Page 58 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

“Yeah, ‘loved’ being the operative word,” Denise grunted. “Annie, why is it that bad people always get away with hurting others? It’s not right.”

“No, it isn’t,” Annie agreed.

“All right,” she announced, storming into Fisher’s apartment without knocking. “I’ll do that wedding thing, but it’s in name only and as soon as this case is over, you’re out of here.”

Maybe Denise’s jerk of an ex-husband was going to get away with treating her badly, but whoever was using Annie’s business as a front for money laundering wasn’t going to get away with it. Not by a long shot.

Fisher rose from where he sat on the sofa.

“And another thing—” she began, but he interrupted her.

“Annie, I’d like you to meet my parents.”

“Your...who?”

“This is Swift and Lark,” Fisher gestured to the two people sitting across from him.

“Oh!” Annie clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Did I hear you right, my dear?” Lark rose from her seat. She was short and plump, her gray hair was loosely knotted at the top of her head. She wore a brightly patterned caftan that covered her from her chin to her ankles with several ropes of multi-colored beads looping her neck.

“Did you say marry?”

“That’s what I heard.” Swift rose to stand beside her. He was tall and thin, wearing an outrageously vivid tie-dyed T-shirt, jeans and sandals. His long white hair was combed back from his forehead and held in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Harpy sat perched on his shoulder looking quite at home.

“Fisher? Marriage?” Lark sighed. “How conventional.”

Fisher waved her forward, and Annie stepped cautiously into the room. Fisher hadn’t exaggerated when he’d described his parents. They were total hippie vibes.

“Lark, Swift, I want you to meet my landlord Annie,” Fisher said.

“Landlord? I thought she was your fiancée,” Lark said.

“She might be,” he said. “If you’ll excuse us?”

He didn’t wait for an answer but led Annie out into the hall, shutting the door behind them.

“So, you’ve changed your mind?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“But you’re kicking me out as soon as we catch our perp,” he said.

“Not kicking you out,” she corrected him. “I just think that once this case is over, it would be better if you moved.”

“Better for whom?” he asked, plucking a long strand of hair from her shoulder and twirling it between his fingers.

Annie felt the breath stall in her lungs. She tried to back away from his touch, but he didn’t let go of her hair.

“What’s the matter, Annie?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “I just think we should keep it a marriage in name only.”

“Why?” he asked.

“To make it easier to annul,” she said.

“What if you decide you don’t want to?” he asked, taking a step closer to her.