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

“I’m sorry.” Tears burn as they stream down my cheeks. “It’s all my fault.”

“No, it’s not, Lemon.” Everett rubs my back. “It’s his fault. Noah, you’re the one that okayed this entire body-snatching scheme. It would have been better to let it play out on its own.”

“Big Boss!” Cormack comes running into the room with a red bump on her forehead. “I’m all clear. I survived, and it’s all because of you!” She’s about to dive-bomb on him, and Everett catches her midflight.

“Whoa.” Everett helps her back to her feet. “He’s hurt.”

“Bullet wound.” Noah presses the back of his head into his pillow for a moment. “Clean exit. They say no surgery. I’m just waiting for clearance to leave.”

Cormack picks up his free hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’m coming over. I’ll bring soup, and start a fire, and we can watch a movie. In fact, I’ll stay all night. You won’t have to lift a finger.” She turns to Everett. “He saved my life.” She jabs a finger my way. “She sent us into a bloodbath! It was a setup, Lorinda. And don’t try to deny it. I demand that you divorce her, Everett. We’ll lawyer up and make sure that baby never sees the whites of her eyes.”

“Cormack.” Everett gives a long blink. “Nobody is touching Lemon’s baby.”

“I never told you to go to that abandoned flower mart.” The words speed out of me as my blood begins to boil. “You’re the reason Noah went into the building, not me.”

Cormack sucks in a quick breath. “It’s just like you to try to play the hero in every scenario, isn’t it?”

“Cormack”—Noah says her name sharply—“please call for someone to give you a ride home. You need to get some rest yourself. I don’t need anyone to babysit me. I’m fine.”

“I’m going to babysit you,” I say. “I’ll make sure you eat a good dinner, we can build a fire, and we can even watch a movie.”

Cormack growls my way.

Everett chuckles. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling they’re going to load him up on the good stuff and he’ll be out like a light, ten minutes after he gets home. Noah is right. You need to get some rest, too, Cormack.”

“Knock, knock,” a deep voice calls out from the entry and in walks Sheriff Jack Turner, Keelie’s father, along with a tall, leggy redhead, Noah’s partner in homicide crime, Ivy Fairbanks. “Mind if we come in a moment?” Jack sheds his signature heavily squinted smile. His silver hair gleams in the light, and his complexion looks ruddy against his olive-colored uniform.

“Please, come in.” Noah does his best to sit up a notch.

“Noah.” Ivy sheds a sarcastic smile at the entire lot of us. “I see you have quite the fan club.” She glances to my belly. “You might be a father soon.” She looks to Noah. “Why in the world would you head down that way and put your life on the line?”

Jack shakes his head. “Noah, I won’t believe you if you try to tell me you had no foreknowledge of the attack, so just fess up right now. Who told you about this? And why on God’s green earth would you go into it alone?”

Noah shoots a quick look to Everett. “I had no idea. Cormack—she was headed that way and I thought maybe I’d go meet up with her.” He closes his eyes a moment. “I thought maybe we could have a little alone time.”

In an effort to dig himself out of a hole, Noah is digging himself into an entirely different crater. It takes a talent—and a dash of my bad luck. I get it. He doesn’t want to implicate me, or my talking ghost who happens to be my informant at the mob, but I’m not liking the tradeoff.

“Aww!” Cormack coos. “And here I thought I was heading out to see a suspect, but it turns out, Larissa Lemon was putting me in the path of mortal danger.” Her voice grows sharp as she looks my way. “You can’t stand that Noah and I want to be together. Well, that’s too bad. It’s just something you’re going to have to get used to, just the way Noah has been forced to get used to you and Essex.”

Jack gives the back of his neck a quick scratch as he tries to decipher her scattered thoughts.

“Lottie?” He looks my way. “In English, please.”

“Cormack overheard me talking to someone at the bakery. I have no idea how she got that old flower mart out of the conversation.”

Jack Turner looks her way. “Is that true? You were eavesdropping and misunderstood something?”

Cormack’s mouth rounds out. “I was—I was certain that was the answer to the riddle.”

Jack looks from Noah to me. “All right. Sounds as if it was innocent enough. But it was an awfully big coincidence, son.” He winks. “And I for one don’t believe in coincidences. I’m going to ask you something, and I want a straight yes or no answer. Mind you, if there’s a hint of hesitation, I might read something into that.”

“Shoot.” Noah tilts his head toward the sheriff.

“Are you working with the mob?”

“No.” It streams from his lips quick as lightning. “Maybe it’s time to start believing in coincidences. They happen.”

“Okay.” Jack shrugs as he looks my way. “Stay out of danger, Lottie. Keep that baby safe.” He offers me a quick embrace before leaving.

Ivy narrows her gaze over at Noah. “You expect me to believe you were trying to have a rendezvous with Ms. Featherby?” Her left eyebrow rises into her forehead. “Get better, Noah. We’ll talk.”

She turns to leave, and Noah sits up another notch.

“Ivy”—he calls after her, and she turns around—“could I trouble you to give Cormack a lift back to the B&B? Her car was left in Leeds.” He looks to Cormack. “And don’t worry. I can