Aretha Moon and the Dead Hairdresser: Aretha Moon Book 2 (Aretha Moon Mysteries) by Linda Ross (reading books for 7 year olds .TXT) 📗

should have seen ‘em hustle to their car.”  Mr. Pierce chuckled, and I found myself chuckling along with him.  I could just picture Puddin’ chasing them off, like a canine hillbilly after the revenuers.

“Did you know Kara very well?” Thelma asked, and I suddenly remembered why we were there.  Odd that I’d forget something like that.

Mr. Pierce shook his head, the white tuft on top swaying like a dandelion seed head in the wind.  That made me giggle, and Thelma shot me a look.

“I never trusted her,” he said.  “She’d come and go at all hours, and there were always men in and out of there.  I didn’t want to get involved in that kind of stuff.  One night I saw a man come staggering out of the house there only half dressed.  He was shouting at her.  Called her a bitch.  I couldn’t hear everything, but he hollered something about he didn’t want nothing to do with any psycho with a knife.”  Thelma and I exchanged a look.

“You wouldn’t know who it was?” Thelma asked.

“Sure.  I always got the license plate number anytime I saw some strange car there.”  He got up and opened a drawer, then rummaged in it until he came up with a piece of paper.  “I got a friend at the DMV,” he said.  “I wanted to have a list in case there was ever any damage there.  You won’t say anything to the police, will you?  I don’t want to get my friend in trouble.”

“No, no,” we both said at once.

I reached for another brownie, and Thelma started nodding toward the sink again.  For some reason, that made me giggle.

Mr. Pierce handed the list to Thelma, and she asked if she could copy it.

“Sure, if it will help.  The guy who was hollering about her being a psycho is the fourth one down.

Thelma pulled out her cell phone and took a picture of the paper.  “This is a big help,” she told him.

“Like I said, I like The Spyglass.  You going to mention me in the story?”

“Sure,” Thelma said.

“Just don’t say anything about my crops.”

Thelma nodded sagely, and I chewed my brownie, wondering what was so secretive about corn and soybeans.

“Was there ever any other trouble there?” Thelma asked.

Mr. Pierce leaned back and rubbed the stubble on his chin.  “Not too long ago I saw some woman there.  I’d seen her there a couple of times, but this time I could hear shouting when she left.  She’s on the list there.”

“You’re very thorough,” Thelma said.

“Well, I like to know who’s in the neighborhood, if you know what I mean.  I was kind of worried when that lawyer guy and his wife built a house up the road, but they never bothered me.”

“Did either of them ever go to Kara’s house?”

“Naw.  I never saw ‘em there.  The wife used to jog on the road, all sporty looking, like she was in a big city or something.  Fancy sneakers, short shorts and some kind of cap.  Wore a necklace and bracelets while she jogged too.  If you ask me, she could get more exercise if she was to farm a piece of land.  She ran like one of those bulldogs, all wobbly.  She didn’t come this way too much ‘cause of Puddin’.”

“So you never heard her arguing with Kara?” Thelma asked.

He shook his head.  “There was a blond woman there a couple of times that I saw.  Drove a black Audi.  She left before I got a look at the plate.  But there was never any fighting between them.”

“Rose,” I said to Thelma, and she nodded.

“No one else?” Thelma asked.

“Well, there was a van there a couple of weeks ago.  Some rug cleaning company.  Sun Ray or something like that.”

“She was renting, wasn’t she?” Thelma asked.  “Was she in the habit of hiring her own rug cleaners?”

Mr. Pierce shook his head slowly.  “No, I guess he coulda been one of the boyfriends.  The van was there a couple of hours, but I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Well, you’ve been very helpful,” Thelma said.  I reached for another brownie, but she smacked my hand.  The brownie broke, and I stuffed the half in my mouth.  “If you think of anything else, just give us a call.  She put a business card on the table.

“Come on by anytime,” he said.  “Puddin’ and me, we’re always ready to sit down to some pie.”

Puddin’ followed us to the door, and Thelma caught my arm when I tripped over the threshold.  “Oops,” I said and giggled.  I realized I was twirling my keys on my finger.

“I’m driving,” Thelma announced, snatching the keys from me.

“Hey,” I said.

“You’re in no condition to drive.”  Thelma opened the passenger door for me, pushed me inside and got in the driver’s seat.

“What do you mean I’m in no condition to drive?” I demanded.  I saw a deer off in the corn field, tense and alert, watching the car.  And that started me giggling again.  “That deer looks just like Momo when she watches The Shopping Network.  She’s always buying crap on there.  Do you know she owns three salad spinners and a spiralizer?”

“What’s a spiralizer?”

“It makes zucchini out of noodles or noodles out of zucchini or something like that.  I don’t really understand it.”

“Now there’s an understatement.  Why does she need three salad spinners?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe she uses one as a foot bath.  Takes her tootsies for a spin.”  That struck me as incredibly funny, and I started giggling all over again.

Thelma sighed.

“Really, I’m fine.  You should pull over and let me drive.”

“Not a chance.  We’re going to stop at the diner and get you a diet cola.  Something to bring you back to earth.”

“Seriously, I’m fine,” I said as we went into