Read Online Sally Berneathy - Death by Chocolate 03 - The Great Chocolate Scam by Sally Berneathy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sally Berneathy
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said with a sigh of resignation. “I’ll borrow an air mattress from my neighbor.”
I blame my mother for imbuing me with an over-active sense of responsibility. Or maybe it was Rick’s fault. He had so little that I learned to make up for his failings.
Grace teared up and grabbed my hand again. “Oh, thank you! Rick was right. You are a good person.”
“ We don’t have to sleep with the bugs again tonight?” Rickie asked.
There was something about that kid that got on my nerves. He must belong to Rick. “No guarantees,” I said. “I have a no-kill policy at my house.”
*~*~*
Grace and Rickie’s car was an old, rusty Ford that rattled and spewed black smoke as they followed me home. I told myself I was doing the right thing even if I didn’t especially like these people. Karma had done me a favor by getting Rick out of my life. I had to pass on the good deeds or Karma might get mad at me and throw Rick back.
“ This is nice,” Grace said as she and Rickie climbed my porch steps. Whether she meant it or not, at least she had better manners than Marissa.
Nah, she must mean it. I had n’t seen any sign of manners.
I opened the door and invited them in.
Henry, waiting just inside, gave them a once-over and decided to ignore them. He head-bumped my leg then trotted off toward the kitchen without making any move to attack them. One vote against Rickie being Rick’s son.
“ Have a seat, let me feed my cat, and I’ll be right back. After I answer my cell phone.” My cell phone had begun playing Hoyt Axton’s Wild Bull Rider . Fred’s ring tone. Not that he’d ever been a bull rider. Well, he could have for all I knew, but he’d have made the bull shower first, so I doubted it. However, the song reflected his attitude.
I took my phone from my purse. “Hello.” I followed Henry to the kitchen.
“ Now who have you brought home?” he asked.
“Rick’s son and the boy’s mother.” I filled Henry’s bowl.
Fred was silent for a long moment. Got him again! “Are you sure?” he asked.
“ Of course not.”
“ Those other people are gone?”
“ I don’t know. I haven’t seen them in several hours, so I’m hoping they’ve moved on to bigger and better swindles.” I closed the pantry door firmly so Henry couldn’t get in and help himself to his cat food, something he’d done before, and told Fred about Bryan and Marissa. “Maybe they’ll stay with him tonight.”
“ That would be good. I really don’t trust those people. Last night one of the boys was outside your house, trying to peer inside the windows.”
“ What? Omigawd! When?” I shivered at the thought of somebody peering into my house. “And why?”
“ Twelve minutes after midnight, and I have no idea why. I’m not psychic. I thought at first it was Rick since he’s done that sort of thing more than once in the past. Then I realized it must be one of his brothers since he’s dead. I went outside to confront him, but he was gone by the time I got there.”
“ Which brother was it?”
“ I don’t know. They look a lot alike, and it was dark. Which one was wearing black last night?”
I had n’t paid much attention to the boys, but I was pretty sure they had both been wearing faded jeans and light-colored tee-shirts. “Neither one of them. Well, not before we went to bed, anyway. Maybe they had black pajamas. Damn! Peeking in the window? That’s creepy! Are you sure it was one of them?”
“ Do they have a fourth brother?”
“ I hope not, but it’s possible. Rick’s relatives just keep coming out of the woodwork.”
“ I’ll see what I can find out.”
He hung up. If I needed an air mattress, I’d have to call him back.
But that turned out to be unnecessary. Marissa phoned to say she and the boys were going to dinner with Bryan, and then they’d all be staying at his three bedroom condo on the Plaza. I smiled as I disconnected the call. I could just see Marissa and Bryan sitting across the
I blame my mother for imbuing me with an over-active sense of responsibility. Or maybe it was Rick’s fault. He had so little that I learned to make up for his failings.
Grace teared up and grabbed my hand again. “Oh, thank you! Rick was right. You are a good person.”
“ We don’t have to sleep with the bugs again tonight?” Rickie asked.
There was something about that kid that got on my nerves. He must belong to Rick. “No guarantees,” I said. “I have a no-kill policy at my house.”
*~*~*
Grace and Rickie’s car was an old, rusty Ford that rattled and spewed black smoke as they followed me home. I told myself I was doing the right thing even if I didn’t especially like these people. Karma had done me a favor by getting Rick out of my life. I had to pass on the good deeds or Karma might get mad at me and throw Rick back.
“ This is nice,” Grace said as she and Rickie climbed my porch steps. Whether she meant it or not, at least she had better manners than Marissa.
Nah, she must mean it. I had n’t seen any sign of manners.
I opened the door and invited them in.
Henry, waiting just inside, gave them a once-over and decided to ignore them. He head-bumped my leg then trotted off toward the kitchen without making any move to attack them. One vote against Rickie being Rick’s son.
“ Have a seat, let me feed my cat, and I’ll be right back. After I answer my cell phone.” My cell phone had begun playing Hoyt Axton’s Wild Bull Rider . Fred’s ring tone. Not that he’d ever been a bull rider. Well, he could have for all I knew, but he’d have made the bull shower first, so I doubted it. However, the song reflected his attitude.
I took my phone from my purse. “Hello.” I followed Henry to the kitchen.
“ Now who have you brought home?” he asked.
“Rick’s son and the boy’s mother.” I filled Henry’s bowl.
Fred was silent for a long moment. Got him again! “Are you sure?” he asked.
“ Of course not.”
“ Those other people are gone?”
“ I don’t know. I haven’t seen them in several hours, so I’m hoping they’ve moved on to bigger and better swindles.” I closed the pantry door firmly so Henry couldn’t get in and help himself to his cat food, something he’d done before, and told Fred about Bryan and Marissa. “Maybe they’ll stay with him tonight.”
“ That would be good. I really don’t trust those people. Last night one of the boys was outside your house, trying to peer inside the windows.”
“ What? Omigawd! When?” I shivered at the thought of somebody peering into my house. “And why?”
“ Twelve minutes after midnight, and I have no idea why. I’m not psychic. I thought at first it was Rick since he’s done that sort of thing more than once in the past. Then I realized it must be one of his brothers since he’s dead. I went outside to confront him, but he was gone by the time I got there.”
“ Which brother was it?”
“ I don’t know. They look a lot alike, and it was dark. Which one was wearing black last night?”
I had n’t paid much attention to the boys, but I was pretty sure they had both been wearing faded jeans and light-colored tee-shirts. “Neither one of them. Well, not before we went to bed, anyway. Maybe they had black pajamas. Damn! Peeking in the window? That’s creepy! Are you sure it was one of them?”
“ Do they have a fourth brother?”
“ I hope not, but it’s possible. Rick’s relatives just keep coming out of the woodwork.”
“ I’ll see what I can find out.”
He hung up. If I needed an air mattress, I’d have to call him back.
But that turned out to be unnecessary. Marissa phoned to say she and the boys were going to dinner with Bryan, and then they’d all be staying at his three bedroom condo on the Plaza. I smiled as I disconnected the call. I could just see Marissa and Bryan sitting across the
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