Rubbed Out (A Memphis BBQ Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

dress, Granny Lulu.”
    Sometimes she did wonder where that child came from. “The dress is as pretty as you are, Coco, but I’m worried about what might happen to it, not whether it’s in fashion. The festival is a huge mud pit, sweetie. And the rain is still coming down in buckets. You’d really please me if you’d put something else on. Your mama is coming by the restaurant to work in a few minutes—let me call her real quick and ask her to bring you play clothes.”
    Of course, Ben should have been able to see that Coco wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing for Rock and Ribs when he dropped her off at the restaurant, but sometimes Lulu wondered if her son noticed much of anything that went on around him.
    “Did y’all get enough to eat this morning? Does anybody want to top off their tank before we head to the festival? We’ll be doing lots of walking, so no one needs an empty tummy,” said Lulu.
    Coco tilted her blond head in a considering way. “What’s here to eat?”
    “Well, we probably don’t have time to cook anything,” said Lulu. “It’s getting close to lunchtime, so if you wanted corn muffins or barbeque, I know we’ve got some ready.”
    Ben joined them on the porch. He still didn’t seem to notice that Coco was a bit too dressed up for the muddy festival.
    “Has Sara gotten here yet?” he asked.
    “Not yet. But she’s bringing a change of clothes for Coco, so that might have taken her some extra time,” said Lulu.
    Ben nodded absently and fingered his mustache. He cherished his facial hair since the hair on the top of his head had been steadily disappearing over the past few years. He preferred to think of his hair loss as just an expanding forehead.
    “We’re trying to figure out a quick bite for Coco to eat,” said Lulu.
    “Barbeque,” said Ben, confused as to why there was any question about a quick bite at the restaurant. “I’ve got a whole batch I cooked up.”
    Coco said, “Do we have anything else to eat?”
    Ben frowned at his daughter. “What do you mean, anything else?”
    Lulu said, “There’s lots to eat, sweetie. Why not have a couple of corn muffins?”
    “I made coleslaw. Or how about baked beans?” said Ben.
    Coco shook her head. “I’m getting a little tired of all that.”
    “Are you wanting something to satisfy your sweet tooth?” asked Lulu. “Maybe some gingerbread with butter? Or homemade peppermint ice cream?”
    You could have knocked her over with a feather when Coco shook her head again.
    “No,” said Coco slowly, “I want something real basic. Like a peanut butter sandwich.”
    “Peanut butter and jelly?” asked Ben, sounding out the words as if trying out a foreign language.
    “No jelly,” said Coco with a small sigh. “Only peanut butter.”
    Ben and Lulu stared at each other.
    “We don’t have any peanut butter at Aunt Pat’s,” said Lulu. “It’s usually not something we carry here.”
    “And not anything we have to carry, either,” said Ben stoutly, putting his hands on his hips. “This is a barbeque joint. Why would we have peanut butter here?”
    “I can see Coco’s point, though,” mused Lulu. “Somehow I’ve simply never gotten tired of barbeque and all the fixings. But I guess it’s possible to get worn out from eating ribs, fried pickles, and red beans and rice.”
    “Never!” said Ben.
    “Maybe I’m not worn out with it,” said Coco in a firm voice. “Maybe I just feel like peanut butter sometimes.”
    “Tell you what, sweetie,” said Lulu, giving her a hug. “I’ll put peanut butter on my list and I’ll make sure tobring it back to put in the office cabinet, especially for you. In the meantime, how about I make you a pimento cheese sandwich on some sourdough bread? I made some up yesterday.”
    Soon Coco was connected with no-nonsense, mud-worthy clothes, and the girls and Lulu headed off to Tom Lee Park. The rain subsided and they were able to walk around the festival without getting soaked. It