Page 43 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

“That’s a terrible plan, honey,” Mabel said. “What if they have caterers? You’ll never get access to the kitchen cupboards.”

“But a hacker will?”

“What will you do with the pot once you find it?” Grandma Mabel asked, pushing the door open with her hip. She stood in the doorway and met Daphne’s gaze. “Huh?”

Daphne put her hands on her hips. “I’ll throw it over the fence and retrieve it after everyone leaves. You said it yourself: the thing was indestructible.”

“The event will probably be at least partially held in the backyard, depending on the weather,” Greta pointed out. “You don’t think people will find it weird that you’re tossing cookware around?”

“I’m starting to think this is a bad idea altogether,” Daphne said. “We still haven’t established whether or not the thing exists.”

“What we need,” Harry proclaimed, “is a distraction. Can your granddaughter get us any explosives on the dark web?”

Greta pursed her lips as she set her bag down on the coffee table as they all made it into the living room. “I can ask—”

“No explosives,” Daphne said, slicing her hand through the air. “No more stakeouts. No hackers. This whole thing has gotten out of control, and we haven’t even done anything.”

“Don’t lose your nerve because of one little car chase,” Grandma Mabel chided, coming back into the living room from the kitchen with a tray laden with mugs and fixings for coffee. In the kitchen, the coffee machine gurgled.

“Wasn’t much of a car chase,” Greta added. “I lost him within two minutes.”

“Doesn’t say much about the Fernley County Sheriff’s Department, does it?” Harry said, getting her mug ready.

Daphne dropped into the ancient couch that had been a fixture of her parents’ living room since before she was born. She rubbed her temples and wondered where it had all gone wrong.

“Were you in a car chase, Mom?” Helen wandered into the living room on her way to the kitchen. She reappeared a couple of minutes later with a glass of water and the coffeepot, her brows drawn. “And you had Daphne with you?”

Coffee sloshed into waiting mugs while Helen shot her mother a long look.

“Daphne is more than capable of handling herself,” Mabel said, which, oddly, made Daphne’s chest warm. She didn’t exactly agree that she was cut out for car chases and covert operations, but it was nice to get a vote of confidence from her grandmother anyway.

“Who was chasing you?”

“Sheriff Flint,” Harry replied with a click of her tongue. “Big ole truck and no clue how to handle it.”

“Typical,” Greta supplied, shaking her head.

“You can say that again,” Mabel agreed, lifting her mug. “If I had a nickel ...”

The three ladies chortled, and Daphne exchanged a glance with her mother. Helen gave her a sympathetic look. Daphne took a deep breath and went through her mental filing cabinet full of excuses she used to get out of social engagements. Today, she’d use Old Faithful, because no one ever seemed to question an accountant who wanted to get back to her precious numbers: “Well, I’ve got a bunch of work to catch up on, so—”

Outside, the sound of an engine drew closer before cutting off. All eyes turned toward the noise. Her mom’s car had been parked in front of the house when they’d come up, and Daphne didn’t immediately recognize the noise of this particular engine. Too loud for Ellie’s. Didn’t have that rattle her dad’s car had.

There was something familiar about it, though ...

She clutched the arm of the couch as her eyes went wide. “Oh, crap.”

Chapter 17

Ceecee unclipped her seat belt and gave Calvin a determined scowl. “I don’t want to stay in the car. I want to question the suspects.”

He sighed as he looked at her, then at the house in front of which they’d parked. The little beige Honda was parked next to two other old cars, its dented front bumper confirming it was Greta’s. Beyond the house, a few sheep grazed in a pasture ringed with trees. It was quiet here, with few cars driving past and neighbors far enough away that the house seemed to stand alone.

The Davises were good people. But he needed to keep his sister safe.

“Stay in the car,” he said, “until I tell you it’s okay to come out.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Fine.”

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