A DEAD RED MIRACLE: #5 in the Dead Red Mystery Series Read Free Page B

it."
    Pearlie rolled her eyes and took out her notebook, pen scratching hastily on the pad. "Never mind," she said, peering at his name tag. "I'll tell him when I see him tonight at Chief Stone's house, Officer Nolan."
    The patrolman snickered and gave her an abbreviated salute. "You do that, ma'am. And in the meantime I'll do my duty. No civilians allowed, even if they are pretty little blondes."
    Annoyed, Pearlie returned the salute with a middle digit.
    I pulled her away before the patrolman could take exception to the rude gesture.
    "You're not helping," I said.
    "Sorry. I'm so used to flipping off Ron that it's become a habit."
    "Not everyone is Ron Barbour. Besides, that explosion was no accident."
    "I suppose not. We weren't supposed to be here to witness it, either. Darn it. All I wanted to do was talk to him," Pearlie said, sniffling.
    "You feel bad for Ron already?" I asked, heading for her rental car.
    "No. I'm talking about the fire chief. If it turns out that wasn't Ron in there, I'm gonna kick his ass all the way to New York City."
    "You'll have to get in line. A dead Ron is really going to complicate things."
    Complicated didn't begin to describe the hornet's nest of trouble Ron's two ex-wives were going to cause, both of them in an uproar over their discontinued alimony checks.
    Seeing Caleb's police cruiser pull up behind the line-up of EMT and fire trucks, Pearlie started backing away. "Um, I gotta get a shower and see about getting a new rental. This one has dents in it."
    She was leaving me to explain the fire and the dead body to Caleb. Can't say I blamed her. I'd skip out on this too, if I weren't married to Wishbone's police chief.
    Caleb's ice blue eyes took in the smoldering ruin of Ron Barbour's house, the scrapes, the soot on my face, and the weeds sticking out of my hair.
    "How do you do it, Lalla? Last time we spoke you were on your way to see how your dad's new patio was coming along. What the hell happened this time?"
    "Pearlie… "
    "I knew she was going to be trouble."
    "Now, Caleb, that's just not fair. We were looking for our business partner ." I sighed again. Pearlie had me doing it. My heart sank at what we would lose if that body turned out to be Ron.
    "The detective I just talked to seemed to think you found him, too."
    "About that… "
    The fire chief interrupted our argument. "Hello, Caleb. This your missus?" he asked, shaking hands with Caleb.
    Caleb introduced me to the chief.
    "What can you tell us, Chief McKerney?" Caleb asked.
    The chief confirmed my initial theory about the gas oven and a probable incendiary device, but added, "Things like this can work, or not. It all depends on the right mix of oxygen and gas."
    "Is-is the body I saw through the window Ron Barbour?" I asked.
    The chief's appraisal of me was not entirely unfriendly. "That'll have to be determined by the medical examiner. I heard you were in the process of buying him out."
    "If you heard that, then you're the only one."
    Chief McKerney smiled broadly. "If it's any consolation, Ron said you two came with ready-made disguises."
    "That's our Ron," I said, lightly. "Always good for another dumb blonde joke."
    "We'll get confirmation on identity with his dental records and I'll have someone let you know as soon as possible."
    Caleb thanked the fire chief for the update and then silently steered me toward his cruiser. "I'm on my lunch break, so you can tell me exactly what happened while I drive you home."
    His voice was calm but it had an edge to it that said we were going to have one of those talks about my reckless behavior.
    Ah, there it was. That familiar feeling I'd been missing―me in trouble again.

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    Chapter Three:
     
     
    Caleb and I never intended to marry in Arizona. We had a simple fall wedding planned for friends and family at Roxanne's café in Modesto, California. But when Caleb interrupted a robbery at a Quick Stop it was inevitable that he should be the one to cuff the thief until the city police