Girls' Night Out Murder (Ryli Sinclair 2) (2 page)

“About damn time,” Aunt Shirley bellowed loud enough for me
to hear her inside the Falcon. I pulled the car to a stop in front of her. “I
almost died from exposure out here!”

“I’m on time, you old coot,” I said. Okay, I whispered it
under my breath. But I still said it, so it counts.

“I can read lips, you ninny!”

I rolled my eyes.
Of
course you can!

Aunt Shirley flung her suitcase into the trunk before I
could even get out of the car to help her, then slid into the front next to me.
I was about to apologize to her when I glanced down and saw a package wrapped
in cow wrapping paper sticking out of her huge duffel-bag purse.

There was a long-standing rivalry between Aunt Shirley and
Paige regarding cows. It stems from Aunt Shirley once telling Paige my brother
would never marry her because, “Why buy the cow when the milk is free.” This caused
Paige to go hyper insane—an abnormality for Paige. They didn’t speak for a long
time.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Aunt Shirley cackled. “Just a little something I ordered for
Paige.”

Fearing the worst I asked, “Is it going to offend her?”

“Probably,” my aunt replied as she buckled her seatbelt.

“Why must you antagonize her?”

“I love it,” my aunt said, as though it made perfect sense.

I looked out the window and saw an orderly waving me down. His
red face had me concerned.

“Go, go, go!” my aunt yelled, slapping me on my arm.

Instinctively, I slammed down on the gas pedal. “What’s
going on?” I shouted. We fishtailed out of the parking lot, sliding on the
slick snow.

“Pfft,” Aunt Shirley said, waving her hand at me. “These
people have no sense of humor. At arts and crafts today we had to make some
lame-ass sculpture out of clay. Everyone was doing a stupid Christmas tree. I
decided to spice things up and turn my Christmas tree into an anatomically
correct penis. You’d think the way everyone was reacting, ain’t no one ever
seen one before!”

I let out a snort. “Aunt Shirley! They’re going to kick you
out if you aren’t careful.”

“What the hell do I care? I don’t wanna be there anyhow. It
was your boyfriend that put me there!”

I refused to rise to her bait. Mainly because to an extent
she was right. Garrett and Mom gave Aunt Shirley the choice after she accidentally
set her house on fire—and went in public without any pants on—that she could
either go to a full-blown nursing home, or the assisted living home she was in
now.

Pointing the Falcon to the other side of town, I headed to
the office to pick up Mindy—leave it to Hank to be working on the newspaper
Christmas night.

The office was lit up like a Christmas tree. Which was ironic,
seeing as how Hank refused to let us put up a tree or even Christmas lights
outside. He said he didn’t want people driving by and thinking he ran some froufrou
girlie magazine. Yeah, like Hank and
Cosmo
were one in the same!

“Don’t forget, I expect a call in and some type of story every
day,” Hank said around his signature unlit cigar.

“Hank,” I said exasperatingly, “what on Earth makes you
think I’ll have something to report on daily?”

Hank yanked out his cigar. “Because I know you two
numbskulls,” he said, waving his unlit cigar at Aunt Shirley and me. “Wherever
you go, trouble follows. You’re an investigative reporter…go get me an exposé.”

I rolled my eyes and headed toward the door. I swear,
sometimes I wonder where he gets these outrageous ideas.

“Oh, and if you get my wife caught in the middle of your
shenanigans like you did last time…well, let’s just say I know how to make
people disappear.”

Mindy laughed. “Oh, Hank, leave the poor girl alone. No one
is scared of your bark anymore.”

Speak for yourself. I
just wet myself.

“Mindy doesn’t do nothing she don’t wanna do, old man. Remember
that,” Aunt Shirley said.

Fearing for my life, I pushed the ladies out the door. “I’ll
write something daily, I promise.”

I felt Hank’s glare the whole way to the door. I know Mindy
touted his gentleness, but I never saw it.

“Merry Christmas!” I shouted.

“Bah!” Hank turned and went back to the paper.

Once we had Mindy in the car, I had Aunt Shirley text Mom to
tell her we were heading out. I figured it would take us a little over four
hours since it was still spitting snow.

I pulled out of the city limits. “Next stop, Lake of the
Ozarks for some relaxing girl time and a wedding!”

If I only knew then how wrong I’d be.

Cavern Beach is a relatively small town. It has a two-lane
highway that goes straight down the middle of town, with numerous businesses
scattered along the drag. What makes Cavern Beach different from the other
small towns along the lake is that it actually has a small downtown area
instead of just two lanes running through town.

The lake house at Cavern Beach has been in our family for
generations. My grandma and grandpa bought the tiny house when they were newlyweds.
Years of remodeling projects had turned the tiny house into a glorious three
thousand square foot home spanning two floors. An enormous wooden deck surrounded
the house and ran all the way down to our private dock.

In the last ten years, the housing market has exploded in
Cavern Beach. Our nearest neighbor, Jim Cleary, is a local contractor. A few
years ago he built a gorgeous stone house sixty yards from our lake house. He’s
a really nice guy, but unfortunately I rarely see Jim when I’m here because
he’s so busy.

I made the turn off the main drag onto Highway TT. On this
side of town the houses are spread out farther apart. A few minutes later I
made a right-hand turn into the half-mile driveway we shared with Jim.

“It’s about damn time,” Aunt Shirley said. “I’ve had to pee
for the last hour.”

I rolled my eyes and turned off the Falcon. Aunt Shirley
dashed into the house. “I’ll get her suitcase,” I told Mindy. “You go on in.”

“Want me to send out your mom?” Mindy asked.

“Sure,” I said, reaching into the trunk to unload the
suitcases. The trunk space in the Falcon was astonishing. You could easily fit
at least two dead bodies inside…not that I’ve tried, of course.

“Hey, sweetheart,” my mom said, kissing me on the cheek.
“I’ve been worried.”

“Snow stopped a while back. We’ve just been driving slow.”

Mindy opened the front door as Mom and I carried in the
suitcases. I stepped inside the wide foyer, stomping my feet on the welcome
mat.

“Bring my suitcase in here,” Aunt Shirley called from the
archway to my immediate right. “I’m going to stay on this side of the house.”

When you first walk into the house, the kitchen is on the
left, opening up into a great room. Immediately on the right—where Aunt Shirley
was staying—were two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. On the other side of the
house, was another master bedroom and bathroom. The great room had a staircase
leading downstairs that housed three more bedrooms and a bathroom.

Pushing open Aunt Shirley’s bedroom door, I lifted her
suitcase onto the queen-sized bed. “Do you need anything else?”

Aunt Shirley was unloading her purse. “Nope, I’m good.”

“What the hell are those?” I shouted.

Aunt Shirley scowled at me. “Hush up! We’re gonna get
caught!” Satisfied no one was coming to see what the commotion was about she
said, “These are just a little surprise I have for the bachelorette party.” She
handed them to me.

For the first time in my life, I was holding penis ice
trays. I didn’t know there
was
such a
thing! “Where on Earth did you get these?” I asked.

Aunt Shirley scoffed at my innocence. “Off the Internet. You
can get anything off the Internet. I got silicone ones just like this for the
jello shots.”

I handed the trays back to her. Paige was definitely gonna
flip over these…and not in a good way.

“We’re going to run to the grocery store in the morning. Do
you wanna go with us?” I asked.

“You betcha! I need to get some booze to do the jello shots.
We’ll try some out Wednesday night before I decide on which ones to do Friday
for the bachelorette party.” She twirled the trays in her hand. “I can’t
wait
to bust out these lovely beauties.”

I shook my head and closed her door. I don’t know why I’m
still shocked at the things she sometimes does. Needing a stiff drink, I walked
into the great room. The walls were painted a light crème
brûlée
. I know this
because I spent two days last year painting them. With the natural lighting
from the windows it gave the room a warm, cozy feeling.

On the far wall of the living room was a large, sliding
glass door that led to the wrap-around deck outside. Crossing the room, I
walked into the kitchen.

“Is she settled?” Mom asked, handing Mindy a mug of hot tea.

I gave her an incredulous look. “That woman will never be
settled.”

Mom and Mindy laughed.

“I told her we were going to the grocery store in the
morning, and she wants to go to buy some booze.”

“Sounds about right,” Mindy said, blowing on her tea and
taking a tentative sip.

“What time are Paige and her mom due?” Mom asked.

“I sent her a text about an hour ago, and she said they were
just half an hour behind us. So I’m expecting them any time now.”

“I’m looking forward to spending time with Bea and getting
this wedding underway,” Mom said, filling the teapot with more water. “Do you
want tea?”
   

“Maybe something a little stronger. You forget I just rode
four hours with Aunt Shirley.”

Mom laughed. “I saw some whiskey in the cabinet. How about
cinnamon plum tea with a shot of that?”

“Sounds fabulous.”

As mom made the tea, I went ahead and took the rest of the
suitcases downstairs. There were three bedrooms and a bathroom where Paige,
Mindy, Megan, and I would stay. The room Paige and I were sleeping in had two
single beds. When the rest of the group got here—the men—we would have to
change some rooms around and pull out a few trundle beds, but for right now we
had plenty of room.

I threw the suitcase on the narrow bed and unpacked quickly.
I opened the closet door. My breath caught when I saw Mom had already hung up
my bridesmaid dress. I tentatively reached out to touch the exquisite dress. I
wasn’t sure how fancy Paige would go since it’s just a small, home-style wedding.
But she pulled no punches. This was by far the most beautiful dress I’d ever
had on my body. It fit like a glove, and I felt like a million bucks wearing
it. Of course, I’d only had it on twice, once to try it on and once when the
alterations were done…but it was a fairy-tale feeling just the same.

It was a simple, no-frills, pale pink chiffon dress that
went all the way to the floor. It had butterfly sleeves and a plunging
neckline—not so great for winter. Since we wanted pictures outside, Paige decided
we’d both get matching stoles.

I ran my hand down the faux fur. The bright white fur felt
soft against the back of my hand. The stole fit across my shoulders and down to
my elbows, closing just above my plunging neckline. It would leave a little of
my neck and upper chest exposed, but it would keep us warm enough we could take
a few pictures outside. We were lucky to be having unseasonably warm weather
even though it was snowing a little. Thank you El
Niño
.

I was going to be taking all the pre-wedding pictures of
Paige. It was my gift to her. The rest of the wedding pictures were going to be
taken by Hank.

I pulled out my phone and sent Garrett a text.
Just checking in. Made it safe.

I’d just finished hanging up the last of my clothes when I
heard the water plop notification from my phone. I looked at Garrett’s reply:
Good to know. Try to stay out of
trouble this week, Sin.

I scowled at the phone. It’s times like this I wish I had a
middle-finger emoji. The harshest emoji I had stuck his tongue out…so I sent
that as my reply.

I ran upstairs to get my tea. As I walked into the kitchen,
I heard a car coming down the long driveway. Figuring it was Paige, I ran to the
window. But instead of pulling into our circle drive, the headlights veered off
and kept on going.

“Jim must be just getting home. He’s been working nonstop
from what I’ve been hearing. Houses are going up all over the lake,” Mom said.

“That’s great. I only got to talk to him for a few minutes
when I saw him over the summer. He was busy then, too. But he still made time
to come over and have a beer with us one night,” I said.

My mom grew up in this town—and this very house—when both
were barely the size of a postage stamp. She went off to college after she
graduated high school, which is where she met my dad. They got married, settled
down in Granville, and had two kids. He died years ago when I was a little girl,
so I never really knew him. Mom decided to stay in Granville…where she spent
thirty years teaching at the local elementary school.

On rare occasions she’ll get together with a couple of her
old classmates when she visits the lake house. I guess this is where she was
getting her information about Jim.

I glanced out the window again and watched the taillights
disappear. Jim had decided to put a Morton building up a while back. So instead
of being able to see the house like we used to be able to do…we now see the
back side of a rather beautiful building. I was glad he didn’t just put up an
ugly shed, but instead took the time to make it appear as though the building
was an extension of his house.

The workshop was beige and had multi-colored stones going
halfway up the outside of the building. The slate colored roof had many different
pitches. I remember him throwing out words like gables and dormers when he was
putting it up, but I didn’t want to act like I didn’t know what he was talking
about. I think it had something to do with the little extensions all over the
roof to make it look more like a house instead of a shed.

For Jim, the Morton building was an extension of his
business and offered him more seclusion. For a nosey neighbor like me, it made
it impossible to see if he was home or if he had company.

Hearing another car, I looked out the window and squealed.
Mindy laughed. “I’m thinking
that
must be Paige and her mom.”

I ran to the front door and threw it open. Mom, Mindy, and I
slipped on our coat and shoes and helped Paige and her mom carry in their numerous
suitcases and Paige’s wedding dress. By the time we finished, I was exhausted.

“Wanna grab some whiskey-spiked tea and unpack?” I asked.

Paige laughed. “Music to my ears.”

Mom made up a cup for Paige and we headed downstairs to
unpack while Mom and Mindy helped Bea.

“Aunt Shirley already asleep?” Paige asked as she closed the
bedroom door with her heel.

“Yep. But she’s all excited about going grocery shopping
tomorrow to get booze for jello shots,” I laughed. “She downloaded recipes from
Pinterest for different jello shots. She says we’re having an impromptu jello
shot party Wednesday night to see which ones she wants to serve at your
bachelorette party on Friday.”

Paige rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Great, just what
I need. Your aunt drunk every day before my wedding.”

I bit back my laughter and took a drink of the warm tea
instead. The heat from the tea and whiskey burned in a nice way. I decided now
was not the time to tell her about the penis ice trays and penis jello molds.

I silently watched as Paige unfolded her plastic-encased
wedding dress from the crook of her elbow. Her wedding dress was almost
identical to my chiffon floor-length bridesmaid dress…except it was white. She
also had a small band of bling under her breasts for enhancement. She was originally
supposed to wear her mother’s wedding dress, but the years had not been kind to
the dress, and it was deemed a lost cause.

Paige shook out the bottom of the bag. “I can’t wait to put
our dresses on. Remember when we’d play dress up in our moms’ dresses and dream
of this day?”

“I sure do. Now hurry up and put this stuff away, before you
make me cry.”

Paige laughed and shoved the rest of the week’s clothing
into her side of the dresser. Picking up her tea, she sat cross-legged on her
twin bed and took a sip. “Wow, that’s some strong tea.”

“I told mom I needed something strong after having to listen
to Aunt Shirley for four hours.”

Paige groaned. “Please tell me your aunt will be on her best
behavior and won’t do anything stupid this week?”

I gave her my best “get real” stare. “You do remember who
we’re talking about, right?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

I took another drink. “I’m a little worried about her,
though.”

“Why?”

I looked down at the comforter on my bed, contemplating my words.
“I can’t really explain it. Sometimes I think Aunt Shirley is giving up. When
she talks about the “good ole days” now, it’s not always with laughter…sometimes
it’s with sadness. As though she’s coming to grips with the fact the best part
of her life is over.”

“That’s so sad.”

“I know. I just don’t want to see her give up. I wish there
was something she could do. Like a way she could use her talents at snooping
and asking questions to help others.”

Paige laughed. “A way for her to use her powers for good and
not evil?”

“Exactly! But what could she do?”

We finished our drinks and changed into our pajamas. Both of
us were thinking about Aunt Shirley and the upcoming week. I had no idea the
storm that was about to blow in. If I had, I’d have curled up right there in
that bed and never left.