Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

not parked in the driveway she knew he’d be there. He was well brought up. He understood his function at a time like this.
    The gathered Crozet residents would not only be able to judge how BoomBoom held up during the hideous crisis, but they’d also be able to judge the temperature of the divorce, a crisis of a different sort. Behaving bravely was tremendously important in Crozet. Stiff upper lip.
    Harry often thought if she wanted a stiff upper lip she’d grow a moustache.
    â€œAre you going to leave me here?”
Tee Tucker asked.
    â€œYeah, what about me?”
Mrs. Murphy wanted to know.
    Harry looked down at her friends. “Susan, either we take the kids or you’ll have to run me back home.”
    â€œI’ll run you home. Really isn’t proper to take the animals to the Craycrofts’, I guess.”
    â€œYou’re right.” Harry shooed Mrs. Murphy and Tucker out the post office door and locked it behind her.
    Pewter, lounging in the front window of Market’s store, yawned and then preened when she saw Mrs. Murphy. Pewter’s countenance radiated satisfaction, importance, and power, however momentary.
    Mrs. Murphy seethed.
“A fat gray Buddha, that’s what she thinks she is.”
    Tucker said,
“You like her despite herself.”
    Mrs. Murphy and Tucker glanced at each other during the ride home.
    Tucker rolled her eyes.
“Humans are crazy. Humans and ants—kill their own kind.”
    â€œI’ve had a few thoughts along those lines myself,”
Mrs. Murphy replied.
    â€œYou have not. Stop being cynical. It isn’t sophisticated. You’ll never be sophisticated, Mrs. Murphy. You came from Sally Mead’s SPCA.”
    â€œYou can shut up any time now, Tucker. Don’t take your bad mood out on me just because we have to go home.”
    Once in the house, Mrs. Murphy hopped on a chair to watch Susan and Harry drive off.
    â€œYou know what I found out at Pewter’s?”
Tucker asked.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThat it smelled like an amphibian over behind the cement mixer.”
    â€œHow would she know? She wasn’t there.”
    â€œOzzie was,”
Tucker matter-of-factly replied.
    â€œWhen did you find this out?”
the cat demanded.
    â€œWhen I went to the bathroom. I thought I’d go over and chat with Pewter to try and smooth over your damage.”
Tucker enjoyed chiding Mrs. Murphy.
“Anyway, when Bob Berryman stopped by the store, Ozzie told me everything. Said it smelled like a big turtle.”
    â€œThat makes no sense,”
Mrs. Murphy paced on the back of the chair.
“And just what was Ozzie doing over there, anyway?”
    â€œDidn’t say. You know, Murph, a tortoise scent is very strong.”
    Not to people.
The tiger thought.
    â€œOzzie said Sheriff Rick Shaw and the others walked over the scent many times. Didn’t wrinkle their noses. How they can miss that smell I’ll never know. It’s dark and nutty. I’d like to go over there and have a sniff myself.”
Tucker began trotting up and down the living room rug.
    â€œIt probably has nothing to do with this . . . mess.”
Mrs. Murphy thought a minute.
“But on the other hand . . .”
    â€œWant to go?”
Tucker wagged her tail.
    â€œLet’s go tonight when Harry’s asleep.”
Mrs. Murphy was excited.
“If there’s a trace, we’ll pick it up. We can’t leave now. Harry’s upset. If she comes back from the Craycrofts’ and finds us gone it will make her even more upset.”
    â€œYou’re right,”
the dog concurred.
“Let’s wait until she’s asleep.”
    Â 
    Cars lined the long driveway into the imposing Craycroft residence.
    Josiah and Ned parked people’s cars for them. Susan and Harry pulled up.
    Josiah opened Harry’s door. “Hello, Harry. Terrible, terrible,” was all the normally garrulous fellow could say.
    When