Read Online When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Virginia Lowell
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can. The can shifted, scraping the pavement. Olivia saw no other option; she let go. She was grateful the mansion’s only window onto the alley was in the kitchen door, which was several feet away from them.
While she considered her dilemma, it occurred to Olivia to wonder why the Chatterleys had tossed the steak into their garbage. Even if Paine refused to eat it, why wouldn’tHermione have done so? She felt a chill as she remembered Hermione’s comment that Paine thought she was poisoning him. But no, Spunky weighed only five pounds; if he’d eaten a piece of poisoned meat in the morning, he’d have shown symptoms before evening.
And why was the garbage can already more than half full? Maybe Paine and Hermione were cleaning out items the workers had left in the house, like old wallpaper? Olivia didn’t care enough to examine the can’s contents. She wanted to go home.
Olivia lifted Spunky out of the garbage can, steak and all. As she did so, she noticed an empty whiskey bottle lying amidst the trash. She wondered if perhaps a neighbor had used the mansion’s garbage can to dispose of telltale evidence. A heavy drinker might want to avoid putting too many empty bottles in his or her recycling bin. On the other hand, Snoopy Sam Parnell might have been right for once. Maybe Paine Chatterley did have a drinking problem.
Olivia grimaced at the bloody object hanging from her otherwise sweet pet’s mouth. “That’s probably spoiled. You’ll get sick, which will serve you right.” Olivia felt a guilty twinge. She reminded herself that Spunky had spent months on the loose after his escape from the puppy mill. He’d eaten out of many a garbage can without becoming ill. However, she’d have to find a way to separate dog and meat. Later.
First, Olivia had to get them both away from Chatterley Mansion and back home, as quickly as possible. The most direct route was back the way they’d come. That meant crossing Frederick Street in view of the mansion’s front yard. Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Once he realized his mistress wasn’t trying to steal his delicious prize, Spunky allowed Olivia to carry him off. They left the alley and headed south, toward home. Beforeleaving the cover of a cottage on the corner lot, Olivia peeked down Frederick Street. It looked deserted. Mayor Karen Evanson’s car was still parked in front of Chatterley Mansion, so Hermione, at least, must have been willing to talk to her. If Karen succeeded in gaining Paine’s cooperation, it would be a miracle.
With his teeth sunk into a hunk of meat, Spunky couldn’t yap, for which Olivia was grateful as she carted him across the street in sight of the mansion. Spunky concentrated his energy on trying to chew the meat without letting go of it. It wasn’t going well, but Spunky was a terrier, after all. Giving up was not in his nature.
When The Gingerbread House came into view, he still held that bloody mess clenched between his teeth. By then, Olivia estimated, half of Chatterley Heights had seen them, laughed, and taken pictures on their cell phones. Olivia’s only hope was that the evening light had faded enough to make Spunky’s plunder unidentifiable.
Exhausted and embarrassed, Olivia entered the foyer of her Queen Anne and plunked her pup onto the doormat. Gritting her teeth, she took hold of the meat with both hands and played tug-of-war with the tough little Yorkie. Spunky threw himself into the game. He growled, Olivia cajoled, and they were getting nowhere. The deciding factor turned out to be Maddie, who heard the ruckus and flung open the door of The Gingerbread House.
Spunky’s protective instincts kicked in. He began to yap fiercely, which required him to open his mouth and drop the steak. Olivia, caught off guard, fell back against the foyer wall and slid to the floor, still clutching the meat.
“If you’re going to play rough,” Maddie said, “don’t you think you should go outside? This is a place of business, and
While she considered her dilemma, it occurred to Olivia to wonder why the Chatterleys had tossed the steak into their garbage. Even if Paine refused to eat it, why wouldn’tHermione have done so? She felt a chill as she remembered Hermione’s comment that Paine thought she was poisoning him. But no, Spunky weighed only five pounds; if he’d eaten a piece of poisoned meat in the morning, he’d have shown symptoms before evening.
And why was the garbage can already more than half full? Maybe Paine and Hermione were cleaning out items the workers had left in the house, like old wallpaper? Olivia didn’t care enough to examine the can’s contents. She wanted to go home.
Olivia lifted Spunky out of the garbage can, steak and all. As she did so, she noticed an empty whiskey bottle lying amidst the trash. She wondered if perhaps a neighbor had used the mansion’s garbage can to dispose of telltale evidence. A heavy drinker might want to avoid putting too many empty bottles in his or her recycling bin. On the other hand, Snoopy Sam Parnell might have been right for once. Maybe Paine Chatterley did have a drinking problem.
Olivia grimaced at the bloody object hanging from her otherwise sweet pet’s mouth. “That’s probably spoiled. You’ll get sick, which will serve you right.” Olivia felt a guilty twinge. She reminded herself that Spunky had spent months on the loose after his escape from the puppy mill. He’d eaten out of many a garbage can without becoming ill. However, she’d have to find a way to separate dog and meat. Later.
First, Olivia had to get them both away from Chatterley Mansion and back home, as quickly as possible. The most direct route was back the way they’d come. That meant crossing Frederick Street in view of the mansion’s front yard. Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Once he realized his mistress wasn’t trying to steal his delicious prize, Spunky allowed Olivia to carry him off. They left the alley and headed south, toward home. Beforeleaving the cover of a cottage on the corner lot, Olivia peeked down Frederick Street. It looked deserted. Mayor Karen Evanson’s car was still parked in front of Chatterley Mansion, so Hermione, at least, must have been willing to talk to her. If Karen succeeded in gaining Paine’s cooperation, it would be a miracle.
With his teeth sunk into a hunk of meat, Spunky couldn’t yap, for which Olivia was grateful as she carted him across the street in sight of the mansion. Spunky concentrated his energy on trying to chew the meat without letting go of it. It wasn’t going well, but Spunky was a terrier, after all. Giving up was not in his nature.
When The Gingerbread House came into view, he still held that bloody mess clenched between his teeth. By then, Olivia estimated, half of Chatterley Heights had seen them, laughed, and taken pictures on their cell phones. Olivia’s only hope was that the evening light had faded enough to make Spunky’s plunder unidentifiable.
Exhausted and embarrassed, Olivia entered the foyer of her Queen Anne and plunked her pup onto the doormat. Gritting her teeth, she took hold of the meat with both hands and played tug-of-war with the tough little Yorkie. Spunky threw himself into the game. He growled, Olivia cajoled, and they were getting nowhere. The deciding factor turned out to be Maddie, who heard the ruckus and flung open the door of The Gingerbread House.
Spunky’s protective instincts kicked in. He began to yap fiercely, which required him to open his mouth and drop the steak. Olivia, caught off guard, fell back against the foyer wall and slid to the floor, still clutching the meat.
“If you’re going to play rough,” Maddie said, “don’t you think you should go outside? This is a place of business, and
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