Page 39 of The Body in the Backyard

“Penny PI is on the case,” she squawked.

Gabe was next. “Okay, you muscly walrus in a muscle tank, you are in charge of everyone when Riley and I aren’t here. You will keep everyone alive and intact and will prevent all future plumbing and construction disasters until we get back. This is not a job for the faint of heart.”

Gabe nodded gravely. “I understand, and I will not let you down.”

Nick moved to Riley. “Thorn. You’re with me.”

Assignments delivered, everyone sloshed and squished their way out of the room. Riley followed Nick into his office. He kicked off his slippers and wrung them out over the trash can.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to let Mrs. Penny be Griffin’s personal security?”

“Nope. But it’ll annoy Gentry, and she’s batty enough to scare off most people with any sense of self-preservation. Plus, with someone else babysitting him, Josie can help Brian whittle down the phone book of suspects we’re looking at.”

“Do they still make phone books?” she wondered.

“Are you calling me old?”

“Well, youdidjust have a birthday.”

He caught the tie of her robe and used it to reel her in. “You know, this is not how I planned to start our morning.”

“I believe I caught your drift before we were interrupted.”

“Maybe after we interview BlaBla Nosewhine, we can find a quiet place for some midmorning delight.”

She smirked. “Do you mean Bella Goodshine?”

A door slammed somewhere on the second floor, voices rose as a squabble broke out, and Burt barked excitedly.

Nick groaned and lowered his forehead to Riley’s. “We need a secret sex room. With a fridge and a TV and a very good lock.”

“Hi! I’m Bella Goodshine!”

Riley jolted and looked at the TV, only to discover that Nick’s office TV was tuned in to Channel 50’s morning show.

“Everything is looking a little bit dampy wampy out here today in Central PA.” Bella pouted prettily for the camera under a sunny yellow umbrella that somehow made her skin look even more luminous. She was in the backyard. The Griffin statue was fuzzed out behind her for the broadcast. “Watch out for those puddles! Now, back to my handsome soon-to-be hubby!”

She blew a kiss to the camera, and the show cut back to Griffin in their living room studio, catching the kiss and putting it in his pocket. The bruises on his face had been hidden under a thick layer of spackle.

“Thank you, Bella. I will now bravely continue the show despite my grave injuries.”

“I’d like to dig a grave and injure him,” Nick muttered at the TV.

11

9:16 a.m. Friday, November 1

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Nick asked Riley when they pulled into Griffin’s driveway next to Josie’s car. The windshield wipers screeched across the glass.

There were several thousand things Riley would rather be doing right now, but part of being an adult meant doing frustrating, painful things you didn’t want to do. She opened her mouth to answer Nick, but their back-seat passenger beat her to it.

“I was born for this,” Mrs. Penny announced, leaning between the seats.

“Not you. I meant Riley,” Nick said, releasing his seat belt.

Mrs. Penny snorted. “What the hell does Riley have to worry about?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe it’s weird to come back to the house she used to live in to interview the woman her husband cheated on her with,” Nick snapped.