ripped open the small package. Inside was a gold necklace with a tiny gold heart pendant. Susan helped her put it on.
“It’s very nice, Susie, thank you. Haul your son over here and I’ll give him a kiss.”
Susan looked around, but Harold was busy elsewhere. He and Snooky were having a face-off in the corner.
“I don’t like you,” Harold said loudly.
“Well, I don’t like you, either.”
“I think I’ll bite your leg.”
“You do that and you’re going to have some severe problems.”
“I think I’ll bite your arm.”
“You sound hungry. How about one of these little cakes instead?”
Susan came up and put her arm around Harold. “Is he being good?” she asked Snooky.
“Just as good as he can be.”
Susan departed, satisfied. Snooky said, “You know, my brother-in-law writes books for cute little tykes like you. Have you read any of his Mrs. Woolly books?”
“No.”
“How about Mr. Whiskers?”
“No.”
“Do you read? I mean, anything besides
Modern Mercenary
?”
“No.”
“That’s nice,” said Snooky. “Excuse me, there are some people over there I have to talk to now.”
Etta was opening the present that Gretchen and Jessie had brought. Jessie hovered nearby, saying anxiously, “I hope you like it … we thought about it for a long time and … oh, let me help you with the Scotch tape.… I knew we put on too much—there! Do you like it?”
Aunt Etta lifted it from the box. It was a spring dress in a pale rose color. It had lace at the neck, and swirled out from the waist in soft gathers.
Aunt Etta nodded approvingly. “It’s beautiful.”
“Do you really think so?” gushed Jessie.
“Yes, yes, yes. Now, what’s next?”
Snooky handed her a small box. “It’s from all three of us. Bernard, Maya, and me. It’s a little sentimental, but I think you’ll like it.”
Aunt Etta pinched his cheek, then opened the box. Inside was a charm bracelet with one single charm hanging from it. Aunt Etta held it up close to her eye. The charm was a tiny golden replica of a tractor.
Aunt Etta let out a shriek and began to shake with silent, delighted laughter.
In the kitchen, Mrs. MacGregor was humming quietly to herself. The party was a great success. Nearly all the champagne was gone, and the cake had been finished to the last crumb. So had her little pink cakes. She permitted herself a smug smile. Betsey’s Bakery, indeed! Susan should have asked
her
to make the birthday cake. She had a recipe for a double chocolate fudge cake that would have put Betsey’s to shame.…
There was a sound behind her and she turned, startled. Then she smiled a pleased welcome. “Oh, hello. How are you?”
“Just fine, thanks.”
“How is the party going?”
“Oh, fine, fine. They’re calling for you in there, Mrs. MacGregor. Aunt Etta wants to see you.”
“Really?” MacGregor wiped her hands on her apron,then took it off and hung it neatly on its hook. She felt a surge of pleased excitement. “Was it my cakes?”
“Oh, yes. The cakes were wonderful. Everybody says so.”
“My secret recipe,” MacGregor said smugly. “Wait a minute. I really should put these dishes away before I go—”
She bent over the dish rack where the newly washed dishes were propped together. Behind her there was a sudden movement. Mercifully, she never knew anything. She felt a sudden pain and then pitched forward into blackness.…
5
Detective Janovy looked at Susan’s tightly drawn face and said, “Go on, Miss Whitaker.”
“There’s nothing more to tell.” She glared at him, almost defiantly. She was sitting curled up in one of the big chairs in the Whitaker living room. George sat next to her, on the sofa. Wrapping paper and bright-ribbons and presents were scattered all over the floor. The golden sign HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY, AUNT ETTA still hung from the ceiling. The setting was as inappropriate for a murder investigation, Janovy felt, as it could possibly be.
Mrs. MacGregor’s
“It’s very nice, Susie, thank you. Haul your son over here and I’ll give him a kiss.”
Susan looked around, but Harold was busy elsewhere. He and Snooky were having a face-off in the corner.
“I don’t like you,” Harold said loudly.
“Well, I don’t like you, either.”
“I think I’ll bite your leg.”
“You do that and you’re going to have some severe problems.”
“I think I’ll bite your arm.”
“You sound hungry. How about one of these little cakes instead?”
Susan came up and put her arm around Harold. “Is he being good?” she asked Snooky.
“Just as good as he can be.”
Susan departed, satisfied. Snooky said, “You know, my brother-in-law writes books for cute little tykes like you. Have you read any of his Mrs. Woolly books?”
“No.”
“How about Mr. Whiskers?”
“No.”
“Do you read? I mean, anything besides
Modern Mercenary
?”
“No.”
“That’s nice,” said Snooky. “Excuse me, there are some people over there I have to talk to now.”
Etta was opening the present that Gretchen and Jessie had brought. Jessie hovered nearby, saying anxiously, “I hope you like it … we thought about it for a long time and … oh, let me help you with the Scotch tape.… I knew we put on too much—there! Do you like it?”
Aunt Etta lifted it from the box. It was a spring dress in a pale rose color. It had lace at the neck, and swirled out from the waist in soft gathers.
Aunt Etta nodded approvingly. “It’s beautiful.”
“Do you really think so?” gushed Jessie.
“Yes, yes, yes. Now, what’s next?”
Snooky handed her a small box. “It’s from all three of us. Bernard, Maya, and me. It’s a little sentimental, but I think you’ll like it.”
Aunt Etta pinched his cheek, then opened the box. Inside was a charm bracelet with one single charm hanging from it. Aunt Etta held it up close to her eye. The charm was a tiny golden replica of a tractor.
Aunt Etta let out a shriek and began to shake with silent, delighted laughter.
In the kitchen, Mrs. MacGregor was humming quietly to herself. The party was a great success. Nearly all the champagne was gone, and the cake had been finished to the last crumb. So had her little pink cakes. She permitted herself a smug smile. Betsey’s Bakery, indeed! Susan should have asked
her
to make the birthday cake. She had a recipe for a double chocolate fudge cake that would have put Betsey’s to shame.…
There was a sound behind her and she turned, startled. Then she smiled a pleased welcome. “Oh, hello. How are you?”
“Just fine, thanks.”
“How is the party going?”
“Oh, fine, fine. They’re calling for you in there, Mrs. MacGregor. Aunt Etta wants to see you.”
“Really?” MacGregor wiped her hands on her apron,then took it off and hung it neatly on its hook. She felt a surge of pleased excitement. “Was it my cakes?”
“Oh, yes. The cakes were wonderful. Everybody says so.”
“My secret recipe,” MacGregor said smugly. “Wait a minute. I really should put these dishes away before I go—”
She bent over the dish rack where the newly washed dishes were propped together. Behind her there was a sudden movement. Mercifully, she never knew anything. She felt a sudden pain and then pitched forward into blackness.…
5
Detective Janovy looked at Susan’s tightly drawn face and said, “Go on, Miss Whitaker.”
“There’s nothing more to tell.” She glared at him, almost defiantly. She was sitting curled up in one of the big chairs in the Whitaker living room. George sat next to her, on the sofa. Wrapping paper and bright-ribbons and presents were scattered all over the floor. The golden sign HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY, AUNT ETTA still hung from the ceiling. The setting was as inappropriate for a murder investigation, Janovy felt, as it could possibly be.
Mrs. MacGregor’s
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