Free It Must Be Magic by Jennifer Skully Page A

now.”
    With
do something
written all over her, her slender body practically pulsated with anxiety. Lili’s heart dropped to her toes. “Can Einstein come in, too?”
    “Only if we don’t tell Dad.”
    Lili zipped her lips. “I won’t.” Jeez, not even two seconds into her plan, she was already conspiring against Tanner.
    A set of stairs lay straight ahead, open double doors on one side of the hardwood hall, and another set on the other side through which Lili could hear the rumble of male voices. The scent of appetizers wafted into the hall along with the voices.
    “Grandpa’s having his pinochle party.” Erika looked at the door, then back to Lili. “There’s Linwood and Chester and Hiram. Linwood’s a Korean War hero, and he wears his uniform, so don’t look like you think that’s dumb.” She waited for Lili to nod. “Chester was almost a famous movie star once, so when he says he made a movie with Deanna Durbin, pretend you know who she is.”
    “What if he asks me what movie she was in?”
    “He won’t, trust me. And Hiram wrote a very important novel, so act like you’ve heard of it. Dad says they’re tall stories, except for Hiram. He really did write a book once. But it makes them all happy if you look excited when they tell you about it. So pretend if you have to. It’s good for them.”
    What a sweet sentiment. Most adults wouldn’t appreciate that, let alone a child of twelve. Erika was exceptional.
    Lili smiled. “I won’t even have to pretend.”
    Einstein drifted through the open door like a wisp of smoke the elderly men probably wouldn’t even notice.
    Erika leaned in and whispered, “Fluffy’s behind the couch,” then called loud enough to echo in Lili’s ears, “Grandpa, Lili’s here.” How could children do that, generate so much volume with such a small body? Erika dragged her into the room.
    “Lili, my dear.” Roscoe smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and the grooves deepening by his mouth. “You just missed Tanner. I hope you two had a good conversation last night. I’ve been telling him he needed to get over there to meet you.”
    Ha, she’d been right. Roscoe had fibbed yesterday when he’d said Tanner couldn’t
wait
to meet her. “I adored meeting him. He’s the most fascinating man.” She hoped that wasn’t laying it on too thick, even if it was the truth.
    Then she had a sudden thought. What if Erika and Roscoe told Tanner she’d come over for a visit? He’d think she talked to them about the murder against his wishes.
Hello, why didn’t you think of that before?
Too late now; it would only arouse suspicion if she asked them not to tell.
    “Come and meet the boys. They love pretty young women.”
    Elderly men did, unless they were curmudgeons. “Thank you for saying I’m pretty.”
    Roscoe took her arm. A large stone fireplace dominated the room, with an old-fashioned rag rug in front of the hearth and an easy chair to one side facing the TV. The heavy wood coffee table had been pushed back to make space in the center of the room for a card table, four folding chairs and another smaller table laden with plates and drinks. Erika dashed around them to fling herself on the couch beneath the window, hanging over the back to croon for Fluffy.
    As if he were presenting her to the King — or kings — of England, Roscoe ushered Lili forward to the trio of elderly gentlemen grazing off plates piled high with food.
    “Gentlemen, I’ve got a special treat for you. This is our new neighbor, Lili Goodweather.”
    “Linwood Daniels, at your service.”
    Over a pair of brown polyester slacks, Linwood wore a short brown jacket like the one she’d seen Eisenhower wear in war documentaries on the History Channel. The left front dripped with an impressive array of ribbons and medals, but the buttonholes stretched to full capacity and then some over his equally impressive belly.
    He grabbed her hand and pumped it in his meaty grip. “You are a delight, a