Dirty Tricks: A Kate Lawrence Mystery by Judith Ivie Read Free Book Online Page A

Olivia had been barely two when the storm had devastated
Connecticut. “Thank God it wasn’t January, is all I have to say about that.”
    “Amen, sister. Anything
special on your agenda today?”
    “A whole lot of
paperwork and maybe a walk down Old Main Street at lunchtime to enjoy the
leaves. It’s so beautiful right now, and the last of the Scarecrows Along Main Street exhibits are still up. How about joining
me?”
    I shook my head regretfully. “Love
to, but with Margo out, I guess one of us should stay in the office. I’ll walk
down to the corner after you get back, maybe get an
ice cream cone for my lunch.” The hand-scooped cones at Main Street Creamery
were among my favorite things about Old Wethersfield and would only be enhanced
by the gorgeous autumn weather we were enjoying.
    As we headed toward the
half-staircase leading down to Mack Realty’s office, we were startled by the
sound of the Law Barn’s big front door swinging open to admit May. Judging from
the look on her face, the fall sunshine wasn’t doing it for her today.
    “Hi, ladies,” she greeted us.
“Sorry to be late, but you would not believe the morning I’ve had. Is there
coffee?” She looked toward the copier room anxiously.
    “We had a little trouble
remembering how to make it, since you’ve been spoiling us rotten for the last
week, but we managed to throw together a pot,” said Strutter .
    May’s forehead smoothed out
fractionally. “Thanks,” was all she said as she made a beeline for her
temporary office. She tossed her laptop bag and purse on the desk and pulled
out her cell phone. Strutter and I took the hint and continued
on our way down the stairs. Whatever had May frowning apparently required a
little space.
    By eleven o’clock we had slogged
through the weekend backlog of phone messages and begun to fill in the few
blank spots on the office calendar with appointments and showings. Having our
calendars on Outlook made it possible for whoever was doing the booking to
check everyone’s schedules at the same time, if that was necessary. It was a
great help, when it worked, but not so great during a power outage.
    Strutter left shortly after noon for her Main Street promenade. Promising my grumbling
stomach an ice cream cone a bit later, I wandered up to the lobby level in
search of a cup of instant broth to tide me over. As I passed May’s door on the
way back, she peered over the top of her computer spectacles and waved a
greeting.
    “Come on in and say howdy, if
you’ve got a minute. Sorry I was such a grump earlier, but I had quite a
night.”
    “Oh, how so?” I asked, not wanting to appear too curious, although I was. I took my usual
perch on the window sill and sipped cautiously at my chicken broth. The instant
hot water function on our coffee maker dispensed searing liquid guaranteed to
remove the skin from the roof of one’s mouth and at least one lip, as each of
us had learned the hard way.
    “I was up most of the night
dealing with wildlife,” May retorted, “and not the good lookin ’
masculine variety you’re probably thinking. What do you know about bats? Please
don’t go all girlie on me and start shrieking.” She
dropped her glasses on the desk and rubbed her eyes wearily. Despite her
perfect grooming, she was showing a few more of her years today than usual.
    “I wouldn’t do that,” I assured
her. “As a matter of fact, I know quite a bit about bats, at least the kinds
that live in this part of Connecticut. The house where I raised my kids had a
pretty good stretch of woods behind it and across the street, where the
railroad tracks came through, so bats were a common sight, especially at dusk.”
I smiled, remembering. “I loved that they were voracious mosquito-eaters,
because we were plagued with the things, but I became even fonder of the ugly
little beasts after one decided to have her baby on my daughter’s bedroom
windowsill. It was quite a biology lesson for my kids, who were