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

hard groan comes from me just as a white Range Rover speeds right up to where we’re standing and out pops Evie before the vehicle speeds away again.

“I knew it!” She clasps her hands together. “You’re on a stakeout or something, right? Dash and I saw your minivan leaving the bakery with Keelie and Carlotta, and I thought we should follow you. So what are we doing?” She quickly puts her long hair into a bun that wobbles directly over the top of her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’ve got this. Do you need me to distract someone?”

“Nope,” Keelie answers for me as she leads us in through the very doors Everett just emerged from. “That’s what she’s got me for. It’s late, my sister should be long gone for the day, and she always leaves men in charge at night. It gives her a false sense of security thinking they’ll ward off any criminals.”

“And yet here we are.” Evie skips as she says it.

“We’re not criminals,” I’m quick to tell her.

Evie shoots me a look. “Are we about to do something illegal?”

My mouth opens then closes. “If the door is unlocked and I happen to get lost, it’s not entirely illegal.” But I’m pretty sure riffling through their personal files is a felony offense.

“How do you like that?” Carlotta harps. “My own niece is a sexist. Naomi’s got another thing coming if she thinks all she needs to do to ensure security is have a man around.”

Keelie frowns over at her. “More like your niece likes to find any excuse to hire as many hot men to work with as possible. Which is exactly why I’m here. I’m going to unzip my jacket and show the man at the front desk my goodies while you run off and get the info you need, Lottie.”

Evie gags. “You’re going to show him your boobs? You really think that’s going to put some poor guy in a trance? He’ll call the cops on you, right after he takes a few pictures for his personal files.”

Keelie scoffs. “You haven’t seen my boobs. You don’t know what they’re capable of. They’ve grown ten times in size after I had little Bear.”

“So has the rest of you, Keelie Nell,” Carlotta blabbers. “So has the rest of you.”

“Oh, would you stop,” I hiss over at my look-alike. “Keelie, I’m sure your boobs are wonderful, and by the way, so is the rest of your body, but I think we should stick to something a little more G-rated now that Evie is here.”

“Right,” Keelie says as we glide into the well-lit foyer, with its ritzy flocked Christmas tree bejeweled with extravagant red and white ornaments. “Hey? Maybe I can find out if Everett rented a room?”

I quickly link my arm to Keelie’s and give it a death squeeze.

Evie leans in. “Why would Dad rent a room here? Did Uncle Noah give him the boot? If Dad is moving into the luxury digs at the Manor, I might have to come with him.”

“Traitor,” Carlotta belches the word out, and I glower over at her.

“Evie,” I say. “I will never accuse you of being a traitor for loving your father.”

She shrugs. “I was going to say it’s because they have a spa on site.”

“Think of the cats,” Carlotta pleads with her. “Who’s gonna feed them? You know half the time all Lot cares about is feeding herself. Heck, without you there to run the house, Lottie might eat those furry little kittens. And what about our system? I knock three times if I have a boy over and you knock three times if you—”

Evie makes crazy eyes at Carlotta and stops her in her tattletale tracks.

“Evie?” I growl at her without meaning to. “Please tell me you’re not having boys over.”

“Wouldn’t you just like to accuse me of it,” she hisses. “First, you take away my ski trip, and now you want to take away my friends. Don’t worry, Mom. Carlotta has her imaginary ghostly boyfriend, and I have mine. It’s a fun game we play.”

Great. Why do I get the feeling I’m the one getting played?

We hit the front desk and pretty much assault a poor young man with a jumble of words all at once. And while he tries desperately to make heads or tails out of it all, I speed toward the ballroom and bypass it until I find a small hallway with a door marked private. It’s exactly where Candy said it would be. I try the handle, but the room is locked.

Shoot.

“What’s the matter?” Carlotta pops up next to me and pulls a bobby pin from her bra. I’m not even going to ask. “Can’t get in, huh? That’s what you got me here for.”

Evie appears in the murky shadows, and I groan.

“Evie, you can’t come in,” I tell her. “Your father will kill me.”

Carlotta chuckles. “Well, then it will be a double homicide because I’m pretty sure you’re going to kill him.”

Evie’s mouth falls open. “What’s going on? What did Dad do? Does this have something to do with that sick pamphlet I found lying around on your dresser the other day? And before you ask, I needed to borrow an ugly sweater for a party I was going to.”

“An ugly Christmas sweater?” I ask. “I don’t think I have one.”

“Oh, Mom, you’ve got plenty.”

Carlotta nods. “An unfair amount. Before you went and bought them all out, I wish you would have left some for the rest of us.”

“Very funny,” I say just as the door glides open, and Carlotta steps in and switches on the lights.

Evie steps in before me. “This looks so basic.”

I take it all in. “If your definition of basic is a desk and a filing cabinet, then you’re right.”

“Don’t forget the couch.” Carlotta is quick to make herself comfortable on a tiny loveseat that narrowly fits wall to wall.

Evie picks up a colorful, large tin and opens it to reveal cheese-flavored popcorn.

“We’ve got snacks!” she sings as she