The Cottoncrest Curse Read Free Page A

But the boy did as he was asked. If only he didn’t run his damn fool mouth off.
    Raifer stood silently next to Bucky. The bodies sprawled below them on the curved staircase. Colonel Judge Chastaine’s hand held the pistol clasped tightly in a death grip, finger on the trigger. The Colonel Judge had blown his brains out after he had viciously slit her throat. The Colonel Judge couldn’t have used the knife and held her and the cane at the same time; that’s why the cane was a few feet away. He had left the cane on the landing, had done her in on the stairway, had thrown the knife away and pulled out the gun, and had then shot himself.
    Maybe Bucky was right. Maybe the curse was to blame.
    But did she expect to die? Was this a suicide pact, or was it something else? Was there a look of fear in her face?
    â€œBucky, go down a few steps and turn her head where I can see it; I want to see what her face looked like.”
    â€œRaifer, she was beautiful. You know that. Everyone knew that. We all saw her. Do you really want to look at her all dead and everythin’? And I’m gonna mess up my boots with all that blood. It’s spread all over everywhere.”
    â€œBucky, it’s a fine time for you to start worrying about your boots.” For the first time today Raifer smiled. Bucky’s boots were cracked, one heel partially broken off, and they hadn’t seen boot black since Bucky’s daddy bought them years ago, before wearing them in and wearing them down, before handing them off to his son to replace an even worse pair that Bucky had been wearing.
    â€œGet on down there and move that hair aside and turn her face so that I can see her expression.”
    Bucky complied. Raifer was not only his boss, but also the toughest man in the parish. And the fairest.
    Bucky carefully picked his way down the staircase, but with each step drying blood coated his shoes and left splotchy marks on the few portions of the carpet runner that were not already soaked. There was no easy way to do this, with her body sprawled the way it was, with the Colonel Judge’s body on top of hers and her head lodged against the banister.
    Bucky gave up trying to keep his boots out of the blood. Planting one foot on a lower stair and one on an upper stair, he straddled her body, her dress nestling against his trousers. Trying to avert his eyes from the scene and the Colonel Judge’s rigid gaze looking blankly through him, Bucky reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair. Gently lifting her head, Bucky turned it so Raifer on the upper landing could see her face.
    The head was easy to turn.
    Too easy.
    Bucky gave a yell and fell backward, her hair still in his hands. Lifting her head had completely separated it from her body.
    Too frightened and shocked to let go, Bucky held her hair in his grasp as he tumbled down the stairs, her skull bouncing against the wall at the end of the tether of tresses in his fist.

Chapter 4
    â€œYou all right there?”
    â€œYeah, Raifer. It just startled me a tad, that’s all.” Bucky was sitting on the edge of the veranda, his heart continuing to pound, the glass of water that Jenny had brought him half drained.
    Jenny had retreated back into the house to care for Little Miss, who was being confined to her first-floor room and who still hadn’t been told anything about what had happened in the house last night. Surely the Sheriff wouldn’t think of entering Little Miss’s bedroom and disturbing her in the slightest, but Jenny closed the door behind her, just to be sure.
    Raifer could see that although Bucky tried to act calm, his right foot, encased in the bloody boot, was tapping constantly on the top step and his face was still pale.
    â€œTell you what. Why don’t you stay here and keep an eye out to prevent anyone from coming in while I finish up what I have to do inside.”
    â€œGood idea,” Bucky agreed with relief.
    Raifer walked