LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter 4

      “I swear I’m going to start walking over here.” I spoke under my breath as we sat watching Brent shovel in a third helping of my hash brown and egg casserole. “Either that, or I’m going to learn how to magically transport myself to your place and save the daily carnival ride with that kid.”

      I shot Brent a look that could subdue the most truculent student, but he took no notice. Maybe if I’d suddenly turned into a large breakfast burrito or a gallon of milk, he might have noticed me. I’d never seen someone so intent on his food before. If he drove with that same concentration, he’d be the safest driver in Portland.

      “You made it here in one piece, so that’s a plus.” Nora reached around her own plate and gave my arm a pat. “First things first, though. We need to get a cleaning crew in here to give this place a good once-over, and then we need to make a few phone calls to set the day’s appointments.”

      “And who’s this ‘we,’ woman? Have you suddenly got a mouse in your pocket?” I turned a glare on her, still fuming from my daily dose of nearly being killed.

      “Sounds like someone’s sense of humor got up on the wrong side of bed this morning.” Nora pushed back her chair and carried her plate over to the sink. “I’m merely suggesting that one of us make the phone calls and the other one handle the cleanup crew, that’s all.”

      “Well, why didn’t you say so?” I reached over to hand my plate to her as well. “I volunteer for phone duty.”

      Portland folks liked to get up early and get their coffee quotient started well before breakfast, so I wasn’t surprised to find that all four of that day’s clients were already up and running. With three of them opting for a thirty-minute dog walk and the other asking for a four-hour pet sitting session, Two Sisters Pet Valet Services was fully booked until three. That would give us plenty of time to do a little digging into Nora’s background and see if we could turn up anyone who might want her dead.

      Brent had finally stopped eating, scraping the last portion of the casserole from my baking dish with his fork. I checked the pan carefully to make sure he hadn’t scraped any of the Teflon coating off as well. He’d also drunk three glasses of milk and eaten four pieces of buttered toast. In my opinion, he had more than enough food in him to last through the pet sitting assignment. I hoped.

      “Brent, you’re in luck.” Nora handed him the list of pet walking jobs, along with a big smile. “All three of these are right here in the building, so you can take the little darlings across the street to the dog park to do their business.”

      “So, what’re you two gonna be doing while I’m out there doing all the work?” His tone was suspicious, and I instantly adopted an injured expression.

      “Brent Mayfair, how do you think the paperwork gets done? By magic?” I snapped my fingers in his face, making him jump back. “No, sir, it doesn’t. Someone has to stay here and work on that. Of course, if you’d rather do that instead of getting some fresh air, Nor—Mrs. Goldstein and I can take over.” I managed to give my shoulders an extra droop and noticed Nora was doing the same. Between the two of us, we looked like a pair of down-and-outs without one thin dime between us.

      “Nah, that’s okay, Miss F.” He’d backed another step away from me, hands held up in front of him as if to ward off a case of hard work. “Besides, my gramma always said that when folks get to a certain age, they can break a lot of bones. I’d sure hate for you two fine ladies to break anything out there.”

      And with that, he was gone.

      “I can see exactly why you enjoyed teaching high school so much.” Nora’s words were underpinned with admiration, and I couldn’t help preening inwardly. “They’re so easily outsmarted, aren’t they?”

      “You have no idea.” My voice and expression were as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa. “Okay, partner, what’s next?”

      “I got a hold of some outfit called Karen’s Kleen-Up Krew and she promised to be here by ten.” Nora shook her head in disgust. “Just why it is that people feel the need to have a cutesy name, I’ll never understand.”

      “Maybe it’s because she didn’t have a ‘sister’ to run the business with her.” I bracketed the word “sister” in a set of air quotes.

      Nora snorted, then turned to look around the kitchen. “Well, they won’t have much to do in here, except some disinfecting and some stain removal.” She bent over to take a closer look at the floor where Linda’s body had lain. “At least she didn’t bleed out that much.” She snickered. “I always knew she wasn’t human.”

      I had to roll my eyes. From everything that Nora had told me about their ongoing feud, and from the few incidents I’d witnessed, I had to agree. No one with that much vitriol in their system could be a member of the human race.

      That thought was interrupted by a tentative knocking on the front door. Nora and I stared at each other, neither of us making a move to answer it.

      “It’s your apartment.” I swept out one arm in an extravagant gesture, giving her a mocking bow. “Your place, your door.”

      “I’ll remember that. And the way you shopped me yesterday as well.”

      “I did not ‘shop you.’ I simply pointed you out.”

      My words bounced off her back as I followed her into the living room. Nora yanked open the door and revealed a pair of nervous women, each one clutching a large handbag as though it carried precious cargo. She took one look at them and gave a great groan as she grabbed her chest. I rushed over to her, afraid that she was having a heart attack.

      “First Phoebe and now you two. And get off me, Gwen.” She shook her arm away from me and stepped back from the doorway with a sigh. “Might as well come in. But no coffee,” she added in a warning tone. “You’re not staying that long.” She turned and looked at me, her tone and expression exasperated, as if she’d just discovered gum on the bottom of a pair of Jimmy Choos. “Meet my stepdaughters, the Terrible Twosome.”

      “How do you do.” I spoke automatically, proffering my hand to the air between them.

      They each shook it in turn, their own hands feeling as insubstantial as bird wings. Come to think of it, they reminded me of birds. Two tiny wrens, each one dressed in brown, light brown hair piled atop their heads like nests. I could almost see them pecking at the ground in an eager search for a morning bug or two. Maybe they thought Nora would be a wormy jackpot, so to speak.

      I shook my head, trying to dispel the visual. Not everyone was out to get Nora. This could, in fact, be an innocent visit by a pair of gals who were truly concerned about their stepmother’s well-being.

      And pigs might fly.

      “Nice to meet you,” they both tittered back at me, and I couldn’t resist a sideways glance at Nora. She was staring impatiently at the three of us, practically tapping one foot as she waited.

      “If I can interrupt this charming display of niceties, I’d like to close the door. If that’s all right with you,” she said with exaggerated politeness to the two women.

      “Oh, that’s perfectly all right, isn’t it, Mercy?”

      “It most certainly is, Grace.”

      More tittering and head bobbing. I had to hide a smile behind a sudden fit of coughing.

      “Mercy and Grace are…were…my stepdaughters

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