In Harm’s Way - Ch. 46

From rough draft of In Harm’s Way by Pat Otterness

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

???????????No owner had appeared to claim Ruffle. Ava was keeping a lookout, but so far, nothing, so Ruffle had gone home with Fletch and his growing family. If anyone was looking for her, that was where she’d come from,??so perhaps they would be seeking her there.

????????????Wolf was quite enamored of Ruffle, and he had abandoned Demon in favor of the little Schnauzer. I was feeling his absence, although Demon seemed unperturbed. Maybe he thought he had driven the huge dog away, and was proud of his prowess. Sneak and the other cats seemed happy enough in his absence. He still came and went, of course, at dinner time, but for the time being, he was enjoying the companionship he found at Fletch’s house. He might even be a deterrent if Barr and his friend returned.

????????????I was hatching a plan, but I knew I couldn’t tell Hiram. He wanted me to hand the diamonds over to the sheriff. He would never approve of this. I needed to act quickly, while Hope was still holed up with Chance.

????????????I paced up and down the driveway, thinking and planning. The gravel crunched under my feet, the only sound except for an occasional bird song. The day was sweltering, so I headed inside and fixed myself a large glass of iced tea. I refilled all the ice trays, not wanting to run out of ice on a day like this. I might fix lemonade later. Lemonade was a rare treat, but Hope had bought a lot of lemons and I didn’t want them to go to waste.

????????????I killed some time by doing odds and ends of tasks I had been ignoring. I had fallen far behind on my record-keeping lately. I was delighted at the number of new seeds I’d harvested this year. I could hardly wait until fall to plant them all. I usually planted seeds in November for spring germination. They needed cold and rain to germinate. The day practically flew by as I finished up neglected records.

????????????I knew the jewelry store closed at five o’clock, so I waited until six to call. An answering machine picked up.?Perfect!?I did my best to disguise my voice and whispered, “I think I’ve found what you’ve been looking for.” I hung up, wondering if they would know who was calling. I pulled the box of diamonds from under my mattress and opened it. Raw diamonds aren’t very attractive. I was the opposite of blown away. I had been expecting sparkling facets, but what I saw was chunks of dull rock that looked like badly mined quartz. Who would ever guess such stones could someday be worth a fortune? Proper cutting would make all the difference. I put them away again, back under the mattress. Probably the least inventive hiding place I could choose, but very accessible. Now it would be a waiting game.

????????????I fixed myself some supper, since Hope had not returned. Hope was a good cook. Even Hiram cooked better than I did. But a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup was always good, and it was easy to fix. I wasn’t tempted to wash the pans afterwards. Instead, I fixed a big pitcher of lemonade and put it in the fridge. I left the squeezed lemon peels on the counter. Maybe there was something else I could do with them later. Zest them or something. Briefly, I wondered why Hope had bought them in the first place. Lemon meringue pie would be good. Maybe next time. A part of my mind lingered on trivial things while I listened for signs that someone was coming for the diamonds. For that, I was hyper-alert. Apart from the throaty cry of tiny frogs called peepers, everything was quiet.

????????????It’s really hard to settle down when you think killers might show up at your door. Dusk was finally shutting down the long summer day, and shadows were creeping in. I was starting to get jumpy. Maybe I should have let someone know what I was doing. I wanted answers, but I hadn’t really thought this through very well. I didn’t even have a gun. The “oops” factor was kicking in as I paced and waited. For the first time it occurred to me that I might be in really big trouble.

????????????I was startled by a knock on the door. I hadn’t heard anyone drive up, and Chance wouldn’t have knocked. Even Hiram would have opened the door after a brief knock. But no one opened the door. I went to the door and peered out into the near-darkness. A small, elderly man stood on my doorstep, looking a bit lost. I opened the door.

????????????“Hi!” I said. “How can I help you?”

????????????“Someone told me you might have my little dog,” he said. He looked around, as if expecting a dog to come running.

????????????“What kind of a dog are you looking for?” I asked.

????????????“A very little dog,” he said. “Sophie is a miniature Schnauzer.”

????????????“How did you come to lose her,” I said. “Where did you see her last?” I wasn’t going to give up Ruffle to just anyone.

????????????“Have you seen her?” he asked. “ I heard you had her.”

????????????“Who told you that?”??Was this a ploy to get me to open my door? Of course, it was already open, and he hadn’t pushed his way inside. He didn’t look dangerous, but you couldn’t be too careful.

????????????“What is your name?” I asked.

????????????“Why do you need to know?” he said.

????????????“I don’t have your dog,” I said, “but if I see her, I need to know how to reach you.”

“Here,Sophie!” he called. “Here, girl.” He stepped away from my door and walked around the yard, calling for Sophie. I guess he didn’t believe me. Not as stupid as he looked.

I shut the door and left him to it. If he wouldn’t tell me his name, he wouldn’t get Ruffle back. It was as simple as that. I needed a weapon, though, The next person who came to my door might not be looking for a dog.