Final Exam by Carol J. Perry

Author:Carol J. Perry
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-12-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

I started over, beginning with the morning when Francine and I had taken a tip from an unreliable source and found a couple of police divers searching for something underwater in an abandoned granite pit. From there on the words just flowed. I realized that I wasn’t coming to any profound conclusions, but at least things were assuming some sort of order.

My phone buzzed and I was surprised to see that it was already ten thirty. Caller ID announced Pete. “Hi,” I said.

“Hi, yourself. I’m just about to pass Russ Treadwell’s ice cream stand. How does a hot fudge sundae sound?”

“Sounds exactly right! You’re out late. Working?”

“Old guys’ league hockey practice. I’ll be aching tomorrow, but it was fun tonight.”

“Shall I get the liniment out?”

“No thanks. Ice cream and coffee will do the trick. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No,” I said. “I’m trying to make sense out of all the notes I’ve made since this car in a granite pit thing started.”

“Welcome to the club. So’s most of the department. How’re you doing with it?” I heard another voice in the background. “Wait a minute. I’ll ask her. Do you want nuts and whipped cream?”

“Yes. And a cherry. I haven’t come to any conclusions. I keep making connections to Aunt Ibby’s classmates though.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I’ll be along in a few minutes.”

“Okay. We can talk about it then.”

I sent the manuscript to my printer, put the laptop away, gave the tabletop another swipe with a paper towel, and started the coffee. I turned on the TV, too, hoping Buck Covington would show a photo of the mysterious broken heart on his eleven o’clock broadcast. Pete must know something about that by now. Maybe he’d fill me in on what—if anything—it meant to the investigation. Maybe they’d even found some more of the broken pieces of it.

O’Ryan gave a long stretch—front paws forward, back paws aft, full length—with a big pink-tongued yawn, and stepped down from the windowsill onto a chair—then to the floor, and strolled toward the living room. Pete must be on his way, probably just turning onto Oliver Street. When he got a little closer, the cat would exit the cat door and head downstairs to greet him on the back steps. I’d have a couple of minutes to check my appearance in the oval full-length mirror in my bedroom.

Sweats looked okay and a long pink chiffon scarf kept my hair reasonably neat. I reached for the tube of pink gloss on the bureau, then turned back toward my reflection. But the person in the mirror was no longer me. She looked quite a bit like me—but younger, with red hair a lot like mine. It could be Aunt Ibby, or maybe my mother. She wore a long dress—surely a prom gown—white, full skirted, strapless. There was an orchid corsage on her wrist. Boom. Pete’s key turned in the lock. The girl was gone and I was back.

“Better eat this before it melts, babe!” Pete was in

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