A Listing To Die For (The Lily Sprayberry Cozy Mystery Series Book 14) by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Author:Carolyn Ridder Aspenson [Aspenson, Carolyn Ridder]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Magnum Grace Publishing
Published: 2024-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

That night, Belle and Matt brought over pizzas—five of them.

I stared at the boxes in disbelief. “This is wonderful, but five? You do know I’m no longer pregnant, right?”

Old Man Goodson ambled into the kitchen, his voice slow and steady as always. Even during those times when I knew the man was in a hurry, he never appeared to be. His patience level surpassed any I’d ever seen. “We’re here to lend a hand.” The rest of the crew trailed him like ducklings.

Bonnie peered at the pizza boxes, her Southern drawl as thick as honey. “Y’all didn’t fetch any anchovies, right? Lord have mercy, you know what them little fishies do to my insides.”

“We ain’t talkin’ about your insides again,” Millie declared, stepping in behind them.

“Millie?” I couldn’t hide my astonishment. “You’re here too?”

“This is going to be interesting,” Dylan remarked, his tone still neutral. He glanced at Matt. “How about we head back to the department and get to work?”

“You’re the head honcho,” Matt replied, his speech less colored by the South.

“This is work,” Belle chimed in, her words crisp and clear. “With dinner.”

“And y’all are goin’ to spill what you know.” Henrietta pointed two fingers, first at her eyes then at Dylan. “I’m talking about you, boy.”

“I appreciate your desire to help,” Dylan responded. “But that isn’t exactly how investigations work.”

“We know you aren’t supposed to give away any of the good stuff, but you can trust us,” Henrietta continued, waving her hands. “We’ll keep it on the down-low.”

Dylan whispered to me, “This is going to happen, like it or not, huh?”

I chuckled. “Sure as sugar.”

“All righty,” he conceded. Southerning it up for the old biddies, he said, “I’ll rustle up them paper plates.”

Bonnie brandished a six-pack. “We got our sippin’ syrup.”

Dylan shot a glance my way, his eyebrow raised. He was learning that with that bunch, anything could happen.

Bo came to check on the newcomers, realized he shouldn’t worry, then moseyed back to the nursery and his guard dog duties.

“That sweet baby’s got herself a true-blue friend in that mutt,” Billy Ray said.

“I just hope he's around long enough for her to remember him,” I said, a touch of wistfulness in my voice.

“Dogs stick around just as long as the good Lord needs them to,” Old Man Goodson intoned sagely.

I sighed. “That's what worries me.”

“Let’s not dawdle on about that cute critter,” Henrietta interjected. “We got bigger fish to fry.” She looked expectantly at Dylan then, realizing he wouldn’t speak, added, “So, who’s our prime suspect?”

“Let’s sit in the family room,” I suggested. “I’ve got the baby monitor there so I can keep an ear glued to the baby.”

Just as everyone settled, a faint rumble came from the monitor. We all froze and stared at it.

“Give her a moment,” Dylan advised. “She might just soothe herself.”

Then came the wail.

“That one’s gonna be a cheerleader, what with them lungs,” Bonnie said.

“You have no idea,” I said, hurrying to soothe Magnolia. A quick belly rub and she was back to dreamland.

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