Killer Closet Case: a Danger Cove B&B Mystery (Danger Cove Mysteries Book 6) Read Free Page B

the paper in his chair. Thankfully, while Mom and I had been in the kitchen, Dad had put his jeans back on. "What's the matter, honey?" he called out, sharing a Cheshire cat grin with me. He leaned toward me and whispered, "She's going to freak out. I didn't tell her I'd gotten us backstage passes too."
    We both darted through the doorway.
    There she stood, jumping from one stilletoed foot to the other, clutching an envelope to her chest. "Best birthday gift ever." She stopped bouncing long enough to shove two front-row concert tickets in my face. They were pressed back against her chest before I could even make out who or where. I just knew they were "epic" seats.
    "Who's playing?" I asked.
    Mom grabbed me, her quivering fingers gripping my shoulders. "We're going to see your dad in concert!"
    Dad's big smile returned as he broke out in song, bellowing Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" while pointing at me.
    This elicited another eye roll from me, and for good reason. The big family joke was that no one was sure if I was Jon Bon Jovi's lovechild or not. My brother had the honor of Joe Elliot from Def Leppard as his pretend possible baby daddy. My parents thought it was hilarious. I personally couldn't listen to any music by either of the artists now. Somewhere within their love of flipping houses and big-hair eighties bands, I'm sure they wedged some affection for my brother and me. This was undoubtedly why I'd been left in the dark about which concert they were attending. Not that it would've changed my mind about helping, but it gave Dad the opportunity to tease me in person instead of over the phone.
    "And…" She pulled out two laminated cards, dangling on lanyards. "Backstage passes!"
    Dad laughed like a little boy. "It was all I could do to keep that a secret from you. When you got upset because I didn't take you to see him in Seattle, I hated lying to you. I'd already gotten the passes for the San Diego concert, since it was on your birthday. I hope you're not mad."
    "Mad?" Mom asked within a maniacal giggle as she threw herself into his arms. "Next to being blessed with the most wonderful husband and kids in the world, this is the best surprise ever."
    I didn't think it was possible, but Dad's grin widened as he looked down into Mom's eyes. "The RV is just about packed. We'll leave in the morning as planned."
    Panic buzzed through me. Sure, I knew they were leaving. Yes, I understood I'd be in charge. I just hadn't really put a lot of thought to what all could actually go wrong while I was at the helm. You know: fires, plague, famine, and the like. "Wait. Slow your roll, guys." I waved my hands between us, starting to feel those butterflies stirring things up in my gut again. "You can't stay a few days until I feel comfortable? I know nothing about your computer system or have any clues as to how to run it. Dad promised a training session."
    Mom clip-clopped to me again. "Relax. You're more than capable. The place is almost self-sufficient, for the most part. You just have to be around when the girls are on lunch to answer the phone. We have the rest of the staff on a set schedule, and they pretty much know their duties and do their own thing. Sheila, the staff manager, will keep everything else running smoothly. Payroll is done automatically too. I promise—it' s a no-brainer. I'll give you a few computer pointers before we leave." Mom stopped rambling and just stood before me with wide-eyed hope. "Besides, it's not like you've got anything better on your plate right now." She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "And, if you do this for us, no life lecture, at least for now." Winking, she didn't miss a beat. "You can stay in the little apartment over the garage and just hang out in the living area behind the desk during the day. There are lots of places in town to explore while you aren't covering lunches and breaks. All of the keys and things are in our personal desk back there, and the door off the kitchen goes