Read Online Death Indoors: Target Practice Mysteries 4 by Nikki Haverstock - Free Book Online
Authors: Nikki Haverstock
Tags: cozy mystery
Ads: Link
training center housing facilities were in loose groups. The adults formed little knots, while the kids talked loudly and circulated among tables, running and screeching louder than necessary.
And there was Mary, next to Orion, Moo and the rest of the gang. I stopped mid-step. They were my gang. I had a gang.
"I almost crashed into the back of you." Liam swerved around me and kept walking to the table. He set down his tray of food and pulled out my chair, waiting for me to join the group.
Mary was chatting with Orion while using her left hand to push Moo away from her plate. Tiger was balancing on the back two legs of his chair, despite the fact that Jess warned him that he was going to crack his head open one day. He snagged a fry off Mouse's plate while she talked to Minx. Loggin was next to Minx, sneaking a little glance at her before turning back to Jess.
It had been a year ago today that I discovered that my best friend was having an affair with my husband. It had been the worst night of my life, and it'd taken me months to climb out of that hole and back into a new, stable life. But right here, right now, there was no place I'd rather be. I smiled at Liam, and my heart flipped in my chest.
Liam continued to hold out the chair. "Di?"
With a little jump, I stepped forward. "Sorry, I got distracted."
The lights flipped off, and a chorus of gasps went up in the room. Then I heard Mary's voice singing.
"Happy birthday to"--other voices joined her in singing to me.
I looked around, and the kitchen staff was wheeling in a huge sheet cake with two number candles on the top. People joined in, though many stumbled over my name, obviously unclear on whose birthday it was. Martha from the kitchen rolled the cart over to my table, where I saw that the two candles listed my age as fifty.
I closed my eyes to put up a birthday wish that my divorce would be finalized soon and blew out the candles to a round of applause. The lights flipped back on.
"Okay, what jokester decided I was fifty years old?" I stood up and put my hands on my hips and glared around the table in my best impression of a grumpy old lady.
Minx and Mouse started giggling.
"Real funny," I said. "No cake for them."
Mouse stood up. "Whoa, I want cake. The store was out of three and one candles."
"It's fine." The cake was huge. "Hey, anyone that wants cake is welcome. Come on." I waved a hand toward the cake. "Thank you, Martha, it's lovely." She was a wizard in the kitchen, though she seldom got to show off with our small on-site staff. She had decorated the top of the cake with bows and arrows.
As she rolled the cake away, a group of kids fell into line behind her.
I looked around the table. "Thank you, everyone. There's no one I would rather spent tonight with and for once, no murder." I knocked on the table, which was the closest wooden object, then sat down to dig into my salad.
Martha had set up a beautiful hamburger bar, but she knew I was avoiding empty, white calories, as Jess described them, so instead of a bun, she had put together a few bowls of salad with a meat patty on top. It was delicious, and I could convince myself that I was eating a hamburger if I squinted hard enough.
Brian walked over to our table.
I pointed to an empty chair. "Where've you been? Grab some cake and join us."
"Uh, in a bit. Jess, Di, I need to talk to both of you."
I got up and followed Brian across the room to a quiet corner, where we waited for Jess.
Once Jess arrived, Brian cleared his throat and leaned in. "I just got a call. Officers are coming out to start an investigation. They think that the deceased gentleman might not have died of completely natural causes."
Jess gritted her teeth. "Son of a biscuit. Seriously? Again?"
"Wait." I shook my head. "So they're thinking murder?"
"Maybe," said Brian. "I can't say much more right now."
"Are you leading the investigation again?" I asked.
"Not this time. I get to be a suspect like the rest of you guys. Di,
And there was Mary, next to Orion, Moo and the rest of the gang. I stopped mid-step. They were my gang. I had a gang.
"I almost crashed into the back of you." Liam swerved around me and kept walking to the table. He set down his tray of food and pulled out my chair, waiting for me to join the group.
Mary was chatting with Orion while using her left hand to push Moo away from her plate. Tiger was balancing on the back two legs of his chair, despite the fact that Jess warned him that he was going to crack his head open one day. He snagged a fry off Mouse's plate while she talked to Minx. Loggin was next to Minx, sneaking a little glance at her before turning back to Jess.
It had been a year ago today that I discovered that my best friend was having an affair with my husband. It had been the worst night of my life, and it'd taken me months to climb out of that hole and back into a new, stable life. But right here, right now, there was no place I'd rather be. I smiled at Liam, and my heart flipped in my chest.
Liam continued to hold out the chair. "Di?"
With a little jump, I stepped forward. "Sorry, I got distracted."
The lights flipped off, and a chorus of gasps went up in the room. Then I heard Mary's voice singing.
"Happy birthday to"--other voices joined her in singing to me.
I looked around, and the kitchen staff was wheeling in a huge sheet cake with two number candles on the top. People joined in, though many stumbled over my name, obviously unclear on whose birthday it was. Martha from the kitchen rolled the cart over to my table, where I saw that the two candles listed my age as fifty.
I closed my eyes to put up a birthday wish that my divorce would be finalized soon and blew out the candles to a round of applause. The lights flipped back on.
"Okay, what jokester decided I was fifty years old?" I stood up and put my hands on my hips and glared around the table in my best impression of a grumpy old lady.
Minx and Mouse started giggling.
"Real funny," I said. "No cake for them."
Mouse stood up. "Whoa, I want cake. The store was out of three and one candles."
"It's fine." The cake was huge. "Hey, anyone that wants cake is welcome. Come on." I waved a hand toward the cake. "Thank you, Martha, it's lovely." She was a wizard in the kitchen, though she seldom got to show off with our small on-site staff. She had decorated the top of the cake with bows and arrows.
As she rolled the cake away, a group of kids fell into line behind her.
I looked around the table. "Thank you, everyone. There's no one I would rather spent tonight with and for once, no murder." I knocked on the table, which was the closest wooden object, then sat down to dig into my salad.
Martha had set up a beautiful hamburger bar, but she knew I was avoiding empty, white calories, as Jess described them, so instead of a bun, she had put together a few bowls of salad with a meat patty on top. It was delicious, and I could convince myself that I was eating a hamburger if I squinted hard enough.
Brian walked over to our table.
I pointed to an empty chair. "Where've you been? Grab some cake and join us."
"Uh, in a bit. Jess, Di, I need to talk to both of you."
I got up and followed Brian across the room to a quiet corner, where we waited for Jess.
Once Jess arrived, Brian cleared his throat and leaned in. "I just got a call. Officers are coming out to start an investigation. They think that the deceased gentleman might not have died of completely natural causes."
Jess gritted her teeth. "Son of a biscuit. Seriously? Again?"
"Wait." I shook my head. "So they're thinking murder?"
"Maybe," said Brian. "I can't say much more right now."
"Are you leading the investigation again?" I asked.
"Not this time. I get to be a suspect like the rest of you guys. Di,
Similar Books
