Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier Page A

consulting the horoscopes. “You’ve got a five-star day.”
    â€œWhat’s mine?” asked Elizabeth, breezing into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee.
    â€œFour. It says, ‘Your adventurous nature can lead you in new and rewarding directions if you will trust yourself.’ ”
    â€œI think she’s been quite adventurous enough,” said Bill, draining his coffee and standing up.
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” demanded Elizabeth, who was always ready to defend herself.
    â€œYou know very well what I mean, young lady,” said Bill. “You’ve had your fling with this nudism but now it’s time to stop, especially considering your brother’s situation.”
    Elizabeth glared at him. “Are you saying I can’t sun myself because Toby got himself in trouble? That makes no sense at all!”
    â€œIt makes plenty of sense,” said Bill. “You’ve got to think about your reputation, and what your brother does affects that.”
    â€œWhat is this? A time warp?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “This isn’t the fifties, Dad.”
    â€œYour father has a point,” said Lucy. “This is a small town and people talk. They’re going to start wondering what’s going on with the Stone family.” She looked out the window towards the kennel, where Kudo was stretched out with his chin on his paws. “We all need to keep a low profile for a while, until we drop off people’s radar screens.”
    â€œThis is nuts,” said Elizabeth, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I’m out of here. At least they’re sane at the Queen Vic.” She paused at the door. “And don’t count on me for supper—I’ve got plans.”
    â€œWhat plans?” demanded Bill, but Elizabeth was out the door.
    â€œYou’ve got to do something about that girl,” he said, picking up his lunch cooler. “She’s out of control.”
    â€œRight. I’ll do what I can,” said Lucy, standing on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek. She stroked his arm. “Everything will be okay.”
    â€œI hope so,” he said.
    Lucy watched through the screen door as he trudged out to his truck, looking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She went back to the table and picked up the paper to check her horoscope—one star.

    Like many other mothers, Lucy had discovered that the time she spent chauffeuring the kids was a good time to broach difficult subjects, so she decided to tackle Zoe and Sara about their trespassing on the Pratts’ property when she drove them to day camp.
    â€œYou girls know better than to do something like that,” she said. “What were you thinking?”
    â€œMrs. Pratt’s mean,” said Zoe.
    â€œThe whole family is mean,” added Sara. “I’m glad Toby punched Wesley. And you know what? I bet if they hadn’t broken up the fight he would have beat up Wesley.”
    Lucy couldn’t believe her ears. “Sara! That’s no way to talk. What Toby did was very wrong. There’s no excuse for fighting. It doesn’t solve anything. It just causes more problems.”
    â€œWell, I don’t care,” said Sara, stubbornly. “If I’d been there I would’ve helped him.”
    â€œMe, too,” said Zoe.
    â€œWell, I understand that you love Toby, but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He made a big mistake and he’s going to have to pay for it.”
    â€œWill he go to jail, Mom?” Sara’s voice was very small.
    Lucy felt as if she’d been stabbed right in the heart. She pulled the car over and braked, turning so she could face both girls.
    â€œI wish I could tell you that won’t happen, but the truth is that there’s a possibility, a very tiny one, that he might be sent to jail.” She reached out and held their hands.