Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 Tamra Baumann (new books to read txt) 📖

is true, though, is they didn’t see eye to eye with your mom. Your mother didn’t think anyone needed as much wealth as your grandparents had. Especially when there are so many needy people in the world. So they put Frank in charge. But the real crime here is that your grandparents wanted you and Meg to have what was your mother’s one day and Frank is trying to stop that from happening. They loved you very much.”

I know they did. We loved them too. “Instead, Uncle Frank has just been waiting for Mom to screw up so he could swoop in and take it all away.”

Dad nods. “But at the end of the day, it’s just stuff, Sawyer. I find it rather freeing to have so few possessions.”

One of those possessions being money. I’ve always found Dad’s lifestyle stressful, but I understand his sentiment. “Stuff that doesn’t belong to him. But you’re right. We have bigger problems right now. Like how to get you off the suspect list for Tina’s death.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Dad pats my leg. “But maybe it’s time to worry about yourself for a change. I have faith Dylan and his men will find the truth.” Dad picks up the checks, and his eyes widen. “On second thought, maybe you should cash these. That’s a lot of dough.”

I slowly reach for the checks and venture a peek. It’s a quarter of a million bucks. Which is a fraction of what Uncle Frank will get if he sells the properties that I can’t sell, per the trust.

But still, a heck of a lot of money.

What am I going to do?

Early Thursday morning, I called and ask Madge and the Admiral to join me at my bookstore at eleven for a brainstorming session. It was too short notice to invite the whole group, so I’d settled for the most creative thinkers.

Now, I have to deal with my uncle, so I’m sitting in Gage’s office while he and my uncle negotiate on the phone. Gage confirmed earlier that my uncle could easily keep me in court long enough to eat away the cash I’m entitled to from the trust. Unless I take his offer.

It’s all pretty depressing.

Gage slaps the phone down while spitting out a string of curse words. “Frank won’t budge on the terms. If you cash the checks, he won’t fund them until you sign the contract. This means you can’t talk about the case, specifically to Carol, and you agree to never reside full-time in Sunset Cove ever again.”

I’d been up half the night rereading the trust and Frank’s new contract, searching for a loophole. Seems Gage can’t find one either. The only good thing about holding out and making my uncle take me to court is that I can stay in my house until the case is settled. “Okay. Wait an hour and call him back. Tell him I don’t want his bribe, and I won’t sign his contract. And that I will do everything in my power to be sure he’s never reelected mayor again.”

Gage sighs. “That last part might not be as easy as you think. No one else wants his job.”

I stand and collect my things. “Then maybe I’ll take it. He’s going to put me out of my job, so maybe I’ll take his.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Gage takes off his glasses and polishes them. “Why am I waiting for an hour?”

“Because I’m going to talk to Aunt Carol right now. After I’ve told her all I know about her cheating husband and the trust, I’ll hand her the name of the best divorce attorney San Francisco has to offer.”

Gage smiles. “‘Revenge should have no bounds.’ Shakespeare, Hamlet.”

I stop in my tracks. “‘Sweet is revenge—especially to women.’ Byron, Don Juan.” I resume my exit and call out, “As sarcastic as I think Byron meant that, it feels pretty darned true at the moment. I’ll call you later.”

“I look forward to it.”

Gage’s fading chuckles give me the courage I need to face my aunt. I don’t like to hurt people. And my aunt must love my uncle, or she never would have stayed so long. However, I have one more task I dread even more, but it’s for my dad’s sake.

I need to find out if Aunt Carol killed Tina.

Chapter 15

My hand feels encased in lead as I raise it to knock on my aunt and uncle’s front door. I confirmed with Woo-Woo Beth that my uncle was in his office, so there’s no risk of running into him, but I need to hurry before Gage calls Uncle Frank. There’s no telling what he’ll do when he learns I’m not going to play his game.

One thing’s for sure, he’d do everything in his power to stop what I’m about to do.

I throw my shoulders back to look confident as I wait on the front steps of the most prominent house in town. Hope that my aunt rather than my dad killed Tina wars with equal optimism that she didn’t. I like her too much.

The door swings open, and my aunt’s whole face lights up. “Hi, Sawyer. This is a fun surprise.”

“Hi, Aunt Carol.” I force a smile. “Do you have time for a quick chat?”

“Absolutely. I’m just taking the last of my cookies out of the oven. We can have them with some tea,” she says in her quiet, soothing voice.

I follow my petite aunt down a long hallway to her kitchen. She’s half my uncle’s size, has pretty sable-colored hair, and constant understanding in her blue eyes. Something about her makes me miss my mom fiercely, so I haven’t spent as much time with her as I should’ve since I’ve been back in town.

After passing a vast polished dining room table and the fancy living room filled with furniture I couldn’t begin to afford, we step into my aunt’s shiny new kitchen. She’d asked me for advice about the appliances and finishes a few months ago, and