He nods. “Emmie told me. Do yourself a favor and lawyer up. This one doesn’t look good for you. I’ll make sure the plumbing is working on the second floor. You make sure you don’t end up in prison.” He gives a sad wink before taking off.
I turn to the entrance to find Macy ushering Huxley inside, and I head their way.
“Looks as if my attorney just showed up,” I say, pulling my brother in for a hug. Hux is older than me by two years. We share the same dark hair and same light blue eyes. And not only is Huxley a divorce lawyer, but he’s been down the aisle and back three times himself. I guess you could say he’s given himself a bit of practice, too.
Macy gives a bleak smile. “Let’s get to the café and see if they have any more of those lemon tarts lying around. Hux brought a look book from the local women’s prison so we could see which uniforms go best with your eyes.”
I glance to Hux. “I hope you brought a muzzle for her, too.”
We head to the café, followed by Sherlock and Fish. It’s bright and light in the café with small black and white wrought iron bistro tables dotting the center and booths lining the walls. I call for Emmie to bring us some coffee and lemon tarts to the patio before we head that way.
It’s a spectacularly sunny day and the beach is already lined with well-oiled bodies trying to catch some rays. School is out in our neck of the woods, and you can hear the scream of children’s laughter as they run after one another on the sand. No sooner do we step outside than the humidity wraps itself around us like a hot blanket just out of the dryer. The ocean looks calm and serene, and the air is scented with lilacs and suntan lotion.
The three of us take a seat under the canopy of a bright blue umbrella, and soon Emmie shows up with the coffee and lemon tarts.
Macy moans as she plucks one off the tray. “Now we’re talking. Too bad Bizzy isn’t as good with a knife in the kitchen as she is in the bookstore.”
I cluck my tongue. “Macy, do you mind? A man is dead.”
Emmie groans, “But she’s kind of right. You’re sort of a dead body magnet these days. And you had the guy’s blood all over you. Good thing you’ve got a lawyer in the family.”
Hux frowns my way. “I’m no defense attorney, but I’ll make sure you secure a top-notch legal team. I hope you have a handful of change saved up to fight this.”
“Fight this? I’m not going to fight anything. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Emmie leans in. “Don’t worry, Bizzy. Others might be too afraid to be around you now that you’re known as the Cider Cove Killer, but I’ll always be there for you. So long as we’re in thick crowds, and I have a blunt object to knock you over the head with in the event you go psychotic on me.” She gives a playful wink before heading back into the café.
“They’re calling me the Cider Cove Killer?”
Sherlock barks as he jumps into the seat next to Hux. I wouldn’t worry about it, Bizzy. I’ve heard them call you worse.
I shoot him a look that says gee thanks.
Macy shakes her head as she struggles to swallow down a lemon tart in haste.
“I heard it was Cider Cove Slaughterer.”
Hux shrugs. “Killer has a touch more flair.”
“Flair?” I practically gag on the word as Fish hops onto my lap.
Don’t worry, Bizzy. Fish meows. I’d never call you anything remotely in poor taste.
Sherlock vocalizes something just shy of a laugh. I heard you call her cheap just last week.
“Cheap?” I say out loud without meaning to. Oh heck, I meant to. I don’t really care if Macy and Hux think I’m losing my mind. They would be right, by the way.
I’m not sure how, but somehow, the animals always seem to understand one another with a simple bark or meow, and nine times out of ten, it’s something even less than that.
Fish rubs her head against my arm and purrs as strong as a jet engine.
You and I both know you skimped on the Fancy Beast dinners and opted for Meow Mousse instead. Everyone knows Meow Mousse is the off brand, an awful second to the real mouse deal.
I make a face at the persnickety kitty before lowering my mouth to her ear.
“Jasper picked that up out of love,” I whisper. “That, and he didn’t know better.” I give her belly a quick tickle. “You win. I’ll pick some Fancy Beast up before dinner.”
She lays her head against my chest and blinks up at me with those golden yellow eyes. Fish is so adorable I couldn’t deny her a thing, let alone her favorite brand of cat food.
Macy nudges Hux with her elbow. “I’m thinking an insanity plea will work nicely.”
Hux nods. “I’m thinking you’re right. Tell me everything that happened, Bizzy. The cat food will have to wait. I have a feeling we don’t have a minute to waste.”
And I do. I spill all the bloody beans before tossing up my hands.
“That’s what happened,” I say. “And in case you missed it, I didn’t do a darn thing.”
Hux moans, “Except for grab the bloody weapon and announce you were the killer. I say you built a pretty good case against yourself. I think I’ll have to scrap the legal team I had in mind and go for the
