‘Don’t get excited.’ I pumped my hands in Andy’s direction. ‘It’s not what you think.’
Andy folded his arms across his chest. ‘I think Johnny is avoiding talking to the police about an ongoing murder investigation. I think the police might not be taking too kindly to that. I think you’re butting in where you don’t belong.’
Johnny looked like he wanted to skate away as Andy continued, ‘I think you could be making things worse for yourself.’ Andy ripped off the corner of his apple turnover. Baked golden delicious apple in a buttery sauce oozed out. ‘And making them worse for Clive, too.’
OK, so it was exactly what Andy was thinking. ‘It’s really not like that at all,’ I said, despite knowing better.
‘Miller’s right.’ Johnny came to my defense. He stuffed a mouthful of turnover down his gullet and chewing heavily. ‘I have a reputation to protect.’
Andy glared at the both of us.
‘Sorry?’ I whimpered.
‘I’m sure Maggie and Johnny didn’t mean to cause any trouble,’ Donna said in an obvious attempt to assuage her husband.
‘Of course, not,’ Mom said lightly. ‘I’m sure Johnny will be happy to talk to the police tomorrow.’ She smiled. ‘Won’t you, Johnny, dear?’
Johnny readily agreed.
Johnny, dear? I ripped my turnover in two. Hot apple, sugar and cinnamon spilled over my fingers. ‘Ouch!’ I hollered as my fingers turned pink.
Donna warned me to be more careful as Connor asked, ‘Are you going to jail, Mr Wolfe?’
‘Yeah,’ added Hunter, ‘did you kill somebody?’ Hunter was practically drooling. ‘With your bare hands?’
‘Like on TV?’ That was Connor again.
Both boys bobbed their heads excitedly.
‘Nobody here killed anybody,’ Donna said sternly. ‘Eat your dessert.’
‘Thanks,’ I said to my sister, then poked my nose at the boys.
‘No problem.’ Donna laced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table. ‘Now, let’s hear all about Brad Smith and that kiss.’
Mom and Andy snickered.
‘What kiss?’ enquired Johnny. ‘Did I miss something? Has Miller actually found another man?’
I glared at Johnny. ‘You may have been a little premature, Donna.’
Her brow shot up. ‘About what?’
‘About nobody here having murdered anyone.’
Johnny shot me a look that would have withered a tomato plant quicker than a hundred-and-twenty-degree day in the sun, then refilled his wine glass. ‘Spill it, Miller.’ He wiggled his fingers in a come-hither manner.
I would have liked to have spilled that liter of wine over his thick skull. ‘There’s nothing to spill.’ I turned to my brother-in-law. He was the only reasonably normal person in sight, after all. ‘Can we talk about Lisa Willoughby’s murder instead? You won’t believe the things I’ve heard.’
Andy leaned back in his chair. ‘I’m listening.’ He turned to Connor and Hunter. ‘You can finish your desserts on the sofa, boys. Watch TV if you want.’
‘OK,’ said Connor. ‘But there’s never anything good to watch at Aunt Maggie’s.’
‘Yeah,’ Hunter chimed in. ‘She hardly gets any stations at all.’
Could I help it if the cable company had found out the last tenant had left and then cut off the premium channels when they had realized I wasn’t paying for the package?
‘Watch PBS,’ suggested Donna. ‘That’s free.’
Connor gave his mother a look that implied she was just this side of the loony bin. He grabbed Hunter by the shoulder. ‘We’ll watch Sports Center.’
‘So,’ I began, ‘Lisa’s brother, Houston Willoughby, arrived today.’
‘How do you know that?’ asked my mother.
‘He came in the café this morning. He arrived from Santa Fe.’
‘Santa Fe?’ Johnny rubbed the bridge of his nose with the edge of his empty wine glass. ‘Great little town,’ he reminisced. ‘I skated there once.’ His eyes rolled back in his head, searching for memories, no doubt. ‘For some charity or another.’
‘Anyway,’ I said firmly, ‘he came to break the news to his sister that their aunt had passed.’
‘He didn’t know his sister was dead?’
I shook my head.
‘You told him?’ Johnny looked appalled.
I shrugged. ‘Sort of.’ I leaned toward my brother-in-law. ‘I also heard that there was something fishy about Lisa’s death.’
That seemed to get Andy’s interest. ‘Like what?’
I heaved my shoulders. ‘I don’t know. Detective Highsmith wouldn’t tell me. He got all official. He only said there were circumstances about the scene that raised questions or something.’
Andy tapped his finger against his lips. ‘Interesting.’
‘Yeah,’ I agreed. ‘I don’t think he believes Clive had anything to do with the murder at all.’ I took a mouthful of turnover then said, ‘Have you learned anything new from your sources, Andy?’
‘Not a word. But then, I do have other things to do besides play lawyer. I’ve got a farm and a store to help run.’ Connor and Hunter broke out into an argument on the sofa. ‘And boys to raise. Quiet down over there, you two!’
I tapped my empty glass. ‘You know, from everybody I talk to, it seems like Lisa Willoughby was anything but a saint.’
‘Rumors,’ Andy said. ‘And innuendo.’
Mom agreed. ‘I don’t think it is polite to speak poorly of the dead.’
‘I agree with Miller here.’ Johnny stabbed his fork against the table. ‘Lisa was a horrible person. She lied, cheated and stole from me and Clive.’ He lifted his chin. ‘I don’t care that she is dead.’
Andy looked surprised. Mom looked shocked. I was somewhere in the middle. Donna was staring at her empty dessert dish. ‘I wouldn’t go blabbing that opinion around,’ Andy warned Johnny.
Johnny wagged his head.
‘Lisa lived in a condo in the same complex as Laura Duval from Laura’s Lightly Used.’ I drummed my fingers against the tabletop. ‘I sure would like to get a look inside.’
Andy’s eyebrows turned into dark thunder clouds. ‘Don’t you dare go near that place,’ he demanded. ‘Either of you!’ He pointed a threatening finger at both myself and Johnny.
Johnny pouted then rose and started opening and closing my cupboards like he owned the place. He didn’t.
‘Can I help you with something?’
‘Where do you keep the wine?’
‘I keep an extra box on the bottom shelf of the fridge,’ I explained. ‘For emergencies.’ And having Johnny Wolfe, my mother and the whole clan in the house definitely qualified as an emergency.
Johnny cringed but with no other options dragged out the chunky three-liter box of chilled red. Donna, Andy and the kids left soon after. Probably headed home to nibble on some pine nuts and watch a documentary on butter churns on the local educational channel.
Mom was out on the patio running through a yoga routine.
Before leaving, Andy had made Johnny promise to go down to Table Rock Police Department tomorrow morning. He made me promise to keep my nose out of the whole Lisa Willoughby murder business. ‘Don’t do anything crazy or illegal,’ he’d insisted.
Sure, tie my hands, why don’t you?
Donna made me promise to eat the left over icky balls and hemp seed tabouli for dinner tomorrow.
Johnny lied once.
I lied twice.
Johnny jammed the plastic cap back on the wine. ‘So, what time are we going to Lisa’s condo?’ He whispered across the kitchen table.
I shot a glance over my shoulder. The sliding door between my mother and us was shut. Mom was in the midst of some pose that would have sent me to the emergency room. I had planned on attacking Lisa’s place solo but I didn’t see any harm in Johnny tagging along. ‘Mom should be asleep by eleven,’ I said. ‘We go then.’
I felt good. I felt confident. I was doing something. Besides, what could go wrong?