Thoroughly 03 - Who Invited the Dead Man? by Patricia Sprinkle Page A

behind that screen. May have killed him herself. Knows who he is, anyway. Since it’s outside city limits, it’s in your jurisdiction, but I stand ready to render any assistance you may require.” Specifically, he stood between me and the door in case I tried to flee.

    Buster peered behind the screen.

    Clarinda bustled back with a thick roll of paper towels and elbowed him in the ribs. “You all get outta the way, now. I gotta sponge up all that grease.” She waved the two lawmen away like they were grandchildren. “Miss MacLaren, you look plumb pooped. Why don’t you go over yonder by that window and sit down a while? Rest your bunions.”

    I don’t have bunions, but my legs were wobbling. Buster noticed and steered me to a chair by an open window. I more fell than sat in it. Meanwhile Clarinda spread paper towels down on the rug and surrounded them with a wall of dining room chairs that guaranteed nobody else would touch that screen. Charlie watched her with a buzzard’s stare.

    Buster dragged over another chair and sat near me. “Rest a spell, Chief. I need to talk to the judge a minute before I call in my team.”

    I hoped he’d see reason where Charlie hadn’t. “We’ve got to keep this from Joe Riddley. You know how unpredictable he still is. He rants at the dog, snaps at me and the boys, and sobs like a child if he spills peas off his fork. The doctor says it’s all normal after a head wound, and he should get better, but I work so hard trying not to let anything upset him. And now, Hiram—”

    At that moment I was glad buzzard Charlie hovered over me. At least nobody else could see me crying. “When did you last see the deceased?” he barked softly.

    I reached in my pocket for the tissue I always carry, and blew my nose. “Day before yesterday. He wanted to know if I needed any odd jobs done around here, and I said I could use him yesterday morning to mow for the party. He never showed up, though. Ridd finally did it yesterday afternoon, with everything else he had to do. I could have throttled Hiram—” I broke off, seeing the gleam in Charlie’s tawny eyes. “But I didn’t. Didn’t shoot him, either. I am not in the practice of shooting people who disappoint me, nor am I dumb enough to kill somebody and hide the body in my own dining room where any fool could find him.”

    Buster put a hand on my shoulder to stop my tongue. “It’s probably my fault Hiram didn’t come. I pulled him over yesterday morning down near your turnoff for an expired sticker on his truck. After I pointed that out to him, we talked a little. He told me it was a real shame about Hizzoner getting shot, and he was on his way to your place to show Hizzoner and Mizzoner he still bore no malice about the warrant.”

    “Warrant?” Charlie’s eyes positively glittered.

    Buster stroked one jowl. “You don’t know about that, Charlie? I guess it was before your time.” Charlie had only been hired three years ago, a major mistake on the part of our town leaders. Buster said briefly, “An officer caught Hiram trying to pour vinegar in the town water to protect us from aliens. Joe Riddley signed the warrant for his arrest.” He turned to me. “Didn’t I hear that Hiram went up to Atlanta to be near Jed after he got out?”

    “Drat!” I started to my feet. “We need to call Jed—and Hector, too.”

    “Calm down.” Buster caught my arm. “We’ll notify Hector and ask somebody from Atlanta to notify Jed.”

    “Ask if he owns a gun.” That was another of Charlie’s asinine suggestions. Jed couldn’t come to town and kill Hiram without being recognized. But the word gun sent a cold poker up my spine. Joe Riddley had a case of guns in the back room. It was always locked, but what if somebody broke into it? As soon as I got everybody out of the house, I’d go check.

    “What was this feller doing in Atlanta?” Charlie asked Buster.

    “He told me yesterday he’d been doing yard work and