Death Wore Brown Shorts (Happy Holloway Mystery Book 1) by Audrey Claire

mean?
    They both turned to the boxes at the side of the desk. Flynn grabbed the third box while Annie claimed a forth. Ripping into them revealed more used electronics.
    “Check to see if he has links to wholesale sites,” Annie suggested.
    “None.” Flynn scanned files on the computer. From what Annie could glimpse, they were mostly JPGs and MPEGs. The names told her they were nothing she wished to see. Flynn moved on to scrounging around inside the desk drawer. He removed a checkbook from the interior.
    Annie’s cell phone rang. She checked the ID to see Jane was calling and answered. “Hi, sis.”
    “Annie!” Agitation made Jane’s voice sharp.
    “Is there anything wrong?”
    Her sister hesitated. “I need you to come to my house and sit with Ben.”
    Annie tensed. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing serious. Quinn isn’t feeling well. I can’t leave Ben in the house alone.”
    “Of course, I’ll watch him. Do you need me to go to the doctor with you?”
    “No!” Jane sighed. “Just please, come home now. You can watch him at your house or mine.”
    “Sure. I’ll be right there.” Annie disconnected the call. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cut short my part of the investigation, Flynn. Aunt duties call. I’m almost never requested to help since Jane is the epitome of motherhood. Now’s my chance.”
    “Are you trying to prove something to her or yourself?”
    “No, just always trying to improve. Can you drive me now? She sounds a wreck, and I don’t like to worry her more than she needs to be.”
    “Okay.” He stood, tapping the checkbook against his palm.
    “Did you find anything?”
    “I don’t know. It would be easier if Paul were sitting on a fat load of cash like thousands. Instead, there’s maybe ten thousand in his savings.”
    “That’s a lot to many people.”
    “Maybe, but for murder?”
    “It’s happened,” she said. “What’s your theory?”
    He hesitated. “To be honest, I think my cousin was stealing the electronics and reselling them for a modest profit on eBay. The question is where did he get the supply?”

Chapter Eleven
    A nnie pulled her sandals off her feet and curled up on the couch. Across from her, sitting way too close to the TV, Ben stuffed his little mouth with cookies. “Move back some, Ben.”
    “But this is the good part.”
    “You’ll ruin your eyes.”
    “You sound like Mommie.”
    “We’re sisters.”
    “Look, the shark is going to eat him. Watch out!”
    Annie chewed a nail and surged off the couch to move closer, too. She shouted at the stupid man, and she and Ben braced for the inevitable.”
    “Told you,” Ben said.
    “He should have listened to us,” Annie agreed.
    The front door opened, and Donovan walked in dressed in his usual—suit without the jacket. He had loosened his tie but didn’t remove it. “Hi, Annie, where’s Jane?”
    “Daddy,” Ben shouted and threw himself into his father’s arms.
    “She took—”
    “Quinn to practice,” Ben explained, cutting Annie off. She figured Jane didn’t want to worry the little tike, so she didn’t correct him.
    “Paisley is at a friend’s,” Annie added. “She’ll probably be a while, so if you want to eat, I call in a mean pizza.”
    Donovan offered a half smile at her joke. “Call in, huh? No thanks. If I know Jane, she’ll have something ready to go in the oven. If we order instead, she won’t like it.”
    Annie felt sorry for him. How much fight did he have to muster to eat unhealthy sometimes? Most of the baked goods Jane made were donated, but Annie managed to find cookies she and Ben had confiscated.
    “Since you’re here and she’s not, Annie, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
    Annie’s curiosity perked up. She and Donovan chatted upon occasion, but he wasn’t the friendliest type. When she visited their house, she and Jane spent all their time together. Donovan seemed to fade into the background, or he disappeared into his home