Cat Crimes Takes a Vacation by Martin H Greenberg & Ed Gorman

Author:Martin H Greenberg & Ed Gorman [Greenberg, Martin H & Gorman, Ed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1556114443
Publisher: Donald I. Fine, Inc.
Published: 1995-11-30T21:00:00+00:00

“Everybody takes a turn,” said Ramsay Spence. He was propped in a deck chair beside the pool but facing away from it. “God knows I’ve done my share of service as the wayward grandson.” He didn’t look at David or Emily, but kept staring at the clouds beyond the ship’s rail as he sipped his drink. His eyes were glazed.

“It’s one thing to be on the outs with Grandad for not living up to his expectations, whatever they happen to be this year,” Emily said. “It’s far worse to be accused of something we didn’t do.”

Something we didn’t do. David was grateful that she put it that way.

In the pool behind Ramsay, his wife was trying to settle a dispute between their four-and five-year-old sons while balancing the toddler on her hip. The boys clutched either end of a toy boat.

“Is it possible,” David suggested, “that one of the kids grabbed the watch while it was there on the table?”

The five-year-old pulled the boat out of his brother’s hands. The younger boy socked him, and then they both started to howl.

Ramsay still stared at the clouds. “Sure, it’s possible. It’s possible that the old man dropped the watch into a different pocket. It’s possible that Sandy pocketed the watch—he was the one who asked to see it in the first place, right? But it doesn’t matter.”

Ramsay’s wife set her daughter down to better deal with the boys, but then the toddler started to cry too, and the boys wailed all the louder.

“What matters,” Ramsay continued, a little louder than before, “is that Grandad’s decided that you’re the rotten apples this year. That won’t change if the watch turns up.” He turned his head slightly. “Lynn, can’t you get them to shut up?”

Lynn Spence grabbed the squalling toddler under the arms, swung her up, and brought her to Ramsay. “She’s all yours. The boys and I are going back to the cabin.”

“Jeez,” Ramsay said. He drained his glass, then set it down and started to bounce his daughter on his knee. It only made her cry louder, but he didn’t seem to notice. He looked at Emily and smirked. “The economic urge. This is what I get for trying to be good.”

On their way to find Candace, David said, “The economic urge? What was that about?”

“You haven’t heard Grandad’s story about the economic urge?”

David shook his head.

“Grandad graduated with his engineering degree during the Depression. My Dad was a year old, and my Gram was pregnant with my uncle. When Grandad asked for work at a construction company in Denver, they told him they didn’t have any engineering openings, but he could have a job as a hod carrier.”

“What’s a hod carrier?”

“The bottom man at a construction site. He carries bricks and mortar all day. Backbreaking work. Grandad took the job because he had mouths to feed. The site foreman just about worked him into the ground. Then the company called him back into the office and said that they did, in fact, need an engineer.

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