picking feathers out.”
I headed upstairs, switched my damp jeans for a pair of yoga pants, and then carefully cut the grubby gauze off my thumb, replacing it with a couple of big adhesive bandages. Then I warmed up the last of the applepudding cake. Between spoonfuls I told the cats about Maggie and me discovering Jaeger’s body, and Ruby discovering his real identity. Owen’s head jerked up when he heard Maggie’s name and he almost banged it on the bottom of a kitchen chair.
“She’s fine,” I told him. “She’s coming for supper. You’ll see her tonight.” He went back to nosing around for crumbs I hadn’t vacuumed up yet.
Hercules, on the other hand, was giving me his undivided attention, although that might have been because he was hoping to score a bite or two of apple from my bowl.
“Here you big mooch,” I said, reaching for the bag of sardine kitty crackers on the counter and giving him a couple. I handed a couple down to Owen too.
I was just putting my dishes in the sink when the phone rang. I hobbled into the living room to get it. My ankle still ached, but just putting my foot up while I was at the table had helped. It was Rebecca, my backyard neighbor.
“Hello Kathleen,” she said. “I was wondering if this would be a good time to bring over that box of my mother’s things you wanted to look at for the display at the library centennial?”
“Yes, it would,” I said. “Are you sure you can carry the box? I don’t mind coming to get it.”
She laughed. “Thank you, but it’s not that big and—”
“—you’re not that old,” I finished.
“Oh, I am that old,” she said. “It’s just not that far across the lawn.”
“I’ll see you in a few minutes, then,” I said.
When I went back into the kitchen, Owen and Hercules were sitting by the back door. Clearly they were waitingfor Rebecca. I had no idea how they knew she was on her way. It was just another one of their “abilities” that I couldn’t explain, and next to walking through walls and becoming invisible, it was pretty mundane.
The coffee was brewing and I had a plate of date squares on the table when Rebecca tapped on the porch door. I figured after the morning I’d had I was entitled to having dessert twice. I let her in and took the cardboard file box she was carrying.
She frowned at my face. “Oh dear, that looks sore,” she said. I noticed that she didn’t ask what had happened.
“It looks worse than it feels,” I said. “Who told on me? Roma?”
A pink flush spread across her cheeks. “I wouldn’t exactly call it telling on you,” she said. “And no, it wasn’t Roma. It was Marcus Gordon.”
“So you decided you’d bring this over”—I patted the top of the box—“and check on me.”
“I was planning on coming over anyway,” she said. “When Marcus told me what happened yesterday, it just seemed like perfect timing.” She looked me up and down. “How’s your ankle?”
“My ankle’s just fine. And Marcus Gordon has a big mouth.”
I glanced down at her boots. They were black with little red ladybugs all over them. “Oh, I like your boots,” I said.
Rebecca stuck out one foot and rolled it from one side to the other. “Thank you. Ami gave them to me.”
Ami was Everett Henderson’s granddaughter. She adored Rebecca and Rebecca was crazy about her.
Rebecca put her foot back on the floor and stepped out of the ladybug boots.
“How about a date square?” I asked as we headed into the kitchen.
“Oh that does sound good,” she said, patting her silver-gray hair. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how you changed the subject away from what happened to you.” She reached into her pocket and handed me a small, brown paper bag. “Spread this on your ankle before bed. It’ll help.”
“Thank you,” I said. I gave her a one-armed hug.
She caught sight of Owen and Hercules then, and moved across the floor to bend over and talk to the cats. For the moment at least,
I headed upstairs, switched my damp jeans for a pair of yoga pants, and then carefully cut the grubby gauze off my thumb, replacing it with a couple of big adhesive bandages. Then I warmed up the last of the applepudding cake. Between spoonfuls I told the cats about Maggie and me discovering Jaeger’s body, and Ruby discovering his real identity. Owen’s head jerked up when he heard Maggie’s name and he almost banged it on the bottom of a kitchen chair.
“She’s fine,” I told him. “She’s coming for supper. You’ll see her tonight.” He went back to nosing around for crumbs I hadn’t vacuumed up yet.
Hercules, on the other hand, was giving me his undivided attention, although that might have been because he was hoping to score a bite or two of apple from my bowl.
“Here you big mooch,” I said, reaching for the bag of sardine kitty crackers on the counter and giving him a couple. I handed a couple down to Owen too.
I was just putting my dishes in the sink when the phone rang. I hobbled into the living room to get it. My ankle still ached, but just putting my foot up while I was at the table had helped. It was Rebecca, my backyard neighbor.
“Hello Kathleen,” she said. “I was wondering if this would be a good time to bring over that box of my mother’s things you wanted to look at for the display at the library centennial?”
“Yes, it would,” I said. “Are you sure you can carry the box? I don’t mind coming to get it.”
She laughed. “Thank you, but it’s not that big and—”
“—you’re not that old,” I finished.
“Oh, I am that old,” she said. “It’s just not that far across the lawn.”
“I’ll see you in a few minutes, then,” I said.
When I went back into the kitchen, Owen and Hercules were sitting by the back door. Clearly they were waitingfor Rebecca. I had no idea how they knew she was on her way. It was just another one of their “abilities” that I couldn’t explain, and next to walking through walls and becoming invisible, it was pretty mundane.
The coffee was brewing and I had a plate of date squares on the table when Rebecca tapped on the porch door. I figured after the morning I’d had I was entitled to having dessert twice. I let her in and took the cardboard file box she was carrying.
She frowned at my face. “Oh dear, that looks sore,” she said. I noticed that she didn’t ask what had happened.
“It looks worse than it feels,” I said. “Who told on me? Roma?”
A pink flush spread across her cheeks. “I wouldn’t exactly call it telling on you,” she said. “And no, it wasn’t Roma. It was Marcus Gordon.”
“So you decided you’d bring this over”—I patted the top of the box—“and check on me.”
“I was planning on coming over anyway,” she said. “When Marcus told me what happened yesterday, it just seemed like perfect timing.” She looked me up and down. “How’s your ankle?”
“My ankle’s just fine. And Marcus Gordon has a big mouth.”
I glanced down at her boots. They were black with little red ladybugs all over them. “Oh, I like your boots,” I said.
Rebecca stuck out one foot and rolled it from one side to the other. “Thank you. Ami gave them to me.”
Ami was Everett Henderson’s granddaughter. She adored Rebecca and Rebecca was crazy about her.
Rebecca put her foot back on the floor and stepped out of the ladybug boots.
“How about a date square?” I asked as we headed into the kitchen.
“Oh that does sound good,” she said, patting her silver-gray hair. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how you changed the subject away from what happened to you.” She reached into her pocket and handed me a small, brown paper bag. “Spread this on your ankle before bed. It’ll help.”
“Thank you,” I said. I gave her a one-armed hug.
She caught sight of Owen and Hercules then, and moved across the floor to bend over and talk to the cats. For the moment at least,
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