Ghosts of Past and Present (East House Mysteries Book 2) by Rachel Ford

Author:Rachel Ford [Ford, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One – Tennessee

Liz left shortly after we got Hercules back in the house. That proved a challenge in and of itself. Granted, my little man is, well, little. But he’s got the heart of a lion, and finding his yard trampled by the feet of many strangers sent him into a proper fury. Consequently, he refused to come when called, not even so much as glancing our way, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

He gave up the pretense when we wandered toward him, scampering off as quickly as his little legs could carry him.

In the end, Liz’s ingenuity won the day. “Come on Hercules. Let’s go get a treat.” She might as well have uttered a magical incantation.

Gone were any and all signs of hearing loss. He trotted to the door, as eager as could be. Outpacing the pair of us, he stood on the step, wagging his tail and scratching the door with his front paw to urge us to haste.

Once she’d given him the promised treat, she headed out. “See you tomorrow, Tennessee. And – I’m so happy everything worked out okay.”

Tim was next to go. He clasped my hand in his, and said, “I’m glad you’re alright, Tennee. And I’m glad Samantha’s no worse for it. As for me, well, I know better next time – if there’s a next time, God forbid. I’m calling 9-1-1, the moment I see anything.”

I nodded. “Good idea. Thank you, Tim.”

“Ack, no reason to thank me. Didn’t do nothing. You just take care of yourself, you hear? Lock that door, and bolt it too.”

“I will.”

“And the back. As a matter of fact, you should doublecheck the windows…” He was still running through a list of safety precautions he wanted me to take as he let himself out.

I sighed and turned to the kitchen, to drain what remained of the coffee and clean the pot. Even if it hadn’t been strong enough to float a battleship, I didn’t want to risk whatever sleep I might get by adding more caffeine to my system.

Not that sleep was anywhere in my immediate future. Even if I hadn’t planned to wait up for Dad and Samantha, Mom and Dave were wide awake. And once they saw the last of my guests leave, they wandered in.

“Thank God they’re gone,” Mom sighed, sinking into a highbacked barstool. “Not that I mind Liz. She’s nice enough, even if she does sound exactly like her mother.” She shuddered, and it struck me that mom and Liz were fairly close in age. Yet, they’d seemed to hardly know each other.

“You grew up together, right? Were you friends, or…?”

Mom shook her head. “We knew of each other, but she was almost ten years younger than me. We never hung out or anything.” She frowned. “Now that I think of it, I may have babysat for her once or twice. But it wouldn’t have been more than once or twice. I couldn’t stand working for Mrs. Darby.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, aside from the voice, she doesn’t remind me of Mrs.

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