Lichenwald by Ellen King Rice

Author:Ellen King Rice [Rice, Ellen King]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ellen King Rice
Published: 2019-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Your dogs should be raised like you raise your children.”

Inuit Saying

Chapter Twenty-One

Laurel surveyed the row of battered rhododendrons bordering Zinnie’s driveway. The bushes should survive after the splintered branches were trimmed away. Meanwhile, the formerly handsome rhododendrons had the crushed look of a post-wildebeest-migration.

She mourned the bushes as she parked behind Zinnie’s station wagon and strode up the driveway. Allie’s text indicated there were bigger problems than smashed shrubbery. Laurel jogged up the steps and walked into the kitchen without knocking, feeling instinctively at home. She felt a wave of protectiveness as she saw Zinnie at the kitchen table with Allie and Marvin.

“How bad is it?” Laurel asked, stooping to give Biscuit a pat. The little Cocker Spaniel peered up at her and responded with a happy wiggle.

“My credit card is maxed out. The card’s been canceled, and the purchases ruled as fraud,” Zinnie said. “The thief bought four upscale laptops and had them delivered to a drop box. I called the police, and they said it wasn’t worth their time to surveil the drop box because, almost certainly, the pickup has happened.”

“We’re having coffee and planning a response.” Marvin said. “Want some java?”

“I can get it.” Laurel poured a cup and helped herself to milk from the refrigerator, again surprising herself at her comfort in moving about Zinnie’s house. How odd that self-service made her feel this way. Laurel tucked the thought away as she sat down at the table, next to Allie.

“There’s more,” Zinnie wearily rubbed her eyes. “A pair of large amethyst geodes are missing from the mantelpiece.”

“That was a stupid move for her,” Allie said. “You noticed them missing right away.”

“We’re not absolutely sure it’s May Belle,” Zinnie countered. “My door locks don’t really lock. Maybe it’s a stranger.”

“It’s May Belle,” Allie’s eyebrows came together in an angry chevron.

“You’ve made your point,” Marvin set his coffee cup down. “Let’s bring Laurel up to date.”

“May Belle has an eyeglass case in her van,” Allie said. “The monogram is a ‘K’.”

“You were in her car?” Laurel sat back in the kitchen chair. “Did you look at the registration papers?”

“No. She caught me. There were papers in the . . .” Allie pantomimed opening a drawer.”

“The glovebox.”

“Yes. There were papers, but I did not get a chance to read them. Can you look up someone with the last name starting with ‘K’ who drives a silver van?”

Laurel shook her head. “It’s not enough to go on.”

“We can get back into the car,” Allie began.

Her father cut her off. “No way. That’s a vehicle prowl, and it’s illegal. Let’s try to keep ourselves on the right side of the law here.” Marvin turned to Zinnie. “You could still replace your door locks. I can help. It may not stop this thief, but it might stop the next one.”

“Don’t give May Belle a new key!” Allie said.

“Can’t do it,” Laurel said. “A landlord can’t lock a tenant out.” She told Allie about her father’s advice. “The landlord can’t do anything to create a hostile environment.

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