Death Crashes a Wedding: A Penelope Standing Mystery by Tess Baytree

Author:Tess Baytree [Baytree, Tess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Speculative Turtle Press

Chapter 21

Back at home, things had quieted. Hannah and Charlotte had gone to bed, Seth had moved to Jake's office to play a game with his online friends, and Jake sat at the end of the couch with a golf tournament on the television. Brutus sprawled next to him, and Frodo had taken up his accustomed position on the back of the couch near Jake's shoulder.

Sliding in next to Jake with a tray of jalapeño poppers balanced on her library book, Penelope handed him a glass of wine. Brutus raised his head at the smell of cheese but quickly looked away when she frowned at him. "Have I ever told you what an amazing man you are?"

"You didn't sign me up to mulch the rose gardens again, did you?"

"No. Though I can't swear Esther hasn't." Penelope bit into deep-fried pepper and mozzarella and groaned. "We should crash wedding receptions more often. If we plan it right, we'll never have to cook again."

"Because we'll both drop dead from the cholesterol within six months."

"Maybe. But it will be a great six months." Penelope savored the other half of the popper before circling back to her point. "I just wanted to thank you for letting Hannah and Charlotte stay here tonight. Some men would complain if their wife's ex-husband's current wife and child showed up."

"I like Hannah. She can stay anytime." He sipped his wine. "Fair warning: if she goes into labor, I'll drive to the hospital, but you're responsible for handling anything that happens along the way."

Penelope grinned and turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Deal."

"How's the book?"

"I think Ashley spent too much time reading A Catcher in the Rye. But Roberta called and gave me some hints. She said the writing changed in the chapter where the politician meets the teenagers, which we know from Lenz actually happened. And it changes again in chapter fifty-four."

"And what happens in chapter fifty-four?"

Penelope handed him the plate, wiped her fingers on the napkin, and flipped open the book. "This is the section where they go on a crime spree after the politician dies. It's a little Thelma & Louise, except with teenagers and one's a boy. And without a real reason for what they're doing." She paused to think about it. "So, really, nothing like Thelma & Louise. That was a bad analogy."

"I think I get the picture." He glanced at the book and drew his head back. "When did they start making the font so big?"

"The only one not checked out was the large print version." Penelope considered the book in her lap. "You know, if I'm being totally honest, this is actually easier to read."

"I promise I won't tell anyone." He took another look at the book and turned back to the golf with a quick shake of his head. "So what happens?"

"I skimmed the chapter before I left the cats. The kids decide to get back at their math teacher by loosening the wheels on his car and messing with the brakes.

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