Lined With Silver (24 page)

“Any news?” Zack asked.

Sondra shook her head. “I’m afraid not.
Nothing since we left.”

“So that could mean a couple of things.
Either the person was scared off by the alarm system or they had a
vendetta against you and your dog.” Zack turned to catch Sondra’s
eyes and then turned his attention back to the road.

She tried to puzzle out what his quick look
meant and then hid her gasp with a cough. The broken dinnerware had
been a clear warning.
Is Dewk’s death tied to that? What did the
note say?
I am shattered. You will be too.
What better way
to shatter my life than to take Dewk out of it.
Is this the
end of it? Or will whoever is behind both continue to stalk
me?

Sondra trembled, and Zack reached over to
touch her hand. “It will be okay. Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”

Sondra wanted to believe him, but when the
result of the threat was the death of her beloved pet, it was hard
to see how everything would be okay.

* * *

Even Granny seemed subdued the rest of the
day. After dinner at another restaurant, they settled in to watch
another one of Granny’s reruns. This time, Granny seemed too
distracted to concentrate. When she walked out of the room for the
second time, Sondra leaned over to whisper, “Do you think you can
talk Granny into leaving the heat up tonight? I just can’t face
another frigid night. I haven’t ever been so cold, not even during
our recent trip to DC.”

“That’s because you served your mission in
Hawaii.”

“What does that have to do with
anything?”

“If you’d served somewhere else, you’d know
what it was like to tract in the cold.”

“Well, I never planned on freezing to death
visiting a relative. Can you please talk to her about keeping the
heat up? It’s just one night. I’m willing to pay for the entire
month of heating. I just can’t do another frozen night.” She
shuddered.

“I’ll talk to her, but no promises. She
swears the cold night air is good for her lungs.”

“It seems to have done her a world of good.
She looks amazing. I’d never guess she’s eighty-three.” Sondra
paused. “But can you
please
ask her for just
one
warm
night?”

“It’s awfully hard to get Granny to change
anything, even for one night, but I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks.”

Zack stepped out of the room and returned a
few minutes later.

“Well?” Sondra asked.

“Granny has turned in for the night. She said
she has a headache. She also said she’d keep the heat turned up
just for tonight, but she won’t be responsible for the
outcome.”

“What did she mean by that?” Sondra’s brows
grew together in a puzzled frown.

“Hopefully, we’ll never know.” From the look
on his face, that was all the information he was willing to
give.

* * *

“Since Granny has agreed to keep the heat on,
I’d like to soak for a bit, if that’s okay with you.” Sondra headed
into the bathroom with her change of clothes, not waiting for
Zack’s reply.

She settled into a mountain of sandalwood
bubbles, closed her eyes, and let her mind go blank. She could feel
the release of stress. Breathing deeply, she settled deeper into
the suds.

Her eyes flew open at a scratchy sound. A
small beady-eyed creature with long whiskers was staring at her
from the edge of the tub. As it cleaned a drop of water off its
face, Sondra launched herself out of the tub and onto the closed
toilet while emitting a continuous sound the same decibel of a fire
alarm. “EEEEEEEEAYAAAAA.”

The door flew open and Zack stared at her a
moment, taking in the bubbles that just barely covered what was
necessary. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Mouse. There’s a mouse. Get it. NOW.”

Zack handed her the robe and then searched
around and under the tub. “I think you scared every mouse for the
next mile into outer darkness. I don’t see anything.”

“I don’t care what you see. I know what
I
saw.” She tied the robe securely and made it to the bed in
three long leaps. “I’m not getting down until I know that mouse is
gone.” She settled into the middle of the bed and frantically
pulled the covers up off the floor. “Mice can’t climb wood, can
they?”

From Zack’s shaking shoulders, she could see
he was having a hard time taking her seriously. He shook his head.
“You probably gave that mouse a heart attack.”

“Where did it come from? I haven’t heard any
mice until tonight.”

He scratched his chin, trying valiantly to
hide his amusement. “Granny swore the mice come in if she keeps the
heat on at night. This is a bad time to prove her right.”

“Turn the heat down, then. I’d rather freeze
to death than face another one of those.” She shuddered.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded vigorously. “And can you hand me
my clothes? I’m not stepping back onto that floor.”

“Do you want me to carry you back to the
bathroom?”

Sondra’s eyes went big. “I’m not ever going
back in that room.”

“You might change your mind by morning.”

“I doubt it.”

“Would you feel better if I ran out and
bought some traps?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

He handed her the stack of clothes she’d left
next to the empty sink and headed out the door. She hoped the room
was icy post haste. Staring a mouse in the face had nearly done her
in.

She pulled on her clothes as quickly as she
could, given she was dressing in the middle of the bed. Her hair
was still wet, and she desperately wanted to dry it so she would
have some chance at being warm in the soon-to-be frigid room.

She scooted to the edge of the bed and peered
under it, scared she’d see another pair of beady eyes. The only
thing under the bed were some undisturbed dust bunnies. She scooted
back to the center of the bed and wrapped her arms around her legs.
Maybe Granny would have an extension cord so she could dry her hair
right where she was.

When Zack returned about half an hour later,
Sondra was still seated in the middle of the bed, knees to her
chin, her arms securely wrapped around her ankles. He stopped and
stared a moment. “I would have never guessed you are scared of
mice.”

She looked up from her intense stare at the
bathroom door. “Terrified. I’m terrified of them,” she
corrected.

“I stand corrected.” The corner of his mouth
twitched. She appreciated the effort to control his humor, even if
it wasn’t entirely successful.

He pulled out three gray rectangular boxes.
They had an opening on one side.

Curious despite her fear, she asked, “What
are those?”

“These are mouse traps.”

“They don’t look anything like the traps I’ve
seen. Are they environmentally friendly or something?”

He grinned. “You could say that. They are
live traps.”

“Live traps? What are you going to do,
release them in the yard?”

“I was thinking a mile or so down the road.
Maybe the farm where Granny gets her syrup.”

“As long as they’re far enough away not to
make their way back.”

“My guess is the farmer has a few cats.”

Sondra shook her head. “So we catch some live
mice to feed the neighborhood cats? I don’t get it.”

Zack gave her a hard look. “Given all the…
events… we’ve been through lately, I didn’t want to add to any
numbers, and I didn’t think you would, either.”

She rocked back and stared at Zack a moment.
“You’re right, of course.” Then she giggled.

He tilted his head to the side. “Okay. I’ll
bite. What’s so funny?”

“I don’t know why, but this reminded me of
that time several years ago after an oil spill when several
thousand had been spent to rehabilitate a seal. When the seal was
released to the sea, a killer whale jumped up and ate the seal.”
She laughed again. “After all that effort, the whale had a good
meal. I guess a cat will have one tomorrow.”

Zack shook his head, convinced that Sondra
had gone over the edge. “I think you scared every mouse in the area
earlier. I doubt we’ll catch anything, but I’ll set the traps.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks.” Then her brows
drew together in a frown. “Ummm. Do you think you can borrow an
extension cord from Granny?”

“She was heading to bed last time we talked.
I doubt I can rouse her. What do you need it for?”

Sondra swung her still-wet hair back and
forth. “I’d like dry hair for the night. If it’s going to be cold,
I want to start out warm.”

“I’m sure the bathroom is safe…”

“Not on your life.” Sondra was mulish.

“I’ll go hunt down an extension cord.”

“Thanks.”

The room was icy by the time Zack returned
with an orange cord.

Sondra spent a few minutes blowing through
her hair. She was dressed as warmly as she had been the night
before. When Zack moved to the bed, he stared at Sondra a moment,
who looked like she had no intention of moving from the center of
the bed. He flashed his dimple. “I think the idea was for both of
us to sleep here.”

She indicated the side closest to the
bathroom. “Go ahead. There’s plenty of room.”

He stared at the small space on the side. His
reply was dubious. “If you say so.”

“I had that much room on Monday. Trust me,
you’ll fit.”

He cleared his throat. “Our sizes are just a
bit—”

“I’m NOT moving.”

“Okay. Okay.” He rolled into the narrow spot
and was promptly accosted by Sondra. He rolled over with some
difficulty to take in her form plastered next to his. “Is this
really necessary?”

She nodded vigorously. “If there’s a mouse
anywhere near here, I want it to get you first.”

“I don’t think there will be a problem with
that.” He squirmed. “Can you move over just a bit? I’m going to
fall on the floor. I won’t be much of a protection down there.”

A flash of fear ran across her face, and she
scooted to the center of the bed. Zack reached over to touch her
cheek. “You know,” his tone was conversational, “I don’t remember
you being this scared when those guys were after you or even when
we were stranded on the street.”

She shuddered. “I know… there’s just
something about a mouse… and he was staring right at me.”

He chuckled. “I have to confess, I don’t miss
the sheepskin.”

Sondra giggled. “It’s wound around my
feet.”

“Armor against a mouse?”

“Something like that.”

Zack wrapped his arms around her and let her
settle into his chest. She sighed happily. After a few minutes, he
could feel her relaxing. When her breathing indicated she had
fallen asleep, he whispered against her hair, “Remind me to buy
some mice…”

Sondra started awake. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” He grinned against her hair.

“Hmmm.” She snuggled back against him and
resumed her rhythmic breathing.

Sondra’s eyes flew open when Zack’s alarm
rang. Her eyes met his, and his quick grin had her realizing she
was still plastered to his side. She pulled away and asked, “Do you
think the mouse is gone?”

“I’ll go check the traps.” He rolled out of
bed and spent a couple of minutes in the bathroom. “Empty.”

“Thanks for checking.”

“No problem. The bathroom’s all yours.”

A flash of fear ran across her face, but then
her human needs took over. “Thanks. I’ll be just a few minutes.”
She grabbed her clothes and raced to the bathroom.

He took his own clothes to the bathroom down
the hall. Granny hadn’t risen yet, and the house was frigid. He
opted for no heat to avoid any potential rodent problems and was
back into their bedroom before Sondra had emerged.

“Are we going to wake Granny?” She asked.

“I’ll just peek in and say good-bye. You can
come along with me. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem to mind bothering us
in bed, that’s for sure.” Even she could hear the petulance in her
voice.

He chuckled. “The perks of being
eighty-three.”

They peeked in on Granny, who was sleeping
with her mouth open. When Zack softly said, “Granny, we’re
leaving,” she sat up with a start. Her dark blue down comforter
slid down, revealing her Van Gogh Starry Night print flannel
pajamas. To Sondra’s surprise, Granny’s natural gray hair was
almost as long as her own. “Who? Where? What?” she burst out with
some confusion.

“Our flight leaves this morning. We need to
go.” His voice was soft.

Her eyes focused and she peered at him,
reaching over for her glasses. After she donned them, she said, “I
didn’t realize you were leaving so early. Do you want some
breakfast?”

“No. We’ll catch something at the airport.
Neither of us is much of a morning person.”

Granny shivered in the cold. “I thought you
wanted me to leave the heat on.”

“Well, you were right about the mice,” he
admitted.

“I warned you.” She had an I-told-you-so
glint in her eyes.

He laughed. “You did. I should know better
than to think you don’t know exactly what you’re talking about.
Sondra preferred the cold to the critters.”

“Smart woman.” Granny winked at Sondra. “My
sentiments exactly.”

“I set a few traps in the bathroom. You’ll
want to check them every couple of days.”

“You’re right.” Granny nodded. “I wouldn’t
want something rotting in my house.”

“They’re live traps.”

Granny stared at Zack in horrified amazement.
“What am I going to do with a live mouse?”

Sondra giggled. “Zack thought it would make a
great meal for the farmer’s cats.”

Granny laughed with her. “I’m sure he’d
appreciate my dropping off a meal.” She paused a moment to catch
her breath. “That’s worse than planting zucchini on the neighbor’s
porch. I’ll have to sneak over after dark.”

“Don’t stay out too late, Granny,” Zack
admonished. “You know you can’t see well at night.”