Judy Alter - Kelly O'Connell 01 - Skeleton in a Dead Space by Judy Alter

Author:Judy Alter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Real Estate Agent - Fort Worth
ISBN: 0013621033
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Published: 2011-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Mike brought the perfect dinner for the girls—soft drinks, hot dogs, potato chips, pickles, and ice cream. He even brought paper plates, grinning as he said, “I didn’t want you to have to work too hard.”

“Mike, the mind reader,” I said. He really is something else, I told myself. But I wasn’t ready to say that to him aloud. Instead, I said, “I really worked hard today, getting things ready for the garage sale. I think I’ve got a handle on it.”

“Still need me to move furniture?”

“If you can, I’ll be grateful. Theresa and I couldn’t possibly get that sofa and the huge chairs outside. Let’s just pray for a warm, clear day.”

We ate in the kitchen, and Theresa joined us, seeming to enjoy herself and blushing when Mike asked her about boyfriends. “I haven’t met anyone my dad approves of,” she said. Then, to my surprise, she added, “I think maybe he’s right.”

“Probably is,” Mike said. “Pretty girl like you must have guys swarming around.” Then she really blushed to the roots of her hair.

“I think Joe has a crush on her,” Maggie announced.

Just as Mike asked, “Who’s Joe?” Theresa said rather sternly, “He does not. Just hush, Maggie,” and Maggie subsided, her feelings hurt. Theresa saw that she’d hurt the child and came around the kitchen island to hug her. “I’m sorry, Maggie. Joe’s a sensitive subject.” She ruffled Maggie’s hair, and within minutes Maggie was back to her happy self.

After supper, it took three minutes to clean up—mostly rinsing disposable plates and putting them in the recycle bin, although I did say I’d clean the grill later. We all went outside to enjoy one of the last of fall’s mild evenings.

“Daylight savings ends in a week,” Mike said. “We better play ball while we can still see.” So he threw the ball for the girls—Maggie was pretty good at catching it, but Em let it bounce on the ground and ran squealing after it. Theresa proved to be really good at throwing it back to Mike, who whistled and said, “You got some arm, Theresa. You ever play baseball?”

She laughed. “Just T-ball when I was little. I’m not much interested in sports.”

Sitting on the sidelines, watching, I wondered what Theresa was indeed interested in. I had yet to see the rebellious girl Anthony described, and if she was in love with Joe, she hid it well. For all I could tell, she was a happy teenager and a sweet girl, albeit with more knowledge of “punks” than I had.

Mike left early, feigning exhaustion from the ball game, and I read to the girls until they went to sleep. Theresa disappeared to her room, but not before she said, “Thank you, Miss Kelly. I had a good time tonight.”

****

Sunday loomed as a long day. The girls and Theresa were gone with Tim, I’d done everything I could for the garage sale, I’d sworn off digging into Marie Winton’s mystery—I was at loose ends, not something that happened often in my busy life.

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