OUT ON A LIMB by Joan Hess Read Free Book Online Page B

and dropped it in the cart. “A cousin is coming to visit, so I thought I’d pick up a few things. If you’ll excuse me, Sally, I need to drive Caron to school before the first bell.” I tossed in a six-pack of the same formula that had been in the diaper bag. I had adequate supplies for the day, and when Inez came by after school, I could leave Skyler with her and shop in a store at the edge of town. Or in another county.
    Sally deftly swung her cart in front of mine. “How old is Caron these days? Sixteen, isn’t she?”
    I resisted the urge to ram her cart and send her stumbling into the strained fiver, beets, peas, carrots, and whatever designer vegetables were being strained these days. “Yes, she’s sixteen, and she’s also about to be late to algebra. I hope your cat recovers.”
    “I’m sure she will, in due time.”
    I received a few curious glances as I waited in line at the checkout counter, taking some comfort in the fact I did not have the matronly aura of a grandmother. And, yes, I realize some grandmothers run marathons, dance until dawn, oversee megabuck businesses, and have seats in the U.S. Congress or cells in federal penitentiaries. An eclectic group.
    Skyler was watching the sunlight on the upholstery when I arrived at the car. Caron ignored me. I dropped her off at the high school, then continued to the Book Depot. I parked behind the store and carried the basket through the back door. Discretion rather than cowardice, I told myself as I made sure Skyler was content.
    I’d barely started making coffee when the telephone rang. Despite my reluctance, I answered it with a timid hello.
    “What is going on?” demanded Luanne, wasting no time with conventional greetings. “Are you plotting to kidnap the sole heir of a wealthy stockbroker?”
    “Know any?”
    “That is not an answer.”
    “It’s a response, though.”
    Luanne took a deep breath. “Why were you buying disposable diapers this morning? Most of us tend to equate diapers with babies. Have you opened an infant day-care center in the back room of the bookstore?”
    “In a way,” I admitted, then told her the whole story from Skyler’s first appearance to his most recent one.
    “Oh, dear,” she said at last. “Oh, dear. You have no idea who the mother is or why she left the baby on your porch?”
    “How could I? I suppose I might try to track Arnie down, but he’s more likely to be on a freight train to Topeka than in a local shelter. The other witness had a car and an attitude. I don’t have a clue where the mother’s been staying for the last month. It’s not that much of a crisis, Luanne. I’m looking at a couple of days of diapers and formula, not the specter of athletic shoes, college tuition, and future in-laws.”
    “Sally is convinced that he’s Caron’s child.”
    I would have uttered an Anglo-Saxon expletive had Skyler not been observing me; I did not want to be responsible if his first utterance was indelicate. “Sally dealt with Caron and Inez five weeks ago, for pity’s sake! She knows perfectly well that Caron wasn’t wearing pants with an elastic waistband and a maternity blouse.”
    “She was rather puzzled,” said Luanne. “So, are you going to Anthony’s press conference?”
    “I don’t see how I can.”
    Luanne rumbled for a moment, then said, “I’ll find a stroller and a car seat at the thrift shop, and pick up you and your ward at eleven-thirty. If you’re afraid of gossip, I’ll push the stroller.”
    I was interested in hearing what Anthony Armstrong had to say, as well as what action he intended to take. Mr. Constantine, the Greens’ lawyer, was shuffling his notes outside the courthouse, so we could expect to learn if he’d been successful in his plea for an injunction. And of course, Skyler was not too young for his first foray into the machinations of local politics. The one person who would have enjoyed it most was oak-bound.
    Parking was scarce near the square, but we found