Murder for Millions (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 7) by Mary Maxwell

like a knife gone rogue.
    “What’s going on?” I asked as Boris
stood and turned toward the door.
    “Never mind that!” He suddenly sounded
less inebriated, as if the slurred words and mumbled cadence were an act intended
to mask ulterior motives. “Just focus on the things I left with you yesterday. There’s
no telling who to trust at this point. My son and I wanted you to be aware of
what’s going on so you can—”
    “Okay, that’s about enough,” Velma
Lancaster said. “Let’s go, Boris.”
    I reached out and took his arm.
“Wait just a second,” I said. “Before you go, I’d like to ask you one
question.”
    Her eyes gleamed with contempt. “The
list?” she asked. “Is that what you wanted to discuss?”
    I nodded. “Yes, actually. Do you
know about it?”
    She pursed her lips and raised her
chin slightly. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the situation with you.”
    “But I—”
    Velma Lancaster tugged Boris
Hertel’s arm from my grasp. Then she guided him toward the door, simultaneously
whispering in his ear and glaring at me until they were gone.

CHAPTER
11
     
     
    Viveca and I had agreed to meet for
dinner at Café Fleur that evening at six-thirty. I briefly considered canceling
our plans so I could do some online sleuthing into Velma Lancaster, but Viv had
called to remind me and the excitement in her voice was irresistible. We hadn’t
been out together in weeks, so I decided waiting two hours to research the
strange PI with the silver BMW and stolen license plates would be better than
disappointing my neighbor.
    “I’m so glad we’re finally doing
this!” she said as I shrugged off my jacket and joined her in a booth. “I want
to hear how things are going with you and Zack.”
    I smiled and pointed at my face.
“Here you go! This grin is way more informative than anything I could ever
say.”
    Viv made a face. “Oh, c’mon! I want
to hear all the juicy details. Have you guys booked the trip to Mexico yet?”
    “I ordered new beach towels,” I
said. “Does that count?”
    She giggled. “Not really. But I
suppose every little step forward will get you to the goal eventually.”
    Our server approached the table
with two wine glasses and a bottle of pinot grigio on ice.
    “I hope you don’t mind,” Viv said.
“I ordered this while I was waiting.”
    “That’s perfect! I need a glass
after my latest weird encounter with Boris Hertel.”
    We both watched as the server
uncorked the bottle and poured a small amount for Viv. She took a quick sip,
pronounced it amazing and the man filled both glasses to the midway point.
    “Would you like to hear about our
specials tonight?” he said, returning the wine to the ice bucket.
    “We’re not in a hurry,” Viveca told
him. “Maybe we’ll enjoy this for a few minutes before we think about food.”
    After the server nodded silently and
drifted back to the kitchen, Viv looped right back to my comment about Boris
Hertel.
    “That’s the drunk guy who was in
Sky High yesterday, right?”
    I nodded.
    “Did he come back or something?”
    “No, I ran into him at the
Poke-A-Dot because my mom told me that he was a regular.”
    Viveca cringed. “Yuck! I cannot
stand that place! It just stinks of grease and desperation.”
    “It’s not the most upscale joint in
town, that’s for sure. But I wasn’t looking for ambiance. I wanted to see if I
could talk to Boris.”
    “And?” Viv said, sipping her wine.
    “Good news, bad news,” I answered.
“I found him, but he was with a supercilious private investigator.”
    She took another sip from her
glass. “Hmmm, this wine is delicious! Did you try it yet?”
    I sampled the pinot and agreed with
my neighbor. “Is it too soon to order another bottle?” I asked. “Or should we
pace ourselves?”
    Viv smiled, drank more wine and
motioned for the server. When he reached our table, she asked for spinach dip
and root vegetable chips.
    “I’m totally starving,” she said
after he left