“You didn’t worry about someone following drops of blood?” asked one of her friends.
“Most of my injuries were internal. The only place that I bled was on my head, and most of that was caught in my hair. For the next few days, I would come to and try to get up, but the pain all over my body was so excruciating that I would pass out again. I had no concept of time passing. I didn’t know if it was day or night. One time, I thought I heard voices. I was determined to get help. I was finally able to get up on my one good leg without passing out. That was the day I limped to Natasha’s house in the dark. By the time I made it through her gate, I was too weak to continue. I collapsed and just lay there in her grass, hoping she would see me.”
“I don’t understand. Why were you so afraid of Fred at that point?” asked her friend.
“He had followed me! I didn’t know what he had in mind. I only knew that Mia had killed Abby and tried to kill me, too. I didn’t know who to trust, other than Natasha, a sister I had never met.”
Tears streamed down Natasha’s face. She hugged Charlene and Griselda. A few minutes later, Natasha sidled up to me. “I probably won’t see as much of you now that I have a sister. But I’m always here for you if you need me.”
“Thank you, Natasha. I’m here for you, too.” I embraced her in a big hug. “I’m so relieved that Charlene survived.”
I had a feeling there would be a lot of adjustments ahead. And a lot of arguing. But that went along with being sisters. I suspected I might end up hearing more from Natasha than she expected.
Bernie and Mars caught my eye. Bernie cocked his head to the side, and I knew we needed to leave for the Laughing Hound. Bernie and I snuck away, leaving Mars to coax Natasha to the restaurant.
Chapter 37
Dear Natasha,
I was devastated when I heard your show would be taken over by a new host. I watch you every day. No one is more elegant or classy. Could you do some shows on how to dress? I know it’s not a domestic diva thing, but your wardrobe is to die for!
Plain Old Milly in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia
Dear Plain Old Milly,
If the show continues, I will certainly do that. What fun!
Natasha
The Laughing Hound was packed. “Who knew Natasha had so many fans?” I asked Bernie.
Across one wall, a huge banner said SAVE LIVE WITH NATASHA!
I could see people taking selfies, and someone yelled, “We’re trending!”
“Bernie, you outdid yourself.”
He just smiled.
A chant went up. “Natasha! Natasha! Natasha!”
Mars timed it perfectly. Natasha walked into the restaurant and broke into sobs. She walked among her fans, hugging them and posing for selfies. She was in her element.
Bernie handed her a microphone, and she stepped onto a podium he had set up.
Everyone applauded. There were more cheers of “Natasha!”
“Thank you. Thank you each and every one. I love you all. I can’t believe that you have gathered here today for me! I’m having a serious Sally Field moment right now. You like me!”
Someone yelled, “We love you!”
Natasha clasped her free hand to her chest. “This is truly the best day of my life.”
A gentleman I had never seen before walked up to the podium, and Natasha’s smile faded. Covering the microphone, she said, “Please don’t ruin this for me, Jack.”
Jack joined her on the podium. He reached for the microphone. “May I?”
Natasha handed it to him, but she didn’t look happy about it.
The voices faded, and the room became silent.
“This week has been an interesting one for us at the TV station. We have received thousands of letters and e-mails regarding Natasha’s show. Frankly, I have read enough tweets to last me a lifetime. In light of the public support for Live with Natasha! We have decided to continue the show.”
Confetti rained from the ceiling while helium balloons rose from the floor. It looked like a New Year’s Eve celebration. The cheers nearly drowned out Natasha’s thanks.
I gazed at Bernie. “I believe you might like Natasha after all.”
“She can grow on a person,” he said.
Instead of hugging Natasha, I hugged Bernie.
Jack stepped down and let Natasha enjoy the limelight.
“Excuse me,” I said. “What will happen to Tilly’s show?”
He looked surprised. “I didn’t know word was out about that yet. Not to worry, I think there’s room for two domestic divas in this town.”
I didn’t tell him there were a whole lot more than two.
I left the restaurant and ran into Wolf.
“What’s going on in there?” he asked.
I explained what had happened.
“Bernie to the rescue,” said Wolf. “He’s a good guy.”
“I wanted to talk with you. Have you got a minute?”
Wolf grinned. “I figured you would want a few more answers.”
“I know Fred released Abby’s cat and threw his collar in the tree. But I don’t know why he threw the collar.”
“I asked him about that. He said if people saw the cat with a collar on, they would assume the cat had a home and that the cat would go back. But Abby was dead. So he reasoned not having a collar would increase Oscar’s chances of being taken in by someone, and he threw it in the air.”
“What about the suitcase?”
“He thought he should clean up the place. If nothing else, to buy time. So he hid the bodies and threw the suitcase, computer, and telephone in the river. He didn’t know what had transpired or why Mia was intent on killing Charlene. And yes, he stole the bags of lime and poured them over Abby’s body to keep it from smelling bad. Anything else?”
“Not today.”
“See you around, Sophie.”
I walked home slowly, considering all the things that had happened. As I approached my house, I saw someone sitting on my stoop. Not a reporter! I thought they all left.
It was Schuyler. “Hi, Sophie! I was just about to leave. I wanted you to know that I’m Peyton, which is kind of a cool name. My dad says I can change it if I want to. But I think I might keep Hendrickson. That way, my name will reflect both of my families.”
She was taking this way too well. “Peyton Hendrickson. I like it!”
“Mars told me how you unraveled the code that Abby wrote in the recipe book. I wanted to thank you. It’s sort of weird to imagine so many people looking for me, and looking out for Peyton, a kid they didn’t even know. The shrink says I might have some dark days ahead as everything sinks in. But I think I have so much to be grateful for. Maybe Mia kidnapped me and took me from my real family, but she gave me my dad. And obsessive as she was, she took good care of me. And now I get to have two families. Next week, Dad and I are flying to Milwaukee to meet my birth parents.”
“How do you feel about that?” I asked.
“Scared and excited at the same time. They have a room for me! My real mom said every time I had a birthday, and every Christmas, they bought me presents. They’re all in my room waiting for me.”
“That shows how much they love you. They hoped you would come back to them.”