through hoops, Skip. I’m taking full responsibility for this.” Linda would know anyway, I thought. “Just, you know, take it easy. She’s had to deal with Jason and the robbery at Crane’s, and—”
“Not to worry, Aunt Gerry. I know this has been rough on you, too. I’ll do my best. For everyone.”
I knew he would.
I let Skip out and his mother and Maddie in at the same time. Not that I wasn’t glad to have them home, but I’d been hoping for at least a bit of quiet time, if not a full- fledged nap.
“Uncle Skip!” Maddie jumped up into his arms, not as easily as on her last visit, a few months ago. I noticed Skip reel a bit, and I wondered if it might be from the distinctive zoo smell I caught, as well as from the inches Maddie had grown.
Beverly gave her son a peck on the cheek. “I’m surprised to see you, dear,” she said.
“Gotta go,” Skip said, letting Maddie down gently and leaving the rest up to me. With any luck I wouldn’t have to share the fact that this was actually a professional house call by Skip.
“We brought dinner,” Maddie said, pointing to the sagging plastic bag in Beverly’s hand.
“It’s just deli, but I thought you might be too tired to cook,” Beverly said.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“Is everything okay with you, Grandma?” Maddie asked, sweet-smelling after a long bath in green bubbles.
Uh-oh . That was the trouble with smart kids. They’re all-over smart, not just in arithmetic and spelling. I wondered if Maddie had put it all together. She was, after all, a coconspirator in picking Linda up. I hadn’t had a chance to learn if Beverly had talked to Maddie about the murder. Dinner conversation had revolved around potbellied pigs, tortoises, lemurs, and whether we still had time this summer to arrange an overnight stay with the zoo’s special camping program (only if I didn’t have to chaperone).
“I’m just tired, sweetheart,” I told her now, and noticed her eyes already at half-mast. Thank you, Beverly, I said to myself, for wearing her out.
“Let’s skip reading tonight, then, and you can go to bed,” Maddie said.
“Maybe I will, if you’re sure you don’t mind missing a chapter in the book.”
Maddie put her arms around my neck. “I’m pretty tired myself,” she admitted.
She was out before I got to the door.
I had a couple more things to do before I called it a day.
I pushed Beverly’s number on speed dial.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” she said. “I just read the paper. That place where the body was found, isn’t it where you and Maddie went to pick up Linda?”
This was the first I heard that Maddie had told Beverly about our adventure, too. Wouldn’t you know—in spite of all the day trips, movies, museums, and kids’ programs I’d squeezed into my granddaughter’s visit, the late-night trip to a dilapidated phone booth was emerging as the highlight.
With all the fair activities, plus taking care of Maddie, the usual daily chats between Beverly and me had been curtailed. Now, tired as I was, I gave her the whole story, starting with the call from the pay phone and ending with her son’s visit to my house.
“We were right on the X,” I told Beverly.
A low whistle, then “Wow,” was her response.
“Yes, wow. I guess you could say we turned Linda in. She’s not going to be happy,” I said.
“Is she ever?”
“Thanks for pointing that out.” I blinked my eyes, trying to stay awake. Even in this stupor, I thought of another of Ken’s favorite Lincoln quotes: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Beverly continued. “Just to let you know, Maddie hasn’t heard anything specific about the murder. Needless to say, it was not the hot topic in Oakland. She may have forgotten about it.”
“You’re probably right. She was more interested in the jewelry-store theft that night that Skip got the call.”
“Kids have their own coping
“Not to worry, Aunt Gerry. I know this has been rough on you, too. I’ll do my best. For everyone.”
I knew he would.
I let Skip out and his mother and Maddie in at the same time. Not that I wasn’t glad to have them home, but I’d been hoping for at least a bit of quiet time, if not a full- fledged nap.
“Uncle Skip!” Maddie jumped up into his arms, not as easily as on her last visit, a few months ago. I noticed Skip reel a bit, and I wondered if it might be from the distinctive zoo smell I caught, as well as from the inches Maddie had grown.
Beverly gave her son a peck on the cheek. “I’m surprised to see you, dear,” she said.
“Gotta go,” Skip said, letting Maddie down gently and leaving the rest up to me. With any luck I wouldn’t have to share the fact that this was actually a professional house call by Skip.
“We brought dinner,” Maddie said, pointing to the sagging plastic bag in Beverly’s hand.
“It’s just deli, but I thought you might be too tired to cook,” Beverly said.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“Is everything okay with you, Grandma?” Maddie asked, sweet-smelling after a long bath in green bubbles.
Uh-oh . That was the trouble with smart kids. They’re all-over smart, not just in arithmetic and spelling. I wondered if Maddie had put it all together. She was, after all, a coconspirator in picking Linda up. I hadn’t had a chance to learn if Beverly had talked to Maddie about the murder. Dinner conversation had revolved around potbellied pigs, tortoises, lemurs, and whether we still had time this summer to arrange an overnight stay with the zoo’s special camping program (only if I didn’t have to chaperone).
“I’m just tired, sweetheart,” I told her now, and noticed her eyes already at half-mast. Thank you, Beverly, I said to myself, for wearing her out.
“Let’s skip reading tonight, then, and you can go to bed,” Maddie said.
“Maybe I will, if you’re sure you don’t mind missing a chapter in the book.”
Maddie put her arms around my neck. “I’m pretty tired myself,” she admitted.
She was out before I got to the door.
I had a couple more things to do before I called it a day.
I pushed Beverly’s number on speed dial.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” she said. “I just read the paper. That place where the body was found, isn’t it where you and Maddie went to pick up Linda?”
This was the first I heard that Maddie had told Beverly about our adventure, too. Wouldn’t you know—in spite of all the day trips, movies, museums, and kids’ programs I’d squeezed into my granddaughter’s visit, the late-night trip to a dilapidated phone booth was emerging as the highlight.
With all the fair activities, plus taking care of Maddie, the usual daily chats between Beverly and me had been curtailed. Now, tired as I was, I gave her the whole story, starting with the call from the pay phone and ending with her son’s visit to my house.
“We were right on the X,” I told Beverly.
A low whistle, then “Wow,” was her response.
“Yes, wow. I guess you could say we turned Linda in. She’s not going to be happy,” I said.
“Is she ever?”
“Thanks for pointing that out.” I blinked my eyes, trying to stay awake. Even in this stupor, I thought of another of Ken’s favorite Lincoln quotes: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Beverly continued. “Just to let you know, Maddie hasn’t heard anything specific about the murder. Needless to say, it was not the hot topic in Oakland. She may have forgotten about it.”
“You’re probably right. She was more interested in the jewelry-store theft that night that Skip got the call.”
“Kids have their own coping
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