Hung Out to Dry: The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag, #4

by Jennifer L. Hart

  I closed my eyes and put my head down on the table. “Too much to process.”

  Leo patted my back. “Hey, I’m the one dodging passive-aggression so dense you could fillet it and serve it with Au Jus. What’s with the drama, mama?”

  I blew out a breath. “Someone tried to abduct me yesterday.”

  Leo’s chair hit the wall with a bang. “What?”

  “Ssshh, keep your voice down,” I said, glancing toward the open screen door where Marty, Mae, Josh, and Kenny clustered around the picnic table.

  Leo rose and moved to the slider, shutting it to give us some privacy. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

  “I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “You better dish. And be warned, if you leave anything out, I will sic your mother-in-law on you.”

  I told him everything, including my meeting with McKenzie, her involvement and Neil’s reaction.

  “I can’t believe he’s not here, guarding you personally,” Leo said when I was done.

  “Believe me, he wants to but we really can’t afford it.”

  “That’s so scary,” Leo shook his head.

  “You have no idea. When Atlas vanished from the yard, I thought that maybe…” I shook my head, not wanting to voice the thought.

  Leo’s hand covered mine, his blue-gray eyes full of sympathy. “You thought that whoever had tried to snatch you had grabbed your pup.”

  I nodded and ran my free hand through my hair. “Yeah. And he’s so friendly, he’d go along with anyone who gave him attention. You know what the worst part about all this is?”

  Leo shook his head. “What’s that?”

  I held up my hand and started ticking items off on my fingers. “I’ve got a murder that might not be a murder, a break-in that might not be a break-in, attempted homicide that may or may not be an accident and an attempted abduction that might have only been a carjacking. I can’t tell if this is all some sort of master plot or if I’m just jumping at shadows.”

  “Bad shit does tend to happen around you,” Leo spoke in a soothing tone. “No one would blame you for being on edge.”

  I huffed out a breath. “On edge doesn’t describe it. I feel paranoid.”

  “Well, you know what they say. Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean the whole world isn’t out to get you.”

  “Thanks a bunch,” I said dryly. “So, where do I go from here?”

  “That’s easy. The same place you always go—forward. Look, don’t worry about the party stuff, I’ll take care of all that. And Marty’s got Penny, he knows enough to ask for help if he needs it so there’s nothing you need to do on that score either. Just go to the Dale estate, do your job, and wait for McKenzie to get back to you about the relatives. And I agree with Neil, don’t go over there alone, just in case it is all connected somehow.”

  I blew out a sigh. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.” Leo pushed back his chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to head out.”

  I walked him to the door and watched him drive off. My cell phone rang just as I’d shut the front door. The number was unfamiliar but had a Boston area code. “Hello?”

  “It’s McKenzie.” The voice on the other end of the phone said. “I think I found something. Is now a good time for me to stop by?”

  “As good as any.” I gave her my address.

  A half an hour later, McKenzie’s black Challenger was parked behind Marty’s crappy motor home at the curb. Her long red hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and it bobbed as she strode purposefully toward the house.

  Marty had taken Mae next door and Kenny and Josh were camped out for yet another video game marathon, so I showed McKenzie into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything? I just made a batch of iced tea.”

  She accepted and I poured her a tall tumbler full then frowned at the ungarnished glass. Leo was right, I should buy lemons.

  She’d spread out a mess of papers and photographs on the table and pointed to each in turn. “First place I went was to Donald Dale’s ex. Estranged spouses are the best source for dirt, even though you have to take everything they tell you with a grain of salt. Seems Donny boy was screwing around with Janet Leeds before the divorce and only moved in with her after. She’s of age and he wasn’t her professor directly so the college wouldn’t step in, which chafed the former Mrs. Dale’s hide something fierce. He’s scum, but it doesn’t look like he’s murdering scum, so you can probably cross him off your list.”

  I nodded, impressed. “Fast work.”

  There was a flash of white teeth as she grinned up at me. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Okay next up, I spoke with Linda Dale-Regan’s retired neighbor. She says that Linda and her husband have parties almost every weekend and seemed a bit put out that she had never been invited.”

  “Maybe they are just social people.” Considering I’d been discussing a Sizzle and Sin event with Leo five minutes ago, I had no room to judge. Those who squatted in glass houses and all that.

  McKenzie’s grin spread. “Oh, they’re social all right. Seems that Linda and her husband are swingers.”

  My jaw dropped. “No way.”

  “Yes way. I guess she was hiding the fact up until her father died because she didn’t want him to find out about it. According to her executive assistant, Linda and Chip have been into the scene for years but she was worried her father would cut them off completely if he knew about it. Since his death, they’ve been bed-hopping with a vengeance and don’t seem to give a fig who knows about it.”

  I was starting to form a new picture of Chester Dale. “Do you think his cutting her out of the will would be a motive for murder?”

  “I doubt it. From what Yvette, the assistant, said, Linda’s been at it a long time. I guess it’s possible that Mr. Dale found out, hired someone like me to look into what his kids were up to and threatened to change his will. But both Linda and Chip were away in Vegas when he died. If they arranged for his death, they covered their tracks well.”

  “What about the other aunt? Theresa.”

  McKenzie shook her head. “Nothing yet, she’s definitely a loner at home, none of her neighbors knew a thing about her. I’ll keep digging and let you know if I find anything. Mmm, something smells good.”

  “It’s just a casserole. Would you like to stay for supper?”

  “Sounds great. The only thing in my fridge is a jar of mustard and a withered lime.”

  Like mother, like daughter I guessed. The doorbell rang and McKenzie excused herself to use the restroom.

  I laughed when I saw who was at the door. “I was just thinking about you.”

  Mac gave me a shy smile. “Is that my mom’s car?”

  I stepped back and waved her in. “Sure is. You’re just in time for dinner.”

  If one thing could be said about the two McKenzies, those ladies ate like bosses. Even Josh and Kenny sat in stunned amazement as our guests went for third helpings of my uber filling macaroni and cheese casserole. There was normally enough left over for a whole meal but we’d be lucky if I had enough set aside for Neil.

  “This is awesome,” Mac said as she scraped her fork along the side of the plate. “You should give my mom the recipe.”

  Mackenzie’s fork paused halfway to her mouth. She snorted and muttered, “Good one. I’m all stocked up on bookmarks, but thanks.”

  “You don’t do any cooking?” I asked the redhead. “At all?”

  One eyebrow rose and she looked to her daughter. “What is this cooking she speaks of?”

  Mac shook her head. “I’m pretty sure we own exactly one pot and it’s holding a collection of wine corks.”

  McKenzie nodded. “I can open bottles like a champ.”

  “But what do you do for food?” I couldn’t even fathom their existence.

  “Mooch mostly,” Mac said. “From our upstairs neighbor, Nona. I’m still trying to convince her to adopt me. Or have Hunter Black marry mom. He can grill at least.”

&nbs
p; McKenzie rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’m eating here.”

  “What else is new?” Her daughter replied cheerfully. “Better watch your weight or Hunter won’t like you anymore.”

  McKenzie cleaned the forkful of food then reversed the utensil and brandished it like a weapon. “I brought you into this world and so help me I’ll take you right back out of it.”

  I couldn’t help grinning at their antics. Clearly, they had a hard-won dynamic and a bevy of inside jokes, but their volleys of wit and sarcasm were fun to watch.

  The Taylor women helped me clear the table before taking off. Dishes done and kitchen freshly scoured, I poured myself a glass of wine and took Atlas out into the back yard to enjoy the warm evening air.

  Sylvia’s blonde head popped up over the fence. “Hey, you got a minute?”

  I waved her over. “What’s up?”

  Sylvia sat down at the picnic table. “I…um, I don’t know how to say this.”

  I drained my wine glass and leaned forward. “Talk to me, Sylvie. What’s going on?”

  “I think,” she swallowed and then started again. “I’m pregnant.”

  I tried to figure out how I’d handle the news if Leo hadn’t already tipped me off. I swear that man was a mind-reader. Or maybe he was psychic too. My thinking time must have been a fair imitation of stunned silence because she nudged my hand. “Say something.”

  I blinked, pulling myself out of my own inner landscape to deal with the here and now. “Congratulations.”

  Sylvia moaned and put her head down on the table.

  “Or not?” I added weakly.

  “How did this happen?” She asked.

  I bit my lip. “Um, do you want me to draw you a diagram?”

  She lifted her head and glowered at me. “I know how it happened, but it shouldn’t have. I was always careful.”

  Putting my hand over hers, I squeezed lightly. “There’s no method that’s one hundred percent effective. Not even abstinence. Look at what happened to the Virgin Mary, for crying out loud.”

  “I’m pretty sure we can rule out Immaculate Conception,” Sylvia’s tone was dry.

  I hesitated, not wanting to offend her. “So, you went to the doctor already? Do you know how far along you are?”

  “No, I haven’t been to the doctor. Sarah told me it was going to be a girl.”

  “Sarah?” I frowned. “You did a home pregnancy test at least, right?” I was hoping she wasn’t going to pin all her hopes on the psychic horse. Sure, Sarah Dale had made some predictions for us, but they hadn’t been as monumentally life-altering as Sylvia becoming a single mom.

  “No, not yet.”

  I barely bit back a groan of frustration. “I thought you didn’t believe in psychics.”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t, but Sarah is different. I can’t believe it, Eric and I tried for years, but nothing happened. I thought maybe it couldn’t happen, like it wasn’t meant to be. And now this? I don’t even have my life together and now there’ll be someone else to think about. Oh, Maggie, what am I going to do?”

  I took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. “The first thing you do is go to the doctor and get it confirmed. Psychics are all well and good but you need medical care, too. And after that, we’ll take it from there.”

  “But—”

  I held up a hand, stopping her. “Sylvia, you’re the most even-tempered person I know. Don’t let this rattle you. Yes, your life will change with a baby. You’ve had a front-row seat to the new parent show, featuring Marty and Penny. You know I’ll help you any way I can. You want a Lamaze partner, I’ll be there. Need me to run errands, I’m on it. Just say the word.”

  She nodded, then looked me square in the eye. “Will you adopt my baby?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “She wants us to what?” Neil poked his head around the shower curtain to goggle at me.

  “Adopt her child,” I repeated. I couldn’t blame him for not believing his ears. I was still having a hard time with the idea. We were in the bathroom again, him having just gotten home from work. Not wanting Kenny or Josh to overhear I’d followed him in to drop the baby bomb.

  “That’s insane,” Neil scowled at me.

  “I think insane is putting it a little harshly,” I said. “We’re good parents and other people know that. We should take it as a compliment.”

  “Can I say no to this right here, right now?” he asked. “Put an end to the discussion?”

  I wasn’t exactly over the moon about the thought myself but his attitude bugged me. “Why are you so against this?”

  “Why?” he repeated, glaring at me. “Don’t tell me you’re really considering this crazy scheme.”

  “I’m not,” I assured him. “But how is this any different than me adopting Josh and Kenny?”

  He stared at me in much the same way as I’d imagined he would if I’d just told him we were to star in a new reality television show. “That’s not the same thing at all and you know it.”

  “You’re dripping water all over the floor.” I pointed to the rapidly growing puddle.

  He yanked the shower curtain shut. “Damn it, Maggie.”

  “We’ve been talking about having a baby, right?” I said as patiently as I could. It was either that or climb in there and strangle him with the detachable showerhead. “We could put off all the monumental changes to my body and just have the end result handed over. I think that’s worth a conversation at least.” My lady parts certainly had a horse in this race.

  “Yes, our own baby, yours and mine. We don’t even know who knocked Sylvia up, his medical history if there’ll be complications. This isn’t like picking out a dog at the animal shelter.”

  I knew that. Hell, picking out the dog hadn’t been easy. Still wasn’t, as my tree-climbing adventure proved. Neil must have taken my silence for acquiescence because he pushed on. “It’s not just medical history either. This is a big undertaking and I want us to become parents again for the right reasons, not as a kneejerk reaction to someone else’s crisis. I missed so much with the boys and I want to be there this time right from the start.”

  There was a great deal of talk about what he considered the right reasons but I was picking up a common thread and because I was admittedly a hell-raiser, yanked on it. “So what you’re saying is it’s biology that matters, huh? Or at least your biology, since apparently, it doesn’t have to be mine either.”

  He shut the water off and a large hand groped for a towel. “I refuse to let you turn me into the asshole here. Her even suggesting such a thing is completely nuts. You’ve only known her for a year and she’s just going to hand you her flesh and blood? And I’m supposed to be okay with this?”

  I murmured, “I’m not turning you into anything, you’re doing it all on your own, slick.”

  The shower curtain was shoved aside violently. Dripping wet and steaming mad, my husband was a sight to behold. “Maggie, I’m tired, my shoulder aches and I want to take my wife to bed but apparently there’s something eating at you because you’re goading me into an argument. So just ask whatever it is you’re burning to know already so I can have a little peace.”

  Well, since he’d asked…“What I want to know is if things would have been different between us if I was the one who already had children. Would you still have wanted me?”

  His countenanced darkened, going from exasperated to truly angry. I knew because he got quiet even as he thrust a finger in my face. “Don’t do this.”

  I appreciated the view even as I cocked a brow. “Do what?”

  He stepped over the edge of the tub and onto the bathmat, looming over me like an avenging angel. “Try to trick me into saying something and then hold it against me for the rest of my natural life. That isn’t the same situation at all and you know it.”

  “So you’re saying no, that if I had already had a child with another man, you wouldn’t want me?” The idea distracted me from checking out the fiery sword that went with my
heavenly metaphor. “And here I’d thought we were meant to be, our love unconditional.”

  “Stop” he growled, the tone a warning. “You didn’t have children.”

  “But I could have,” I insisted. I should let it go, part of me wanted to, but now that the notion had sprouted roots, I had to get it out in the open. Why the hell was this suddenly so important to me? The idea that he would have rejected me under any circumstances cut me deeply.

  He sucked in air audibly and closed his eyes. I waited, my chin lifted, hackles up, heart pounding.

  Neil let out a long, slow exhale, then his lids lifted. “Yes. All right?”

  I frowned, having expected more. “Yes, what? You need to be more specific.”

  He ran a hand through his wet hair, then slung the towel around his hips. “Yes, I would have wanted you, even if you already had children and we had to merge like the goddamn Brady Bunch. But that does not mean I’m willing to just take in Sylvia’s oopsie because Brady Bunch or not, what I want is our child. Part you, part me. Maybe that makes me a caveman but is it really so wrong that I want a piece of both of us to survive after we’re gone?”

  My shoulders slumped. Damn it, I hated when the man was so reasonable. “No, it isn’t wrong. And no, I wasn’t trying to convince you to go along with adopting Sylvia’s baby. She’s scared right now and I think she just blurted that out without really thinking it through.”

  His posture relaxed. “So you told her no.”

  “No, I told her to go get some rest and that we’d talk more later.” I saw him tense again and hastened to add, “If it comes up again, I will tell her no. For what it’s worth, I agree with you on this.”

  He dropped his chin to rest on the top of my head. His skin was hot and damp and I curled around him, luxuriating in his heat. Between us, the towel had slipped further down.

  “Woman, you would try the patience of a saint,” Neil growled low in his throat. “And I’m no saint.”

  “Take me to bed and prove it,” I whispered, getting lost in the feel of smooth, slick skin, going a little bit liquid myself.