year for women at my age.”
“A pap smear, huh,” parroted Meriah. “That’s funny since this office specializes in obstetrics.”
It hit me what she had said. “Meriah, are you? Is it Matt’s?”
Meriah’s face suddenly turned green as she grabbed at her belly. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She rushed through a door that led to the examining rooms where the restrooms were located.
Several minutes later, an office clerk delivered a note to me.
On it was scrawled – “Get lost!”
I did.
18
In spite of Lady Elsmere’s pleading, Ethel Bradley packed her overnight bag, determined to go home. Instead of letting Charles take her home, Ethel took a cab.
It took fifty minutes to get home. Ethel had to write a check for part of the fare, as it was more than the one hundred dollars she kept for emergencies.
The cabbie was not especially amused when she gave him a paltry three-dollar tip, but it was all the cash she had left in her handbag.
Grateful that she was home, Ethel unlocked the back door, breathing a sigh of relief. The house smelled clean.
That made Ethel feel better. She so liked to keep her house nice. She would have to write a thank you note to Josiah Reynolds for cleaning out Petty’s litter box. “She didn’t have to do that,” Ethel muttered to herself, but was glad Josiah had.
Lady Elsmere’s house was grand to be sure, but it wasn’t home. Ethel could finally get a good night’s sleep and drink tea out of her own china. Besides, she missed her tabby. “Petty. Petty,” she called. “Petty! Now where is my precious?”
Ethel glanced in the living room. No cat on the couch. She pulled back the drapes from the bay window in the kitchen. No kitty hiding on the widow sill.
Hearing a faint meow, Ethel followed the sound and stepped into the mudroom off the kitchen. “Petty. Mommy’s home, dearest.”
Ethel found Petty all right.
At first she didn’t notice Petty for the two men in her mudroom wearing ski masks. One of them was carrying Petty, who looked very, very unhappy.
Ethel didn’t even think about screaming as she turned to run. She didn’t get far.
Grabbing her from behind, the men roughly pushed her into a kitchen chair. Ethel gave a little cry when a burlap bag was pulled over her head.
Having been roughly dropped, Petty snuck under a pie safe, faintly meowing his distress.
“What did you do with that lottery ticket?” snarled one man in an obviously disguised voice.
Ethel wailed, “You didn’t hurt my cat, did you? Petty? Petty?”
One of the men slapped the top of her head. “You better be worried about yourself instead of that stupid cat.”
Startled at being struck, Ethel began to whimper. Her faded eyes filled with tears. Her chest felt tight. She started taking big gulps of air but the bag over her head impeded her airflow.
“Where’s the ticket?”
One of the thugs slammed his hand down on the kitchen table, causing the china in the cabinets to rattle.
Ethel flinched and made a little yelping noise.
“We want that ticket. Tell me or I’m gonna kill your cat, but first I’m gonna hurt him real bad. I’ll start by breaking one leg at a time. Then we’ll see how he likes burning matches. You wouldn’t want to see your kitty suffer, would you? Tell me where the ticket is.”
Blubbering, Ethel tried to get the words out but couldn’t. She couldn’t even catch her breath. Clutching at her chest, she gasped so loudly for air that she didn’t hear Charles coming up the driveway, giving his car horn a quick honk.
But the hooded thugs did. They hightailed it out the back door, skedaddling through the back pasture to the woods. They were long gone before Charles entered the kitchen, but not before he caught sight of them running away.
19
“This is some mess,” uttered Jubal in the hospital’s emergency room “Yes, isn’t it,” I replied. “It’s a good thing Charles followed your aunt home. Who knows what would have happened if he
“A pap smear, huh,” parroted Meriah. “That’s funny since this office specializes in obstetrics.”
It hit me what she had said. “Meriah, are you? Is it Matt’s?”
Meriah’s face suddenly turned green as she grabbed at her belly. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She rushed through a door that led to the examining rooms where the restrooms were located.
Several minutes later, an office clerk delivered a note to me.
On it was scrawled – “Get lost!”
I did.
18
In spite of Lady Elsmere’s pleading, Ethel Bradley packed her overnight bag, determined to go home. Instead of letting Charles take her home, Ethel took a cab.
It took fifty minutes to get home. Ethel had to write a check for part of the fare, as it was more than the one hundred dollars she kept for emergencies.
The cabbie was not especially amused when she gave him a paltry three-dollar tip, but it was all the cash she had left in her handbag.
Grateful that she was home, Ethel unlocked the back door, breathing a sigh of relief. The house smelled clean.
That made Ethel feel better. She so liked to keep her house nice. She would have to write a thank you note to Josiah Reynolds for cleaning out Petty’s litter box. “She didn’t have to do that,” Ethel muttered to herself, but was glad Josiah had.
Lady Elsmere’s house was grand to be sure, but it wasn’t home. Ethel could finally get a good night’s sleep and drink tea out of her own china. Besides, she missed her tabby. “Petty. Petty,” she called. “Petty! Now where is my precious?”
Ethel glanced in the living room. No cat on the couch. She pulled back the drapes from the bay window in the kitchen. No kitty hiding on the widow sill.
Hearing a faint meow, Ethel followed the sound and stepped into the mudroom off the kitchen. “Petty. Mommy’s home, dearest.”
Ethel found Petty all right.
At first she didn’t notice Petty for the two men in her mudroom wearing ski masks. One of them was carrying Petty, who looked very, very unhappy.
Ethel didn’t even think about screaming as she turned to run. She didn’t get far.
Grabbing her from behind, the men roughly pushed her into a kitchen chair. Ethel gave a little cry when a burlap bag was pulled over her head.
Having been roughly dropped, Petty snuck under a pie safe, faintly meowing his distress.
“What did you do with that lottery ticket?” snarled one man in an obviously disguised voice.
Ethel wailed, “You didn’t hurt my cat, did you? Petty? Petty?”
One of the men slapped the top of her head. “You better be worried about yourself instead of that stupid cat.”
Startled at being struck, Ethel began to whimper. Her faded eyes filled with tears. Her chest felt tight. She started taking big gulps of air but the bag over her head impeded her airflow.
“Where’s the ticket?”
One of the thugs slammed his hand down on the kitchen table, causing the china in the cabinets to rattle.
Ethel flinched and made a little yelping noise.
“We want that ticket. Tell me or I’m gonna kill your cat, but first I’m gonna hurt him real bad. I’ll start by breaking one leg at a time. Then we’ll see how he likes burning matches. You wouldn’t want to see your kitty suffer, would you? Tell me where the ticket is.”
Blubbering, Ethel tried to get the words out but couldn’t. She couldn’t even catch her breath. Clutching at her chest, she gasped so loudly for air that she didn’t hear Charles coming up the driveway, giving his car horn a quick honk.
But the hooded thugs did. They hightailed it out the back door, skedaddling through the back pasture to the woods. They were long gone before Charles entered the kitchen, but not before he caught sight of them running away.
19
“This is some mess,” uttered Jubal in the hospital’s emergency room “Yes, isn’t it,” I replied. “It’s a good thing Charles followed your aunt home. Who knows what would have happened if he
Similar Books
