Ed Lynskey - Isabel and Alma Trumbo 03 - The Ladybug Song Read Free

mutt who was usually the center of attention.
Isabel had given him the two names despite Alma’s opinion it sounded a little pretentious.
    “We took
him to our vet for surgery,” replied Isabel.
    “Is it for
something major?” asked Phyllis.
    “Nothing
that is too bad,” replied Alma. “Petey Samson is undergoing anesthesia, so Dr. Ruffian
wants to play it safe and keep him overnight for observation. There’s no call
to fret because Petey Samson will soon return full of his old energy.”
    “He
moved right in and made himself the top dog,” said Phyllis.
    Alma snorted at trying to stifle her outburst of laughter.
    It was
Isabel’s turn to give Alma a sharp look. “He’s a well-mannered pooch regardless
of what the other lady of the manor thinks. I’ve spent a lot of time training
him, and my diligence has paid off.”
    “Is that
why he still greets us in bed with his morning breath and licks our faces? Or
why he sits at the dinner table to eat with us?”
    Phyllis smiled.
“I’ve never heard of that. Do you also put out a dinner plate for him?”
    “He gets
the red carpet treatment,” said Alma. “Isabel sets his stainless steel dish on
the table’s placemat between her and me. He wears a toddler’s bib tied around
his neck and sits in the chair on top of the phone books where he crunches away
on his dry dog food as we dine. It is quite disconcerting. The next thing you
know he’ll be drinking through a straw and using a pair of chopsticks.”
    “Is letting
him eat at the table a good idea?” asked Phyllis. “Dr. Fox would lecture you, saying
it’s a mistake to let your pet develop such habits.”
    “Dr.
Isabel says it’s permissible, and so I go along to get along,” said Alma.
    “Alma, you know full well I just floated the idea, and we’ve never done it,” said Isabel. “Here
I thought you liked having Petey Samson around for company.”
    “I have to
admit I have missed him since he’s been gone,” said Alma.
    “He’s so
much more than a pet to us,” said Isabel. “All I want is for him to get back home
well and safe.”
    “We can
agree on that much,” said Alma.
    “I also want
him back so you’re not too distracted from your pursuit of Ladybug’s killer,”
said Phyllis.
    Just then,
Isabel’s cell phone sounded with her ringtone of Charlie Parker playing a snappy
jazz solo on his alto sax. Surprise flashed on her face when she discovered her
caller’s identity. She arched her eyebrows at Alma who knew something was up.
    “Hello
there, Sheriff Fox,” said Isabel, looking at Alma. “What is the honor of this telephone
call?”
    As she
heard the reason he gave, Isabel’s hazel eyes gleamed with new interest. “Let
me see if I heard you correctly,” she said, repeating it for the benefit of the
other ladies. “You wish to speak with us in your office at our earliest
convenience. May I inquire what the subject of our conference will be?”
    “Who
cares?” said Alma. “Fat chance we’ll ever be there.”
    He told Isabel.
    “You wish
to discuss the peculiar circumstances surrounding the recent demise of Ladybug
Miles,” said Isabel.
    He spoke
again during Isabel’s pause.
    “How soon
can Alma and I get there?” said Isabel. “I’ll have to check with her, but I believe
she’ll want it to be as soon as possible.”
    Isabel’s
prompt accommodation pleased Sheriff Fox.
    “Let me
ask you something first,” said Isabel. “What will the tenor of our meeting be?”
    Sheriff
Fox’s response left Isabel smiling for the first time during their phone call.
“We’ll meet as colleagues. That is a refreshing change from our previous
dealings. Be looking for us in a few minutes then.”
    As
Isabel hung up, the skeptical Alma wrinkled her forehead. “It’s got to be a
trap he’s laying for us,” she said.
      Isabel placated
Alma. “I’m a firm believer in giving people second chances. We’ll go to his
office keeping an open mind and a spirit of cooperation. Who