by Angie Fox
Scalieri took a deep breath and straightened. “Mamma, can you wait outside for a minute?” He appeared distinctly uncomfortable. “With your permission, I would like to bring some honor back to our family.”
She looked at me and harrumphed. “A Scalieri always pays his debts.”
Scalieri cleared his throat. “Mamma, this is personal—” he leveled a finger at Frankie “—for him.”
“You’re going to spill?” Frankie gaped.
“Thank you,” I said at the same time.
“That’s a good boy,” his mamma said, reaching down to pat Scalieri on the cheek. “I’m proud of you.”
He shook his head. “Ma, I’m still going away for a long time.”
“You deserve it,” she stated. “And I’m going to come visit you wherever you go.”
“It might be someplace worse.” He frowned.
“That’s okay.” She drew a hankie from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “You’re my baby boy, and you’re starting to give your old mother hope.”
Scalieri stared at the floor, blinking hard as his mother passed through the back doors of the truck and out to wait in the yard.
“She’s sweet,” I said. “Direct, but sweet.” At least he knew where he stood.
“Si.” Scalieri nodded, still within himself. “Lei capisce.” He opened his eyes. “She has forgiven me.”
“Well, all right then,” Frankie said, crowding in next to me. “So, we did you a favor; you said you’d do us one.”
“Frankie,” I hissed.
It was too soon.
Scalieri’s expression hardened, and once again, I saw the jaded thug he’d become. “Don’t push it.”
Frankie stiffened next to me, and I wished I could have reached out and taken his hand.
Scalieri sized Frankie up. “After this, we’re even.”
“We are,” Frankie said cautiously.
Scalieri leaned forward, his chains clanking. “Then I hate to be the one to break up a happy family. But, Frank, it was your own brother who shot you.”
Frankie didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He just stared straight ahead.
“Are you sure?” I asked Scalieri. There had to be some mistake. I mean, I’d never met Frankie’s brother, but I knew he haunted parts of Sugarland. Frankie had run into him when we’d solved the mystery at Southern Spirits. But surely he wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on his own flesh and blood.
Scalieri clasped his hands together. “Find him,” he challenged, motioning to my friend. “Ask him.”
But Frankie had already begun to fade away.
“Frankie,” I said, trying to get his attention. “Frank,” I called again.
He disappeared.
I turned back to Scalieri. “You’d better be right about this.” So help me.
He’d better be right.
“I’m sorry, signorina,” he said as the guard motioned me out of the van. “Some people don’t come from good families like mine.”
I watched him as the doors closed, as the guard locked the gangster in and tipped his hat to me.
“What happened?” Ellis asked as they drove off. His ghost app lay silent.
I wasn’t even sure how to explain when I was still putting it together myself. “I think I’m starting to understand why Frankie chose to forget.”
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Note from Angie:
Thank you so much for joining Verity, Ellis, and Frankie on another adventure. I’ve loved writing the Southern Ghost Hunter series and readers like you are such a large part of that. I can’t get over the support you’ve shown for the series and for me as a writer. You are seriously the reason I’m able to do what I do. You are the best!
Rest assured I’m already hard at work on the next book which will take place entirely in Sugarland. And, well, between you, me, and the lamp post—Lucy is already taking over. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I do know there’s no stopping that skunk! So I’m just going to go with it.
I don’t have a release date for the next book yet, but if you like these mysteries, and want to know when new ones come out, sign up for my newsletter. I don’t send newsletters often, but I do send them on the day each new book releases. In the meantime, your information will be kept safe by Lucy and a pack of highly trained guard skunks.
Happy reading,
Angie
Also by Angie Fox
Keep track of Angie's new book releases by receiving an email on release day. It's fast and easy to sign up for new release updates.
The following Angie Fox titles are also available in print format.
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THE SOUTHERN GHOST HUNTER SERIES
Southern Spirits
A Ghostly Gift (short story)
The Skeleton in the Closet
Ghost of a Chance (short story)
The Haunted Heist
Deader Homes & Gardens
Dog Gone Ghost (short story)
Sweet Tea and Spirits
Murder on the Sugarland Express
Pecan Pies and Dead Guys
The Mint Julep Murders
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THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER SERIES
The Accidental Demon Slayer
The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers
A Tale of Two Demon Slayers
The Last of the Demon Slayers
My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding
Beverly Hills Demon Slayer
Night of the Living Demon Slayer
What To Expect When Your Demon Slayer is Expecting
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SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:
A Little Night Magic: A collection of Southern Ghost Hunter and Accidental Demon Slayer short stories
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Angie Fox writes sweet, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are clever and fearless, but in real life, Angie is afraid of basements, bees, and going up stairs when it's dark behind her. Let’s face it: Angie wouldn’t last five minutes in one of her books.
Angie earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. During that time, she also skipped class for an entire week so she could read Anne Rice's vampire series straight through. Angie has always loved books and is shocked, honored and tickled pink that she now gets to write books for a living. Although, she did skip writing for a week this past fall so she could read Victoria Laurie's Abby Cooper psychic eye mysteries straight through.
Angie makes her home in St. Louis, Missouri with a football-addicted husband, two kids, and Moxie the dog.
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Connect with Angie Fox online:
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Copyright © 2019 by Angie Fox
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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This edition published by arrangement with Moose Island Books.
The Mint Julep Murders
First Edition
ISBN: 978-1-939661-58-6