Stealing Taffy (Bigler, North Carolina #3) - Susan Donovan Page 0,32
girl a stern glance, then smiled at Tanyalee. “It’s just about having fun. Fern will go out and find people to sponsor her team.”
“Oh, yay.”
Tanyalee had to agree with Fern. This was sounding less appealing by the moment. “But … an actual bowling team?”
Bitsy laughed. “Just for one night. You’ll need eight people on your team, including you and Fern. The other six members can be anyone you like. Our goal is to raise ten thousand dollars for our operating fund.”
Tanyalee stood up and shook Bitsy’s hand. “All right. Well, thank you.”
“No, thank you, Tanyalee.” She looked kindly at Fern. “I think this is a good match. What do you think?”
Fern snorted. “I think I’m thrilled out of my mind.”
When Tanyalee put her hand on Fern’s shoulder, she was struck by how bony the child was. A few weeks at Aunt Viv’s supper table should put some meat on her. “Well, let’s go. Do you have a backpack or anything?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll meet you in a minute, okay?”
Tanyalee waited for Fern to exit into the community room and turned to Bitsy. “That girl’s a mess.”
“Well, yes, to put it mildly. I’ll have to fill you in on the particulars, but her mother ran off when she was a baby and her daddy was working in Bobby Ray Spivey’s meth lab before he died.”
“Oh, how horrible!”
“She’s seen too much for a child and has trust issues, which is perfectly understandable. Though she’d never admit it, she needs a friend, someone to talk to and laugh with. Can you call me at the sheriff’s office tomorrow so we can chat?”
“Of course.”
“She’s not had much adult female companionship, Tanyalee. It’s going to take her some time to get used to you.”
“The same can be said for me,” Tanyalee replied with a sigh. “I haven’t spent much time around kids of either gender, especially ones that aren’t, well, civilized.”
“All I ask is that you be patient with her and set an example,” Bitsy said. “Our goal is for this to be a mutually beneficial arrangement, but she has to stick around long enough for that to happen.”
Tanyalee nodded, understanding completely. She would be a big-sister figure to Fern, and the volunteer hours would get Temple Smathers off her back.
This was going to be a snap.
Chapter 7
Dante took his seat next to O’Connor at the Cataloochee County Sheriff’s Department conference table. The last time he’d been here was a few days before the Spivey bust, the night he’d been forced to knock a dozen hillbilly heads together to prevent a riot at the meth lab. He’d succeeded, but got himself clocked in the process and O’Connor had driven him to the ER in Winston-Salem for a CAT scan, then brought him here to update Halliday.
Nothing like a good fistfight to clear the sinuses.
“Special Agent Dante Cabrera, let me introduce you to any members of the task force you may not have officially met.” Halliday recited the name of everyone gathered around the table, from the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the state police, the FBI, and the local and federal DA’s offices. Halliday addressed the group. “As you know, Dante was our undercover presence during the Spivey investigation, and he’ll be coordinating on the Possum Ridge case from here on out.”
Dante nodded.
“And of course you all know DEA Special Agent in Charge Kelly O’Connor.”
“Hi, again,” she said with a sweet smile.
Honest to God, Dante didn’t know what to do with his boss now that she was in a good mood on a regular basis. It occurred to him that he was probably just jealous—he wanted to be in a good mood, too, and he wanted Pink Taffy to take him there.
Dante closed his eyes. This was getting out of control. It was almost as if he could smell her at this proximity, and it sure as hell didn’t help that the object of his obsession had ties to nearly everyone in this small town, including some of those in this very room.
It had taken just minutes of research to uncover the connections. Tanyalee Marie Newberry was the sister of Cheri Newberry, publisher of the Bigler Bugle. The editor-in-chief was Cheri’s new husband, J.J. DeCourcy, who also happened to be Halliday’s lifelong best friend and Tanyalee’s ex-husband. Cheri’s BFF was Candy Carmichael, Sheriff Halliday’s fiancée. Candy had just hired Tanyalee to work at her new bakery. And Candy’s mother lived out at Cherokee Pines, the ritzy retirement home where Bobby Ray Spivey’s son, Gerrall,