Kiss and Tell by Fern Michaels Page B

knows what happened to Bernie Madoff when his shenanigans were exposed, and I am sure that Emanuel Macklin—Billy Bailey—would stop at nothing to prevent the same thing from happening to him. So be careful.”
    The good-byes were brief and quick, with Lady running ahead out into the snow and heading directly for the van. She danced around, barking and pawing the ground. She wanted to go home, it was that simple. Everyone smiled when Granny Sara embraced her new grandson. Dennis beamed happily.
    â€œLooks like an inch or so of snow on the ground,” Maggie said as she slid the door open for Lady. “I didn’t think it was going to stick, and that weatherman needs to be fired.”
    â€œOne can never predict what Mother Nature will do, not even the meteorologists, who make their living being half-right and half-wrong,” Dennis said philosophically. Ted gave him a shove as he flew into the rear seat of the van.
    â€œLord, Ted, turn on the heat,” Annie said, hugging her arms across her chest.
    Ted laughed. “By the time the heat comes on I’ll have you in the parking lot of the clubhouse, and you’ll be getting into your own cold car. Not to mention you’ll have to clear the windshield. Dennis will be happy to do that for you, won’t you, Dennis?”
    â€œAbsolutely. I will be thrilled and delighted to clear the snow off your windshield with my bare frozen hands. Yes siree, I can’t wait. That lady was something, wasn’t she? I believe her, though.”
    Ten minutes later, Myra, Annie, and Lady were sitting in their own car, waiting for it to warm up. Sweet, snarling Dennis had indeed cleaned off the front and back windshields. No one seemed to care that his hands were red and looked chapped, not even Dennis, as he raced to get back into the van.
    Lady made her presence known as she tugged at the seat belt Myra had patiently taught her to use. The minute she was secure, she barked again, meaning, “I’m buckled up, so let’s hit the road.”
    â€œIn a minute, Lady. We have to get warm first. Settle down, we’re going home. What did I tell you about patience?” Myra fixed a steely gaze on the retriever, who had the good grace to look ashamed. But like most females, she needed the last word so she let loose with a ferocious howl, then settled down. Both Annie and Myra tried not to laugh.
    â€œWhatcha think, Myra? Did any of that sound strange to you?”
    Myra knew Annie wasn’t talking about Lady and her seat belt. “The part about them not knowing all these years that Manny is Billy, yes, it doesn’t ring true, but in some ways it does. My personal opinion is they are still emotionally tied to Billy Bailey. They want him stopped, but by us, not the authorities. Are you reading it any differently, Annie?”
    Annie shrugged. “They could have gone to the SEC anonymously. Ask yourself why they didn’t do that? The Securities and Exchange Commission has to pay attention to any and all complaints, so why didn’t they do that? This is just a wild thought on my part, but I think Ms. Overton still has feelings for Billy Bailey. Buried deep, of course, but young love sometimes lasts forever.”
    â€œI don’t know, Annie. It’s a stretch but entirely possible. Did either one of them say how long they’ve been living out there? For some reason, I’m thinking they only moved there recently. To have lived there longer they would have seen Manny Macklin at the clubhouse; someone said he goes there once a month or so and actually had a house of his own at Olympic Ridge. That’s bothering me. Then again, they didn’t sound like the type of women who mingled with the other residents. They admitted they were loners.”
    â€œI think a lot of things are going to start bothering us once we delve into all of this. The kids are excited. Could you tell?” Annie said.
    Myra laughed. “This