Page 34 of A Rose of Steel
“I have to tell you one more thing.”
“Okay,” I said.
She looked around, as if someone might have just snuck inside the closet to spy on us, then she leaned in, licked her lips and whispered. “I think FBI agent, Rhett Remmiere, on an undercover assignment, is in charge of the whole sting operation.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Oh brother!” I said. It was too much for me to try and control my reaction to her machinations. I had to laugh.
Rhett Remmiere had apparently just shown up one day on Auntie Zanne’s door step. According to her, he was not only FBI, but a certified spy. He, when I confronted him about his credentials, wouldn’t ever say for sure. Although he did deny being “certified” verifying that there wasn’t any such thing.
Now Auntie had the man in charge of a newsworthy, multi-university sting operation. The only thing I knew he did was drive a hearse.
“Don’t be so surprised,” she said as I laughed. “It happens all the time.”
“And you know all about that, huh?”
“Of course I do. Everyone does. You know it’s like in that movieThe Godfather,” Auntie said following me out of her closet, shutting off the light and locking the door behind her.
“I don’t think there were FBI agents inThe Godfather.”
“Sure, the one agent went undercover and got so involved in it that he became one of them.”
“I think what you’re thinking of the movieDonnie Briscoe,” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, agreeing with me although I was telling her she was wrong. “That’s the one. Don or Donnie if that’s what you want to call him, was the one that was the godfather.”
“If Rhett’s undercover, why is he using his real name?” I wasn’t going to try to explain to her thatDonniewas the guy’s name and not his title.
“Maybe he isn’t,” she said. “You ever thought of that?”
“No,” I said.
“And why did he come to Roble and get a job?” she asked. “He’s from Houston, who’d want to come here?”
“That’s what I’m always telling you,” I said. “Why leave Chicago to come back here. And if he is in charge, then he either thinks you’re involved or he’s been using you all the time.”
“Oh phooey, he is not using me. If he needed me as part of the sting, he could have just asked me.” She waved a hand at me. “And,” she drew the word out, “I’m not talking about you coming to a small town,” she said. “This is your home. Only family you have left is here. You should want to be here. But not Rhett. He has no reason. Unless...” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“So that’s what you think Rhett is doing here,” I said. “He’s working at your funeral home because he is on an undercover assignment to weed out college football coaches involved in a bribery and gratuity scheme.”
“Exactly!” she said.
“I was being sarcastic,” I said.
“But you hit the nail right on the head. It’s exactly what I think is going on.”
“So in your madcap scheme of federal proportions, who is the killer?”
“Have you been listening to me?” she asked.
“Unfortunately,” I said, “I heard every word.”
“Then you should know.”
This time I was sure she was going to make me guess.
“Uh. Let me think.” I tilted my head and rested my eyes on a spot on the ceiling. “In your newspaper article it was the coaches and marketing guy.” I looked at her. “There’s been no financial advisors around here, right?”
