Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries) by Liliana Hart Page A

of school was always a drag, and with Mr. Butler’s death things were in even more of an upheaval than usual.
    The funeral was scheduled for the following day at eleven o’clock, and I knew nothing short of my own death would excuse me from missing the event. The school would be closed for the day in honor of his memory.
    In all honesty, I was still waiting for the truth to come out about my involvement in finding his body, but so far luck was on my side. Detective Dempsey had kept his word, much to my surprise. I wasn’t used to dealing with men that had integrity. Of course, things were still early yet.
    Whoever left the message on my machine hadn’t called back, so I’d decided to pretend it was a prank and not take the matter too seriously. It definitely wasn’t something to get Kate or Detective Dempsey in an uproar over, so I didn’t bother mentioning it to either of them. They both had a tendency to overreact about things like that. Not to mention I’d probably have to sit through another afternoon of questioning like I had the day before when I’d been pressured into giving my statement. Detective Dempsey most certainly liked to dot all his I’s and cross all his T’s. An annoying habit in my opinion.
    When the school bell rang at three-thirty on Tuesday, I grabbed my bags and ran to the teacher’s parking lot, ready to earn some real money. I was forced to stop as I saw someone leaning against the side of my car with her arms crossed over her ample bosom. I growled low in my throat and narrowed my eyes.
    “I’m in a hurry, Veronica. I don’t have time to listen to your sexcapades today.”
    “What a shame,” she said. “I’ll have to send you the video.”
    “Slut.”
    “Bitch.”
    Her smile was devious and I knew she was waiting for the right time to spring something unexpected on me. I unlocked my car with the remote, and when she still didn’t budge I wondered if I was going to have to physically remove her. Not that I was totally adverse to popping her one in the jaw, but probably the teacher’s parking lot wasn’t the best place to do so.
    “You won’t be so cocky once you’re out on the street and your apartment is torn down.”
    “Give me a break,” I said. “Do you honestly think I haven’t found a place to live yet?” I looked her in the eye and dared her to dispute my claim. I halfway had a place to live, which by my way of think was better than nothing.
    “Oh, do you mean that cute little house on Hutton Street?” Veronica asked coyly. “I was just talking to John Hyatt about that house the other day. I was thinking it would be the perfect place for Greg and me to live after we’re married this summer.”
    My vision hazed and I saw red. “Is there a reason you’re trying to make my life miserable? Surely we can agree to stay out of each other’s way for the rest of our lives.”
    “Don’t pretend you don’t know why things have to be this way between us. There’s not enough room in Whiskey Bayou for the both of us, and I can promise it won’t be me who runs out of town with my tail between my legs.”
    She walked to her own car two spaces over and gave me a little wave with the tips of her fingers and a sly smile as she drove out of the lot.
    It took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to run her off the road as I sped out of the parking lot. I was going to have a talk with John Hyatt. Veronica Wade could steal as many men as she wanted to from me, but she wasn’t going to get my house.
     
     
     
    Whiskey Bayou Bank and Trust was diagonal to the Walker Whiskey Distillery and across the street from the fire station. Very convenient unless you needed to get money out at peak traffic time or during a fire. 
    Like the rest of the buildings on Main Street, it was a combination of original architecture and modern convenience, but there was something about the bank that gave me an icky feeling.
    I’m pretty sure it was the smell. It was a weird combination