Page 91 of Captivating Anika

“I want you to know that investigation is ongoing, and Detective Evans is going to continue looking into the different possible scenarios.”

We follow him to the front door, where he turns around and offers Anika his hand.

“Best of luck to you, Ms. Jones.”

She grins. “The name is Anika.”

He smiles at her, nods at me, and turns on his heel before making his exit.

“So, are you going to call Mel?” I ask her when we walk back inside.

“Shit, yeah. I hadn’t thought of that yet. That eliminates one of the hurdles.

She’s been on the phone and computer most of the morning, doing research and conferring with her mother about funeral options. She did much the same yesterday. Unfortunately, without the go-ahead, there’s only so much she can do.

I overheard her discussing expenses with her mom, which leads me to the conclusion she intends to pay for everything with her mother’s help. She hasn’t discussed it directly with me, but I’m giving her some time, hopefully she’ll broach the subject at some point. Either way, I plan to contribute as well, and I’m sure there are more people who might be interested.

“Hey, Mel? We just had a visit from the FBI, Christopher Cooper is dead.”

She curls up in the corner next to the boys—who, once again take up half the couch—her phone to her ear. I head to the kitchen to empty the dishwasher, keeping myself busy so I can eavesdrop.

“You did? Okay, so what does that mean exactly?”

After a couple of hums she says, “And he’s doing that? When?”

A few more uh-huhs, and then “Arrange for a pickup? Okay, I’ll call them.”

I give up the ruse of putting dishes away, and end up leaning against the counter, my arms crossed, and blatantly listening to Anika’s end of the conversation.

“Sure, I can be there at two.”

It sounds promising, at least from this end, and when Anika puts the phone down a few moments later, the smile on her face confirms it.

“I take it that was good news?” I prompt her.

“Very. Mel already knew about Chris Cooper and apparently talked to the Medical Examiner’s office to get a copy of the death certificate. In talking to the ME, she was told Kim’s body can be released, so I need to call a funeral home to at least pick her up.”

“Does that mean you have the go-ahead with planning?”

She unfolds herself from the couch and walks up to the island, perching her butt on one of the stools.

“Not yet, we’re waiting for a letter from the physician at the nursing home, confirming Martha is no longer of sound mind. I’m supposed to meet Mel at the courthouse at two to see a judge.”

“Okay. If you don’t mind taking the Suburban. My appointment at Mercy is at one thirty and I was hoping to take the pickup so I can swing by the farm to grab some organic fertilizer for the veggie garden.”

Organic fertilizer meaning pigshit. It happens to be a great source of nutrients and is a good organic replacement for a chemical fertilizer.

I also wouldn’t mind picking up a few nice cuts of pork while I’m there. That’s one thing I miss, not having ready access to meat and vegetables. I’m having a hard time buying those from grocery stores.

“Oh shit, I forgot about your appointment.”

I round the island and she turns to face me, automatically opening her knees to make room for me to step between them. I put my hands on her shoulders.

“I can change it if you want me to come to the courthouse with you,” I offer.

She resolutely shakes her head.

“God, no. Go get your all clear. I’ll be fine. I might actually stop in at the salon, see how things are going there,” she suggests, hooking her thumbs in the loops on my jeans.

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