Pensions, Tensions, and Homicide by Tricia L. Sanders

Author:Tricia L. Sanders
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tricia L. Sanders

After getting a late-night phone call from Liz promising news, against my better judgment, I was sitting at the bottom of the driveway to her palatial home. The home where she was currently hosting her annual sleepover for the wives of the deer hunters—my former friends. Thankfully, I didn’t see my mother-in-law’s Mercedes.

Cece Cavanaugh, you must have rocks in your head. This is the last place you need to be. Whatever news Liz has can wait until morning.

Before I could put my car in reverse, a tap on the window jolted me from my misgivings. Liz stood next to my car wearing a designer PJ set, holding two glasses of champagne.

She said something I couldn’t hear and held out one of the glasses.

I put the window down. “What?”

“Come on up and join us.” She slurred her words, and by the fact that she wore no coat over the thin night clothes, I assumed she’d had too much to drink. “There’s plenty of bubbly to go around.”

I frowned. “Not a good idea. What did you want that was so important it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Don’t be a party poop.” She thrust a flute at me. “I’ve got all kinds of goodies from Oppenheimer’s Bakery and plenty of alcohol.”

That was obvious. I put the van in reverse. “This was not a good idea. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“No.” She ran around the front of my van, sloshing champagne as she went.

Liz rarely drank, but on occasions such as this, she could not hold her liquor for anything. One drink made her tipsy and slurred her speech—a stark contrast to sober Liz. I knew from past experience, she would be nursing a killer hangover tomorrow.

I slid down the passenger side window. “Liz, go back to your party and enjoy the evening. I’m going home.”

“Wait. I need to show you something.” She pushed both flutes through the open window. “Hold these a minute.”

I pushed the gear shifter into park and took the champagne. This better be good. If the wives got to missing her, they would come looking, and I didn’t want to be here when they did.

She shoved her hand into the pocket of her pajama pants and withdrew a small object. “Here.”

She grabbed her drink back and pushed the object into my hand.

I held it under the map light. “It’s a flash drive. So?”

“So? Don’t you see?” She tipped the flute and drained it.

“I see you’ve had too much to drink.”

A car slowed, its lights illuminating my van. I was all too aware of how my fluorescent pink van stuck out like a sore thumb in Liz’s driveway.

“Oops. Don’t look now, but I think Hazel has arrived. I’m out of here.” Liz wiggled four fingers in a wave and stumbled up the driveway.

Great timing, you schmuck! I dropped the flash drive in the cupholder, reminding myself to give it to Liz the next time I saw her. Then I wondered if Liz had set it up for me to be here when Hazel arrived.

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