Waffles at the Wake (Murder in the Mix #29) - Addison Moore Page 0,83
to publish it for me as a friend, but he hasn’t agreed to take me on as a client, so I’ve really got to dazzle him if I want to make a career out of this, Lot. I’m just polishing up the chapter on throuples. Believe me, the three of you have been a bigger help than you can imagine.”
Everett glances her way. “Keep our names out of it.”
“Oh, I have,” Carlotta is quick to inform us. “I have a disclaimer right up front that I’ve changed the names and places as to protect the innocent.”
“Okay, let’s hear it,” I say. “What’s our cover?”
“Sexy, Foxy, and Naughty Clemon.”
“Carlotta,” I groan at the thought of a thinly veiled tell-all on the horizon.
Noah shakes his head. “My last name is Fox. It’s too easy.”
Carlotta shrugs. “Sorry, Foxy, it’s staying. I conferred with my attorney, and he said it was fine.” She shoots Everett with her fingers. “Thanks for the free legal advice, Sexy.”
“Everett?” A somewhat amused laugh escapes me.
He shrugs. “I thought she was just writing about Noah. And”—he winces—“she’s still within the bounds of the law.”
“See?” Carlotta says it with glee. “Trust me, no one will put two hot studs and one knocked up mama together. Besides, I said the three of you were from Funny Hollow. What genius is going to crack that code?”
A moan strums from me. “Do whatever you want, Carlotta. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Noah, are you up for talking about the case?”
“Yup.” He gives Pancake a quick scratch on his head. “Is Flo here?”
Carlotta and I exchange a glance because neither of us has seen the shifty specter.
“No.” I pull the cats in close until their tails are whipping my nose alternately. “You would think having the murder victim come back to help find their killer would make things a piece of cake.”
Carlotta grunts, “More like a cake made of flour and hard liquor. You have a good time shoveling it in, but you regret it come morning.”
Everett glides his arm around my waist and pulls me his way a notch as I snuggle against him.
“She was shoveling something our way, all right.” He blows out a breath.
Noah glances his way. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m the one that bought into it. I could have stopped it, Lottie. But here we are. And I want to assure each of you, I’m going to singlehandedly take care of Flo’s body. I got us into this, and I’m going to get us out of it.”
“Noah.” I give the scruff on his cheek a quick scratch. “You are not responsible. It was solely me, but good try. I had the final say. And you’re not moving her body by yourself. You’re down an arm. I’ll help you.”
“Right, Lot.” Carlotta guffaws as if it was the funniest thing on earth. “I can see it now—Gimpy and Preggo starring in Night of the Living Dead in Honey Hollow.”
“She’s right.” Everett offers a stern look to Noah and me. “Neither of you is going to move that body an inch. Actually, this entire nightmare is officially done for the two of you. I’m taking over.”
“Like you should’ve done to begin with,” Carlotta adds. “You know you wanted to tack that little tidbit on,” she says to Everett. “I’ll help you with the body. Now that we got the weak links out of the way, you and I can get a move on with what needs to be done. We’re going to make a great team—just you and me, Sexy. We both know we’re the brains of this organization. The only thing these two are good at is rutting like a couple of rabbits. ”
Everett’s brows dip down in a hard V. “I’m pretty good at that, too.”
“Don’t I know it.” Carlotta gives a wistful tick of the head. “And believe me, you scored your very own chapter because of it. I’ve gone all around town interviewing women you’ve rolled in the hay with. I couldn’t go ten steps without bumping into one of—”
“All right, we get it,” I snip. “Back to solving Flo’s murder. Who do we have? Lorena and Donata?”
Noah nods. “You mentioned that Donata was still bitter about her brother’s incarceration. She definitely had a motive. Rocky thinks she’s a viable suspect.”
“Rocky still loved her.” Everett warms me with his arm. “He thought the baby could be his.”
“True,” I say. “Then there’s Nicky Knuckles. He seemed to really care for her, too. But Rocky says Nicky had