by E M Kaplan
“Keri witnessed the whole thing?” Josie asked.
“Yeah—she was standing there the whole time. She got blood on her shirt, so she used the sprayer to clean it off, to hide the fact that she had his blood on her. I told her to go back to the kitchen and pretend she didn’t see anything. Bonnie was pissed off. She ran out the door and I went after her.”
“Stay right here,” Pete said, his voice rang with authority, and Josie snapped to obey, even though he probably didn’t mean her. He stuck his head out the kitchen door to wave over one of the uniformed officers. He told him quietly, “I need to see Keri and Bonnie in here now—and get me some extra muscle in case the fighter chick resists.”
Sal broke down and sobbed into his hands. “Dante’s dead, and it should have been me.”
#
Later that afternoon, standing in front of Susan’s fridge, Josie said, “I’m so hungry I could eat this leftover Chinese food.”
“Don’t do it. I can’t remember how old that is. I’ll order Thai.” Susan shuffled through her stack of takeout menus and began dialing her phone as if it was no big deal her best friend had just solved a mystery, like legitimately Nancy Drew-ed her way through a whodunit today.
Josie made a face and closed the fridge, leaving the containers where they sat. If she threw away one thing, she’d feel compelled to go through the rest of that hazmat situation, and frankly, she was wrung out.
They could still hear cops tromping around in the deli downstairs, collecting evidence, but there were definitely fewer noises than before. For a brick building this old—one that had been standing so long—it had paper-thin walls.
Footsteps pounded up the stairwell, and someone knocked on the front door.
“Check the peephole before you open that,” Susan commanded, turning away to speak into her phone.
“You should really think about moving,” Josie said, pressing her face against the eye hole. Detective Pete’s red hair flashed in the tiny lens.
“Hi there,” she said, opening the door. Maybe he’d come back to thank her, which made her face warm up. She felt a bit sheepish and humble.
“Oh, hey,” he said, his fair skin flushing bright red. He looked like a teenager as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just wondering…”
She hoped she wouldn’t have to tell him she already had a boyfriend.
“Is your friend single?”
###
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About the author
EM Kaplan grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and has lived in Massachusetts, California, and Texas. She lives in Illinois with her husband, author JD Kaplan, their two kids, and their dog, Max, a.k.a. the officemate.
Visit www.JustTheEmWords.com to discover her social media hangouts and blog, sign up for her newsletter, and find merchandise.
FULL-LENGTH books by EM Kaplan
Josie Tucker Un-Cozy Un-Culinary Mysteries
The Bride Wore Dead
Dim Sum, Dead Some
Dead Man on Campus
Full Slab Dead
Baby, It’s Dead Outside (coming soon)
Rise of the Masks, Fantasy Trilogy
Unmasked (Book 1)
Unbroken (Book 2)
Undone (Book 3)
Rom-Com
The Ella Menza Style
