Give Murder A Hand: Lizzie. Book 2 (The Westport Mysteries) Read Free Page A

know that the one they dug up in your garden has been there a
very long time. He’s had plenty of time to walk to the light.”
    “How do you know it’s a he?” I asked.
    “I don’t. I guessed and I’ve got a fifty percent chance of being
right.” Riley flashed a smile.
    “Fair enough, but if you’re wrong, I’ll make you pay for it later.”
I laughed, using Riley’s catch phrase on him. Making me ‘pay for things later’
was a favorite saying of his. And when he says ‘pay’ he doesn’t mean with
money. Personally, I try to find things that I will need to ‘pay for’ later.
    Riley laughed. “It’s a bet.”
    “I could always pay in advance—you know, just in case you’re right
and I’m wrong. I wouldn’t want to have a debt like that hanging over my head.”
    Riley moved toward me and pulled me in close. His lips touched mine
and I felt the sizzle all the way to my toes. After a moment of skin-melting
body contact, I pulled up for air and tried to regain my senses. Truth is,
Riley has the ability to fry my brain. I have a secret fear that I’ll be
totally brain dead by the time I’m thirty-three, but damn it’ll be worth it. I
averted my gaze and refused to look into his eyes. If I did, I’d be a goner.
    “Not here,” I breathed.
    “What?” asked Riley, his lips moving their way down my neck.
    “Not here. We have to wait until we get to your house.”
    “Why?”
    “In case the ghost is watching us. That would be creepy, don’t you
think?”
    “Lizzie, there is no ghost,” explained Riley patiently, lifting the
collar of my dress and kissing my shoulder. “And beside, we’ve done it here
loads of times. If there is a ghost, he’s seen it all before.”
    “But what if the ghost wasn’t here before? What if it’s been
watching and has seen its body uncovered and now it’s pissed off.”
    Riley sighed and lifted his head. “You’re serious aren’t you?”
    “Yes,” I said, happy my voice sounded a lot more resolute than I
felt. Looking into Riley’s brilliant blue eyes made me have second thoughts. I
heard him sigh once again, but thankfully he stepped away from me.
    “Okay, here’s the plan. You get Cat and I’ll get his travel box. I’ll
meet you back here in one minute. If I speed and take the short cut, I can be
at my house in ten minutes. Then you’re all mine.”

 
    * * *

 
    After I dropped my pillow and Cat at Riley’s—and
paid him my debt, of course—we headed over to Mum’s
for dinner. It was a tradition that every Friday night I would get together
with my siblings. Tonight however, Mum had moved Sunday dinner forward as Dad
was taking her out on Sunday for their anniversary. Honestly, this made me a
bit restless, as Dad wasn’t known to ever even have remembered their
anniversary, let alone take her to a nice restaurant, but who was I to question
the sudden change of heart.
    In a previous life, Mum’s dining room was the bedroom Molly and I
shared growing up. Now, both the room and the table weren’t quite big enough as
our family grew, but somehow we all squeezed in. It’s just ‘elbows in’,
everyone. This worked well as long as you didn’t get the seat next to Grandma.
    Today however, I had that privilege. I guess I couldn’t complain. The only reason we were
last to arrive was because of paying my debt to Riley and that was more than
worth it.
    I looked around me. There were eight of us in total. Mum and Dad
sat at the opposite heads of the table, I had Grandma Mabel to my right and
Riley to my left. Opposite me was my brother Danny, who had Molly to his right
and his partner Andrew to his left.
    In her younger days, Grandma Mabel had been quite beautiful with
long black curly hair and deep brown eyes. Danny, Molly and I all inherited her
dark curly hair and brown eyes, but only Danny truly got her free spirit. Thankfully
he has Andrew to keep him grounded.
    I looked at Andrew. He was about seventeen years older than Danny,
graying at the