South River Incident by Ann Mullen Read Free Book Online Page A

a
headache from the one shot of alcohol that had turned into three before the
evening was over. I should’ve known better. Alcohol is not without lasting
affects. It makes me stupid. I sure hope I didn’t say or do anything that might
come back to haunt me later.
    “Do you have some aspirin?
I have a whopper of a headache.”
     “Sure, honey, I’ll go get
you some. Did you and Billy have a few drinks too many last night?”
    “Oh, we had one or two...”
    I swallowed the aspirin
with a big gulp of coffee while Mom mumbled something about my relationship
with Billy. I brushed her off with a wave of the hand and tried to change the
subject.
    “Are Uncle Bill and Aunt
Edie coming for Thanksgiving?”
    “I’m afraid they can’t make
it. Edie called yesterday morning and said Bill had the flu and they weren’t
going to be able to come.”
    “That’s too bad. I enjoy
their visits.”
    “Who are you talking
about?” Billy growled from the living room.
    “It’s alive,” I snarled.
“Mom has some coffee ready. Come and get it!”
    Athena and Thor came to
life. I guess they must have thought I was talking to them because they came
running to the kitchen, barking like they normally do when they sense food.
They were awake and wanted to be fed. They drooled on my feet.
    I went to the utility room
to fill their bowls, but before I could finish they tried to eat the food right
out of the scooper.
    “God, you both act as if
you’re starving. Calm down, and have some manners. You’re such pigs. You’re a
bunch of mongrel dogs!”
    “Thanks,” Billy said as Mom
sat the cup down in front of him. He looked at me. “Jesse, they’re just dogs.
Give’em a break. If you want them to have manners, you have to teach them.” He
looked at Athena and Thor and said firmly, “Sit!”
    They stopped their
playfulness, glared at Billy, and then sat down.
    “See, they’re like kids.
You have to tell them what to do.”
    I backed away and stared in
disbelief.
    “How did you do that? They
never listen to me.”
    “It’s the tone in your
voice. You have to let them know who’s boss and at the same time be gentle. You
can’t yell at them.”
    The kitchen phone rang just
about the time I was getting ready to put my hands around Billy’s throat.
    “Hello,” I answered,
turning my back when I recognized Cole’s voice. “I’m fine... No, I’m not mad...
Okay... See you then... Bye.”
    “That was short,” Billy
said as I hung up the phone and sat down at the table. “I sense trouble
brewing.”
    “Cole’s coming over in a
few minutes. He wants to have a talk.”
    “What do you think that’s
all about?” Mom said with a concerned look on her face. She had liked Cole from
the start, and thought he would be perfect for me, until Billy came along. I
don’t think she could make up her mind which one she wanted me to marry. What I
couldn’t get her to understand was that I wasn’t going to marry anyone until I
found the right man. I was in love with Cole, but we had some issues to deal
with before making it to the altar. Billy was my boss and friend—not my lover.
    “Beats me,” I said, trying
to act like it wasn’t important. Yet, under my cool facade, my heart was
racing. What did he want to talk about? He sounded so cool and distant. Was he
going to dump me? What had I done wrong this time? “Maybe he wants to apologize
for being such a creep about our relationship. I’m sure his boss didn’t know
that I was his girlfriend, and Cole didn’t stand up and tell him.”
    I met Cole six months ago.
We started dating immediately. Our fire was intense and if our jobs hadn’t
gotten in the way, we’d probably be living together. But things happen. We
finally adjusted to seeing each other every few days, savoring every minute of
our time together, but we couldn’t quite get past dealing with the different
directions our jobs pulled us: he’s the law, and I’m the snoop . I’m not
officially a P.I., but