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

from her purse and slipped them on.  She leaned over Ruth’s shoulder for a closer look.
    Her eyes widened when she realized what she was looking at.  It was the inside of the post office!  “Is that what I think it is?”
    Ruth was so absorbed in watching the screen, she didn’t notice Gloria was right behind her.  She swung her head around.  “Yeah.  It’s the inside of the post office.”
    Gloria narrowed her eyes.  She could see Sharon, the detective, sitting behind the counter.  Seth, the part-time college student, was there, too.  “Is this live?”
    Ruth nodded.  “Yeah.  A while back, I installed a little camera up in the corner to keep an eye on the place.”
    Gloria frowned.  “Are you sure you’re allowed to do that?  I mean, isn’t that illegal?  Government property and all?”
    It was Ruth’s turn to frown.  Apparently, the thought never crossed her mind that it was something she shouldn’t do…. “I only did it because I thought someone was trying to break in a couple months back.”
    Gloria still wasn’t convinced.  However, it wasn’t her place to question. 
    Ruth tapped the button in the corner and turned up the volume, which didn’t seem to help.  All that could be heard was shuffling and mumbling voices. 
    Ruth reached into her purse, which was sitting next to her on the chair.  She pulled out a set of ear buds.  She popped the buds in her ears and plugged the other end in the side socket. 
    Gloria left her alone as she and Mally wandered out into the yard.  The errands had taken up a good part of the day.  Soon, it would be time to think about what to have for dinner. 
    She grabbed the handrail and made her way down the steps and over to her garden.  She picked up the garden hose and turned the water on.  It was nice to stand there in the solitude and think of nothing more than making sure her thirsty plants got watered.
    Mally was on the other side of the garden, over by the strawberry plants.  She watched as the dog tilted her head to the side and nibbled one of the juicy, red treats. 
    The first time she caught Mally eating a strawberry, Gloria was concerned that they might be poisonous to animals.  She did a quick research online and found berries were safe for dogs.  Grapes – no. Berries - yes.
    Gloria and Mally wandered back inside after the garden was watered. Puddles was curled up on Ruth’s lap, napping. Ruth absentmindedly stroked Puddles.  Her eyes never left the computer screen.
    Gloria plucked one of the earbuds from Ruth’s ear and leaned down.  “What do you think about pizza for dinner?” Gloria asked.
    Ruth didn’t bother to look up.  She nodded.  “Yeah, sounds great.”
    “Maybe we can order a side of chicken wings or something,” Gloria said.
    “Sounds great,” Ruth replied.
    A mischievous smile spread across Gloria’s face. “We could finish it off with a pile of cow poop for dessert.”
    Ruth waved a hand in the air. “Sure.  Whatever you want to eat is fine with me.” She was still glued to the screen.
    Gloria grinned.  This was fun!  “Then, we can pull the rocket ship from the barn and fly to the moon!”
    “This is your place, Gloria.  We can do whatever you want,” Ruth agreed.
    Gloria shook her head and headed to the junk pile in the corner of her counter.  The phone book was on top. 
    Pizza was a treat for Gloria.  Something she rarely ordered since she lived alone and a whole pizza was too much, but since Ruth was so agreeable, it sounded perfect to her.
    She started to ask Ruth what she wanted on the pizza but changed her mind.  Ruth was so engrossed in the computer screen, she was oblivious to her surroundings.  Gloria lifted the face of her watch and studied the second hand.  It was a full 16 seconds before Ruth even blinked.
    The pizza place picked up on the first ring.  “Joe’s Pizzeria,” a male voice said.  Gloria was familiar with Joe’s Pizzeria. Joe’s was a strictly “to-go”