Chapter 4
“Listen, compadre, I may have been your babysitter in another life, but that doesn’t mean I’ll car-sit for you aswell! Ya dig?!” Agatha seethes right in his face, which reminds him of the look when she thought she was Detective the first night they met.
“You won’t have to anymore,” Billy reassures her. “Thank you for dropping it off.”
“You’re not welcome,” Agatha scoffs. She finally takes a step backwards to let him have some breathing space.
A low growling sound comes from behind them. Both Billy and Agatha glance over to find Greg, the Kaplans’ bull terrier, downward on all fours by the coffee table filled with aggression and distrust.
“There's a dog here too?!” Agatha complains.
“He’s not the least bit friendly either,” Billy grimaces.
As if the animal understood him, Greg lets out a short, menacing bark that gets both of them moving. They head back inside the kitchen where the Kaplan parents stop and look up in unison.
“…so yeah! I better see improvement on those vocab by Monday! Pop Quiz can happen when you least expect it!” Agatha exaggerates her role as the cheerful made-up Spanish teacher, hoping Rebecca and Jeff fall for it and believe her.
“Sure thing,” Billy joins along, trying his best to sound convincing.
The front door opens with Rio slipping through. Dressed in a snakeskin green blazer and black demin, her presence startles everybody.
“Can I help you?” Rebecca Kaplan asks.
“Not likely,” Rio responds back.
“…And you are…?” Jeff Kaplan trails.
“Mr. Bohner.” Rio’s eyes land upon Agatha’s.
“Ready, darling?”