He took them from her, sniffed them. “When they’re ripe like this, you have to keep them in the fridge to stop them from getting too ripe. Yet it really cuts back on the aroma.” He turned and inspected them. “They look perfect.”
“Good,” she replied. “One for you and one for me.” He looked down at them, then at her. She raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“So did you buy one for me, or are you just willing to share?”
She stared at him. “I think I bought one for you. I was thinking that two peaches would be perfect for either an afternoon snack or for after one meal together. But I wasn’t thinking of it as a dessert.”
“Well, I’m thrilled. It’s not that I need you to buy meals or food for me,” he explained, “but it is nice to know that you thought of me.”
“So you could return this favor,” she teased, chuckling. “How about you tell me about the Poison in the Pansies case.”
“And how about not?” He held up his peach and took a big bite. Juice ran down his chin everywhere. He snatched a napkin from the table and wiped his chin. “These are perfect.”
She ate hers much more delicately, using her knife to cut it. And by the time they were both done, she added, “You’re right. That was perfect.”
He looked down at his watch, groaned. “And I have to go.”
“Seriously?” She looked over at him, crestfallen.
He smiled. “Well, I’ll take it to heart that you’ll miss me.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Somewhere.” He grinned. And, with that, he added, “I hate to eat and run.”
She waved a hand. “Go ahead. I’ll look after the dishes. You cooked.”
And, with that, he gave each of the animals a cuddle, and then he was gone.
She sat here for a long moment, pondering why he would run back to work at such a late hour. Maybe something about another poisoning? And, boy, did Doreen know who she could ask.
She picked up the phone, called Nan. “Mack’s back out to another meeting, job, crime scene, I don’t know what. Have you heard anything about a poisoning down there?”
Nan’s voice was super-excited as she replied, “Oh my. After you left,” she cried out, “I went to Richie, and Richie went over to Annie, and Annie went over to Laura. And, boy, oh boy, we have somebody who knows the man who died.”
She bolted upright. So, yes, she should be upset that Nan couldn’t keep a secret, as asked. Yet Doreen wanted to know what Nan had found out. “Tell me. Tell me.”
Nan replied in a smug voice, “Nope. It’ll have to wait until morning.”
“Why?” Doreen cried out.
“Because I’m heading off to my salsa lesson.”
Doreen stopped and stared down at her phone. “What?”
“We’ll talk in the morning, dear.” And, with that, Nan hung up.
Chapter 3
Tuesday Morning
The next morning, Doreen, coffee at her side, was on the internet, looking for any information about the poisoning in town. When her phone rang, she smiled at her Caller ID screen and answered, “Hey, Nan. How are you?”
“I’m fine, a little tired. That salsa last night was deadly.”
“I can’t believe that you’re taking dancing lessons.”
“Why not?” she asked. “It’s good exercise, and it’s lots of fun. The men are seriously active here.” She laughed. “At least this way I have fun.”
Doreen didn’t even want to think about what her grandmother had just said. “So now are you prepared to tell me about the information you found out last night?” she asked, with exaggerated patience.
“Uh-oh,” Nan replied. “And I guess that one upset you. Did it?”
“Well, of course. I’ve been sitting here the whole night, trying to figure out just what it was that you’d found out,” she whined. “There’s nothing like not knowing.”
“Why don’t you come down and have breakfast?” Nan offered. “I’ve got fresh croissants here.”
Doreen’s stomach rumbled.
Nan laughed. “I heard that. Even over the phone. Come on down.” And, with that, she hung up.
Doreen stared down at her phone. So many people were hanging up on her these days. She almost expected it now. She tossed back the last of her coffee and turned to the animals gathered in the kitchen. “Let’s go down to Nan’s, guys.”
Immediately Thaddeus woke up from the living room roost and cried out, “Nan’s, Nan’s, Nan’s.”
Mugs was already dancing at the back door and even Goliath regally stood there, waiting for her. She opened the door, let them all out, and then followed behind them, as they walked toward the river. Mugs raced ahead, and she called him back with a warning. “Stay close,” she said.
But he wasn’t having anything to do with it. They were heading to see Nan, and Mugs knew exactly where they were going. Doreen was hard-pressed to keep up. Even Goliath appeared to be in a hurry. Doreen groaned. “It’s almost like you guys know that we have a new case.”
At that, Mugs woofed several times, and Thaddeus cried out, from his perch on her shoulder, “Off to Nan’s. Off to Nan’s.”
Wow. He’d strung those words together all on his own. She twisted her head to look at him. “Hey, buddy,” she asked, “how are you so adept at talking now?”
Thaddeus chuckled at her shoulder. Not only was he adept but getting better at talking on a regular basis too. Which she found pretty amazing, considering the limited number of people that her animals interacted with.
Before she realized it, they were already turning the corner and heading toward Nan’s patio. Mugs picked up the pace, with Goliath at his side, as they both raced toward Nan, who stood on her patio, looking for them. She clapped her hands and cried out in joy. And Mugs ran right toward her.
Doreen reached them, breathing hard, and coming in second in this impromptu race. “They were just insane this morning,” she told Nan. “It’s almost as if they know you’ve got information.”
“Of course they know,” she replied comfortably, as she cuddled Goliath and Mugs. And Thaddeus, not to be outdone, hopped onto the table and walked over toward her, right up her arm and onto her shoulder, where he snuggled against her neck.
At that, Doreen smiled. “It does my heart good to see how much they love you.”
“It does my heart good too.” Nan had tears in her eyes as she cuddled Thaddeus. “They’ve always been very special, but they’re certainly having a better life with you.”
“Maybe,” she said. “It’s just so hard to know what they want sometimes.”
“Nope, they want you, that’s all.” Nan laughed. “And so they should. You guys have a great life.”
“I think so,” she muttered. “Sometimes I worry that I’m not giving them enough.”
Nan looked at her. “Enough what?” she asked. “These guys are completely spoiled.”
“Are they though?” she asked. “I’m not sure about that.”