Read Online Alibi in High Heels by Gemma Halliday - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gemma Halliday
Tags: General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, cozy mystery, Weddings - Planning, Women fashion designers
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his companion. "No worries, love. I've already told her everything. Maddie, this is Charlene Fellows. Char, this is Maddie, the designer I was telling you about."
Charlene put out a slim manicured hand. "Lovely to meet you," she said, her British accent matching Felix's.
I shook it, surprised at the strength of her grip. "Pleasure," I muttered.
"Funny, you don't look like a killer," Charlene said, giving me an up and down, her eyes settling on Wonder Boot.
"I'm not!" I protested. Maybe a little too loudly. Two guys in business suits at the next table stared at me over their glasses of chardonnay. "Look, it's just a coincidence. I swear."
"Maddie, she was just kidding," Felix said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Charlene gave me a wan smile.
I faked one back. Though I'm not entirely sure I pulled it off.
"And how do you two know each other?" I couldn't help myself from asking.
Charlene laughed. "Oh, I've known our little Felix all my life. I'm his Auntie."
I think I swallowed my tongue.
"Maddie, I told you I was accompanying my aunt Charlene, didn't I?"
Accompanying his dear old auntie? Yes. The fact that said Auntie could double for a playboy bunny? No. Definitely not. Not, mind you, that I cared who Felix spent time with. I didn't. He could be dating the entire squad of Lakers girls for all I cared.
So I wasn't entirely sure why my stomach did that clenching thing again as Auntie Charlene laid her hand to rest casually on Felix's knee.
"Uh huh, sure. Only I wasn't expecting someone so..." Stacked. Flirtatious. Slutty. "...young."
Charlene laughed again, a sound some men might call tinkling. Me - I found it fake as hell.
"Well, Felix's father was the oldest. Twenty-five years later my father remarried and he and his new wife adopted yours truly. Turns out my nephew is actually two years older than I am. Isn't that a lark?"
Quite. And, I noticed that the 'adopted' part meant they weren't really blood relatives at all. My eyes rested on Charlene's groping hands again as my stomach rolled and I wondered if the milk in my morning coffee had been spoiled. Clearly I was coming down with something.
"So, what kind of favor?"
"Huh?" I snapped my eyes back up to meet Felix's.
"You said you needed a favor from me?"
"Oh. Right." Only in the face of Auntie I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to blurt out I'd like to use his lock picking expertise to break into a murder victim's hotel room. I wasn't entirely sure I trusted her.
And not just because she was fondling her nephew's thigh.
"Um, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a few minutes, Felix?"
"Auntie made dinner reservations for us. We were just about to leave. Is it urgent?"
Considering Gisella wasn't coming back to the room and the police had likely already done their worst to it, not to mention the fact that I really had no idea what I might look for in there anyway except maybe some clue to Mystery Man's identity, I figured urgent didn't exactly describe the situation.
"No," I conceded. "Not exactly."
"Oh, why don't you come with us?" Charlene suggested. She turned a big beauty pageant smile on me that was all teeth. "I'm sure it wouldn't be any bother to change the reservation for three."
"Thanks. But no thanks. I, uh, I'm not feeling all that well. I've got a little stomach thing going on."
"Oh, too bad," Charlene said. Then gave Felix's thigh a squeeze. "I was so looking forward to getting to know one of Felix's little friends."
My turn to flash the fake smile.
"Tomorrow, then?" Felix asked, rising from his chair. Auntie Charlene did the same, quickly linking one arm trough Felix's.
"Sure. Tomorrow."
"Right. I'll call you in the morning then. 'Night, Maddie."
"'Night," I said to his retreating back.
Wondering why the hell the sight of Charlene's mini-dress encased hips wiggling back and forth beside Felix's should make that bad latte rise like bile in my throat.
* * *
I got back to my room and, considering my ill state, promptly
Charlene put out a slim manicured hand. "Lovely to meet you," she said, her British accent matching Felix's.
I shook it, surprised at the strength of her grip. "Pleasure," I muttered.
"Funny, you don't look like a killer," Charlene said, giving me an up and down, her eyes settling on Wonder Boot.
"I'm not!" I protested. Maybe a little too loudly. Two guys in business suits at the next table stared at me over their glasses of chardonnay. "Look, it's just a coincidence. I swear."
"Maddie, she was just kidding," Felix said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Charlene gave me a wan smile.
I faked one back. Though I'm not entirely sure I pulled it off.
"And how do you two know each other?" I couldn't help myself from asking.
Charlene laughed. "Oh, I've known our little Felix all my life. I'm his Auntie."
I think I swallowed my tongue.
"Maddie, I told you I was accompanying my aunt Charlene, didn't I?"
Accompanying his dear old auntie? Yes. The fact that said Auntie could double for a playboy bunny? No. Definitely not. Not, mind you, that I cared who Felix spent time with. I didn't. He could be dating the entire squad of Lakers girls for all I cared.
So I wasn't entirely sure why my stomach did that clenching thing again as Auntie Charlene laid her hand to rest casually on Felix's knee.
"Uh huh, sure. Only I wasn't expecting someone so..." Stacked. Flirtatious. Slutty. "...young."
Charlene laughed again, a sound some men might call tinkling. Me - I found it fake as hell.
"Well, Felix's father was the oldest. Twenty-five years later my father remarried and he and his new wife adopted yours truly. Turns out my nephew is actually two years older than I am. Isn't that a lark?"
Quite. And, I noticed that the 'adopted' part meant they weren't really blood relatives at all. My eyes rested on Charlene's groping hands again as my stomach rolled and I wondered if the milk in my morning coffee had been spoiled. Clearly I was coming down with something.
"So, what kind of favor?"
"Huh?" I snapped my eyes back up to meet Felix's.
"You said you needed a favor from me?"
"Oh. Right." Only in the face of Auntie I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to blurt out I'd like to use his lock picking expertise to break into a murder victim's hotel room. I wasn't entirely sure I trusted her.
And not just because she was fondling her nephew's thigh.
"Um, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a few minutes, Felix?"
"Auntie made dinner reservations for us. We were just about to leave. Is it urgent?"
Considering Gisella wasn't coming back to the room and the police had likely already done their worst to it, not to mention the fact that I really had no idea what I might look for in there anyway except maybe some clue to Mystery Man's identity, I figured urgent didn't exactly describe the situation.
"No," I conceded. "Not exactly."
"Oh, why don't you come with us?" Charlene suggested. She turned a big beauty pageant smile on me that was all teeth. "I'm sure it wouldn't be any bother to change the reservation for three."
"Thanks. But no thanks. I, uh, I'm not feeling all that well. I've got a little stomach thing going on."
"Oh, too bad," Charlene said. Then gave Felix's thigh a squeeze. "I was so looking forward to getting to know one of Felix's little friends."
My turn to flash the fake smile.
"Tomorrow, then?" Felix asked, rising from his chair. Auntie Charlene did the same, quickly linking one arm trough Felix's.
"Sure. Tomorrow."
"Right. I'll call you in the morning then. 'Night, Maddie."
"'Night," I said to his retreating back.
Wondering why the hell the sight of Charlene's mini-dress encased hips wiggling back and forth beside Felix's should make that bad latte rise like bile in my throat.
* * *
I got back to my room and, considering my ill state, promptly
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