“My house? Why?”
“I don’t want the monster-in-law to know I didn’t make it. It’s already paid for but here’s money for the tip.”
I was on the verge of pointing out that her mother-in-law would probably notice the absence of a garlic aroma in the air, but when I stepped out of the car, I saw a strange man open the side gate to my property and walk to the back of my house.
“Hey!” I ran across the street and into my backyard.
A team of people dressed in uniforms were searching the ground. Most of them crouched or kneeled. Raising my voice, I said, “Excuse me? What’s going on here?”
Nina caught up to me at the same time Wolf appeared around the corner of the shed in the back.
He strode across to us waving a paper. “Sorry, Sophie. Search warrant for mushrooms.”
“I used them all yesterday.” I shouldn’t have said it. I knew I shouldn’t the moment it came out of my mouth. “That was a joke, Wolf.”
“You need to work on your comedy routine.”
A man bending under a pine near the fence shouted at us. Wolf jogged over, followed by Nina and me.
Two mushrooms grew in the shade. No more than three inches high, they bore bright red caps that drooped like elfin hats. Just as Francie had described them—worthy of a children’s picture book.
Wolf gazed up at me. “Looks like you missed a couple.”
“You can’t think that means anything. I’m sure Nina has them in her yard, too. It’s not like I planted them.”
Nina frowned. “I’ve seen them in parks and near paths in woods. Anyone could have access to them.” She raised her eyebrows at Wolf. “I bet there are tons in Natasha’s garden.”
“Don’t worry about Natasha, her garden has been thoroughly searched.”
“You closing in on her?” asked Nina.
Wolf stood up. “Hardly. You have no idea how many people hated Simon. That man cultivated enemies around the world.”
Relief washed over me like a warm bath. “It’s not just Mars’s and my families then? You have other suspects as well?”
Wolf didn’t answer my question. “We’re almost done here.” He promptly walked away, as though we’d been dismissed.
I closed my eyes. My teeth hurt from clenching them. I thought everything was going to get better—but a search warrant—that was bad news.
Nina threw a comforting arm around me and walked me to the kitchen door before she went home. I let myself in the house, grateful for the loving attention Mochie and Daisy demanded at the door. I petted both, praising them for getting along so very well.
June danced into the kitchen. “I thought I heard someone. How do I look?” She held out her arms and twirled around to show off a silk dress of vivid blue.
“Lovely.” I tossed my jacket over a chair. “What’s the big occasion?”
She placed her palms over her flushed cheeks. “The colonel invited me to dinner. He’ll be here any minute to pick me up.”
June had a date? I couldn’t have been more delighted. She might talk with her deceased sister but I’d seen nothing else to indicate that June needed to live in a home for the infirm. The thought lifted my spirits and I gave her a hug.
“Did you see Wolf?” she asked. “He came with a search warrant for the backyard.”
I didn’t want to dampen her spirits with the news about the mushrooms he found so I just nodded. Through the bay window I saw Wolf and his crew get in their cars and depart.
“Where’s my purse?” she said. “I thought I had it. Sophie, I’m a nervous wreck. I haven’t been out with a man in a decade. Everyone goes dutch now, don’t they? How do I know how much to pay? Do I ask him for the check or will he tell me the amount?”
I found her purse on the console in the foyer. “Think of it as dinner with a girlfriend.”
“That’s a good idea. Yes, I’m feeling calmer already.” The doorbell rang and June cried, “I need a mirror. How’s my hair?”
I grasped her upper arms gently. “You look great. Have a wonderful time.”
I opened the door for the colonel. Dashing in a deep gray overcoat of fine wool, he handed June a peach rose. I was afraid the gesture might make her more nervous but she took it with gracious thanks and a flirtatious glance at the colonel.
When he helped her with her coat, I realized they made a striking couple, both with silvery hair, the colonel tall and authoritative in his bearing in contrast to June’s gentle roundness.
I watched from the stoop as they left. A cold wind kicked up as the colonel’s SUV drove away. Cloudy skies threatened to bring evening shadows early and I still hadn’t eaten lunch.
Daisy wagged her tail and moved in for a dog hug when I closed the door.
“It’s the first time we’ve had the house to ourselves in days, huh, girl?”
She followed me into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator, so laden with leftovers that containers threatened to fall out. In looking for turkey to nibble on, I found two gorgeous pork tenderloins I’d meant to cook before Thanksgiving. I checked the dates on them. They were still good. Pork with cherry sauce, savory rice, and asparagus would be a wonderful break from Thanksgiving foods for my houseguests.
I took out the turkey, sliced off a few pieces, and shared my treat with Mochie and Daisy. The peace didn’t last long. From the kitchen window I saw Nina dashing across the street, waving her arms like a madman. I opened the door and leaned out. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The Peeping Tom,” she panted. “He’s in your backyard.”
Daisy and I rushed outside. Daisy loped ahead into the increasingly dark backyard. Nina paused at the corner of the house. She peeked around the back. “He’s there! He’s looking in your sunroom.”
I wanted to see a Peeping Tom about as much as I wanted to see a snake. Nina stood back and I peered around the corner of my house. The Peeping Tom wore a shabby jacket and an old hat.
Nina whispered, “I’ll call the cops.”
“Not yet.” Something wasn’t right. Daisy sniffed around the Peeping Tom without so much as a growl. “It’s someone we know.”
I heard Nina suck in air. “The killer! I knew it was Natasha.”
I wasn’t so sure it was Natasha but I thought we should find out. “I’m going to run straight back and cross to the other side of the yard. I’ll stick to the shadows. It’s getting so dark, I think I can do it without being seen. Give me about two minutes, then we’ll sneak up on him from both sides.”
Nina seized the back of my shirt. “And then what? What if it’s not Natasha? We say, ‘Oh, please, Mr. Peeping Tom, don’t kill us’?”
She was right. We huddled by the side of the house. “You stay here,” I said. “I’ll get a fireplace poker.”
But just as I took one last look around the corner, I came face-to-face with the Peeping Tom.
SIXTEEN
From “THE GOOD LIFE”:
Dear Sophie,
My husband says I make horrible tea because I heat the water in the microwave. I’m making a spiced holiday tea for a family brunch next week and he insists that I boil the water on the stove. We have a little bet riding on this. I say it doesn’t make a difference. What do you think?
—Teetotaler in Troutdale
Dear Teetotaler,
While the microwave is great for hot chocolate, I have to side with your husband about tea. Microwaved tea usually tastes flat. For full body and flavor, bring your water to a boil on the stove and pour it over tea bags or leaves.
If you must microwave water, be very careful. It can easily overheat and explode extremely hot water on you and the microwave.
—Sophie
I screamed.
The Peeping Tom screamed.
Nina screamed.
Daisy finally barked, no doubt happy about all the excitement.
The Peeping Tom clutched at his chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Francie.
Not again. “Come on in, Francie.” She’d better have a good explanation this time.
The three of us trudged back to the kitchen. Half frozen, Nina started a fire while I put on the kettle for tea. Francie took off her floppy hat and slumped in a chair to catch her breath. I should have been nicer but Francie’s antics grated on me. I crossed my arms and counted to ten so I wouldn’t be too rude when I demanded an explanation.
Nina rubbed her arms to warm up. “She started in the colonel’s yard. I saw her creeping around in the back. By the time I ran downstairs, she’d snuck out the old service alley and crossed the street.”
Francie raised her chin defiantly. “So what if I did?”
My anger subsided as I watched Francie, a pathetic figure, her hair mussed into spikes from the hat, her face weathered like an old sailor’s. In spite of her brave front, she came across as small and withered.
“You’ve been the Peeping Tom all along, haven’t you?”
She started to answer but Nina interrupted her. Pointing a finger at Francie, she said, “Don’t give us any of the baloney you told the cops.”
“There really was a Peeping Tom. Honest. I don’t know who it was but it wasn’t me.”
Daisy placed her head in Francie’s lap and Francie stroked her gently. Nina took the kettle off the burner and brewed three mugs of tea while I commenced with the interrogation. I pulled a kitchen chair in front of Francie’s and sat down. “What were you doing?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Taking a shortcut.”
“A shortcut that involved staring into my sunroom?”
Nina handed us steaming mugs of tea spiced with cinnamon and cloves and sat in the other fireside chair. “Okay, out with it or I’ll call the cops the next time.”
Francie flicked her hand at Nina, indicating she wasn’t intimidated by Nina’s threat.
I sipped the tea to warm up. The last time we caught Francie in my backyard she’d been dressed for Thanksgiving dinner. This time she wore loose, shabby clothing and a hat to hide her face. She wanted anyone who saw her to think she could be the original Peeping Tom. What did she want in my sunroom? Had she been checking to be sure no one was home?
Remembering how she’d barely taken her eyes off the colonel at Thanksgiving, I plotted a way to get her to talk.
I stood up and addressed Nina. “I guess I’ll call the colonel and tell him. He has a right to know that Francie has been prowling in his backyard and down his service alley.”
The scowl on Francie’s face turned to horror. “No! Don’t involve him. I’ll . . . I’ll tell you the truth. But only if you promise me you won’t tell the colonel.”
Nina and I agreed to keep mum.
“I’ve been following him.”
Nina burst out laughing. “You’ve been stalking the colonel?”
“I prefer to think of it as observing. Honestly, you girls are old enough to know you can’t catch a man by just batting your eyelashes at him.”
Nina covered her mouth with her fingers and I knew why. I didn’t dare let our eyes meet. Suppressing a grin, I asked, “How does it help to observe him?”
“You’d be surprised what you can find out about a person. He sends out all of his laundry. Even his underwear. A cleaning woman arrives every Monday morning. He’s very neat, though. I imagine that’s from his military days.”
“Francie,” I said, “wouldn’t it be easier to invite him over for dinner? You’d learn so much more about him that way.”
“Not necessarily.”
“That explains why you were in his yard poking around, but what were you doing looking in my windows?”
“I lost track of him. I thought I saw him walk over here. I went upstairs to change my clothes, but when I came down, I couldn’t find him anymore. I didn’t know where he went. I checked his house but he didn’t appear to be home. The light in his mudroom was on; he always leaves it on when he goes out. Since I’d last seen him crossing to your house, I thought maybe you had invited him over for drinks.”
My heart went out to Francie. I couldn’t imagine being so lonely and desperate.
“The colonel has never caught you?” asked Nina.
Francie glowered at her. “Give me a little credit. Besides, the original Peeping Tom made it easier for me. If anyone saw me, they’d think it was the real guy back again.” She looked around. “So where is he?”
I didn’t dare tell her the colonel invited June to dinner. I couldn’t break her heart that way. “He went out. He just stopped by for a minute.”
“Where’d he go?”
At least I didn’t have to lie. “I don’t know exactly.”
The knocker on the front door banged. Nina looked out the bay window. “That’s my dinner.” She rose to answer the door.
Francie’s eyes roamed the kitchen. “Where’s June?”
I chose my words carefully. “She went out.”
Francie leapt from her chair. “Together! They went out together.”