Murder in the Mix Boxed Set 28-30: Cozy Mystery Addison Moore (the reading strategies book .txt) 📖

of a whiteout appeal. His skin glows a deep shade of olive, and he’s got a thin nose and broad forehead and a greasy grin that suggests he likes what he sees.

That smile drops from his face out of nowhere. “Whoa.” He pulls up his sunglasses a notch to gawk at my belly. “Whatcha looking for, little mama?”

Both Cormack and Carlotta fall to the other side of him before I can put in my request for a full confession.

“Well there,” he says, looking over at Cormack. “Now we’re talking. How are you, honey? Are you working the room tonight?”

Working the room?

“Why yes, I am, big boy.” Cormack wastes no time in pulling him in close by way of his lapel.

Flo grunts, “Lose the slut, Lottie. We’ve got business to conduct. I wanna know why this knucklehead had the nerve to slaughter me at the stroke of midnight.”

“You and me both,” I whisper. “But believe me, this little slut is harder to lose than a shadow at full noon.”

A maniacal laugh belts from the specter among us. “Watch and learn.” Flo knocks the whiskey right out of Nicky’s glass and into Cormack’s pretty little elf-like face.

Cormack lets out a yelp heard around the world as she gasps and gags.

“How could you!” she riots in his face. “This dress is a Vera Verigamo original!” She hauls off and slaps the poor guy over the cheek. “That was from me.” She hauls off and slaps his other cheek as well. “And that was from Vera!” She bolts from the sofa and heads toward a sign that points to the restrooms, and both Carlotta and I look to Flo in wonder.

“Where have you been all my life?” I marvel at her.

Nicky turns my way and holds up his hands. “Look, Mama. I’m into freaky things, but I draw the line when a woman has another man’s mule kicking in her stall.”

Carlotta chuckles. “Her husband doesn’t mind. There’s a fifty percent chance that little mule she’s housing belongs to her boyfriend.”

“Geez.” Nicky jerks his head my way. “You’ve got a lot of action going on there. Sounds to me like you’ve got plenty to keep you occupied at home. What are you doing at a place like this?”

I look to both Carlotta and Flo for answers, and all they give me are blank stares as if awaiting an answer themselves.

“It’s my sister’s going away party.” I shudder at the lie. “That woman who just ran off is my sister.” Good grief. I’ve stooped low before in the name of justice, but claiming Cormack as my next of kin makes me feel as if I’m roaming around the bottom in the muck and the slime.

Nicky ticks his head back a notch. “Where’s she going?”

“The psych ward,” the words swim from me without hesitation, and Carlotta is right back to chuckling. “A state-run facility—and she leaves tomorrow. She’ll be gone for a very long, long time.” Oh, how I wish.

“State-run?” He winces as he holds up his empty glass, and one of the glitzy waitresses takes it from him. “That’s some hard time. I can see why she’d want to have a little fun on her last day of freedom.” His lips turn down as he nods in the direction she took off in.

Flo grunts, “He’s considering it. I’d tell your friend to watch her back if I were you.”

I make a face. “Don’t mind my sister’s psychotic episode. A little whiskey in the face is how she likes to start her night off. And I’m betting you’re just the guy who can help her finish it. So are you single?”

Honestly? I really don’t know how to segue from sleep with my insane sister to did you slaughter your girlfriend at midnight?

The waitress drops off another finger length of whiskey in a cut crystal glass, and he takes a careful sip.

“I’m single,” he grunts. “Just lost my girlfriend, actually.”

“Aw, he remembers me.” Flo smacks him along the side of his head—along the exact side I’m closest to—and he jerks back to get a better look at me.

“Oww, what did you do that for?” He glares at me with a rife look of surprise.

“I didn’t do anything.” I take a cue from him and glare over at Flo, where the blame truly lies.

“Wait a minute, hot stuff.” Carlotta holds up a finger, and I do my best to subtly shake my head at her, but she’s not taking her eyes off of him. “I saw you the other night. I knew I recognized these sunglasses. You were at the Chanterelle Hotel the night they shot up that tramp who tried to hit on my boyfriend.”

“What?” Flo looks as if she’s about to dole out another smack right in Carlotta’s direction this time.

“Whoa, whoa.” Nicky holds up a hand. “Watch what you say about the deceased. That was Angel Face Flo who ended up eating it that night. And she happened to be my girl. Are you sure she was hitting on your old man?” He squints her way, disbelieving.

“Darn tootin’, buster.” Carlotta pulls out her phone and quickly pulls up a picture of Harry looking mighty mayoral as he’s waving to a crowd. And oddly enough, in that moment, I think I can see that we share the same smile. “He’s not much to look at, but women love that whole men in power thing.”

He nods. “Half the chicks that look my way only see my crown.”

It takes a lot of willpower not to roll my eyes at that one. Of course, the same can be said for Everett, but my stars up in heaven, that man has the face and body to back it. Everett is a deity in his own right. And right about now, he’s probably scouting for a new queen, considering I can’t seem to stop openly defying him. If I’m not careful, I might just end up getting booted out of his courtroom and his life.

A thought comes to me.

“Hey”—I gasp as I