Murderous Muffins by Lois Lavrisa Read Free Book Online

himself. It’s not your place to handle his problems.” Cat walked down the steps.
    I followed. “How do you do it?”
    “Do what?”
    “Manage your clan? I’m sure your four children are no different than me having this house full of guests. I feel like I’m running around like a chicken being chased by a coyote. Trying to stay one step ahead of it all for fear of being eaten alive.”
    “Maybe you need a break from it. Why don’t you tell all of your relatives that it is time to leave?”
    There was no way I could do that. “Good idea.”
    “But not that one. You keep him here.” Cat pointed to Xavier, who had just entered the house.
    “Good evening, ladies,” Xavier greeted us before he climbed the steps.
    “Look at yourself.” Cat tapped my arm.
    “What?” I asked.
    “You have this dreamy schoolgirl crush thing going on with your face.” Cat pointed at me.
    I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes. “Like this?”
    Cat grinned. “That was kind of scary.”
    “What do you say, another margarita?”
    “Sure,” Cat said.
    “This time double the tequila. It has been quite a day.”
    Cat laughed. “No kidding. Here I thought your life was calm, being single and having no kids. But you put my everyday household pandemonium to shame.”
    “See? There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, even after all these years.” And that was the honest-to-goodness truth.
    We entered the kitchen. I pulled out the blender.
    “Where did you put your tequila?”
    I gestured. “Under the sink.”
    Cat stooped over and opened the cupboard door. “Whoa. Who or what are you trying to kill?”
    I plugged in the blender. “Huh?”
    Cat pointed to the inside of the open door. “All this poison. Boxes. Bottles. Sprays.”
    “Oh, that? It’s for ants, mostly. Plus some palmetto bugs and anything else crawling in the house that shouldn’t be.”
    “Jeez, you have enough to kill a whole city of them.”
    After dumping the margarita packet in the blender, I went to the freezer to get ice. The sweet smell of the lime mix filled the air. I plopped the ice bag on the counter. “Let’s just say that I err on the safe side.”
    “I would say so.” Cat chuckled as she handed me the bottle of tequila. “So, how much do you think Mr. Phong owes Joseph, and what things does he have of his?”
    I chucked the ice cubes in the blender and added a quarter of the liquor, then returned the ice bag to the freezer. “I have no idea. But it must be enough for Joseph to chase him down trying to get them back.”
    “I just hope that it’s not going to cause you any trouble.”
    “Me, too.” I pushed “blend.”
    When the whirring of the blender stopped, Cat asked, “What are you going to do when Joseph comes back later?”
    “I haven’t thought of that yet.” I dipped the glass rims in salt then poured two glasses, and handed one to Cat.
    “How about you send him to Mr. Phong’s room? Let them work it out themselves?”
    “I don’t know if I want him in my house. He frightens me.”
    Cat nodded. “Good point.”
    “I know this sounds strange, but I think Mr. Phong is afraid of his cousin, too. When I handed him Joseph’s business card, he had this terrified look on his face, then slammed the door.” I pulled the card out of my pocket and handed it to Cat.
    Cat glanced down at it. “Joseph works at that new company. I remember reading about it. Recently it was bought out by some Brazilian tycoon family. Hey, didn’t you say that Xavier worked at the same place?”
    “Yes.” I sipped my drink. Perfect, the right amount of sweet and sour, with a kick.
    Cat said, “That’s weird.”
    “What?”
    “Mr. Phong’s cousin and your other cousin, Xavier, both work at the same place.”
    “Perhaps coincidence or nepotism?”
    “Yes.” Cat twisted her mouth.
    “I know that look. You twist the ring on your thumb when you think of your dad, and you twist your mouth when you have an idea. What’s going