Read Online Sally Berneathy - Death by Chocolate 03 - The Great Chocolate Scam by Sally Berneathy - Free Book Online
Authors: Sally Berneathy
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Rickie, Jr. They did dive into the food as if they were starving. Maybe they really were.
“I’m glad to hear you’ve got a motel room because the cops are keeping Rick’s house for another day, and my guest room is full,” I said in an effort to thwart any ideas they might have on that front.
Grace swallowed her bite of sandwich and took a slow sip of her drink. “Well, we weren’t really planning to stay at the motel another night. Rick has never paid child support, and money’s a little tight right now.” Her face crinkled, and she looked as if she might be going to cry. Actually, that’s not quite true. She looked as if she might be going to pretend to cry.
“ Mama, do we have to sleep with the bugs again tonight?”
Melodrama. Another element that suggested this boy had Rick’s DNA.
“ No, baby, we’ll sleep in the car tonight.”
I sank down in the chair beside Grace, ready to launch my defense against the attack I knew was coming. “You don’t want to come to my house. You’d have to take the basement, and I have a lot of bugs down there, mostly spiders. Big ones. So big they catch birds instead of flies in their webs.”
“ I could sleep on the sofa, and Rickie would be happy on the floor with just a blanket to wrap up in. It would be better than my car.”
“ Sorry, those spots are already taken. But you might persuade Rick’s mom to let you share the guest bed.”
I had a feeling that would get a reaction, and it did.
Grace no longer looked like she was going to cry. Suddenly she looked as if she was going to bite. “Mary’s staying at your house?”
I wasn’t sure if Mary was a nickname for Marissa or vice versa, and I had no idea what name was on that woman’s birth certificate, so I ignored the whole issue. “Rick’s mother and his two brothers are staying at my house. I have a small house. We’ve already hit way beyond cozy.”
“ She’s probably the one who killed Rick.”
I arched a dubious eyebrow. “You think Marissa would kill her own son?”
“ She sure wasn’t much of a mother. Rick lived with his daddy most of the time.”
“Where’s Daddy now?” She might slip up and tell the truth.
Her dark eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”
“ I thought he might want to join the slumber party at my house.”
She blinked a couple of times. In all those purported discussions between Rick and her about me, I guess he forgot to tell her how sarcastic I can be.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled and went back to eating her sandwich.
“ So you think Rick’s mother killed him because he liked his father best?”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t put anything past that woman. Rick was working on a big deal, and she wanted in, but he wouldn’t let her. Made her pretty mad.”
Apparently Rick actually had been in recent contact with his family. “What kind of a deal?”
“ How would I know? Nobody ever tells me anything.”
“ I know just what you mean. Rick never told me he was married before.” A happy thought crossed my mind. Maybe he’d never bothered to get a divorce. Maybe he and I had never been married.
“ We were married in the eyes of God!” Grace protested.
My hope for that avenue of escape withered and died. “What about the eyes of the legal system?”
She cast a glance at Rickie, Jr., who had finished his sandwich and was starting on his second cookie. “Mary wouldn’t stand for that,” she mumbled.
Suddenly I felt sorry for this woman. Pregnant, alone and up against Marissa, then raising a son with no help from the worthless father. I told myself it wasn’t my problem and I should just send them on their way with a dozen cookies in a to-go bag. I assured myself I had no responsibility for these people even though I had access to Rick’s property and Rick might—emphasis on the might —have fathered this boy and failed to provide for him.
All my arguments with myself were pointless.
“You can stay at my place tonight,” I
“I’m glad to hear you’ve got a motel room because the cops are keeping Rick’s house for another day, and my guest room is full,” I said in an effort to thwart any ideas they might have on that front.
Grace swallowed her bite of sandwich and took a slow sip of her drink. “Well, we weren’t really planning to stay at the motel another night. Rick has never paid child support, and money’s a little tight right now.” Her face crinkled, and she looked as if she might be going to cry. Actually, that’s not quite true. She looked as if she might be going to pretend to cry.
“ Mama, do we have to sleep with the bugs again tonight?”
Melodrama. Another element that suggested this boy had Rick’s DNA.
“ No, baby, we’ll sleep in the car tonight.”
I sank down in the chair beside Grace, ready to launch my defense against the attack I knew was coming. “You don’t want to come to my house. You’d have to take the basement, and I have a lot of bugs down there, mostly spiders. Big ones. So big they catch birds instead of flies in their webs.”
“ I could sleep on the sofa, and Rickie would be happy on the floor with just a blanket to wrap up in. It would be better than my car.”
“ Sorry, those spots are already taken. But you might persuade Rick’s mom to let you share the guest bed.”
I had a feeling that would get a reaction, and it did.
Grace no longer looked like she was going to cry. Suddenly she looked as if she was going to bite. “Mary’s staying at your house?”
I wasn’t sure if Mary was a nickname for Marissa or vice versa, and I had no idea what name was on that woman’s birth certificate, so I ignored the whole issue. “Rick’s mother and his two brothers are staying at my house. I have a small house. We’ve already hit way beyond cozy.”
“ She’s probably the one who killed Rick.”
I arched a dubious eyebrow. “You think Marissa would kill her own son?”
“ She sure wasn’t much of a mother. Rick lived with his daddy most of the time.”
“Where’s Daddy now?” She might slip up and tell the truth.
Her dark eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”
“ I thought he might want to join the slumber party at my house.”
She blinked a couple of times. In all those purported discussions between Rick and her about me, I guess he forgot to tell her how sarcastic I can be.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled and went back to eating her sandwich.
“ So you think Rick’s mother killed him because he liked his father best?”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t put anything past that woman. Rick was working on a big deal, and she wanted in, but he wouldn’t let her. Made her pretty mad.”
Apparently Rick actually had been in recent contact with his family. “What kind of a deal?”
“ How would I know? Nobody ever tells me anything.”
“ I know just what you mean. Rick never told me he was married before.” A happy thought crossed my mind. Maybe he’d never bothered to get a divorce. Maybe he and I had never been married.
“ We were married in the eyes of God!” Grace protested.
My hope for that avenue of escape withered and died. “What about the eyes of the legal system?”
She cast a glance at Rickie, Jr., who had finished his sandwich and was starting on his second cookie. “Mary wouldn’t stand for that,” she mumbled.
Suddenly I felt sorry for this woman. Pregnant, alone and up against Marissa, then raising a son with no help from the worthless father. I told myself it wasn’t my problem and I should just send them on their way with a dozen cookies in a to-go bag. I assured myself I had no responsibility for these people even though I had access to Rick’s property and Rick might—emphasis on the might —have fathered this boy and failed to provide for him.
All my arguments with myself were pointless.
“You can stay at my place tonight,” I
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