Free Cat Burglar in Training by Shelley Munro Page B

your decision.”
    “Hi, Evie. Any job prospects?” Hannah asked.
    Despite the anger that had bubbled and grown during the drive home, I had trouble suppressing a spurt of humor. Hannah made it sound as if I’d been out job hunting, similar to a normal person. The sooner I confronted Father and Ben, the better. “Is Amber home from the birthday party yet?” I knew Hannah was taking extra care of Amber’s security but wanted to see her myself.
    Hannah wiped her hands on a towel and checked the clock on the kitchen wall. “She shouldn’t be far away. Josh Green volunteered to drop the children off at their homes afterward. I thought that would be okay.”
    I nodded, having known Josh since I was a child, but I’d feel better once I could cuddle my daughter.
    “She’ll be hyper from the sweets and fizzy drinks, no doubt. If she doesn’t toss her cookies. Just like her mother, that one,” Hannah added in a gruff tone that disguised a heart as big as England.
    “True.” I’d need cunning and guile to corner the terrible trio. I wasn’t under any illusions. Hannah knew exactly what was going on and was up with the play. If I showed the slightest hesitation, the three would trample me. My daughter’s future was at stake here. If there was one thing I wanted for Amber, it was a life with a normal job in her future, one that didn’t involve skirting the law.
    The terrible trio would gang up on me, but since this was my life, my freedom on the line, they’d better produce answers. Pretty damn quick.
    “Are Father and Ben around?”
    “No.”
    Was it my imagination or had Hannah hesitated? “Where are they? I need a family meeting. Today,” I added in a firm, no-nonsense voice.
    Hannah fumbled with the bag of potatoes she’d picked up, and her head jerked in my direction, her eyes round behind the lenses of her glasses. “Is something wrong?”
    Good try . “I want to speak to everyone together. No sense repeating myself.”
    “But if the topic is serious enough to warrant a family meeting, I might need to give the matter some thought.”
    No flies on Hannah. “After dinner, once Amber’s gone to bed. You never told me what Father and Ben are up to. Will they be long?”
    “They’re at the…farmers’ market,” Hannah said.
    Apart from the hesitation, the answer was pretty smooth, but my suspicions grew. “The farmers’ market? Why?” I felt a little mean cornering Hannah like this but the practice would come in handy for tonight.
    “They’re…ah…doing research. We have excess produce in the garden, and they wanted to know if we could sell it to bring in extra money. Lord knows, we could use it to pay bills,” she said, doing a cross over her heart.
    Humph! And the moon was made of tasty cheddar. “Good idea,” I said, making a mental note to nab Father and Ben before they could get their story straight with Hannah. If the situation wasn’t so serious, I’d be looking forward to the verbal skirmish ahead.
    Unfortunately, Father and Ben arrived home while I was giving Amber a bath. I read her a bedtime story and, thanks to the running around she’d done with the other kids during the party, she dropped off to sleep quickly. I tugged the covers over her, buzzed a kiss over her forehead and stepped out of the room.
    I was aware of voices in the room we used to watch TV and relax in the evenings. A wry smile curved my lips. The terrible trio was ready for me. I opened the door, and their chatter halted mid-sentence. Three sets of eyes looked in my direction. They visibly squared their shoulders.
    “It’s time to do another job.” Father fired the first salvo.
    “We need the money,” Hannah seconded.
    “Oh,” I said sweetly. “Didn’t you make much money at the farmers’ market?”
    “We went for research,” Ben said.
    Father nodded in agreement.
    I nipped in for the kill. “How much money do you owe Beauchamp?”
    My father ruffled up like one of Hannah’s bantam roosters. “Not