Georgie nods. “And I’ll be there with this little hell’s angel.” She gives Annabeth another rattle.
“Lovely,” I say.
And I’ll be there with my proverbial magnifying glass in hand.
I have a feeling I’m about to get everywhere with Sabrina Ames.
And hopefully, she’ll land me right in front of the killer.
Sprinkles pokes her head out of the tote bag I’ve landed her in and gives a quick look around at the club we’ve just ventured into.
Tell me again why I had to be here?
I pull the cute pooch close. “Because she might jar a memory in you. Or you might evoke feelings of warmth in Sabrina toward Blair, and she might just be willing to spill some valuable information she was otherwise holding back.
Jasper is still at work, but I’m far from alone. Both Georgie and Juni dressed for the clubbing occasion. Georgie has on the requisite black kaftan with a giant beaded pumpkin that sits over her back like an orange bullseye.
Juni is dressed like a cat on the prowl with nothing more than a few strips of leather and well-placed lace. And true to her word, my sister dressed like a vixen who knows how to wield a mean whip. I suppose there’s no better means to express her personality. At least this way, the men she meets will know what they’re getting into.
Camila is here, of course, sans a costume, with the exception of wearing a kitten ears headband. And in an odd twist of fate, I happened to have donned an identical headband myself. I’m not sure what it says about us, the way we’ve been twinning as of late, but it’s safe to say Camila has great taste in both men and fashion.
The Snake Pit is tucked in the armpit of Edison, the cooky spooky town not far from Cider Cove, and indeed this cloistered club is slithering with bodies. It’s dimly lit, save for the swirling red and purple lights overhead. The music is thumping, and the scent of funny cigarettes and grilled burgers fills the air.
There are so many bodies moving and grooving to the obnoxiously loud beat that we inadvertently find our way on the dance floor as the entire room explodes with gyrating limbs.
A man with a colorful Mohawk accidentally plows into Juni, and she yelps out the word ouch so loud it creates an echoing effect as other revelers decide to mimic her.
“Watch where you’re going,” she snips to the tall man with high cheekbones and a wall of muscles for a body. “That hurt.” She clasps her hand over her shoulder.
“Sorry.” He seems sincere in his apology. “But a little pain is good for you.” He gives a quick wink while bopping back into the crowd.
Georgie shakes her head while looking to that haunted doll she insisted on hauling down with us. “Spoken like a man who probably owns a riding crop,” she muses, and both Macy and Juni exchange a wild-eyed look.
“Here’s hoping,” Macy says before she ducks into the crowd after him.
“Hey!” Juni calls out. “I touched him, he’s mine,” she shouts while in hot pursuit of my sister.
“Well, I’m going to lick him!” Macy calls back.
Camila snorts while nodding to Georgie. “You made quick work of that.” She glances to Annabeth. “I take it you brought the terrifying toy along to keep the freaks and geeks at bay.”
Georgie makes a face. “Freaks and geeks just so happen to be my people. In fact, I’m hoping to bring a few home with me. Now where’s the killer, Bizzy? If you can’t get her to shake out the murderous details, I’ll sic Annabeth after her.”
Camila chortles. “And Bizzy, you can sic that little purse puppy you brought along. I’m sure Sabrina will be shaking in her pleather boots. It’s a miracle you’ve solved any cases at all.”
Sprinkles whimpers. I don’t think you should sic me on anyone. I’m a lover, not a fighter. See any available four-legged men in here? I like them fuzzy around the face. She does her best to crane her neck while inspecting the place. Blair always did say that nothing set a romantic mood better than music.
“Sorry, Sprinkles.” I give her furry little head a quick pat. “You just might be the only dog in the building.”
“Not true.” Camila snorts. “I’ve been to this club before and dealt with a few of these men. Believe me when I say, there are plenty of dogs in this place tonight.” She gives a wild wave. “Sabrina!” No sooner does she call out her friend’s name than Sabrina Ames is wrapping her arms around the precocious pussycat in front of me.
Sabrina is decked out to the reptilian nines, sporting very little else other than her body paint. She has on a two-piece swimsuit of some kind, but it’s her colorful arms and legs that steal the show with the intricately drawn rose trellis filled with red poms climbing up her body. The roses are so detailed they look as if you could pluck one right off her body. Not to mention the thorns look as if they’re in motion to do something sinister. She really is a walking work of art.
“So glad to see you both.” She gives me a friendly wave before she spots Annabeth, and her mouth falls open. “Wow, that’s creepy. And she looks old, too.”
“Mind your manners, young lady.” Georgie pulls Annabeth close. The look on her face lets us know she’s affronted. “Annabeth says she thinks you look creepy and old.”
Perfect. Just what I need. Georgie and her haunted doll having a confrontation with my suspect before I ever get the chance to say six words.
I pull a tight smile as I look to Sabrina. “It’s a creature of comfort to her. She doesn’t go anywhere without that haunted little thing. Speaking of little things, I’ve brought Sprinkles along.” I swing the tote bag toward my chest
