Read Online THE WITCH AND THE TEA PARTY (A Rachael Penzra Mystery) by Elizabeth Shawn - Free Book Online Page A

they’ve heard something by now.”
    George and Binky watched her leave with what they had figured part of would be theirs for the begging. They turned their attention to me, hopefully. “Okay, a healthy dog treat for each of you and that’s it.”
    I fixed myself some instant hot chocolate, defrosted a bag of cookies, extracted several, and beat it back upstairs to my watch tower.
    Just in time. Finally there was some action. Patsy had apparently delivered the supplies to the two drivers. Now she stood straight, watching the house. She was closer, but she didn’t have the good angle I did. Joe and two other men came out of Dora’s, his glance quickly looking my way, searching for his beloved. The three of them conversed for a few minutes before the others climbed into a squad car and drove away. Joe, with another quick glance my way, turned and went back inside. The crowd (if you can count six people as a crowd) were mostly the neighbors, not many since the street consisted mostly of shops. There had been more earlier, but the boredom must have driven most of them to their beds.
    Recalling the theory that a murderer always returns to the scene of the crime, I studied the people below me carefully. None of them looked like potential killers. Mostly they looked chilled and bored. If I hadn’t been so closely involved with the three little old ladies, I would have sought my own bed long ago, figuring I’d find out anything of interest on the news the next morning.
    A while later, I’d given up and fetched a straight chair into my room. I’d tried seeing in the shop windows through the binoculars, even scanning the dark areas of the neighborhood with the night vision they provided. It was astonishing how well I could see things with them, but I didn’t spot any prowlers. I did catch sight of a skunk at the edge of the woods. I wondered if it was one of Fleur’s relatives.
    Just before one, more activity. This time a stretcher was rolled out and loaded into the waiting ambulance. The figure was entirely covered, no sign of a face. The sheriff appeared in the doorway to watch the body being driven away. He turned and went back. Ten minutes later I saw Patsy lean back toward the car window, seemingly interested in what was being said. I wondered if the people inside had finally placed a call. Almost as soon as the thought went through my mind, my own phone rang. I rushed to grab it.
    Aunt Myrtle’s voice sounded weak and tremulous. “I’m sorry to wake you, Rachael, but something’s happened over here and I would like to bring Dora over to spend the night. Is that all right?”
    “Aunt Myrtle! What a question. Of course it’s all right. We’re still awake. We saw all the… activity over there and other than Joe assuring us you three were all right, we haven’t heard anything. What happened? No, never mind that. Just get over here. I’ll fix hot chocolate.”
    “The trouble is that Dora won’t leave Eloise alone. I don’t blame her. Rachael, they think Mrs. Brown-Hendricks was poisoned! They took away all our tea, too. I think they might believe it was poisonous.”
    I tried to think in order. That usually helps me. “First, find a box to stuff Eloise in, just enough to hold her until she’s inside. We still have the big live trap. It isn’t home sweet home, but it’ll do for her overnight. If Dora raises a fuss tell her that I intend to personally come and drag them both over. Now, what about Moondance? I don’t like the idea of her driving home alone. Patsy’s outside. She can go with her.”
    “No, that’s okay. Jimbo’s on his way to pick her up. He didn’t sound very happy about the whole thing. We could hear him yelling on the phone.”
    “He’s just worried,” I reassured her. Worried? Ha. The poor man was probably feeling a little murderous himself, and only rest rained by not knowing whether to kill his wife, her buddies, or all three. I choked on that thought. It wasn’t the time to