A Body at Book Club

Chapter One It was another steamy hot summer afternoon and Myrtle Clover was keeping cool indoors by staying glued to Tomorrow’s Promise, her favorite soap opera. Her avid viewing of Kayla’s daring rescue from a bizarre cult was suddenly and rudely interrupted by a cat’s screaming wail and the sound of dogs snapping and growling outside. “Pasha!” she gasped, struggling to her feet from the padded softness of her recliner and knocking a half-finished crossword puzzle from her lap. Grabbing her cane in one hand and seizing a nearby pitcher of lemonade in the other, she bolted out the front door. Two large dogs were on her front walk, snapping at and nosing a black, hissing, frightened cat that was trapped between them and fighting to get out. Myrtle bellowed, “Stop!” and flung the lemonade at the animals. The dogs stopped, swinging their heads around to gape at Myrtle. The cat bolted away as fast as she could go. “Bad dogs!” snapped Myrtle sternly, brandishing her cane at them, towering over them with her full, nearly six-feet height. The animals instantly put their tails between their legs and lowered their ears, whining at her as they slunk away. Myrtle’s police chief son lived directly across the street from her and his door flew open at all the commotion. “You okay, Mama?” he called. “They weren’t snapping at me—it was Pasha they were after. Now she’s run off and I don’t even know if she’s hurt or not.” Myrtle was exasperated at the note of panic in her voice. It was surprising how important that feral cat had become to her. Red dodged back inside, finally hurrying out again with his shoes on. He strode purposefully across the street. “There is a leash law in this town. I sure wish folks would remember that.” His once-red hair, now mostly gray, stuck straight up on one side of his head and his voice was rough and raspy as if he’d just awakened from a nap. “You know how the old-timers are here in Bradley,” said Myrtle. “They ignore whichever laws inconvenience them. These dogs don’t have tags on them and I don’t recognize them.” She started calling for Pasha. “Kitty, kitty, kitty?” Her heart was still pounding and she breathed deeply to settle herself down. “Pasha’s too smart to come out before she thinks she’s safe, Mama. Maybe after I’ve put these dogs in the police cruiser, she’ll come.” Red whistled to the dogs and then held out his hand and the animals obediently followed him as if he were the pied piper. “Treats? For bad dogs?” Myrtle was outraged. “They’re just acting like dogs, Mama. Dogs chase cats. And I’ve got to get them into my car. I figured hot dogs would be certain to lure them in there.” Sure enough, the dogs were all over those bits of hot dogs. Once they were in the car, Red slammed the back doors and walked around to the driver’s side. “Well, I know you’re not arresting them, so where are you taking them?” asked Myrtle. “Just down to hang out at the station until someone claims them. That way I can also remind their owners about the leash law when they pick their dogs up,” said Red. Myrtle watched as he backed out of his driveway and then rolled down his window. “Mama, I’ll help you look for the cat when I come back, okay?” Myrtle raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you weren’t exactly Pasha’s number-one fan.” “I’m not. Shoot, Mama, it’s a feral cat. How am I supposed to feel about my octogenarian mother hanging out with a wild animal? But it’s better for me to be stooping under bushes to look for her, instead of you. You’re unsteady on your feet as it is.” Myrtle glared at him. He was interfering, as usual. “I’m just fine on my feet, Red. This cane just helps me move faster, that’s all. It’s really more of a fashion accessory than anything else. Go along to the station. I’ll get Miles to help me.” He drove off and Myrtle reconsidered enlisting Miles’s help. She decided to leave her friend alone for the time being. His guilty pleasure was watching her soap opera. She’d gotten him hooked on it, and it would just be wrapping up now. He’ll actually know if Kayla escaped from the cult without consequence. Myrtle peered around her. “Kitty, kitty, kitty?” she called, bending down to look under bushes and neighbors’ cars. Which way had Pasha gone? Myrtle had to admit she wasn’t sure, she’d just seen her run. Maybe she’d run far away, making sure she was well out of the way of those dogs. Myrtle walked back inside, opened a can of albacore tuna, and kept looking. After scanning her yard and her neighbors’ yards, she moved down to the next block of houses, calling as she walked and hoping that the smell of the tuna might tempt the poor cat out of hiding. The sun blazed down on her and the early-summer humidity felt oppressive. Myrtle thought she saw some movement in the bushes of a shady yard and walked right into the yard, calling and holding out the can. A squirrel scampered away and Myrtle gave a disappointed sigh. She jumped a little as an authoritative voice barked, “Mrs. Clover. What are you doing?” Myrtle looked up to see Rose Mayfield standing in her front door, hands on her hips, and an impatient look on her face. “I’m looking for my lost cat, that’s all,” said Myrtle. Interfering biddy. “For heaven’s sake. How will it help the cat if you have a heat stroke in my front yard?” Rose looked imperiously down her aristocratic nose at Myrtle. With her thin frame, brunette hair laced with gray, and angular features, middle-aged Rose had always reminded her of a particularly cranky Katharine Hepburn. “Come on inside,” she said briskly, holding the door open. “Have some water, cool down, then you can find your pet.” “She’s not a pet,” said Myrtle as she walked in, sitting down on an antique sofa and carefully setting down her can of tuna. “She’s a feral cat that I’ve befriended. Pasha’s very sweet, despite being very wild.” “I’m sure she is,” said Rose, cutting her off as she quickly walked into the kitchen, wet down a dishcloth with cool water, and handed it over to Myrtle. The look on her face indicated that she wouldn’t allow her elderly mother to have a feral cat. “I’ll get you some ice water.” Myrtle didn’t like being lectured, but this time she bit her tongue and didn’t argue with the authoritative Rose. That’s because she discovered that she was actually, thirsty. She gulped down the water Rose brought her and then gave a begrudging apology for imposing, since Rose, arms crossed in front of her, looked so incredibly put out. “Oh, it’s fine,” said Rose impatiently. “Your visit will distract me from the murder going on next door.” “Murder?” asked Myrtle with quickening interest. As if on cue, a chorus of chainsaws roared to life. Rose shuddered at the sound and her fingers tightened around her own glass of water. “That,” she said loudly, over the racket. “That horticultural homicide. That woman next door is destroying all the trees and vegetation between our yards. Many decades of growth being felled and dragged away.” Her face looked positively ill at the thought. Myrtle paused as she tried to remember the neighbors on this street. “Let’s see. Does Naomi Pelter live next door to you?” Rose’s mouth twisted with distaste. “That’s the one.” “Why on earth would she want all the trees and shrubs taken away?” asked Myrtle, raising her voice over the buzzing chainsaws. The idea of losing the privacy that a densely-wooded lot provided was incomprehensible to Myrtle. Rose shrugged. “Because she’s insane?” she suggested in an acerbic voice. “When I asked her about it, Naomi had the silliest answer. Said that she hated raking and maintaining shrubs. Although I’m sure that she wouldn’t be the one raking and trimming. Naomi always finds some man to do it for her, and it’s usually a friend’s husband—someone she’s batted her eyelashes at. Wretched woman,” she spat out. “I’ve considered lying down in front of the backhoe to stop the crew.” Myrtle took a thoughtful sip of her water. Before she could respond to this rather dire statement, however, Rose had changed course again. “Are you attending book club tomorrow?” she asked abruptly. “I’m hosting.” Myrtle set down her glass, sloshing water on her lap. She made a face and dabbed ineffectively at the spill with her napkin. She’d gotten to the point where she tried to miss as many book club meetings as humanly possible. The book picks were usually beach books with shallow plots and characters that all seemed very much alike. She silently fumed that Rose had put her on the spot. “I believe I need to work on my helpful hints column for the Bradley Bugle tomorrow, Rose.” Rose completely ignored this excuse as if Myrtle hadn’t even made it. “You’ve got to come. Even if you haven’t read the book, Miss Myrtle. I have a feeling that dreadful creature from next door is coming and I’ll have to have someone else to talk to.” This statement shouldn’t have enticed Myrtle to attend book club. But Naomi Pelter was becoming more intriguing. “She doesn’t usually come to book club, does she? I’ve only remembered her there once or twice. What makes you think she’ll make this one? Especially since you’re clearly furious with her about cutting down all her trees.” “I think she’ll be there because she needs to make up with everyone. She’s on the outs with several members in our club. Maybe even with your Miles, Miss Myrtle.” Rose gave her an amused look. Myrtle laughed. “He’s not my Miles. For heaven’s sake. I must be fifteen years older than he is! Miles is a friend, that’s all.” “Did you notice Naomi at the garden club luncheon yesterday?” Myrtle’s face flushed guiltily. She’d had an excellent excuse not to be at the luncheon but now couldn’t remember her excuse for the life of her. “Oh, missed that, too?” Rose arched her carefully plucked brows, giving Myrtle a reproachful look. Myrtle thought she remembered that Rose was garden club president now. That would make sense, considering how upset she was about the trees and shrubs next door. “We’ve had some wonderful speakers at garden club, you know. Truly wonderful. Last month, we had the guy from the county extension office to speak. He knew so much! He told us all about invasive plants, poisonous mushrooms, and garden pests.” Rose clasped her hands together rapturously. “The only garden pest I know of is Erma Sherman,” said Myrtle grouchily. Her next-door neighbor was a member of garden club, but you couldn’t tell it to look in her yard. It was all weeds: chickweed, honeysuckle, and crabgrass. Rose ignored her interjection. “And yesterday, we had Timmie Watson tell us how she made a lovely flowerbed in a rocky, shady section of her yard. The annual luncheon was delicious, too, Miss Myrtle. And quite affordable.” The affordable part was delivered with a sidelong glance at Myrtle. It was irritating that the general public considered the elderly a mere step above abject poverty. A fixed income, even for a retired schoolteacher, wasn’t exactly the end of the world...it simply provided Myrtle with a fairly strict budget. Rose didn’t appear to notice Myrtle’s irritation. “Anyway, the only bad part of the luncheon yesterday was that Naomi chose to attend. In a large, floppy hat, nonetheless!” A flush crept up Rose’s neck again. “The gall! Smiling and laughing as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Yet she’s eradicating all the trees and shrubs in her yard. Gardening, indeed!” Rose currently seemed to be a one-topic hostess and, since Myrtle was tiring of the subject and eager to find Pasha, she pushed herself up out of her chair with her cane and said, “Most vexing, Rose, yes. Thanks for the water. I should keep searching for my cat now. Let me know if you see her, will you?” She reached over and picked up her can of tuna. “Of course. You’re coming to the book club meeting tomorrow, then?” There was nothing more annoying than someone who was intent on an in-person RSVP. “I’ll try,” said Myrtle cautiously. The truth was that she’d lost all interest in book club as soon as they’d stopped trying to read actual literature. Right after the founding of the club, in fact. Rose accompanied her to the front door. She made a face when she opened the door and hurriedly ducked behind it. “Naomi has come out to check on the work apparently, so I’ll just let you navigate my front walk by yourself. You won’t have any problems, will you?” She looked pointedly at Myrtle’s cane. “Not a bit,” said Myrtle firmly as she walked away. Now she had a missing cat and a commitment to attend book club. It hadn’t been the most productive of visits. Naomi, wearing a sundress and a straw hat, was giving instructions to a very attentive crew. She spotted Myrtle and waved to her, walking away from the men. Naomi was in her early forties, but remarkably well preserved with a heart-shaped face and honey-colored hair. She took off a pair of very large round sunglasses to reveal sparkling green eyes. “Everything all right, Miss Myrtle?” She raised her eyebrows at the tuna can. “I saw you wandering through the yards a little while ago. Have you lost something?” “My cat,” said Myrtle. She thought she saw some movement in what remained of the natural area between Naomi and Rose’s yards and bent to hold out the can. It was only a terrified bunny, though, trying to get away while the chain saws were quiet. Myrtle sighed. “Sorry to hear that,” said Naomi, although Myrtle got the feeling she hadn’t really listened to what she’d said. Instead, she was staring at Myrtle’s hair with an odd expression. Naomi abruptly reached out and smoothed down Myrtle’s hair on both sides of her head. “I’m sorry,” she said with a grin. “I couldn’t resist. It was standing on end.” “Like Einstein’s hair,” said Myrtle. “It does that from time to time. Most annoying.” She cleared her throat. “Are you going to book club tomorrow, by the way? Rose is having it, you know.” Naomi looked blankly at her. Myrtle knit her brows. “Rose. You know—your neighbor?” Myrtle gestured to the brick house behind her. Naomi made a face. “Oh, I don’t think so, do you? What are we reading? Some sort of awful beach book, isn’t it? Who wants to analyze that? How do you analyze that?” Myrtle blinked at her. Sometimes she found kindred spirits in the most unexpected of places. Naomi looked thoughtfully at Rose’s house. “Maybe I should try to make it, after all. Mend some fences. I get the impression that Rose isn’t pleased about the clearing I’m doing.” Apparently, Naomi wasn’t particularly intuitive. Myrtle doubted Rose had been subtle. Naomi nodded, “I’ll plan on making it, then. Thanks for letting me know. And if I see your dog, I’ll let you know.” Myrtle was opening her mouth to correct her when she realized Naomi was already gone.