Page 29 of Bobbing for Bodies
“That stupid,stupididiot. Screwing up finances right up until the end.” Her eyes gloss over with tears, and as upset as I am that she was calling him names, I can tell she cared a lot about him. Or the money. It’s debatable at this point.
“I agree.” I shrug over at her. “Hunter was always broke, and I couldn’t figure out why. He mentioned something about you having a kid. A boy, right?” Just a wild guess. The worst she could do is correct me, considering it’s a fifty-fifty split.
Stella freezes stiff. Her eyes slit to nothing as she looks past me out into some unknowable horizon. “I prefer to leave my son out of this.” The music dies down as the applause picks up and Stella rises out of her seat. “Besides, I don’t need anything else from Hunter.” She hightails it into the crowd before disappearing into the back.
“That was abrupt.” Everett helps me out of my seat.
“I agree. You know that underground source you used to help us find Martinelle Finance? Do me a favor and have them find out everything there is to know about Sparkling Cider, aka Stella. I have a feeling that’s not the last we’ll see of her yet.”
“Will do,” he says as he steps in close. That towering presence of his makes me feel about as big as a shoe. “But first, you’re going to tell me all there is to know about you.”
I take a deep, exasperating breath, girding myself for the inevitable.
“I guess my moment of reckoning has finally come.”
“That it has, Lemon.”
Everett presses his hand against my back as he navigates us out of the seedy club, and I can’t help but think I’m walking to my doom. And in a way, I am.
I’d rather trade places with Hunter than try to explain my supernatural superpowers with someone as logically minded as Everett.
This will not end well.
But I’m guessing it will be the end of our friendship.
Chapter 14
The McMurry Pumpkin Patch gleams like a crown filled with amber jewels on this late October night. Everett offered to take us out for something warm to drink, and I opted for cider. There seems to be a theme tonight. And Everett, being the gentleman he is, opted to hold off our chat until we each had a warm cup in our hands.
The moon shines down from the east, casting long shadows across the fields laden with enough pumpkins to create a pie for every person in North America. We settle on a couple of bales of hay and look out at all of the families enjoying the festivities. There are pumpkin carving stations, three oversized bounce houses sagging and rocking in rhythm, and a petting zoo filled to capacity with both humans and animals—and the sight of the furry creatures sours my expression because it’s a harsh reminder of why we’re here.
“So I’ve done some research”—Everett begins—“within the community of people who believe in those kind of afterlife phenomena. Seeing dead pets is not entirely uncommon.”
I make a face at his attempt to put a quasi-scientific spin on things. “And what’s your verdict? Are you going to lock me up in a psychiatric facility for life, or do I get the electric chair?”
“Neither.” His shoulders sag as he scoots in another inch. “Tell me your history. When did this begin? What exactlyisthis?”
My eyes close involuntarily as I try to summon the right words, in the right order, but they won’t come.
“Okay, I’m just going to blurt this out.” I take a quick breath, my gaze pinned to those blue flames that are ready to torch my world down. “When I was a kid, I started seeing creatures that happen to be missing a tangible body—little see-through cute and furry ghosts, if you will.” I sigh at how ridiculous it sounds coming from my lips. “Anyway, one day I saw a little turtle floating near Bear’s ear, and later that afternoon he broke his arm. So the next time I saw a little disembodied beast, I held my breath and, sure enough, it happened again—and again, and again, and again. And then, of course, there was Merilee’s orange Tabby, which I saw on the same day I met you. That was the first time anyone actually bit the big one. But now that I think on it, everything that’s ever transpired has been pretty awful.”
He ticks his head back, just trying to absorb it all. “How about your family, your mother, your father? Do they share the same gift?”
“I was adopted by the Lemons when I was just an infant. There’s no telling who my real family is. Like I mentioned before, the only other person on the planet who’s aware of this is Nell Sawyer. She’s my best friend, Keelie’s, grandmother, and well, mine by proxy. She didn’t judge me.” I glance out to the pumpkin patch for a moment as a truck filled with bales of hay and a happy load of passengers goes by. “But you’ll judge me.” It comes out lower than a whisper. “You can’t help it. It’s what you do for a living.”
“I don’t judge like that.” He bounces his hand over mine a moment. “Lemon, as strange as it sounds, I believe you. I don’t claim to understand everything about this universe. And if that’s what you say happens, then I accept that as the truth. And I can tell that you’re telling the truth. I’d like to ask your forgiveness for prying. I just needed to be clear that in no way this would’ve impeded on the case.”
“And what have you decided?” I’m almost teasing, but you never know with Everett.
“You’re in the clear.” He takes a sip of his cider. “You want me to take you home?”
“Actually, now that you know all about my family history, I was hoping you could share something about your own. Noah mentioned that his father took your mother to the cleaners. I feel just terrible about that—especially since I ended up turning her misfortune into appliances for the bakery.”
Everett pumps out a dull laugh. “Well, he didn’t exactly clean her out. He did, however, put in a darn good effort. Despite the fact, my mother is still a wealthy woman. She still lives in Fallbrook. Still cautiously single. She’s a hotel heiress. My grandfather owned a chain of five-star hotels across Europe. I’ve got a sister, Meghan. She works for an insurance company. She’s still back in Fallbrook as well. Single, no pets.” He smirks over at me, and I pretend to sock him on the arm.
“And you?” I lift a shoulder his way as if I were being coy. “How are you possibly single? I mean, I get that whole exes thing. I’ve met them. But why haven’t you settled down yet?”
Everett turns toward the fields and takes a deep breath. “Guess I haven’t found the one.”