Read Online Devil May Care by Elizabeth Peters - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Peters
Tags: Fiction, General, detective, Suspense, Psychological, Romance, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Witches, Mystery Fiction, American Fiction, Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths, Fiction - Mystery, Virginia
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intellectually and emotionally?
The tricks had been engineered with some degree of cleverness, especially the first one. She had to concede that, since she had no idea how it had been done. That sounded conceited--and it was conceited.
All the same, she was unwilling to admit that the Beaseleys, singly oren masse, were that much smarter than she was.
The Beaseleys seemed equally improbable suspects on the grounds of motive. They had no reason to want to frighten her; and indeed, if the aim of the trickster was to scare her, he was not being very thorough about it. The apparitions had not been particularly terrifying.
After she had washed the dishes she went upstairs to get dressed. She could sympathize with the cats.
The sun was calling her too, and she lost no time in getting outside.
She released the dogs, bracing herself to withstand their tumultuous greetings, and then filled their water dishes. It took a good half hour to feed the various fauna Kate had accumulated, including the wild birds and the squirrels. Kate had the most obscenely fat squirrels in the county.
When her chores were finished she dragged a deck chair out onto the flagstoned patio and stretched out.
The sun felt divine. Her own favorite among the dogs, Toby the bloodhound, had stretched out beside her, his long, mournful muzzle resting on his front paws, and the beautiful thoughtful eyes that are characteristic of the breed fixed on Ellie's face. His name, derived from that of the fabulous mongrel in "The Sign of the Four," who had so often assisted Sherlock Holmes in his cases, was another example of wishful thinking on Kate's part. Toby had something wrong with his sense of smell; he didn't even recognize his friends by nose, but barked at them until they were close enough to be identified. He had DEVIL-MAY-CARE 55
an angelic personality, however, and his very appearance was imposing enough to scare off strangers.
Ellie put her hand on the dog's head, and felt him respond with a wriggle of pleasure. Once again she wondered about the strange behavior of the dogs in the night. What was it Dr. Watson had said? " The dog did nothing in the night-time.' ' was the curious incident,' remarked Sherlock Holmes."
Franklin had not barked at the first pair of "ghosts." Did that suggest that they were people he knew? Or that the old folk superstition, that animals were aware of the presence of the supernatural, was false? Maybe dogs didn't bark at ghosts. Maybe they only barked at unfamiliar ghosts. Kate's dogs might be as wildly unpredictable as their mistress ... Before her thoughts could wander farther away from sense, Ellie fell asleep.
She awoke with a start,, having dreamed that someone was standing over her, to find that it was not a dream. The first thing she saw was an earthstained trowel, held in a tanned brown hand, and two jean-clad knees, stained with stripes of green and brown. Her eyes traveled up the man's body-- flat stomach and narrow hips, a bared torso in tanned Indian-brown, where the ribs stood out with unhealthy distinctness--till they reached the face.
Ellie gasped; and the dog, whose head had been quiescent under her trailing fingers, stiffened alertly as her shock communicated itself. The costume was not the same, but the face was the face of the young man who had smiled at her from the upper hall. Feature by feature identically the same, even to the small sickle-shaped scar on the chin.
CHAPTER FOUR.
Slowly and ponderously the bloodhound got to its feet. Ellie was unable to remove her fascinated stare from the face she knew so well, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Toby was not registering hostility.
His tail was moving from side to side and his big brown eyes were bewildered as he looked from her to the newcomer, whom he obviously knew and trusted.
"Who are you?" Ellie inquired.
"Donald Gold. I'm your yardman. Or do you prefer yardboy?"
He grinned broadly at her. The transformation resulting from a simple
The tricks had been engineered with some degree of cleverness, especially the first one. She had to concede that, since she had no idea how it had been done. That sounded conceited--and it was conceited.
All the same, she was unwilling to admit that the Beaseleys, singly oren masse, were that much smarter than she was.
The Beaseleys seemed equally improbable suspects on the grounds of motive. They had no reason to want to frighten her; and indeed, if the aim of the trickster was to scare her, he was not being very thorough about it. The apparitions had not been particularly terrifying.
After she had washed the dishes she went upstairs to get dressed. She could sympathize with the cats.
The sun was calling her too, and she lost no time in getting outside.
She released the dogs, bracing herself to withstand their tumultuous greetings, and then filled their water dishes. It took a good half hour to feed the various fauna Kate had accumulated, including the wild birds and the squirrels. Kate had the most obscenely fat squirrels in the county.
When her chores were finished she dragged a deck chair out onto the flagstoned patio and stretched out.
The sun felt divine. Her own favorite among the dogs, Toby the bloodhound, had stretched out beside her, his long, mournful muzzle resting on his front paws, and the beautiful thoughtful eyes that are characteristic of the breed fixed on Ellie's face. His name, derived from that of the fabulous mongrel in "The Sign of the Four," who had so often assisted Sherlock Holmes in his cases, was another example of wishful thinking on Kate's part. Toby had something wrong with his sense of smell; he didn't even recognize his friends by nose, but barked at them until they were close enough to be identified. He had DEVIL-MAY-CARE 55
an angelic personality, however, and his very appearance was imposing enough to scare off strangers.
Ellie put her hand on the dog's head, and felt him respond with a wriggle of pleasure. Once again she wondered about the strange behavior of the dogs in the night. What was it Dr. Watson had said? " The dog did nothing in the night-time.' ' was the curious incident,' remarked Sherlock Holmes."
Franklin had not barked at the first pair of "ghosts." Did that suggest that they were people he knew? Or that the old folk superstition, that animals were aware of the presence of the supernatural, was false? Maybe dogs didn't bark at ghosts. Maybe they only barked at unfamiliar ghosts. Kate's dogs might be as wildly unpredictable as their mistress ... Before her thoughts could wander farther away from sense, Ellie fell asleep.
She awoke with a start,, having dreamed that someone was standing over her, to find that it was not a dream. The first thing she saw was an earthstained trowel, held in a tanned brown hand, and two jean-clad knees, stained with stripes of green and brown. Her eyes traveled up the man's body-- flat stomach and narrow hips, a bared torso in tanned Indian-brown, where the ribs stood out with unhealthy distinctness--till they reached the face.
Ellie gasped; and the dog, whose head had been quiescent under her trailing fingers, stiffened alertly as her shock communicated itself. The costume was not the same, but the face was the face of the young man who had smiled at her from the upper hall. Feature by feature identically the same, even to the small sickle-shaped scar on the chin.
CHAPTER FOUR.
Slowly and ponderously the bloodhound got to its feet. Ellie was unable to remove her fascinated stare from the face she knew so well, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Toby was not registering hostility.
His tail was moving from side to side and his big brown eyes were bewildered as he looked from her to the newcomer, whom he obviously knew and trusted.
"Who are you?" Ellie inquired.
"Donald Gold. I'm your yardman. Or do you prefer yardboy?"
He grinned broadly at her. The transformation resulting from a simple
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