take you home. Is that okay with you?”
She nodded. It was a slow, sort of half-nod, but I was taking it.
“Roz, stay here with Bunny for just a minute, I’m going to convince Peggy to help us take Bunny back to her house.”
I popped over to Peggy’s van. She had rolled her window down. I didn’t waste any time. “Here’s the scoop: Bunny Bergen ran over a rabbit with her Jag and snapped. Meltdown. She came looking for Howard. I’d kill her, but we don’t have time—I want my pedicure. If we can take her back to her house in your van, we can still make it to La Voila in time—you game?”
Peggy didn’t answer, just stared at Bunny. Admittedly, it was a lot to throw at a person all at once.
“Peggy—they’re Ultra-Ultimate Pedicures. Ultra. Ultra. They’ll soak our feet in that warm wax, then rub them and scrub them until we’re almost asleep in those womb-like chairs. Remember what it was like, before kids? When we had money to throw away on luxuries? We can’t miss this. I’m all for leaving her here, but Roz has this whole Mother Teresa thing going on . . .”
“Yeah, get her in the van. Do you have the gift certificates?”
“I’ll get them. You help Roz.”
Peggy helped Roz guide Bunny into the back seat while I ran into the house and grabbed my purse and the ever precious gift certificates. I locked up the house lickety-split.
By the time I got back Peggy was in the driver’s seat buckling up and Roz and Bunny were seated awkwardly on the middle bench. I hopped into the front passenger seat.
Bunny’s house was less than a minute away. With just some extra gas to the engine, we could be there in no time, then on our way to Heaven.
“Come on Peggy,” I said. “I feel the need! The need for speed!”
Peggy put her gear shift into reverse and we were on our way.
Roz rolled her eyes. “You and your Shot Gun quotes. Do you think we should be leaving her alone?”
“First off, it’s Top Gun ,” I corrected her. “Don’t you EVER watch movies?” It was my turn to roll some eyes. “Secondly, she’s looking much better to me. We’ll sit her down with a cup of tea and she’ll be fine.” I looked at Bunny who was rubbing her head. “Bunny, you okay?”
Her response, although slower than I would have liked, was positive.
“Yeah. I’m . . . I’m okay. I’m . . . well . . . I’m, you know . . . embarrassed. I just don’t understand.”
“Don’t understand what?”
“Why I’m . . . in this van.”
“Do you remember walking through the woods?”
She shook her head.
“Do you remember a rabbit?”
She shook her head again.
“Do you remember asking about Howard?”
Her face went red. She shook her head yet again. “Why would I . . . ask about Howard? He’s your husband.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Suppressing an urge to reach back and strangle her skinny little neck, I started to query her further, but was interrupted by Peggy.
“Uh oh,” she said. “This can’t be good.”
Scooting back around, I agreed. Either an accident had occurred or else someone’s house was on fire. Red lights flashed on fire trucks—I counted two of them. There was also a fire rescue vehicle and an ambulance. As we got closer, I realized they were parked right in front of Bunny’s house. Two black sedans with more antennae than a radio station and a Fairfax County police car topped off the circus.
All of this for a dead rabbit?
I put the gift certificates to my mouth and kissed those Sweet Tangerine Spice Pedicures goodbye.
Chapter Two
“I THOUGHT I HEARD SIRENS a few minutes ago,” Roz said.
“Who could hear anything with Bunny wailing like a cat in heat?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. The comment was unkind. Roz shot me a look to shame, and rightly so. I whispered under my breath. “Sorry.”
Peggy slowed to a near crawl and whistled. “Hey girls, look at the sexy cop in the sunglasses. If I weren’t married .
She nodded. It was a slow, sort of half-nod, but I was taking it.
“Roz, stay here with Bunny for just a minute, I’m going to convince Peggy to help us take Bunny back to her house.”
I popped over to Peggy’s van. She had rolled her window down. I didn’t waste any time. “Here’s the scoop: Bunny Bergen ran over a rabbit with her Jag and snapped. Meltdown. She came looking for Howard. I’d kill her, but we don’t have time—I want my pedicure. If we can take her back to her house in your van, we can still make it to La Voila in time—you game?”
Peggy didn’t answer, just stared at Bunny. Admittedly, it was a lot to throw at a person all at once.
“Peggy—they’re Ultra-Ultimate Pedicures. Ultra. Ultra. They’ll soak our feet in that warm wax, then rub them and scrub them until we’re almost asleep in those womb-like chairs. Remember what it was like, before kids? When we had money to throw away on luxuries? We can’t miss this. I’m all for leaving her here, but Roz has this whole Mother Teresa thing going on . . .”
“Yeah, get her in the van. Do you have the gift certificates?”
“I’ll get them. You help Roz.”
Peggy helped Roz guide Bunny into the back seat while I ran into the house and grabbed my purse and the ever precious gift certificates. I locked up the house lickety-split.
By the time I got back Peggy was in the driver’s seat buckling up and Roz and Bunny were seated awkwardly on the middle bench. I hopped into the front passenger seat.
Bunny’s house was less than a minute away. With just some extra gas to the engine, we could be there in no time, then on our way to Heaven.
“Come on Peggy,” I said. “I feel the need! The need for speed!”
Peggy put her gear shift into reverse and we were on our way.
Roz rolled her eyes. “You and your Shot Gun quotes. Do you think we should be leaving her alone?”
“First off, it’s Top Gun ,” I corrected her. “Don’t you EVER watch movies?” It was my turn to roll some eyes. “Secondly, she’s looking much better to me. We’ll sit her down with a cup of tea and she’ll be fine.” I looked at Bunny who was rubbing her head. “Bunny, you okay?”
Her response, although slower than I would have liked, was positive.
“Yeah. I’m . . . I’m okay. I’m . . . well . . . I’m, you know . . . embarrassed. I just don’t understand.”
“Don’t understand what?”
“Why I’m . . . in this van.”
“Do you remember walking through the woods?”
She shook her head.
“Do you remember a rabbit?”
She shook her head again.
“Do you remember asking about Howard?”
Her face went red. She shook her head yet again. “Why would I . . . ask about Howard? He’s your husband.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Suppressing an urge to reach back and strangle her skinny little neck, I started to query her further, but was interrupted by Peggy.
“Uh oh,” she said. “This can’t be good.”
Scooting back around, I agreed. Either an accident had occurred or else someone’s house was on fire. Red lights flashed on fire trucks—I counted two of them. There was also a fire rescue vehicle and an ambulance. As we got closer, I realized they were parked right in front of Bunny’s house. Two black sedans with more antennae than a radio station and a Fairfax County police car topped off the circus.
All of this for a dead rabbit?
I put the gift certificates to my mouth and kissed those Sweet Tangerine Spice Pedicures goodbye.
Chapter Two
“I THOUGHT I HEARD SIRENS a few minutes ago,” Roz said.
“Who could hear anything with Bunny wailing like a cat in heat?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. The comment was unkind. Roz shot me a look to shame, and rightly so. I whispered under my breath. “Sorry.”
Peggy slowed to a near crawl and whistled. “Hey girls, look at the sexy cop in the sunglasses. If I weren’t married .
Similar Books
Suddenly Expecting
Paula Roe
The Snowball
Stanley John Weyman
The Ramayana
Ramesh Menon
Sweet Southern Betrayal
Robin Covington
Witness Pursuit
Hope White
Arcadia Falls
Carol Goodman
Hide Out
Katie Allen
Fall of Colossus
D. F. Jones
The Book of Basketball
Bill Simmons