Murder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker Page A

”
    “ Thanks, Cora Mae, but I don ’ t want to put you in danger. ”
    “ Danger ’ s my middle name. I thrive on it. ” Jane Bond put a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of me and I dove in. “ Still think it ’ s the mob? ” she said between bites.
    I shrugged. “ It ’ s pretty scary. I can ’ t figure it out. I must be getting too close to Chester ’ s murderer and someone ’ s getting nervous. ”
    “ Maybe you should listen to them and back off. It isn ’ t worth getting hurt over. ”
    “ We need to stock up on weapons, ” I said. I refused to let anyone scare me away. “ Someone ’ s playing rough. I need to go into Escanaba to the Assessor ’ s office. Then we can shop for ammo. ”
    “ Gertie, why are you doing this? Don ’ t you want to hand it over to Blaze? ”
    “ No, I don ’ t. He won ’ t do a good job. ”
    “ So you ’ re doing this because you feel you have to? ”
    “ Cora Mae, I ’ m doing it because I have to have a reason to get up every day. I ’ m doing it because I ’ m living alone for the first time in forty-some years and I can ’ t wake up in the morning and get excited about
     
    playing cards with the seniors or going to bingo. ”
    Cora Mae, who buried a lot of men and had to get used to living alone more than once, patted my hand and said, “ I understand completely. ”
    I looked down at Cora Mae ’ s silk robe. “ I need to get dressed, ” I said.
    “ Don ’ t put on the same clothes you wore yesterday. I have just the thing, and it ’ ll fit perfectly. I even have shoes for you, so you can get out of those boots. ”
    I scowled and shook my head, but gave in when I saw how disappointed she looked. “ Okay, ” I said, grudgingly.
    Cora Mae clapped her hands like a big kid, delighted that she was finally getting the opportunity to dress me.
    I squeezed into a pair of black stretch pants, which showed off my thigh lumps. Cora Mae didn ’ t own any flat shoes so I chose a pair of her black boots with the lowest heels and a gray cotton sweater. We found an orange moon necklace that matched my hair and Cora Mae pulled a blue and black plaid three-quarter-length coat out of a back closet.
    I looked like I should be on a street corner. I would have changed back into my own clothes but I didn ’ t want to hurt Cora
     
    Mae ’ s feelings. The things we do for our friends.
    We were in my truck ready to go, when, in the rearview mirror, I spotted the magenta sedan pulling into Cora Mae ’ s driveway.
    “ Duck, Cora Mae, ” I warned her, throwing my body across the bench seat and hauling her down. “ Shhh … it ’ s the car that ’ s been following me. Stay down. ”
    A few minutes later we heard pounding on Cora Mae ’ s kitchen door, and I hazarded a peek out the side window. I jerked up straight, releasing Cora Mae, and jumped out of the truck.
    “ Kitty, what are you doing? ” I demanded.
    Startled, Kitty let out a shriek and raised a plump arm to her throat. “ Where did you come from? I just walked past your truck and you weren ’ t in it. ”
    Ignoring her question, I pointed to the purple car. “ When did you get that? ” My eyes sighted down my extended arm and I couldn ’ t help noticing she had a driver along with her. The driver was the same creepy character I ’ d noticed at the bar. “ And who is that? ”
    “ Jeff, get out of the car and come meet my friends, ” Kitty called out, and he rose out of the car and walked forward, flicking
     
    ashes over his shoulder from a cigarette dangling in his fingers. “ This is my third cousin on my father ’ s mother ’ s side. He ’ s visiting for hunting season. ”
    Cora Mae slunk into the middle of the group and elbowed me aside. She had on her stalking pose, breasts forward, eyes rolled so the whites of her eyes showed beneath her pupils. I grabbed the back of her coat and pulled. She stumbled back, but didn ’ t break her gaze on Kitty ’ s cousin.
    “ These two have