With Vics You Get Eggroll (A Mad for Mod Mystery Book 3) by Diane Vallere

side of the sofa replaced the silence and answered my unasked question about the purpose behind our conversation. We were done talking. I tucked my hands under the side of my head, closed my eyes, and hoped for sleep.

      
    The sun, the scent of coffee, and the presence of Rocky wedged between me and the back of the sofa conspired to wake me. Nasty rolled over on her end and Rocky lifted his head and opened his eyes halfway. I ruffled his fur. The wall clock said it was five thirty. Just about the time I usually got up to go to the pool.
    The pool.
    It was the last place I had seen Tex. If he wanted to talk to me, would he try to find me at Crestwood a second time?
    I got up and went to the kitchen to get two cups of coffee. When I came back and sat down on my end of the sofa, Nasty kicked her feet, and then rolled onto her back and stretched them out.
    “What time is it?” she murmured
    “Five thirty.”
    “You think this is normal?”
    “ Nothing about the past twelve hours has been normal.” I held a cup of coffee toward her.
    “Copy that,” she said. She took the mug and inhaled the scent before drinking.
    I went into the bedroom to check on Effie. She was lying on her side, facing away from me. I walked around the bed. She was staring at the wall. “Good morning.”
    “Hi, Madison,” she said. “Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed.”
    “How are you feeling today?”
    “Better. It kind of feels like a bad dream, like it didn’t happen, you know?” She rolled onto her back and focused on the ceiling.
    “Effie, I think you should go to the police station with Officer Nast and make a formal statement while last night is still fresh in your mind.”
    “But I told her what happened. Doesn’t that count?”
    “I’m afraid not,” Nasty said from behind us. “I’m not on the force anymore. Consider last night a dry run.”

SIX

      
    “Since when are you off the force?” I asked. Tex hadn’t mentioned anything about Nasty leaving the police department, although even if there was juicy gossip behind the story, I doubted we would have spent any time talking about her. Somewhere along the way of developing a loose friendship, Tex and I had reached an unspoken agreement not to talk about our respective pasts.
    “It’s been about a month. I’m working security now. That doesn’t change anything I said last night. Effie, I’d be happy to take you to the police department to make that statement if you don’t want to go by yourself.”
    “Yes, okay, that would be nice. Madison, do you think Rocky could come with us, you know, to keep me company?” Effie said.
    “Sure, Effie,” I said. “He’ll like that. I’ll be back at the apartment tonight to pick him up.”

      
    It was over an hour before the two of them left. Still early enough to squeeze in a couple of laps at the pool. Best case scenario? Tex would show up and I could tell him what had happened to Effie. Worse case? I’d get a workout. I packed my swimsuit, a lime green double breasted blazer and matching pants, a fresh pair of coveralls, and the hardhat, and headed out.
    Arriving at the pool late meant sharing space with other swimmers. There were no empty lanes, and two of the six already had more than one occupant. I pulled on my cap and goggles and sat on the deck, dangling my ankles into the lane while the other swimmer, a man in a purple swim cap, approached and flip turned next to my feet.
    “Madison, you’re late today,” said Grace, who appeared to be at the tail end of her water aerobics routine in the slow lane. Her foam noodle was behind her head and her arms were draped over it. Strains of the Beach Boys poured from a small CD player that sat on the ground by the locker rooms. She bounced up and down in time to the beat of “Help Me, Rhonda.”
    “I had company last night that turned into company this morning,” I said.
    “It’s about time,” she said.
    “Grace!” I said. “It wasn’t that kind of