Weeding Out Trouble by Heather Webber Page B

Kevin and me slowly. I smiled brightly. Kevin scowled.
    "Water is good," Joe said. The look on his face clearly stated he thought I was a crazy woman.
    I might just be.
    "Water's fine," Lewy said.
    "Good, good. I'll go get it." Rushing into the kitchen, I took my sweet time filling two glasses of water while trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in the living room.
    I could only imagine.
    I was just starting to wonder where my mother, Riley, and BeBe were when I saw them out the back window building a snowman. 'Least, my mother and Riley were trying, and BeBe was trying to knock it down. She might have been afraid of turkeys, but when it came to snowmen, she was a fierce opponent.
    Slowly, I walked back into the living room, passed Joe and Lewy their water.
    Kevin could fend for himself.
    "Well, gentlemen. It was nice seeing you again." I headed toward the stairs.
    "Wait." Kevin glared at me. "Care to tell me where you snuck off to today?"
    I paused on the first step. "Nope."
    "If you're interfering with an investigation, Nina . . . "
    "Who said I'm 'interfering'?"
    Kevin jabbed a finger in the air. "So you were snooping!"
    "Snooping is such a negative term." I inched onto the second step. Only eleven more to go.
    Kevin growled. "I can't protect you this time, Nina. Stay out of it. Lewy and Joe won't hesitate to lock you up."
    They both nodded.
    Despite my earlier thoughts about the clink, I didn't want to go there. I backed down a step, my temper rising. "Did you know Daisy's business was in trouble? Kit was trying to help her. Or about how she sold therapeutic marijuana? Or about her new boyfriend? Has any of this been investigated?"
    "It's being looked into," Lewy said.
    I didn't believe him for a moment.
    "We don't know what happened, Nina," Kevin said. "You have to accept that Kit may be responsible. He could have been angry that Daisy was in love with another man. Love is a powerful motive."
    I looked between the three of them. "Is this really how it's going to be? Railroad Kit? Use him as a scapegoat? Why? To make the department look good after all the bad publicity? To get a quick conviction for the prosecutor?" I threw my hands in the air. "Is this just another example of the good old boys covering for each other? You make me sick."
    I folded my arms over my chest. I'd worked myself into quite a tizzy and could feel my heart thumping against my wrist.
    Lewy held up his hands. "Hey, now. Can I have a word with you? In private?"
    "You better go outside," Kevin said. He shot me a look. "There's no such thing as privacy in here."
    He was referring to the phone call.
    "Feel free," I said to him, "to hobble on back to your own house."
    "Nina?" Lewy said. His tone had softened, and he looked like the Lewy I used to know, the one who came over every now and again with his family for a barbecue.
    It was a nice try, but I wasn't falling for it. "No," I said. "Not without a lawyer."
    I didn't wait for a response as I rushed to the back hall, pulled open the back door, and slammed it behind me.

Seven

    The sun had begun sinking into the western horizon. Wind whipped between Mr. Cabrera's and my yard, nearly cutting me in two with cold. A coat would have been nice. But there was no way I was going back for one. Stubborn, yes, but I didn't want to face Kevin.
    From the backyard, I could hear my mother singing in French, and Riley moaning about it. BeBe barked happily.
    I headed in their direction to make snow angels until a loud scream echoed down the street.
    My mother and Riley came running. "Who's that?" my mother asked me as we all jogged toward the road.
    Across the road Flash Leonard scrambled out of his house too, obviously in search of the screamer.
    "I'm not sure," I said.
    The screams picked up in intensity and were laced with swearing. They came from Miss Maisie's front yard. We took off down the street, Riley sprinting ahead.
    The wind chilled me to the bone. My teeth chattered. "Where's BeBe?"
    "Tied up in the