Page 59 of The Body in the Backyard

Mrs. Penny attempted to prop her sneakered feet on a small occasional table. Instead, she managed to kick it over, sending a dusty vase that had survived the roof collapse next door crashing to the floor. “Oops.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re completely off the hook in that area,” Riley said to Gabe.

“What this means is payday comes tomorrow,” Nick announced.

“Damn it. I should have gotten a Payday at the gas station,” Josie grumbled, looking down at the remains of her candy bars.

“Babe, I’ve got you,” Brian said and produced a Payday from his pocket.

“You’ve never been sexier to me. Let’s make more babies,” she said.

“Let’s celebrate with more alcohol.” Mrs. Penny headed for the bar again, crunching over the remains of the vase.

“I believe I shall send a text message to Wander since I am now free for the evening,” Gabe said with the kind of glow only a man with imminent plans of getting naked would have.

Nick gave Riley’s thigh a squeeze. “I’m gonna go hang a TV so we can have naked movie night.” He could see it now—some energetic, celebratory sex followed by naked cuddle time while basking in the eighty-five-inch 4K glow.

“You’ve never been sexier to me,” Riley teased, fluttering her lashes.

He gave her his best smolder. “Just wait until tonight.” Burt chose that moment to give Nick’s hand an affectionate slurp. “After I shower off the dog slobber.”

She smiled, but it didn’t quite go all the way to those brown eyes he was so fond of.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded.

“I’m not sure. Probably nothing,” she said. “Ignore me. Everything’s fine.”

“Riley,” he prompted.

She winced. “I just get a sense that this Griffin thing isn’t over yet.”

Fuck.“What do the spirit guides have to say?” he asked.

“I haven’t had a chance to ask them.”

“Maybe it’ll feel over when we have the check in hand?” he suggested.

“Maybe. Mrs. Penny! Don’t climb on the furniture!”

Their lavender-haired roommate was balanced precariously on a footstool, trying to reach the highest shelf behind the bar. “How the hell else am I supposed to get to the top-shelf bourbon?”

Riley rolled her eyes at Nick.

“Gabe!” they yelled in unison.

Whistling,Nick headed into the kitchen, where his cousin was still swearing colorfully from under the sink. He grabbed his tool bag from the pantry and a beer from the fridge, then returned to the foyer and came to an abrupt halt.

The TV box was missing.

“Where the hell…?” He performed a quick search of Riley’s office, his office, and the living room. The powder room under the stairs was also TV-less.

“Where’s my TV?” His bellow echoed around the two-story foyer.

“What TV?” Mrs. Penny yelled back as she, Fred, and Riley marched out of the bar.

“The TV I had delivered today!” Nick snarled.

“Oh. That TV. I had Gabe install it in my room for my gaming,” Mrs. Penny said, wiggling her thumbs like she was holding a controller.