The Housewife Assassin's Garden of Deadly Delights by Josie Brown Read Free Book Online

She knows this, and decided that the best way to make him come was to enlist my aid in convincing him.”
    “Drama queen,” he mutters under his breath. “I’d think you were the last person who would help Catherine Martin do anything.”
    “You’re right—except for the fact that she’s still the mother of someone I care deeply about. So I cut her some slack.” I pause, wondering if I should say more.  
    Okay, yeah, why not? “She feels she has a bargaining chip to make it all worthwhile,” I add.
    “She’s played it. I’ve already agreed to pardon her my very last hour in office.”
    “That’s what I told her. Still, she claims it’ll happen earlier because her intel involves the Quorum. If she speaks out, her life will be in danger.”
    He’s silent for a moment. “If it’s something we can use to shut down the Quorum…sure, I’d reconsider an earlier release date.”
    “Well...” How do I put this delicately? “Don’t ask me why, but she’d rather tell me than you.”  
    He’s quiet for so long that at first I think I’ve lost the connection. “Lee?”
    “If what she says is valid and something you feel you should pass forward, I’m sure you will. I trust you, Donna, to always do the right thing.”
    If only I felt the same way about him. “Thanks for that, Lee.” I’m glad he can’t see me blushing. “Now with regard to the killer seeds, I’ll be embedded in SeedPlenish, along with four other agents.”
    “I presume Jack will be there too.”  
    “Yes.” Don’t go there, Lee. “Mr. President, at this point, we don’t know the containment situation. If the seeds are already in the ground—or God forbid, in the food chain—”
    “Donna, Acme discovered the problem. As always your agents are exemplary in the area of discovery and containment. And as soon as Acme brought it to our attention, I discussed the situation with the Secretary of Agriculture, Howard Harkness. Obviously, he’s very upset about it. He’s personally acting as point man. He has the FDA standing by to provide HazMat coverage in addition to search-and-seizure backup.”  
    “Good, then.” For too long of a moment, neither of us says anything, so I guess he wants me to take the lead. “So…are you and Babette planning a trip west anytime soon?”
    “Separately, perhaps.” Again a pause. “Maybe you’ll have dinner with me.”
    “Jack and I would be honored.”
    He’s gracious enough to say, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”  
    I doubt that, but I let it slide.  
    Then again, Jack won’t like it, either.
    They can both suck it up. Sometimes a lady needs all of her admirers around her. If nothing else, it ensures she won’t eat a bite.

    I walk into the house. Now that I’m fully awake, I desperately need a cup of coffee. I head back into the kitchen to make a pot.
    Imagine my surprise to see that Mary has beaten me to the punch.  
    She stands in the kitchen, downing a glass of orange juice. She is dressed in her jogging sweats, and most of her hair is pulled into a high ponytail. Tiny beads of sweat cling to the tendrils around her face.
    I lean in to hug her good morning, but she holds up her hand to stop me. “I appreciate the sentiment, Mom, but you look too nice, and I’m too sweaty.”
    I laugh as I model my prim suit for her. After earning her thumbs-up, I ask, “And why, pray tell, are you up so early, my sleeping beauty?”
    She bends a leg behind her back and pulls it tight with her hand—one of her many stretches after jogging. “I don’t have gym class today, so I wanted to get in a run before school. That way, I’ll be pumped before basketball practice.”
    “Impressive,” I assure her. “I’m sure you’ll wow your new teammates.”  
    “I hope so! I’m certainly going to do what I can to pull my weight. They’ll expect me to, since we’re ranked number two in our division. That’s thanks to our top scorer, Sara Lowell. The team is practically built around