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

with Noah and Evie before we hit the sack, and boy do Everett and I ever hit the sack. It turns out, Everett is pretty good at thrusting himself.

It is magic.

It is beyond bliss.

It’s so heated, the paint just about melts off the wall.

Everett plies me with hungry, primal kisses that lead to far hungrier, far more primal places on that decidedly heavenly mattress of ours. My twin needs, Everett and the desire to lay my enormous body down, are finally met. Our passion explodes in a flurry of sparks, dangerous enough to burn all of Honey Hollow to the ground.

We go round after round, long into the night, until about two a.m. when there’s an abrupt knock on the door.

Everett and I pull ourselves together just enough to find Evie on the other side holding a phone out.

“It’s not mine,” she says. “I just found this in my purse. It belongs to Verity Prescott.”

Everett

Verity Prescott’s phone.

“Are we positive she’s a homicide victim?” I ask Noah as we stand outside of the rental Lemon and I are living in.

It’s the middle of the afternoon and Bear Fisher arrived a half hour ago with his crew to start clearing the land over what used to be Lemon’s old rental and my old place. I bought both places and moved heaven and earth to get the proper permits to conjoin the land and build a single family dwelling over both properties. A home for Lemon and me, Evie and our new child. And let’s be honest, Carlotta, too.

“Yes.” Noah looks incensed that I even had to ask. “Toxicology just got back to Ivy an hour ago. Verity had high levels of botulism in her system. As soon as Ivy got the news, she had the bakery swept to make sure it didn’t come from Lottie. And we know it didn’t. I told Ivy I had the phone, and she wants me to bring it down to the station. She doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that it ended up in Evie’s purse.” He gives the back of his neck a quick scratch. “She pointed out that Evie was the star of Verity’s final Insta Pictures upload. And well, she pointed out that Evie suddenly has two million followers.”

“Two million?” I glance back to the house in horror.

“And counting. Yesterday afternoon, she was at one point five. It’s growing exponentially. Verity mentioned in her post she would be passing the baton to Evie one day.”

I blow out a hard breath. “Yes, I saw it.” I shake my head at the house once again. “I vowed I’d keep her safe, and yet I can’t seem to do that. And now I’ve got this trial hanging over my head like a guillotine.”

“We’re going to get you out of this.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that.” He nods my way. “I don’t know how, but I’m pushing this boulder out of the way for you. I promise you that, Everett. You’re not frying for something I did.”

“I wish I had your confidence. But I’m not as worried as you might think. I’m willing to throw every dime I have on my legal team to get me through this trial. But I need a silver bullet. Something that will cast doubt in that jury’s mind.” A silent laugh bounces through me. “And yet, the prosecution has got my face on the security footage. My damn face.”

Noah nods over to the construction crew working the ground.

“What’s Bear’s ETA with the place?”

“Six months.” I sigh.

“I’d tack on a year.” He starts to take off. “I’ll get the phone to Ivy and catch up to you later. Don’t you dare leave Lottie’s side.”

I’m about to tell him I won’t when the door opens to my rental and Evie bullets out with Lemon and Carlotta stagnating on the porch.

“Dad! Uncle Noah!” Evie laughs as her eyes light up with enthusiasm. “I just got a private message on my Insta Pictures account, and you’ll never guess who it’s from.”

Noah juts his head forward. “Some cute guy from third period?”

That would have been my guess, too.

“Nope.” Her blue eyes flash my way. “The ghost of Verity Prescott.”

Lottie

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me, Mom,” Evie says as we head downtown in my minivan with Everett at the helm of the steering wheel. “You’re just not the type who believes in ghosts.”

“Oh my word,” I say as I get momentarily sidetracked by the army of people clogging up Main Street.

There’s not a parking spot left in sight, and there are a legion of women all lined up along the right side of the street, braving the elements as they wait their turn to enter into the Head over Heels Bookshop.

“We’ll park in the back,” Everett says as we change directions, and I take a moment to turn to look at my feisty daughter.

“I do believe in ghosts, Evie. More than you know. But I also believe that whoever sent you that message wasn’t Verity Prescott, and that they’re very much alive.”

It’s true. Evie got a rather sinister message—sinister simply by its presence—that read How are you enjoying your new kingdom? You are officially now the queen of the Insta Pictures scene. But with great power comes great responsibility. I’ve attached a few of my cheat sheets to help guide you in what to do next. But whatever you do, don’t share them with anyone else. They’re for your eyes only. You’re on your way to the top of the world. This could open many doors for you. Walk this path carefully. I’d hate to see you get mixed up with the wrong crowd of people. Remember to keep this a secret. And be on alert for more messages in the days to come. Have the time of your life! As evidenced by mine, you never know when it could all come crashing to an end.

Ominous, I know.

And yes, I very much thought that last bit sounded like a threat.

Everett, Noah, and I poured