Two Tall Tails by Sofie Kelly Page B

supervising as I searched.
    I found no sign of the prickly plant. I knew there were burdocks growing behind both Tom and Angie’s property. I glanced in that direction in time to see Jason Bates come out of Angie’s house. Tom was in his yard, clipping the dead blossoms off his potted geraniums. Jason walked across the grass to the older man and pointed at the copper birdbath on the grass next to the side of Tom’s garage. In the pan sat a gleaming silver gazing ball, a gift from Angie after the squirrels had chased away the birds and begun using the birdbath as their personal hot tub.
    I couldn’t make out what Jason was saying but I could hear his tone: belligerent and angry. Tom leaned heavily on his cane and shook his head. Jason gestured in the direction of the birdbath again. The older man continued to stubbornly shake his head.
    Jason strode back across the grass and paced off a distance from Angie’s garage to the copper lawn ornament. He stood beside it and said something to Tom. Then he shook his fist at Matilda. The corgi barked loudly at him, pulling at her leash. Tom bent and picked her up. Jason swung around, bumping the birdbath. The silver gazing ball hit the ground, shattering into jagged pieces.
    Tom’s body went rigid. He said something to Jason that I couldn’t catch. I did hear Jason’s reply, though. “Screw you, old man,” he shouted. He grabbed the birdbath with one hand and flung it out into the street, then he turned and stalked into the house.
    I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled softly before heading next door. I didn’t like the way things were changing on the street, although I had no idea what to do.
    Matilda had stopped barking. Tom was stroking her fur, talking softly to her. His hand was shaking.
    â€œAre you all right?” I asked.
    â€œI’m fine,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. The little dog nuzzled his chin. “But the next time I see that young man, he won’t be.”
    Katie joined us then, one hand holding on to Molly’s little hand, the other on her rounded belly. There were tight lines around her blue eyes. “What was that all about?” she asked.
    I glanced at the pieces of the broken gazing ball in the driveway. It was hard to miss the symbolism. It felt as though our neighborhood was splintering into pieces.
    â€œThe birdbath.” Tom gestured toward the street but didn’t turn to look in that direction. “He said it was encroaching on Angie’s property. I told him it wasn’t, and it isn’t any of his business even if it were. That house belongs to her, not him.”
    I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Jason’s a . . . challenging person.”
    Katie looked over at Angie’s neat little house. “I can’t . . . if he’s going to be living here all the time, I don’t know if we can stay here.” She glanced down at Molly, who was talking to Matilda.
    I didn’t know what to say. I reached over and gave Katie’s arm what I hoped was a comforting squeeze. How had things gotten so bad so quickly?
    Tom looked down at Molly. “Sweetie, could you take Matilda for a walk around the backyard, please?” he said. “She needs to stretch her legs.”
    The little girl’s eyes lit up and she looked at her mother. Katie nodded.
    Tom set the corgi on the ground and handed Molly the leash. She took it in both of her hands. He patted the dog’s head and slipped her a treat. “Good girl,” he said.
    Molly headed for the backyard, the smile on her face showing how proud she was to be doing such an important job. Once she’d disappeared around the side of the house, Tom looked at Katie. “Tell Sarah what you told me,” he said, his gaze flicking across the driveway for a moment. “About the carpet.”
    Katie chewed the edge of her bottom lip and cleared her throat.