Daisy jumped up, “You know what? We need to get out of here. Let’s take a walk. We can see what damage the storm did.”
The girls ran upstairs, washed their faces and pulled on shorts, tee shirts, and flip-flops. Daisy took a minute to swipe on lip gloss and mascara. “No sense in scaring people. The storm’s done enough of that.”
Angela, in her Wellies, white Capri pants and blue sailor top, was waiting by the front door with the dogs. Daisy looked at Roscoe sitting on the landing and asked, “Are you coming, too?” He looked up at her a moment, squinted his eyes, and then padded back to the living room.
They walked toward the bike trail stepping over downed limbs and debris. Daisy and Rose skirted the large puddles. But Angela stomped right through each one, her eyes lighting up and smiling, saying, “You should have worn your boots.”
Rose said, “Not as much damage as I thought there would be. It sounded much worse.”
“It certainly could have been for us,” said Daisy. She rubbed Malcolm’s head. “But Malcolm and Roscoe took care of that nasty lady. Good boy. He’s such a good boy!” Malcolm wagged his tail and took off after Percy.
Angela asked, “So, did Abby really kill the post office woman? Why?”
As they walked they told Angela the rest of the story. When they had finished Angela hugged Rose fiercely. “I am so glad you’re okay. What would I do without you? What a truly horrid person!”
Rose said, “That she is.”
Daisy called to the dogs, “Come back here. Time to go home.” They came running back and took the lead as they all headed home.
The street was full of activity when they got there. Shop owners were checking for damage and a few insurance adjusters were already checking out the losses. But no reporters were hanging around and no one asked them about Abby or Sarah Hudson.
Daisy shook her head and said, “I don’t know how Bill kept this quiet. I guess the storm helped.”
Rose opened the door and trudged up the stairs. “I’m just glad he did. I am not up to answering a lot of questions right now.”
Angela slipped off her boots and looked down at the muddy spots on her capris. “How did that happen?”
“Mother, you were jumping in puddles.”
She smiled. “So I was. Well, just one last query - where is this infamous baseball card?”
Rose said, “That is the question. We know Abby stole the envelope the card was in, but she swears up and down that it was empty when she got it home.”
Daisy said, “It couldn’t have been. I saw you put the card back into that envelope.”
“And I put it on my dresser. Then I thought maybe I should hide it, so I stuck it in my sock drawer.”
Daisy said, “Well, it must have slipped out of the envelope.”
“I’ve looked everywhere. Everyone has. It’s not here.”
There was stomping on the stairs and Bill shouted, “You have to start locking your doors!”
Rose called out, “We figured you were coming.”
He walked into the room and leaned against the doorjamb. “What’s going on? You getting your stories straight?”
Daisy snorted and said, “Our stories are always straight. Besides, this time we are totally in the clear.”
“Right! Then what did you do with this damned baseball card? Sorry, Angela, I’m tired.” He looked at Daisy. “And don’t do that thing with your eyes. You know I hate it.”
Daisy was looking at him, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips. “We didn’t do anything with the freaking card. We were just saying to Mother, we have no idea where it is. We don’t have it. Apparently Abby doesn’t. I can only think that Brad must have gotten it back somehow.”
“Nope, he didn’t.” He looked tired and frustrated.
Rose asked, “Are you okay? You look terrible.”
“Thanks. It’s been a long night and your little friend, Abby, isn’t exactly a charmer. But she swears Brad didn’t have the thing. She says he thought she did. Her new story is he came after her and she just defended herself.”
“I’ll bet,” said Daisy. “That’s not what she told us and, besides, somehow I can’t see Brad being a match for little Miss Sunshine.”
Bill sat down suddenly in the arm chair, ran his hands over his face, and yawned. Rose asked, “Can I get you something? Soda? Water? Bourbon? We don’t have anything hot.”
“A soda would be good. Thanks.”
They waited until Rose came back with a tray of drinks, corned beef, rye bread, and potato salad. “Eat. We need to finish all of this before the ice in the cooler melts. Besides, you look like you could use something to eat.”
Bill said, “You’re right. I could. I haven’t eaten anything since the storm began,” as he made himself a large sandwich.
Rose asked, “What about Mrs. Hudson? What’s going to happen to her?”
“Good question. Right now, she’s out on bond. At her age if she co-operates and testifies against Abby she’ll probably get probation. As for her own little blackmail racket, nobody has pressed charges. As far as the police know, there was no blackmail.”
“What about the doghouse fire and the flood?”
“Only if you want to charge her. Then we’d have to prove she did it.”
Daisy sighed, “What would be the use?”
Rose said, “That fire could have done some terrible damage. So could the flood.”
Angela said, “And I’m not sure I’ll ever get over seeing little Roscoe hanging from that tree!”
They looked at each other. Finally Daisy said, “We won’t press charges. She’ll have enough problems with the house and Abby. Everybody around here will know most of it in a few days, anyway. And she’ll have to live with that.”
Angela nodded her head. “I think that’s best. And now there is just one big question left - who has that card? I really wanted to return it to Elyse Dove. It means so much to her.”
Bill got up to leave. “That I don’t know. If you figure it out, you’d better tell me. I hate loose ends. Speaking of which, Willis thought you’d like to know that that naked guy was picked up last night. He was actually out in the storm.”
Saturday morning the electricity came back on and everyone was out with chainsaws, shovels and rakes. The only outstanding damage was the tree through Mrs. Hudson’s roof.
Rose was in the garden working on the poor zinnia bed once again when Ron Tucker dropped by. “I just heard about Abby and all the trouble you had during the storm the other night. I can’t believe it. She seemed like such a nice girl.”
Rose said, “I know. I guess you can’t tell about people, can you? Who did you talk to? Or is the story in the newspaper?”
“I got it from Sarah. I’ve been trying to call her since I got back and saw that hole in her roof. I finally tracked her down at her sister’s place. She’s in a real state. She told me Abby’s in jail because she killed that woman from the post office and the Brad fella. She wasn’t making a lot of sense and I don’t think she’s coming back. What in blazes went on here?”
Rose said, “Ron, it’s a long story. Come in and have some iced tea and I’ll tell you about it.”
Ron, Rose and Daisy sat at the kitchen table for a long time and they told him the whole story leaving out Mattie and Sally’s names. Ron just kept shaking his head and saying, “I’ll be.”
Then Daisy admitted that they had wondered if he might be the blackmailer for just a minute or two.
“Me? Why would you think that?”
“Because of Rex Harrison. Ron, you’ve never had a purebred dog in your life. And suddenly you had the cutest little pedigreed puppy. I’m really sorry and it’s absolutely none of our business, but we just wondered how you could afford it.”
Ron laughed and said, “Oh boy, I’ll just bet you did wonder. He was a gift from Shirley Miles. She’s my vet. Some lady dropped off three little puppies at her clinic and says she doesn’t want them. Shirley thought of me. I got my pick.”
By ten o’clock that evening the sisters were exhausted. They sat on the couch for a while until Daisy started nodding off. She jerked awake and said, “I’m off to bed. You coming, Rose?”
“In a while. As tired as I am, I think I’m too keyed up to sleep. See you in the morning.”
Rose checked all the doors and turned on the alarm. Then she made herself a cup of tea and stood looking out of the living room window. Malcolm was sleeping on the couch, but sat up when he heard her sigh. “Sorry, little guy. I didn’t want to wake you. I just wish I knew where that baseball card is. It’s making me crazy.” She rubbed his head and walked up to her bedroom.
She got into bed and picked up the book on the night table. It was the book Angela had borrowed, Murder Gets a Life. Rose opened it and began to read. After half an hour she yawned and slipped the bookmark Angela had left in it into place, closed the book, and turned off the light.
She was almost asleep when she sat up suddenly, turned the light back on, and snatched the small white envelope marking her place out of the book, opened it and laughed out loud. “Well, I’ll be my great Aunt Fanny. Hello Mr. Mantle!”
The day before the Fourth, Angela, Daisy and Rose were back at Sammy T’s in Fredericksburg with Elyse Dove and her son. They had just spent an hour over lunch telling them the whole story of Abby and Brad Douglas. And what they knew of how Margaret died.
Then Rose said, “We have something for you. Mother found it wedged against the dresser in my room the night that Abby broke in and tried to kill me.”
Angela said, “I just picked it up and stuck it in my book. Isn’t that the craziest thing?” She opened a small gift bag and handed Elyse a frame which held the Mickey Mantle autographed card, ticket stub and scorecard.
Tears sprang into her eyes as she gently touched the glass. “I can’t believe it. I never thought we’d see this again.”
Carl Dove said, “Can we keep it? Don’t they need it for the trial?”
Daisy said, “No. Luckily with the confession that we taped, Abby is doing the only practical thing. She’s pleading guilty. There won’t be a trial.”
Elyse stood up holding the card close and said, “Thank you.” Carl took her arm and they left the restaurant.
Daisy, Rose and Angela followed. Angela hugged each of them tightly and said, “Home, girls. It’s time to go home.”
ROSE’S COCKTAIL HOUR
PEARL HARBOR
The perfect little cocktail to get you bombed!
¾ ounce Vodka
¾ ounce Melon Liqueur
Pineapple juice
Pour into Collins glass half filled with ice. Fill with pineapple juice.
Garnish with Maraschino cherries, stems attached.
MAI TAI
When it’s hot and your sister’s being way too nosy, it’s time for a very fancy drink
½ ounce spiced rum
½ ounce white rum
½ ounce crème de almond
½ ounce triple sec
2½ ounces orange juice
2½ ounces pineapple juice
Splash of lime juice
Mix and pour into Collins glass half filled with ice. Garnish with fruit slices and a little umbrella.
MIDSUMMERNIGHT’S DREAM
A lovely pink concoction for the after-burglary debrief
5 fresh strawberries, crushed
1 tsp. strawberry liqueur
1 ounce cherry brandy
2 ounces vodka
Tonic
Put all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake well.
Pour into a tall glass and fill with tonic. Garnish with a strawberry.
FIRE CRACKER
A little pick-me-up for when the dog house catches fire
Pour over five cubes of ice in an old-fashioned glass:
2 ounces dark rum
½ ounce Sloe gin
Fill with orange juice
Top with a splash of Bacardi 151 Rum
Garnish with orange slice.
FROZEN CONCOCTION
Just the thing when the dog’s been duct-taped and you’ve been conked on the head
6 oz. can of frozen limeade concentrate
6 oz. rum
3 oz. triple sec
12 oz. water
Ice cubes
Mix in blender until slushy. Serve in a tall glass with a cherry.
DAIQUIRI
First date? A little nervous? Let Angela fix you right up
1 jigger light rum
1 oz. lime juice
1 tsp. confectioner’s sugar
Shake ingredients with shaved ice, strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass, and garnish with lime slice.
GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME
The name says it all!
1½ oz. vodka
Juice of 1⁄8 lemon
¾ oz. Sweet and Sour Mix* (homemade or purchased)
3 oz. soda water
1 tsp. confectioner’s sugar
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with orange slice, lime slice, and cherry.
*Sweet and Sour Mix –
Bring to boil 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar, just until sugar is dissolved.
Take off heat and add 1 cup lemon juice and 1 cup lime juice. Mix and refrigerate.
SANGRIA
It’s been a long day and you’re a little down. Cheer up with some wine-laced fruit
1 bottle of good white wine
½ cup Vodka
½ cup white grape juice
½ cup sliced grapes (seedless, green or red)
1 green apple, sliced
½ pineapple, sliced
2 cups ginger ale
Pour wine and vodka in the pitcher and add sliced grapes, tangerine and pineapple. Next add sugar and stir gently. Chill mixture for at least one hour. Add club soda just before serving. (If you’d like to serve your Sangria right away, use chilled white wine and club soda and serve over lots of ice).
MIDNIGHT MARAUDER
Planning a late night escapade? Before you set out, enjoy a little liquid courage
2 oz. Vodka
6 oz. orange juice
Splash of cream soda
Serve over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a cherry.
HURRICANE
When the wind is howling and a psycho comes knocking, drink up!
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. dark rum
2 oz. passion-fruit juice
1 oz. orange juice
½ oz. grenadine syrup
A squeeze of lime
Shake, strain into hurricane glass full of ice. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and serve with straw.
NAKED RUNNER
The perfect evening – Pictionary, good friends, and gin!
Splash of ginger ale
2 oz. gin
2 oz. coconut rum
2 oz. cranberry juice 2 oz. pineapple juice
Serve in a tall glass over ice. Garnish with melon balls.
Author Bio
Penny Clover Petersen began writing her first novel at fifty-nine on a dare from her husband, Tom. A life-long resident of the Washington DC area, they now reside in Bowie Maryland.
In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, refurbishing old furniture, collecting stories for the ‘family cookbook’, and savoring new cocktail recipes.
She loves historic homes and is a docent at Riversdale Mansion in Riverdale, MD. Penny is currently at work on her third Daisy & Rose mystery.
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Roses are Dead My Love Page 19