Free Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen by Bill Crider Page B

it?”
    â€œIt was. We’re drifting a little here, aren’t we?”
    â€œI know. It’s hard to talk about Lynn. What happened was this. One day I asked her if she’d like to go out for dinner.” Burns paused. “Not here in town. We drove over to Colby.”
    Colby was a good twenty miles from Clearview, well into a neighboring county.
    â€œLong way to go for dinner,” Rhodes said.
    â€œWell, that restaurant on the interstate’s really good,” Burns said.
    â€œI’ve heard that,” Rhodes said. “Never been there, though. What happened after that first date?”
    Burns flinched a little at the word “date,” but he recovered quickly. “We saw each other a few more times. Then she told me she was getting serious with someone, and she couldn’t see me again.”
    Rhodes hadn’t known that Lynn was getting serious. Lonnie hadn’t mentioned it. Maybe she didn’t share as many secrets with him as he thought.
    â€œThat’s likely to make a man jealous,” Rhodes said.
    â€œI know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t kill her. I swear to that.”
    â€œYou were at her house, though.”
    Burns stared at him. “How did you know that?”
    â€œI’m a trained professional. What were you doing there?”
    â€œTalking to her. I wasn’t jealous, though. I just thought maybe I could convince her to go out again. I couldn’t. I should never have gone in the first place.”
    Rhodes didn’t know if Burns regretted going because of what had happened or because he’d been seen. He said, “Who was she getting serious with?”
    â€œShe wouldn’t tell me. That’s another reason I went to her house. I wanted to know.” He must have realized how that sounded, so he added, “I wasn’t jealous. Just curious, and she’d quit answering my phone calls.”
    â€œThat can upset a fella,” Rhodes said.
    â€œI never touched her, and anyway, that was weeks ago. I’d gotten over her.”
    Rhodes decided he’d reserve judgment on that. “Mrs. Wilkie know about any of this?”
    â€œYou saw her when you came in, didn’t you?”
    â€œI saw her.”
    â€œThen you know she knows.”
    â€œShe’ll get over it,” Rhodes said. He didn’t add unless she thinks you killed Lynn.
    â€œThere’s one thing I know that might help you,” Burns said, “and it’s a little warning, too.”
    â€œA warning?”
    â€œNot from me. It’s about one other person I know who was seeing Lynn. Maybe even the one she was getting serious with.”
    That might be helpful, all right.
    â€œWho might that be?”
    â€œClifford Clement.”
    â€œMayor Clifford Clement?”
    â€œThe very same,” Burns said. “He took her to Colby. I saw them there.”
    Rhodes thought about that. Then he said, “You never did tell me where you were yesterday afternoon. Say around six o’clock. Maybe seven.”
    â€œI was right here. Working late.”
    â€œAnybody else here?”
    â€œNo. Mrs. Wilkie had gone home. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I don’t have an alibi.”
    â€œWell,” Rhodes said, “you don’t.”
    Burns held up his hands, palms out. “I’m innocent of all charges.”
    â€œWe’ll see,” Rhodes said.

Chapter 8
    As with just about every other serious crime Rhodes had worked on, the information came in in little bits and pieces. He never found out anything all at once, but if he kept on asking people questions, he managed to find out things that, while they might not mean much in themselves, sometimes fit together in a way that told him all he needed to know.
    As Rhodes had told Ruth, however, sometimes people lied. Even to the sheriff. You’d think they’d have more respect than that for their hardworking local