Something Suspicious in Sask by Dayle Gaetz

him.”
    Katie stopped listening. She was enjoying her meal too much to be bothered with adult conversation. Butter slid down her chin when she bit into the sweet corn, and she wiped it away with a paper napkin.
    Across the table, Megan held her fork in one hand and stared at her plate as if she might throw up any second. To Megan’s right, Cliff ate heartily and listened to the adults. On Megan’s other side, Emily also ate quickly. She swallowed a bite of corn, wiped her chin and leaned sideways to whisper something to her friend.
    Megan nodded, ate one small bite of salmon and glanced at the clock.
    During a lull in the conversation Katie’s mom turned to Cliff. “Cliff, I really want to thank you on behalf of the entire family. We worry about Margaret struggling to make a go of it out here, so it’s good to know she has an assistant she can rely on. You can’t imagine how much better that makes us feel.”
    Cliff smiled modestly. “Well, thank you for saying so, Ma’am. But really, I consider myself lucky to be working here. I studied agriculture at college and farming is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
    â€œDo your parents own a farm too?”
    â€œNo, but I wish they did so I could take over one day. They sell farm equipment.” He grinned. “And they’re most disappointed I took an interest in farming.”While Cliff spoke, Megan calmly put down her fork and pushed her chair back from the table. Without a word she stood and walked out the door to the screened porch. Seconds later the screen door shut with a quiet click. Cliff leaned forward in his chair as if to follow.
    â€œCliff wants to have his own farm,” Emily said. “And he wants it to be this one, don’t you, Cliff?”
    Cliff shot her an angry glance. He nodded toward Katie’s mom. “I have to admit, it’s my dream. I want to run a huge operation with all the latest equipment. I’ve studied the most up-to-date technology and know I can make a go of it. Farming on the prairies today is a big-scale operation. The day of the family farm is long gone. You need to be big to compete. With the right equipment and the best seed available, I could run a couple of sections like this farm without wasting a penny on hired help.”
    He pushed back his chair. “If you folks will kindly excuse me for a few minutes, I’ve got to run back to my suite. I’m expecting an important e-mail from a cattle buyer, and I want to see if it’s here yet.”
    He headed for the door at a near run. When he was gone Aunt Margaret laughed nervously. “We seem to be losing people at a great rate,” she said.
    â€œDo you think it’s your cooking, Dad?”
    GJ laughed. “Don’t think so. I didn’t even burn the fish this time. You should see how fast people take off when I serve blackened salmon.”
    â€œAnd he means black.” Rusty made a face. “You should try his barbecued chicken. Oh, wait, on second thought, no, you shouldn’t!”
    â€œHey, Rusty, us guys are supposed to stick together through thick and thin!”
    â€œThrough thick and thin maybe,” Rusty said, “but not through burnt chicken.”
    Everyone laughed. The phone rang shrill and loud, cutting through the laughter. Katie’s eyes flicked to Aunt Margaret, who stiffened at the sound. Her lips still formed a laugh but fear had entered her eyes.
    â€œWhat is it, Margaret?” Gram asked.
    Margaret tried to smile. “Probably just a telemarketer.”Katie pushed herself up from the table and started toward the office. “I’ll get it,” she said. “I bet it’s my dad.” She hurried, eager to hear her father’s voice.
    â€œNo!” Aunt Margaret leapt from her chair and caught up to Katie at the office door. She pushed past Katie and grabbed the phone on the third ring. She clutched it against her ear with