A Midsummer Night's Scheme by Harper Kincaid

Author:Harper Kincaid
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

Chapter Ten

Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long legged spinners, hence!

Beetles black, approach not here;

Worm nor snail, do no offense.

—Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Once again, Detective Harrington, I don’t care one flappity flip about the ‘optics.’” Senya was only a few feet away, and yet she was still loud. “Everyone here knows Ella Diaz did not murder Chad Frivole with rattlesnakes.”

Before Quinn had had a chance to fish her phone out of her back pocket, Ella had already called the cops herself, and in less than ten minutes, it seemed half the Vienna Police Department was now in her restaurant.

Tapping her Manolo stiletto toe, Senya was already cooking up a conniption as the investigative team walked through the double doors. “Oh, sure, come on down and waste taxpayers’ money searching my client’s place of business. Knock yourselves out.”

To say Senya Petrova had a flair for drama was a major undersell. Captain of her high school debate team, she’d developed a reputation for being able to argue with anyone, about anything. People who knew her were relieved she used that mouth and brain for the greater good; she’d gone to law school and had earned the highest conviction rate as a county prosecutor. Everyone had thought a run for public office was the next, natural step, but she’d surprised friends and neighbors when she hung her own shingle instead—as a criminal defense attorney—before the age of thirty. Being parked right outside Washington, DC, meant she had plenty of business.

Of course, Aiden had arrived with his team—all business and none too pleased his girlfriend was, again, somehow at a potential crime scene. To his credit, despite the cheek tic at the sight of her, he kept it professional. “I’m going to need you all to exit the viper room so my team can investigate.”

“Of course, let’s move it,” Ella ordered. “The sooner we get this done, the quicker I can get the crew back to work.”

Meanwhile, Officers Shae Johnson and Ned Carter pulled them all aside, one by one, for the interview portion of the impromptu program.

Corri gave one last glance at the reptiles, making an ick face. “Uh, no. Couldn’t pay me to touch them.”

Ella snickered. “And you wonder why you never get a second date.”

Quinn covered her mouth, a feeble attempt to not laugh.

“Stop that! This is serious.” Senya hit the record button on her phone, pointing it toward the officers. “I’ll save you all the trouble: Ella has nothing to hide, and neither do I. Interview over.”

“Noted.” Officer Carter scribbled in his pad. “Of course, that means Miss Diaz will be the only one here deemed uncooperative.”

Jenny chewed on the edge of her thumb. “Quinn, please tell me Aiden isn’t going to assume Ella did anything wrong?”

“He’s a professional,” Quinn promised. “He’s always telling me to let the evidence unfold and have it speak for itself.”

Senya’s temper was contagious, because now Ella was riled up. “I’ve told you, the snakes are going to be taco meat. I value them too much to use them as assassins.

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