Free Before The Killing Starts (Dixie Killer Blues Book 1) by Harper James Page A

call me that. Last time
I checked, you didn't fit into any of those categories.'
    'Is your boss there?' He
knew it wound him up when he said that.
    'You mean the
lieutenant? No, he's not here.' Before Evan could think of anything else to
say, he carried on. 'And if you meant Guillory, he's not here either. So you're
going to have to look elsewhere for all the free help and information that
you're not entitled to.'
    The phone went dead in
his ear. He called Guillory on his cell phone.
    'I thought I told you to
burn this number,' Guillory said in his laid back tone. He was the most
unflappable guy Evan had ever met despite some of the patience-trying antics Evan
had got up to in the past.
    'Having a nice, relaxing
day at home while poor old Detective Donut looks after the shop?'
    Guillory laughed.
'Something like that. And I told you, don't call him that. It's disrespectful.'
    'So, what's happening?
You break a leg?'
    Guillory snorted, the
sound loud in Evan's ear. 'I'll tell you later. What d'you want?'
    'I was just calling to
see if I can buy you a beer some time.'
    'No you weren't.'
Guillory laughed again. 'And I've told you this before as well, if I drank all
the beers you owe me, I'd be fatter than Ryder.'
    Evan laughed with him.
'Yeah, I asked him about his diet.'
    On the other end of the
line Guillory sucked in air between his teeth. Evan pictured him shaking his
head, the hint of a smile on his lips. 'I bet that didn't get you far.'
    'Funny you should say
that . . .'
    'Anyway, what do you want?'
    Evan could hear the
sound of a spoon stirring something, coffee or tea, and then a metallic rattle
as it was thrown in the sink. He could do with a good strong coffee himself,
right now.
    'I could do with a nice
cup of coffee myself.'
    There was a loud slurp
followed by a long aaaaaah . 'Sorry, that was the last of it.'
    'Some free information,
then, hopefully stuff I'm not allowed to have. You know the sort of thing.'
    Evan could almost feel
Guillory's sideways grin coming down the line. 'The usual, you mean. What is it
this time?'
    Evan gave him the
license plate of the two guys' car and asked him to find out who it was
registered to.
    'Is that it?' There was
genuine astonishment in his voice. 'That's hardly going to be an inconvenience
at all.'
    'Well . . . there is
something else.'
    'That's more like it.'
There was another loud slurp. 'Good coffee, by the way.'
    'I can hear you're
enjoying it. It sounds like a pack of thirsty bloodhounds. Anyway, have you
ever come across a guy called Dixie?'
    'Dixie? I know a country
music band called the Dixie Chicks . . .'
    'Well, that's useful.
His real name's Richard LaBarre—'
    'But everyone calls him Dixie.'
    ' Damn . I can see
now why you're a professional detective and I'm just an amateur.'
    Guillory let out a hoot
like he'd just won the lottery. 'Ryder would give his right arm to hear you say
that.'
    'Ain't gonna happen.'
    'Anything else you can
tell me about this guy, maybe help to narrow things down a bit?'
    'I was told he hangs out
at Kelly's Tavern—although everyone in there denies ever having heard of him.'
    Guillory snorted in
disgust. 'The low-lifes in that pigsty wouldn't admit to knowing their own
mothers.'
    'You got that right.'
    'You actually went in
there and asked for him?'
    Evan shrugged, an
apologetic smile on his lips, even though Guillory couldn't see him. 'No point
in beating about the bush.'
    'You never cease to
amaze me.' In his mind Evan pictured the slow head shake. 'So how did that pan
out?'
    'I thought it went
pretty well, considering it was my first time.' He ran the morning's events
through his mind, felt and heard the satisfying snap. 'I broke a guy's finger
and squashed his nose a bit, then got chased and pistol whipped by a couple of
beaners. Just a normal day at Kelly's I suppose—the beer was awful though.'
    'You know I'm going to
be genuinely upset the day I get called out to some bloody, broken body lying
crumpled in an alley and turn it over