Jeopardy in High Heels (High Heels #12) - Gemma Halliday Page 0,8

legal marijuana before the show and dying of an overdose afterward, so how could we have known?

Two hours later, I'd scoured everything there was to be seen on Doggy Z's death. Which was not much more than the initial info. Though as the night wore on, more and more fans left their condolences and comments on social media. I finally went up to bed around midnight, where I quickly drifted off to sleep. I halfway remembered Ramirez kissing me and getting into bed at some point, but when I awoke the next morning, I was once again alone.

I dragged myself into a very hot shower, dressing quickly as I heard the twins waking up in their bedroom down the hall. I opted for a pair of skinny jeans, a cold-shoulder top in a pale yellow, and a pair of strappy blue sandals with a three-inch heel. I was just adding a swipe of lip gloss and some mascara as the sounds of Paw Patrol told me the twins were not only up but also in possession of the TV remote.

After I'd served them cereal and juice in front of the television, I found the message Ramirez had scrawled for me on a Post-it Note, next to the coffeemaker.

Messy case. Media frenzy. Call you later. Love you.

I tucked the Post-it away in one of the kitchen drawers as I grabbed a cup of coffee and contemplated his word choice. Messy case. I could well see where a high-profile death like Dog's could be a messy media frenzy, especially if illegal drugs were involved. Or, for that matter, even enough prescription ones to cause a deadly overdose. I wondered if Dog had taken them on purpose or if it had been accidental. He hadn't seemed particularly unhappy at the taping, even if he had been kind of out of it. It was clear he'd tanked on Jeopardy!, but as much of a joke as that would be in the press, it hardly seemed worth ending your life over. On the other hand, I could easily see how an out-of-it Dog might have forgotten how many pills he'd taken and accidentally added one too many to the mix.

I itched to text Ramirez and ask more, but it sounded like he had enough on his plate already that day. My curiosity could wait until I saw him. Instead, I downed my coffee and added a slice of toast before packing up the kids' lunches and backpacks for preschool. I was just going in search of two pairs of shoes when my phone rang and my mother's name showed up.

"Hey," I said, tucking the phone under my chin as I retrieved a pink sandal from under the sofa.

"Did you hear about Dog?" she asked.

"I did. Ramirez is working the case."

"So sad," she lamented. "He was so full of life, wasn't he?"

"He was full of something," I mumbled, laying hands on the sandal and spying its mate on the coffee table.

"Well, Ralph was just beside himself when we saw it on the news last night," my mom went on. "I mean, he was just talking to the poor man yesterday, and now he's gone."

"It's shocking," I agreed, slipping a pair of wiggly little feet into the sandals.

"Do you know what happened?" Mom asked. "Did Ramirez tell you anything?"

I shook my head. "No. I haven't had a chance to ask him yet. But they're saying on social media it was an overdose."

"That's what the brunette on Channel Seven said too. So tragic. What a way to go."

"Are you at the salon?" I asked, slipping Max's backpack onto his tiny back.

"No, but I will be soon. Ralph left early to take care of a nail emergency for one of those Real Housewives."

"Which one?" I couldn't help asking.

"I can't remember. Ralph said the catty one."

If only that narrowed it down. "I'll stop by after I drop the twins off at school," I promised, handing Livvie her Vampirina lunchbox.

"Would you? I think Ralph could really use the moral support today. This has all been so upsetting for him."

"Happy to," I told her. And that wasn't just because I could use a little nail touchup myself. "I'll see you soon," I promised before saying goodbye and ushering the twins out the door.

An hour later I'd dropped the twins off, grabbed a grande pumpkin spiced latte with extra whip from Starbucks (life was too short to drink unflavored coffee), and pulled my minivan up to the curb in front of Fernando's. Yes,