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

Everett growls. “In fact, I suggest we take these cars to Honey Hollow. Lemon, we’ll have to park down the street. We can’t let Evie know we’re back. Noah, you put your truck in the driveway. We’ll take my car and toss the body in the trunk, then we’ll pull into your garage and take her through to the backyard and plant her in your boarder garden. We’ll put the snow back over it and the world will be none the wiser.”

Noah squints over at him. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve thought this through long before tonight?”

“I needed a plan in advance in the event you pushed my very last nerve. And, believe me, you’ve flirted with death a time or two.”

“That’s Sexy for you.” Carlotta gives a wistful shake of the head. “You don’t land on the right side of the bench without having the smarts to put you there. I bet you can make just about anyone disappear without a trace.” She sucks in a quick breath. “You’re not looking to get rid of me, are you?”

Everett’s chest pumps. “Not unless you drag Evie into this.”

Carlotta lifts her right hand as if she were about to take an oath. “I hereby solemnly swear to keep my yap trap shut in and around our little Evie Stevie. Besides, that kid is staring down the barrel of the Winter Formal. She’s got boys to kiss and dirty dancing to tend to. We’ll save the lessons on corpse decomposition for when she gets to college.”

Everett growls.

“All right, all right,” I say, holding out my hands. “Let’s get a move on. This night isn’t getting any younger. But know this—I’m coming with the two of you no matter who does what. I got you into this mess, and I’m going to ride this crazy train until the bitter end.”

Everett sighs. “Not for a minute did I think otherwise. But let’s be clear about one thing.” He glares over at Noah. “He put us on this runaway train, Lemon, not you.”

Noah pulls out his keys and heads for his truck. “I need to swing by the office. It won’t take but five minutes.”

He takes off, and we drive back to Honey Hollow and park down the street. Sure enough, there are about a dozen cars clustered around the driveway of my new rental. It looks as if Noah was right. Evie is having quite the study session with a couple dozen of her closest friends.

Carlotta and I slip into Everett’s car while we wait for Noah. It takes him about fifteen minutes before he pulls up and parks in his driveway before joining us.

Everett takes off, and within minutes we’re parked down the street from the mortuary in Leeds.

“Now what?” Carlotta pokes her head between the front seats. “Should I steal a grocery cart from across the street so we can wheel her to the trunk?”

Flo squeezes her head next to Carlotta’s, and that hot pink aura of hers illuminates the entire car.

“I don’t care how you get me back here. Just don’t do anything that could harm me. And remember to think about my hair.”

My lips press tightly, and I don’t dare translate any of that to Noah or Everett, because for one, I’m pretty sure nothing we’re about to do will harm her any more than the Grim Reaper already has.

“No to the cart,” Everett says, reaching into the center console of his car and pulling on a pair of dark leather gloves.

“I’m going in,” Noah says. I’ve been in there a million times. Not only do I know how to get in and out in record time, but I know how to disable the alarm without getting caught.”

Everett’s brows bounce. “You’re going to need me in the event there’s a hiccup.” He glances back at Flo as if he could see her. “And on a night like tonight, there will most certainly be a hiccup.”

“Wait!” Carlotta plucks out a hairpin from the inside of her shirt. “You’re gonna need this to get in.”

“No, we won’t.” Noah reaches into his pocket. “I’ve got this.” He flashes a key our way, and suddenly it becomes clear why Noah needed to make that pit stop to his office.

The two of them take off and Flo scoffs my way. “What about you, Lottie? Are you just going to let a couple of men tell you to stay put while they have all the fun? It sounds to me like those boys have made it clear where your place is—at home, barefoot and pregnant.”

My toes give a little wiggle. Okay, so I may have taken off my boots, but only because my feet are expanding like a couple of hot sausages these days.

“Fine.” I quickly stab my feet back into those piping hot boots, and before I know it, both Flo and I are trotting up the snowy street.

“This way,” she calls out from the side of the building, and I hustle my way over as a light dusting of snow begins to fall.

The mortuary is a brown brick building with a small brass sign that bears its name. It’s not too showy, nor would it want to be, considering the horror of what this building contains—not to mention the grief and the downright tragedy engulfing it on a daily basis.

“Lemon?” Everett whispers my name out sharp, just as he’s about to step into the back door and I scurry on over, making my way inside before him.

“Lottie?” Noah backtracks as a stench of cleaning solution fills my nostrils. It’s dimly lit, but there’s a blue glow around the ceiling that gives off just enough light to ensure we don’t bump into anything. “What the hell are you thinking?”

“Pfft.” Flo blows past him, glowing like a pink supernova. “Follow me, Lottie. We’ll shut those boys out later.”

“I think I’m about to lead the way.” I stride alongside of Flo as she takes us straight to a large room filled with metal bathtubs and