Gayle Trent by Between a Clutch, a Hard Place Page A

them together.”
     
    “I read somewhere that she’d disappeared a while back,” I said.
     
    “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I’d forgotten.” She shifted the baby to her other hip. “She probably got tired of being alone all the time and left. Like I said, I never saw them together.”
     
    “What a shame.”
     
    The children were still clamoring in the box.
     
    “One apiece,” she told them. “And thank the lady.”
     
    The children made their choices, dutifully thanked me and went back inside. Their mother thanked me, too, and then trailed after them.
     
    I walked off the porch and over to Sunny. “Bless her heart,” I said under my breath.
     
    “Among other things,” she muttered.
     
    The next house was Jim’s. He answered the door wearing a yellow polo shirt and khaki slacks. Very dapper. I was glad because—killer, or not—I’d gone out with him and I didn’t want Sunny to think I’d date a slob.
     
    “Hello, Myrtle! This must be Sunny.” He extended his hand, and Sunny shook hands with him very politely. Then Jim bent down to pet Matlock. “Aren’t you a handsome fella? Oh, Myrtle, I’m so glad you saved him.” His voice had changed to a falsetto coo.
     
    “I am, too,” I said. “It’s been wonderful having him around.”
     
    Jim straightened. “Won’t you come in?”
     
    “We have a lot of ground to cover yet, but I suppose we could come in for a second.”
     
    Jim held the door, and I motioned Sunny in ahead of me. When I got in, I looked around the immaculate living room. A taupe couch sat beneath a beautiful watercolor of a lake in summertime. A glass-topped coffee table was in front of the couch, and there wasn’t a thing on it—not a thing! It almost made me embarrassed to think of my own cluttered coffee table. Light blue wing-backed chairs with a taupe stripe running through them completed the airy arrangement.
     
    “You have a beautiful home, Jim,” I said.
     
    “Thank you. Now, young lady,” he said to Sunny, “tell me about this charity you’re doing all this work for.”
     
    “Actually,” Sunny said, “it’s not really a charity. It’s the shelter where Mimi got Matlock.” She shrugged. “Maybe if we give them some money, they can afford to keep the animals a little longer.”
     
    He smiled. “A noble cause indeed. Let me see what you have here.” He chose five candy bars and gave Sunny a five-dollar-bill. “I have something for you, too,” he said to Matlock.
     
    He went into the kitchen and got the dog a piece of ham. Matlock inhaled it. I don’t think he chewed a single time. Then he wagged his tail and stared up at Jim in hopes of another treat.
     
    “We really need to finish up in the neighborhood so I can get Sunny home.” I smiled at Jim. “I hope you enjoy your candy.”
     
    He patted his flat stomach. “I’m sure I will. I’ll call you tomorrow, if that’s all right.”
     
    “That’ll be fine.”
     
    Sunny and I walked up the street toward the next house. “Did we overcharge him?” she asked under her breath.
     
    “Who knows? It’s not like this thing is structured in any way, shape, form or fashion. Besides, it’s for ‘a noble cause indeed,’ you know.”
     
    “I guess. By the way, did you notice there wasn’t a single photograph in sight?”
     
    “Mmm-hmm. The living room was beautifully decorated. Maybe he and Flora kept their photographs and other personal mementos in another room . . . maybe in the den or bedroom . . . you know, so the living room would remain more formal for receiving guests.”
     
    “Maybe,” she said, “but I still think it’s kinda weird.”
     
    We hurriedly visited the rest of the houses and wound up selling eight more candy bars. We got home about thirty minutes after Faye got home from work. I walked Sunny to the door and stuck my head in to say “hello” to Faye.
     
    “Hi,” I called. “Whatever you’re having for dinner sure does smell good.”
     
    Faye stepped