Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries)

myself.
    “He’s one of the cases that Kate gave me to check on. Look, he’s getting in the car with that woman in the passenger seat. And I’m pretty sure that’s not his wife.”
    “Are you sure that’s a woman? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman with forearms that hairy.”
    “I think so.” My eyesight was still fuzzy so I couldn’t be sure, but mom was right. That was one hairy woman. “Maybe she has a hormone imbalance, or maybe he’s just into kinky sex.”
    My mom gasped at this declaration, but I could tell she was silently thinking the possibility over.
    “Step on it. We need to follow them.”
    She took me at my word and floored the Dodge across two lanes of traffic before settling in behind Harry and his furry companion. I dug around in my bag for his file, but I still couldn’t see well enough to read.
    “They’re taking the Forreston exit,” my mother whispered.
    No one wanted to be caught in Forreston. It wasn’t exactly the south’s version of Compton, but it was still a place mothers warned their children never to go.
    “I think we should turn around and go back,” she said nervously. “We’ve already dedicated ourselves to John Hyatt tonight. I think Harry Manilow and the Sasquatch should wait until another day.”
    “We’ll be fine. Just keep going. There’s still plenty of daylight. I just need to get a couple of photographs.”
    I perched on the edge of my seat, the vinyl seam pressing a dent into my thighs and knuckles sore from my grip on the Nikon. Adrenaline coursed through me. My heart raced. I even noticed a shortness of breath. For what? Chasing cars with my mother? Trying to catch people having sex?
    Jeez. What a loser.
    “What are you mumbling about, Addison?”
    “Nothing. I was just thinking. Look, they’re turning in up there. Slow down a little so they don’t spot us.”
    “I don’t think they’re going to notice us one bit,” my mother said.
    She was right.
    “You’d think they’d wait until they could at least check into the hotel instead of going at it in the parking lot like teenagers,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
    I took a stream of one picture after the other, thanking God I couldn’t see all that well.
    I couldn’t begin to describe how uncomfortable it was to sit with my mom in a car and watch two strangers hump like rabbits. My mother was paying apt attention to every detail like there’d be a quiz over it someday, and I kept expecting her to ask for a bucket of popcorn.
    “All right. Let’s get out of here.”
    I looked over when the car didn’t start moving.
    “Hello?— Mom?”
    “I’m ready,” she sung out, just a little too cheerful. “My word, this is an exciting job. And just think, the night’s not over yet.”

    We drove back into Whiskey Bayou and turned onto John Hyatt’s street. Lights were ablaze inside the mansion, and it seemed like a waste of electricity just for one person. Mom drove to the end of the street and turn ed around in the cul-de-sac.
    “Look there,” I said, pointing to a dark blue sedan parked on the side of the road.
    “Why are those men just sitting there?”
    “I bet those are the plainclothes officers Nick has doing surveillance. Since Mr. Mooney lived in this neighborhood it makes s ense they’d keep a close eye on things while the investigation is still ongoing.”
    If I were to bet money I’d say that Girard Dupres and Robbie Butler were also still being watched very closely. And there was probably someone else keeping a watch over Veronica just in case she decided to take her deflated boob and run. Nick was covering all his bases, which meant he’d lied when he’d said he had an idea of who was responsible for the murders. He had a bunch of dead ends that led to a whole bunch of nothing.
    “This street’s a little crowded for what I have in mind. Why don’t you drive to the park and we’ll walk back up to the house? That way we can stay hidden in the trees behind the house,” I suggested.
    “Ooh. Good idea. You’re a natural at this, baby.”
    “Do you really think so? I’ve been thinking about getting my Private Investigator’s license and a permit to carry. I always feel left out when I go to dinner with Kate and Mike, plus I do seem to have a natural affinity for this type of work.”
    “And you have summers and Christmas break free because of the school schedule,” she added. “You could do such a service to the community in those short amounts