her.
“"If he knew what time I was planning to be here, he might have been watching for the construction crew to leave, and when they did, he figured he had a one-hour window of opportunity.”"
“"Vinney and I did talk, Madeira. But I don’'t remember precisely what I said. Whatever it was, it didn’'t feel like a state secret or anything.”"
“"Sweetie, I just want to know. I’'m not accusing you of anything. Just fitting puzzle pieces together. You’'ve gotten me out of more scrapes than you’'ve gotten me into, mostly.”"
Somehow, that struck us both as funny, and we laughed . . . hysterically . . . because that’'s what we were—--hysterical. Eve sobered quicker than I did. “"Honestly, now that we’'ve found someone or something’'s remains, shouldn’'t we call the police, or something?”"
“"Yeah, I’'m sure they’'d be thrilled to come out this late for dog bones.”"
“"Big bizarro dog,”" Eve said.
“"Why don’'t you try calling Vinney again? See what he’'s up to.”" She shook her head. “"Wait. I remember now. I didn’'t need to tell him you bought the place. That nosey gossip columnist, Lolique, or whatever her name is, outed you.”"
“"I guess I lived in New York for too long,”" I said with no clue as to who she meant.
“"You know her,”" Eve said. “"The councilman’'s flamboyant trophy wife. She likes animal prints, smokes like a chimney, and takes a perverse pleasure in revealing personal secrets in snarky ways in the newspaper?”"
“"We have a councilman who’'s married to a columnist?”"
“"McDowell. Wears a rug, is always in the news, though not the gossip column, and annoys the hell out of you.”"
“"Oh,”" I said. “" That councilman. The publicity hound.”"
“"Right. His wife wrote about you buying the place and what you were going to do with it, adding an unfortunate amount of speculation as to how soon you’'d fail. She’'s kind of a local personality.”"
“"She sounds nice,”" I said, brow raised.
“"Not. But the column about you opening Vintage Magic appeared about two weeks ago.”"
“"So when did you meet Vinney for the first time?”"
Eve thought about that for a minute. “"I believe I might have met him the night the article came out.”" She sighed. “"Nah. Our meeting was a coincidence. We were eating at Mystic Pizza, at separate tables, with separate pizzas, and he smooth-talked his way over to my table. He paid for both pizzas.”"
“"How gallant. Did he seem immediately interested in what was happening here?
Did he know that we were friends?”"
Eve sighed and sat back on her heels. “"Yes. He was interested, said he had a thing for local history, and could I take him to see the place? I mean we could see it out the window from across the street as clear as day. But how did he know that I knew you well enough to show him the place, the rat? I’'m usually smarter than to fall for a line.”"
“"You were smitten. Forgive yourself. I do. He probably knew we were friends from the Mystick Falls gossip mill. Tunney or Oscar from the hardware store probably told him.”" Eve huffed. “"I’'m going right over to Vinney’'s to give him a piece of my mind.”" Her destination caught me off guard. “"That’'s not a bad idea, but you’'re not going without me. First, however, since the quilt is made of vintage clothes, I’'d like to take a minute to see if I can get any vibes like I did when I was working on Sherry’'s vintage wedding gown. However, I don’'t want to touch it any more than I have to, because I suspect that the rest of Big Foot here was wrapped in it. Under no circumstances do I want to see what the other side of it looks like, nor do I want to touch it.”"
“"Eeeyeww.”"
When I nudged the quilt from the drawer to the floor with the feathers, the connected bones jiggled, so Chakra tackled them and batted them off the quilt quicker than I could stop her, not that I wanted to touch them.
“"If he knew what time I was planning to be here, he might have been watching for the construction crew to leave, and when they did, he figured he had a one-hour window of opportunity.”"
“"Vinney and I did talk, Madeira. But I don’'t remember precisely what I said. Whatever it was, it didn’'t feel like a state secret or anything.”"
“"Sweetie, I just want to know. I’'m not accusing you of anything. Just fitting puzzle pieces together. You’'ve gotten me out of more scrapes than you’'ve gotten me into, mostly.”"
Somehow, that struck us both as funny, and we laughed . . . hysterically . . . because that’'s what we were—--hysterical. Eve sobered quicker than I did. “"Honestly, now that we’'ve found someone or something’'s remains, shouldn’'t we call the police, or something?”"
“"Yeah, I’'m sure they’'d be thrilled to come out this late for dog bones.”"
“"Big bizarro dog,”" Eve said.
“"Why don’'t you try calling Vinney again? See what he’'s up to.”" She shook her head. “"Wait. I remember now. I didn’'t need to tell him you bought the place. That nosey gossip columnist, Lolique, or whatever her name is, outed you.”"
“"I guess I lived in New York for too long,”" I said with no clue as to who she meant.
“"You know her,”" Eve said. “"The councilman’'s flamboyant trophy wife. She likes animal prints, smokes like a chimney, and takes a perverse pleasure in revealing personal secrets in snarky ways in the newspaper?”"
“"We have a councilman who’'s married to a columnist?”"
“"McDowell. Wears a rug, is always in the news, though not the gossip column, and annoys the hell out of you.”"
“"Oh,”" I said. “" That councilman. The publicity hound.”"
“"Right. His wife wrote about you buying the place and what you were going to do with it, adding an unfortunate amount of speculation as to how soon you’'d fail. She’'s kind of a local personality.”"
“"She sounds nice,”" I said, brow raised.
“"Not. But the column about you opening Vintage Magic appeared about two weeks ago.”"
“"So when did you meet Vinney for the first time?”"
Eve thought about that for a minute. “"I believe I might have met him the night the article came out.”" She sighed. “"Nah. Our meeting was a coincidence. We were eating at Mystic Pizza, at separate tables, with separate pizzas, and he smooth-talked his way over to my table. He paid for both pizzas.”"
“"How gallant. Did he seem immediately interested in what was happening here?
Did he know that we were friends?”"
Eve sighed and sat back on her heels. “"Yes. He was interested, said he had a thing for local history, and could I take him to see the place? I mean we could see it out the window from across the street as clear as day. But how did he know that I knew you well enough to show him the place, the rat? I’'m usually smarter than to fall for a line.”"
“"You were smitten. Forgive yourself. I do. He probably knew we were friends from the Mystick Falls gossip mill. Tunney or Oscar from the hardware store probably told him.”" Eve huffed. “"I’'m going right over to Vinney’'s to give him a piece of my mind.”" Her destination caught me off guard. “"That’'s not a bad idea, but you’'re not going without me. First, however, since the quilt is made of vintage clothes, I’'d like to take a minute to see if I can get any vibes like I did when I was working on Sherry’'s vintage wedding gown. However, I don’'t want to touch it any more than I have to, because I suspect that the rest of Big Foot here was wrapped in it. Under no circumstances do I want to see what the other side of it looks like, nor do I want to touch it.”"
“"Eeeyeww.”"
When I nudged the quilt from the drawer to the floor with the feathers, the connected bones jiggled, so Chakra tackled them and batted them off the quilt quicker than I could stop her, not that I wanted to touch them.
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