“Give me my baby!” Kinsley screeches as she plucks her out of my arms. The baby starts to scream at the top of her lungs, and just like that, the front of my blouse is soaking wet as my milk gets away from me.
The sound of feet stomping in this direction enlivens just as the screaming hits its pinnacle as both Everett and Noah draw their weapons and shout FREEZE at the top of their lungs.
More screaming ensues. I believe there were a few threats of lawsuits. And Mama Kellerman has Carlotta pinned to the ground with Carlotta’s arms flexed behind her back.
“I’ve got her, Officer!” Kathy shouts. “I’ve got the killer.” She quickly jumps to her feet, her eyes never leaving Noah and Everett. “Holy Moses. Who are you?”
Noah and Everett quickly put their weapons away as every Kellerman woman in the room gravitates their way, including the wee ones.
Kit comes over laughing as she gives me a hand, helping me out of the beanbag of doom, and that rooster sitting on her head crows.
“You’re a riot, Lottie,” Kit says.
The rooster jumps down to her shoulder and his head pulsates my way.
“It’s time to peck her to death, isn’t it?” He touches his beak to her ear again and Kit slaps the side of her head.
I shake my head at him.
“Kit?” I lean in as if I’m about to whisper a secret. “Carlotta didn’t kill Candace.”
“I guess not.” She twitches her nose in Carlotta’s direction. “I mean the sheriff’s department let her go, so there’s that.”
“That must mean someone else who was here yesterday did it,” I say. “Was there anyone you know who was having a disagreement with her?” I know for a fact Kit had a tense exchange with Candace right here in the studio yesterday.
The rooster crows once again and nearly takes my eardrums out.
“Good grief,” I crow right back at him.
Kit squints my way. “I get it. It’s certainly a terrible thing. I’m outraged, too.”
The rooster floats up next to me. “My apologies. It’s something I have very little control over. My name is Cluck Norris, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lottie Lemon. Your reputation precedes you over on the other side.”
My mouth rounds out with delight at the thought. And Cluck Norris? I love him ten times more because of his plucky clucky name.
Kit blows out a breath as she looks out at the set. Every Kellerman in the room is pawing at my men, and I don’t seem too bothered by it at all. Because let’s face it, I don’t care how nude they look, how beautiful, or how rich they might be, I know those men aren’t going anywhere.
Kit nods. “Fern Cranston. If anyone could have clubbed Candace to death, it would have been her. She and Candace went to college together. And something bad must have happened because Candace once told me that they were the best of friends for a long time, and then to quote her, ‘Things took a turn in a sinister direction.’”
“Sinister?” I inch back.
She nods. “I have no idea what she meant, but regardless, Fern is a local best-selling mystery author and the bigwigs always booked her much to Candace’s chagrin. Sure, the two of them played nice on the air—but wow, Candace couldn’t stand the woman. I’ve seen them huddled, whispering now and again, and it always looked heated. They had their secrets. But then, that was Candace.” She glares in the direction of the office. “Candace Cottonwood was rife with secrets.”
A bell sounds and she excuses herself before disappearing and Cluck Norris up and disappears, too, mumbling something about cookies.
“Hey, wait!” I call out after him. “I’ve got the best cookies in town!” Half the Kellermans look my way.
I stride over and wrap an arm around both Noah and Everett while the Kellermans do their best to steal their attention. But they can’t. It proves downright impossible, and I’m glad about it, too.
Soon, I’m reunited with my precious sugar cookie, Lyla Nell, and we all head back to Honey Hollow with another suspect to quiz and secrets to uncover.
Once we get home, I snuggle on the sofa feeding Lyla Nell while discussing the case with Noah and Everett, and oddly, all feels right with my world again.
Everett
Mannino, Manny, Moretti looks like about a dozen different mobsters that have made their way through my courtroom with his dark suit, herringbone fedora, and that I’m-probably-going-to-kill-you look in his eyes.
Only we’re not in a courtroom. We’re in the back of a home improvement store in the armpit of Leeds where I pretend to look at bags of concrete while he fast approaches in this direction.
Manny is tall, dark bruised eyes, and has an overall look about him that seems to say I am most definitely going to kill you. And he just might. But, as long as no harm comes to Lemon or Lyla Nell, I might be okay with that.
“Concrete aisle?” I muse his way since this was where he instructed me to meet him. “The irony isn’t lost on me.”
“Good,” he says, flicking his fingers my way. “Let’s have it.”
I pull the roll of bills out of my pocket and plunk it into his greedy hand.
Ten grand, present and accounted for. The rules are, I give him cold, hard cash once a week and he provides personal protection for my family and me.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “So here’s the deal. I can’t pay you forever. But I’ll give you a nice bonus if you figure out a way for me to shake the Canellis once and for all. I need this hit removed. It’s not only a danger to me, it’s a danger to you and your men.”
His cheek cinches on one side and there’s a boyishness about him. He’s young, early twenties maybe. But he stepped into the mob honestly considering it’s his birthright. He works construction for his father’s company by day and wreaks havoc on other crime families by night. I predict it will be a short life for him if he keeps this up. And I’m not exactly helping prolong his days. If anything, I’m hastening them to an end.
“Look, Judge Baxter, my business is danger,” he says, thumbing through the bills before sinking them into his pocket. “The Canellis are jumpy. They’ve seen my guys, and they think we’re ready to pounce again.” He shrugs. “Who knows? We might just be. I hear Red Satin is a decent place to set up shop. Once I boot the Canelli clan out of town, I might just make that my new home.” His shoulders bounce again. “And once I get there, it’ll be free beer for you at the bar. After all, I’ll owe it all to you. If it wasn’t for your need for protection, I might have gotten back into the swing of things in Jersey and forgot how beautiful the women were out here.”
“Nice to hear.” Considering the fact he’s engaged. Not that I care what he does and with whom.
“I’ll tell ya, it’s good to be me.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “I’ve got a hot sidepiece who looks an awful lot like your old lady.”
“What?” I lean in, and instantly I know exactly whom he’s talking about. “Where did you find her? Where is she?” It has to be the woman from the hospital. The one Carlotta says isn’t my problem and refuses to come clean about. Lemon’s sister. Or at least I think that’s who she is. Carlotta isn’t giving an inch of information away for free, but I am this close to ratting her out to Lemon. I would have done it long ago if I thought Lemon was in the right frame of mind to deal with it, but she has the baby and I want her to enjoy her foray into motherhood without Carlotta or any of her errant and questionably psychotic offspring mucking up the waters.