clean out the guest house. We’ll be moving in soon.” I smirked and stalked past her, leaving her mouth hanging open.
Mom sat at the kitchen table with my suspect list in front of her. She glanced up at me. “I’ve seen a green car somewhere. Do you know what any of these people drive?”
I shook my head and sat down across from her. “I don’t pay attention to what people drive. Speaking of, I’m taking off work early tomorrow to find something for myself. Little Blue deserves to be put out to pasture.”
I drummed my fingers on the table top and mulled over the day’s events. “Did you know someone stole Gloria Simpson’s litter of pups?”
“No.” Her brow furrowed.
“Can I borrow your car? I’d like to run by her house.”
“It’s after nine o’clock. That’s rude.”
“I’ll only stop if her lights are on.”
Mom shrugged. “Go ahead. But be careful. My baby’s been through enough tonight.”
Gloria lived on the other side of town so the drive took all of ten minutes. Thankfully, besides the porch light, the one in the woman’s kitchen and front room shone through sheer curtains. I cut the White Beast’s lights and pulled into the woman’s driveway. Her lights flicked off one by one.
Nice try, Gloria . I slid from the car, marched up the steps, then gave three sharp raps on the door. “Gloria, it’s Marsha Steele.”
The door opened as far as the safety chain would allow. “What do you want at this time of the night?”
“I heard about your Chihuahuas. I’d like to ask you some questions.”
The woman sighed. “Ask. I don’t know what I can tell you. I didn’t leave my house all day. I woke up, had a doughnut for breakfast, the next thing I knew Lucy whimpered and her babies were gone. I went to bed with a dreadful headache. In the middle of the day. Imagine.”
“You didn’t go anywhere?”
“Nope. At least I don’t think so. I might have gone somewhere to buy the doughnuts, but for the life of me I can’t remember. I must have though. They wouldn’t have shown up by themselves. The day’s been kind of a fog.”
Chapter Sixteen
Back home and more confused than ever, I flopped across my bed and dialed my best friend, Lynn’s, phone number. She wouldn’t care that it was after ten o’clock. Bosom buddies didn’t pay attention to tiny details like that.
“Do you know what time it is?” Lynn’s sleepy voice rasped over the air waves.
Oops. Maybe time didn’t matter during high school, but it apparently did now. “You said I could call you any time.”
“Is this an emergency?”
“Not really. I just need to bounce some ideas across you.” I twirled the phone cord around my finger. “Did you see the news?” Rolling to my back, I grabbed the remote. On the television, for all the world to see, was me pointing my finger at the camera, scowling, waving my arms, and looking like a complete lunatic. Wonderful.
Lynn giggled. “I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. What did your Mom say about her baby?”
“Yeah, well, there’s a great picture of me on the news right now. The weird thing is, she didn’t yell at Lindsey. Must be a grandmother/granddaughter thing.”
I could hear her shifting on her bed. “ It’s probably a good thing it’s a silent picture. I can just imagine what you said.”
I joined in her laughter. “I was really angry. But seriously, Bruce is accusing Lindsey of pretty much every crime around here. It doesn’t look good since Bruce found someone’s missing wallet in her backpack.”
“ Ouch.”
“Y eah, and she says that she and Billy were run off the road. Bruce doesn’t believe her.”
“You’re going to prove her innocence.”
“Somebody has to.” I moved back to my stomach and winced as the phone cord became tangled in my hair. The more I moved, the worse it got. I’d play things cool. No need to let Lynn know I’d done something stupid again. “I mean, Lindsey’s a typical teenager but she isn’t
Mom sat at the kitchen table with my suspect list in front of her. She glanced up at me. “I’ve seen a green car somewhere. Do you know what any of these people drive?”
I shook my head and sat down across from her. “I don’t pay attention to what people drive. Speaking of, I’m taking off work early tomorrow to find something for myself. Little Blue deserves to be put out to pasture.”
I drummed my fingers on the table top and mulled over the day’s events. “Did you know someone stole Gloria Simpson’s litter of pups?”
“No.” Her brow furrowed.
“Can I borrow your car? I’d like to run by her house.”
“It’s after nine o’clock. That’s rude.”
“I’ll only stop if her lights are on.”
Mom shrugged. “Go ahead. But be careful. My baby’s been through enough tonight.”
Gloria lived on the other side of town so the drive took all of ten minutes. Thankfully, besides the porch light, the one in the woman’s kitchen and front room shone through sheer curtains. I cut the White Beast’s lights and pulled into the woman’s driveway. Her lights flicked off one by one.
Nice try, Gloria . I slid from the car, marched up the steps, then gave three sharp raps on the door. “Gloria, it’s Marsha Steele.”
The door opened as far as the safety chain would allow. “What do you want at this time of the night?”
“I heard about your Chihuahuas. I’d like to ask you some questions.”
The woman sighed. “Ask. I don’t know what I can tell you. I didn’t leave my house all day. I woke up, had a doughnut for breakfast, the next thing I knew Lucy whimpered and her babies were gone. I went to bed with a dreadful headache. In the middle of the day. Imagine.”
“You didn’t go anywhere?”
“Nope. At least I don’t think so. I might have gone somewhere to buy the doughnuts, but for the life of me I can’t remember. I must have though. They wouldn’t have shown up by themselves. The day’s been kind of a fog.”
Chapter Sixteen
Back home and more confused than ever, I flopped across my bed and dialed my best friend, Lynn’s, phone number. She wouldn’t care that it was after ten o’clock. Bosom buddies didn’t pay attention to tiny details like that.
“Do you know what time it is?” Lynn’s sleepy voice rasped over the air waves.
Oops. Maybe time didn’t matter during high school, but it apparently did now. “You said I could call you any time.”
“Is this an emergency?”
“Not really. I just need to bounce some ideas across you.” I twirled the phone cord around my finger. “Did you see the news?” Rolling to my back, I grabbed the remote. On the television, for all the world to see, was me pointing my finger at the camera, scowling, waving my arms, and looking like a complete lunatic. Wonderful.
Lynn giggled. “I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. What did your Mom say about her baby?”
“Yeah, well, there’s a great picture of me on the news right now. The weird thing is, she didn’t yell at Lindsey. Must be a grandmother/granddaughter thing.”
I could hear her shifting on her bed. “ It’s probably a good thing it’s a silent picture. I can just imagine what you said.”
I joined in her laughter. “I was really angry. But seriously, Bruce is accusing Lindsey of pretty much every crime around here. It doesn’t look good since Bruce found someone’s missing wallet in her backpack.”
“ Ouch.”
“Y eah, and she says that she and Billy were run off the road. Bruce doesn’t believe her.”
“You’re going to prove her innocence.”
“Somebody has to.” I moved back to my stomach and winced as the phone cord became tangled in my hair. The more I moved, the worse it got. I’d play things cool. No need to let Lynn know I’d done something stupid again. “I mean, Lindsey’s a typical teenager but she isn’t
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