Page 136 of The Body in the Backyard

“The safe house,” he said grimly.

A safe house was only safe if they didn’t manage to lead the bad guys to it. Riley closed her eyes and somersaulted into Cotton Candy World. She didn’t even bother asking the spirit guides for help before casting her mind to the car behind them.

Her nose twitched violently.

“Lesbians?” she said quietly.

“What?” he said.

She opened her eyes. “I don’t know. Lesbian energy is all I got.”

“My dentist is a lesbian,” Janet chimed in.

“That’s great, kid,” Nick said, eyes on the rearview mirror. “Is Janet’s dentist following us?”

“Doubtful. But something about them feels familiar.”

“Yeah, like Griffin-Buttface-Gentry suspect list familiar,” Nick said, whipping the minivan into a parking lot on their right. “Okay, kids, change of plans. Who likes jumping?”

All the female occupants under the age of ten screamed their assent as the tires squealed.

“What’s the plan, Santiago?” Riley demanded while clinging to the handle. The sedan behind them slowed but continued on past the parking lot.

Nick brought the minivan to a screeching halt in front of the commercial building. “Everybody inside.”

“Ohhhhh nooooo,” Riley moaned as she read the sign. “They just ate Taco Bell, Nick! They can’t go in there.”

“No choice. Everybody out. You take them inside. I’ll be right behind you.” He punctuated the words by throwing his wallet at her and dialing his cousin. “Yo, Brian. Same sex couples of the female persuasion on the suspect list. Who’ve we got?”

Grimly, Riley took the wallet and the four girls, some of whom were still clutching taco wrappers, and guided them through the front door.

Bouncy Boo’s was a childless adult’s living nightmare.

After paying the astronomical admission, adults and children alike were unleashed into a huge space filled with inflatable obstacles and bounce houses. There was a snack bar, a foam pit, and not nearly enough hand sanitizer to ward off all the different strains of pink eye that were being smeared around.

“Whoa!” Esmeralda whispered in awe.

“Everyone stick together,” Riley yelled over the noise of both joyful and tearful screams as she frantically swiped Nick’s credit card. She kept her eyes on the door as the dead-eyed teenage attendant slapped wristbands on everyone.

“You look familiar,” he said. “Aren’t you the girl who tackled the news guy on TV today?”

“No, that was some other poor unfortunate soul,” Riley lied.

She had all four girls by various limbs as they each struggled to get free when Nick strolled inside. Several nearby mothers looked up from their e-readers to admire the real-life book boyfriend.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure no one kidnaps our nieces.”

He grinned. “It’s fine. Let them play. You and I are going to sit here on this unnaturally sticky bench and watch the front door.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Riley. I have a good feeling about this,” River assured her, patting Riley’s arm.

Nick’s and River’s confidence lowered her stress level enough to release the girls.

“Fine. Be safe. Stick together. Don’t let anyone bite you!” she called as the four girls stampeded toward a bounce house shaped like a gigantic squid.

As soon as they disappeared, she smacked Nick on the muscly bicep. “What the hell? I thought we were in danger!”