Read Online "R" is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton - Free Book Online Page B

pamphlet with
    â€œDepartment of Corrections” printed on the front. I could see her scanning the information as she turned the page.
    â€œAt least I’m not classified as High Control. Those guys really have to jump through hoops. I see her once a week at first, but she says if I behave myself, she’ll move me to once a month. I’ll still have to attend AA meetings and I’ll be subjected to weekly drug tests, but that’s just peeing in a jar and it’s really not so bad.”
    â€œWhat about employment? Will you be looking for a job?”
    â€œPop doesn’t want me to work. He thinks it stresses me out. Besides, it’s not a condition of parole and Holloway doesn’t care as long as I keep my nose clean.”
    â€œThen let’s get you home.”
    At 2:30 I dropped Reba off at her father’s estate, making sure she had both my home and office numbers. I suggested she take a couple of days to get settled, but she said she’d been cooped up, idle, and bored for the past two years and wanted to get out. I told her to call in the morning and we’d work out a time to pick her up.
    â€œThanks,” she said, and then opened the car door. The elderly housekeeper was already standing on the front porch, watching for her arrival. Near her sat a big long-haired orange cat. As Reba slammed the car door, the cat stepped down off the porch and strolled toward her at a dignified pace. Reba leaned down and swept the cat into her arms. She rocked him, her face buried in his fur, a display of devotion the cat seemed to accept as his due. Reba carried him to the porch. I waited until she’d hugged the housekeeper and disappeared inside, cat tucked under one arm, and then I put the car in gear and headed back to town.
    Â 
    I stopped by the office and put in the requisite time returning phone calls and opening the mail. At 5:00, having taken care of as much business as I intended to do, I closed up the office and retrieved my car for the short drive home. Once there, I opened my mailbox and pulled out the usual assortment of junk mail and bills. I pushed through the squeaky gate, engrossed in an ad from a Hong Kong tailor soliciting my business. I had another offer from a mortgage company suggesting ready cash with one simple call. Wasn’t I the lucky one?
    Henry was in the backyard hosing down the patio with a steady stream of water as fat as a broom handle. With it, he forced leaves and grit across the flat stones and into the grass beyond. The late afternoon sun had broken through the overcast and we were finally experiencing a touch of summer. He wore a T-shirt and cutoffs, his long, elegant bare feet tucked into a pair of worn flip-flops. William, in his usual natty three-piece suit, stood just behind him, carefully avoiding any spatter from the hose. He was leaning on a black malacca walking stick with a carved ivory handle. The two were arguing but paused long enough to greet me civilly.
    â€œWilliam, what’d you do to your foot? I’ve never seen you with a cane.”
    â€œThe doctor thought it would help keep me steady.”
    â€œIt’s a prop,” Henry said.
    William ignored him.
    I said, “Sorry to interrupt. I must’ve caught you in the middle of a chat.”
    William said, “Henry’s feeling indecisive about Mattie.”
    â€œI’m not indecisive! I’m being sensible. I’m eighty-seven years old. How many good years do I have left?”
    â€œDon’t be absurd,” William said. “Our side of the family has always lived to be at least a hundred and three. Did you hear what she said about hers? I thought she was reciting from the Merck Manual. Cancer, diabetes, and heart disease? Her mother died of meningitis. Of all things! Take my word for it, Mattie Halstead will go long before you.”
    â€œWhy worry about that? None of us are ‘going’ anytime soon,” Henry