Page 65 of Poison Apple Crisp

Everett points his chopsticks my way. “It holds water. But why break into your house to steal the book while you were home, no less? Why not bid on it at the auction? Or for that matter, why not wait until you returned it? She could have made it disappear at that point, too. How desperate could she have been to get that book back, and why?”

“It was the note,” I whisper.

Noah shakes his head. “And now it makes less sense than it did before. Cokie didn’t have a thing to do with that case.”

I shrug over at him. “Or did she?”

Chapter 17

“Imade the team!” Evie shrieks after she reads her name off the roster taped to the door of the gymnasium.

It’s back-to-school night, the night of the do-over fundraiser as well, and Everett and I just sat through a mini presentation from each of Evie’s six teachers. Halfway through, Everett asked if I wanted to skip class and meet him by the lockers underneath the stairwell. Believe me, I almost took him up on the offer.

Evie dives over both Everett and me with a strong embrace, and Everett picks her up and spins her.

“Congratulations.” He offers a rather playful, stern look her way. “Just make sure to keep your grades up. School first, cheer second.”

Evie scoffs. “Cheerisschool, Dad—ergo I’m like totally fine.”

I laugh. “And you’re like totally amazing. Congratulations again.”

“I have to find Dash.” Evie starts to hop away. “She made the team, too. Bid on something good, Mom! I have my eye on that baseball hat from the sheriff’s department,” she shouts as she takes off into the dark of night in the direction of the quad.

The gym is teeming with bodies. The silent auction seems to be thriving as hordes of people cluster around just about every offering up for bidding.

Off to the right, I spot Cokie sharing a laugh with both Cressida and Cormack, of all people.

Just great.

Let’s hope they open their wallets. It’s the least they can do if they insist on polluting the parental waters.

Everett wraps an arm around my waist. “Did Evie just say she wants a baseball hat from the sheriff’s department?” He grunts at the thought. “If anything, I think we should find some decent underwear and bid on those for her. If she wants to cheer with that short skirt, she needs to find something substantial to put on.”

“Or you’ll put your foot down, Judge Baxter?” I ask, amused.

“Yes.” His eyes bulge a moment as if he were surprised I went there.

“Relax, she’ll have kick pants on. They’re specially designed for cheer skirts and rather modest. Believe me, they give granny panties a run for their conservative money.”

“Good,” he says. “That’s what I like to hear. Now let’s get bidding.”

“Do you want a baseball cap from the sheriff’s department?” I tease.

“Only if you promise it’s the only thing you’ll be wearing later.”

I bite down on a laugh. “Noah donated that hat. It would be practically sacrilegious for me to entertain you with it.”

“All the more reason for me to win it.”

“If Noah catches wind of this, he might just try to outbid you. This could turn out to be the biggest ticket item here tonight. And on that note, I might just have to tell him your nefarious plans.”

“If you don’t, I will.” He gives a sly wink.

Carlotta heads this way, holding Ginger and petting her as if she were every bit visible to every eye here.

“Carlotta, please stop your supernatural shenanigans,” I hiss. “This is Evie’s new school. I care about what people think. And I don’t want them to think her grandmother is a loon.”

She scowls as she tosses Ginger into the air like a basketball and the peppy poltergeist up and disappears in a plume of orange dust.