“Well, it will be you, one day very, very soon. I need you to get hitched so our kids can be the same ages and grow up together.” Her fingers fly to her lips. “I’m sorry! That was so insensitive of me. I’ve been all over the place lately. I’m ornery, angry, and demanding. It’ll be a miracle if Forest shows up at our wedding at all.”

  I slide a plate of colorful macarons her way, and she pops one into her mouth in haste.

  “Of course, he’ll show up. You’ve been in love for as long as I can remember.” With the exception of that nasty breakup last summer which led to Lainey revenge dating Hook Redwood’s brother, Tanner, who was brutally murdered. I shudder at the thought.

  “You’re thinking about Tanner, aren’t you?” Lainey’s eyes grow wild. “You’re afraid there will be a murder at my wedding!”

  “Not happening. I promise you that,” I say it so fast I almost believe it. Of course, Lainey knows what I’m thinking. I’m the book she can’t stop reading. I’ve never been able to hide anything from my big sister.

  “Only time will tell.” She glowers at the wall behind me for a moment. “What’s happening with Rich’s homicide investigation? Any solid leads?”

  “Not really. I spoke with Gloria, Michelle, and Claret. And I gleaned some info at your bridal shower. It turns out, Rich was having financial trouble for a while but came into some kind of a big payday just before he was killed. And Scott Dushane mentioned to Mayor Nash that whoever did this tried to get a hit on Rich, but the mob wisely declined.”

  Bear smirks. “They don’t call them wise guys for nothing. So, what’s next?”

  “I want to speak with Scott myself. And I still need to track down Dawn Dallas, and maybe even her old boyfriend Griffin.”

  “Dawn Dallas.” Bear tips his head to the side, deep in thought. “Griffin Locke? I know that dude. He’s a contractor out in Leeds. You need to talk to him? I know how to find him tonight.”

  “Tonight?” My fingers fly to the back of my apron as I whip it off. “Where is he?”

  Lainey holds up a hand. “No way are you going alone.”

  “I’ll try to take Everett.”

  “And me,” Keelie volunteers as Bear wraps an arm around her waist.

  Bear shakes his head. “And there’s no way I’m letting you two go off on your own.”

  “So, where are we headed?” I can already feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

  “Tequila Mockingbird. They advertise beer as cold as your ex-girlfriend’s heart.” He winces and rightly so. “Sorry, Lot.”

  “Not a problem. Seven o’clock sound good?”

  Keelie wraps her arms around her new man. “We’ll see you there.”

  Tequila Mockingbird is on the wrong side of Leeds, and as fate and destiny should have it, there is no other side to this troublesome town. I texted Noah to let him know where I’d be in the event he wanted to join me, but he said he and Ivy had a lead they needed to follow up with, more info to come.

  Everett nods to the sign out front, and I scoff. “Looks like the soup of the day is whiskey,” I say.

  He ticks his head to the side. “You know what they say. Whiskey is sunlight held together with water.”

  We look to the shiplap façade outside of the building as a large neon sign boasts their nod to great literature. Hanging on the door there’s yet a far more informative sign for the drunk and the lonely.

  Looking for a meaningful one night relationship? Inquire inside.

  I groan as we study it for a moment. “At least there’s an air of honesty about it.”

  “There’s nothing more honest than hearing a woman say, ‘I don’t care what your name is.’” Everett’s brows bounce my way, and I can’t help but laugh. I’ve no doubt Everett has heard that phrase many, many times. “You ready for this, Lemon?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, Essex.” I give a sly wink as we enter this drunken wonderland.

  Inside, the music is loud, and the rowdy crowd is even louder as they chant and scream while congregating at the bar.

  A trio of women—a brunette, a blonde, and a redhead—hop up on the counter and start in on a cross between a kick line and something I once saw in Coyote Ugly. I’m pretty sure that if someone starts a line of fire across that granite, things will go south pretty quickly.

  The place is lined with bodies to the hilt, the furniture looks as if it’s made of balsa wood, and there’s enough hairspray in this crowd that ensures the fact heads will spontaneously combust at the sight of the first flame. And what’s with all the big hair, neon clothes, and garish makeup these girls are sporting, anyway? Just as I’m about to get waylaid in my mission by assessing the poor follicular choices and bad fashion sense that abounds, I spot the giant sign near the door that reads eighties night.

  Makes perfect sense.

  Bear waves to us from the back as the girls on the counter stomp their way to celebrity status among the drunk and the lonely.

  Everett and I pass a sign that reads beware of pickpockets and loose women—the official Leeds’ motto, I’m guessing.

  We make a beeline to the back where Bear leads us to a room lined with pool tables and an entire army of slouched men. The music is still pretty loud but not quite jet engine levels like it was in the bar proper, and there are less scantily-clad girls in the vicinity and more flannel-clad men, which explains why it smells like feet.

  “Lottie, Everett.” Bear makes wide eyes at us as he and Keelie lead us over to a man with a baseball hat on backwards, unshaven face, and eyes that look as if they have no hope. He’s chewing on a toothpick as he stakes a pool stick to the ground between his feet. “This is my buddy, Griffin Locke.” Bear slaps the guy on the arm. “We did hard time in a couple of construction jobs back in the day. Griffy here owes me one, so ask him anything you want.”

  Now it’s me making crazy eyes at Bear.

  Way to go. I’m sure “Griffy” here will want to spew forth all his deep, dark secrets now that he knows we’re here to investigate him. If he is the one who did it, it’s not like he’s going to fess up to killing Rich.”

  “I killed the guy.” He pumps a dry smile, and my stomach bottoms out.

  “Really?” I lean in, hoping he’ll say yes and Everett and I can make a citizen’s arrest. I’d love nothing more than to get my mother off the murderous hook before Lainey’s impending nuptials.

  “Not really.” He holds a hand out my way, and I shake it before he does the same with Everett. “But let’s just say someone beat me to the punch. It was on my bucket list, and now I’m very disappointed I won’t get to cross that line item out with the satisfaction of knowing I did the deed myself. I’m guessing you want to talk to Dawn.” He nods just past us as a gorgeous redhead bounds over in a skin-tight tank top that bears this fine establishment’s moniker and a pair of Daisy Dukes.

  Instantly, I recognize her from the bar hop blitz.

  “Hi, I’m Lottie, and this is my boyfriend, Everett.” I extend a hand her way. “I’m sort of looking into your father’s case for the sheriff’s department. My mother is a suspect, and I’m trying to clear her name. Up until your father was murdered, they were engaged. I—um, am really sorry about your dad.”

  “Pft.” She sprays us with spittle as she mocks my sympathy. “No, you’re not. And if you are, you never met him. The man was a bear. Scratch that. If a bear and lion had a baby, that would have been my father. He wasn’t exactly a nurturer so much as he was a deranged control freak. I’m writing a book about what it was like to live under his tyranny. I was hoping to expose him while he was still alive so I could see the rage and humiliation in his eyes, but that good time won’t happen now.”

  Everett and I exchange a quick glance.

  Keelie bops over with a pool stick in tow. “What happened with the two of you, anyway? Why would a father just cut you out of his life? He must have thought you did something pretty terrible, and yet I can’t imagine in a million years what I could possibly do to get on my daddy’s dark side.”

  That’s because Keelie’s daddy doesn’t really have a dark side—that is, unless you’re on the wrong side of the law and you’re not blood-related. He exposes his dark side for a living as the captain of the Ashford Sheriff’s Department.

  Dawn butts her hip against Griffin’s as she hugs him sideways, and they look like an adorable pair.

  “This guy happened. I fell in love with Griff. And I didn’t care that our fathers didn’t get along. Griffin and I practically grew up together. The Lockes were our family friends for years before his dad”—she nods to the man she’s latched herself to—“took off with my dad’s fortune.”

  Griffin glances to the floor. “He’s still in the Caribbean.”

  “But”—Dawn lifts a finger—“my dad weaseled his way back to the top with dicey investments.”

  Griffin nods as if to say she got it right. “And don’t forget his recreational spending habit,” he says that last part in air quotes.

  Dawn takes a deep breath. “My father was a compulsive gambler. He justified it in many ways, but mostly he threw the fact he earned it, so he could do as he wished, into my mother’s face.” She pumps a dry laugh and closes her eyes at the mention of her mother. “My mom and sisters are a piece of work, too. As soon as Daddy threatened to cut them off for having anything to do with me, they quickly lost my number. My own mother—can you believe that?” Her eyes grow glossy with tears. “And to think, I thought my sisters loved me. Little did I know their love came with a price tag.”

  “Don’t worry, babe”—Griffin dots her cheek with a kiss—“you’ll always have me.”

  Both Keelie and I coo in unison. They really are that sweet. Who would have thought the most normal Dallas of the bunch would be the black sheep? Go figure.

  On second thought, I bet that’s a scenario that plays out every day in every way.

  Dawn offers a weak smile to Everett and me. “With my father, you always had to choose sides. There was no gray area. And unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately for me, I chose the gray area.” She gives the scruff on Griffin’s face a quick scratch. “I heard there’s a funeral. I thought about going, but I don’t think he would have wanted me there. And I don’t want to face the rest of my family either. I don’t. We’ll see how I’m feeling.”

  Geez. I don’t blame the poor girl for vacillating.

  Everett looks to the side, and I can practically see his wheels turning. “A gambling problem. It makes sense. That only brings trouble into your life.”

  “You think that’s the connection?” I ask, no longer worried about hiding my motives from Dawn or her boyfriend. If anything, they might be the key that unlocks this mystery. “Hey?” I look back to Dawn. “You wouldn’t happen to know where your father did his gambling, would you?”

  Keelie snorts. “Ten bucks says it’s Red Satin.”

  Dawn shakes her head. “Good answer, but you’d be out ten bucks. My father was into high stakes poker. This was a boys’ club through and through. They met at some mansion in Fallbrook once a week. I wouldn’t go digging around, though. My dad was flirting with the mob, and so were the other men who got suckered into that con job of a playing field. They’re the ones that professionally fleeced my father a second time. A friend of mine works at Red Satin. He helps me keep tabs on Claret and that gangster she’s trying to tie down.” She pumps her shoulders.

  “If your dad and these other men were being suckered, don’t you think they would have figured it out and gone somewhere else?”

  “The mob isn’t stupid.” She looks to Griffin, and he nods as if they were suddenly talking about something entirely different—like a mob hit that recently got declined perhaps? “They let the guys win once in a while. You got to throw a dog a bone every now and again or he won’t come back.”

  Everett gives my hand a squeeze. I know what he’s thinking. My mother mentioned that Rich came into some money right before he died. A lot of money. Perhaps so much money that whoever owed it to him didn’t really want him to collect. I think I’m seeing the light now.

  I offer an amicable smile to Dawn and Griffin. “Thank you both for your time. I really appreciate you speaking with us.”

  “Don’t go so soon.” Griffin reaches back and plucks a couple of pool sticks off the wall and tosses them our way. “Let’s have some fun, now that the old man has bit the big one. Here’s to the Grim Reaper finally getting it right.” He tosses a stick to Bear, too. “I’m kicking your hiney first.”

  We stay for hours, kicking each other’s hineys—girls against guys.

  Keelie, Dawn, and I kick the rock-hard hineys pitted against us all the way to the curb, and we have a darn good time doing it, too.

  By the time Everett and I get back to Honey Hollow, back to Country Cottage Road, we’re still high on life, our spirits buoyed due to the fact we actually managed to let loose for once in that lewd lusty town we’ve burrowed ourselves into one too many times.

  “Hop in for a nightcap?” Everett hitches his thumb toward his house, and I follow him up to the porch.

  “What’s this?” I bend over and pick up a bouquet of roses lying on his doormat. “How very romantic. It looks like someone has a secret admirer,” I tease just as that mystery woman comes to mind, and my stomach sours as I examine the dark flowers. “Wait a minute.” I hold them under the light. “Oh my God, Everett. They’re black.”

  Everett and I stare down at the long-stemmed nightmares as if they had morphed into vipers.

  Someone is sending Everett a message, one that very well could be deadly.

  And that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

  Nell’s words come back to haunt me. Someone’s future is about to be altered in a significant way. And now I wonder if that was a nice way of saying Everett would soon be dead.

  Chapter 16

  All week I’ve been on edge. All week I’ve been on guard. All week I’ve thought about the gun in my bedroom.

  Everett didn’t want to make a big deal about the roses, but I took a picture of them and sent it to Noah. Of course, Noah teased me for making a death threat of my own, but once I explained things to him, he too became worried for Everett. And I’d be a liar if I didn’t say that little bit of post-brotherly affection warmed my heart.

  It’s the afternoon of Rich Dallas’ funeral. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and there’s a killer out there who thinks they’ve gotten away with murder.

  It’s not fair that a great man like Rich is dead. Okay, so he wasn’t all that great, but who’s perfect? He certainly didn’t deserve to get brutally stabbed in the back. He deserves justice. And I’m going to make sure he gets it.

  Everett and I just arrived to Honey Hollow Covenant Church. Everett is dressed to kill—pardon the pun—in an inky dark suit, metallic black tie, and his scruff is just the right length for it to be soft to the touch. He’s so painfully handsome, already three different mourners have craned their neck in his direction and he’s hardly gotten out of the car.

  The parking lot is pretty full, which I wasn’t expecting. But I suppose Rich had lots of acquaintances and, of course, his family. Noah said that he and Ivy would meet up with us in Carlson Hall after the funeral. Together, they’ve routinely made the rounds after a victim’s funeral, and every now and again we glean something new that can help with the investigation. I’m praying that happens today. The closer we get to Lainey’s wedding, the more determined I become.

  The church is a soft yellow building with wood and stone accents. And just outside the entry there’s a large picture of Rich beaming his signature scowl at those kind enough to pay their respects.

  Mom stands at the door greeting those who enter, along with a tall man about her age, dark hair, half-moons for eyes, and a smile that looks appropriately friendly.

  “Lottie, Everett, this is Pastor Gaines. He’s new to the church. Not only is he taking care of Rich’s funeral, but he’ll be presiding over Lainey’s wedding. Isn’t that exciting?”

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” I say, shaking his hand, and he politely shakes with Everett, too.

  Pastor Gaines looks back my way. “I look forward to your sister’s wedding.”

  Everett nods. “Are you new in town?”

  “I’m from Nevada originally. My aunt lives not too far from Honey Hollow, and I was lucky enough to acquire the position here.”

  “Welcome to town,” I say as my mother edges in closer to him by the minute. That silly grin she gets whenever she thinks there’s a cute boy in the room has completely taken over, and I frown at her, hoping that’s enough of a hint for her to knock it off.

  “Oh”—Mom latches onto my arm—“before I forget, we’re holding Mayor Nash’s victory party at Honey Lake this Wednesday, day right after the election—a little preemptive thinking on my part.” She gives a sly wink. “I promised Mayor Nash you’d furnish some sweet treats. Of course, the city is willing to pay for it.” She turns to Pastor Gaines. “Nobody bakes like my Lottie. She owns the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery. Just wait until you try her cookies. You’ll never buy store bought again.”

  He hums a gentle laugh. “I’m sure I’ll love them. In fact, I’ll be sure to stop by some time soon.”

  “That would be wonderful. Your first cookie is on me.” I tick my head toward the sanctuary. “I guess we’ll see you inside.”

  Everett and I step into the foyer when Nell bursts through the wall that divides the church and the entry.

  “Oh dear”—she swoops in close as I pick up Everett’s hand—“please prepare yourselves for what you’re about to see. I’m quite upset Miranda isn’t warning people at the door.”

  “What do you mean what we’re about to see?” I ask as Everett and I walk right through her and peer past the double opened doors.

  As soon as my eyes catch a glimpse of it, I suck in a quick breath, and a wave of weakness rides right through me.

  Everett groans. “Who the hell is in charge of this circus?”

 

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