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Back Murder Past Due Save as PDF
Chapters (36)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Acknowledgements
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE

Kanesha considered that for a moment. “I don’t see why not. I need to question him again, but I have other things to do this morning.” She stood.

“That’s all?” I shrugged. “I thought for sure you had more questions for me.”

“I do, but they can wait. You’ll hear from me.”

I stood, ready to show her to the front door.

“I’ll see myself out.”

I nodded as she walked past me toward the hallway. Moments later I heard the door open and close behind her.

I headed back to the kitchen. Justin was gone, along with Diesel. Azalea was clearing the table, putting things in the dishwasher.

She probably wouldn’t ask me what Kanesha had said to me, so I told her.

“Any of them come sniffing around the house, I’ll just turn on the water hose.”

I laughed. I could see her doing it. “Go right ahead.”

As I picked up my coffee cup to get a refill, I saw Azalea regarding me with a frown.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“She gone need some help.” Azalea, for the first time in my acquaintance, looked worried.

“Kanesha?”

Azalea nodded.

“She seems pretty capable to me,” I said. “She seems to know what she’s doing.”

“She’s a smart girl, I know. Always worked real hard. Ambitious, too.” Azalea smoothed her apron, and I waited for her to continue.

“But people ain’t gonna talk to her. You know what they’re like.” Azalea looked at me expectantly.

“You mean because she’s black.” There was no other way to say it, and I knew what Azalea meant. Old attitudes die hard, and many people in Athena weren’t used to the idea of a young black woman in a position of such authority. That could cause Kanesha some problems.

“I sure do,” Azalea said. Her eyes bored into mine. “That’s why you got to help her, only don’t let on like you’re doing it.”

FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

Showered, shaved, and dressed, I contemplated the day ahead. Wednesday is my day for errands. I worked at the college library on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and on Fridays I volunteered at the public library.

Justin had gone off to his classes, and Azalea would be here most of the day working and keeping an eye on things. She had already taken another phone call from the local reporter, Ray Appleby, and I doubted he would call back anytime soon.

Before I went upstairs, Azalea extracted a promise from me to help Kanesha as discreetly as possible. I knew there was some truth to what Azalea said, and I couldn’t help being curious about who had killed Godfrey and why. Everyone else in town would be talking about it, so there was no reason I couldn’t, too. And slip in the occasional question.