Read Online Murder by Christmas (Edna Davies mysteries) by Suzanne Young - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Suzanne Young
Ads: Link
didn’t.” Edna bent to pick up the cat, since it appeared to be affectionate and not at all leery of her. “Why is that?”
The woman shrugged. “It has something to do with the gene that gives the eyes their blue color. I looked it up on Wikipedia--you know, the computer site that has answers to everything. They say a cat with one blue and one brown eye will be deaf only on the side with the blue eye. Isn’t that weird?” Before Edna could reply, Laurel nodded toward the cat. “She’s not up for adoption. She gets scared if she thinks she’s alone, prowls the house yowling for company. I have two other cats who seem to know what she needs, and they take pretty good care of her.”
Edna was thinking how much nicer Laurel seemed when she was talking about her animals and not acting like a teenaged flirt. Before she could dwell on how complex the woman seemed, Mary spoke up.
“Black cats are the hardest to adopt out. Isn’t that right?” She walked over to the other two ladies, holding a sleek, short-haired black cat in her arms. She leaned toward Edna so the white and black felines could touch noses.
“The white one’s name is Snowflake and the black one’s Charcoal. Auntie Bea is upstairs. I’ve put her in the room with a little calico kitten I got recently. Auntie Bea’s my old female and mothers the rest of them, especially the new ones. Something about her seems to make other cats accept her immediately. I’m fortunate to have her. Makes introducing new cats into the house a whole lot easier than it would be ordinarily.”
“Why are blacks hard to place?” Edna was curious about Mary’s comment.
“Superstitious nonsense,” Mary said with a scowl. “Unfortunately, it’s the cats who suffer.”
Laurel reached out to stroke Charcoal. “Some shelters won’t allow anyone to adopt a black for the entire month of October. It’s tragic, but some people are abusive at Halloween.”
“I suppose it’s because black cats have been associated with witchcraft for centuries,” Edna said, giving Snowflake a final gentle hug before putting her down.
“That’s right,” Mary scoffed, shaking her head. “Witches’ familiars. Even in this supposedly enlightened age.” She put a now-wiggling Charcoal down beside his friend and the two felines scampered out of the room.
“We have work to do, ladies” Laurel said abruptly. “Hang these Christmas balls along the garland on the banister in the hall, if you would, Edna. On the outside, please. Otherwise, the cats will have them all battered off within the hour.” She smiled as she thrust the box into Edna’s hands.
Returning to the card table, she picked up a clump of mistletoe with a slender red ribbon wrapped around the stem, its ends curled through the green leaves of the plant. “I need you to hang this from the light fixture in the front hall, Mary.” She reached for a smaller sprig with a few berries on it. “This one I carry with me.” Holding it over her head so the other women would catch her meaning, Laurel rolled her eyes and grinned. “I’m going to hang the ribbons with the Christmas cards along the hallway. Don’t you think that’ll look nice?”
Standing on the stairs and bending over the banister to attach Christmas balls to the garland, Edna wondered how she’d gotten roped into decorating someone else’s house when she still had her own to do. Hindering her progress were the black cat and his white friend who chased each other around her feet and batted at the shiny balls as she took them out of the box. It was a distraction she enjoyed, though, and she teased the half-grown felines with a string of tinsel she’d found caught on one of the hooks.
When the last of the glass balls had been hung, Edna remembered that she and Mary needed to broach the subject of Bethany’s job, or at least ask about the back pay. She looked over to where Mary was standing on the hall chair, tying mistletoe to the base of the ceiling’s
The woman shrugged. “It has something to do with the gene that gives the eyes their blue color. I looked it up on Wikipedia--you know, the computer site that has answers to everything. They say a cat with one blue and one brown eye will be deaf only on the side with the blue eye. Isn’t that weird?” Before Edna could reply, Laurel nodded toward the cat. “She’s not up for adoption. She gets scared if she thinks she’s alone, prowls the house yowling for company. I have two other cats who seem to know what she needs, and they take pretty good care of her.”
Edna was thinking how much nicer Laurel seemed when she was talking about her animals and not acting like a teenaged flirt. Before she could dwell on how complex the woman seemed, Mary spoke up.
“Black cats are the hardest to adopt out. Isn’t that right?” She walked over to the other two ladies, holding a sleek, short-haired black cat in her arms. She leaned toward Edna so the white and black felines could touch noses.
“The white one’s name is Snowflake and the black one’s Charcoal. Auntie Bea is upstairs. I’ve put her in the room with a little calico kitten I got recently. Auntie Bea’s my old female and mothers the rest of them, especially the new ones. Something about her seems to make other cats accept her immediately. I’m fortunate to have her. Makes introducing new cats into the house a whole lot easier than it would be ordinarily.”
“Why are blacks hard to place?” Edna was curious about Mary’s comment.
“Superstitious nonsense,” Mary said with a scowl. “Unfortunately, it’s the cats who suffer.”
Laurel reached out to stroke Charcoal. “Some shelters won’t allow anyone to adopt a black for the entire month of October. It’s tragic, but some people are abusive at Halloween.”
“I suppose it’s because black cats have been associated with witchcraft for centuries,” Edna said, giving Snowflake a final gentle hug before putting her down.
“That’s right,” Mary scoffed, shaking her head. “Witches’ familiars. Even in this supposedly enlightened age.” She put a now-wiggling Charcoal down beside his friend and the two felines scampered out of the room.
“We have work to do, ladies” Laurel said abruptly. “Hang these Christmas balls along the garland on the banister in the hall, if you would, Edna. On the outside, please. Otherwise, the cats will have them all battered off within the hour.” She smiled as she thrust the box into Edna’s hands.
Returning to the card table, she picked up a clump of mistletoe with a slender red ribbon wrapped around the stem, its ends curled through the green leaves of the plant. “I need you to hang this from the light fixture in the front hall, Mary.” She reached for a smaller sprig with a few berries on it. “This one I carry with me.” Holding it over her head so the other women would catch her meaning, Laurel rolled her eyes and grinned. “I’m going to hang the ribbons with the Christmas cards along the hallway. Don’t you think that’ll look nice?”
Standing on the stairs and bending over the banister to attach Christmas balls to the garland, Edna wondered how she’d gotten roped into decorating someone else’s house when she still had her own to do. Hindering her progress were the black cat and his white friend who chased each other around her feet and batted at the shiny balls as she took them out of the box. It was a distraction she enjoyed, though, and she teased the half-grown felines with a string of tinsel she’d found caught on one of the hooks.
When the last of the glass balls had been hung, Edna remembered that she and Mary needed to broach the subject of Bethany’s job, or at least ask about the back pay. She looked over to where Mary was standing on the hall chair, tying mistletoe to the base of the ceiling’s
Similar Books
