opened the door just wide enough to slip his right hand inside. A wave of scorching, fetid air hit him, surprising him, and he gagged. It smelled of blood, vomit and excrement. As he touched the neck, he held his breath. It only took a moment to verify what he already knew. The man was dead.

A warning rattle sounded in his right ear. He threw himself clear of the car at the same time that he slammed the door shut. Standing with his hands braced against his thighs, he gulped in deep breaths of cool, clean air and concentrated on the car.

The exterior seemed to be in good shape. There were a few minor scratches near the back passenger door that might have been fresh. The tires were new. He didn’t remember seeing the car around town, but it bore a Tennessee plate.

In fact, the plate had Park County emblazoned right in the center. Since Park County was so tiny that it all but vanished on the map and the town contracted his department to supply law enforcement, Tony guessed that he’d seen every vehicle. There were lots of pickup trucks but probably only about a thousand licensed automobiles, so it surprised him that the car was unfamiliar to him. Until they could get inside it, he didn’t see much more for him do here for the moment.

He jotted down the license plate number and made his way back to Blossom. She still sat in his car with the door open. As usual, her expression was as adoring as a spaniel’s. Her fingers toyed with her watch. It looked like the band cut into her flesh but she seemed not to notice.

“I told you it was ugly.”

“Yes, you did and you were right.” Tony braced a hand on the Blazer’s roof and looked around. The rain had stopped and the small knot of onlookers had grown. It looked like half of the county was there, standing in groups behind the line of yellow tape.

His eyes returned to Blossom. Her sparse but vivid hair stuck out in all directions, but her cheeks were rosy and her skin didn’t look as pasty as usual. She appeared excited but not frightened as she reached into the frog-festooned bag and pulled out a king-size Snickers bar, peeled down part of the wrapper and took a dainty bite, leaving a touch of chocolate clinging to one corner of her mouth.

“What made you look inside? Do you know who drives that car?” said Tony.

Her head moved from side to side. “I was on my way to work.” Suddenly she slammed a hand over her mouth. The force of the blow jiggled her chins, loosening a crumb. “Oh, no! I’m so late now that I just know I am going to lose another job.” She wailed like a baby. Tears welled in her bulbous eyes and overflowed, cascading down her cheeks before splashing on her bright pink T-shirt.

He patted her soft shoulder and thought that it felt like fluffing a down pillow. “I’ll vouch for you, Blossom. If you get into any trouble at work, I’ll just tell your boss that you were helping me with my investigation.” Tony kept his tone gentle. “Where are you working these days?”

Her sobbing stopped in mid-breath as if a switch had been thrown. Tears balanced on her stubby eyelashes even as she began to giggle. She sounded girlish and surprisingly musical. “I work at Ruby’s. Didn’t you know that?”

Tony lifted his eyes and looked at the back door of the café. Breakfast smells still floated in the damp air. He took a deep breath and could identify the aromas of sausage, bacon grease and biscuits. His stomach growled. “I’ve never seen you in there.”

“I come in and make the desserts.” Another sweet giggle escaped. “That warm apple pie with the special crumb topping is one of my granny’s best recipes. Miss Ruby told me that it is one of your favorites.” Coquettishly, she batted her eyes.

At the mention of that delectable dessert, his stomach growled again, this time with more force. That pie tasted like a little slice of heaven.

“It’s wonderful.” Tony agreed. His mouth watered just thinking about it. “What else do you cook?”

“I bake all the pies and the cakes for Miss Ruby. Sometimes she has me make bread or rice pudding and even, sometimes, gingerbread.” She sighed loudly and fanned herself with her little hands. Ringless, the fingers were thick and soft. Pasty white, they resembled marshmallows stuck together. “At least today’s Thursday and not Tuesday. I’d never get it all done if I was this late getting started.”

Tony’s eyebrows pulled together. “Why is that? What is so different about Tuesday?”

An amused expression brightened her plain face. “Tuesdays, that diet group meets over at the Baptist church and then they all come over here for dessert, so I have to bake twice as much on Tuesdays. I don’t know why they don’t just skip that boring old meetin’ and just come on and eat. That’s all they are interested in anyways. Mostly something chocolate. Didja know that your Aunt Martha is one of the regulars?”

Tony grinned at that bit of news, knowing that eventually he’d use it. “Maybe it’s their reward for good behavior. I’m sure that Ruby will understand why you are late and I’ll vouch for you if it’s needed.” The look of adoration on her face made him take a step back. At last, she seemed calm enough to question. “Just tell me what you saw this morning.”

Just then, Ruby stepped out the back door and looked around, a look of concern distorting her beautiful face. When she saw Blossom and Tony, she waved. “Is everything okay?” The petite brunette approached. “I was in my office doing paperwork when one of my customers came in and told me that Blossom had been attacked or something. He didn’t seem too certain about anything.” Her dark eyes searched their faces but she seemed to relax when she saw their expressions. After a quick glance at the half-eaten candy bar, her smile widened as if seeing it reassured her that Blossom was just fine.

“Morning, Ruby.” Tony turned to face her. “I just need to ask Blossom a few more questions and then she’ll be ready to go to work. She seems to be worried that you’ll fire her for being late.”

He watched as Ruby’s eyes widened. His words clearly surprised her. Many of the locals referred to her as Little Ruby. Old Ruby had been the previous proprietor. The name went along with the business. This particular Ruby was officially Maria Costello, a Mediterranean rose blooming in this Scotch-Irish garden. Even with her hair tightly corralled into a chignon and wrapped in a sparkling white apron that covered her almost to her toes, her beauty haunted many masculine dreams. Tony knew that Deputy Mike Ott was in love with her.

“Nonsense.” She smiled at Blossom. “You come in whenever you’re ready. That’s fine with me.” Hesitating, she eyed both his Blazer and the green and white patrol car parked next to it. She watched Wade stringing the yellow crime scene tape and the small cluster of observers keeping their vigil from the side. She frowned and craned her neck, trying get a better view.

“I can see that Blossom is fine, but obviously there is a problem back here. Is it something I should know about?”

“Actually, I’m glad that you came outside. Do you recognize that dark green car?” Tony pointed to it. “Do you remember seeing it around here?”

She stepped up on the Blazer’s running board to see more clearly. “No. I’m sure that wasn’t there last night when I locked up and went home about ten. There were no cars at all in the lot. I drove through it before I left like I always do.” She looked puzzled. “Why would anyone park way back there anyway, when there are so many close spots open?”

“I don’t know that yet but I do know that there is a dead body in the car.” He paused at her shocked expression and quick intake of breath. “I’d rather not say more for the time, but I’m sure that once Doc Nash arrives, this whole back area is going to be crowded and out of bounds for a while.”

Ruby nodded but didn’t seem to be taking it in. “In my parking lot? Someone is dead in my parking lot? What happened?” Her dark eyes searched his face.

“We don’t know that yet and I suspect that it is going to take awhile to find out.” Tony opened his notebook to a clean page. “While you’re here though, can you tell me who arrived first this morning?”

“That had to be Pinkie,” said Ruby. “She opens at four-thirty at the latest and works alone until Red comes in at five.”

“Pinkie Millsaps?” Tony thought that was good news. He could see Pinkie’s motorcycle parked nearby and knew that the sixty-year-old woman would remember if the car had been there when she arrived. As he wrote a note to himself, he smiled. Pinkie, Ruby and Red all worked in one café. What were the odds of that?

“I think that I’ll go back inside if you don’t need me.” Ruby looked dazed, and she shook her head as if to get her thoughts moving again. “Should I send Pinkie out?” At Tony’s answering nod, she turned away. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

Thinking that there was something odd about the whole conversation, Tony turned his attention away from the retreating young woman and back to Blossom. “Start from the beginning.”

“Well, I was on my to work and I was a little late, so I took the shortcut down the hill and I just got to the front of that car when I saw something moving in there. You know how it is. Don’t you always look inside a parked car, just to see who’s in there?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyways, I looked in and that there snake was on the seat next to something that I couldn’t see clear, but it looked really ugly. When I tapped on the windshield, it opened its mouth and hissed at me. Then I saw that guy—I guess it is a guy—an’ I called you.”

The arrival of Pinkie interrupted their conversation. Tony stepped away from Blossom to chat with the stately gray-haired grandmother of twelve whose arms and neck were covered with tattoos of unicorns and flowers. Under her white apron, she wore a black leather vest and pants.

While he talked with Pinkie, Blossom rummaged in her frog-coated bag and came up with a tissue and a stick of chewing gum. A quick blow of her nose into the tissue sounded like the honk of a goose. Seconds later, she started chomping away on the gum, chewing with her mouth open. Blossom looked happier than he had ever seen her before.

In response to his questions, Pinkie said that the car had definitely been there when she arrived shortly before four-thirty, but she didn’t recognize it. Nothing about the morning seemed out of the ordinary. The early morning shift had been quiet until about six. Red had arrived at five as usual, and to Tony’s question about strangers, she had stated that all of the customers were regulars.

“Did you see anything else unusual this morning?” Tony addressed his question to both women but as he looked around the empty area, he knew the answer already.