Jeffrey Cohen - A Farewell to Legs: An Aaron Tucker Mystery (Aaron Tucker Mysteries, 2)

Copyright 2003 by Jeffrey Cohen

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form orby electronic means, including information storage and retrievalsystems, without written permission from the publisher, except by areviewer, who may quote passages in a review.

All the characters in this book are fictitious, andany resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purelycoincidental.

Published by Bancroft Press (Books thatenlighten)

P.O. Box 65360, Baltimore, MD 21209

800-637-7377

410-764-1967 (fax)

www.bancroftpress.com

Cover and interior design: Tammy Sneath Grimes,Crescent Communications

www.tsgcrescent.com 814.941.7447

Author photo: Frank Dougherty

ISBN 1-890862-29-0 (cloth)

ISBN 1-890862-34-7 (paper)

LCCN 2003108324

Smashwords Edition

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

To
The Brotherhood of the Tray

Prologue

Part 1. The Lizard

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

Part 2. The Dog

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

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Praise for Jeffrey Cohen and A Farewell to Legs

About the Author

Cheri (pronounced She-REE) Braxton got out of bedand walked to the bathroom door, not bothering to cover her nakedbody with a sheet, the way they do in the movies. Shed neverunderstood that: two people have just spent the night going at itlike sex has just been invented, and the next morning, theyrealways covering up, as if they hadnt just spent ten hours lookingat each others good parts.

The guy in her bed, Louis (pronounced Louis)Gibson, pushed back the few strands of hair left on his head andadmired the view as Cheri walked to the bathroom. He smiled as healways did, and it was convincing, ingratiating, andemotionless.

Baby, he said, I like nothing better thanwatching you walk away.

She stopped, turned, and modeled her form, givinghim a good long look. Whats the matter, Louie? she asked, hervoice a disgusting drawl she thought sounded cute. You dont likeseeing me walk toward you?

Of course I do, he said flatly, dismissing her. Iwas trying to be romantic, and you spoiled it.

She harrumphed, and walked into the bathroom. Cherihad intended to splash some cold water on her face and pee, but ifthat was the kind of attitude he was going to have, Louie couldjust lie there and wait while she took a long hot shower. Sheturned on the water in the tub and opened the medicine cabinet.Might as well brush her teeth, too.

Louis put his hands behind his head and lay back onthe pillow. This thing with Cheri was already starting to get old,he thought. Six weeks, and she was pissing him off as often as hiswife. At least his wife had waited until they were married a coupleof years before she started complaining that he wasnt romanticenough. So hed gotten her pregnant again, and then she had so muchto do watching the boys that she didnt have time to nag about hisignoring goddamn Valentines Day.

Cheri, though, was another story. Shed broken theland speed record for annoying Louis. A nice asshed certainlyadmit she had thatbut she had a mouth on her, too, and who neededthat in a mistress? Mistresses were for sex, for chrissakes. If hewanted backtalk, he could stay home. It was a good thing thisrelationship would be over soon.

Louis smiled as he lay there. If he wanted, he couldfind six or seven other girls within a weekexotic ones, too. Notwhite bread bores like Cheri Braxton. Life was good these days. Theright people were getting elected, and that meant contributionswere pouring in. He had his pick of the women he knew, and he hadplenty of money. More than anyone knew. What else did a manneed?

Louis closed his eyes and smiled contentedly.

Cheri stayed in the shower as long as she could,until she couldnt think of any other body parts that neededcleaning. And the longer she stayed under the hot water, the moresteamed she got.

Who the hell did this joker think she was? A $40whore he could call whenever he felt like it, screw however manytimes he could that night (which was usually once), then turn andleave and not call until he got horny again? Why not leave money onthe dresser when he left? She had a college degree, after all! Sheworked for a government agency, and had the potential to move upinto a managerial position. She didnt have to put up with thisfrom a guy 15 years older than she was!

She got out of the shower and put on a terryclothrobe hanging from a hook on the back of the bathroom door. Screwhim! It wasnt like she loved the little jerk. She didnt even likehim. But he had powerful friends, and she had ambition. Still, nojob she could get in this government was worth having to put upwith him. She could find somebody else to screw, and maybe evenenjoy it.

Cheri opened the robe and looked at herself in thefull-length mirror on the back of the door. Not bad at all for 27.Everything was still where Nature had put it. Gravity hadntstarted its inevitable pull to the ground. She looked damn good, ifshe did say so herself. Better than shed been giving herselfcredit for. Better than anybody old Louie out there would seeagain, for a long, long time.

That was that, then. It didnt even take muchcourage to decide. Shed just go out there right now and tell Louisthis was the last time theyd see each other. Let him find somebodyelse to watch walking away from the bed.

She tossed back her damp hair in a defiant gesture,left the robe open (so he could see what hed be missing), andmarched out to give Louis his marching orders.

The only thing that stopped her was the stunned,amazed expression on his face. That, and the kitchen knife stickingout of his chest.

I n retrospect, it allstarted with the lizard.

A gecko? I said. You want to give aneight-year-old girl a gecko?

I stared into my bedroom closet with what Im surewas the same expression Dr. Livingstone had assessing the Nile forthe first time, a combination of absolute wonderment and completeconfusion. My wife Abby stood behind me, doing her very best not tosnicker.

They make very low-maintenance pets, she said in asoothing tone, as if she were addressing a potentially dangerousmental patient. You dont have to walk them, you very rarely haveto clean the aquarium and they never make any noise. Try the blueone.

She indicated a royal blue Gap t-shirt Id beenavoiding. I turned to her, surprised, and pointed at it. Yes, Abbynodded, that one.