Free Murder Of A Snake In The Grass by Denise Swanson Page A

you?”
    Skye’s best friend, Trixie Frayne, jumped up and down at the edge of the crowd. She was short, with a cap of smooth brown hair and brown eyes that gleamed with good humor and high spirits.
    When Trixie had returned to town nine months after Skye had been forced to come back home, both women had agreed it was fate. They had been best friends in high school until Trixie’s family moved away her sophomore year. Being reunited nearly fifteen years later still felt like a gift.
    Today Trixie wore white fringed cut-off shorts and a red tank top. She was the antithesis of the stereotypical shy, demure librarian.
    “What are you doing here?” Trixie asked as Skye walked up.
    “I came to see the race.”
    “Bullpucky! You’re normally not up and around this early on a weekend, or if you are, you’re out at the beach swimming.” Trixie grabbed Skye’s arm and whispered in her ear, “Is it about the murder last night?”
    “How did you hear about that already?”
    “Everybody knows. Between the people with police radios and the ones with relatives on the emergency squad, I’dsay the whole town knew by midnight, two a.m. at the latest.”
    “Of course, what was I thinking?” Skye hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. “What’s being said?”
    “Mmm, let’s see. The victim is Gabriel Scumble, and he was robbed. People are saying it was probably one of the carnival workers, that they steal stuff every time they’re around.”
    “Is that all?”
    “Yeah, it’s still early, gossip’s pretty thin on any actual details.”
    “I hadn’t thought of the carnival people, but that might make sense. He was posing for pictures among them. Maybe he flashed a big wad of cash or something. Someone better talk to them before they leave town tomorrow night.”
    “So, are you investigating? Can I help?” Trixie was skipping around Skye like a hyperactive three-year-old.
    “No and no. This is one Scumble River murder that has nothing to do with me.”
    “Sure.” Trixie’s look was skeptical. “But something will happen, and you’ll end up in the thick of things. And when you do, I want a piece of the action.”
    Skye ignored her friend’s comment and asked, “Did you hear that Frannie Ryan and Justin Boward were the ones who found the body?”
    Trixie shook her head. “How awful. I wonder how that escaped the grapevine.”
    “Wally kept them out of sight to protect them from being under the microscope, so don’t tell anyone.” Skye paused to emphasize the importance of this point to Trixie, who silently crossed her heart. “They seemed okay last night, but I want to check with them this morning and make sure they’re not feeling any post-traumatic distress.”
    “Good thinking. It always amazes me how well kids hide their feelings, at least at first.” Trixie gestured to the crowd. “It doesn’t look like you can talk to them anytime soon.”
    “Guess I’ll just hang around until the race is over. Maybe talk to them as they clean up. What are you doing here?”
    “The cheerleaders have a team competing.” Trixie was the cheerleading coach.
    “Oh.” Skye couldn’t quite picture the cheerleaders eating a pancake that had been on the ground. Or for that matter, running around a track with a spatula, looking silly.
    “Stop thinking that,” Trixie said, obviously reading Skye’s mind. “We have a really good group of girls this season. When Zoë and her pack graduated last year, I made sure that the judges at the tryouts counted character as heavily as attractiveness. And since the money made from this event goes to the Morning Star Mission in Joliet to help the homeless, the girls were happy to help out.”
    “That’s great. Did Frannie Ryan make the squad this time?”
    Trixie’s sunny smile disappeared. “No, I couldn’t convince her to try out again.”
    Skye hugged her friend, knowing how badly Trixie felt about the outcome of Frannie’s first attempt to become a cheerleader.