Page 23 of Toxic Apple Turnovers
“How did you get here so quickly?”
“I was down the street.”
My mouth falls open. “At a nudie bar?” I poke him in the gut with the accusation.
“No.” He winces. “Yes. But I was with Noah. It’s for the investigation.”
“With Noah? Are you and Noah cheating on my investigation with each other?” Wait. That is not what I meant to say.
His brows hood low. “And what are you doing here? Why are Keelie and Cormack sitting at a table with Connie Canelli?”
Edward chortles at the thought. “Tell him to go easy on you. This is your calling.”
I pick up Everett’s hand. “Say hi to your daddy. He says to go easy on me, by the way. This is my calling.”
Everett looks to where I nod, and his eyes grow wide. “Dad? Is it really you?”
“It is, son. I’m back, and I couldn’t be happier that you’re finally able to hear me say this. I love you, and I’m proud of you. You’re a wonderful man, and you have a wonderful woman by your side.”
Everett’s eyes water on cue, and he takes a quick breath as if trying to stave off his emotions.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m going to cherish those words for as long as I live.”
“Good.” The older version straightens with a smile. “Because once you stop living, I’ll be there to greet you, and I’ll say it all over again.”
“Aw.” All this gushing of emotion is turning me into a puddle. There’s nothing sweeter than some good old-fashioned family lovin’. “So, what about those thugs that are terrorizing Honey Hollow? Max mentioned you were sent to assist me.”
“Oh, we are,” he muses. “Nell followed them as they left the bank. They were in an old blue cargo van with mud covering the plates. She traced them right to Leeds, and then she vanished.”
“Great,” I say. “It sounds as if whoever is in charge of your appearances has a sense of humor.”
Everett looks questioningly to his father. “Dad, who are these thugs? You must know something.”
“I do.” His ghostly frame leans in as if someone might hear. It never fails to amuse me how much the dead act and feel as if they’re still alive. “I want you and Noah to do a search of recent burglaries, starting from the base of the country and work your way up. Look for a pattern. I think you’ll find a few ominous clues as you do. I’m afraid that’s all I know for now. I’ll speak to you both when I can.” He nods to our left as he dissipates, and we look over to see Connie Canelli grinning wildly at Everett as she sashays her way over.
“Essex.” She shakes her hips as she wraps her arms around him. “I just had drinks with Fiona last night.” She chews her gum quickly as she speaks, and it really does look like an impossible feat she’s pulling off. “She told me some pretty wild stories about you and that courthouse.Eh?” She jabs his arm with her fist. “You’re a real freak, you know that?”
He straightens with a sense of pride. “I’ve been called worse.”
“Amanda thought so, too,” I add without any regard to how Connie might take that. And to be honest, she can take it any way she wants so long as she spills what she knows about Amanda Wellington.
“Mandy?” she gasps as she leans back to get a better look at him. “You must have been a pre-billionaire boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong, money is nice, but a body like yours, that face—I’d rather live in a box with you than a mansion with that, if you know what I mean.”
Everett’s chest rumbles with the idea of a laugh. “I’m a hair above living in boxes, but I like where you’re going.”
“You and Mandy, huh? Go figure.” She shakes her head. “Hey? You don’t think Mark got wind of it, do you? I heard whoever bumped her did it with poison.” Her dark eyes slit my way. “And they used those turnovers as a conduit. You’re not still selling those rat traps, are you?”
By the vat, I want to say but wisely decide against it.
Everett shakes his head. “She had nothing to do with it. But I want to get to the bottom of this and know who did.” He gives my hand a squeeze. “I’ll be honest, I had a beef with Mandy.”
She blinks back with surprise before waving him off. “Who the hell didn’t? Did she rip you off, too? I had her do a baby shower for my cousin a couple weeks back and she forgot the balloons. I could have shot her on sight—I like to take care of things like that myself.” Her affect falls flat as if the latex malfeasance truly did call for bullets in retribution.
I lean in. “Do you know if she owed anyone money?”
“Why would Mandy owe anyone money? She knows better than to borrow from anyone but my brothers.” She blinks up at Everett as if suddenly feigning innocence. “They’re loan officers at a totally legit operation. Let’s leave it at that, big boy, got it?” And she’s right back to flirting.
“Hey?” A thought comes to me. “Did she borrow money from your brothers?”