and right from Ryanâs shovel as he cleared the walkway. A moment later, a car appeared around the corner and pulled up the drive.
I watched in fascination as a stout woman in a waitressâs uniform stepped out and scowled at Ryan.
âHey, Aunt Sue!â Ryan said with a nervoussmile. âI thought youâd be at work all day.â
âWhat on Earth are you doing in those clothes? Youâll catch pneumonia!â She charged up the driveway toward him, and for a second, Ryan looked as if he might use the shovel as a shield.
But the woman paused when she saw me in the lawn chair. âOh! You have company.â
âUh . . . yeah.â I got to my feet and extended my hand. âTim Antonides. Your nephew and I are working on a science project, actually.â
I shouldnât have covered for Ryan; I shouldâve let him squirm and suffer. Something told me, though, that Ryan and his aunt already had a pretty rocky relationship. I wasnât going to be the guy to make it worse.
âAntonides, did you say?â she asked, shaking my hand. âYou can call me Sue.â She looked from the lawn chair to her shivering nephew clutching the shovel. âWhat kind of science project is this?â
âUh . . . ,â I began.
âThermodynamics,â supplied Ryan.
I was surprised he even knew that word, and more important, that it was an excuse that made sense. Of course, I was also surprised heâd managed to create a humiliating video of me, so . . .
Sue nodded as if thermodynamics were the only thing it could be. âWell, have you done enough research? Youâre turning blue, and itâs not a good color on you,â she told Ryan.
He ducked his head and then mumbled, âYes, Aunt Sue.â
âIn the house, then, both of you.â She gripped one of his shoulders and turned him toward the door. âAnd hurry it up. I only came home to grab my badge. Canât waste time.â
I hesitated for a moment before I followed, sighing deeply. Cleaning Ryanâs room was on my list of chores, anyway.
âDid you offer your guest any snacks?â Sueasked Ryan as we approached the kitchen. She grabbed a badge off the counter and clipped it to her shirt.
He shook his head. âI was going to, though,â he said.
After he was done pelting me with snowballs. Sure.
Sue held an open cookie jar out to me. âIâm known for my prizewinning snickerdoodles.â
âThanks,â I said, taking one.
Sue tossed one to Ryan and put the jar back. âAll right, Iâm leaving. Stay out of trouble.â She pointed at Ryan and then walked back outside. Ryanâs entire body relaxed, and he hurried to the peephole in the front door to watch her go.
I followed him and cleared my throat, holding up my blackmail list and a pencil. âSo can we call that chore done or . . . ?â
He spun around, all serious and strong again. âItâs done. Time for chore number two: clean mybedroom.â He led the way back to the kitchen and opened a cabinet under the sink. âYouâll need these,â he said, pulling out a supply caddy.
I pocketed my list, on which Iâd just scratched out my latest task, and studied the contents of the basket he handed to me. âUm . . . are these mousetraps?â
âYeah, somethingâs been eating the toast I keep on my nightstand.â
âWhyââ I shook my head. âNever mind. Any other wildlife I should be aware of? Should I set a bear trap or two?â
âNope. Oh, but if you come across any spiders, add them to my spider jar.â Ryan wandered into his living room and flopped down onto the couch.
I followed. âSpider jar?â I repeated, the hairs on my neck standing on end.
He nodded. âYeah, jar. If theyâre in a box, they can get out easier.â
âUh . . .â I opened my mouth and then closed it, trudging upstairs. Below me I could
Peter Tremayne
Meredith Towbin
Marta Perry
Stephanie Alba
Nora Roberts
Isabel Cooper
R. L. Stine
Paul Doherty
Olivia Cunning
Ruth Rendell