Read Online Digging Up Trouble by Heather Webber - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Webber
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to someone poking you from the inside out.
"How about the name Jake?" Tam asked, picking up the notepad, pencil poised.
Mrs. Krauss clucked. "Jake Munroe used to pick his nose in my class."
Tam crossed that name off her list. "Jane?"
I made a face. "Jane Albertson stole my boyfriend in the first grade."
Tam and Mrs. Krauss stared at me.
"What?" I asked. "I'm not allowed to hold a grudge?"
Tam crossed that name off her list. "Kevin?"
I gave her the Ceceri Evil Eye.
"All right." She scratched off that name too.
I got to thinking again about Greta Grabinsky. Maybe going to see her, pleading my case, wasn't the wisest move. Maybe I should give her time. A few days at least. But if she sued . . .
I'd worked too hard to lose it all.
"What could she do, really?" I asked.
"Are we back to that?" Mrs. Krauss asked, flipping through a baby name book.
"Well, I'm sorry to bore you, but I don't know what to do."
"The worst she could do is throw you out," Tam said. "Michael?"
"Michael Perry cheated on his tenth grade term paper," Mrs. Krauss said in a way that made me think he'd paid dearly for it. "Bought one from an upperclassman."
I thought that was pretty ingenious of him. I'd slaved over mine, "A Socioeconomic Analysis of Romeo and Juliet, " and had gotten a D.
Considering I now couldn't tell you what socioeconomic meant probably meant I earned that D.
Brickhouse narrowed her ice blue eyes at Tam. "I know you don't want your son to have a cheater's name."
Tam scratched that one off the list too.
To me, Mrs. Krauss said, "She could call the cops on you. Harassment." She clucked, then smiled as if the idea amused her.
The last thing I wanted was to be involved with the police. Especially one homicide detective in particular. I wondered when Russ Grabinsky's autopsy would be completed. Freedom, Ohio, wasn't exactly the murder capital of the country. How busy could the M.E. be?
"Patrika?" Mrs. Krauss offered.
Tam and I frowned at her.
She clucked and continued to flip pages.
"I wouldn't do it," Tam said. "Going to see the dead man's wife is asking for trouble, Nina."
"Ach. I agree," Brickhouse added.
That pretty much sealed it for me. I had to go see Mrs. Grabinsky. Get her to listen to me. If only to prove to Mrs. Krauss that she was wrong.
"How did it go with Jean-Claude?" Tam asked.
"Well, um . . ."
"You didn't fire him!"
"I couldn't."
Mrs. Krauss clucked. "You're a wuss, Nina Ceceri."
I bit my tongue to keep from calling Mrs. Krauss something I might regret later. Actually, I wouldn't regret it at all. "Oh yeah? Well, you're—"
"Looking good," Mr. Cabrera said to Brickhouse from the doorway. He held a pot of red geraniums.
"Donatelli!" Mrs. Krauss's whole face brightened. She clucked lovingly. "Geraniums. My favorites."
Geraniums always reminded me of cemeteries, but I kept that tidbit to myself. No need to remind Mrs. Krauss of Mr. Cabrera's bad luck with women.
Mrs. Krauss abandoned the baby name book and leaned up for a kiss.
It lasted for a good ten seconds.
Eww.
"I've got to go." Quickly, I kissed Tam's cheek good-bye, rubbed her belly, hoped the baby wouldn't move while I did it and creep me out. It didn't. "I'll come back later," I said.
"Leaving so soon, Miz Quinn?" Mr. Cabrera asked.
"Sorry," I said, not sorry at all. "I've got someone to see."
Tam's and Brickhouse's groans followed me out the door.
Eight
I parked down the block. I told myself it was because I needed the exercise—my lungs still hadn't recovered from that sprint after BeBe—but really, it was because I didn't want to give Mrs. Grabinsky any advanced warning. If she saw me coming, she might not open the door. We weren't exactly on friendly terms.
Skipping over a crack in the sidewalk, I glanced at the Lockharts' house. A stone path flanked by blooming flower beds led to the front door. It was a charming house. Cape Cod style with dormers and a front porch complete with two rocking chairs and hanging flower
"How about the name Jake?" Tam asked, picking up the notepad, pencil poised.
Mrs. Krauss clucked. "Jake Munroe used to pick his nose in my class."
Tam crossed that name off her list. "Jane?"
I made a face. "Jane Albertson stole my boyfriend in the first grade."
Tam and Mrs. Krauss stared at me.
"What?" I asked. "I'm not allowed to hold a grudge?"
Tam crossed that name off her list. "Kevin?"
I gave her the Ceceri Evil Eye.
"All right." She scratched off that name too.
I got to thinking again about Greta Grabinsky. Maybe going to see her, pleading my case, wasn't the wisest move. Maybe I should give her time. A few days at least. But if she sued . . .
I'd worked too hard to lose it all.
"What could she do, really?" I asked.
"Are we back to that?" Mrs. Krauss asked, flipping through a baby name book.
"Well, I'm sorry to bore you, but I don't know what to do."
"The worst she could do is throw you out," Tam said. "Michael?"
"Michael Perry cheated on his tenth grade term paper," Mrs. Krauss said in a way that made me think he'd paid dearly for it. "Bought one from an upperclassman."
I thought that was pretty ingenious of him. I'd slaved over mine, "A Socioeconomic Analysis of Romeo and Juliet, " and had gotten a D.
Considering I now couldn't tell you what socioeconomic meant probably meant I earned that D.
Brickhouse narrowed her ice blue eyes at Tam. "I know you don't want your son to have a cheater's name."
Tam scratched that one off the list too.
To me, Mrs. Krauss said, "She could call the cops on you. Harassment." She clucked, then smiled as if the idea amused her.
The last thing I wanted was to be involved with the police. Especially one homicide detective in particular. I wondered when Russ Grabinsky's autopsy would be completed. Freedom, Ohio, wasn't exactly the murder capital of the country. How busy could the M.E. be?
"Patrika?" Mrs. Krauss offered.
Tam and I frowned at her.
She clucked and continued to flip pages.
"I wouldn't do it," Tam said. "Going to see the dead man's wife is asking for trouble, Nina."
"Ach. I agree," Brickhouse added.
That pretty much sealed it for me. I had to go see Mrs. Grabinsky. Get her to listen to me. If only to prove to Mrs. Krauss that she was wrong.
"How did it go with Jean-Claude?" Tam asked.
"Well, um . . ."
"You didn't fire him!"
"I couldn't."
Mrs. Krauss clucked. "You're a wuss, Nina Ceceri."
I bit my tongue to keep from calling Mrs. Krauss something I might regret later. Actually, I wouldn't regret it at all. "Oh yeah? Well, you're—"
"Looking good," Mr. Cabrera said to Brickhouse from the doorway. He held a pot of red geraniums.
"Donatelli!" Mrs. Krauss's whole face brightened. She clucked lovingly. "Geraniums. My favorites."
Geraniums always reminded me of cemeteries, but I kept that tidbit to myself. No need to remind Mrs. Krauss of Mr. Cabrera's bad luck with women.
Mrs. Krauss abandoned the baby name book and leaned up for a kiss.
It lasted for a good ten seconds.
Eww.
"I've got to go." Quickly, I kissed Tam's cheek good-bye, rubbed her belly, hoped the baby wouldn't move while I did it and creep me out. It didn't. "I'll come back later," I said.
"Leaving so soon, Miz Quinn?" Mr. Cabrera asked.
"Sorry," I said, not sorry at all. "I've got someone to see."
Tam's and Brickhouse's groans followed me out the door.
Eight
I parked down the block. I told myself it was because I needed the exercise—my lungs still hadn't recovered from that sprint after BeBe—but really, it was because I didn't want to give Mrs. Grabinsky any advanced warning. If she saw me coming, she might not open the door. We weren't exactly on friendly terms.
Skipping over a crack in the sidewalk, I glanced at the Lockharts' house. A stone path flanked by blooming flower beds led to the front door. It was a charming house. Cape Cod style with dormers and a front porch complete with two rocking chairs and hanging flower
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