Merit Badge Murder by Leslie Langtry Page A

time…that Kelly, burst into tears.
    I came pretty close myself.

CHAPTER NINE
     
    We drove home in silence. Kelly and I were feeling pretty damned guilty. We felt bad about the way we'd treated Lana. But what could we say? Sorry didn't seem to cut it. And then there were all the things we'd been thinking . I felt terrible about that too.
    Lana didn't seem to notice. She hummed along with the radio and had her arm outside the car, dangling in the breeze. She really surprised me. I guess I'd been a little wrong about her. I should've given her more of a chance. I didn't say these things because I didn't really think I could dig myself out of the crappy hole I'd made. So I sat there in silence, listening to Lana humming.
    Kelly parked the car in the garage. When we got out, she led us to her backyard, where we'd sneak home. Then she threw her arms around Lana. Without a word, she turned and walked into her house, closing the sliding glass door behind her.
    Lana smiled. "Kelleeee likes me!" I stumbled in shock as I walked and Lana skipped, back to my back door.
    My cell rang as soon as I got in. Lana giggled and decided to take a shower. I heard the door close behind her. She had to be spent. I was, and I'd hardly done anything.
    "This is Merry," I answered. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I needed to take a shower and just collapse. My whole day had turned upside down, even if it was for the better. There's nothing like a shame spiral to make you want a shower and a nap.
    "Ms. Wrath…" The unmistakably handsome voice of Detective Rex sent a jolt of energy through me. "Do you have a moment? Could I stop by?"
    I looked out the window. All of the press had cleared out. When did that happen? How did that happen? Maybe Riley finally got them going on a wild goose chase. At any rate, the coast was clear.
    But the most important thing was that Rex wanted to come over here, to my house! Clearly he wanted to propose, I thought. "Sure. Give me a minute to…uh…pick up a little. Ten minutes okay?"
    "Perfect." I thought I could detect a smile in his voice. "See you in a few."
    Rex was coming over! To my house! To see me! Okay, so it could be about the investigation, but technically, he was coming over to my house, and he was going to see me.
    I raced like a whirlwind through the house. Not that it was very messy—it wasn't. But there was dust on the furniture. I didn't have time to find a towel, so I used my hands to dust. I was just wiping off the TV with my fingers, when the doorbell rang.
    I looked down at my hands. They were filthy and sadly sweaty. The doorbell rang again. I was keeping my future fiancé waiting. Looking around, I spotted the Dora the Explorer sheets and wiped my hands on them quickly before answering the door.
    Rex stood on my front porch like some hero on the cover of a romance novel. He was wearing a suit, and it looked amazing on him. Everything about him looked wonderful. He smiled at me. And I lost the ability to speak.
    "Ms. Wrath," he said, "thanks for taking the time to see me. I'm sorry about the short notice." He smiled again.
    "Um, no problem!" I said perhaps a tad too enthusiastically. "Come in!"
    Rex stepped inside, and I closed the door. He smelled like soap and fresh linen. I wondered if it would be out of line to bury my face in his neck. Would that seem weird?
    "Sit down!" I ordered. The demand in my voice made me jump. "Sorry, I meant, would you like to sit down?" That sounded better. Was I an idiot or what?
    "Thanks." Rex sat on the green couch. Since there were no other chairs in the room, I had to sit next to him. Mental note—do not get more chairs for the living room.
    "You smell like you've been in a fire, Ms. Wrath. Is everything okay?" He looked concerned. I loved him for that.
    "Er…no…I just had a meeting with my Girl Scout troop," I babbled. "We were setting fires. I mean, we were learning how to start fires." That sounded bad. Like I was training an army of seven year old