Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

twist it into something
else.”
    “Oh, come on, Maddie!” Sean jumped to his
feet. Neither he nor Madison seemed to care that Emma was sitting there. “Stop
trying to fool yourself. We both know your parents loathe the sight of me. They’ve
been hoping you’d dump me for months! Admit it.”
    Emma wished she had a cloak of invisibility
so she could disappear from the scene. So her suspicions about the Whites were
right. Madison and Sean’s argument affected her more than she’d anticipated. To
her, they were like star-crossed lovers from the opposite sides of the track
who were going to succeed against the odds. And that comforted her. Though the
failure of her own relationship had left her bruised and jaded, Madison and
Sean had given her hope. But now, cracks were appearing in their once united
front.
    Madison’s chin quivered, and her eyes swam
with tears. She lowered her head, allowing her curtain of hair to block her
from Sean’s view. But Emma could still see her face, and her tortured expression
gave away the fact that she couldn’t refute Sean’s accusations.
    “I hate it when we argue,” she whispered.
    Sean’s face fell, and he hurried to her
side, pulling her into his arms. “Me, too, babe. I don’t know why we’re
fighting over a few dollars. Of course we can have the lobster.”
    “No, you’re right. We need to trim
expenses. We’ll go with the shrimp.”
    “We’re having the lobster. I insist.” He
squeezed Madison’s shoulder before glancing at Emma. “Can you make a note of
that, Emma? We’re going with the lobster appetizer.”
    “Oh, Sean.” Madison choked up. “You don’t
have to.”
    “Anything for you, babe.”
    Emma remained silent as she jotted the
choice in her notebook. Going with the lobster would cost them more than just a
few dollars more, so she hoped Sean could afford to pay for it.
    Cynthia returned, and when she saw Sean and
Madison cuddling on the couch, the frown returned to her brow. She flicked
irritably at her immaculate skirt as she reseated herself.
    “Please get on with the menu.” She squeezed
her pearl necklace and ran the beads through her fingers. “I’m sure Emma
doesn’t have all day.”
    Sean withdrew his arm from Madison and sat
up straight. For a while they all concentrated on finalizing the menu. Sean and
Madison hadn’t given Emma much time to organize the wedding, but they didn’t
want to wait for months on end. They wanted the wedding soon, and Emma had been
more than happy to accommodate them. She’d only got the gig because Madison
frequented Lulu’s Salon and had seen Emma’s brand new sign at the front door.
The wedding, to which all the Whites’ friends and relatives had been invited,
would be Emma’s biggest event to date, and she was determined it would go off
without a hitch. Even more so after Tony Barnet’s housewarming.
    The door to the library suddenly flew open,
and the harried-looking housekeeper lurched inside, clutching a tray of coffee
things.
    Cynthia’s head jerked up at the commotion.
“Maria? What on earth’s the matter?”
    The housekeeper hurried forward, her eyes
wide and anxious. The silver tray rattled in her unsteady hands, and Sean took
it from her just in time.
    “Have a seat,” he said, pressing a hand to
her shoulder to guide her to the chair next to Cynthia.
    The housekeeper sank into the chair without
protest. She must be in shock, Emma thought, because she was pretty sure the
woman would never normally sit in the library in front of her employer,
especially when Cynthia was frowning at her.
    “What’s wrong, Maria?” Sean asked, his tone
sympathetic.
    “ Madre de Dios …” the woman muttered
before she collected herself. “I just heard from Stanley, the delivery man. He
told me about it. Oh, it’s too shocking…”
    “Told you what?” Cynthia retorted, clearly
irritated.
    “About—about Mr. Barnet.” The housekeeper
flapped her hands at her flushed cheeks.
    “Barnet? Tony