Acquiring Trouble

Morgan, I’m sorry that we’ve misjudge d you all these years. I hope you give us a chance to get to know you.”
    “Thank you Mrs. Davies.” Morgan watched as Cole jogged across the street and up the walkway of the old white Victorian house. He counted the rose bushes and got down on his hands and knee s to crawl under the fifth one.
    “Oh no. He’s going to be caught!” Paige laughed. While Paige wasn’t openly friendly to her, at least she wasn’t being mean anymore.
    Morgan watched in terror as the front door to the house opened and Miss Lily appeared with her broom. “I told him he should’ve rung the bell to tell her what he was doing.” Morgan shook her head.
    Miss Lily crept down the stairs and stopped behind Cole where the only thing sticking out of her prized rose bushes were his legs and perfectly shaped bottom. The perfectly shaped bottom that just got thwacked by a broom!
    “Ge t out of my roses your hoodlum!” Morgan heard Miss Lily yell before bringing the broom down on his bottom again and again.
    “Oh G od! This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Paige laughed .
    Morgan even managed a smile as Cole came out from under the bushes with his hands up. Miss Lily was berating him up one side and down the other for messing with her bushes. Cole tried to cut in and pointed to the car. Miss Lily peered in and with a nod headed toward them.
    “Someone’s in trouble,” Miles teased. “I think Cole told on you for hiding things in her bushes.” Morgan cracked a smile when she saw the small horse dangling from Cole’s fingers. It was safe and she was free!
    Miss Lily leaned into the car window. “What’s going on here?” She thumped her broom against the road like a trident and Morgan tried not to laugh.
    “I’m sorry, Miss Lily. I told Cole he should’ve knocked. He was just retrieving something I hid in your bushes.”
    Cole pulled out his laptop and inserted the flash drive.
    “Why would you do that? When did you do that? I would’ ve seen you if you tried to hide anything.”
    “I wasn’t a delinquent for nothing,” Morgan fought back the old animosity.
    “ Pish posh. I’m starting to believe you were a delinquent as much as I believe Violet never uses precut apples in her pie.”
    “Holy sh …” Thwack! Miss Lily’s broom landed s quare on Cole’s bottom. “Sorry m a’am. Morgan, I owe you an apology too. We might all need to apologize —p rofusely” Cole looked to Paige before grabbing his cell phone.  “I need to call my boss.” Cole walked away with the laptop in one hand as he talked into the phone.
    “What’s going on here? What was the horse doing in my garden and why is Cole calling his boss?” Morgan rolled her eyes. They were cornered and Miss Lily had her broom —s he’d beat it out o f them if they didn’t tell her.
    Marcy, bless her heart, filled Miss Lily in on the details . Morgan watched as Miss Lily grunted once, but didn’t seem surprised. “I’m glad we talked at the wedding. I heard all about the arrests last night. You two are good together. N ow if you’ll excuse me, I need to get down to the c afé.”
    Morgan watched Miss Lily hurry down the street with her broom. “What’s she in such a hurry for ? ”
    “I’m guessing she has a bet to place on a wedding date,” Marcy said as she started to rumma ge around her purse for something .
    “But Marshall got married last night. Isn’t she a little late?” Morgan asked as Cole started to walk back to the car.
    “Not Marshall dear. Oh! Here it is!” Marcy pulled out a twenty and smiled. “Thank goodness they took Mo’s private jet out last night or they would’ve been stuck here with all this mess. Not that you’re a mess, dear. In fact, I’m growing rather fond of you. Don’t you think long engagements are silly? When you’re in love, you’re in love. Jake and I waited three weeks to get married, you know?”
    “What?” Morgan was totally lost at this point.
    “ I talked to Salmonds . I told him what I found and he needs to talk to you in person at some point. He also looked over your file and into Agent Brenton . Apparently Brenton is up for a big promotion and was using this case to make his career. Instead it’s going to break his career. Salmonds is personally handling his discipline. I looked at it more carefully and now it’s clear you were being set up to take the fall. I’m going to be t those emails to the mercenaries were sent from your work