Jo groaned. “Please stop.”
“Hey, Mr. Rayburn. Hi ya’, Jo.”
Hearing the neighbor’s voice, her father flinched. Jo peered around Carl’s bulk and groaned louder. Of course Mr. Phelps had to bring his two grandkids over to see what was going on. He was the biggest busybody on the street.
“Papaw, why is Mr. Rayburn’s chest caught in the door?” One of them helpfully piped up.
“That’s not right. Here, let’s take a better look.” Blinding light from Mr. Phelps big ass flashlight spotlighted them. “Oh dear God.”
The light abruptly cut off and hurried footsteps raced away from them.
“Fat lot of help they were,” Jo muttered, rubbing her eyes.
“Great. I’m sure everyone’ll be talking about this at the next home owners’ association meeting. We’ll have a list of inappropriate Halloween costumes.”
Jo stifled a chuckle.
“It’s not funny. Ever since Marty let his Chihuahuas walk to the mailbox with him, we’ve had a new leash mandate. We live in the freaking country, and the only things those small rat-dogs will do is lick you to death.”
Turning back to the door, she jiggled the handle and almost gagged at seeing the fake boob wiggle like a snake next to her. Finally the handle twisted and the door opened. “Oh, thank God.”
She shivered as her father wrapped his boobs against his chest with one arm and bent to gather his scattered items. Helping him, Jo waited for him to get to his truck before closing and locking their house door.
“I’ll meet you at the party.” She wanted to add, after she bleached her brain with as much alcohol as she could handle. But she’d promised Rhys not to do that again, and she was headed to this Halloween party to catch a witness. She grinned. Then again, Rhys would love to hear every bit of detail so he could share in the brain bleach moment. Good thing she’d gotten a picture without Carl noticing.
Thirty minutes later, loaded down with everything her mother had listed, Jo walked into the party. After dropping off the sacks in the kitchen, she went to find Sullivan. As soon as they met this witness, she and Sullivan could head out to meet Rhys, Rian, Evan, and Sullivan’s family to bob for apples, enter the corn maze, and check out Franklin’s latest scary theme for his house.
It was a good thing she’d left her gun in the car; otherwise, some of these idiots would have a few holes put in them. Who thought it was a good idea to jump out from a closet at a Halloween party hosted by a police officer and filled with even more police officers? Jo glanced around and pushed the person who’d tried to scare her back into the closet and shut the door. It’d been a reflex. She’d definitely not meant to knock the guy out.
“Did you kill the guy, Jo?” Sullivan asked from behind her making her jump and spin around.
“Shut up and help me get him in here.”
Her partner shook his head but helped her muscle the door closed. “I really hope that guy’s not dead or I’m gonna have to arrest you and then you’ll have to arrest me as an accomplice.”
Jo smacked Sullivan in the arm. “He’s not dead. The idiot thought it’d be a good idea to jump out at me from the closet. He’s lucky I wasn’t armed.”
It was then she got a good look at her partner. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to keep from laughing. “Are you dressed as a skeleton?”
“As if you didn’t know this would happen. Arabelle told me you helped pick the theme.” Sullivan frowned, tugging on his costume. “Arabelle wanted me to wear it now so I’d be dressed up for later. I can’t believe this guy wanted to meet us here.” He waved his hand at the packed house that smelled of sweat and Febreze.
“I know, but he was antsy when I suggested a coffee house since he didn’t want to be seen with us. And for some reason he didn’t want to go to Kyle’s. Dressing up and coming to a Halloween party made him feel as if he could be incognito.”
“You’re not even wearing a costume,” Sullivan growled.
“First, I don’t have a ten-year-old who loves to dress me. Second, I’m wearing a costume.” Jo shifted her leather jacket to the left displaying her badge and an empty holster attached to her belt. “See, I’m dressed as a police officer.”
“Unbelievable. You stole my idea.”
She shrugged, doing nothing to hide her wide smile. “I did. What are partners for? Besides, those million and one frog ties you have stuffed in your closet shows you’d wear pretty much anything when Arabelle bats her baby blues at you.”
“Screw you, Jo. I love those frog ties Arabelle gave me, every one of them.” He jabbed a finger at her. “Let’s find this asshole and get out of here. Maybe we’ll still have time to meet up with our families and get some candied apple . . . ” Sullivan’s eyes bugged. “Holy shit.”
Spinning around, Jo reached for her absent gun and cursed. “What?”
“Your dad is dressed like a retired Hooter’s girl.” Sullivan gasped and slapped a hand over his eyes. “Oh my god! His boobs are hanging below his shirt.”
Scrubbing a hand over her face, Jo groaned. “Don’t remind me. That was why I was late.”
She told Sullivan about her father getting his boob tangled in the door amidst guffaws from her partner. It was then she spotted their quarry. Nudging Sullivan’s arm, she tipped her chin in the guy’s direction. Her partner continued to snicker but turned in the direction she indicated.
The teenager looked like he was dressed up in his dad’s armor with a sword strapped to his waist that dragged the ground.
“Let’s get this guy.”
They separated and caged the teenager in.
“Robyn, how much liquor did Stanley have?” Carl called from across the room. His deep voice carried easily over the music,
