PICKED OFF by Linda Lovely

Author:Linda Lovely
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: book club picks;Henery Press;cozy mystery series;women sleuths;amateur sleuths;beach reads
Publisher: Henery Press
Published: 2018-11-12T18:17:49+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

Eva and I jabbered like excited parrots on our drive back to Udderly, tossing out possibilities, rejecting them, then championing alternatives. Yet by the time we turned into Udderly’s graveled drive we’d only come to one conclusion: we were more out of our depth than a vegan at a wienie roast. No clue who was on first base let alone who was hiding in the dugout.

As we drove home, the sun disappeared and clouds crowded out the blue. A thick, gray blanket shrouded our piece of the Upstate. October weather seemed as fickle as our billy goats.

I looked heavenward again when I saw Mollye’s van occupied my usual parking place in front of our cabin. As we pulled up, my friend leapt from her front-stoop seat and waved. As if we could miss her.

“Thought you’d be here sooner,” Mollye chastised as we climbed the steps. “Been waiting half an hour. What’s with the deadbolt?”

Eva unlocked the cabin, which was usually left unlocked. “Seemed prudent given all the goings-on,” my aunt muttered as we went inside. “Don’t mean to be rude, but I need to change into something comfy and run right back out. I promised Zack I’d sneak in some real eats for his dinner; give him a break from institutional slop.”

Mollye flopped down at her usual spot at the kitchen table as soon as Eva went to her room. “Hey, I texted you hours ago. How come you never answered?”

“Shut my phone off for the luncheon and, what with all the excitement, forgot to turn it on again.” Mollye didn’t bite on my excitement teaser. That had to mean she was eager to spill news of her own.

Mollye sighed theatrically. “Called my aunt and uncle. Bad news. Uncle Les is on a fishing trip with buddies down in the Lowcountry. No way he can check out the CAVE hideaway.”

I walked over to the refrigerator. “Want something to drink? Iced tea? Apple juice? Water?”

“I should learn to bring my own drinks,” Mollye complained. “Never a soft drink and the tea is always minus the sweet. Yuck. Guess I’ll settle for apple juice.”

I laughed. “Just trying to help you stay healthy.”

Eva waved to us as she passed by on her way out the door. “I probably won’t be home till eight thirty or so. You’re on your own for supper. Don’t raid my cheese stash. See you.”

As soon as she left, Mollye rubbed her hands together. She’d been biding her time until Eva was out of earshot. “I have an even better idea for scouting that hunting camp than dispatching Uncle Les.”

Even better? Translation: even riskier.

“Did you know Andy’s first cousin, Larry, is a real estate agent?”

I smiled. “No. Are you thinking we should make an offer on the hunting lodge?”

Mollye folded her arms across her ample chest and tapped her foot. “Let me finish, will you? Larry was the first real estate agent ’round these parts to use a drone for aerial photos. Anyway, last month he bought a new, fancier drone and gave his old model to Andy, who was kind enough to take aerials of my store.

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