Murder Takes A Bow - A Betty Crawford Mystery (The Betty Crawford Mysteries) Read Free Page B

almost protested, but she recognized the set of his jaw. Those were the rules, whether she liked them or not. Frankly, she was lucky to even get that much. "Thanks." She handed over her keys and walked right up the stairs and between the policemen to wrap Clarise in a hug.
     
     
    "You okay hun?" She asked from Clarise’s shoulder. Clarise shook her head, and Betty tightened her arms. She ignored the pain from the handcuffs digging into ribs. It was a long moment before she pulled back.
     
     
    "Sit down for a moment," she suggested, glancing at Bill for approval. He didn’t move to stop them, so she and Clarise sank to the theater steps. Clarise leaned into the curve of Betty’s arm around her shoulders.
     
     
    "What happened?"
     
     
    "Jarvis," Clarise whispered. "I found Jarvis. He was… I tried to see if he was okay, but…" she shuddered, and Betty tightened her arm. "They think I did it."
     
     
    "Oh, Honey," Betty said, at a loss for better words. She did know the victim. So did everyone in the theater. Jarvis was a stage hand and sometimes actor in the productions. He was thin and scruffy and slow to smile, but no one was more useful with a needle and thread or a hammer. He could be relied on to be at the theater day or night for any of the odd jobs that needed doing. A pang of grief went through her and tears pricked her eyes. Jarvis was as much a part of the theater as the creaking curtains and tarnished gilt paint on the frescos. Who would ever want him dead?
     
     
    Certainly not Clarise.
     
     
    "Is it because I’m black?" Clarise sounded hollow. "Is that why they think I would do this?"
     
     
    "Of course not!" Betty said, startled. She pulled back, and Clarise’s eyes flickered over her face, trying to gauge the truth of Betty’s words. "People in Lofton don’t give a hoot about color. You know that. I’ve never hear a word against you in this town, unless it was that you’re too pretty for your own good. Why, you have half the men at your feet, and some of the women too! Not that you do anything about it," she admonished, relying on humor to lighten the mood. "It wouldn’t kill you to go out on a date now and then, you know. I’m sure you were right. This is just a big misunderstanding. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s all. They’ll see that soon enough. And in the meantime, I’ll go around telling everyone how stupid they are if they think you’re involved. You hear that?" She continued, raising her voice so the crowd across the street could hear her "You’re all stupid if you think Clarise had anything to do with this!"
     
     
    More color returned to Clarise’s face. Some of the remaining tension ebbed out of her and she relaxed onto Betty. "Thanks."
     
     
    Bill cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at Betty pointedly, tapping his watch. She nodded.
     
     
    "Listen," Betty said, pulling back reluctantly. "I can’t talk long. Is there anything you need me to do until this is cleared up?"
     
     
    "I can’t ask you to—"
     
     
    "Yes, you can."
     
     
    Clarise huffed. "Stubborn brat. What would I do without you?"
     
     
    "Wither and die," Betty quipped, prompting a laugh from her friend. "What do you need?"
     
     
    "The girls have a basketball game at four today and I can’t coach."
     
     
    "Done." Betty knew next to nothing about basketball, but how hard could coaching one game be?
     
     
    "And the play starts next week. There’s a list of everything that needs to be done and all the props we still need in my planner."
     
     
    Bill interrupted. "We need to keep everything in the office. But I’ll make sure Betty gets a copy of the list."
     
     
    "See?" Betty said, squeezing Clarise one more time. "Everything will be taken care of. So don’t you worry. Anything else?" Clarise shook her head as Betty helped her stand. "If you think of something, let me know. Hang in there." Betty hugged her friend one last time before eyeing the murmuring