Read Murder at the High School Reunion for Free Online Page B

priority is,
why don’t we start with that Joan Hess book? I remember how much we liked that
other book of hers we read.
    “It sure was funny, and from what I can tell, this
Donna Andrews book is supposed to be funny, too.”
    “Looks like we’ve got a good variety.”
    Both of us were eager to get to our books, and since
we’d decided which book to begin with, we said our goodbyes.
     
    +++
     
    Our books were the only things that kept the next few
days from being difficult for us. Lou and I were used to being together
everyday. Before we retired, I picked him up each day and the two of us went
about the city’s business, one murder at a time. When there were no murders to
investigate, we still rode around together, did whatever we needed to do to
earn our keep, and ate all three meals together. When Doc ordered me to lose
weight or desist, Lou suggested that each of us eat at home. He knew that I had
a far better chance of losing weight if I stayed at home, and he knew that I
wanted to remain a cop as long as he did.
    It was two days later when I called Lou. I’d finished
reading A Diet To Die For that morning. When I got ahold of Lou I found
out that he’d finished the book the night before. We spent ten or fifteen
minutes talking about the book, catching up on our Wii exercises, and deciding
which book to read next. We opted for A Perfect Match. Both of us had
almost finished our second book of the week by the time I picked up Lou for
church on Sunday morning.
    We didn’t see each other the next week, but we talked
once a day on the phone, discussing the book we were reading and how much
weight both of us had lost. It was much the same the following week. I didn’t
see Lou until I picked him up for church. If we kept our noses to the
grindstone, both of us could finish our fourth book of the last two weeks
before that Sunday was over. As it turned out, it was a good thing we did.

Chapter Eight
     
     
    The next morning, Monday, the phone rang just as I was
getting ready to leave to see Doc. According to my Wii scales, I had lost
enough weight to satisfy him. I hoped his scales agreed with mine.
    I picked up the phone.
    “I don’t have time to talk. I have to get to the
doctor.”
    “It’s me, Cy. I just want you to know you need to be
ready to go back to work.”
    Each day we worked on a case, Lou had a thought, which
was ultimately helpful in our solving the case. I called them Lou’s messages
from God.
    “You got a message?”
    “I think so. At least I received a thought that said,
‘North To Alaska.”
    “That was a Johnny Horton song, wasn’t it? I don’t
want to go to Alaska, and I have no desire to become a singer, either.”
    “I agree with you on both counts. I’m sure that soon
we’ll know what the message means. Just between you and me, I don’t think that
someone shipped those bodies to Alaska.”
    We cut out the riffraff. I now had a second reason to
get to Doc and get the weigh-in over with.
     
    +++
     
    I arrived at Doc’s office. My new weight surprised
him. I’d lost thirteen pounds. At two-hundred-ninety-eight pounds, I was a new
man, or at least a slightly smaller version of the old one. As it turned out,
it was good that I lost the weight and received Doc’s blessing. Well, I didn’t
exactly receive Doc’s blessing. He asked me to come back once a month and weigh
in. As long as I’d lost weight each time, he’d allow me to keep my job. And keep
my job I did. Mere minutes after I left Doc’s office, I received a message that
the county high school custodian had returned from his vacation. He’d opened
the walk-in freezer and found the two missing persons. Not exactly Alaska, but a good hint, anyway.
     
    +++
     
    I called Lou and then headed to his place. He was
ready when I arrived. He ran out the door, jumped in the car, and acted like he
wanted to kiss me.
    “Cy, I’m so glad to see you.”
    “Lou, we saw each other yesterday. Remember? Church?”
    “I know, but