Read Checkered Thief (A Laurel London Mystery Book 3) Online
Authors: Tonya Kappes
Checkered Thief (A Laurel London Mystery Book 3) (19 page)
They talked for a few minutes. Gia nodded toward Louie Pelfrey who was delivering The Cracked Egg’s Krispy Kreme order and the reason why Louie wasn’t at The Windmill Hotel. Most people in Walnut Grove had to have two jobs to make ends meet.
The Great Recession had hit these parts hard. The Chamber of Commerce was meeting tonight about how the economy wasn’t in the best shape around here and how the new casino boat being built on the river by Porty Morty’s was our only hope of survival.
Since I was now a legitimate business owner with Drive Me, I was able to attend and give my two cents. Not that I had two cents to give, but I was good at listening and figuring out how to get out of sticky situations. Granted most of those situations had been illegal, but I have proven my past was in the past. I was good at keeping the past buried. Especially my own.
I pulled a notepad and pen out of my hobo bag. There were better things to do other than be nosy about Gilbert, like find out who my family really was.
As a baby, I was dropped off at the orphanage in Walnut Grove and raised by Trixie Turner. While I can say it really messed me up in the love department and my trust issues had played a part in my sunny disposition, overall I turned out all right. A little rough around the edges, but that gave me my
I don’t give a shit
attitude. Especially when it came to men.
Regardless, The Gorilla, the affectionate name the mob had given my grandfather, had put me in the orphanage to keep me safe. He believed I would be safe tucked away in the small town in Kentucky.
Anyway, I was on a mission to find out all I could about my family history. In between clients, I spent a lot of time at the library or on the Internet looking for any clues I could. I even had Donna Marple, the town librarian, doing some research.
“Works for the FBI. Catching up on old times,” Gia whispered after she made her way back over to me. She tapped her pen on the pad of paper like she was taking my order even though she knew darn well I was ordering the BLT. She spun my notebook around and took a look at it.
“I don’t buy it.” She slid her eyes down to Gilbert. He was devouring the pie. “He has shifty eyes. He might be with the FBI, but something is going down.” Her brows lifted. She pointed to my notebook. “What is all this about?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head and dragged it closer to me before slipping it back in my bag.
No one knew I was the granddaughter of The Gorilla. Well, two someones did. Trixie and Ben Bassman, the attorney for The Gorilla. I was advised to keep it a secret until Ben figured out if there were any mob families or relatives of mob families who might be seeking revenge for all my grandfather’s wrong doings. Again. . . blood money and I wasn’t touching it.
“I am not going to do it!” someone screamed from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder at the lunch crowd to see who was yelling. My attention focused on the bank duo, Pepper Spivy and Sally Bent.
“I’m not.” Pepper shook her dirty dishwater brown bob back and forth protesting whatever it was Sally asked her to do. Pepper brushed down the arms of her pantsuit jacket (her normal attire) and sat up a little straighter.
Ever since Sally got her job as a teller at Walnut Grove Savings Bank, she prettied herself up. She kept her long black hair slicked back into a bun that was perfectly secured on the back of her head and kept a weekly nail appointment at Shear Illusions.
“Is everything all right?” Louie Pelfrey asked. He made a quick stop at his sister’s table on his way out of the diner.
“Everything is fine.” Sally’s words were to the point. She gripped a copy of the
Walnut Grove Journal
in her fist. “I’m fine.” Her words softened.
Her eyes lowered and glided my way. Our eyes locked, sending chills up my freshly shaved legs.
“Willie Ray Bowman escaped,” she mouthed to me, stopping my heart.
I gripped the counter and sucked in some much needed air. I looked back over to Sally. Her brother Louie moseyed over to assess the situation. Her eyes darted over her shoulder. Her lips pursed.
“I wonder what’s going on over there.” Gia’s head craned over the lunch crowd who had taken interest in what was going on with the bank tellers.
I took notice of the journal Sally had put back on their table and watched her use her hand to flatten it out. The Hub was written in bold black ink at the top.
“Hey, Gia.” I grabbed her before she made her way back down the counter with a full pitcher of tea in one hand and a fresh pot of coffee in the other.
“Yep?”
“Do you have a copy of today’s
Journal
?” I asked.
She flung her head back, gesturing to Sally and Pepper, only their table had been abandoned and the
Journal
was gone with them.
For years,
USA Today
bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been self-publishing her numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plotlines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans. Be sure to check out Tonya’s website for upcoming events and news and to sign up for her newsletter!
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Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery Series
Magical Cures Mystery Series
A CHARMING CHRISTMAS (novella)
Grandberry Falls Series
A SUPERSTITIOUS CHRISTMAS (novella)
A Laurel London Mystery Series
A Divorced Diva Beading Mystery Series
Bluegrass Romance Series
Women’s Fiction
Young Adult
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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Tonya Kappes. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Author Tonya Kappes, P.O. Box 176988, Ft. Mitchell, Ky. 41017