through a long walkway. She gave Dad the keys to her Jag and said, “Good luck.”
The garage door opened and we drove out into the alley. Dad was all concentration, but there wasn’t anybody about. We left Hawthorne Avenue and were downtown at the Hyatt Regency in fifteen minutes. Dad pulled into the hotel’s underground parking after getting the nod from the attendant, who didn’t look like that was his real job.
As we drove down the ramp, I asked, “How well did you know Josiah?”
“What makes you think I knew him?”
“You have the building plans.”
“I got them from the city.”
“Oh. So you didn’t know him?”
Dad glanced at me and I tried to keep my expression neutral. I’d never asked Dad directly about Josiah Bled before. Until a few months ago, I thought Dad hadn’t known him at all. Myrtle and Millicent gave Mom the house, not Josiah, even though it was his house originally. Spidermonkey had discovered that Josiah signed over the house to The Girls the day he and Dad had taken off for Paris and The Girls in turn signed it over to Mom. No one would say why.
“We met,” said Dad. “He was an unusual man.”
“Did you like him?”
“Why all these questions about him of all people? We’re trying to slip you out of town so you don’t get murdered. Why aren’t you worried about that?”
“I am.”
Sort of.
“Doesn’t seem that way.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it. You’re handling it. So about Josiah?”
Dad grinned. “There they are. Perfect.” He pointed to a long black limo parked in a corner of the garage. There was a uniformed driver standing beside it and four plainclothes cops positioned around the area.
“A limo? That’s a little over the top,” I said.
“Your mother and Aunt Christine cooked it up,” said Dad.
“And they decided I’m Snot’s maid of honor?”
“Bingo.”
“Why me?” I asked. “She has two sisters.”
“They were fighting over it.” Dad pulled up beside the limo.
“She doesn’t even like me.”
Dad cocked his head at me. “Bridget likes you just fine.”
“No, she doesn’t. She and her sisters used to duct tape my legs together every Christmas and put me in a closet.”
He laughed. “Oh, that. That was bonding.”
“For them. What about me?”
“They were bonding with you.”
“I was their victim.”
“Potato potata.”
“I don’t think that works here.”
The chauffeur opened my door and I had a moment of panic. Years of duct taping flashed before my eyes. “What about Myrtle and Millicent? What about Lester? He just barely made it out of surgery. I can’t leave. I’m the nurse in the family.”
“Mercy, my girl, I can say that trio would rather have you gone and safe than here and in danger.”
“But—”
“Get out of the car,” growled Dad.
I got out, but I made a fuss about it, lots of grumbling. Dad and the chauffeur removed my many bags from the trunk and stowed them in the limo’s trunk next to the Troublesome Trio’s flowered matching luggage. My luggage looked like it’d been thrown from a train and stomped on by a horse. I wasn’t entirely sure it hadn’t been. I inherited my luggage from Great Uncle Ned who was once a rodeo clown and thought train tickets were for those too slow to jump on.
Sadly, all the luggage fit and I was fast losing my chance to get away. Of course, I could just jump out at some point and make a run for it. I could hole up in some seedy motel for the four days and call it good. My eyes darted around the garage. It was just the limo. No other cars were there.
Dad laid a big hand on my shoulder. “What are you looking for?”
“The tail,” I said in a moment of surprising honesty.
“No tail today.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m not bothering to tail you, Mercy,” he said.
“Why not?”
“I know where you’re going and
The garage door opened and we drove out into the alley. Dad was all concentration, but there wasn’t anybody about. We left Hawthorne Avenue and were downtown at the Hyatt Regency in fifteen minutes. Dad pulled into the hotel’s underground parking after getting the nod from the attendant, who didn’t look like that was his real job.
As we drove down the ramp, I asked, “How well did you know Josiah?”
“What makes you think I knew him?”
“You have the building plans.”
“I got them from the city.”
“Oh. So you didn’t know him?”
Dad glanced at me and I tried to keep my expression neutral. I’d never asked Dad directly about Josiah Bled before. Until a few months ago, I thought Dad hadn’t known him at all. Myrtle and Millicent gave Mom the house, not Josiah, even though it was his house originally. Spidermonkey had discovered that Josiah signed over the house to The Girls the day he and Dad had taken off for Paris and The Girls in turn signed it over to Mom. No one would say why.
“We met,” said Dad. “He was an unusual man.”
“Did you like him?”
“Why all these questions about him of all people? We’re trying to slip you out of town so you don’t get murdered. Why aren’t you worried about that?”
“I am.”
Sort of.
“Doesn’t seem that way.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it. You’re handling it. So about Josiah?”
Dad grinned. “There they are. Perfect.” He pointed to a long black limo parked in a corner of the garage. There was a uniformed driver standing beside it and four plainclothes cops positioned around the area.
“A limo? That’s a little over the top,” I said.
“Your mother and Aunt Christine cooked it up,” said Dad.
“And they decided I’m Snot’s maid of honor?”
“Bingo.”
“Why me?” I asked. “She has two sisters.”
“They were fighting over it.” Dad pulled up beside the limo.
“She doesn’t even like me.”
Dad cocked his head at me. “Bridget likes you just fine.”
“No, she doesn’t. She and her sisters used to duct tape my legs together every Christmas and put me in a closet.”
He laughed. “Oh, that. That was bonding.”
“For them. What about me?”
“They were bonding with you.”
“I was their victim.”
“Potato potata.”
“I don’t think that works here.”
The chauffeur opened my door and I had a moment of panic. Years of duct taping flashed before my eyes. “What about Myrtle and Millicent? What about Lester? He just barely made it out of surgery. I can’t leave. I’m the nurse in the family.”
“Mercy, my girl, I can say that trio would rather have you gone and safe than here and in danger.”
“But—”
“Get out of the car,” growled Dad.
I got out, but I made a fuss about it, lots of grumbling. Dad and the chauffeur removed my many bags from the trunk and stowed them in the limo’s trunk next to the Troublesome Trio’s flowered matching luggage. My luggage looked like it’d been thrown from a train and stomped on by a horse. I wasn’t entirely sure it hadn’t been. I inherited my luggage from Great Uncle Ned who was once a rodeo clown and thought train tickets were for those too slow to jump on.
Sadly, all the luggage fit and I was fast losing my chance to get away. Of course, I could just jump out at some point and make a run for it. I could hole up in some seedy motel for the four days and call it good. My eyes darted around the garage. It was just the limo. No other cars were there.
Dad laid a big hand on my shoulder. “What are you looking for?”
“The tail,” I said in a moment of surprising honesty.
“No tail today.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m not bothering to tail you, Mercy,” he said.
“Why not?”
“I know where you’re going and
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