A Christmas to Dismember by Addison Moore (best desktop ebook reader TXT) 📕

her what her name is. No, I’d better keep the details of our last meeting to myself.

Okay, fine. My lips twitch side to side. Two can play at that game. And one of them can play really well, especially when she has the advantage to read her opponent’s mind.

“Before the show?” I tip my head her way. “I hope you enjoyed the hot cocoa and sweet treats that were laid out.” Because I happened to see her doing both—right before she landed something toxic into Quinn’s drink. Come to think of it, I forgot to mention it to Jasper. I’ll make sure he runs Quinn’s blood work.

Angelica gurgles out a laugh. “Oh, I had those delicious cookies before and after the show. And that peppermint bark?” She rolls her eyes to the ceiling. “I hope you don’t think less of me, but I not only had my fair share, I brought a small plate home with me, too.” And that’s exactly how I celebrated.

Celebrated?

She leans in. “So is everything set for the reading of the will?”

“The reading of the will?” My eyes bulge in disbelief. The man hasn’t been dead for twenty-four hours and already the vultures are circling.

Georgie taps her knee to mine. “Boy, the rich don’t waste time, do they? Hey? Do you think it’s too late for me to get in on that action?”

Angelica belts out a laugh, and Rudolph gives a happy bark from across the way as the women continue to vie for his adorable affection.

I love it here, Bizzy! I never want to leave. No sooner does he shoot the thought my way than the socialite that’s holding him helps him lap the water out of her crystal goblet.

Angelica leans toward Georgie. “You’re not the only one asking if it’s too late to get in on the action. And believe me, the shroud of mystery around this thing is driving my friends bonkers. I spoke to Quinn’s lawyer last night. It looks as if the reading is taking place in the library at the inn. He still needs to shore up some details, but that’s the way Quinn wanted it done when the time came.” And lucky for me, the time came last night, right around nine o’clock.

I don’t even know how to process all that information.

Lucky for her?

She called his lawyer last night?

“The reading of the will is taking place at the inn?” I say that last bit out loud before taking a sip of my water.

“Oh yes.” Angelica dabs her lips with a pristine white cloth and leaves a lip stain on it. “Right after the séance.”

I nearly shoot the water out of my nose.

“A séance! A séance!” Juni jumps up and down in her seat, and for some reason, the rest of the socialites follow her lead. Good Lord, it’s as if they’ve finally found their leader. And, they might have a heck of a lot more fun if Juni were leading the charge. For starters, there would be land lobsters for everyone.

“No to the séance.” I shake my head at Juni. “That is not happening at the inn. It’s Christmastime, for Pete’s sake.”

“That’s right.” Georgie smacks her hand down over the table. “If they want to host that dark perversion, they’ll have to come up to my place. What I wouldn’t do to have a hot dead ghost like Quinn Bennet haunting my halls. Meow.” She claws at the air, and I can’t help but groan.

“No to that, too,” I say in the event Angelica decides to take her up on it.

Angelica makes a face my way. “Okay, have it your way. Who wants him there, anyway?” Spewing God knows what. She averts her eyes once again, and I’m getting the feeling Angelica very much prefers that Quinn keeps his ghostly trap shut.

On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t have ixnayed the idea so quickly.

Lunch arrives, and sure enough, each woman has a large white platter set in front of them with what amounts to a handful of lawn clippings and a side of sliced radish. Both Georgie and I have a shot-glass worth of clam chowder, and Juni, well, her meal takes the cake. And I’m betting she’s wishing she went for the cake instead.

Juni’s dual order of escargot consists of two oversized snails that look as if they’re about to rumble—albeit very slowly.

“What in the fresh hell is this?” Juni backs her seat up a notch as if she were afraid they were about to attack.

Angelica laughs. “You’re my people, Juni.” Lord knows people like Juni are kinder and far more genuine than the vipers I run with. I should know. I’ve been running with the likes of Juni for years now and loving every manic minute of it. “Here.” She slides her lawn clippings over to Juni. “Let’s see if the snails are hungry.”

The four of us break out into a fit of laughter, causing the rest of the table to pause from their own zombie-like cackling.

Lunch begins to wind down, and I can feel my access to Angelica beginning to winnow away. It’s time to be bold.

“Can I ask you a question?” I shrug over at the friendly blonde. “Who do you think could have done something like that to poor Quinn?”

She swallows hard. The muscles in her jaw tighten as she grows stiff.

And sadly, not a single thought flits through her mind.

“Eve.” She nods as if she were trying to convince herself. “Eve French. She wanted Quinn to herself in the worst way. She was his number one for many years, but she just couldn’t stand sharing him. And unfortunately, that’s the way the wealthy cookie crumbled, and because of it, they crumbled, too. But it wasn’t Eve who broke things off. Quinn felt as if her constant need for monogamy was wearing him down, so he went to England to think.” She shrugs. “We all know how that turned out. He stayed for years. And Eve grew bitter. She married for a while, and the