Free The Joneses by Shelia M. Goss Page B

be all right.” I picked up a candy bar on his desk and opened it.
    â€œThat leaves a market wide open, so you know what that means.”
    â€œStay vested up because there’s about to be some bloodshed.” I thought about what my mom and I had discussed. I guess this is as good of a time as any. “You know I’m working with my pops now.”
    Clarence leaned back in his chair. “How is that working for you?”
    â€œBoring, but easy money. At least I ain’t got to watch my back. Dead people can’t shoot back.”
    Clarence nodded his head up and down in agreement. “So what you need?”
    â€œI want to drop off some company flyers. We’re offering discounts on services.”
    â€œMan, you don’t even have to ask. Leave some at the front. Shoot, I’ll have an ad put on my website.”
    â€œI wouldn’t ask, but I promised my mom I would help with the advertising.”
    â€œIt’s your family business, so do what you need to do.”
    â€œGlad you understand. I’m new to this.”
    â€œYou always dress sharp, so it was just a matter of time before you gravitated toward your family business.”
    â€œOh, you always got to joke with me about how I dress. Some guys dress in jeans or jogging suits; my style of dress has always been like this.”
    â€œYou dress preppy, but you just as ’hood as I am.”
    â€œDon’t let the suit fool you.”
    Clarence gave me a fist bump.
    Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” Clarence said.
    A waitress I hadn’t seen before entered. “Mr. C, there’s some people out here fighting.”
    We both looked through the two-way glass. Clarence jumped up, and put his gun in his waist. “Man, let me go handle this. I’ll chat with you later.”
    I followed Clarence out of the room. He handled his business. I left so I could get a few hours of sleep before going in to the office. I also wanted to avoid any type of confrontation if Clarence couldn’t get it under control.

CHAPTER 21
Lexi
    S hannon called in sick, so Royce asked me to do her job until she felt well enough to return to work. I played the games Words with Friends and Family Feud in between answering the phones.
    I accessed the calendar and saw that we were booked for the entire week. For a funeral home business, that was good news. Business seemed to be going better.
    Lovie rushed through the door. He stopped at the desk. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
    â€œShannon’s not feeling well, so your dad needed me.”
    â€œIs he here yet?”
    â€œHe had an early funeral to attend to. What do you need?”
    â€œI need to talk to him.” Lovie seemed frustrated.
    â€œMaybe I can help.”
    Lovie paused as if he was thinking. “I don’t know. Maybe I should wait.”
    â€œIf this is about the business, I have a right to know, too.”
    Lovie grabbed a chair and sat down next to me behind the desk. He repositioned items on Shannon’s desk and placed his laptop on it. “Mom, I think Uncle Jason has been embezzling our money.”
    My mouth flew open. “That can’t be. Royce told me he, not Jason, made some bad investments and that’s why our funds are low.” It made me question Royce’s loyalty. Would Royce cover up for Jason?
    â€œOn the surface, it appears that way. But after going back over the books and checking the market for the dates listed on theprintouts Jason provided, Dad didn’t lose any money. In fact, he made at least a twenty-five percent increase on top of the money he originally invested.”
    I hit the desk with my fist. “Wait until I see that Jason. I’m going to kill him and then bury him in a pine box full of lead.”
    â€œMom, calm down.”
    â€œCalm? How can I be calm? Your father trusted that man. How could he steal from us?”
    Lovie looked at me. “We can alert the