My Spy 3: Murder Mayhem

S'mores

Gus hands me a marshmallow as Annabeth and I watch the crackling fire, spit and cackle in front of us. Small dancing wisps of smoke rise into the black sky as the firepit keeps us warm against the bite of cold surrounding our semicircle. I pierce the gooey marshmallow with my sharpened stick and dangle it over the flames. I hear Annabeth shimmy a graham cracker from the plastic sleeve and our faces glow orange as we stare at our blackening marshmallows.

Gus's loud voice slices through the silence as he says, "I still can't believe someone was murdered practically in our backyard. And someone we know!"

I nod without looking to him and reply, "I think that's what all of Hollis has been thinking about since they found her."

"I still can't believe LulaButt. That woman is classless," Annabeth says with a click of her tongue. I watch as she pulls her marshmallow away from the flame and gingerly slides it onto a stack of graham crackers and chocolate. She takes a large bite and sticky white residue sticks to the sides of her lips as she crunches her s'more.

"I ain't all that surprised. The woman will stop at nothin' to stay relevant," Gus says as he checks his own stick.

"Have you told her anything yet?" Annabeth asks me and I shake my head no. I flip my stick over to blacken the other side and reply, "Ryan is hesitant to tell her anything. I don't blame him."

"You know she'll tell anyone who'll listen that you threatened Poppy. She'll make a mountain outta a molehill," Gus says.

"I know. That's why she needs to stay quiet. The police need to stay focused on who actually killed her and not get distracted by LulaBelle and her big mouth," I say as I finally slide my marshmallow off my stick onto my own stack of graham crackers and chocolate.

I'm enjoying my warm chocolaty gooeyness as Annabeth asks, "Speaking of, who do you think did it? We know it's not you or Jackson. All of her friends don't have the muscle mass to take anyone out with a swing of a golf club."

"I'm goin' with a bookie of some sort. I betcha she was tryin' to help with her parent's financial mess and got caught up in a bad deal," Gus says and I nod in agreement. I slide another marshmallow onto my stick and reply, "I'm going with that theory too. Poppy could have sassed the wrong mobster and he took her out."

"Mobster? Bookie? Really?" Annabeth asks but both Gus and I shrug. We all know we are grasping at straws here.

"Maybe she owed someone money and because of her financial mess, she couldn't pay up? Maybe she wasn't trying to get money from someone but paying money to someone," Annabeth suggests and I nod at the possibility.

We are all still staring at the fire as it pops and cackles against our silent thoughts.

"What will happen with the Historical Society? Wasn't Poppy overlooking a several thousand-dollar restoration project?" Annabeth asks and I look at her.

"I guess the duties will go to the Vice President, even though Lulabelle has already started bossing the crew around."

"You should see if anyone knows anything from there. Who knows if she confided in anyone from the society?" Annabeth suggests and it's not a bad idea. Maybe she told Lucy or someone where she was headed after our meeting a few days ago.

"Maybe I'll call Lucy tomorrow and see if we will be hosting a meeting any time soon, see if she has heard anything or knows anything," I say as I prepare my next s'more. Gus is sucking the sticky marshmallow off his fingers as he says, "I think y'all should let pretty boy do his job. I'm thinkin' he ain't gonna like it if Sawyer decides to play detective."

I sigh knowing he's right. I know I need to let Ryan figure everything out with the police. I look back at Gus and Annabeth as I say, "I'll tell him to call Lucy if he hasn't already."