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

seemed like there were even more booths than ever before—each one carefully decorated and with Slovakia prominently featured. The festival pulsed with music and excitement. A mixture of savory aromas wafted through the air—spicy ribs mingling with onion rings and cotton candy. And there were wall-to-wall people, happily mucking through the mud to be there for the mouthwatering food and soul-stirring blues.
    Ella Beth stopped and sniffed the air outside one booth. “That one. Let’s go to that booth, Granny Lulu. Something smells wonderful!”
    “Your nose knows! It sure does smell delicious. But the booths aren’t open to the public, remember? Once we head over to the Graces’ tent, we can get some ribs. The food that’s being cooked up is for friends of the people in the booth and the judges.”
    Ella Beth’s freckled face was disappointed, but she quickly got over it when Lulu offered to buy the girls their choice of fair food from one of the food vendors. It was truly amazing, she mused, how many things couldbe fried And it was a really good thing that they didn’t eat fair food every day or they’d all be as big as barns.
    “Now that we’ve all gotten set up with food, y’all, let’s head over and see the Graces’ tent. I think you’re going to like it.”
    Ella Beth squinted up at Lulu in a considering way. “I’m guessing that it’s covered with Elvises. And food.”
    Coco chimed in, “It’s got to have Elvises or else it wouldn’t be right. I think they made an Elvis statue out of barbeque.”
    Ella Beth frowned at her. “That wouldn’t work, Coco. It’d be a falling-down sloppy mess. But I bet they could make an Elvis out of corn muffin mix Mmm. That would be good.”
    Coco said, “Maybe they could do an ice sculpture of Elvis.”
    Lulu beamed at her. “And lovely it would be, too. But you know how hot it is right now. It would be a skinny Elvis in seconds if they made any kind of ice sculpture.”
    As soon as they reached the Graces’ tent, the women swooped down on the girls. “We knew there was a reason that the sun came out!” chortled Cherry, dressed up like an early seventies version of Elvis.
    “Aren’t y’all the cutest things,” crooned Flo. “Come to have some barbeque?”
    Even Evelyn languidly unfolded herself from the lounge chair she’d brought in and hurried over to hug Ella Beth and Coco.
    “Well,” said Lulu, “we weren’t sure if y’all were cooking yet or if you had anything left over—you know. We didn’t want to presume anything. So the girls finished up deep-fried candy bars from one of the food vendors.”
    The Graces were horrified.
    “Honey,” said Flo, “we’re cooking about twenty-four hours a day right now for the next few days. We’ve got better food for y’all than deep-fried Ho-Hums or whatever you bought from a vendor.”
    Evelyn, who looked to be dressed up like Priscilla Presley, said, “And we’re inviting all kinds of folks to come in and sample from us. You know how it has to be invitation-only to come into a booth, but we’re having a hard time being selective so we’ve already invited a total of about twenty-five brand-new friends to hang out with us. If we’re inviting strangers, we’ll surely be inviting you, too!”
    Lulu asked the girls, “Do y’all have any appetite at all left?”
    Ella Beth said, “We’ve always got room for barbeque, Granny Lulu. You know that.”
    Coco drawled, “Well, sometimes maybe I don’t. There’s only so much barbeque a girl can have in a day, you know. But I want to try the Graces’.”
    Soon the girls were sitting in the little eating area in the back of the booth, happily exclaiming over the food while Lulu caught up with her friends near the grill.
    There was whooping and hollering from the next-door booth. Lulu said, “Sounds like you’re real close to the action here. Any more excitement from the booth next door?”
    Evelyn flicked lint from her 1970s-era miniskirt. “Oh,