Tea Cups and Carnage by Lynn Cahoon Read Free Book Online Page A

sharp intake of breath. Then as if I’d imagined the weirdness, she put on an award-winning smile and gave me air kisses. “Jill, I didn’t see you. When did you get here?”
    “Just a few minutes ago.” I introduced Kathi to the men sitting around the table..
    Kathi just stared at Blake. He grinned and nodded to the beer in her hand. “You ready for another one? I’ve got to get something before our break ends.”
    “Sure.” She looked down at the bottle like it had magically appeared in her hand.
    Matt looked over at Greg and I. “Looks like you two are good. I’ll be right back with Blake.”
    Kathi sank into a chair at the table. She took a long drink of beer. The bottle was almost full. “I can’t believe that guy. He looks just like this kid from my high school. I’ll admit, I had a huge crush on Aaron, but then he died in a motorcycle accident senior year.” She smiled at me. “I don’t think he ever even knew my name.”
    “That doesn’t seem possible.” Greg held a chair out for me and we sat with Kathi. “You don’t seem like the kind of girl guys don’t notice.”
    Kathi pushed a strand of hair back behind her ears. “Oh, you’re wrong there. You’re looking at the original Ugly Duckling. I was so gangly in school, no one even wanted to be friends with me. I only started doing pageants in college to help pay for tuition. By then, I’d kind of grown into my body and my looks.”
    “And then you turned your back on your family.” An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind me.
    I turned and saw the woman who must be Ivy Corbin. She didn’t have Kathi’s beauty, but you could tell they were related. Same hair, same eye color, same body type. But what worked in harmony for Kathi seemed to fight against each other in Ivy. Her eyes were too close together, her nose a little crooked, and her teeth seemed more canine than human.
    “You aren’t supposed to be here. Who’s watching Dad?” Kathi didn’t look at her sister as she talked, keeping her gaze instead on the bar and Blake.
    “Like you care? Seriously, I’ve come to try to talk some sense into you. You have to come back before it’s too late.” Ivy’s voice was suddenly several decibels louder and people at the tables around us started watching the show.
    Kathi sighed and polished off her beer. She grabbed Ivy by the front of her shirt and pulled her close. Although she whispered her next words to her sister, I was close enough to hear. “Go wait outside. I’ll deal with you there.”
    Ivy nodded, glancing at Greg who’d stood when Kathi had grabbed her sister and was monitoring the exchange. Now that she’d gotten her sister’s attention, Ivy scurried out the front door without looking back.
    Kathi took one last look at Blake still at the bar and then sighed. “Tell him something came up but it was very nice to meet him.”
    “So that was your sister who came into the shop?” I asked the duh question and to Kathi’s credit, she didn’t hand me a sign.
    “Family, what are you going to do?” She paused before following Ivy. “You can’t control them and you can’t kill them.”
    I sank back into my chair as I watched Kathi leave the winery. Greg was still standing. I put my hand on his arm. “You staying?”
    “Just wondering if I should go out there and make sure there’s no cat fight.” The door to the tasting room was open and I could see Ivy and Kathi walking toward the road.
    “Looks like their taking it somewhere private. Watching those two makes me glad I’m an only child.” I patted Greg’s chair. “Sit down and relax a bit. Remember, this is your night off.”
    He sat, but kept his gaze on the doorway until the sisters disappeared down the hill. When they did, he focused back on me. “You should know better than that by now. The head detective never really gets a day off as long as we stay in town.”
    Matt and Blake returned and I relayed Kathi’s message. Blake took a quick peek at the door then