“The boys want to go along when we take Nimitz back to the zoo this afternoon.”
“Not till we’re finished with lunch,” Jamie explained.
“And dessert,” Josh added.
“Can’t you just play with him here?” I wasn’t keen on letting Nimitz into the Twinmobile again.
“We need to see him alone,” Josh said.
“We have to tell him something,” Jamie said.
“Something important,” Josh added.
“And private.” Jamie looked very serious.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll bite. What’s so important that you need to tell the toucan?”
“We can’t tell you,” Jamie exclaimed.
Josh merely shook his head firmly.
“You’ll tell a silly bird but not me. Why?”
They both grinned, Michael smothered a chuckle, and I realized I’d been maneuvered into giving them the perfect straight line.
“Because!” they chanted in unison. “Toucan keep a secret!”
ALSO BY DONNA ANDREWS
How the Finch Stole Christmas!
Gone Gull
Die Like an Eagle
The Lord of the Wings
The Nightingale Before Christmas
The Good, the Bad, and the Emus
Duck the Halls
The Hen of the Baskervilles
Some Like It Hawk
The Real Macaw
Stork Raving Mad
Swan for the Money
Six Geese A-Slaying
Cockatiels at Seven
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
No Nest for the Wicket
Owls Well That Ends Well
We’ll Always Have Parrots
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Murder with Puffins
Murder with Peacocks
About the Author
DONNA ANDREWS has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry Awards, an RT Book Review Award for best first novel, and four Lefty and two Toby Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Private Investigators and Security Association. Andrews lives in Reston, Virginia.
Visit her Web site at www.donnaandrews.com, or sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Also by Donna Andrews
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
TOUCAN KEEP A SECRET. Copyright © 2018 by Donna Andrews. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Rotstein
Cover illustration by Maggie Parr
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Andrews, Donna, author.
Title: Toucan keep a secret / Donna Andrews.
Description: First edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2018. | Series: A Meg Langslow mystery
Identifiers: LCCN 2018004085 | ISBN 9781250115478 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250115485 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Langslow, Meg (Fictitious character)—Fiction. | Women detectives—Fiction. | Women—Crimes against—Fiction. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3551.N4165 T68 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018004085
eISBN 9781250115485
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: August 2018