Murder in the Mix Box Set Page 6

  My middle finger catches on something, and just as I try to jerk it away, it bends completely backwards. I twist my body around, bend over the cursed turnstile that is holding my finger hostage, and scream my head off while trying to remove it.

  “What’s wrong?” Everett lies over my back to get a better look since we’ve practically penned ourselves in with the metal queue to the ticket booth.

  “I think it’s stuck,” I grunt. “Oh my God, Everett! God, God, God!” I howl at the top of my lungs as Everett sways over my back like a ride at an amusement park. His hands are both over mine as he tries his best to free me. His own grunting and howling lights up the night in response to how painfully wrong my finger looks torqued in an unnatural position.

  “Lemon!” he cries as we buck and jerk.

  “Everett! Get it out! Faster, faster!” I scream loud and in unison with his own barking of orders that it occurs to me we’re practically mimicking the entire second act in which the merry widow has a back-bending tryst of her own with the bartender.

  We moan and groan, writhe and buck, until a pair of footfalls speed in our direction.

  “Get off of her or I’ll shoot!” Noah bursts to life out of seemingly thin air, his hand on his weapon over his back.

  Everett jerks, and my body lurches. My finger partakes in one last act of rebellion before it hitches its way free, and soon enough I’m inadvertently giving Noah the bird.

  Noah staggers forward, his handsome face frantic, his eyes quickly scanning our midsections for loose clothing, I’m sure.

  “Everett, I’ve got a search warrant for your house and your vehicle.” He opens the flap of his suit jacket and flashes a piece of paper neatly tucked in a secret compartment inside. “We’ve got reason to believe you killed Sterling Shumaker,” he pants, out of breath, as he looks to his old stepbrother. “Now get the hell away from Lottie before I chain you in the back seat of my truck.” Noah offers a sorrowful glance my way. “I’m sorry, Lot. It’s not personal.”

  It’s not personal.

  Only it is.

  Chapter 6

  The moon shines over Honey Hollow like a spotlight as Everett and I make our way back to Country Cottage Road with Noah hot on our heels. Everett and I didn’t say two words on the way over. We were equally fuming at this ridiculous stunt Noah has decided to pull.

  “Oh my God,” I gasp as I spot the melee around Everett’s house. “There must be sixteen patrol cars at least!”

  Greer pops her head up from the back seat and lets out a hoot. “Lordy, look at all those G men! I am in like sin. That boyfriend of yours really knows how to throw a party.”

  I’m about to inform her that Noah is not my anything. I’m not even sure he’s my friend at this point, but she’s already materialized in a small circle of sheriffs, fondling their faces, their hair, causing them to itch up a storm. My God, she’s dangerous. If ever I was in need of a spiritual leash, it’s now.

  Everett groans as he pulls into his driveway, “And look who’s here to greet us.” He nods toward a leggy redhead walking down from his porch.

  We get out and Detective Ivy Fairbanks flickers a crimson smile our way. “Judge Baxter. I’m assuming Detective Fox has briefed you on the search warrant?”

  Noah jogs up before Everett can answer, and I can’t help but growl at him.

  “It’s a shame you’re so blindsided with jealousy that you feel the need to stoop to these levels.”

  The moon bears over Noah’s chiseled features, illuminating the red highlights in his dark hair, and he looks soul-crushingly handsome.

  “Lottie.” His dimples press in deep as Everett hands his house key over to Detective Fairbanks. “I would never have even thought to do this if I didn’t feel it was justified.”

  “Justified?” Everett shakes his head with amusement. “If it makes you sleep better at night.” He hands his car keys over to Noah. “Be quick about it. I’ve got an early morning wake-up call. Some of us have real jobs that don’t involve revenge fantasies.”

  I’ve never seen Everett this angry, and my heart breaks over the fact he’s been dragged into this nightmare between Noah and me. Greer skips over from the group of men she’s been busy groping for the better part of ten minutes and wraps her arms around the poor judge.

  “Let me kiss this and make it better.” She presses her lips to his cheek, and he flinches.

  “Everett”—I fish my house key out of my purse and hand it to him—“go on in and make yourself at home. You can lie down in my bed if you want. Pancake and Waffles would love to see you.” And right about now, I’m thankful Everett and I live next door to one another.

  Greer hops up. “Good idea!” Her eyes shimmer like supernatural diamonds. “I’ll get him good and naked for us.”

  I cut my hand through the air in a weak attempt to stop her. I’d pipe up, but then Noah might turn me in to the FBI, seeing that he’s so bent on acting on every suspicious whim.

  “Thank you.” Everett cinches his fist over my key. “I will do just that. If you don’t mind, I’ll get a fire going and make us some hot cocoa to pass the time.”

  “That sounds amazing,” I say as he takes off and Greer hops onto his back, forcing Everett to give her a piggyback ride all the way up to the porch. As if she needed it.

  Noah’s chest bucks with a dry laugh, but he’s not smiling in the least. “Sipping hot cocoa by the fire? How very romantic. And I’m sure he indeed plans on making his way into your bed. Not that I think you’d fall for that.”

  An incredulous laugh garbles in my throat. “If this is some kind of reverse psychology, then it’s backfiring spectacularly. And speaking of bedmates, I happened to see your wife traipsing out of your place at an ungodly hour when I was getting ready to leave for work.”

  His eyes widen a notch, and his face grows increasingly pale in the moonlight. He glances upward a moment before sighing. “She brought Toby over to spend the night, and he cried each time she tried to leave. I’m afraid he doesn’t remember me as much as I had hoped.”

  “Well, she stayed the night, so I’m sure both you and your dog were thrilled about it.” I turn to leave, and he catches me by the hand.

  “Lottie.” His voice pleads with me in a way that I’ve only heard in our most intimate moments. “This isn’t what you think. Britney and I are over. I’ve already got the names of some great divorce attorneys.” His brows pinch in the middle, and he looks incredibly pained. “I screwed up. I should have told you from the beginning. At first, I thought you wouldn’t be interested. Too much information. And as time went by, I was so happy with you, I forgot all about Ohio and my life there. In the back of my mind, I knew the divorce was imminent. I didn’t think it would come back to bite me. And for sure I didn’t think it would destroy us. Can you ever forgive me?” Noah warms my hand in his, and it feels right. It feels like the old us—the us that was very much a lie.

  “Yes, I can forgive you.” I nod as I bear hard into his lawn green eyes. “But that doesn’t mean we’re picking up where we left off. Far from it.” My heart rips in two as I saw the words out. My body bucks as if begging to weep, but I refuse to let it. “In fact, I think you have too much on your plate to date anyone seriously.” True as God. “If you want to sleep around on your wife, you’ll have to find somebody else to do it with. It won’t be me.” I go to take a step toward the house, and Noah blocks my path. His chest heaves as if he ran a mile to get there.

  “In an odd way, you just gave me hope.” His lips pull back with a sorrowful smile. “I’m not sure if that’s what you meant, but you did. Thank you for that. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t think straight knowing how much I’ve hurt you. I will do anything to make this up to you. And I will spend a lifetime doing it.” His eyes flit to my house with the peachy glow, the flicker of the fireplace dimming then brightening the living room. “I don’t know what to make of Everett. I don’t trust him. I don’t know that I should. And even though, at the end of the
day, he’s a decent guy—he’ll break your heart if you think he’s going to give you all of him. You deserve someone who only has eyes for you.”

  “Says the guy with a wife.” I can’t help but roll my eyes like a schoolgirl. “This blatant display of prowess”—I wave a hand at the men streaming in and out of Everett’s home—“it’s not a turn-on, it’s a turn-off. If you’re really trying to resuscitate our relationship, you’ve actually gone in the opposite direction. You’re pounding the nails into the casket without any help from Everett at all.”

  Noah’s eyes widen, and his features harden to stone. “Lottie, this is official business that has to do with an active homicide investigation. Trust me, I would not be wasting government dollars on a bogus suspicion. There is a very real reason for me to believe Everett needs to be investigated.” He takes an enormous breath. “Have you thought about my offer?”

  “To team up with you?” A huff of laughter ounces through me. “You have to be kidding, right? Everett isn’t even on my radar. You’re so far in the wrong direction, the real killer must feel mighty secure.”

  His lips twist in a knot, and my own lips ache to find their way to his. But I stomp that urge out like a kitchen fire because that ship has sailed and the ship’s name is the SS Britney.

  I take a step in with a hot swell of anger brewing inside of me. “No, Detective Fox, I will not be joining your investigation. I will not join illicit forces with you. In fact, I will not be spending any time with you at all. Ask your wife. Maybe Mrs. Fox has a thirst for justice to match my own, and perhaps she’ll steer you in the right direction, but judging from the kangaroo court, your running this case will grow as cold as Sterling Shumaker’s corpse.”

  I speed past him, run up the stairs, and land in my warm living room, only to find Pancake sitting next to Everett’s back and Waffles on his lap.

  Everett holds up the remote my way. “Hope you don’t mind I turned the TV on.” A sports network recaps the game highlights of the day, and the sound of a cheering crowd fills the living room.

  “I don’t mind a bit.” I take a seat next to him. “Both Pancake and Waffles look riveted by the recap. Hey? I think they might be basketball fans.”

  “Next time there’s a game, you might want to leave it on for them. Front row seats and comfy sofa? They’ve got it made.” I can’t help but note the dejection in Everett’s voice.

  I take up his hand and he turns his full attention to me and my cheeks heat on cue.

  “You’re blushing, Lemon.”

  I glance to the ceiling. “That’s Everett 101. Every woman blushes around you in the event you haven’t noticed. It’s practically a requirement.” I meet up with his sapphire blue eyes, and he gives a solid blink as if acknowledging the fact. “When you look at me, it feels as if I’m the only living person in the room.”

  Greer strides out of the kitchen with a mug in her hands. “Please, Lottie. You are the only living person in the room.”

  Everett looks back to see what has my attention and does a double take. “Lemon, that mug is floating.” His voice is tight and borders on something edging between anger and fear.

  “It’s just Greer.” I can’t help but scoff at her as she attempts to take a sip, and a drop of cocoa drips onto the floor.

  “Do you mind? You’re going to ruin my floors. You can’t drink. It’s not a part of the deal. And by the way, you do not have my permission to move objects in front of people. The last thing I need is every paranormal investigator in the country following me around.”

  She lands the cup on the coffee table right in front of Everett, and his eyes round out like silver dollars.

  “This is real.” He shakes his head. “No matter how much this happens, I can’t get used to it, Lemon.”

  I make a face at Greer. “You and me both.” Greer picks up Waffles right out of Everett’s lap, her hand grazing a little too dangerously close to home with the good judge. We watch as Waffles floats all the way across the room to the ottoman where Greer plops down with him, and he lets out an angst filled rawr. Pancake is far too riveted by the television to notice his brother’s walk on the supernatural side.

  A thought comes to me, and I perk right back up. “Guess what?” I scoot in closer to Everett and tap him on the knee. “Carlotta is taking me to my very first transmundane—supersensual smashup session. There’s a meeting this Saturday, and I’m tagging along.”

  His head inches back. “Here in Honey Hollow? That’s great, I think.”

  “I don’t know where it is, but I’m hoping to glean everything I can about this celestial disease I seem to have contracted.” I give Greer the side-eye as she loses herself in Waffles’ cuteness. I lean in close to Everett and whisper, “I’m going to see if there’s a shutoff valve for you know who.” I point her way, and Everett nods in agreement.

  “Damn good idea. I like to know when I’ve got a woman in the room. Every time I feel something brush up against me, I think she’s around.”

  “That’s because she is.”

  Greer lets out an exasperated breath. “I’m listening!”

  “She heard.” I shrug his way just as a knock erupts at the door.

  Both Everett and I jump up, and I swing it open to find Noah on the other side looking stoic and somber.

  “We found the murder weapon.” He looks from Everett to me.

  “Oh, thank God.” Every last ounce of me sags with relief. “Now you can leave poor Everett alone and go after the real killer. I knew this entire circus was a big waste of time.”

  Noah takes a breath as he looks to his former stepbrother. “We found a bloodied knife in the back of your car, tucked behind the driver’s seat. Forensics is handling it. I’m afraid you’ll have to come down to the station with us. We’ll need your prints. Detective Fairbanks and I would like to ask you a few questions about your involvement. We have reason to believe you had a motive. You certainly had the weapon. We need you to get into a patrol car. We’re taking you down to Ashford. You’re being booked on the suspicion of murdering Sterling Shumaker.”

  Chapter 7

  Detained overnight.

  If you want to get technical, they questioned Everett until the wee hours of the morning. He pulled back into his driveway just as I was leaving that next day. That was yesterday. Today is Saturday, not only the day of the transmundane meeting that I’m dying to get to—no pun intended—but tonight is Lainey and Forest’s engagement party at the Evergreen Manor, Honey Hollow’s one and only inn. I asked Everett to be my official plus one, and he reluctantly said yes. It turns out, he’s been put on administrative leave down at the courthouse again, and he’s deeply concerned about how this might affect his career in general. But he acquiesced and said a night out on the town might be just what he needs to pull him out of his sour mood. Sour my foot. He’s downright angry is what he is. Whoever planted that knife in the back of his car is clearly trying to frame him.

  This morning I hit the bakery early and hard, baking up a storm of caloric proportions—mostly for tonight’s big event. I baked tons of Lainey’s favorite mocha sandwich cookies, a mile at least of snow-capped brownies, and acres of peanut butter squares. Of course, I made my mother’s favorite raspberry dream thumbprints, toffee cranberry crisps, and a boatload of banana muffins since the entire town can’t seem to get enough of them. Initially, I was against the idea of bringing anything with bad juju to the elegant affair—as was my mother—but Lainey insisted that I make them, stating that they needed to be served at a positive event like tonight’s just to take the mystic appeal off of them, and she’s right per usual.

  Just before ten, I ask Lily to watch over things as I traversed the mean wind and headed to the bank to make a deposit. The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery really is turning a healthy profit each month, and even though Nell has left me the building and so many more pieces of prime real estate in her will, I still don’t feel like any of it is mine. And if my new uncle William has anything to say about it, i
t won’t be.

  After the bank, I boot scoot my way into The Enchanted Flower Shop, a cute, brightly lit, quaint little space surrounded with every beautiful piece of flora that nature has to offer. The entire store gives off the scent of the most exquisite rose, and it’s a treat just to be in the place. I just wanted to make sure Rhonda was on track for all of the bouquets and floral garland I ordered for tonight. Lainey decided to hold off having flowers until the wedding because she and Forest are running on such a tight budget, so I thought I’d surprise them. Sure enough, Rhonda looked as happily frazzled as usual with her red hair frizzed out as if she just stuck her finger into a socket and her sweater dotted with shamrocks in celebration of the upcoming holiday. The flowers are peach and white roses, along with gerbera daisies, filled with enough baby’s breath to circle the planet. Tonight will truly be perfect for my sister.

  I head back to the Cutie Pie, and no sooner do I step on in than the thick scent of vanilla welcomes me home. The room is brimming with women, and both Keelie and Lily are working to bring in some extra seats and tables in from the Honey Pot next door to accommodate them all.

  I spot Meg and Naomi seated by the window chatting happily away, and despite Naomi’s disdain toward me, I can’t help but smile. Just having Meg around is enough of a treat to make up for anything to do with Naomi’s bitterness.

  Carlotta waves to me from a table near the back, surrounded by women and a spur of excitement enlivens me. It’s officially eleven, and she’s here to pick me up for our supersensual sit-down with others who share our odd abilities. Every time I want to refer to them as powers, I can’t help but feel a little silly. I’m no superhero, that’s for sure.

  Meg and Naomi rise and head on over.

  “Hey, Lot.” Meg leans in. “I saw you and the judge doing it right outside the theater and then that cop showed up.” She belts out a belly laugh as if it were the funniest thing in the world, and my face turns red as a beet.