Free A Discount for Death by Steven F. Havill

Sheriff. He and his brother don’t see eye to eye on much of anything, but Perry’s got a soft spot for Colette. Nothing pushy…just tries to be around when there’s trouble. And…” she shuddered a deep sigh. “Lord, I hate to say it, but Colette treats him like dirt. Borrows money from him, doesn’t pay it back, gets him to sit the kids…oh, you name it.” She leaned forward toward Estelle. “He’s just a decent, good guy. And you know…” she hesitated and dabbed her eyes again. “There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Ryan and Mindi. I think he loves ’em like they were his own. That’s more than I can say for their father.”
    “What happened last night, Mrs. Parker?”
    The woman didn’t reply immediately. She helped Mindi manage the cup, and the child’s eyes closed as she sucked on the plastic rim. “For the past six months or so…” and Barbara stopped. She shook her head, refusing to meet Estelle’s gaze. “Colette was doing so well. She’d moved in here, getting herself out of that little hole-in-the-wall apartment she had over behind the school. I didn’t mind.” She shrugged. “I was happy for the company.” Mindi’s face wrinkled up, and her grandmother removed the cup. “She started working at the deli, regular hours. The kids are even enjoying day care.”
    “Which one?”
    “Tiny Tots, over on Grande.”
    “And then what happened?” Estelle asked.
    “And then…and then I guess you could say that
Rick
happened again. He wants Colette to move to Las Cruces to live with him. Last time he was here, I heard them talking about that.”
    “Colette didn’t want to go?”
    Barbara Parker sighed. “
I
certainly didn’t want her to go. Uproot the kids and all. But
she
wanted to, depending on which day you asked her. You know how kids are, Sheriff. And Rick’s a charmer. There’s no doubt about that. He walks into the room, and Colette just melts. I don’t know what it is. Ryan thinks he’s Mister Wonderful, too.”
    “Chemistry,” Estelle said.
    “I suppose.
I
don’t see it. And Perry doesn’t see it, either. He knows what kind of thug Rick is. He knew what would happen if Colette went back to Cruces with his brother.”
    “What do you think was going to happen?”
    Barbara leaned her head to the left until her hair just touched Mindi’s. “Do you know what FAS is, Sheriff?”
    “Fetal alcohol syndrome? Yes, I do, Mrs. Parker.”
    “Well, as far as I’m concerned, that’s Rick Kenderman’s gift to Mindi. I know, I know. Nobody held the bottle to Colette’s lips and forced her to drink while she was pregnant, but you know what I mean.” She shook her head helplessly. “She was doing so
well
, Sheriff. And now all of a sudden he’s back into her life.”
    “That’s what the argument between Perry and Colette was about last night?”
    Barbara nodded. “Perfect timing, I suppose. Colette’s been at the deli now for almost six months. The newness has worn off. She’s looking for something, although what I don’t know. The kids are doing well, but I guess that’s not enough for Colette. Rick comes back into her life, and off she goes. She’s supposed to pack everything in that awful little truck he brought up. Rick took her old Chevy back over to Las Cruces. It needs all kinds of work that he promises to do…and never will.”
    “Perry tried to talk her out of going?”
    “Yes. He came over, still on duty, I guess. They were arguing out in the front yard, putting on a good show for the neighbors. Something about the truck set him off—I haven’t seen him so angry in a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him raise his voice until last night. I tell you,
long suffering
is the term invented especially for Perry Kenderman. But he got angry this time, and I think it was the sight of his worthless brother’s truck. Then
she
got angry. You know how it goes. She got on her bike, with Perry trying to talk some reason. She
kicked
him, actually