2 Maid in the Shade (5 page)

T
hey looked at me speculatively.

“You don’t
seem to have a real high opinion of men,” Jared said flatly.

“Au Contraire, I’m wild about men, except the ones that assault me, harass me or attach themselves to me like I owe them money. I think my prejudices aren’t discriminatory. I like to think positively about people, let’s just say I’m rarely shocked anymore.”

“Understandable,” Lucy looked at me with the closest thing to sympathy she could muster up against the sharp glance I gave her
.

I continued,
“I’m not saying I think Anita is capable of anything nefarious. She seems to like her independence and her privacy. Many rehabbers are disenchanted with humanity and prefer the company of animals to relationships with people. But I wouldn’t characterize Anita exactly that way,” I hastily amended. “A lot of them tend to be a little curt with people, but they would give CPR to a field mouse. That was just a very general observation.”

A
nyway, this is exciting as all get out, but when do I find out if I am hostage, I mean hostess, to you both?”

J
ared looked from me to Lucy before speaking up, “They fast-tracked it, but now they’re looking for toxins and viral causes. We could have an answer in hours or days. But we aren't quarantined yet.”

I stood up,
“I have to grab that muskrat. I'm assuming until they decide what killed Mae no one is allowed inside?”

“It's locked,” Jared said flatly, “and taped off.”

“So we break in,” I grinned “she had those older doors, probably an easy lock to open as long as there’s no deadbolt on at least one of them. If we get caught, you say you saw my car and came in to arrest us.”

L
ucy drummed her boots on the floor in excitement, “So I can come? If they call in and quarantine us I don't want to be alone. And, if we go to jail that will be more fun for you with me along.” She winked, “See how I always put you first?”

J
ared grimaced and stood up. “Who's driving?”

“Shouldn’t you take your own car in case we do get caught
?” I asked.

“Nah
, might as well go together; like they say “go big or go home.”

“I bet Gretchen would love to watch you going big,”
Lucy winked.

Jared chuckled, “She’s been given ample opportunity.”

“Hey.” I said heading for the door as they followed, “Stop talking about me like I’m not here, although at the moment I’d give a lot to be elsewhere.”

“Then lucky for you we are on our way elsewhere,” Jared said, and one of them popped me on the fanny.

I whipped around and they each gave me wide-eyed stares of innocence.

Then Lucy laughed, “It was me, you know I can’t resist that glorious rear end of yours.”

“Hmmm,” I said, “now I’m sure it was Jared, you never cop to anything you can get away with.”

M
inutes later we slipped into Mae's the back way, easily popping the lock with a credit card.

“You have a real peculiar set of skills,” Lucy said, “
Jared; doesn’t it just make you wonder what else Gretchen can do?” Before he could answer I grabbed her shoulders and steered her over the threshold. “I lose my keys a lot,” I said by way of explanation. “That’s why I keep one in the boot, remember?”

Once we were inside
Jared and Lucy began milling around carefully. I walked over to the kitchen office and pressed a button on the keyboard with a pen I found lying on the built-in desk.

“Oops!”
I said, and Jared glared at me and then rolled his eyes. The screen came to life with Mae's title page: I scrolled down to the dedication “To Bill, the only proof I need that soul mates exist.”

I
hurriedly scanned through the pages until I found a stone stew recipe and flipped back some more to catch the chapter name: “Cautionary Cuisine.” This section was about the edible plants with poisonous twins, such as mushrooms, wild carrots and berries; and how to detect the safe ones and cook them if you want to take the risk.

J
ared cleared his throat impatiently as I skimmed over the recipes then headed into the garage. There was the muskrat, looking no worse for wear, caged in a far corner of the room.

I
picked up his crate, carrying it through the house and depositing it on the back porch. Rejecting Jared’s tepid offer of help, I looked the animal over carefully without touching him and lugged the cage out to the wetland behind Mae's home.

W
hen I got there the little varmint rushed into the water as soon as I opened the door.

This was a great habitat for him I thought,
scanning the area. After making sure he seemed acclimated, I carried the cage back to the driveway to load up for Anita, and then remembered I had left my own carrier the day before when I came for the owl.

W
hen I came back in, Lucy popped out from the kitchen.

“Don't move.” she said firmly.

I gaped at her in puzzlement.

“
Your shoes, you're carrying red clay in.”

“Ah! You're right, wonder where I picked that up
?”

R
emembering the mixture of dark soil and red clay in Mae's sink, I backed out. “Hold on a second.”

I
raced back to the wetland and looked around the area where I had just released the muskrat. Sure enough, someone had recently dug up a plant close to where I had been standing. I walked over to Mae's composter and looked inside, turning the ingredients over with the handle. I studied it hard for a moment then returned to Mae's.

A
fter I removed my shoes I stepped back in and said to Jared. “Done, just let me look at one thing.” I walked over and peered into the kitchen trash can which was empty save for a liner. Then I fetched my shoes, passed into the garage and picked up my carrier on the way to the car.

I
was grateful that Jared dropped Lucy at her own house and she went without complaint. “Three’s a crowd” she said winking, “unless you happen to be in France or one of the more enlightened neighborhoods around here.”

I
rolled my eyes but Jared responded tersely. “Two’s a crowd apparently in some parts of SkyHaven.” As soon as we got to my place he jumped out of Bessless with an abrupt goodbye and headed straight for his truck. Now that was a bit of a surprise; no risqué sparring or attempts to negotiate a date or even that kiss? Maybe he was giving up, I thought dejectedly, then tried to remind myself this was exactly what I had wanted him to do.

A
s soon as I got through the door, I let Mosey out back and watched him loiter around the hedges while I thought about Mae.

O
n an impulse I called Anita under the pretext of updating her on the muskrat. “One more thing,” I said, “Some people saw you arguing with Bill at the Oasis, what was that about?”

“No harm in telling now, I suppose, Bill and I come from the same hometown, I was insisting he tell Mae that he was
married before; he was afraid she would dump him because he hadn’t been more forthcoming from the start about it. It was awkward, but I thought he owed Mae the truth.”

“Oh
, small world, but you should probably call Sheriff Hensley about that then, rumors are flying.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” she said seriously, “I moved here to get away from all that and get a fresh start.”

“Isn’t a weird coincidence that Bill is here now too?”

“Might be if I had moved here from
Wyoming, but I’ve always lived in North Carolina, so not really that interesting no,” she said firmly.

S
he sounded aggrieved and I didn’t want to end the conversation on that note. “I for one am very glad you came here for a fresh start,” I said, “because of you I got one myself.”

“Well, let’s just hope that plan doesn’t backfire on either of us,” she said
gloomily and then rang off.

O
nce Mosey returned I gave him a quick treat and a hug before I checked voicemail. I had a message for a job in Charlotte for a hotel where there had been a suicide. It was an ASAP cleanup, so I decided I might as well get it done now and left a message with the front desk accepting the job. The pending assignment I had planned for later today was an estate for heirs and not as time sensitive.

I
made sure Mosey had plenty of food and fresh water before I started checking my supplies.

M
osey should actually have ended up elsewhere after they found him to be increasingly ineffective as a cadaver dog, but he had done a bang-up job for me on that score lately. A better person probably would have returned him. He had just needed a respite from the constant carnage. But Mosey is my miracle dog; I would definitely count his appearance in my life as a rescue. Mosey is in sync with my moods, knowing when I am slammed with work I will make it up to him, sensing when I am sad and pushing up against me to snap me out of it. He has so much empathy I am surprised experienced handlers didn’t seen he merely needed more time between tasks.

S
till, he came to me by way of a partner in my old firm, Dallas who, under his crusty exterior had more empathy himself than his terrified underlings would suspect. I'm still amazed at how much pull he had in bypassing the wait list for these well trained dogs. It possibly also helped that I’m a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer. People automatically infer a great deal about my own character from that work.

I
suppose my character is somewhat tarnished by not turning Mosey back over, but somehow, my recovery and Mosey’s were entwined. I like to think we’ve been responsible for each other’s ability to heal. More experienced eyes than mine had proclaimed him unfit. I wouldn’t second guess them any more than I would second guess my old firm Micheaux for firing me.

I
checked my billfold for cash for parking and tipping downtown and gathered my gear. When I picked up the gloves a thought was nagging at me, but the thread of it snapped when my cell rang.

I
t was Jared and he seemed to have recovered from his bad mood. “Since you were curious I thought I’d let you know, Herb said he was surprised the divorce decree wasn't filed and that he didn’t really know how these things work. He just assumed when she told him she was going last time it was all in process by now and he would get it delivered for him to sign any day now. He stopped by the department to see where things stood. Since he came in on his own I was able to share that much.

He
rb asked when he could get inside but he wanted your number first. He seemed pretty squeamish about going there before you clean it. Evidently the publishers aren't as impressed with the dead as they are with deadlines though and that book is due. Herb said they were co-authoring it and he's already been in touch with them.”

“
Mae was still family to Herb.” I said, “He’s bound to be grieving. Has anyone been by with supper for him?”

“Not so I noticed, but you know this town, people are pretty quick to take food over if you
get a bad haircut. They’re probably more concerned with Bill. What's the sudden fascination with Herb?”

“I just feel sorry for him. He d
oesn’t seem to have a lot of friends. If you want to officially go in there you can get a copy of the book today or I can get it when he leaves me a key to clean the place. I'll take him a pie along with the book.”

“Huh,” Jared said, “You signing my next paycheck? And I’ve heard about your kitchen skills; hasn’t the man been through enough already
?”

“I’m heading to
Charlotte,” I said indignantly “for a job. But I was planning to buy him a Diva Mama chicken pie for him this week. Besides, your attitude is kind of chauvinistic don’t you think? I bring home my bacon, who says it can’t be take-out?”

“
Nobody,” he said hastily, “I can’t help it if it’s still considered to be a boon for a woman to cook well, any more than being handy around the house or with cars is kind of on the wish list women have for guys. Women always assume guys know how to change a flat right? Well, most men just have an expectation that a woman ought to be pretty and sweet or a good cook. You only have one out of three in that group but the one kind of makes up for the rest.”

I believe that’s the worst compliment I’ve ever had.”

“There is an exception, if you’re good in some other room in the house for example,” his voice had a leer in it designed to make me laugh.

He
hung up quickly before I could think of a retort and if my heart was drumming a little quickly, well, it had been a very long time since I had been in a relationship. We aren’t talking months here either. It was no wonder Jared was beginning to grow on me. But I was still annoyed with myself over
my disappointment when he hadn’t stuck around earlier to chat.

I
started getting ready to head uptown. Lucy had recently convinced me to have new coveralls made by her tailor and sat there barking out instructions to poor Mr. Lee while I was being fitted. They were periwinkle blue and fit like a second skin. With that change my wardrobe was suddenly limited to stretchy V-necks and close-fitting pants or jeans.