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

your very own chapter because of it. I’ve gone all around town interviewing women you’ve rolled in the hay with. I couldn’t go ten steps without bumping into one of—”

“All right, we get it,” I snip. “Back to solving Flo’s murder. Who do we have? Lorena and Donata?”

Noah nods. “You mentioned that Donata was still bitter about her brother’s incarceration. She definitely had a motive. Rocky thinks she’s a viable suspect.”

“Rocky still loved her.” Everett warms me with his arm. “He thought the baby could be his.”

“True,” I say. “Then there’s Nicky Knuckles. He seemed to really care for her, too. But Rocky says Nicky had cheated on Flo. He said he would have killed him, but Nicky was in the running as the baby’s father and he couldn’t do that to the baby.”

Both Noah and Everett groan and nod as if they could commiserate with Rocky’s quasi-homicidal position.

“See there, Lot?” Carlotta laughs. “You’re practically a trendsetter. Ten bucks says within a year, half of the childbearing women in this town will be knocked up and just as confused as to who the daddy might be. And I bet they try to one-up you in the candidate department, too. If I were you, I’d throw Bear’s hat in the ring just to protect your reign as queen of the paternally undecided.

I avert my eyes. “Who else is on the chopping block?”

Everett shakes his head. “You’ve covered Donata, Nicky Knuckles, and Rocky Romero. We didn’t cover Lorena.”

“There’s nothing to cover,” I say. “Flo seems more than approving of her taking over the girl mob gang they started up, the Ruthless Witches.” I glance to Noah. “And believe me, they plan on living up to their name. I bet they’ll warrant their very own task force.”

“I have no doubt,” he says, folding his hands together.

Before we can come to any sort of a conclusion, a horrible thud comes from the other side of the door.

Everett jumps to his feet, but before he can get to the entry, the knob gives a violent jiggle and Evie bounds into the room.

“I hate him!” she screams at the top of her lungs. “I hate Dash, too. I knew I shouldn’t have made friends with these hillbillies! I’m packing up my things. Ship me back to Ellington, Dad!” She runs screaming and sobbing all the way to her room and slams her door with a bang that sounds louder than a gunshot.

“What in the world?” The four of us storm into Evie’s bedroom, only to find her wailing on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. “Evie?” I sit next to her and do my best to pull her my way until her arms are clasped over me, tight as a koala bear.

“It was Kyle.” She hiccups as she sobs. “I caught him and Dash making out in a dark corner. I hate them, and I hate everything.”

“I’m so sorry. When I was in high school, I had a boy who cheated on me and—”

“Why do you always have to make everything about yourself, Mom?” She starts in on another wailing cry as she grips me tighter.

“That’s right, Lot,” Carlotta hisses. “Let the girl have her moment. It’s not every day a boy has the cookies to step out on a Sawyer woman. And believe me, Evie Stevie, you’re a Sawyer where it counts.”

“Thanks, Cray-Cray.” Evie gives a weak shrug before laying her head on my shoulder. “And I’m sorry I yelled at you, Mom. But I won’t lie—it felt good. I’ll probably end up doing it more often.”

“There, there,” Carlotta says. “You just yell at my Lottie Dottie all you like. That’s what she’s here for. That’s what she signed up for when she agreed to be a parent to you. And that’s why your daddy hired her to be his wife.”

Noah snickers. “He did hire you, Lot. You can’t argue with that.”

It might be a little true, considering the fact I married Everett just to help save his inheritance, but I’m not digging in that direction tonight.

“Why don’t you get your PJ’s on, wash your face, and we’ll meet up in the kitchen for a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies?”

A smile swims on her lips as she gives a weak nod. “That’s the best part about having a mom who’s a baker. You’re always right there encouraging me to eat my feelings.”

We share a warm laugh as we leave her to get ready for bed. No sooner do I close the door to her room than Everett’s chest expands twice its width.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Noah nods. “I’ll help you hide the body.”

“Around and around it goes.” Carlotta takes a breath. “Where this killing machine will stop, nobody knows. I’d better get ready for bed myself. I’ve got a unicorn costume to put on.”

“So Harry’s coming over?” I ask.

She inches back with her mouth wide open. “How did you know?”

“I wish I could say it was a wild guess on my part, but you had me at unicorn costume.”

“I should’ve figured. You and I think exactly alike. Say—you don’t have a rhinestone leash I could borrow, do ya?”

“No.” It comes out deadpan.

“Fine.” She looks to Noah. “Now that you’re down for the count, can I borrow your handcuffs?”

Noah reaches into his pocket and tosses a pair her way. “You want the key?”

“What fun would that be?”

“Try not to bray all night,” I say. “Evie needs her rest if she’s going to talk to Dash tomorrow.”

Noah inches back. “Why would she ever speak with that girl again?”

“Because girls don’t let boys ruin their relationships. And who knows? It might all be a misunderstanding. Stranger things have happened.”

Everett nods. “Like a respected judge digging a body out of his old stepbrother’s backyard and dumping it in the middle of town square.”

Noah hikes his brows. “Now there’s a solid plan. Did you know there aren’t any security cameras in that direction?”

“I did know that,” Everett responds, and suddenly I’m a little worried about how