Grandma.
“The camera behind Frank’s didn’t give me a thing,” I said, starting with the small stuff before moving on to the big stuff. “It showed Frank coming out of his house and walking past it toward the state forest, but I already knew that.”
“Nobody was with him?”
I shook my head. “But I saw the shooter in real live action.” Then I described what happened, finishing with the pile of leaves.
“That was a ghillie suit,” she said, a lot of awe in her voice. “It’s like a monkey suit or a clown outfit, only with leaves. Snipers wear them to blend in.”
“This one sure did. I almost ran right into it.”
I watched Blaze help Grandma out of her winter coat. Then he took the broom and her arm, and brought her back inside. It wasn’t cold outside like Grandma thought, but I shivered anyway at how close I’d come to a bad end last night.
“You go have a nice rest,” Blaze said to Grandma. And without putting up a fight, off she went to her room.
“Shame on you,” he said to me.
“You know how she is about having her own way,” I argued back. Which was true. I couldn’t have stopped her if I’d tried.
“How could you let her do that?” Blaze helped himself to a cup of coffee.
“I’m not her keeper.”
“Yes, you are.”
“She can pack right now and move in with you.”
That always shut him up. And this time was no exception. Why is it that certain people are so critical of everybody else when they don’t know the half of it? Blaze should walk in my shoes for a day or two. Then he’d understand.
He sat down next to Kitty at the table and grimaced when he tasted the coffee.
“Welcome to my world,” I said, sitting down too. “What I told you yesterday about working for the Hansons is classified information. Don’t spread it around. My clients wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“Diane’s alibi doesn’t check out,” Kitty said to Blaze in a senior moment, letting him know we were hard at work on the case. I sent her a warning glance, but it was too late to stop her. “Nobody at the IGA remembers seeing her.”
Blaze looked from Kitty to me, thinking it over. His nostrils threatened to flare. Then he said, “How the hell are you getting people to talk to you? If a nosy biddy came around asking me questions that were none of her business, I’d tell her to get lost.”
“I resent that comment,” Kitty said.
“Welcome to my world,” I said to her, then to Blaze. “You do your job your way, we’ll do ours our way.”
“I suppose ordering you to stay out of this won’t work?” Blaze glanced at the kitchen counter. “Where are the doughnuts?”
“Gone.”
Kitty grinned. “I made a new batch. I’ll drop some off.”
“Grandma wants hers heavier next time,” I couldn’t help saying, remembering her comments about sinkers.
“Okay. I can do that.”
“What’s your plan for the day?” I asked Blaze. “You should interrogate Diane, find out where she really was during that period of time when Harry was killed. And while you’re at it find out where she was last night.”
My son raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Now why would Diane Aho shoot her own husband, then turn around and gun down Frank Hanson?”
“That’s a really good question. So find out. And talk to Gus, too. He knows something.”
It might sound like I was leading Blaze right to the water, but I knew he would never drink from the well if I suggested it. Or at least, he’d hold off till he was about to keel over from dehydration first. Instead he’d go in an entirely different direction just to prove to himself that he was the boss of him.
Today, Diane and Gus were all mine.
“By the way,” I finished. “The killer wore a guerilla suit.”
“Ghillie suit,” Kitty corrected.
“Either way, a pile of leaves really shellacked Frank.”
*
Kitty and I hit the road with Fred in his usual place in the middle. He’d eaten something nasty that didn’t agree with his
“The camera behind Frank’s didn’t give me a thing,” I said, starting with the small stuff before moving on to the big stuff. “It showed Frank coming out of his house and walking past it toward the state forest, but I already knew that.”
“Nobody was with him?”
I shook my head. “But I saw the shooter in real live action.” Then I described what happened, finishing with the pile of leaves.
“That was a ghillie suit,” she said, a lot of awe in her voice. “It’s like a monkey suit or a clown outfit, only with leaves. Snipers wear them to blend in.”
“This one sure did. I almost ran right into it.”
I watched Blaze help Grandma out of her winter coat. Then he took the broom and her arm, and brought her back inside. It wasn’t cold outside like Grandma thought, but I shivered anyway at how close I’d come to a bad end last night.
“You go have a nice rest,” Blaze said to Grandma. And without putting up a fight, off she went to her room.
“Shame on you,” he said to me.
“You know how she is about having her own way,” I argued back. Which was true. I couldn’t have stopped her if I’d tried.
“How could you let her do that?” Blaze helped himself to a cup of coffee.
“I’m not her keeper.”
“Yes, you are.”
“She can pack right now and move in with you.”
That always shut him up. And this time was no exception. Why is it that certain people are so critical of everybody else when they don’t know the half of it? Blaze should walk in my shoes for a day or two. Then he’d understand.
He sat down next to Kitty at the table and grimaced when he tasted the coffee.
“Welcome to my world,” I said, sitting down too. “What I told you yesterday about working for the Hansons is classified information. Don’t spread it around. My clients wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“Diane’s alibi doesn’t check out,” Kitty said to Blaze in a senior moment, letting him know we were hard at work on the case. I sent her a warning glance, but it was too late to stop her. “Nobody at the IGA remembers seeing her.”
Blaze looked from Kitty to me, thinking it over. His nostrils threatened to flare. Then he said, “How the hell are you getting people to talk to you? If a nosy biddy came around asking me questions that were none of her business, I’d tell her to get lost.”
“I resent that comment,” Kitty said.
“Welcome to my world,” I said to her, then to Blaze. “You do your job your way, we’ll do ours our way.”
“I suppose ordering you to stay out of this won’t work?” Blaze glanced at the kitchen counter. “Where are the doughnuts?”
“Gone.”
Kitty grinned. “I made a new batch. I’ll drop some off.”
“Grandma wants hers heavier next time,” I couldn’t help saying, remembering her comments about sinkers.
“Okay. I can do that.”
“What’s your plan for the day?” I asked Blaze. “You should interrogate Diane, find out where she really was during that period of time when Harry was killed. And while you’re at it find out where she was last night.”
My son raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Now why would Diane Aho shoot her own husband, then turn around and gun down Frank Hanson?”
“That’s a really good question. So find out. And talk to Gus, too. He knows something.”
It might sound like I was leading Blaze right to the water, but I knew he would never drink from the well if I suggested it. Or at least, he’d hold off till he was about to keel over from dehydration first. Instead he’d go in an entirely different direction just to prove to himself that he was the boss of him.
Today, Diane and Gus were all mine.
“By the way,” I finished. “The killer wore a guerilla suit.”
“Ghillie suit,” Kitty corrected.
“Either way, a pile of leaves really shellacked Frank.”
*
Kitty and I hit the road with Fred in his usual place in the middle. He’d eaten something nasty that didn’t agree with his
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