Скачать книгу

Dickson proclaimed loudly in a voice that singled him out as a preacher of the gospel.

      Clayton was Penny Sue’s first cousin once removed, her father’s first cousin. Clayton’s mother had been one of the few Paine women to snag herself a husband. Since marrying Phyllis and getting religion, Clayton had become a fanatic, totally obsessed with sin and salvation.

      Chris Paine, Stacie’s younger brother, groaned loudly and rolled his dark eyes toward the ceiling. He and Clayton had once been best friends, back in their teens when they’d both been hell-raisers. But in recent years, their friendship long dead, Chris took every opportunity to ridicule his cousin.

      “A prayer never hurts,” Eula said. “Get on with it, Clayton.”

      To everyone’s dismay, except his wife Phyllis’s, Clayton dropped to his knees, right there in the front parlor on Grandmother Paine’s Persian carpet. He lifted his folded hands in front of him, closed his eyes and beseeched his maker for mercy on his sinful soul.

      While the others sat quietly and at least pretended to listen to Clayton’s prayer, Penny Sue slipped out of the parlor as quietly as possible. Taking the downstairs rooms, one by one, she searched for Vic. When she entered the kitchen, Ruby paused in her preparations and glanced at Penny Sue.

      “Did you come to help me get these drinks out to the parlor?” Ruby asked. “I’m getting too old to be lifting such heavy trays.”

      “I’ll be glad to help you,” Penny Sue replied, “but not right now. I’m looking for Vic. For Mr. Noble.”

      “He’s out there on the back porch with Tully,” Ruby said. “He’s going over that stuffed dog and the carrier it was in, searching for something.”

      “What’s he searching for?”

      “How should I know? And I need help now with these drinks, not later.”

      “Why don’t you just make two trips to the parlor with those drinks,” Penny Sue said. “Or ask Stacie or Cousin Eula to help you. I really need to speak to Vic.”

      Ruby grunted and mumbled to herself.

      Just as Penny Sue opened the back door and took her first step onto the porch, Vic glanced up from where he sat beside Tully in old, identical wicker rockers.

      “The family meeting is ready to start,” she told Vic. “I’d like for you to come and meet everyone.”

      Without hesitation, Vic rose from the rocker. “See you later, Tully.”

      The old man nodded.

      Vic took Penny Sue’s elbow and turned her around, then escorted her inside before she had a chance to say anything else.

      As they walked out of the kitchen, she asked, “Why were you looking over the pet carrier and stuffed dog? What were you searching for?”

      He paused, eyed her quizzically and grunted.

      “Ruby said you were—” she continued.

      “Nothing in particular,” he told her. “Just some general checking. Not really any scientific testing. After all, I don’t have the equipment, but I would like to send everything to the Dundee lab first thing in the morning.”

      “Why is that?”

      “Because that red stuff on the toy dog was real blood.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4RibRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAALcbAAAAnEAAtxsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMiBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTM6MTI6MjAgMTM6MzE6MjkAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAAFeKADAAQAAAAB AAAIzAAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAABdlAAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/2P/gABBKRklG AAECAABIAEgAAP/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBEL CgsRFQ8MDA8VGBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsN Dg0QDg4QFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwM/8AAEQgAoABjAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYH CAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQh EjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXi ZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIE BAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKy gwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dX Z3eHl6e3x//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A5fM0w8gjT9E//qVzWOSSZJOi6XN/oeR/xT/+pK5vEGrvgrXP /NHyXYt2y1qsV1yoVtV2ivhZ05Oly+K9WVVPkrDKVOutHa0KEydPFhQ+kFv9PoP7P6futZVjMfbb e57mACX3Y7S4XHZ/hK2b7PZ+mWSGrTx7rMDp/pMe31OotL7GkyWUzspBaW+m37Tsfb7/APgvT/SI RlrfbVflw+mgeGUvSD2uJ9X+B8zR63Rn9fzK8fDe04ePLLcpxmpkfmV/4R/9Rv6Wz/C+ktDA6L+x un5XTeouc4Gdj6RLLWXbmS4OBfvp2M/m3fovW/wqt9PzMZ3SGspc12Ril9d9EjeWue62rKFf0rav 0vpXPb9B9Sy8rrORfccSsetk1NgB0BlQJ1ff/wCi6d3q2f8ABqe55jZqGPSuvRwPax8mDCEzly3M SyHTj4pbtqkXZl2Nhl4ufrXQ2w+4wNz3OLNv0Kme9dXgY32RjWFxsc1257zpJ/q/msa1uxjVyPQa raur03Q618xZY4wTIO1rdvsrZu/wVa7RrgWyRyrMABHhiKDWkST6jZeA/YBn0o93/OT7LH8iPtG7 /tpJdX9jf+090fov2n9v/tfs/wBP/wBuUkyv+kvvy+W3/9DmM0H7HkR/onk/5q53EHud8Auiy/6H kaf4J/n+aVz+EPc74BWef3j5Fl5cXJvUt1WhSzRVKGrQpCy5F2+XhsmY1FAUWhTUJLpY4rO0Y4+A K7HK6JjZ1OI24uqdTTUJb9LYGAelU53txv5VtLPWXHuEtLfHT79F23VMgV5dVTDtc21oE+Aa+qIU /KQ4zL+X7zlfH+YGHFi1riJvWtOPDj/9SvHdTwseui70W+k9m70rGaOb+772+9VfqdS6/GNR1sOQ 5jieSfafc7+2uizcUPxLWubD3FzZ8D+a0rG+p4Nd+WyINd1dsf1htd/0qlo83GoxMR0IeN+FZJXk hMkniE9TZ9fpejZ077Nn1VteS5zmlpjghdDG5u6IIJBHmqFzWDqLH2aMA3bi4NAjvJ/dRM3rvQun sYcnNY31XH02sm4uPdrfs7bW/wDSVbBInGDI9/zdrNGsnDEdqG7Z2pLD/wCfH1en6WR9LbPo9o/n fp/Q/N/0n/BpJ/HD94I9jL+5L7H/0eXyhOJfpBFb5P8AZ/1/7cWJgiXO+A/KtvKk4lx7Gt3H9UlY +CPc74D8qsfEt4+RbPJC5fV0aW8K7UFUqVuorKk7mHRsNU0NiIFEXQhsnwavWz8aqJ33Vgjy3Au/ 6K6rqjXMIvj31PbYD32l1j2P/rM3bX/vsXOdEFZ6rQ6ywVNrJs3Fwbq0exrS/wDO3LpOpuH2X1DJ PD2mPcPzPo/6N3uWh8PiaJreTyf/ABtzAShC/lxSO/Wc4/8AqqDGqg5OE5pbudZW2wAaaxu9se1c T09pp+sb8d0gPDtDprWXbQW/1Ll3HRbWNoFtQc59ZDXt4AMS4N5+k1c/9bqMLG+sGBnYGRTdcbgL 8euxrnhr/bY7ZW530WP3e9W84uEon9E8Q/wd3D+HGsuOY19yEsMwPUazRlGE/wDnNq1jXb7IDywb nAgEFo+kdrvpbPpLR6zRjO6Fl2YrWV4Wdj+q2gABtOVRtt/RN+iz1GVWt9ipUZBx8pl3IY4FwPBa fa9pH8pi0czB+z9LzceljrenZbH2Yob7nVZFYc77K7+RZt9Kt/8Ao/TVb9EjwIdbDKsmM9pRP4vn 3pCf7SSluH7w8fl+8kqVvScA/F//0uXyp+y3k9638f1T/wB+WRgcu+A/KtfKEYl8c+m+e35pWLgH 3O+A/KrHxLePkWzyJ9R83Vq5VqtVKSrTDCyi7eIthqIhNKICoyG9jLIgEQdQrGJh5WTubjAy0EiX uZXuA9osLPzVDGx7Mm5tNfJ5PgP3lLrfUaen0/ZWvDKWiCxv0nn+V+8mgkSAj852r82Hn8+OGExm BPjFcEtY/wCEGhZWaWPHUMyzJrIh4Li2pwHuI2Md+mY3961UcDFL8wZtdQooYHbIbt3bhtbsb/09 6bplv7RyLr8hu5tQb6LD9EST7i36LnaLXJJOqmnOdkTkZyIoknb+65/wzkMXDDOAIQjLihCA4eKW OXzT/wAKPyuubWuAOpDhP3hdb9Wcj1qtln0/aLm9ngQ2jKb/ACvb6F3/AFpcTTJx6nc7gR9x2Lpf qvY9gDtHNY/2kHUBw9zf+irsfVEHuAXEyR4Ms8f+blKH+IeF4r9n+2Y/7V/ZeP5W1JdH6LI27f8A 1pdvH5s79qSp8H/S4HpPe/8ASfvP/9PnLcd12FlWB7WMYwhznbtNwjd7GWexv56yqel5NWIeoVOZ lYW4VvvpJIreT7a767GVXU+p/g3vq9Oz99btNFuT0/LxaZD8jbXPu2S8emz1djLGtY1+z32eks6n Kq6L0TqnQ3n1eo9SfQ3Ka36GM3GebfTNjh+nyrLPb+h/QV/6dWueFkX0G6/BMxkK77IKX6q6wyFk 1XDdE69wrtVyypRp28GUEN9hWj0/A+07n2EtYyAGjRxJG6fd9Gv+Wsmt/cLbpyMfo/RTlv2izJMi IP0TFdLqp+g73b/b9NRSB2AuR2bGXmBjx

Скачать книгу