A Crafty Killing by London Lovett

Author:London Lovett [Lovett, London]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wild Fox Press

Chapter 19

Now that the Prudence cat was out of the proverbial bag, my contractors were back to making themselves quite at home in my kitchen. The smell of bacon met me as I headed down the hallway. Henry had helped himself to the package of bacon. He stood at the stove in his work overalls and cap, waiting for the strips to reach the perfect sizzle.

"Hey, Sunni," Henry called from his sentry position as bacon monitor.

Ursula set about pouring cream into her coffee with intense concentration as if she was about to do brain surgery. She seemed hesitant about greeting me, so she wasn't entirely at home yet. I'd let her off easy for a day, but I decided to ask a few questions.

I started off easy with a cheery greeting. "Morning, Ursula. Is that a new pair of overalls?"

She stirred her cream gently and finally looked up at me. "Yes, they've got a few extra pockets. You can never have too many pockets in my business." Her chirpy tone reminded me of the sickly sweet smile she'd attempted on the morning when she insisted nothing was wrong as long as her aunt taking over the newspaper couldn't be counted as a bad thing.

"Now she spends fifteen minutes looking for her tape measure instead of the usual ten," Henry quipped as he lifted a strip of crisp bacon from the pan.

"Oh shush. And who told you to cook up that bacon. You could at least ask," Ursula reprimanded as she returned the carton of cream she'd just opened to the fridge.

"That reminds me, Sunni." Henry sat at the table with his six slices of bacon. Not exactly a breakfast filled with nutrients. "The window installers need to set up some scaffolding at the back of the house. They'll be here in an hour."

I walked over to the coffee pot. Ursula had already brewed a pot which saved me the trouble. I sat at the table with Henry. Ursula was a little too uncomfortable to sit for a conversation, but I started one anyhow.

"So your Aunt Prudence found an investment for her money." I tossed it out and an awkward silence followed. Even Henry's crunching stopped. He at least had the courage to look at me. Ursula was back to stirring her coffee with great concentration.

"I told you she was going to be upset," Henry said. "I wanted to warn you but ole Chicken Little in the multi-pocketed overalls was too scared."

"I'm not upset, however I would have loved a heads up." I turned to Ursula who looked like a little girl in her oversized overalls, cradling her coffee cup like it was precious. "What I really want to know is did she do this just to spite me? Was it because she wanted to invest in the inn and I said no? She has no newspaper experience. It's hardly a business venture that will make money."

Henry cleared his throat. He realized he was going to have to do the talking, a rarity for this sibling team.

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