Saving the Queen of Diamonds by Susan Schreyer

Author:Susan Schreyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, woman sleuth, romantic mystery, humorous mystery, northwest mystery
Publisher: Susan Schreyer

Chapter Fourteen

I didn’t need Paul’s shout to get me moving. The strange thumping noise, now inside the house, was enough to set me in motion. However, the sight I beheld slammed me to a stop.

In the middle of the hallway a furry, blond miniature horse in a pink halter skittered on the hardwood floor, her tiny hooves thumpity-tapping a fidgety beat. Her white-ringed brown eyes darted left, right, up and down, as if predators surrounded her and were ready to close in for the kill.

"You poor little girl," I crooned, easing closer and holding out my hand.

She whipped her head around, looked at me as if I were her last salvation and let loose a high-pitched, desperate whinny. Then she rushed at me, skidded into my legs and knocked me on my ass.

"Grab that pony!" Juliet flew through the front door, clipping Paul with her shoulder. He spun a quarter turn, tripped, but didn’t go down.

I rolled my eyes. I’d already taken hold of the pony’s halter and she was all but sitting in my lap. "Grabbing" would have been excessive. I cooed a series of "Easy, now" to the animal to calm her. Paul’s expression tipped from anger to astonishment and back, like someone who famously hated surprise parties and had just walked in on his own.

My sister’s chest heaved as she sucked lungfuls of air. Her hair streamed in all directions as if she was still running. Obviously, she needed a moment to be able to produce any additional speech, but the finger shaking and pissed-off expression didn’t need a caption.

"Nancy Sue, you are a bad girl," my sister panted out. "You are beyond lucky your aunt and uncle found you."

"Excuse me?" Paul said. "You own this pony?"

"Actually, I think she’s a miniature horse," I said, moving the little equine off me enough so I could get to my feet.

"Don’t let go of her," Juliet said. "Let me get the leash on her."

"Juliet! What the hell is this thing doing in my house?" Paul’s roar sent Nancy Sue skittering into me again, nearly knocking me over a second time.

"Paul, for God’s sake, stop shouting. And, Juliet, it’s a lead," I said, holding out my hand for it. "Dogs have leashes." Juliet passed me the pink nylon lead and I examined it with distaste. It was flat, narrow and decorated with darker pink stars and a loop at one end. The remains of a tiny broken clip hung from the other end. It was, indeed, a leash, and so delicate that, on a good day, it would have been challenged to restrain a Jack Russell terrier. "Why are you using a leash?" I tied it to her halter and patted the fluffy neck.

"It’s what Connie had. I’m just babysitting. Nancy Sue isn’t mine." She glared at Paul. "Connie was supposed to have been home last night, but she hasn’t come back from her date yet and I’m kind of worried."

"Only ‘kind of’ worried?" I asked.

"She’s with her boyfriend, not some stranger, so yeah, ‘kind of.

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