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Murder Among the OWLS
A Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery
Crider, Bill
Hardcover
$15.09 + $1.99 USPS S/H
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BOOK SUMMARY
It was the cat who told Sheriff Dan Rhodes that something was wrong. It ran into the house when he opened the door. His wife, Ivy, recognized the cat as belonging to their neighbor and told Dan to go check on the widowHelen Harris never let the cat out of

BOOK SYNOPSIS
It was the cat who "told" Sheriff Dan Rhodes that something was wrong. It ran into the house when he opened the door. His wife, Ivy, recognized the cat as belonging to their neighbor and told Dan to go check on the widow--Helen Harris never let the cat out of the house.
When Dan finds Helen's body on her kitchen floor, there is nothing to indicate that her death wasn't an accident. But Ivy's words ring in his head. Why was the cat out?
Helen had been active in a number of women's groups, one of which was the OWLS, the Older Women's Literary Society. She and some other women would also venture out with digging tools to look for ancient booty in the lands around the town. They didn't usually find much, but every now and then someone would dig up a coin or a piece of jewelry with potential. Could this have been the reason for Helen's death?
The investigation becomes more complicated as Rhodes learns that she actually had a number of suitors. Also, a news-hungry reporter who smells a juicy story gives Rhodes more trouble.
This is the fourteenth book in which Bill Crider has wowed readers with the extraordinary adventures of his Sheriff Dan Rhodes. Add a cast of vibrant characters, including wise-cracking deputies and the slightly wacky local citizens in Rhodes's bailiwick, and every book in this series is a wonderful treat.

BOOK EXCERPTS
Chapter One When Sheriff Dan Rhodes opened the screen door of his back porch, the cat was there. It was an inky black, and it stared up at Rhodes with greenish yellow eyes, like a fugitive from a Halloween cartoon. It was an ordinary cat, he supposed, the kind the local vet would label a DHC, for Domestic House Cat. After giving Rhodes the once-over, it walked past him into his kitchen, pausing just long enough to arch its back and rub against Rhodess leg, leaving behind some black hairs on his khaki pants. Rhodes sneezed and looked around at the cat as it sniffed around the kitchen. The cat ignored Rhodes. Rhodes turned back and looked out into the yard at Speedo, the border collie who inhabited it. Speedo wagged his tail. He didnt seem to mind that hed allowed a strange cat to walk right past him. Rhodes thought that if dogs could shrug and talk, Speedo would have shrugged and said, Hey, dont blame me for letting him get by. Cats are sneaky! Rhodes closed the door and went into the kitchen, where the cat was sniffing around the legs of the table. It appeared to be perfectly at ease. Rhodes saw that it was wearing a collar, a red one, and that a silver aluminum tag was hanging from it. He was about to have a look at the tag when Yancey bounded into the room. Yancey was a Pomeranian and spent most of his time in the house, where he did a lot of bounding. He looked to Rhodes like a giant, hyperactive dust bunny. With eyes and legs. Yancey froze when he saw the cat. Rhodes began to count silently. He had never seen Yancey stand still for more than five seconds. The cat either didnt notice Yancey or didnt care about him if it did. It walked around under the table and then strolled over to the refrigerator, where warm air was being forced out from beneath by the exhaust fan. The cat sniffed at the air. Rhodes had reached the count of seven-Mississippi, a new record, before Yancey went ballistic. The little dog bounced up and down in place, yipping. When it came to bounding, bouncing, and yipping, Yancey was a champ. The cat was unperturbed, and Rhodes wondered if it might be deaf. It walked away from the refrigerator and over to where Yanceys food bowl sat. Yancey stopped yipping and gave Rhodes an aggrieved look. Rhodes didnt say anything. He was curious to see what would happen. The cat didnt seem interested in Yanceys food, which was just as well. Rhodes remembered having heard somewhere that dog food wasnt good for cats. Turning away from the food, the cat leveled its gaze on Yancey and walked over to investigate him. Rhodes wished hed been counting, because Yancey was still silent and immobile. He seemed paralyzed with either fear or indecision. The cat walked right up to him and sniffed his nose. Yancey hopped backward down the hall and went into a paroxysm of yipping. The cat followed along, taking its time. If it had had a white stripe down its back, Rhodes thought, it would have been a ringer for Pepe Le Pew. Yancey stopped yipping long enough to give a low, halfhearted growl as the cat neared him. Rhodes had never heard Yancey growl before, and it was such an ineffective sound that Rhodes thought the cat might burst out laughing. Far from being intimidated, the cat reached out with one paw and gave Yancey a gentle swat on the nose. The cats claws were sheathed, but it didnt matter as far as the effect on Yancey went. The little dogs eyes bugged out, and he began trembling all over, now resembling a dust bunny with eyes, legs, and a vibrator inside. The cat stood where it was, giving Yancey a cool stare, as if daring him to strike back. Yancey clearly had no intention of trying any such thing. He turned and fled from the hall, yipping all the way. The cat watched until Yancey disappeared, then returned to its exploration of the kitchen, sniffing along the baseboards of the cabinets. What on earth is going on in here? Ivy asked Rhodes as she came into the kitchen. She gave Rhodes an accusatory look. Have you been mean to Yancey? Im completely innocent, Rhodes told her. Thats what they all say when you arrest them. Didnt you tell me that? I may have, but its an exaggeration. Some of them dont say anything at all. Where did Yancey go? Hes hiding under the bed. Ivy looked around and saw the cat. Whos that? We havent been introduced, Rhodes said. How did it get in here? It came though the door. Ivy put her hands on her hips. You let a cat in the house? Ivy was shorter than Rhodes and didnt weigh nearly as much, but she could be imposing at times. It came in when I opened the door, he said. Its all Speedos fault. Hes supposed to be the watchdog. They all say theyre innocent, and they all blame it on somebody else. Isnt that what you told me? I dont remember telling you that last part. Well, you did. Rhodes wasnt convinced, but Ivy didnt seem to mind. She walked over to the stove, where the cat was pawing at a crumb that had somehow eluded the broom. Hey, cat, Ivy said. The cat ignored her and continued to paw at the crumb. Rhodes grinned. He didnt know much about cats, but he knew they were good at ignoring people. Ivy stood patiently until the cat knocked the crumb under the stove. The cat tried to reach under the stove and retrieve its prey, but its paw wouldnt quite fit. Thats the last youll ever see of that crumb, Rhodes told the cat, which naturally ignored him. But Ivy didnt. Are you implying something about my housecleaning techniques? Im completely innocent, Rhodes said, holding up both hands, palms out. Dont start that innocent business again. We both know better than that. What are we going to do about the cat? Before Rhodes could answer, the cat turned from the stove and started arching its back against the leg of Ivys slacks. It purred so loudly that Rhodes could hear it from where he stood across the room. Well call him Sam, Ivy said. Rhodes sneezed. Bless you, Ivy said. Im allergic to cats, Rhodes said. Ivy shook her head. Thats not so. Its all psychological. Youre not really allergic to anything. Rhodes didnt think that was true, but he didnt argue. Instead he changed the subject, which hed often found was the safest course of action. You cant just give the cat a name. Youre not even sure its a he. Sam, for Sam Spade, Ivy said. Its a he, all right. Except that hes been fixed. Rhodes figured she knew what she was talking about, but he had never liked the term fixed, since it implied that a healthy male animal could be improved by castration. He wondered why they hadnt called it being broken or impaired. Hes not our cat, Rhodes said. Thats why we cant name him. Hes wearing a collar. Ivy bent down and picked up the cat. It continued to purr while she looked at the tag on the collar. Theres no name and address on here, she said. Just a number. The vet can find its owner from the number, Rhodes said. Ill check it out. You wont have to do that. I happen to be familiar with this cat. Thats how I know his name is Sam. You know who he belongs to? Cats dont belong to anybody but themselves. But this one lives with Helen Harris. Helen Harris lived a couple of blocks down the street. She was a former elementary-school teacher, about seventy, short and white-haired, and very active. Rhodes saw her out in her yard now and then, picking up small branches that had fallen from the pecan trees. Sometimes he saw her mowing the lawn. She always made him feel guilty because he hated mowing the lawn. But he had to do it. He figured that if a woman her age could mow, so could he. Her husband, W. H. Harris, had been a teacher as well. Hed taught at Clearview High School until his retirement at age sixty-five, and hed been Rhodess algebra teacher, or as Harris had called it, algebry. Rhodes hadnt learned much in the class, as Mr. Harris spent most of the time telling about how hed lost two fingers of his left hand when working at the sawmill one summer when he was in college. Rhodes had often wondered if hed have become a scientist or engineer instead of a sheriff if hed learned more math. Probably not. Mr. Harris had gotten a Realtors license during the time hed taught school, and hed bought and sold a few properties after he retired. A few years later, hed died, and Mrs. Harris had lived alone ever since. The funny thing is that Sam shouldnt be here, Ivy said. Rhodes agreed. I dont mean it like that, Ivy said. I mean that Helen never lets him out of the house. Thats why he feels so much at home here. Hes strictly an indoor cat. For an indoor cat, he seems to have had plenty of experience with dogs. He probably never saw one before. Thats why hes not scared of Yancey. Rhodes didnt think any cat, no matter how nervous, would have been scared of Yancey, who was most likely still cowering under the bed. I think you should go check on Helen, Ivy told Rhodes. I cant think of any reason shed let Sam out. You seem to know a lot about it. Helens a member of the OWLS. The Harrises had never had children, and they hadnt had many close friends that Rhodes knew about. Mrs. Harris had a brother in Montana, where hed retired after making a lot of money as an attorney in Houston. Hed never visited her, and the two must not have been close. After her husband died, Mrs. Harris had joined several groups that had social activities because they gave her something to do, and they got her out of the house. OWLS was an acronym for Older Womens Literary Society. Ivy occasionally attended the meetings as Helens guest because, as she said, it made her feel like a teenager to be surrounded by women who were all thirty or forty years older than she was. The women met in the library to talk about the books they were reading. Some of them brought homemade snacks to the meetings, such as chocolate chip cookies, pies, and cakes, though Ivy said she didnt eat them. Rhodes would have gone for the snacks alone. And he would have eaten them. He probably wouldnt have read the books they discussed, however, as he preferred watching old movies, the kind that used to be shown on TV late at night and which now turned up on bargain-priced DVDs. Hed recently picked up a copy of The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price from a bargain bin, but he hadnt had time to watch it. He wondered sometimes if he ever would. Id go check on Helen myself, Ivy said, but I dont want to be late to work. Ivy worked at an insurance agency downtown, and no one had to punch a time clock. But Ivy liked to be punctual, as Rhodes well knew. What about . . . the cat? he said. Rhodes couldnt bring himself to say its name. Once you named a cat, it was your responsibility, and he didnt want to take any chances. Ivy set the cat on the floor. Hell be just fine. Im sure hell be right here when you get back. That was what Rhodes was afraid of. Maybe I should take him with me. That might not be a smart idea. What if he got away from you and got lost? That was a good possibility, so Rhodes tried another tack. If he stays here, he might terrorize Yancey. Not unless he can find him, Ivy said. I wish youd go. Im worried about Helen. Sam wouldnt be out and about if everything was normal. A note of concern was in her voice, and Rhodes thought that maybe she had a point. Ill go look in on her, he said. Sam probably slipped out the door while she was sweeping the house or something like that. Maybe. If thats what happened, shell be looking for him. You be sure to call me and let me know if everythings all right. Ill call, Rhodes said. You dont have to worry. Im sure Helen is just fine. But he was wrong about that. Copyright © 2007 by Bill Crider. All rights reserved.
 

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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0312348096
ISBN(13-digit): 9780312348090
Dewey Decimal: 813/.54
Library of Congress: 2006050613
Book Publisher: St Martins Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 256

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