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Authors: Diane Stingley
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legs would take me, I heard footsteps stomp noisily toward the door. Before I could turn around or back away the door was suddenly flung open, and Shirley stood there in the doorway waving her cane toward me.
“Any moment now,” she exclaimed, “my assistant, Tammy, will be walking up these stairs and—” Shirley stopped abruptly midsentence and did a double take as she spotted me.
“Hi,” I said as casually as I could, giving her a smile and a small wave. “I’m not late, am I?” I asked nonchalantly, trying to give the impression that I had just arrived and hadn’t heard a thing.
“On the contrary,” Shirley said, as a triumphant smile spread across her face. “You could not have timed it any better. See!” she exclaimed, pointing at me with her cane and then looking back over her shoulder. “I told you she would be here. Come in, Tammy. I was just telling my sister, Myra, all about you. She seems to think that you sound too good to be true,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “And yet here you are, in the flesh.”
Shirley stepped back and I went up the last two steps and walked into the office, curious to meet Shirley’s sister, especially after my conversation with Dr. Morgan and her reluctance to talk to Myra. And now it was my turn to do a double take. It was hard enough to believe that there was one Shirley Homes in the world; now I saw that there were two. The only noticeable difference between them physically was that while Shirley was model thin, Myra was extremely overweight. Shirley wore her standard dark pants, white shirt and plaid jacket, while her sister was dressed completely in bright purple, including a huge pair of lightly tinted purple glasses that made her flashing eyes seem twice as large.
“Unbelievable,” Myra said with a sneer, looking me slowly up and down, and under her gaze I started to feel ridiculous for the way I was dressed, as if looking for an invisible dog in the middle of the night was a legitimate, serious undertaking. “You have actually found another person to help in this ridiculous charade. Unless this is all just…Tammy? Where is it that you and my sister are going this evening?”
“Myra,” Shirley said with quiet severity. “Now you are beyond merely insulting me. I have never lied to you.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I have just never caught you at it. I repeat, Tammy, where are you and my sister going this evening?”
“To look for an invisible dog,” I said simply, because…well, there was really no other way to put it. And I had a sudden desire to put Myra in her place.
“Amazing,” she said, peering at me through her glasses. “Well, I guess that explains the outfit. Myra Homes,” she added in a slightly aggressive tone, thrusting out her hand to envelop mine in a fleshy grip.
“Tammy Norman,” I replied, wincing slightly as she squeezed my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Is it?” she asked with raised eyebrows. “We shall see.” Myra mercifully released my hand and after one last penetrating gaze and a shake of her head, turned back toward Shirley. “I guess I will leave you to it, then.”
“Oh, you don’t get off that easily, Myra,” Shirley said with a much lighter tone as she closed the door. “I believe we had a small wager, did we not?”
“Yes, we did,” Myra said, still looking at me like I was some kind of medical specimen. “You shall have your gift in the morning. A brand-new copy of
Berringer’s Complete Guide to the Herbs and Teas of Ancient Mesopotamia.
”
“Not a gift, Myra,” Shirley said smugly. “A gift does not have to be earned.”
“Touché. I’ll have your well-deserved reward here first thing in the morning.”
“Better make it an afternoon visit. We might have a late night ahead of us.”
“Not too late, I hope,” I said, trying to sound lighthearted but already feeling that sense of dread that was soon to become my constant companion.
“We can always hope,” Shirley
“Any moment now,” she exclaimed, “my assistant, Tammy, will be walking up these stairs and—” Shirley stopped abruptly midsentence and did a double take as she spotted me.
“Hi,” I said as casually as I could, giving her a smile and a small wave. “I’m not late, am I?” I asked nonchalantly, trying to give the impression that I had just arrived and hadn’t heard a thing.
“On the contrary,” Shirley said, as a triumphant smile spread across her face. “You could not have timed it any better. See!” she exclaimed, pointing at me with her cane and then looking back over her shoulder. “I told you she would be here. Come in, Tammy. I was just telling my sister, Myra, all about you. She seems to think that you sound too good to be true,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “And yet here you are, in the flesh.”
Shirley stepped back and I went up the last two steps and walked into the office, curious to meet Shirley’s sister, especially after my conversation with Dr. Morgan and her reluctance to talk to Myra. And now it was my turn to do a double take. It was hard enough to believe that there was one Shirley Homes in the world; now I saw that there were two. The only noticeable difference between them physically was that while Shirley was model thin, Myra was extremely overweight. Shirley wore her standard dark pants, white shirt and plaid jacket, while her sister was dressed completely in bright purple, including a huge pair of lightly tinted purple glasses that made her flashing eyes seem twice as large.
“Unbelievable,” Myra said with a sneer, looking me slowly up and down, and under her gaze I started to feel ridiculous for the way I was dressed, as if looking for an invisible dog in the middle of the night was a legitimate, serious undertaking. “You have actually found another person to help in this ridiculous charade. Unless this is all just…Tammy? Where is it that you and my sister are going this evening?”
“Myra,” Shirley said with quiet severity. “Now you are beyond merely insulting me. I have never lied to you.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I have just never caught you at it. I repeat, Tammy, where are you and my sister going this evening?”
“To look for an invisible dog,” I said simply, because…well, there was really no other way to put it. And I had a sudden desire to put Myra in her place.
“Amazing,” she said, peering at me through her glasses. “Well, I guess that explains the outfit. Myra Homes,” she added in a slightly aggressive tone, thrusting out her hand to envelop mine in a fleshy grip.
“Tammy Norman,” I replied, wincing slightly as she squeezed my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Is it?” she asked with raised eyebrows. “We shall see.” Myra mercifully released my hand and after one last penetrating gaze and a shake of her head, turned back toward Shirley. “I guess I will leave you to it, then.”
“Oh, you don’t get off that easily, Myra,” Shirley said with a much lighter tone as she closed the door. “I believe we had a small wager, did we not?”
“Yes, we did,” Myra said, still looking at me like I was some kind of medical specimen. “You shall have your gift in the morning. A brand-new copy of
Berringer’s Complete Guide to the Herbs and Teas of Ancient Mesopotamia.
”
“Not a gift, Myra,” Shirley said smugly. “A gift does not have to be earned.”
“Touché. I’ll have your well-deserved reward here first thing in the morning.”
“Better make it an afternoon visit. We might have a late night ahead of us.”
“Not too late, I hope,” I said, trying to sound lighthearted but already feeling that sense of dread that was soon to become my constant companion.
“We can always hope,” Shirley
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