Claws For Concern

“And hopefully she’ll stay off the streets,” Haskell said. “Depends on the kind of bond the judge sets. Right now she’s in our jail waiting to go before the judge to be indicted.”

“She’s here, in Athena?” Laura sounded alarmed.

“Yes, for the attempted murder of Bill Delaney,” Haskell said. “It will take a while before the other charges are brought. Delaney will probably face charges, too, though they might go easy on him because of his health and the fact that he’s now cooperating with the investigation.”

“The main thing is she’s where she can’t harm anyone else,” Alex said. “What I don’t understand is why Elizabeth hated her father so much? Especially since he supposedly spoiled her. Was she abused, do you think?”

“I suspect she might have been. If she was, it will probably come out at the trial,” I said.

“How is Bill Delaney doing?” Helen Louise asked. “Have you made a decision yet on inviting him to live here?”

“He’s doing better than I expected, after everything that happened,” I said. “He could live three days, three weeks, or three years, but he won’t be living them here. I invited him to stay here. He thanked me, but I could see that being around me would remind him too much of recent events.”

“So what is he going to do?” Laura asked.

“He’s going back to Tullahoma,” I said. “Turns out he has more than enough to live on. He is pretty frugal with his money. He has a little apartment there, and a couple of his old Marine Corps buddies are still around. He told me he has realized he isn’t so ready to die after all. The fact that Elizabeth tried to kill him again convinced him he shouldn’t try to protect her anymore.”

“I’m glad to hear he’s got a home,” Helen Louise said. “He might not be able to find much happiness in the time he has left, but perhaps he can find peace of a sort.”

I smiled at the woman I had grown to love so much. In her articulate, sensitive way, she had voiced my own thoughts beautifully.

“I think it’s time we changed the subject to a happier one,” I said. “I’d like to hold my grandson for a little while, if that’s okay.”

Laura glanced over to the bassinet by the wall. Diesel lay beside it, ever vigilant should baby Charlie start to cry.

“I think he’s probably ready for a meal anyway, so why don’t you give him a bottle, Dad?”

“I’ll get one from the fridge and put it in the warmer,” Frank said.

I nodded my thanks, and he headed to the kitchen. I went over to the bassinet and picked up my grandson. He was already stirring a little, and Laura was right. He would soon be demanding to be fed. I returned to my chair and held him in my arms. Diesel came with me and sat beside my chair. He had to be sure I was taking proper care of the baby.

Looking at baby Charlie, at that perfect little face and head, I was able to push away the dark thoughts brought about by recent events. I held the future in my arms, and I would do everything in my power to see that it was a future full of love, light, and laughter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Miranda James is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries, including Twelve Angry Librarians, No Cats Allowed, and Arsenic and Old Books, as well as the Southern Ladies Mysteries, including Fixing to Die, Digging Up the Dirt, and Dead with the Wind. James lives in Mississippi. Visit the author at catinthestacks.com and facebook.com/mirandajamesauthor.

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