Wrong Side of the Claw by Leighann Dobbs

Author:Leighann Dobbs [Dobbs, Leighann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

16

An hour later, Pepper and I were knocking on the door to Brenda’s house. I had a bag of freshly baked chocolate chip scones in my hands while Pepper carried the quilted tote with all her tea supplies. She’d made a special batch of relaxation blend just for Brenda, hoping it might make the woman want to open up and share with us.

Our plan was to get Brenda to drink some of the tea to calm her, then I would excuse myself to use the bathroom and search for the lipstick. We didn’t want to ask her outright about it, because we didn’t want to upset her, just in case the lipstick wasn’t hers.

I raised my hand to knock a second time when the door suddenly opened.

Brenda looked surprised, her brown curls in disarray around her head. “Willa. Pepper. What are you doing here?”

“We thought we’d stop by and see how you’re doing,” Pepper said, giving the woman a kindly smile. “We brought tea and scones and thought we might have a nice visit.”

“Oh.” Brenda’s gaze darted from the tray in Pepper’s hands to the bag in mine. “Well, I guess that’s fine. Come in.”

We walked into her quaint two-story Cape Cod home, and the first thing I noticed was the abundance of knickknacks. Everything from figurines to spoons. Probably an occupational hazard, given the nature of Jack’s business. Even though he dealt in sports cards, I knew that it was hard to go to the auctions where cards were bought and not buy some of the other items. I’d done the same myself while waiting for a book lot to come up to the auction block.

We took a seat in the living room, before the crackling fire, and Brenda brought out plates and napkins for the scones while Pepper set everything out. Then we settled in for our conversation.

“How are you doing?” I asked, doing my best to convey my concern through my tone. “It must be hard, what you’re going through.”

“It is,” Brenda said, her hand shaking slightly as she sipped her tea. Gradually, the lines of stress on her face eased, though, and her stiff posture sagged. Score one for the relaxation tea. I glanced sideways at Pepper, and she smiled. Brenda sighed. “I’m still so upset about Jack’s death. I’m not eating. I’m not sleeping. It’s awful. Just awful.”

“I’m sure it is. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through.” Pepper reached over and placed her hand atop Brenda’s in her lap. “But that’s why we’re here. Anything you need to talk about, feel free.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, setting my tea aside. “But may I use your restroom?”

“Sure.” Brenda pointed down a nearby hall. “Second door on your right.”

“Thank you.” While they continued talking, I went to investigate. Once inside the bathroom, I locked the door behind me then turned on the faucet so Brenda wouldn’t hear me snooping. I checked the cabinets and the drawers for red lipstick but only found clear lip gloss. Darn. I flushed the toilet and washed my hands.

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