Huh. That was unprovoked.

  Anytime a suspect begins to craft an alibi, no matter how meager, it sends up a red flag.

  “Well, I’m glad you were there,” I tell him. “That was a terrible sight.”

  “You’re telling me,” Carlotta quips. “I was the one holding the murder weapon—still innocent if you’re keeping score.” She elbows him in the ribs. “So who did it? I bet it was that sleazy director, the one that takes pleasure in stuffing old women up with chili peppers and then sending them on their way.”

  Burt laughs. “I’d steer clear of anything that man offers you. He’s out to make a buck any way he can. I know for a fact he tried to get Candace to fund one of those spectacles he’s been working on for the Documentary Channel. But Candace was no fool. She smelled the desperation on him and gave him the heave-ho about three weeks ago.”

  “She did? Funny, Woody didn’t mention anything about that.” Oops! I meant to say that last part to myself, but with my lack of sleep and my brain already worrying over Everett’s verdict, I guess I let it slip. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. But then, if Cluck Norris knew, he’d probably cheer on my newfound free-range mind.

  “Why would he mention it?” Burt huffs. “That man has an ego so big it nearly takes the roof off the studio each time he walks in it. He was groveling with her, though. Especially that last day. I caught him in her office practically begging her to take him back. Candace and I had been spending a lot of time together those last few weeks trying to figure out a way to oust him as the director. We had a lot of legal hoops to jump through, but we thought we could do it.”

  “So that’s what you were doing with her?” My fingers tap my mouth. Again with the errant thoughts escaping my lips? This has got to stop. I’m meeting with Jimmy and Luke in less than five minutes. I might get all of Honey Hollow killed if I keep this up.

  “You must have seen the two of us in my office that day.” He nods as he feeds the machine before him. “Yup. We were plotting right up until the end. Had my attorney on the phone and everything.”

  “Buck-buck”—Cluck Norris flaps his wings—“it sounds as if he and Candace got along just fine. Ask him who did it. I think the pigeon feeder knows more than he’s letting on.”

  “I bet you know more than you’re letting on,” I let the words roll right off my tongue, because at this point, why not just go with it?

  Carlotta gives me the side-eye. “Of course, he does, Lot. He’s a big-shot producer. You don’t get where he is today and not have the brains to back the billions.”

  A husky laugh thumps through the big-shot producer’s chest. “You really know how to sweet talk a man, hot mama.”

  “Who you calling hot?” She puckers her lips his way, and just as he’s diving in for a kiss she pulls back. “First, you tell me everything you know about how Randy Candy came to be a corpse. I’ve got my good name to clear, you know. It’s bad enough that woman tormented me while she was still living, but now she’s doing it from the great beyond.”

  Cluck Norris juts his head out a notch. “Oh, the beyond is great, indeed, Carlotta. You would love it. Lots of great food, lots of men for you to choose from, and you get your very own castle—or you could live with family if you like.”

  Carlotta lifts a brow my way and I shoot her a look that says don’t even think about it. My castle in the sky is going to have a fifteen-minute visitation limit for Carlotta and her shenanigans. Come to think of it, why should I wait until I’m dead to have all the fun? I should instate that rule now.

  Burt nods. “I do know quite a bit of dirt. You don’t produce a show that spills all the gossip without having a knack for picking up on a little yourself.”

  “I’m not getting any younger,” Carlotta says as her machine sings and whistles and yet she’s got nada. “Whatcha got, hot shot?”

  “That Kit girl? The production assistant? She’s the kid sister of Candace’s husband, Zack. You probably heard he drowned three days into their honeymoon. Well, Kit’s made no secret of the fact she thinks her brother was pushed. She only brought up the theory recently, but I suspect it’s been brewing in her for a while.”

  “She brought it up to you?” I ask.

  He nods. “Just the day before Candace was killed. She said she wanted to do a tribute episode to him involving water safety techniques, but Candace wouldn’t have it. Candace said she didn’t want to reopen old wounds, and Kit countered that it had been a long time since the incident. She said she wanted to help save other people since she couldn’t go back and save her brother. But Candace, being the stubborn person she was, wouldn’t hear of it. Once she stormed out of the room, Kit said the only reason Candace didn’t want to reopen the case was most likely because she pushed him.”

  Carlotta clucks her tongue. “I knew she was a pusher. Hear that, Lot? Kit did it to avenge her brother’s death. I bet she went into Candace’s office to pitch the show again and accused Candace of doing the deed once she said no.”

  “BUGAW!” Cluck Norris riots. “I saw her! I saw that woman looking for Candace just before Candace found herself on the chopping block.”

  “I saw something, too,” I say and close my eyes as soon as the words leave my lips. It’s becoming clear I’m malfunctioning.

  “What did you see?” Burt asks, genuinely interested.

  “Well, when we got there and I met Kit, she was wearing a white T-shirt. And then when we left, she was wearing a blue one. I just thought that was odd.”

  “That’s it!” Carlotta snaps her fingers in front of her face and ends up thumping herself on the forehead from the inertia. “She had to change her top because she got blood all over it.”

  Burt growls, “We’ve got to call the sheriff’s department.”

  “No, no,” I say. “We don’t have all the evidence we need. And if she gets tipped off, she might skip town. I bet she’s already burned the T-shirt.”

  Burt lets out a breath. “At least she’ll be available for production tomorrow. It’s going to take a lot of work to replace her.” He looks my way. “Got any cute friends looking to work their way up the ladder in showbiz?”

  Carlotta leans in. “Just the one.” She bats her lashes at him and he tickles her chin as if she were a kitten.

  “Hon, if you’re looking to work eighty hours a week with no overtime or paid breaks, you’re my gal.”

  She makes a face. “Keep on truckin’, buster. There’s not enough cheese in the world to make me stand on my tired dogs all day. Come on, Lot. This case against Kit is open and shut. We should leave right now and meet up with Foxy so he can get the investigative ball rolling in her direction. I can’t wait to clear my name.”

  “We’ll see you Friday, Burt,” I say as Carlotta and I head for mobster pastures.

  “Wait!” Burt calls out while pointing to Carlotta. “What if I sweetened the pot? I’ll let you give me a massage in my private office twice a day!”

  “Keep walking,” I say to Carlotta in the event he’s successful in wooing her.

  “But the massages!” She tries to head back, and I pull her along. “Never mind groping his greedy body. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

  Cluck Norris flaps his wings as he floats before us. “And I’ve got a couple of cats to free. Pancake and Waffles promise to stay nearby, Lottie. They just want to stretch their furry little legs once in a while.” The plucky poltergeist begins to dissipate.

  “What? Wait, stop! Leave my sweet cats out of this!” But it’s too late. He’s as good as gone.

  “Don’t worry, Lot,” Carlotta says as she links her arm to mine. “I got the name of that breeder Nell used to pick up those cats to begin with. I can get you a couple more once those fuzzballs run off. You’ll have to pay for them, of course. They cost more than my first car. Hey, wait a minute. All we need is a couple of little girl cats to get the procreation party started. You breed the humans, and I’ll get us into the kitty goldmine business. I’ll give you a percent for use of your studs.”

  “My studs have been stunted in the procreation department. You’ll have to dig for gold elsewhere. Although rumors are, Toby isn’t fixed.”

  “Hon, I didn’t need to hear a rumor to know that. I’m shocked Foxy hasn’t put a jock strap on that poor boy.” She sucks in a quick breath and pulls me back a notch just as we’re about to crest an aisle’s worth of slot machines. “Speaking of men who are hung, there they are.” She slaps me on the arm. “Right there at that empty blackjack table.”

  Sure enough, both Jimmy and Luke are present and accounted for, and best of all, there’s not another soul around.

  “Hello there,” I say, leading Carlotta to the paternal slaughter with me, and both Jimmy and Luke look up and rise to their feet. They might be cold-blooded killers, but I have to admit, I find their old-world charm appealing despite the fact.

  “Carlotta.” Jimmy picks up her hand and kisses it. “Carlotta Junior.” He quickly does the same to me.

  “Come here, kid.” Luke pulls me into a firm embrace, and If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure I felt the butt of his gun against my hip. “We could be family.” He pulls back and beams with pride.

  Jimmy has a head full of silver hair and large dark eyes, while Luke is nearly bald with a pointy chin. Both men are tall and fit for their ages, which I’m guessing is somewhere around mix-sixties to early seventies, and they’re both equally dangerous.

  Jimmy plucks Luke right off of me. “If the kid belongs to anyone, it’s me.”

  “Hey, hey”—Luke gives him a shove to the chest—“Carlotta was my girl back in the day.”

  Jimmy’s chest blows up like a balloon. “Who do you think her sidepiece was? The girl is my kid, and it’s settled.”

  Luke does his best impersonation of a baboon about to go on a rampage, chest out, chin up, and that deranged look in his eyes.

  “She’s my kid, Jimmy. And you know I love to spoil my kids.” He nods my way. “Expect a new car to show up in your driveway—as soon as it’s official, of course.”

  “Hear that, lot?” Carlotta bumps her hip to mine. “The good stuff’s gonna come rolling in. You better be a Lazzari if you know what’s good for you.”

  “Whatever I am, the results are already in.” By a miracle in its own right, these two men have already been tested.

  Jimmy points my way. “And you’re gonna be a Canelli,” he says it like a threat.

  “Speaking of threats, thanks for calling off the hit on my husband. Lord knows we’ve got enough to worry about these days.”

  “Who says I called it off?” He squints my way with suspicion.

  My mouth falls open. “Well, nothing’s happened in so long. You know, none of that dancing with bullets business you pulled last month. I figured you had a paternal inkling and called off the dogs.”

  Jimmy’s brows crawl up his forehead like a couple of furry gray caterpillars. “I told you last month, Carlotta Junior, I can’t let anyone get away with disrespecting my family, dead or alive. Just to be fair, if someone moved your corpse, there would be heck to pay, too. The hit is still on, but we’ve had resistance.” He nods to Luke. “At first, I thought it was you, but it’s someone far more cunning, far more wicked.”

  Luke nods. “The Morettis.” He looks to Carlotta and me. “That’s what this meet and greet was about. We’re getting ready to handle them. And as soon as we do, the hit is back on.”

  “Et tu, Papa Lazzari?” I ask and he offers an apologetic shrug.

  “If we don’t look out for our family, who’s gonna do it?” he counters.

  I gag on my next words. “So help me God, Jimmy, if I turn out to be your daughter, you had better call off that hit or there’s going to be a bloodbath in the Canelli family by one of their own.”

  Jimmy’s ears pique with amusement as both Jimmy and Luke burst out in a belly laugh.

  “That’s my kid talking.” Luke wags a finger my way.

  “That’s my kid.” Jimmy winks over at me. “Tell you what, Carlotta Junior. You turn out to be my kid, I’ll call off the hit. But in retribution for doing who knows what with Florenza’s dead body, I expect a pass for my men when they filter through his courtroom. Unless, of course, he heads to the clinker. In that case, you might want to keep the hit. It might be easier on him.”

  “Duly noted.” I’m suddenly elated about the idea of becoming a Canelli.

  Luke touches his finger to the side of his nose. “Tell you what. If you’re my kid, I’ll put out a hit on old Jimmy here. Once Jimmy kicks the bucket, all hits are null and void.”

  “Duly noted again.” All sorts of crazy thoughts start going through my head.

  “You’ll both have to be at the studio this Friday for the results if you don’t mind. The show tapes at one in the afternoon. I can hardly wait to see which Italian stock I come from.”

  “I’m busy.” Jimmy is the first to renege.

  “Same goes for me.” Luke follows suit. “But fill me in as soon as you can.”

  Carlotta jumps in front of me and pulls her shoulders back. “You’ll both be there or you’re never getting another bite of this.”

  I’d laugh, or swat Carlotta, but both Jimmy and Luke seem to be taking the bait.

  “I’ll be there with bells on,” Luke says while doing this weird thing with his upper lip.

  “I’ll be there first, hot stuff.” Jimmy winks her way.

  “Come on, hot stuff,” I say as I give the men a wave. “We’ve got to hit the bakery and then the Wicked Wok.”

  “Gotta run, boys!” she shouts after them. “We’re having a last supper at the house tonight.”

  “Those are the best,” Jimmy calls out.

  “Have a good time.” Luke gives a friendly wave.

  “Half of that B&B is as good as my mother’s,” I pant as I speed us through the seedy establishment.

  “I’m rooting for Luke,” she says.

  “Carlotta, if anything, you should be rooting for Jimmy. He’ll call off the hit on Everett.”

  “Face it, Lot, Jimmy is right. The hit will be a mercy killing where he’s going.”

  “Everett isn’t going to prison,” I hiss as if trying to convince myself in the process.

  Mayor Nash runs through my mind and I feel a pang of guilt.

  But I push all of my prospective fathers out of my mind for now.

  The only father I want to focus on tonight is Everett.

  Here’s hoping we’re not about to celebrate his last supper.

  Noah

  Jimmy Canelli.

  After work I head straight to Red Satin and I don’t get five steps out of my truck before I see a couple of familiar faces heading this way, and one of them lights up my face the only way she knows how.

  “Freeze,” I say. “You’re both under arrest.”

  No sooner do the words leave my lips than both Lottie and Carlotta scream as they toss up their hands.

  A laugh bumps from me. “Sorry, girls. I couldn’t help it.” I head over and pull Lottie in and sink a kiss right over her forehead.

  “Noah Fox, you are the worst!”

  She swats me so I go for another kiss, this time on her cheek. Lottie always holds the scent of vanilla whether or not she’s in that bakery and I let the scent permeate my lungs for a moment.

  “What are you doing here?” she asks with a look of suspicion in her eyes.

  “You first. And where’s Lyla Nell?” I’m suddenly fearing for my baby daughter, and no matter what that test says she’s exactly that.

  “At home with Everett.” She frowns a little as she says his name. I know she’s worried about him. Heck, I’m worried about him.

  “Yup.” Carlotta slaps me on the shoulder. “Sexy’s imprinting himself over her gray matter in hopes she’ll remember him once he’s at Club Fed.”

  I wince just hearing it. “He’s not going, Lot. Don’t worry.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Carlotta says. “We’re still throwing him a last supper get-together. Be there or go hungry, Foxy. We’re on our way to pick up the goods right now.”

  “I’ll be there in a bit. I just need to run in. I’m working on a little business for the department.”

  Carlotta reaches into Lottie’s purse. “Here you go, Foxy.” She lands a fistful of dollar bills in my hand. “Make it rain while you’re in there. Those girls work hard for the money.”

  Lottie makes a face at her. “Noah, if you’re looking for Jimmy, he’s in the casino with Luke Lazzari. I’ll make sure I have a box of chocolate chip cookies waiting for you at home. Don’t be long.” She gives me a quick embrace. “I know what you’re doing here,” she whispers. “You want Jimmy to call off that hit. Just know I appreciate it.”

  They take off and I duck inside. I bypass the girls shaking their goods and say a quick hello to Meg as I make a beeline to the underground casino, past the slot machines and bingo.

  “Jimmy, Luke.” I nod their way. “Plotting the demise of the Morrettis, I take it?”

  Jimmy leans back and gives me his hand and I shake it, then Luke’s.

  “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Jimmy chuckles, but I’m not laughing.

  I have a feeling he might just go for the deadly gold anyway.

  “What’s going on, Detective?” Luke is suddenly pensive. He looks weary as if he’s well aware he’s getting too old for this junk.

  “What’s Manny Moretti doing in Vermont?” I ask, getting right to the point.

  Jimmy shrugs. “We think he’s gunning for us. The Morettis are greedy. They want a war. Just like your father.”

  “My father.” I inch back and it takes less than a second for the facts to shake out in front of me. “He borrowed money from you, didn’t he?”

  Jimmy gives a slow nod. “You don’t think the dead simply roll into town without a little financial help, do you? He said he’d pay it back with interest within a year and we’ve bypassed that deadline and then some. He owes me cash. Lots of it.”

  “He had Miranda sell the B&B. That must have covered it.”