Page 37 of Destined Chaos
Walking into the kitchen toward the smell of brewing coffee, I ran my hand through my hair, thankful that Dinky wasn’t a local that would go shooting off his mouth to everyone.
Dinky was standing at the French doors that led into the backyard. “She’s not going to sell to you, if that’s why you’re sleeping with her.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but that’s not why I’m sleeping with her.”
Dinky turned and watched as I pulled two cups from the cupboards and began filling them. “Where did all this stuff come from? I packed away all of our grandfather’s junk.”
“More need to know, and it’s not your business.”
“Listen here, you ass—”
“Dinky, that’s enough,” Libby said from the kitchen entryway.
“You heard the little lady.” I placed one of the cups on the table and kissed her before pulling out her chair.
She raised her brows.
I was instigating. I didn’t know why. He just rubbed me wrong. “Sorry.”
Her frown relaxed. “Dinky, I don’t appreciate you treating my friends like that.”
“You don’t have friends,” Dinky clarified.
I pulled the creamer out of the fridge and a spoon and rested them near her cup.
“That’s not true. I’m her friend, and so is that guy, Champ.”
“He knows about Champ?” Dinky asked, clearly agitated.
“It’s a long story, and, yes, he knows about Champ.”
“And Peter,” I added with a smile.
She rolled her eyes while I sipped my black coffee, letting the heat and burn of caffeine fuel my insides.
“Never mind. I don’t even want to know,” Dinky said, placing the envelope he’d carried in down on the table. “That’s Mr. Johnson’s contract. It’s above the asking price, and he’s willing to take the place as is.”
“Yeah, about that…”
“That’s my cue. I’m going to step out front and call Clark to see when the forensic crew is returning,” I said, leaving them to talk in private.
17
Libby
“What the hell do you mean they found more bones and a diary?” Dinky asked, plopping down in the chair like he was defeated.
“They did, and apparently the diary suggests those bones are an older sister of mine.”
“What diary. My mom never mentioned the old man kept a diary.”
“I haven’t looked at it yet, but, apparently he did and in it he’s suggesting those bones are a sister I didn’t know I had. The other bones in the basement might be my mom’s boyfriend or the toddler’s father. I don’t know yet.”
Dinky sat back like the air had gotten knocked out of him. “Mr. Johnson is going to love this new twist. He can sell it as unrequited love or a vengeful ghost haunting the place.”
“Yeah, about that…” I rested my hands over the envelope. “I sort of promised Hugh that I’d wait thirty days to make a decision.”
“Now, why in the hell would you do that?” Dinky asked and jabbed his finger at the envelope. “Do you even realize how much Johnson is willing to pay? We could be rich. Well, you could be rich.”
