Waffles at the Wake (Murder in the Mix #29) - Addison Moore Page 0,17
change my bet?”
Carlotta slashes her hand through the air. “Sorry, kiddo. What’s done is done. Payouts aren’t coming until once that paternity test comes back and it’s ironclad. You’ve still got time.”
A choking sound emits from me. “You’re taking bets?”
Carlotta scoffs. “Don’t play dumb, Lot. You’re in on the pool, too. Don’t tell me that baby has gobbled up all of your brain cells already.” She looks to Lily and shakes her head. “It’s gonna be a long eighteen years.”
Meg zips our way from the Honey Pot. Her dark hair sits on her head like a rat’s nest, and her mascara is smudged over her eyes giving her that smoky look.
“Don’t mind me,” she says, coming behind the counter and snatching up a chocolate filled croissant from the bakery shelf. “Keelie just showed up to relieve me. I need to get back to Red Satin. It’s a real mess down there. The Canellis are up in arms. We’re talking a full-blown mob war is about to break out, and it’s going to span all the way to New Jersey. They think Nicky Knuckles pulled the trigger.”
“That’s what I think, too,” a voice chirps from my left, and I turn that way to see Angel Face Flo glowing with a hot pink aura. Her long black hair is filled with shimmering onyx-colored stars, her face looks freshly made up, hot pink lips, long thick lashes, a touch too much rouge, and she’s still wearing that short pink number she was killed in—bullet hole through her heart and all.
“Lily?” My voice pitches. “Would you mind keeping an eye on things out here? I need to show Carlotta something in the kitchen.”
Meg nods my way. “What is it? Can I see it? Did you get another pricey mixer? If so, the Honey Pot can use your old one? Someone dropped the dirty dishes in there while it was kneading some dough and now the paddle moves wonky.”
Carlotta snorts. “Let me guess. Keelie?”
Meg nods. “I can’t fault her. I’d be throwing dirty dishes at people’s heads if I hadn’t slept in five months.”
Makes sense. Five months ago Keelie gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Apparently, one who doesn’t care for sleeping.
“Nope, not a mixer.” I look to Flo and hitch my head toward the kitchen.
“A bakery!” Flo looks around and marvels at the place. Her smile is so wide she’s practically all teeth. It never fails to amaze me how real the dead can look. Who knew you didn’t need a body to still be you?
She pokes her head into the bakery shelf—right through the glass and plucks up a pink cruller and does her best to pull it out, but thanks to the laws of psychics that donut isn’t able to waltz through the glass as easily as she is.
“Huh?” Lily squints at the shelf in question. “I’d swear on my life I just saw a donut jump. Don’t tell me this bakery is haunted, Lottie Lemon.”
Carlotta and I exchange a panicked look.
“No ghosts at this bakery,” I’m quick to assert and a couple of customers turn to look my way.
“That’s right,” Carlotta backs me up with a nod. “We’ve got rats.”
“Rats?” Lily screeches and an entire table of lavender-haired grannies up and walk right out.
“That’s right. Rats,” Carlotta is quick to double down and the entire left side of the bakery up and follows those grannies to rat-free pastures.
Meg shakes her head. “You should have stuck with the ghosts, Lot.” She snatches another chocolate croissant and waves as she heads for the door.
“Expect a visit from me at the club,” I shout as she’s about to exit.
“I’ll warm some pasties for you.” She winks as she takes off.
I turn to Flo. “You. In the kitchen right now. I’ve got an entire stack of hot pink crullers with your name on them.”
Carlotta scoops up her legal pads and is quick to obey my command even though it wasn’t necessarily meant for her.
We head back, and thankfully Flo floats right by my side.
“So like I’m dead, can you believe this?” she says with her fists balled against her hips as she gives the kitchen a quick once-over.
“Sadly I can believe it,” I say. “Where did you end up going last night after you ditched us?”
She makes a face as she scoops up a hot pink cruller off a cooling rack.
“I tried to find the louse that did this to me.” She takes an angry bite before moaning into the sweet treat.