The Scariest Tail (A Wonder Cats Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

two away from each other,” he said. “Amalia, you’re a bad influence. Or wait, is it Cath who’s the bad influence? Either way, you two together are too much.”
    I laughed and slipped behind the counter. I grabbed two homemade biscotti dipped in caramel and chocolate, tossed them into one of our festive orange-and-purple Halloween Brew-Ha-Ha carry-out bags, and handed them to Amalia.
    “On the house. And Amalia, stop in after you’ve recovered from your double shift. We can talk some more.”
    “I’ll do that.”
    She and Min waved good-bye and left the café. Just a short while later, we were all locking the place up and arranging to meet at Aunt Astrid’s house for some research and Chinese food.
    I really didn’t expect for things to take the turn they did.

The Happy Family
    W hen I got home , I went to my bedroom and pulled out my sketchbook and pencils. The pages mostly contained detailed images of Treacle. I drew them as lifelike as I could.
    There were also a couple of drawings of the Brew-Ha-Ha immediately after the fire. I had gone back in the early morning after the investigation of the mysterious fire to scribble a few sketches.
    I’d also drawn a caricature of Darla as a zombie that felt extremely satisfying to put on paper. I’d made sure every boil, blister, and patch of decay was as realistic as possible. The picture made me smile every time I saw it.
    After tossing the book and pencils on my bed, I pulled the envelope out of my pocket and threw it on top of them. I’d start drawing later. I grabbed my laptop and headed back out, happy that I had some research and Chinese food to tend to.
    As I walked down the sidewalk and crossed the street, I noticed that the tension I had felt in the air that morning was gone. I saw people driving, raking leaves, and jogging. My little part of Wonder Falls seemed back to normal, at least. Who knew what was going on just one block over? The world could have dropped off over there, and I would never know it.
    After I let myself into Aunt Astrid’s house, I inhaled deeply, smelling the wonderful aroma of egg rolls and my favorite, beef and peppers.
    “Hey, we got you some tofu and sprouts,” Bea shouted from the kitchen. I passed by a stack of paperback novels on Aunt Astrid’s coffee table as I walked through the living room. She had a frighteningly complete collection of Jackie Collins novels, her guilty pleasure.
    “I do hope you’re kidding,” I said as I stepped into the kitchen. Unlike Bea’s very modern home, Aunt Astrid had a flair for the traditional. The walls of her kitchen were painted an olive green. Everyone gathered around a thick oak table that had a bench on one side and mismatched chairs on the other. Her living room was boho-chic to match her peace-and-love attitude. And every flat surface was covered with at least one stack of books.
    I cleared myself a small square of wood on the bench at the table, sat down, and propped my computer up on a stack of books so I could eat while I did my research.
    “Bea, don’t tease your cousin so much. It isn’t her fault she can eat anything she wants and not gain a pound.” Aunt Astrid placed my container of pepper steak, rice, and three egg rolls in front of me.
    I looked over the books at Bea, who was crossing her eyes at me.
    “Oh, what did you get?” I asked her, more concerned with food at the moment than black-eyed tweens or anything that might be chewing at our psychically implemented security system.
    “The Happy Family. Mixed veggies in a lobster sauce, no MSG.”
    My aunt had what she always had—an extra-large container of shrimp fried rice that she would stretch out for three days.
    We began to eat, and the food was delicious. But as the evening went on and we read more and more stories about black-eyed kids, we started to realize that what Lisa Roy had told Detective Samberg might have been more sinister than we’d first imagined.
    I knew I couldn’t always believe what I