Seven Sisters - Earlene Fowler [36]
“You’re asking me to snoop around my stepson’s future in-laws.” This guy was starting to get on my nerves.
“Well . . .” He gave an apologetic but hopeful look. “You do it so well.”
I glared at him, completely annoyed now. “What?”
His country-gravy grin spread across his face again. “Your reputation precedes you. I’ve only been with the department about five months, but I wasn’t here but a few weeks when I heard the stories about you.”
I felt my face grow warm. “First piece of advice about San Celina: Don’t believe everything you hear.”
“Now I do apologize from the bottom of my heart. I never meant it as anything but a compliment. Why, I admire the tenacity and vivacity with which you solved your many homicide cases here in San Celina. You’re a legend, you know.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “The molasses is running a bit thick here, Detective Hudson.”
“Since we’re working together on this case, please call me Hud.”
I raised my eyebrows and scratched my neck. “Hud?”
“Yes, ma’am. Like the movie.”
“What movie?”
“What movie? How can you say that? The movie. One of the greatest movies ever filmed. Hud. With Paul Newman. It’s a Western, for cryin’ out loud. I can’t believe you never heard of it.”
“I thought Hud had something to do with low-cost housing.” I really had seen the movie. It was just fun teasing him. Besides, I hated that movie. It was depressing. Paul Newman plays a bad guy who is never brought to justice.
He gave me a disparaging look.
“Hud’s a dumb nickname. What’s your real name? And for the record, I never agreed to snoop for you.”
“My first name’s Ford. But I’ve always been called Hud.”
“Ford? Like the car?”
He nodded.
“Ford Hudson? Were your mom and dad nuts?”
“Now, that is something we could discuss at length sometime over a big ole cup of strong coffee. My mama is the finest lady to walk the Texas earth. My old man was unique, no doubt about that. And, yeah, they were both a tad nuts. It could have been worse. If I’d’ve been a girl, they were going to name me Cadillac.”
I grimaced. “Cadillac Hudson?”
“Yeah, good thing the little guy sperm won the race, huh?” He faked a sympathetic expression. “And I understand about the snooping. Chief Ortiz would most likely take away your allowance if he found out.”
I frowned at him. “Gabe and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“So, you don’t do whatever he says?”
“Of course not!”
“So, if you hear anything, you’ll call me?”
I wanted to strangle him. He’d managed to maneuver it so if I didn’t, it looked like I was under Gabe’s thumb. “I told you, I always cooperate with law enforcement. Why are you singling me out, Detective Hudson?”
“Hud. Like the movie.”
“Detective.”
“Well, me bein’ new here on the Central Coast and to the sheriff’s department and this bein’ my first homicide case, I figured I’d need someone in the know. You seemed like a friendly, intelligent face.” The expression on his face was so open and earnest I couldn’t help but relent a little. Men who were secure enough to admit they needed help held a certain type of power over women. Then again, the guy was a player, no doubt about it, and his aren’t-I-cute Tom Sawyer act probably fooled a lot of people . . . likely most of them women.
“No one would ever believe it if I told them you asked me to help you. Not to mention my husband would have your head.”
“You’re right on both counts, which is why I’ll deny to my dyin’ day this conversation ever took place.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re asking me to help you on this case by snooping around, which, if my husband found out, would give him the conniption fit of the century, and never get any credit for it if anything comes of it because you’ll deny you ever asked me to help you.”
He nodded. “That’s about it in a nutshell.”
“You want to tell me why you think I’d even consider it?”
He thought for a moment.