Read Online Elsinore Canyon by J. M. - Free Book Online Page A

friends with her since you were small. So, well, maybe you could help us. Maybe you could cheer her up.”
    Twenty fingers laced, nails pointing out like tiny bayonets.
    “Or at least find out why she’s so unlike herself.”
    “I know she adores you both,” said Mr. Hamlet. “Eh, we haven’t had any pajama parties here in a while, but I’m sure we’re still equipped to.”
    Dr. Claudia smiled indulgently. “Pajama parties are fun, but we know your time is valuable.”
    Mr. Hamlet aimed his hairline assuringly at the lovely targets. “I’ll be very appreciative. It’s actually, ah, a serious matter. I’m speaking here not only as Dana’s dad, but as the head of the Hamlet Family Foundation.”
    A moment of opaque silence, and Rosie turned to Mr. Hamlet with her facial muscles engaged at last. Her smile was a charming tease. “You’re practically like a father to us, you know. You could have just told us to come out here. You didn’t need to ask.”
    A tide of happy love flowed into the room. “Well, that makes me feel old,” he dimpled back at her. “I didn’t know I was such an authority figure.”
    “What would you like us to do?”
    “Can you spend some time with her today? Just talk to her, try to find out what’s bothering her? Or at least get her to do something fun?”
    “We would love to try.”
    Dr. Claudia broke into a frothy smile and held out a hand to each. “Thank you both very much.” She retained the girls’ hands only briefly, sensing in their cool fingers that she had slopped over their thimble-sized capacities for gratitude.
    Perla nodded in the door. The girls straightened their skirts and shambled gracefully after her into the wide, quiet hallway, their lips pressed shut and their eyes, unreadable once again, pointed straight ahead.

    Rosie and Gale had gone shopping with Dana a few days prior to the wedding reception to pick out a staid yet pretty Badgley Mischka colorblock shift, only to see her skulking around in that black wool thing on the big day. Go figure that Perla couldn’t get her to answer the intercom now. She left them in a tasteful room purposed for temporary guest storage and moved off in search of the improbable hostess.
    The two girls placed themselves on each side of a large desk and leveled their eyes at each other.
    “What the fuck was that?” said Rosie.
    “She’s always on like that, but…”
    “Forget about the ‘on’ thing. What the fuck does she think is going on with Dana?”
    “Wait, she’s more than just ‘on.’ What’s with the ‘appreciation’?”
    “They have to offer us something. You don’t spy on your friend for free.”
    “Spy? They didn’t say anything about reporting back to them.”
    Rosie’s phone vibrated. She tapped it and read a message. A tiny gleam filled her eye, and she showed the screen to Gale.
    You should have plenty of opportunity to get inside Dana’s head. Whatever it is that’s bothering her, it would be helpful to know what she means to do about it. Tnx again, Claudia H.
    Gale gave a thin smile. “I wonder if we’ll get a bonus for results.”

Affect or Effect
    Polly had ushered in the auditors, smiled over a set of signatures, and called for Perla to show them out. “I believe that puts things on a better course,” he said.
    “Good work,” Dr. Claudia nodded as she looked over the papers.
    Polly hemmed. Good work, what did that mean anymore? Everything meant something else. He sought out Mr. Hamlet’s eye for sympathy, but he was busy staring at his wife’s hands. “Always my intention,” Polly said. “If you’d like to hear, I also have some information about another issue of significance. I think I know something about the cause of your daughter’s, shall we say, behavior.”
    Dr. Claudia’s head came up. “I certainly would like to hear.”
    “What is it?” said Mr. Hamlet.
    “I thought you’d be interested,” Polly said, looking down on them from his height. He summoned