Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy by Hope Callaghan Read Free Book Online

dropped her off.  “Yes,” she agreed, “Brutus will be a good watch dog.  Not so good for a guard dog, though, unless he can lick them to death.”
    Andrea nodded.  “That’s what the gun is for.  If he can find ‘em, I can shoot ‘em,” she joked half-heartedly.
    She motioned for them to follow her into the living room.  The living room was one of the rooms Andrea had done the least amount of renovation in.  It hadn’t needed a lot of work.  The only thing she had done was put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, refinish the beautiful wood floors and polish the fireplace. 
    They passed through the French doors that connected the living room to the library.  Andrea stopped in front of the bookcase.  “The previous owners left all these books behind.  I started to look through them last night.  Some of them are quite old.”
    Andrea plucked one from the shelf and blew the dust off the top.  “Check it out!”  She handed the leather bound book to Gloria.
    Gloria held the book in her hand.  This room was right up Gloria’s alley.  She loved old books - and libraries!  She pulled her reading glasses from her bag and studied the cover.  1877 Book of Poetry . Gloria opened the cover and fanned the pages.  “Wow.  I need to come by here one afternoon and sift through this place.”
    Andrea nodded.  “Whenever you want, you know you’re more than welcome!”  Andrea motioned them to the kitchen. 
    Gloria slid the book back in the empty slot and followed Andrea. 
    Ruth brought up the rear as the girls wandered across the small hall and into the kitchen.  The kitchen was a mix of sleek modern and vintage charm.  Andrea had done a wonderful job of blending the two. 
    Gloria wandered over to the wall that connected to the hall and the library.  “I thought you were going to take this out?”
    Andrea nodded.  “I am.  It’s the last project on my list.  I saved it for last because I’m still trying to decide what kind of bar area to put in.  I’m torn between matching it to the granite countertops or installing something more edgy.  You know.  Like polished cement or stainless steel.”
    “What about zinc?” Ruth piped up.
    Andrea lifted a brow.  “Zinc?  I never considered that but it sounds interesting.  I’ll have to check it out.”
    The girls and Brutus wandered back to the front door.  Gloria could hear a faint tap tap coming from somewhere upstairs.  She pointed up.  “What are they working on?”
    Andrea grinned.  She shook her head.  “Can’t tell!  It’s a surprise.”
    Andrea walked the girls out to the van.  Gloria opened the passenger side door.  “The intruder the other night - do you think maybe one of the workers somehow got a copy of your house key?”
    Andrea crossed her arms.  “Hmm.  I hadn’t thought about that but, yeah, it’s possible.”
    “Maybe…” Gloria started to say.
    Andrea finished her sentence. “I should change the locks.”  She held up her hand.  “Already got that covered.  Brian is coming by after work tonight to put a new set of locks on both the front and back door!”
    Gloria gave the thumbs up.  “I’m glad you told me that.  I was going to stop by the hardware store on my way back home and ask him to do just that!”
    Andrea and Brutus wandered back inside while Gloria and Ruth backed out of the drive. 
    The next stop on their list was Dot’s place.  They pulled into an open spot out front.  Ruth slid out of the driver’s seat and stared behind her.  At the post office.  She sniffled and turned to Gloria.  Her eyes filled with tears. 
    “Don’t you worry, Ruth.  We’re going to get this mess sorted out in a jiffy so you can get back to work,” she said.  And I can have my place back, she thought to herself.
    The restaurant wasn’t terribly busy.  Gloria waved to a few of the regulars as she and Ruth wandered to the back.  Ruth kept her head down and avoided eye contact with the