Read Online A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kylie Logan
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Dino was,” Chandra added.
“Well, at least no one really got hurt,” Luella said, and with a small smile, I thanked her for diverting the subject. Yeah, we were still discussing the guillotine incident. But without the gory details. “And I’d bet a dime to a donut those rockers aren’t going to use that guillotine in their act on Saturday night.”
I shivered. “I couldn’t even put my head in that thing when it was on my front porch and Dino guaranteed me one hundred percent that it wouldn’t hurt me. I can’t imagine he’d have the nerve to do it on Saturday. Not after what happened tonight. Imagine . . .”
We all did, and as if we’d choreographed the move, we instinctively stepped closer to each other.
“Cold, girls?” Moving with far more energy than a lady her age should have, Alice Defarge trotted by, coming from the direction of the park. She had one cone of fluffy pink cotton candy in one hand, and a cone of blue cotton candy in the other.
Luella waved on behalf of all of us. “You’re not going to watch the fireworks?”
With the pink cone of cotton candy, Alice pointed across the street to the knitting shop. I knew the cottage she shared with Margaret was behind it and across a small but neatly tended garden. “We can see just fine from the backyard,” she explained. “Margaret’s already got the lawn chairs out and I said I’d pick up dessert.”
“Don’t you know, Alice,” Chandra called out. “It’s not officially dessert if it’s not chocolate!”
Alice laughed. “Not in our house.” She scooted closer. “You know, back in the day they used to call me Chocolate Alice and they used to call my sister Vanilla Margaret. That’s because Margaret hates chocolate with a fiery passion. She never eats it. Never even allows it in the house. No worries!” She gave us a conspiratorial wink. “I get my fill over at the fudge shop near the carousel, and Margaret is never any wiser. But when we’re eating dessert at home . . .” Once again, she held out the cotton candy.
I had no doubt that the pink one was for Margaret.
“You are coming to the park on Saturday for the big fireworks show, aren’t you?” I asked Alice. “We’re planning to get there early so we don’t have to fight the crowd, and we’ll save seats for you and Margaret if you’d like.”
“That’s so nice, dear.” Alice backed toward the street. “I’ll be sure to mention it to Margaret, but it will all depend on what time the reruns come on for
The Lawrence Welk Show
. Margaret loves Lawrence Welk. That Margaret, she can be such an old fuddy-duddy sometimes.” With a sly smile on her face, Alice turned and headed toward home just as Levi walked out of the bar.
“Well?” I promised myself I wasn’t going to bug him, but really, I couldn’t help myself. All this talk of Richie and Dino and mistaken identities and heads being chopped off made my brain spin, and the only thing that was going to stop it was answers. “Did you find anything wrong with the guillotine?”
Levi wore a white apron looped over his neck, covering his jeans and T-shirt. It was spattered with red stains. “I’m no expert when it comes to magic tricks,” he admitted. “I don’t think I could tell if that thing was tampered with even if I looked. Besides, I didn’t have much of a chance. Mike and I were too busy cleaning up watermelon guts.”
“Guts. Ooh.” Kate pressed a hand to her mouth.
I’d hoped for something more definitive as to the condition of the magic guillotine. “Well, we can always talk to the band,” I suggested, and as if on cue, Nick, Jesse, Paul, and Scotty sauntered out of the bar. If the guillotine-trick-gone-wrong bothered them, they sure didn’t show it. In fact, when their fans started to squeal, they stopped in the doorway, posed for pictures, then went over to the table that had been set up at the other end of the sidewalk where the band was scheduled to sign autographs.
“No
“Well, at least no one really got hurt,” Luella said, and with a small smile, I thanked her for diverting the subject. Yeah, we were still discussing the guillotine incident. But without the gory details. “And I’d bet a dime to a donut those rockers aren’t going to use that guillotine in their act on Saturday night.”
I shivered. “I couldn’t even put my head in that thing when it was on my front porch and Dino guaranteed me one hundred percent that it wouldn’t hurt me. I can’t imagine he’d have the nerve to do it on Saturday. Not after what happened tonight. Imagine . . .”
We all did, and as if we’d choreographed the move, we instinctively stepped closer to each other.
“Cold, girls?” Moving with far more energy than a lady her age should have, Alice Defarge trotted by, coming from the direction of the park. She had one cone of fluffy pink cotton candy in one hand, and a cone of blue cotton candy in the other.
Luella waved on behalf of all of us. “You’re not going to watch the fireworks?”
With the pink cone of cotton candy, Alice pointed across the street to the knitting shop. I knew the cottage she shared with Margaret was behind it and across a small but neatly tended garden. “We can see just fine from the backyard,” she explained. “Margaret’s already got the lawn chairs out and I said I’d pick up dessert.”
“Don’t you know, Alice,” Chandra called out. “It’s not officially dessert if it’s not chocolate!”
Alice laughed. “Not in our house.” She scooted closer. “You know, back in the day they used to call me Chocolate Alice and they used to call my sister Vanilla Margaret. That’s because Margaret hates chocolate with a fiery passion. She never eats it. Never even allows it in the house. No worries!” She gave us a conspiratorial wink. “I get my fill over at the fudge shop near the carousel, and Margaret is never any wiser. But when we’re eating dessert at home . . .” Once again, she held out the cotton candy.
I had no doubt that the pink one was for Margaret.
“You are coming to the park on Saturday for the big fireworks show, aren’t you?” I asked Alice. “We’re planning to get there early so we don’t have to fight the crowd, and we’ll save seats for you and Margaret if you’d like.”
“That’s so nice, dear.” Alice backed toward the street. “I’ll be sure to mention it to Margaret, but it will all depend on what time the reruns come on for
The Lawrence Welk Show
. Margaret loves Lawrence Welk. That Margaret, she can be such an old fuddy-duddy sometimes.” With a sly smile on her face, Alice turned and headed toward home just as Levi walked out of the bar.
“Well?” I promised myself I wasn’t going to bug him, but really, I couldn’t help myself. All this talk of Richie and Dino and mistaken identities and heads being chopped off made my brain spin, and the only thing that was going to stop it was answers. “Did you find anything wrong with the guillotine?”
Levi wore a white apron looped over his neck, covering his jeans and T-shirt. It was spattered with red stains. “I’m no expert when it comes to magic tricks,” he admitted. “I don’t think I could tell if that thing was tampered with even if I looked. Besides, I didn’t have much of a chance. Mike and I were too busy cleaning up watermelon guts.”
“Guts. Ooh.” Kate pressed a hand to her mouth.
I’d hoped for something more definitive as to the condition of the magic guillotine. “Well, we can always talk to the band,” I suggested, and as if on cue, Nick, Jesse, Paul, and Scotty sauntered out of the bar. If the guillotine-trick-gone-wrong bothered them, they sure didn’t show it. In fact, when their fans started to squeal, they stopped in the doorway, posed for pictures, then went over to the table that had been set up at the other end of the sidewalk where the band was scheduled to sign autographs.
“No
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