Free With Baited Breath by Lorraine Bartlett Page A

on it. Where and when?”
    “Meet us outside the Lotus Lodge just before four and we’ll walk over.”
    Anissa’s eyes narrowed. “Walk?”
    “Yeah, there’s a house for sale on the other side of The Bay Bar.”
    “That horrible wreck?” Anissa asked.
    “That’s the one,” Tori said. “It doesn’t seem worth looking at, let alone contemplating saving, but Kathy’s a sucker for hard-luck cases.”
    “That’s why we’ve been friends so long,” Kathy said with a sidelong glance at Tori.
    “When can you cut the grass?” Anissa asked.
    “We’ve got to finish painting the bait shop, but if it’s not too damp this evening, we could cut the grass after six. Either that or first thing tomorrow.”
    “Works for me,” Anissa said.
    “Great.”
    “We’d better get going. The bait shop isn’t going to paint itself,” Kathy said. “See you around four.”
    “You got it.”
    Anissa closed the door on them and they walked back to Kathy’s car. Mr. Jackson had taken meticulous care of the inside of his home but not the outside. Therefore, Tori could understand why his nearest neighbor wanted to wipe out the blight that was Jackson’s lot. The only question was, did Lucinda Bloomfield want to beautify the neighborhood badly enough to kill?

 
    CHAPTER 6
     
    The paint was dry on the north side of the bait shop when Tori and Kathy arrived back at the Cannon compound. Tori started the second coat while Kathy began work on restoring the aged wooden signs. First she scraped away the old paint, trusting it was oil based—not lead—and painted the background white before starting the red lettering with the black drop shadow. She’d finished the side of the sign facing east while Tori had repainted the north and east sides of the shop. During that time, the shop saw three customers enter its doors. A hopeful sign.
    Tori approached. “It’s fifteen minutes until we’re supposed to meet the real estate agent,” she called.
    Kathy put her brush down and admired her work.
    “Not bad,” Tori said. “Looks like a pro did it.”
    Kathy smiled. “Thanks. After supper I’ll tackle the other side. That is if you don’t mind doing the other two sides of the shop.
    “I do—but it’s got to be done. You were right; I’m loving the color. I sure hope you’re also right that it will be good for business.”
    “Trust me.” Kathy tamped down the lids on the paint cans. “I need to clean up and change before we head across the street. Is it okay if I leave these here?”
    “I’ll move them over to the sidewalk outside the Lotus Lodge—just in case any of our boat people show up. It’ll look tidier.”
    “There’s a Dumpster in your front yard and you’re worried about a couple of paint cans?”
    Tori pouted.
    “Okay, okay,” Kathy said affably. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She looked both ways before crossing the road. The speed limit on the bridge was only thirty miles per hour, but was raised to fifty-five immediately afterward and drivers didn’t hesitate a second before putting their pedals to the metal. She had no desire to be road kill.
    Only a few motorcycles were parked in The Bay Bar’s parking lot, near her own car. Kathy hurried to wash and change. When she emerged from her room, she saw that Anissa had already arrived and she and Tori were leaning against the bar’s deck waiting for her. Anissa was wearing a tool belt strapped around her waist.
    “You came prepared,” Kathy said, delighted.
    “The place probably doesn’t have electricity. I brought a flashlight, a hammer, screwdrivers, a stud finder, and a couple of other things that might be useful.”
    “Shall we walk over to the house?” Tori asked.
    Together the women crossed the parking lot for the weedy patch of dirt that ran parallel to the road. The hedges at the side of the yard were completely out of control, soaring some fifteen or more feet into the air and adding to the aura of neglect that clung to the house.