Read Online Late Edition by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online Page A

time to get reacquainted with Abby’s godmothers. Tell me what’s going on here. Did Dr. Pauley call? He said he wanted to see Mavis, check her blood pressure while we’re here.”
    â€œIf he’s like me, then he won’t recognize her. I thought you’d traded her in for a newer model. Damned diet worked a miracle, if you ask me. No telling what Doc’s going to think. He phoned this morning. I told him you’d call.” Bernice laughed. “I can’t wait to see the expression on his face.”
    Sophie couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Bernice, if you’d had to live with Mavis for the past several months, you wouldn’t laugh. I’ve never eaten so healthy in my life.”
    Bernice smiled at Mavis. “If I could look like her, I’d want to eat whatever she does.”
    They all laughed, continuing to relax while Bernice filled them in on the local gossip. What store had the best price on beef. Then there was the new bakery called The Sweetest Things that had opened last Saturday. Bernice told them she had stood in line for two hours, hoping to purchase a dozen of their cupcakes, which supposedly were to die for. What she hadn’t counted on, she explained, was the man in line in front of her, the size of a small house, who had suffered a massive heart attack while waiting in line and died right there on the spot. Bernice wasn’t sure if he’d had heart troubles or what, but after witnessing the man’s death, there was no way in hell she was going to buy even one cupcake from that place. She told them the news traveled fast. The next morning, the place was empty.
    â€œI’ll have to scope the place out,” Toots said. “I need a liberal dose of something sweet.”
    Bernice filled their glasses with fresh tea. “I don’t think I would do that if I were you. People are talking. Some say that building is . . . Well, they’re saying it’s haunted. They think the young girl that owns the place is some kind of witch or something. Said she has these weird-looking eyes.” Bernice’s eyes darted from Sophie to Ida, then to Mavis, stopping when they reached Toots. “They say it’s bad luck. I’m guessing the place won’t last the rest of the month.”
    Toots contemplated Bernice’s story. “Where is this bakery located?”
    â€œThree doors down from the Dock Street Theatre,” Bernice said.
    Toots’s head snapped up so quickly, she felt her neck crack. A pensive shimmer shadowed her eyes. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat. “Do you know the girl?” Toots asked.
    â€œNope, and I don’t want to. I heard she’d inherited the place. Whoever she is, she’s brought bad luck with her.”
    Toots shifted in her rocking chair. Suddenly, she felt hot, as though she were burning from the inside out. Close to what a hot flash felt like. But it had been years since she’d experienced one. For them to return at this stage in life was nearly impossible. She reached for her glass of tea and downed it. After she rattled the ice cubes at the bottom of the glass, she tipped it back again. Crunching on an ice cube, Toots took the few seconds to compose herself and her thoughts. This was just plain weird.
    â€œWhat gives?” Sophie asked. “You look like crap. Is there something in the water that I should know about?”
    Sophie looked at Toots. Toots nodded. Searching for an explanation for her sudden reaction would bring up the ghostly visits at the Malibu beach house. Even though The Informer ’s column “Ghostly Encounters” was now one of its most popular features, Toots still didn’t like discussing her experience with . . . strangers? But Bernice wasn’t a stranger! Next to Abby and Chris, Bernice was as much a part of her family as the godmothers. Hating this feeling that set her apart, Toots did what she always did when her hand was