Jeopardy in High Heels (High Heels #12) - Gemma Halliday Page 0,38

man on the face of the earth.

Faux Dad pounded his fist into his leg. "Who is Lou Gehrig!?" He turned his head and seemed to see me for the first time. "Oh, hi, Maddie."

I gave him a little wave before his attention turned back to the television.

"So how did your emergency meeting go?" Mom asked me.

I quickly filled her in on the chat with Angela, as well as the visits Dana and I had made earlier that day to Dog's ex-wives. "It sounds like Tina has an angle for her story that does not include Ralph," I finished with. "Thankfully."

Mom let out a sigh. "That is a load off. Thank you, honey."

Faux Dad turned his attention momentarily my way. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your help, Maddie." He turned back to the screen in time to yell out, "What is cottage cheese!?"

The twins giggled from their play table.

Mom crossed one leg over the other in her skort. "So do you really think Angela Gold killed Dog?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean she did seem pretty upset at how it ended with him, but it's hard to believe she'd hold enough of a grudge to kill him years later."

"Unless there was something about their relationship she didn't tell you," Mom pointed out. "Something she didn't want Dog to let out."

I nodded. "Dana thought of that too."

"Well, what about someone he cheated on more recently?" Mom said. "Like the young wife."

"Which one?" I joked. "But, yeah, it's possible wife #4 was harboring enough resentment to kill him. Or even in conjunction with wife #3."

"What is praying mantis!?" Ralph shouted at the television.

"Or the first wife," Mom pointed out. "You said she's the only one who didn't get alimony."

"She said she didn't want it."

Mom tilted her head to the side and gave me a get real look. "So she says now. But maybe Dog refused, and now that she's killed him so her son will inherit everything, that's her story."

"I hadn't thought of that." I shook my head. "Anyway, it's in Ramirez's capable hands, so I'm sure he'll get to the bottom of it."

The TV show announced a commercial break, and we watched as a picture of Dog appeared on the screen with Trebek's voice in the background. "We at Jeopardy! are deeply saddened by the loss of our recent celebrity contestant Doggy Z, who passed away suddenly last night. Our sympathy goes out to his family at this time."

We were all silent a beat, contemplating that sad thought.

"I wonder what will become of Aunty Mae now," Mom said, pursing her lips as the TV went to an insurance commercial. "I mean, she can't very well continue that cooking show without Dog."

"She didn't seem like she wanted to do it with him in the first place." I filled her in on our conversation.

When I was finished, Mom was still frowning at the TV. "Poor Dog. It doesn't seem like anyone in his life liked him."

"From what I've heard today, I wouldn't say he's entirely blameless in that."

"Shhh," Faux Dad said. "Final Jeopardy!'s starting."

We watched as the answer from the category American Film Institute flashed onto the screen.

The AFI ranks this movie quote at number thirty-one on their list of the Top 100 Movie Quotes. It's from the same movie as the quote rated at number one.

"Yo, Adrian?" Mom guessed.

"I'll be back?" I tried.

Faux Dad's face broke into a grin. "After all, tomorrow is another day."

"Isn't that from Gone with the Wind?" I asked.

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," Faux Dad said.

"Ralph! Not in front of the twins," Mom scolded.

He glanced with guilt at Max and Livvie, who were giggling again. "Sorry. I forgot about little ears."

Livvie snickered. "Daddy forgets sometimes too."

Both Pippi Mississippi and the SNL cast member had the correct answer, but Pippi had bet more and was pronounced the winner. Faux Dad folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the pillows. "Well, tomorrow night I'll learn the name of my other competitor. Pippi will be tough to beat."

"She didn't end up with nearly as large of an amount as you did," Mom pointed out.

Faux Dad smiled at her. "That doesn't matter. She's quick on the buzzer and gets almost every question she answers right. That's stiff competition right there."

* * *

After Jeopardy! ended, Mom and Faux Dad took off, and I contemplated my dinner options. Takeout sounded easy, but considering the burgers and fries I'd already consumed that day, I went for