Read Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (Samuel Craddock Mysteries) for Free Online

air with a new purpose, remembering what always struck me as strange about being chief of police. Suddenly I’m set apart from the people I came in here with. It’s a lonely position in some ways. People aren’t as comfortable in your presence because most people have a little something to hide, even if it’s only that they are careless about stopping at stop signs.
    Before when I was chief, I had Jeanne to go home to, always on my side whatever happened. With her gone, I’m going to be glad to have my friends Loretta and Jenny. As a lawyer, Jenny understands the sacrifice the law asks of you. And Loretta wouldn’t think of not stopping at stop signs.
    Reinhardt comes out, locks up the building, and walks over to my pickup. “Let’s drive on over to Bobtail and get you sworn in.”

It’s my turn to bring the wine to Jenny’s house for our weekly date. Since Jenny introduced me to the pleasure of good wine, I’ve joined a wine club and enjoy the selections they send me, although I stick with the reds. I take a nice California pinot noir and some salami over to her place, to go along with our usual fare of cheese and crackers.
    “Oh, Lord, what a week,” Jenny says. Her mass of red curls is loose for once and that makes her look younger. She has added a sweater to her customary after-work T-shirt and jeans and could be taken for a college student. She’s a big woman—not overweight—just tall and substantial. “I think there’s a good chance my client has been lying to me.”
    We usually sit at the kitchen table, but tonight I feel the need to prop my knee up. I’ve overdone it today, and the knee feels sore. I sit in her big, stuffed easy chair with a footstool, and she settles back on her leather sofa.
    We kick around her woes with her wayward client and then I fill her in on everything that happened this morning after Gary Dellmore’s body was discovered and the results of the afternoon meeting.
    She tells me the news of Dellmore’s death was all over the courthouse in Bobtail. “How does it feel to be chief again, knowing you have to face that investigation?”
    I know Jenny well enough that I trust her, but I’m not ready to admit to the way I really feel—past my prime and maybe biting off more than I can chew. I keep reminding myself that murder doesn’t happen all that often in a small town. But maybe I’m remembering the way things were in the past. In the last few years we’ve had quite a bit of mayhem. Greed, jealousy, and fear have always been around, but there seems to be more willingness to bring violence into the mix these days.
    There are twice as many people in the county now as there were when I was chief the first time. People have moved in from Houston, bought big pieces of land out on the far side of the lake, and set up some fine houses. And maybe they’ve brought some of their city ways with them.
    Jenny cups her ear and leans forward. “I’m not hearing words coming out. Or did you not hear the question?”
    I laugh. “I heard you. I’m not sure I can answer yet.”
    “Fair enough. I’ll rephrase my question. What’s your plan for figuring out who killed Gary Dellmore?”
    Jenny pours us both a little more wine and then sits back and props her feet on the coffee table.
    “Not much of a plan yet. Sort of playing it by ear. My first thought was that it was somebody who got bent out of shape at the meeting the other night. I’ll know more after I question everybody. I hope I can rule you out since you rode home with me. I suppose you didn’t walk back over there and kill him and steal his car.”
    “What do you mean ‘steal his car’?”
    I tell her about his missing car.
    “I can’t say I liked the man, but he and I didn’t cross paths enough for me to have a reason to kill him, and I have a perfectly good car of my own.” Jenny drives an SUV that’s a lot newer than mine.
    I’m only half-joking when I tell her Loretta’s suggestion that Gabe LoPresto shot