Both Sprinkles and Sherlock Bones run up, barking in unison. It’s a scam, Bizzy! It’s a scam!
I nod their way because I know it is.
“It’s not a scam.” Sabrina shakes her head emphatically. “This is women helping women.”
“Friends helping friends,” Raven is quick to add.
Tabitha reaches her hand across the table toward Camila. “And it works. Blair went through twice and pocketed as much as one hundred thousand dollars.” And I’m so close to having my gifting day. I can’t mess this up. If I don’t come up with cash soon, I’ll lose the roof over my head and have to move into my brother’s basement with his horrible wife. God knows I’d do just about anything to keep that from happening.
“Wait a minute.” Georgie squints at the three women before us. “Is this going to land me in the pokey?”
Juni shudders. “I’m in no hurry to get back to that place. Count me out.”
It’s true. Juni did some time up in Collinsworth Correctional Facility due to unpaid traffic tickets, or something equally as petty yet legally vexing.
Tabitha shakes her head. “It’s one hundred percent legal.” Okay, so that’s not entirely true, but there’s an ironclad loophole that ensures none of us will ever go to prison. If anyone so much as gets close to legal trouble, Blair laid out the perfect cover. We simply tell them we were buying gift cards off of one another. And if I wanted to spend five K on a gift card, who’s to stop me? It’s not against the law to tip a friend for picking something up for you.
I nearly choke on the breadstick in my mouth.
My hands grab for my water as I quickly wash it down. “How much of a gift are we expected to bring to the party?” I ask innocently enough as if I didn’t just hear the asinine amount. Now let’s see if they’re bold enough to fess up.
Tabitha holds up a finger. “I’ll tell you in a moment. But just remember, you get a forty thousand dollar payday in just a few weeks, so you’re not really giving your money away—your friends are merely holding it for you.”
Raven nods. “And when they give it back, you’ll get far more in return than any bank could ever give you. It’s as if we’ve bested Wall Street.”
Sabrina leans in. “And it’s just in time for Christmas. Think of the relief it will be when you don’t have to worry about a mountain of credit card debt come January.”
“Well, I want in.” I shrug as if it were true.
“You do?” Georgie eyes me with suspicion.
Fish yowls from somewhere behind the table. Oh, how I hope you’re pulling the wool over these women’s eyes. I’d hate to think they were pulling the wool over yours. You do realize I depend on you to keep me in Fancy Beast cat food.
“I definitely do.” I double down on this dumb mess. “Just tell me how much to bring. I don’t know about you, Camila, but I can use a big payday right before the holidays.”
Tabitha sheds an ear-to-ear grin. “I knew you were a smart group of ladies. And that’s exactly why we’ve called you here.”
“Thank you for that,” I tell her. “So when’s the next party? And how much do we bring?”
Tabitha sharpens her eyes over mine. “Tomorrow, Halloween night, eleven o’clock, right here at the far end of the field near where Blair was slain. There’s a small forest that butts right up to it. We’ll have an initiation ceremony, and then we’ll make the exchange. Be sure to wear a costume. It is Halloween, after all.”
“How much?” Camila’s tone is a touch too curt because it’s not lost on either of us that they’re skirting the monetary-based issue.
“Five thousand.” Tabitha looks from Camila to me as if trying to read us. “Cold, hard cash only. No checks, no money orders.”
Georgie inhales so sharp I’m half-afraid I’ll find Annabeth dangling from one of her nostrils. But she’s not. However, Georgie is losing color quickly, and I think Juni might already be unconscious.
“We’re all in,” I say, giving both Georgie and Juni a mildly threatening look that suggests they should play along. “We’ll meet you in the woods at eleven o’clock and we’ll have the money.”
Good grief. Fish sighs.
“Good gracious,” Georgie grunts.
“Good times.” Juni lifts her glass as if she’s about to make a toast.
“It will be,” Tabitha says, mimicking the gesture, and soon we’re all raising our glasses. “To friends helping friends.”
“Friends helping friends,” the rest of us echo.
And people who are pretending to be our friends—who are attempting to bleed us dry.
It’s clear now what Blair Bates was up to—a pyramid scheme. And now that I think about it, that money floating around her that night—Jasper mentioned it amounted to five thousand dollars.
Now what are the odds of William Helsing giving her the exact same amount she required from her friends in order to play her con-woman games?
And I think about that all through dinner.
Someone killed Blair.
And I can think of five thousand reasons why.
Chapter 15
As soon as the three official Midnight Maidens take off, I pull Georgie, Juni, and Camila aside.
“Georgie and Juni, I’ll cover your costs. I just need you to play along.”
Georgie holds Annabeth close as we huddle under the twinkle lights. We just shared a couple of pizzas and made small talk after Tabitha all but shook us down for five thousand dollars apiece. Not that the other two aren’t in on it. They’re all as guilty in my eyes for propagating this ridiculous scheme.
“Oh, thank God.” Georgie gives Annabeth a rocking squeeze. “With that money I saved, my baby girl can afford to go to college.”
Juni swats her on the arm. “Forget the money you saved. Think of the money you’ll earn.” She claps her hands together. “I’m ready for my coronation. I’m going to blow all forty grand on
