Two Tall Tails by Sofie Kelly Page A

looked at the old man leaning on his cane.
    Jason followed his gaze. “Then she did,” he said, pointing at me. “Or the woman across the street.”
    Tom gave a snort of derision. “Don’t be ridiculous. Sarah couldn’t climb up there. She’s been wearing that splint for the last two weeks.”
    I held out my left arm so the officer could see the bulky brace.
    â€œAnd if by the woman across the street, you mean Katie Burns, she’s seven months pregnant,” Rose said. “She couldn’t get up to that shelf any more than I could.”
    There was something else in the little fabric bag. Officer Sullivan shook a small pill bottle into his hand. It was an over-the-counter sleep aid.
    â€œThose are sleeping pills,” Tom said.
    We all turned to look at Jason.
    â€œThis is a freakin’ setup!” He looked at the officer. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He pointed at Tom, jabbing the air with his finger. “He did this and she helped him.”
    â€œAngie told me she felt sleepy before she fell down the stairs,” I said slowly.
    Jason was becoming more agitated. He raked a hand back through his hair. I wasn’t the only one who had noticed his behavior.
    â€œMr. Bates, I’d like you to come down to the station with me,” Officer Sullivan said. I noticed he didn’t say “please.”
    Katie had been watching from her yard. When the police cruiser drove away, she came over to join us. Tom explained what happened and she hugged him. I gave her the striped ball I’d been holding on to since it had rolled across the garage floor.
    â€œI don’t understand,” she said. “Why did he let the police look in the garage when that’s where he was hiding everything?”
    â€œArrogance,” Tom replied.
    â€œIt’s been more than one person’s downfall,” Rose added.
    Rose decided we needed a cake to celebrate and went home to start making one. Tom took Matilda and Molly to the park after he and I set a time to visit Amelia at the hospital that afternoon.
    â€œBetween the three of us, we can help her when she gets home,” Tom said.
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    I found Elvis perched on the veranda railing, eyeing the backyard like a king surveying his domain, when I got home at suppertime. I got the last sardine from the refrigerator for him and a piece of Rose’s celebratory cake—golden cake with strawberry filling and coconut frosting—for myself and joined him on the veranda. The cat eyed my plate, narrowing his green eyes as though he disapproved.
    â€œHey, I don’t criticize your dinner choices,” I said, gesturing at the half a sardine still on his plate.
    I heard a noise behind me and turned to see Rose standing in the doorway. “Hello, dear,” she said. “I thought that might be you. Would you like a cup of tea?”
    I licked a bit of strawberry filling from the back of my fork. “Please,” I said.
    â€œI’ll be right there.” She disappeared inside but was back in a minute with a cup of tea for me and one for herself. She handed me the cup and then took the chair beside me.
    â€œThis cake is incredible,” I said, gesturing with my fork.
    Rose smiled at me over her tea. “I’ll teach you how to make it.”
    Rose had been teaching me how to cook for months. After a lot of false starts and disasters, I was finally beginning to master some things. “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. I wasn’t sure I was ready to tackle something so elaborate, but it occurred to me that eating my mistakes could be fun.
    Before I started thinking about making cakes, there was something I needed to clear up. “Rose, how did those things end up in Angie’s garage?” I asked. “That was really stupid, even for Jason.”
    â€œWell, it was crystal clear to the police that Tom couldn’t have planted