Page 32

I give a little shrug. “I’m here every day, and I’m practically supervising the event.”

Jasper doesn’t argue. He just pulls me closer and rests his chin on top of my head. “Just be careful, okay? I know you’re good at this. I know you can handle yourself. But I can’t lose you, Biz. Ella needs her mom.” He pauses. “And I need my wife.”

“You’re not going to lose me.”

“Promise?”

I turn my head and kiss him, which is slightly awkward given the angle but totally worth it. “Promise.”

He kisses me back, slow and thorough and with enough heat that I’m starting to forget we’re sitting on the floor with a one-year-old between us and three quasi-judgmental pets watching our every move.

Ella smacks him on the arm and shouts, “Dada!” in an offended tone, which I’m pretty sure means she thinks we’re not paying enough attention to her.

“Sorry, baby girl,” Jasper says, laughing against my mouth. “Daddy’s kissing Mommy.”

Ella wrinkles her nose and goes back to her broccoli, apparently satisfied that she’s made her point.

Does this happen a lot? Duchess asks with a mewl.

Every single day, Fish says with a swish of her tail. They skip the sniffing part and get right to licking. It’s rather obscene if you ask me.

I think it’s romantic, Sherlock says with a soft woof.

I think it’s excessive, Fish says. But at least they’re happy.

I settle back against Jasper’s chest, watching Ella dip her hand into the fried rice as the furry cuties among us hover around her waiting for scraps to fall, and I think about Miss Kitty Cadaver and whatever she and Clawdia were working on that made Kitty look stressed and Clawdia look smug.

Tomorrow I’ll find her. Tomorrow I’ll get answers and figure out what secrets Clawdia was keeping and maybe even discover who wanted her dead badly enough to poison her in front of hundreds of people.

But tonight I’m staying right here with my family, eating Chinese food in front of the fire and pretending for a few hours that murder investigations aren’t becoming my new normal.

Who am I kidding? They already are.

Jasper’s hand finds mine, and he gives a gentle squeeze.

“I love you,” he whispers into my hair.

“I love you, too.”

“I lob you!” Ella throws a piece of broccoli at Sherlock, who catches it midair and swallows it whole without even chewing.

Best. Day. Ever, Sherlock announces. Even if it ended with broccoli.

And honestly? He’s not wrong.

CHAPTER 10

It’s the next afternoon and Main Street is festooned for spooky season, and I do mean decorated within an inch of its cobblestone life.

Orange-and-black bunting hangs from every lamppost, fake spiderwebs blanket shop windows, and jack-o’-lanterns march down both sidewalks like a small orange army. Skeletons dangle from tree branches, witches lurk in windows, and there are enough fake cobwebs stretched across town to make every real spider pack up its eight little legs and move somewhere less competitive.

The Inn is at one end of Main Street, and Lather and Light sits just down the road, which makes this walk with Ella in her stroller more of a short jaunt than an actual excursion. But I’m taking my time because the oddly large crowd gathering outside Macy’s shop is already spilling onto the sidewalk, and I need a moment to mentally prepare for whatever chaos my sister has unleashed on this unsuspecting town.

Wow, I’ve never seen Main Street this busy. Women in horror diva costumes are everywhere, clearly having come straight from the festival, and there’s music playing from storefronts and a general carnival atmosphere that makes the whole street feel like one giant Halloween party that nobody told me about but everyone else got the memo for.

Fish and Duchess are in the stroller with Ella, one cat on each side of her like furry bodyguards, and Sherlock is trotting alongside us with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging so hard his entire back end is wiggling.

We’re not losing our tails to the tiny hooman today, Fish announces from her spot next to Ella’s left hip. Be mindful, Duchess. She’s been known to yank and pull with alarming strength. I’ve already talked to Bizzy about enrolling her in the circus. It would be a good life, you know.