precisely the way I'd had Rolly interpret his advice.
When I was finished with Mrs. Wright's reading, Mrs. Pinkerton said, "Oh, my, Vera, it looks as if Daisy was absolutely correct. You need to go through Evans' room and see if you can find any relations of his to get in touch with. And the police, of course, although Daisy has kindly offered to do that for you."
I hadn't either. I'd been coerced into telling Sam about the missing Evans. I didn't point out Mrs. P's mistake.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Majesty," said Mrs. Wright. "Madeline is right about you." Madeline was Mrs. Pinkerton's first name. "You're wise beyond your years."
Oh, brother.
However, she gave me a big wad of money and, since Mrs. Pinkerton begged me to deal out a tarot pattern for her, too, I went home that day fairly floating in mazuma. All in all, I considered my morning a success. I guess the evening was, too, although Sam, who came to dinner again, didn't seem to care much that the Wrights' butler, Evans, had disappeared.
Eyeing me with disfavor, he said, "What does she want me to do about it?"
I shrugged. "Tell the people in charge of missing persons, I guess." I had, after several minutes of questioning Mrs. Wright, determined that Evans' first name was Daniel, so I gave Sam that information, too.
"She does realize that calling the police means she and her staff will be questioned, doesn't she?" Sam had dealt with rich people before, and his experiences with them hadn't been as enriching as had mine. That's because wealthy people just hated to have police cars in their yards and uniformed officers in their houses. Besides, they didn't hand him wads of money, as they did me.
"Probably not." I couldn't help myself; I smiled. The notion of uniformed police officers invading the Wrights' mansion and questioning the personnel and family therein tickled my funny bone.
"It won't be any fun," said Sam, who seemed to know what I was thinking even when I wished he didn't.
"Not for you, it won't," I said. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when they do it, though."
My mother said, "Daisy."
But my father and Aunt Vi both laughed.
Chapter 6
The rest of that week passed peacefully enough. Ma, Pa, Aunt Vi, and I had piled the library books we'd read on the table beside the front door, so on Thursday, since I had no appointments, I decided to visit the library after Pa and I walked Spike. We had a lovely neighborhood to walk in. Marengo Avenue itself was lined with pepper trees that fairly dripped leaves and peppercorns at certain times of the year. In February, their branches still sort of dripped, but they weren't shedding anything in particular. Spike loved his walks and left little liquid remembrances of himself wherever we went.
When I got to the library my favorite librarian, Miss Petrie, was back on duty, and she was as delighted to see me as I was to see her. After dumping my stack of already-read books on the returns table, I scurried over to her little booth. Or whatever you call those things where reference librarians hang out. I guess one could call it a cubicle, but that doesn't sound any better than a booth. Oh, never mind.
"Oh, Mrs. Majesty, I've saved so many books for you!" Miss Petrie said with a big smile. She was... well, kind of homely, actually, with big glasses and mouse-brown hair, which she knotted in a bun on top of her head. I think she could be quite good-looking if she went to some effort, but I guess she didn't feel like it. I couldn't fault her for that. Most days I didn't want to fix myself up, but I did it anyway for the sake of my image.
"Thank you! I always love the books you save for us. And so does my family. I've missed you."
"Thank you. I spent a couple of weeks with my parents in Oklahoma." She frowned. Originally from the Tulsa area, she still had family there. While I'm sure her parents were fine people, she also had some family members whom she'd just as soon everybody forget about. After having been
When I was finished with Mrs. Wright's reading, Mrs. Pinkerton said, "Oh, my, Vera, it looks as if Daisy was absolutely correct. You need to go through Evans' room and see if you can find any relations of his to get in touch with. And the police, of course, although Daisy has kindly offered to do that for you."
I hadn't either. I'd been coerced into telling Sam about the missing Evans. I didn't point out Mrs. P's mistake.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Majesty," said Mrs. Wright. "Madeline is right about you." Madeline was Mrs. Pinkerton's first name. "You're wise beyond your years."
Oh, brother.
However, she gave me a big wad of money and, since Mrs. Pinkerton begged me to deal out a tarot pattern for her, too, I went home that day fairly floating in mazuma. All in all, I considered my morning a success. I guess the evening was, too, although Sam, who came to dinner again, didn't seem to care much that the Wrights' butler, Evans, had disappeared.
Eyeing me with disfavor, he said, "What does she want me to do about it?"
I shrugged. "Tell the people in charge of missing persons, I guess." I had, after several minutes of questioning Mrs. Wright, determined that Evans' first name was Daniel, so I gave Sam that information, too.
"She does realize that calling the police means she and her staff will be questioned, doesn't she?" Sam had dealt with rich people before, and his experiences with them hadn't been as enriching as had mine. That's because wealthy people just hated to have police cars in their yards and uniformed officers in their houses. Besides, they didn't hand him wads of money, as they did me.
"Probably not." I couldn't help myself; I smiled. The notion of uniformed police officers invading the Wrights' mansion and questioning the personnel and family therein tickled my funny bone.
"It won't be any fun," said Sam, who seemed to know what I was thinking even when I wished he didn't.
"Not for you, it won't," I said. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when they do it, though."
My mother said, "Daisy."
But my father and Aunt Vi both laughed.
Chapter 6
The rest of that week passed peacefully enough. Ma, Pa, Aunt Vi, and I had piled the library books we'd read on the table beside the front door, so on Thursday, since I had no appointments, I decided to visit the library after Pa and I walked Spike. We had a lovely neighborhood to walk in. Marengo Avenue itself was lined with pepper trees that fairly dripped leaves and peppercorns at certain times of the year. In February, their branches still sort of dripped, but they weren't shedding anything in particular. Spike loved his walks and left little liquid remembrances of himself wherever we went.
When I got to the library my favorite librarian, Miss Petrie, was back on duty, and she was as delighted to see me as I was to see her. After dumping my stack of already-read books on the returns table, I scurried over to her little booth. Or whatever you call those things where reference librarians hang out. I guess one could call it a cubicle, but that doesn't sound any better than a booth. Oh, never mind.
"Oh, Mrs. Majesty, I've saved so many books for you!" Miss Petrie said with a big smile. She was... well, kind of homely, actually, with big glasses and mouse-brown hair, which she knotted in a bun on top of her head. I think she could be quite good-looking if she went to some effort, but I guess she didn't feel like it. I couldn't fault her for that. Most days I didn't want to fix myself up, but I did it anyway for the sake of my image.
"Thank you! I always love the books you save for us. And so does my family. I've missed you."
"Thank you. I spent a couple of weeks with my parents in Oklahoma." She frowned. Originally from the Tulsa area, she still had family there. While I'm sure her parents were fine people, she also had some family members whom she'd just as soon everybody forget about. After having been
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