rooted in gossip. So go to the source.”"
I looked from one of them to the other. “"The source of the gossip or the object of the gossip?”"
“"The object,”" Dolly said.
Oh scrap. If Suzanne Sampson was visiting Tunney after hours, presumably not for meat-cutting lessons, and she turned out to be Sampson’'s heir, Werner might be able to make a case against Tunney for conspiracy at the least. I’'d go to the source, all right. Both of them.
Dolly patted my arm. “"Don’'t assume anything, cupcake.”" Hmm. I forgot how long the Sweets had known me. Long enough to read my fast track mind, apparently.
“"Listen, Eve’'s waiting for me in the car. Do me a favor? Ask around about Vinney Carnevale? See what people know about him?”"
“"Why?”" Dolly wanted to know, getting all perked up for more gossip.
“"I know nothing,”" I said. “"But by the time I do, I’'m guessing you’'ll be way ahead of me.”"
Dolly chuckled as Ethel walked me to the door and watched me get into my rental.
“"Eve? Wake up. We need to go see Vinney.”"
“"Oh. Sure. Right.”" She closed her eyes again.
“"You have to give me directions,”" I said.
“"Got any toothpicks?”" She blinked her eyes open and started directing me. Vinney Carnevale lived on the outskirts of Mystick Falls, in an upscale fifties housing development that had seen better days. Among the fixer-uppers, however, his house stood out. “"Looks like somebody spent a few bucks to update this place,”" I said as I parked the car. “"Does he have money?”"
Eve hooted as she got out on her side. “"Not that I could see.”" I’'d actually turned off my headlights to drive down his street and up his driveway, until we reached his garage at the edge of his backyard, so we wouldn’'t be spotted by the neighbors.
“"This is feeling clandestine,”" Eve said, opening my door.
“"Ya think? I should have left the car out front for a quick getaway.”" I was either getting cold feet or my lack of sleep was catching up with me. I lay my head against the steering wheel. “"There are no lights on inside. Maybe we should come another time.”" Eve tugged me from the driver’'s seat. “"I was coming here tonight, anyway,”" she said, “"until I began to suspect that he was a thief. Just think of this as being for a good cause.”"
I grabbed Chakra and followed her.
The minute she unlocked the back door, the smell of sausage and meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce that had probably simmered for hours hit me, made my mouth water, and turned me weak in the knees with hunger. I opened the refrigerator at the same time that Eve flipped on the kitchen light.
“"Son of a stitch,”" I snapped, sprinting over to turn it off. She flipped it back on. “"Time to put on your big-girl panties, Mad, and help me search.”"
I opened the fridge. “"I’'m wearing them. They say ‘'kiss my sass.’' ”"
“"You should put those snarky puppies into production and sell them at your shop.”"
“"Maybe I will. I have a T-shirt idea, too.”" I watched Eve go through Vinney’'s mail.
“"Is there an all-night hamburger joint between here and home?”" She opened a cupboard and handed me a box of cereal. “"It would be Boo Berry,”" I said, downing a handful. “"What are we looking for?”"
“"An old mailbag of bones?”"
There went my appetite. “"That’'s what that was. A mail bag.”" Eve raised her brows. “"That’'s what I said.”"
I followed her through the house, looking behind parlor furniture, in the bottom of the entertainment unit, inside a window seat.
In the bathroom, I checked his medicine chest for aftershave, unscrewed the cap, and took a whiff. “"It was him,”" I said.
Eve looked from me to the bottle and back. “"A million men wear that stuff. It’'s a drugstore staple.”"
“"Fine,”" I huffed. “"It could have been him.”" We’'d barely gotten to the bedroom when we heard sirens. “"Scrap!”"
Eve put her arm
I looked from one of them to the other. “"The source of the gossip or the object of the gossip?”"
“"The object,”" Dolly said.
Oh scrap. If Suzanne Sampson was visiting Tunney after hours, presumably not for meat-cutting lessons, and she turned out to be Sampson’'s heir, Werner might be able to make a case against Tunney for conspiracy at the least. I’'d go to the source, all right. Both of them.
Dolly patted my arm. “"Don’'t assume anything, cupcake.”" Hmm. I forgot how long the Sweets had known me. Long enough to read my fast track mind, apparently.
“"Listen, Eve’'s waiting for me in the car. Do me a favor? Ask around about Vinney Carnevale? See what people know about him?”"
“"Why?”" Dolly wanted to know, getting all perked up for more gossip.
“"I know nothing,”" I said. “"But by the time I do, I’'m guessing you’'ll be way ahead of me.”"
Dolly chuckled as Ethel walked me to the door and watched me get into my rental.
“"Eve? Wake up. We need to go see Vinney.”"
“"Oh. Sure. Right.”" She closed her eyes again.
“"You have to give me directions,”" I said.
“"Got any toothpicks?”" She blinked her eyes open and started directing me. Vinney Carnevale lived on the outskirts of Mystick Falls, in an upscale fifties housing development that had seen better days. Among the fixer-uppers, however, his house stood out. “"Looks like somebody spent a few bucks to update this place,”" I said as I parked the car. “"Does he have money?”"
Eve hooted as she got out on her side. “"Not that I could see.”" I’'d actually turned off my headlights to drive down his street and up his driveway, until we reached his garage at the edge of his backyard, so we wouldn’'t be spotted by the neighbors.
“"This is feeling clandestine,”" Eve said, opening my door.
“"Ya think? I should have left the car out front for a quick getaway.”" I was either getting cold feet or my lack of sleep was catching up with me. I lay my head against the steering wheel. “"There are no lights on inside. Maybe we should come another time.”" Eve tugged me from the driver’'s seat. “"I was coming here tonight, anyway,”" she said, “"until I began to suspect that he was a thief. Just think of this as being for a good cause.”"
I grabbed Chakra and followed her.
The minute she unlocked the back door, the smell of sausage and meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce that had probably simmered for hours hit me, made my mouth water, and turned me weak in the knees with hunger. I opened the refrigerator at the same time that Eve flipped on the kitchen light.
“"Son of a stitch,”" I snapped, sprinting over to turn it off. She flipped it back on. “"Time to put on your big-girl panties, Mad, and help me search.”"
I opened the fridge. “"I’'m wearing them. They say ‘'kiss my sass.’' ”"
“"You should put those snarky puppies into production and sell them at your shop.”"
“"Maybe I will. I have a T-shirt idea, too.”" I watched Eve go through Vinney’'s mail.
“"Is there an all-night hamburger joint between here and home?”" She opened a cupboard and handed me a box of cereal. “"It would be Boo Berry,”" I said, downing a handful. “"What are we looking for?”"
“"An old mailbag of bones?”"
There went my appetite. “"That’'s what that was. A mail bag.”" Eve raised her brows. “"That’'s what I said.”"
I followed her through the house, looking behind parlor furniture, in the bottom of the entertainment unit, inside a window seat.
In the bathroom, I checked his medicine chest for aftershave, unscrewed the cap, and took a whiff. “"It was him,”" I said.
Eve looked from me to the bottle and back. “"A million men wear that stuff. It’'s a drugstore staple.”"
“"Fine,”" I huffed. “"It could have been him.”" We’'d barely gotten to the bedroom when we heard sirens. “"Scrap!”"
Eve put her arm
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