Read Online Murder on the Astral Plane (A Kate Jasper Mystery) by Jaqueline Girdner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jaqueline Girdner
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listened to the music of his footsteps bouncing down the stairs.
Barbara’s arm snaked around my shoulders.
“Jeez-Louise, kiddo, you’re a kick in the pants sometimes,” she said and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then rushed out the door and went clip-clopping down the stairs in Craig’s wake.
I peeked out the curtains just in time to see Barbara’s Volkswagen bug spinning out of the driveway into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. I closed the curtains again and waited. But I didn’t hear a crash. I took one last look out the window, saw no flaming Volkswagens, and let all the breath out of my body, relaxing for the first time in hours.
I closed my eyes, and visions flooded my brain. The visions had the grainy quality of home movies. The first reel included Silk’s smiling face, all the cars we’d missed riding in Barbara’s bug, Craig’s brown eyes, and finally, Wayne, sick and sweating. The second reel was of all the Jest Gifts business paperwork waiting for me on my desk. I opened my eyes and filled my lungs again. Then I hurried back down the hall to be with my sweetie.
Sunday morning, I was talking to my warehousewoman Jade. When you own a gag-gift business, the punch lines are never-ending. Jade was working overtime at the Jest Gifts warehouse, trying to find the lost acupuncture needle earrings for the Holistic Health Fair. And trying to talk me into a different Internet Webmaster…her brother-in-law.
“I know Peg is your friend, Kate,” she was insisting. “But business is business. This guy is really geeky cool, Kate, honest.”
I grunted, the way I’d learned from Wayne, while sketching one more specialty computer mouse design on the pad of paper in front of me, this time a spinal mouse for the chiropractors. So far, the cat mouses for veterinarians and tooth mouses for dentists (complete with left and right cavity buttons) had yet to catch on, but Peg had assured me the Internet was the way to sell these things. She’d even built me a Website to do it.
“Peg isn’t geeky enough, Kate, trust me,” Jade went on.
I was between a rock and a hard keyboard here. Peg was my friend, geek-challenged or not.
“But my brother-in-law—” Jade began.
The doorbell rang.
“Gotta go,” I told Jade with relief.
I should have held off on the relief. Barbara was at my door.
“No,” I told her as she walked in the doorway.
She laughed and gave me a big hug. All right, the hug felt good. I’d dreamt of Silk Sokoloff all night long, in between waking up to monitor Wayne’s return to health. Because Wayne really seemed to be doing better. He was still weak, but his fever was down. He was even hungry. I’d made him oatmeal for breakfast. With bananas. I think he’d really wanted bacon and eggs, but he was too worn out to argue.
“Gonna visit Justine’s today, kiddo,” Barbara told me. “You need to come with me.”
“Like yesterday?” I demanded.
“ Because of yesterday,” she shot back, no longer smiling, her lovely, symmetrical face suddenly serious under her asymmetrical haircut.
I sighed. I did want to get rid of Silk Sokoloff’s ghost. At least to get rid of her face in my mind. Would she have died if I hadn’t been there? Had I been a contributing cause?
“You’ll never know if you don’t try to find out,” Barbara replied.
I didn’t even object to her answering my thoughts without waiting for me to voice them. I just sighed again. Loudly.
“Will Justine be alone this time?” I asked after a few minutes’ consideration.
Barbara closed her eyes. “She ought to be,” she concluded.
“Are you sure you can’t just close your eyes and figure out who killed Silk Sokoloff?” I asked.
“Don’t you think I would if I could, Kate?” There was a hint of uncharacteristic sharpness in Barbara’s tone. “It’s so frustrating.”
It was Barbara’s frustration that ultimately decided me.
Barbara was impossible, but she was my friend. My good and loving
Barbara’s arm snaked around my shoulders.
“Jeez-Louise, kiddo, you’re a kick in the pants sometimes,” she said and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then rushed out the door and went clip-clopping down the stairs in Craig’s wake.
I peeked out the curtains just in time to see Barbara’s Volkswagen bug spinning out of the driveway into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. I closed the curtains again and waited. But I didn’t hear a crash. I took one last look out the window, saw no flaming Volkswagens, and let all the breath out of my body, relaxing for the first time in hours.
I closed my eyes, and visions flooded my brain. The visions had the grainy quality of home movies. The first reel included Silk’s smiling face, all the cars we’d missed riding in Barbara’s bug, Craig’s brown eyes, and finally, Wayne, sick and sweating. The second reel was of all the Jest Gifts business paperwork waiting for me on my desk. I opened my eyes and filled my lungs again. Then I hurried back down the hall to be with my sweetie.
Sunday morning, I was talking to my warehousewoman Jade. When you own a gag-gift business, the punch lines are never-ending. Jade was working overtime at the Jest Gifts warehouse, trying to find the lost acupuncture needle earrings for the Holistic Health Fair. And trying to talk me into a different Internet Webmaster…her brother-in-law.
“I know Peg is your friend, Kate,” she was insisting. “But business is business. This guy is really geeky cool, Kate, honest.”
I grunted, the way I’d learned from Wayne, while sketching one more specialty computer mouse design on the pad of paper in front of me, this time a spinal mouse for the chiropractors. So far, the cat mouses for veterinarians and tooth mouses for dentists (complete with left and right cavity buttons) had yet to catch on, but Peg had assured me the Internet was the way to sell these things. She’d even built me a Website to do it.
“Peg isn’t geeky enough, Kate, trust me,” Jade went on.
I was between a rock and a hard keyboard here. Peg was my friend, geek-challenged or not.
“But my brother-in-law—” Jade began.
The doorbell rang.
“Gotta go,” I told Jade with relief.
I should have held off on the relief. Barbara was at my door.
“No,” I told her as she walked in the doorway.
She laughed and gave me a big hug. All right, the hug felt good. I’d dreamt of Silk Sokoloff all night long, in between waking up to monitor Wayne’s return to health. Because Wayne really seemed to be doing better. He was still weak, but his fever was down. He was even hungry. I’d made him oatmeal for breakfast. With bananas. I think he’d really wanted bacon and eggs, but he was too worn out to argue.
“Gonna visit Justine’s today, kiddo,” Barbara told me. “You need to come with me.”
“Like yesterday?” I demanded.
“ Because of yesterday,” she shot back, no longer smiling, her lovely, symmetrical face suddenly serious under her asymmetrical haircut.
I sighed. I did want to get rid of Silk Sokoloff’s ghost. At least to get rid of her face in my mind. Would she have died if I hadn’t been there? Had I been a contributing cause?
“You’ll never know if you don’t try to find out,” Barbara replied.
I didn’t even object to her answering my thoughts without waiting for me to voice them. I just sighed again. Loudly.
“Will Justine be alone this time?” I asked after a few minutes’ consideration.
Barbara closed her eyes. “She ought to be,” she concluded.
“Are you sure you can’t just close your eyes and figure out who killed Silk Sokoloff?” I asked.
“Don’t you think I would if I could, Kate?” There was a hint of uncharacteristic sharpness in Barbara’s tone. “It’s so frustrating.”
It was Barbara’s frustration that ultimately decided me.
Barbara was impossible, but she was my friend. My good and loving
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