Read Music to Die For for Free Online Page B

side trip in the administration building. A phone call? And she’d made another call from the restaurant.
    “You called him and asked him to meet you here?”
    After a pause and a frown, Tracy said, “Yes.”
    So she’s decided she can trust me, Carrie thought. It’s my harmless, grey-haired grandma look.
    “I called him from the administration building while you-all were starting to the dining room... asked him to meet me here after the performance... bring Dulcey. See, she was, uh, visiting him, and... and I needed her back, because Chase, well, he didn’t understand. I had to talk to Farel and explain...and... he said he would meet me. He’s...he was deputy chief of the Folk Center fire crew, so he has keys to all the shops. This place seemed good, away from where folks would be.
    “After we finished the show, I told Chase and Momma Brigid I was going to stop at the dining room phone and call a girl friend here before I forgot—said I’d promised to call. They should go on and we’d meet in the auditorium. I pretended to use the phone until they left, then I came on here.
    “But I could barely see. I thought they woulda turned on the post lights by now, but it was dark. I had to feel my way. That’s when I saw the light in here.”
    “Light?”
    “Cigarette lighter, but I didn’t smell anyone smoking. Farel doesn...didn’t smoke.”
    The wet lines on Tracy’s cheeks glowed and faded in the candle flame, and now her words began to spurt out as if she were rushing through a just-remembered speech.
    “I thought Farel hadn’t made it yet, but I started toward the door anyway. I wasn’t thinking, you know, and my knees hit the stone wall of the flower planter out there. I must have made a sound because the man with the lighter ran.
    “I came around the wall to see what he’d been doing. It was strange. What would he steal here? They don’t leave any money. And if he was a workman, why would he run? The light switch didn’t work, but I had the package of matches we use in one of our sets at Branson in my pocket. I looked and, um...Farel...
    “I didn’t pay any attention to who ran past me.
    Whoever it was went toward the auditorium real fast. There was no way to tell. It was dark...and anyway, there was Farel...”
    “But you did see that it was a man?”
    Tracy stared wide-eyed at Carrie and didn’t answer.
    She’s certainly making sure I know she can’t, or more likely won’t, identify the person who was in here, Carrie thought, and wondered why, but she only said, “What did you do then?”
    “W-went to Farel, you know, to see if he was, um, if I could, uh, help him. And I couldn’t.” Now Tracy bowed her head and whispered, “Dear God, forgive me.”
    Carrie turned away from Tracy and crawled over to the body. She looked at it for a long minute and was trying to memorize every detail when she saw a bit of paper clutched in the left hand.
    Knowing Henry would not approve of disturbing what might be evidence, and not caring a bit, Carrie pulled the square of paper free and smoothed it out. The words looked as if they had been painted with a brush. “Will you pay enuf to keep the girl alive? Tell no one. See note in blue bird house after tomoro’s show starts.”
    She slid back across the floor toward Tracy, whose head was still bowed. Should she show her the note? If Tracy was frightened and worried now, what would seeing the note do to her? Or did she already know about it? Was this just a continuation of the kidnapping scheme? If so, Tracy probably was a part of it—but how could she be? How could she...
    Carrie prayed for guidance as she thought of the child. She needed a clear plan, needed to act right away. She looked around the shop again. No phone. The administration building was locked, but there was the auditorium. It was probably bustling with people, but it would have phones. She must find a phone where she wouldn’t be overheard and call the police.
    She looked back at