Anna’s eyes sparkled, and pure amusement filled her face.
Oh, he didn’t think so. “You left off a line for another potential suspect on your case board, Nonna. It’s quite possible that Marlie got caught up in one of Anna’s law cases, and that’s why somebody tried to kidnap her. Have you thought of that?”
Anna lost her smile.
Nonna turned toward her. “Well, no. I hadnotthought of that.” She tossed Anna’s coat toward her. “Let’s get breakfast and discuss your current cases. Maybe there is an angle we hadn’t considered.”
If looks could shrivel a guy’s balls, the one Anna shot him would do it.
He grinned, finally feeling amusement for the first time since he’d had to break down Marlie’s door and deal with a jackass holding a knife. “That’s a wonderful idea, Nonna. If you come up with anything, please let both the police and me know. I’d really appreciate it.”
Nonna patted his chest and then winked at Marlie. “Not a problem. Marlie, real quick, did you leave an angry ex in Seattle?”
“No,” Marlie said, looking a little dazed. Nonna had that effect on people. “My last relationship ended two years ago, and he married one of my friends. They just had a little girl.” She stepped to the side. “Thank you for cleaning up the mess. I really appreciate it.”
“Um, excuse me?” Turner Johnson edged in and handed Marlie a bouquet of yellow roses. He still sported the black eye Bosco had given him, and he moved as if his ribs continued to ache. Good. “I read the paper this morning about your attack and wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Bosco really wanted to take the guy to the ground again. Like right now. Instead, he kept his body angled toward Marlie in a possessive stance that nobody could possibly miss.
Nonna pursed her lips. “Who are you?”
Turner held out his hand. “Turner Johnson. Marlie and I are, um, friends.”
Nonna shook his hand and tapped her foot. “Ah ha. Where were you last night, young man?”
Turner gulped, his eyes widening. “I was in Portland on business and took the early flight to Spokane this morning. I read the newspaper at the airport and drove right here after getting flowers.”
Nonna frowned, looking disappointed. “That’s probably easy to prove.”
Turner looked at Marlie and then back at Nonna. “Yes, ma’am. I stayed at the Portland Hotel, and it was quite nice.”
Nonna sighed. “They probably have tons of security cameras.”
Turner looked even more bewildered. “Yeah, they do.” He looked at Marlie. “It wasn’t me. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He wasn’t as tall as you, and it wasn’t you when he spoke. Don’t worry, Turner.”
“I’m not.” Even so, Turner edged away from Nonna, looking like he seriously regretted bringing the flowers. “Um, if you need anything, give me a call.” Then he made a quick escape.
Marlie looked down at the bouquet.
Nonna shook her head. “It’s not him. I also don’t think he’ll be back. Marlie, I’ll see you at the Christmas party on Thursday night so you can meet Knox. Anna will text you the address. Anna, let’s go to breakfast and discuss your cases.” She leaned up and kissed Bosco’s cheek before sweeping into the hallway.
Anna followed. “I’m going to kill you, Bos,” she muttered, moving past him.
Quiet descended. Marlie, flowers still in hand, looked up at him. “Your family is interesting.”
He burst out laughing.
Chapter10
Marlie settled into the booth at Smiley’s Diner with Rory Albertini across from her, typing rapidly on his phone. “I’m fairly certain I don’t need a babysitter,” she said for the third time.
Rory didn’t look up from the screen. “Bosco had to head into the base for a couple of hours, which left you unprotected. So, we’re having a nice lunch together.”
They’d already ordered.
She looked toward the counter, where Mark turned from the register at the end, a bag of takeout in his hands. His dark hair was wind-blown, and he looked good wearing a new plaid jacket. She waved.
