Dancing With the White Squirrels (eBook)

B. C. Murray (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021 | 1. Auflage
286 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-0983-9382-3 (ISBN)

Infos

In 1974, Harvard grad Chance Albright is named CFO for Bud's Bargain Stores, a five-and-dime store chain based in the small South Mississippi town of Columbia, Mississippi. Chance and his wife Charlotte, a former Boston College cheerleader, learn that nefarious activities carried out by a company employee may have led to the murder of a popular high school student. This discovery places their own lives in danger just a matter of days since arriving in what they believed to be a sleepy, Southern community.

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DANCING WITH THE WHITE SQUIRRELSBYB.C. MURRAYIt was springtime in 1974, and Chance Albright, a recent Harvard graduate, and his wife, Charlotte, a former Boston College cheerleader, arrive in Columbia, Mississippi. Chance will serve as the chief financial officer with Bud's Bargain Stores, a five and dime store chain based in the small South Mississippi town. During a party on their first Saturday night in town, Charlotte and Chance, along with members of the chamber of commerce and their spouses, learn of the tragic death of Brent Foxworth, a popular charismatic high school student found dead from a gunshot at Red Bluff. Charlotte and Chance soon befriend Becky Sanders and Craig Ashley, two close friends of Brent's who say their friend did not commit suicide as everyone suspects. Instead, his stealing marijuana from drug dealers who brought the weed up the Pearl River from New Orleans caused his death. While at work, Chance discovers an inexplicable spike in company earnings that began eighteen months earlier. Chance's suspicions, along with his and Charlotte's friendship with the murdered boy's friends, draws the ire of Joe Don McDaniel, a longtime Bud's Bargain Store employee and a key player in both the pot running business and the nefarious activity responsible for the anomalous increases in Bud's company earnings. Joe Don's covert experience in the CIA's clandestine war in Laos during the 1950s and early 1960s makes him a dangerous man to cross.

Textauszug

Dancing With the White Squirrels

B. C. Murray

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

Because it was such a beautiful spring day, Chance successfully talked Charlotte into delaying their trip across the state line to buy liquor. Instead, he convinced her to join him on a walking tour of downtown Columbia. The two turned left out of the Round Table and headed one block west to Main Street. Before they made another left turn onto the town’s primary thoroughfare, they noticed people standing in front of a drugstore on the right. The building was three stories tall and featured a black, shiny façade. A sign on the side door of the building notified passers-by that above the drugstore on the building’s upper floors were several medical and attorney offices.

After passing two five and dime stores, including a Bud’s Bargain Store, the two passed another drugstore. Next, they walked past a jewelry store, a flower shop, another drug store, and a few other small shops until they were in front of The Watts Company. Since this store was more significant than the others, the couple decided to drop in for a visit. The women’s department was on the left side, the men’s department was on the right side of the s ground floor. Store workers stood by ready to help potential customers; some looked anxious while others looked bored. A tall, bald man who appeared to be in his fifties greeted the two and explained that he was an owner. Chance and Charlotte exchanged greetings with the amiable man and informed him of what brought them to his hometown. The owner then rounded up his brother, a much shorter, heavier, bespectacled man who was just as courteous. Taking note of how Charlotte and Chance dress, the owners asked them if there was anything, in particular, they were interested in seeing. The brothers promised a welcoming discount that all new Bud’s employees received.

Charlotte left to browse the women’s department while Chance strolled through the men’s section with the two owners. However, it didn’t take long for them to circle back and find one another as neither of them found anything they desired. The owners then asked the couple to join them upstairs. After a short climb up a set of old, creaky, wooden steps, Charlotte and Chance eyed stacks upon stacks of Levi’s jeans. The proprietors were proud of being the sole source for Levi Strauss products in town. They even boasted they advertised this on commercials are heard on WTIX, a famous New Orleans radio station.

Feeling obligated to purchase something, Charlotte grabbed a couple of jeans and ran into the changing room. Chance, likewise, found a pair but decided to forego trying them on. A minute or two later, Charlotte popped out of the dressing room wearing the jeans that tightly gripped her long legs and seductively curved hips. The jeans rode low on her waistline, revealing two inches of her flat, toned waist. The way she wore the jeans, together with her T-shirt that tightly covered her perfect breasts, had not only the two store owners but several others standing by paying attention. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Chance spoke up, “We’ll take those, and I’d like to buy these for myself. I’m sure we will be here many more times in the coming months.”

Charlotte ran back into the dressing room and changed back into her shorts. When she returned, the store owners took the couple back down the stairs to the check-out counter. The wife of one of the owners, a short, bubbly woman, introduced herself and reminded the couple of the discount they were eligible for at The Watts Company. Charlotte thanked her while Chance carried on more small talk with the two owners. Then, the couple said their goodbyes and walked out onto the sidewalk to see what else downtown Columbia had to offer.

They crossed Second Street, where a Western Auto sat on the north side of the west end of the street. On the south side stood a stationery company, the newspaper office, and the Southern Grill restaurant. On the east corner of Main and Second was Citizen’s Bank featuring a flashing sign informing passersby of the current time and temperature. Just past the bank, the street ended at a beautiful faux marble courthouse that sat on what appeared to be a town square. Sitting on a cement ledge in front in the shadow of a gray monument were two older men, one in overalls and the other in gray coveralls, who seemed to wave at every passing car.

Charlotte and Chance turned right so they could explore the west side of Main Street. The first store they encountered was The Rankin Company, a department store. The two peeked inside and greeted a tall, sandy-haired man with a bushy, handlebar mustache who said his name was Jerry. Jerry made a not-so-subtle reference to the Watts Company bag Charlotte carried. So naturally, they now felt obligated to look around. Charlotte went to the left to browse the women’s department while Chance followed Jerry to the men’s clothing on the right.

While thumbing through racks of shirts and pants, he could feel Jerry’s eye peering intensely upon him, making Chance more than a little uncomfortable. “Chance,” Jerry finally said, “you must be an athlete as fit as you are.” Without turning around to look at Jerry, Chance explained he played lacrosse in college. He also noted Charlotte had been a cheerleader at Boston College. However, it was apparent Jerry had no interest in Charlotte. Instead, he remained focused on Chance. Thankfully, after purchasing a pair of sandals, Charlotte reappeared to save her husband. The two moved toward the store’s exit as Chance assured Jerry they would be back soon to shop. “I’ll be looking out for you,” Jerry assured them. “Chance, if I see something that may be a perfect complement to your wardrobe, do you want me to call you at Bud’s headquarters and let you know?”

“Sure, I guess,” was all Chance could think to say.

Charlotte grabbed her husband’s hand and pulled him toward the exit. “That is so nice of you, Jerry. We have to run now but will look forward to seeing you again soon. Take care.” She pushed the door open and burst out laughing after the two reached the sidewalk. “My, my, it looks like my hubby has an admirer!” Chance grimaced slightly. “Chance, he never looked at me more than a second. I could have been stark naked, and he would have never noticed. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you!”

Chance replied, “Naw, he was just trying to get into my pockets and sell something.”

Charlotte chuckled, “You naïve boy! He didn’t ‘want inside your pockets; he wanted inside–-”

“Let’s get out of here! Chance yelled, interrupting his wife. The couple walked down the sidewalk and passed yet another drug store. Then, trying to change the subject, he asked, “Is that the third or fourth drug store we have seen so far?’

“Fourth, I think. Maybe people need lots of drugs to survive in a place like this,” Charlotte replied sardonically.

“Give it a chance, Charlotte. We just got here,” her husband defended.

“All right, but you still haven’t taken me to Varnado yet.”

“Charlotte, it’s only ten o’clock, for God’s sake!”

“True, but it’s eleven in Boston.” They crossed Second Street and were directly in front of a tiny, oval-shaped red-brick building that resembled a hotdog stand. Chance squinted to look inside and spotted two police officers jammed together inside the small structure. Seeing the young couple, the officers smiled and waved. Once across the street, they were in front of another department store, The Lampton Company. The pair entered through the front door and were able to mingle undetected. The old building was beautiful, they decided. The hardwood floor, high ceiling featuring massive spinning ceiling fans, and antique furnishings presented an aura of nostalgia. With an inventory of every kind of clothing and household item imaginable, the store had the feel of a general store from yesteryear.

With no one noticing, they eased out the front door and continued their walk down Main Street. They passed Columbia Bank, a furniture store, and another clothing store. When they reached Church Street, they turned and headed back to the Round Table. After dropping the bags in their room, they hopped inside the GTO and began a driving tour of their new hometown.

On Church Street, Charlotte found the old Southern homes she had anticipated. Each yard appeared immaculately landscaped. More often than not, on this Saturday, a teenage boy was seen mowing, or a black man was hoeing a flower bed or edging a driveway or sidewalk. Adding to the area’s beauty, all the dogwood trees, azaleas, and other native plants were fully bloomed. Finally, they reached Keys Hill, a beautiful, historic neighborhood featuring even more impressive homes and gardens as they headed westward. When they reached the end of Church Street, they turned right onto Highway 44 and proceeded until they reached Broad Street. After a quick turn to the right, Charlotte and Chance caught sight of several beautiful mansions on their right. These homes featured perfectly manicured lawns and looked like scenes straight out of Charleston or Savannah. After spotting a red brick drive, the couple ventured down the narrow lane that featured more beautiful homes hidden from the main road.

When they reached the end of the drive at the top of the hill, a mansion appeared with a yellow stucco façade with a Spanish tile roof. The home had a circular driveway. They drove around, noticing a wrought-iron balcony that overlooked a beautiful, sunken pond and garden. Where they stopped, they could see to the end of the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 16.8.2021
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-10: 1-0983-9382-1 / 1098393821
• ISBN-13: 978-1-0983-9382-3 / 9781098393823