Page 95 of It Runs in the Family

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “Is that bad?”

“It might not be good.” Then he put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

We rode in tense silence, Boone probably thinking about his brother, while I couldn’t stop thinking about Selena. The donut in my stomach felt like a one-pound rock. We were going to get information on a dead woman, and there was a chance she was my cousin.

Chapter Twenty-Four

We rode in silence for several minutes before my phone rang. I groaned when I saw the name on the screen. She was the last person I wanted to talk to, but I had to answer.

“Good morning, Trinity,” I said in a cheerful tone.

Boone’s eyes brightened with curiosity.

“Iris, you’re not at Garrett’s,” she said in a clipped tone.

I grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about that.” I’d completely forgotten she was supposed to pick me up. “I’m hanging out with someone else today.”

“I was countin’ on you, Iris,” she bit out. “Edward and I were goin’ to get him fitted for his new suit. He’s preachin’ at Wednesday night service, and I want him lookin’ his best. I was gonna have you watch the other children.”

“Sorry to interrupt Edward’s haberdashery appointment, but I thought I was supposed to spend the day with you, not your kids.”

“Why would I want to spend the day with you?”

She had a point.

“Again, sorry to screw up your plans.” Then I realized I still had another hour before she was supposed to pick me up. “Garrett said you were picking me up at nine.”

“Well, they had an early opening for Edward, and Garrett said you were stuck at his house.” She let out a huff of exasperation. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You could always take them to Marsha’s daycare.”

“Marsha?” she screeched. “She’s a fornicator and a drunk.”

Marsha had lived with her boyfriend for seven years and liked to have Wednesday wine nights with her friends. She also refused to come to Sunday dinners. Lucky her.

“I’m a fornicator too,” I said gleefully. “And I got drunk off my ass on Friday night. I don’t think you want me around your innocent children either.”

“But you’re only a sporadic fornicator.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I considered telling her I’d been accused of hosting an orgy last night, but word would get spread around the family, and Granny would insist I come out to the farm for a talking-to.

“Sporadic fornicator or not, I’m still not watchin’ your kids. Garrett wants someone to protect me, and I doubt baby Jasper could do that.”

“Protect you from what? Billy? He’s all talk.”

He definitely wasn’t all talk. She should know that, considering he was her brother.

“Besides,” she said, “He and I never talk. He’ll never even know you’re at my house.”

That part was true, but I still wasn’t spending the day watching her kids.

“Okay then. Good luck with your babysitting situation, Trinity,” I said as I hung up. “Bye.”

“That’s who you were supposed to stay with today?” Boone asked with a laugh.

I frowned, ignoring my phone as it started to vibrate with another call. “Yeah, well, I told you there wasn’t anyone.”

“Trinity,” he said, his eyes squinting with concentration, “she’s the one with all the kids.”