Read In the Worst Way (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book 5) for Free Online Page A

 
    “Thin is in, Mom. You don’t know,” I said.  
    “I know something’s wrong and it ends here. You’re eating my bolognese tonight.”  
    “No, I’m not.”  
    “Why not?” Mom asked her face an inch from mine.  
    Because I have to eat a salad.  
    “Because…because I ate with Millicent and Myrtle.”  
    “You ate at a crime scene where Lester may very well have been bludgeoned to death.” Mom looked at Dad. He grimaced. For a man, who lied to suspects with an aplomb people wrote articles about, Dad sucked. Any fool could tell I didn’t eat and Mom was no fool.  
    “I have talked and talked to you,” she said.
    Then you should be done.  
    “You can stop. I’m fine. I’m just eating healthy. Healthy is good,” I said.  
    Mom’s plump lower lip quivered and her big eyes filled.  
    Oh, no! Here comes the Mom guilt.  
    “I’m sorry. I’ll do better,” I said quickly.  
    Dad heaved a sigh and dared to come in the kitchen. “See, Carolina. She’ll eat and we’re all happy again.”
    My cat, Skanky, chose that moment to enter the kitchen. Actually, it wasn’t so much a walk as a terrified scamper. His rear end was completely bald, including his tail.  
    I scooped him up. “What the hell?”  
    “Watch your language,” said Dad.  
    “I will not. What’s he doing here?”  
    Mom crossed her arms and didn’t look at me. “I picked him up for you since you have to go away. I was doing you a favor.”  
    “Some favor. Look at him. What happened?” I asked.  
    “Nothing.”  
    “Nothing?” I squeaked. “His butt looks like a plucked chicken.”  
    Skanky hid his head in my armpit and Mom rolled her eyes. “That’s what he looks like. You bought him from a homeless man for twenty bucks and a leftover latte.”  
    “This isn’t an issue of price tag,” I said. “He was fine this morning.”  
    “It’s probably his breed, whatever that may be.”  
    Dad stepped back into the butler’s pantry and snagged the whiskey bottle.  
    “Just because my cat doesn’t have a pedigree, it doesn’t mean his fur just magically falls out,” I said.  
    Mom shrugged. “It could.”  
    “I know what happened and so do you.”  
    “Nothing happened.”  
    Mom’s evil Siamese stalked into the kitchen, side-by-side with their skinny aristocratic tails stick straight and fully furred.
    I pointed a finger at them. “Your Siamese did it.”  
    “Don’t you blame my babies,” said Mom and Dad took a drink straight from the bottle.  
    “I’m your baby. Those are just cats.”  
    Mom gasped. “Just cats? I’ll have you know they are best in show winners.”  
    “They licked my cat’s fur off. Again!”  
    “Do not yell at me,” said Mom, drawing up to her full five foot two.  
    “Dad!”  
    He shook his head. “Don’t bring me into this.”  
    “Tommy!” said Mom.  
    “Apologize to your mother,” he said.
    What a coward. He knew those cats were evil. Everyone knew it, except for Mom. The Siamese each stuck a hind leg in the air and began cleaning their rears just to show me what they thought of me. I already knew and had the scars to remind me in case I forgot.  
    “I’m not apologizing for her cats being evil,” I said.  
    “Carolina Grace Watts!” roared Mom.  
    If I called Dad evil, it wouldn’t have bothered her, but the Siamese were out of bounds.  
    “Using my real name won’t change the fact that they are evil. I’m taking what’s left of my cat and going home. And I’m going to eat lots of lettuce, too.”  
    Dad blocked my path. “Okay. Okay. I don’t understand what’s happening here and I really don’t care. I guess eating salads is bad, which is what I’ve been saying for the past twenty-five years, but whatever. Mercy, you’re not leaving and you will eat the bolognese. Carolina,” Mom glared at him and he swallowed “You will admit that your…cats aren’t very nice to Skanky.”  
    “Not very nice?” I stomped