Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) Read online

  MURDER BY SERPENTS

  MURDER BY SERPENTS

  THE MYSTERY QUILT

  * * *

  BARBARA GRAHAM

  FIVE STAR

  An imprint of Cengage Gale, a part of The Cengage Corporation

  Copyright © 2007 by Barbara Graham.

  Five Star, an imprint of The Gale Group.

  Cengage and Star Logo and Five Star are trademarks and Gale is a registered

  trademark used herein under license.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

  Set in 11 pt. Plantin.

  * * *

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Graham, Barbara, 1948-

  Murder by serpents : the mystery quilt / Barbara Graham. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-590-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)

  ISBN-10: 1-59414-590-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)

  eISBN-10: 1-4328-2489-9

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4328-2489-1

  1. Police—Tennessee—Fiction. 2. Sheriffs. 3. Clergy—Crimes against—

  Fiction. 4. Snake cults (Holiness churches)—Tennessee—Fiction. 5. Tennes

  see—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3607.R336M87 2007

  813’.6—dc22 20070

  * * *

  First Edition. First Printing: November 2007.

  Published by Five Star in conjunction with the author.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowlegement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  About the Author

  For my father.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  * * *

  Thanks to Ken Fink, who was gracious enough to let a rattlesnake bite him and to describe it for me. Additional thanks go to his wife Sherry, whose talents with shovel, tree pruning tool and bucket prevented the rattler from becoming a repeat offender.

  More thanks to Michelle Quick, who tests my patterns, laughs at me and turns her deaf ear to my whining.

  Special thanks and love to my husband and sons, who continue to love me in spite of my quirks and obsessions.

  All errors and omissions are mine.

  * * *

  SPRINGTIME IN THE SMOKIES

  A MYSTERY QUILT BY THEO ABERNATHY

  THE FIRST BODY OF CLUES:

  Finished size is a lap or crib size top, approximately 45 1/2" × 35 1/2". All fabric requirements are generous and based on standard widths of approximately 44 inches. The instructions assume familiarity with basic quilt construction and an accurate 1/4” seam throughout.

  Fabric (A). This is the main or theme fabric. Select a print—floral or novelty—on a medium background. The print should contain several different colors and motifs should measure in the two to three inch range. Cutting and construction does allow use of directional fabrics.

  Fabrics (B), (C), (D), (E). Select “interesting solids” (prints that appear to be a single color) of colors found in the main fabric. (B) and (C) should be very light or very dark. (D) and (E) should be medium.

  Yardage

  (A)—2 yards of print

  (B)—1/3 yard of very light or dark

  (C)—1/3 yard of light

  (D)—1/3 yard of medium

  (E)—5/8 yard of medium

  Cutting Instructions

  Be sure to label cut pieces with fabric letter and size

  (A)—from the 2 yards.

  Cut 2 strips 3 1/2" by width of fabric

  Cut 4 strips 2 1/2" by width of fabric

  Cut 2 strips 3 1/2" by length of fabric (approximately 3 1/2” by 55")

  From remainder—Cut 2 strips 8 1/2" by width and subcut into 17 strips 8 1/2" by 2 1/2" and

  Cut 4 strips 4 1/2" by width of fabric and subcut into 48 rectangles 4 1/2" by 2 1/2"

  (B)—from 1/3 yard of very light or very dark. Cut 48 squares 2 1/2"

  (C)—from 1/3 yard of light. Cut 54 squares 2 1/2"

  (D)—from 1/3 yard of medium. Cut 48 squares 2 1/2"

  (E)—from 5/8 yard of medium. Cut 4 strips width of fabric by 1 1/2" and set aside and

  Cut 3 strips width of fabric by 4 1/2" and subcut into 48 rectangles 2 1/2" by 4 1/2"

  * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  “Beware the Ides of March.” The words circled in Theo Abernathy’s brain until she wanted to scream. Events over the past several hours gave Theo a healthy aversion to prophesy. She wondered if Julius Caesar felt the same when he realized his fate.

  The day didn’t begin well.

  She overslept. Then, her naturally curly hair went haywire on one side, giving her a punk rocker look. The males in her family thought it was funny.

  No coffee. That was more serious than the hair but it was still a mere irritant.

  She dealt with each problem with reasonably good humor and kept smiling.

  When her minivan didn’t start, she stopped smiling. It still wouldn’t start when her husband Tony hooked jumper cables to it. After giving her a kiss and unnecessary instructions to call the mechanic, he loaded their sons into his green and white Blazer.

  At least the boys were happy. They loved to ride like prisoners in the official vehicle of Park County’s Sheriff. Separated from the front seats by a wall of steel mesh, they pressed their faces close to it and made desperate moaning sounds.

  Theo interrupted their little drama. “Don’t forget to go to your scout meeting after school.”

  Jamie’s blue eyes sparkled as he blew her a dozen kisses.

  More subdued, as befitted his big brother status, Chris adjusted his new glasses and blew just one. She managed a merry smile for the boys. At least they weren’t too grown up to blow kisses at their mother.

  “I’ll drop them at school on my way to work.” Tony kissed her again. “Call me when you know something about the van.”

  Theo nodded. Silersville, Tennessee, boasted two mechanics. Brothers. Frank and Joe. She dialed the garage number from memory.

  What she really needed was a new car.

  Minutes later, she watched Joe, the smarter of the brothers, stare into the engine. The expression on his face was not encouraging. Theo wondered what this would cost. Her anxiety increased. How would they pay for this?
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  “I don’t rightly know what’s wrong with her.” Joe tried several things but failed to start it. He chatted amiably as he attached the towing cable that swung from the crane on his vintage truck. “But she’s sure dead as a stump, ain’t she?” A flick of a switch tightened the cable and soon the rear end of her boxy van rose into the air.

  Joe offered to drive her to work.

  Without thinking it through, Theo accepted. But, in order to ride in the cab of the tow truck, she had to squeeze between a greasy toolbox and an even dirtier door. A newspaper served as a makeshift seat cover. After a jolting ride, Joe dropped her in front of Theo’s Quilt Shop. He gave her a jaunty wave as he pulled away.

  The relief created by a safe arrival dissipated the moment she walked inside.

  Chaos reigned in her quilt shop.

  The drawer on the cash register jammed shut and she had to pry it open with a screwdriver. Now it was jammed open. Customers milled around while Jane, Theo’s mother-in-law and usually a levelheaded, dedicated worker, spent the day cooing into the phone like a lovesick dove.

  No coffee here either.

  Worse, no chocolate.

  The computer dedicated to the Internet side of her business caught a virus, threw up and then died, taking several unfilled orders with it. Word trickled in that Theo’s computer wizard was spending his vacation on a tropical beach, drinking fruit drinks with umbrellas and lots of rum in them.

  Theo hoped the man was being ravaged by sand fleas and sun poisoning.

  It wasn’t just the computer.

  Maybe it was the lack of caffeine or maybe the anxiety brought on by the rest of the day but Theo’s brain wasn’t running on all cylinders either. With the floor of her office littered with scraps of ruined fabric, she decided that her carefully written pattern instructions for a new mystery quilt read like gibberish. She needed to find a better way to describe the construction sequence or she would have to add a picture—a move that would eliminate the “mystery” from the pattern.

  She glanced at her watch. Surprised that the endless day was hurtling to a close, she realized that she had only fifteen minutes to get to the garage before it closed. Even if she took the shortcut over the hill, she would be lucky to get there in time. She ran to the back door, pulling on her patchwork jacket as she left.

  If mountains had tendrils, the ridge that cut through town was a tendril of the Smoky Mountains. She nervously glanced at the path that zigzagged up the hill. Everyone in Silersville used the shortcut from Main Street over to the garage and Ruby’s Café on the highway side. Although recent snows meant that footing might be treacherous, she told herself that she’d be fine. Wet leaves covering slippery red mud might send her falling if she wasn’t careful.

  It would be completely dark soon.

  In minutes, she crested the ridge and paused, taking a deep breath. Below her stretched the highway that connected them to the rest of East Tennessee. A tangle of trees, rhododendron, honeysuckle and kudzu surrounded her. She heard voices of others walking the same path. Behind her was the town of Silersville and to her east the Smoky Mountains crouched, an obsidian presence under a darkening sky.

  Welcoming lights glowed at Ruby’s Café. Theo took a step forward, beginning her descent, but her right foot tangled in a vine. Emitting a soft cry, she pitched forward, automatically reaching to break her fall. She never hit the ground. A pair of long-fingered hands grasped her shoulders and Theo grabbed the owner’s thin forearms for balance.

  “Nothing like some old vines to trip you up, is there Miss Theo?” A man’s soft words, accompanied by putrid breath, came to her in the semi-darkness.

  Theo recognized that voice and smiled at her tall rescuer. “Thanks, Quentin.” Standing below her, he seemed close to her petite height for a change. When she regained her balance, she released his arms and examined his face. Never a handsome young man, Quentin Mize looked thinner and paler than usual. Sores dotted his face. Shocked by his worsening appearance, she struggled to find words.

  A second man stepped forward to stand next to Quentin, distracting her.

  “Who’s your little friend, cousin?”

  Theo had never seen the man before, but she found something about his face and demeanor repellent and automatically stepped back. Shorter than Quentin, he glanced up at her and the fading light caught his eyes. Freaky eyes. The irises were dark, probably brown, and too small, leaving the whites of his eyes visible all the way around. As if to emphasize that trait, the eyelashes weren’t longer than an eighth of an inch and had blunt tips, like they’d been cut to that length.

  Uneasy, Theo wrapped her arms across her chest.

  “Aren’t you a pretty little bitty thing?” The man with the odd eyes leered at her and his tongue darted out between his lips, like a reptile testing the air.

  Her stomach tightened in disgust. Theo looked away from his face and noticed that he had a snakeskin-patterned handkerchief sticking out of his suit coat pocket. She felt like running but forced herself to remain still.

  Quentin stepped between them and faced Theo. “You’d best be getting on down the hill now. It’ll be full dark soon.” Clearly, Quentin had no intention of introducing his companion. In fact, he reached a skeletally thin hand around the man’s bicep and pulled him up the path and further away from her.

  “You leave her be. She’s my friend.” Quentin’s soft words reached her ears. They were filled with anger. “Not only that, but she’s the sheriff’s wife. He’s a big man and very protective, if you catch my meaning. You mess with her and he just might kill you.”

  Still disturbed by the encounter, Theo shivered and stepped forward again. Below her, the lights went dark in the garage. It didn’t matter. Her car wasn’t going anywhere tonight. She groaned. Her minivan still dangled from the tow truck like a giant catfish.

  One foot slipped and she almost fell. Slowing down, she reached for her cell phone and pressed Tony’s number. When her husband answered on the first ring, she felt her eyes fill with tears.

  “You’re late.” Tony’s voice boomed through the tiny phone. “Where are you?”

  “I’m fine.”Theo’s uneasiness made her sassy. “Thank you for asking.”

  “Okay. I deserved that.” He lowered his voice. “You’re late, my darlin’, love of my life. When last seen, your chariot was busted. Might I inquire as to your current whereabouts and when I might see your lovely face and golden dandelion curls again?”

  In spite of her efforts not to, Theo snorted. “Chariot is hanging on the truck. They haven’t touched the van yet.” She stepped into the empty overflow parking lot behind Ruby’s and glanced around. It was empty. “Can you pick up the boys from scouts and meet me at Ruby’s?”

  “Sure.” Tony’s voice was calming now instead of teasing. Some of her distress must have filtered through her voice. “What happened?”

  “I just thought that maybe we could all have some dinner before I have to go back to the shop.”

  “Tonight?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Theo looked up, searching for stars in the darkening sky, but she saw only clouds. “I’m supposed to meet the backup computer wizard at eight. If we don’t do it tonight, he can’t come until after four tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be there in just a bit.”

  Theo slipped her phone into her purse and stared at the kudzu that grew like a black curtain against what she knew was a wall of red dirt. Light from the café reflected in a pair of eyes that stared at her. Before Theo could scream, the owner, a large raccoon eased onto the pavement and waddled past her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  The next morning, Park County Sheriff Tony Abernathy sat at his desk, trapped in his own office. He considered sticking his fingers in his ears and humming so that he could block out the mayor’s voice. Calvin Cashdollar had a whine like a dentist’s drill, and he’d invaded the sheriff’s office to “chat” about the upcoming tourist season. Tony’s young sons, Chris and Jamie,
used the plugged-ear technique and it seemed to work for them, but Tony decided that would just make Calvin talk louder. Almost as annoying as hearing the mayor was being forced to watch him. Calvin twitched each time his dull blond hair flopped into his eyes, which, considering the way he twitched had turned into a vicious circle. The man was practically convulsing.