by K. M. Waller
I wanted to beg for our lives but the words stuck in my throat.
“I’ll do you a favor, Ms. Beanie and kill her first.” The handle-bar mustache lifted with his evil smile. “Your scream will help sell the lie even more.”
I sucked a sharp breath, ready to scream for my life as he pulled the trigger.
Nothing but a click happened. He pulled it again. Another click.
Marlin’s gun wasn’t loaded. Hallelujah, Marlin’s gun wasn’t loaded.
With my good arm I reached for the first decorative vase I could get my hand on and swung with all the energy left in my body. It smashed it into Mr. Spudson’s stunned face. The thick vase broke in half in a neat seam and he crumpled to the floor on top of his unconscious wife.
I ran from the room to the top of the staircase and yelled, “Help!”
Doc came through the front door, Marlin close on his heels.
“Hon, what are you doing up there?”
I sat down at the very top step and placed my head between my knees and sobbed. Where did I begin?
14
Doc splinted my forearm and wrapped it in a sling. He handed me two Tylenol and a glass of water.
“You need to go to the emergency room at the county hospital. The arm needs a cast.” Although he’d kept his voice calm, his expression wouldn’t let go of his confusion. Not every day a man found out his boss was a cold-blooded killer.
Craig had the same expression when I’d showed him the unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Spudson in a heap in her room, Marlin’s empty gun still clutched in his hands. He’d believed me, but I could tell he hadn’t wanted to. So much for a dinner date some time.
Doc walked out of the study and not even a second later Marlin rushed in.
She’d shed the neon green t-shirt and had changed into a flowery camisole.
I didn’t dare to consider what I looked like after the fight in the garage. “When did you change?”
“There’s a news crew parked out by the front gate.” She fluffed her hair in the mirror and blew a kiss at her reflection. “I want to be picture perfect just in case.”
“How do you do it?”
Marlin wiggled her hips. “You mean look this good for my age?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, that. But how do you remain so upbeat and positive and…” I trailed off unsure how to explain her brightness compared to my doom and gloom.
She kneeled down in front of me and patted my knee. “The trick is to live every day like it’s the last and fill it with loads of fun, sweetums.”
“This was almost the last day for me.” I pointed to the splint. “This has not been fun.”
She stood and jingled the keys to the food truck. “Yeah, but the next adventure will be.”
Ride-or-die had taken on a literal meaning for the two of us. I owed Marlin my life. And if I didn’t think too hard on the fact this was all her fault to begin with, I could imagine us being friends for a long time to come. “Can we start smaller next time? No stealing recipes or stumbling into the middle of spousal murder plots?”
She smiled and the twinkle in her eyes glistened bright. “No promises.”
I followed Marlin out the back door, Austin moping along behind us. If I never stepped foot inside another mansion, it’d be fine with me. Too many walls to hide too many secrets.
I stared at the back of Marlin’s head. “Why wasn’t your pistol loaded?”
She turned her head to answer, and I caught a fragment of worry in her profile. “Oh, it was, lil’ momma. Like the guardian angel he is, Craig told me he unloaded it and put the bullets in his pocket before leaving it with all the confiscated stuff in the office. Crazy, huh?”
Crazy summed it up.
Ahead of us, Deidre and Terry hooked their smoker and grill to the back of their truck. I waved, and they waved back.
Big Joe had hightailed it the minute Pietro returned his cell phone and opened the front gate.
Ricky Lynn and Rory were still in the pool house. Apparently, freeloading a few days off of an accused murderer didn’t scare them the same way it would me.
“Hey, Marlin. There’s one thing that still bothers me.”
She climbed inside the truck and settled into the driver’s seat. “What’s that, hon?”
I waited for Austin to climb the steps. “I think Big Joe and I were right. Your rivalry with Ricky Lynn seems to go deeper than stealing Memaw’s recipe.”
She cranked the food truck beast and for once it started on the first try. “Settle into your bungee cord restraint and I’ll tell you all about it on the way to the emergency room.”
I couldn’t imagine the story would be crazier than the day we’d experienced, but knowing Marlin, it would be a tale worth hearing.
Leftover Brisket Quesadillas
Leftover Brisket Quesadillas (Marlin’s recipe)
Hey hons, Marlin here, and if you have any leftover brisket then it obviously ain’t my Memaw’s recipe! Ha!
But it might be just as good, so I threw this little recipe together for y’all. Just don’t tell my good for nothin’ stealing cousin, Ricky Lynn.
Ingredients:
A good helping of leftover brisket (any style is fine) chopped or shredded
1 – Package Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas Fajita Size (go low carb on the tortillas so you can splurge on the cheese!)
1 – Package Craft Creamy Melt Triple Cheddar with a touch of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Directions:
Break out your George Foreman Grill. (You know you have one stuck under the cupboard somewhere, sweetems.) Spray on non-stick cooking spray. Preheat GF Grill for approximately 5 minutes. Place one tortilla on the GF Grill. Add a big handful of cheese but make sure it doesn’t go over the edge of the tortilla. Place a big handful of leftover brisket on top of the cheese. Next, place the second tortilla on top of the brisket/cheese mixture to top it off. Close the GF Grill and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Don’t burn yourself pulling it off the grill. Use a pizza cutter and cut into four servings.
Add some fresh salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Simple but delicious!
See you on the next adventure xoxo, Marlin
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About the Author
Kizzie Waller aka K.M. Waller lives in Florida with her husband, two kids, and geriatric cat (seriously he’s 20!). When she’s not reading, writing, or chasing her kids around the house, she loves to binge television dramas and mysteries.
More from K.M. Waller
More from K.M. Waller:
Mourning Express: A Funeral Faker Mystery
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Three Witches of Burberry
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Ghostly Reunion
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Illusion of a Vampire
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Mysterious Bag of Bones (coming soon!)
Right Witch Wrong Time: A Time Witch Mystery
To find out more about K.M.’s newest releases visit her website at www.kizziewallerromance.com
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