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.I had to kick him out myself.” Doris’s laugh was like her voice, throaty and sexy.“Every damned Thursday night, because his wife is off playing poker with your mama.”“Appreciate that, Miz Cambliss,” replied Bubba.“They got anything on you?”“No, and I’m planning on suing the socks off them, dadblamed po-lice officers.They’re going to have to let me go, as soon as my lawyer shows up, and they don’t have a damned bit of evidence to show that I’m anything but an honest bed and breakfast owner.” Doris’s voice was positive and self-assured.Bubba knew that someone had warned the madam, long before any law enforcement official had even stepped a single foot into her establishment.They would have to do a lot better than that in order to catch her red-handed, or in her case, red-doored.Bubba let out his own belly laugh.Mike continued to look at him curiously.“What’s the matter with you, Bubba? What’s so funny?”Bubba waved at Mike with one hand, and went to sit on the tiny bunk in the corner.Here he was, inclined to put Neal Ledbetter on his list of suspects, simply because he wanted to buy out Miz Demetrice so bad, and the man was off at the Red Door Inn, playing in baby’s diapers with Doris Cambliss’ girls.He laughed again.Wait until he told his mother that.He couldn’t wait until he saw the reaction on her face.It would be something like her watching the Jerry Springer show for the first time.He could hear her words in his head, “Good God, what is wrong with that man? He’s a grown man, wearing diapers.How could a grown man wear diapers? Is he mentally deficient or something? Good God, what is wrong with him?”But on the other hand, Doris had just delivered something to Bubba that would get Neal off their backs.His mother was not going to sell the land, and Neal needed to get used to the idea.She didn’t care if her neighbors were pissed, or the town got up in arms over the whole misadventure.And if the truth were told, the town folk would be more upset if they lost their Thursday night Pokerama than missed out on getting a Wal-Mart Supercenter.At least, most of the women would be, and that counted for a great deal in Pegramville.It’s too bad, thought Bubba ruefully.Neal would have made a fine murder suspect for him.He had the motive.He had the gall to carry it off.But then, he didn’t have the opportunity.He had been busy.Bubba sniggered again.Bubba spent the night at the jail, before Miz Demetrice was able to round up Lawyer Petrie, who argued before the Honorable Judge Stenson Posey on the issue of playing fast and loose with evidentiary rules.Judge Posey was the only judge who lived and worked in Pegram County and knew everyone very well indeed.Sheriff John got into the argument, and Miz Demetrice was so disposed as to do a bit of her own yelling.Then the bailiff had to prevent Miz Demetrice from shaking a fist in the judge’s face.Bubba watched the whole affair with a bemused expression on his face.When it was all said and done, Judge Posey was inclined to let Bubba out on bail.His Honor said to Sheriff John, “You got a lot of jack.”Sheriff John considered the esteemed man on the bench, who was wearing a black robe and thoughtfully stroking his white beard.Sheriff John said carefully, “No one else had any reason to kill that woman.”Said Judge Posey, “Motive alone does not make a crime.Let me count what you have.Mister Snoddy passed the polygraph.Oh, you didn’t think I’d hear about that, huh? No one saw him driving from Bufford’s to the crime scene or vice versa at the time of the crime.He had a negative on his gunshot residue test, which might indicate he didn’t fire a weapon.There were no fingerprints on the weapon which was found, hidden outside of his house.”“He was lying on the polygraph, and besides it ain’t admissible in court,” Sheriff John barked.“Well, you still gave it to him,” Judge Posey answered.“We ain’t found a witness, yet,” Sheriff John cried.“Yet!”“I cain’t take evidence from a ghost, now can I?” Judge Posey asked politely.“He could have been wearing gloves,” was Sheriff John’s rejoinder.“Oh my Lord, another O.J.Simpson,” His Honor returned with feeling.“Why wouldn’t he wipe off the damned weapon?” Sheriff John demanded.Judge Posey leaned over his great desk, eyeing the sheriff with a sober, steely look.“If I were a prosecutor, which I am not, I might be so persuaded to answer a question like that.But as I am not, and you are the man who gathers the proof of wrongdoing, it is thusly, up to you to gather the evidence that might prove Bubba Snoddy guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in this court of law.” He smiled suddenly.“On a personal note, I believe you got plenty to indict the man, but there ain’t a jury of twelve around here gonna convict him.Just a little personal note, there.”Sheriff John glared impotently at the judge.Judge Posey looked away from Sheriff John and leveled his judicious gaze upon Bubba.“Say Bubba, I ain’t seen you in here since, oh, let me think.” He rubbed his beard.“Was it when that feller from California mistook you for a Dallas Cowboy? Or was it when you had a haul a load of those trespassers from you all’s lands?”“Trespassers,” Bubba answered shortly.Judge Posey laughed.“I recollect that ever since that article came out in People magazine, ain’t been a week gone by, that some idjit goes out to the Snoddy Mansion to dig a hole.” He chuckled again.“You should have put up those signs.‘Trespassers will be eaten.Survivors will be prosecuted.’ Watch out for that killer Basset Hound of yours.That might do the trick.”Bubba muttered, “I’ll give it some thought, your honor.” He didn’t even want to think about the throngs of people who had wandered out to Snoddy properties to see what they could see.All because of that old addle-pated ancestor of his, Colonel Snoddy, a man who had come back from the War of Northern Aggression with a wagon full of…Bubba bit his lip.To hell with that train of thought.So he folded his arms over his chest and waited for the bond to be written for him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]