Rear-View Murder: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery by Willow Monroe Page A

questions for this man and his aide. Yet, she couldn’t force him to stay there and talk with them. She would have to have proof and after talking to him, she intended to find it.
    Chuck was nowhere to be seen when they left the senator’s office.
    “What do you think?” Holly asked when they were back in her SUV.
    “I think he was lying through his teeth,” Gemma said flatly.
    “Do you think he killed her?” Holly asked.
    Gemma nodded. “Or had it done. Maybe even had Miller do it. Not sure of the motive though.”
    “Wonder where Miller went?”
    “Crawled under a rock somewhere probably,” Gemma said. “Let’s find the bus station and see if Opal got onto that bus headed home.”
    “Gemma,” Holly said, a warning in her voice.
    “Please,” Gemma said to her friend. “Not just for me. For Opal and her baby.”
    The bus station was in downtown Richmond and was not nearly as dark and dirty looking as Gemma had imagined it would be. It was busier though and she was surprised at that. She just assumed people mostly took trains or airplanes or drove when they traveled.
    “Evidently, lots of people still ride buses,” Holly said, voicing Gemma’s thoughts.
    “Evidently,” Gemma agreed. “Let’s see if we can find out anything about the purchase of a bus ticket to Louisa.”
    The ticket agent was tired and agitated and absolutely refused to give them any information He said, in fact that the bus company did not keep records of the sort Gemma needed. And when he discovered they were not police officers, he basically threatened to call the police if they did not leave him alone. No amount of cajoling or begging or threats would change her mind and the line behind them grew longer and longer.
    They left the ticket office defeated. And that’s when Gemma saw the tall man with the fancy hat and the gold chains. She pointed him out to Holly. “I’ve seen that guy hanging around Sadie over on Chamberlayne.”
    “I thought he was Bobcat, but he’s probably another pimp just like that Bobcat guy,” Holly said, urging her toward the door.
    “He may be, but I think he’s following us,” Gemma said, her heartrate quickening.
    “You think maybe he killed Opal?”
    “Well, I plan to find out,” Gemma snapped. Intending to confront him with what she knew, Gemma marched toward the man who leaned casually against the wall smoking a cigarette.
    “Gemma,” Holly snapped, and ran after her.
    As she got closer, she saw that he was much thinner than she thought before. He was wearing what looked like a garnet colored velour suit, his fedora cocked on his head at a rakish angle. The gold chains matched the gold in his front tooth.
    “Why are you following us?” Gemma demanded when she was close enough.
    “I’m not.”
    “Every time we go anywhere near Chamberlayne, you’re there. Now, we come to the bus station and you’re here. What do you want from us?”
    “If you white ladies would quit running from me and let me explain...”
    Gemma nodded. “Explain.”
    I live down on Chamberlayne, close to where Sadie stays. I try to keep an eye on her and all the girls,” he said.
    “So why are you here now?”
    Reaching behind him, he picked up a beat up guitar case. Gemma felt Holly tug at her arm as if they should run but she held her ground, held this man’s gaze.
    “I’m a blues singer. I play down here at the station, in the park, on street corners or wherever I can to make money,” he said.
    “You’re not a pimp?” Holly asked. Evidently she’d given up on running.
    He laughed and shook his head. “No, ma’am. I try to look out for the girls.”
    Gemma knew he was telling the truth. She sighed. “My name is Gemma Stone and this is my best friend Holly Blake.”
    “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said with a nod. “They call me Sweet Jimmy Blue.”
    “We’re here looking for someone,” Gemma explained. “Since you know Sadie, I’m betting you know this girl?” She showed him the picture