Mom Zone Mysteries 02 Staying Home Is a Killer Read Free Page A

head tucked under my chin to shelter her from the wind that made my eyes water, I crunched through the snow and ice that rimmed our driveway. Inside, I peeled her out of her snowsuit like I was peeling a banana and changed her diaper.
    “Dogs. Woof, woof,” she said, her face serious as I carried her to bed. She held her eyes wide open to keep them from shutting.
    “Yes. There were some very loud dogs today at the vet.” I snuggled her in bed, positioned Pink Girl on the nightstand, sang a lullaby, and tiptoed into the hall. I left the answering machine blinking 3 and went to get Rex, our mutt, a mix of lab and rottwieler, out of his kennel in the Cherokee. Since we didn’t have another of suburbia’s staples, a completely fenced backyard, I put him on his long tether in the backyard. He galloped through the powder, dug his nose into the snow, and flung it into the air while I dragged the kennel inside and put it in the kitchen.
    I shut the kitchen door and stood still, trying to absorb the warmth of the kitchen. I worked my boots off and padded across the golden oak floorboards to turn up the heat another notch. Then I hit PLAY on the answering machine and scrounged in the pantry for hot chocolate packets.
    A languid voice stated, “Hello, Ellie. This is Clarissa Bedford. You said to call you about a consultation. Next week, either Tuesday or Friday morning, works for me.” I heard a trace of an accent on the message that I hadn’t noticed in person. Southern? Or more of a Southwest drawl? I’d have to ask her where she was from. The machine stated the date and time, then beeped.
    “Ellie. Jill. Call me. It’s urgent.” I smiled as I pulled out the cocoa and marshmallows. The staccato commands from the squadron commander’s wife couldn’t have been more different from Clarissa’s slower, deeper voice.
    I picked up the phone and dialed Jill’s number, but my cell phone trilled, so I hung up the kitchen phone and dug my cell phone out from under a sippy cup in my purse.
    “Ellie. Where are you?” Abby, my best friend, sounded breathless and shaken.
    “I’m at home.”
    “I just got a busy signal,” she said sharply.
    “Hey, can’t I listen to my messages? I was returning a phone call.” The wonders of technology. Now when someone is too impatient to wait for the phone not to be busy they can call my cell phone.
    “Sorry,” Abby rushed on, “Jill’s trying to find you. You remember that form, the one we filled out? With all the info? Penny never filled one out. They don’t know who to call.”
    “Slow down. What’s going on?” I was used to Abby’s scattered conversations, but I felt a finger of cold that had nothing to do with the weather trace along my neck. Her trembling voice held a note of fear. Something was not right.
    “I’m doing this all wrong.” Abby took a deep breath. “Penny’s dead.”
    An Everything In Its Place Tip for Organized Closets
    Add more room to your closet with these ideas:
Capitalize on unused space in the top of a closet with additional shelves for low-use items like extra blankets and pillows. Upper closet shelves are also a great place to stash Christmas gifts that you pick up during end-of-season sales.
Dropped rods double your clothes space. Look for the kind that hook over the upper rod so there’s no installation.
Invest in a shoe organizer. The possibilities are as varied as your taste: Cubes, racks, and over-the-door-models come in a variety of finishes and styles.
Multigarment hangers allow you to hang several items on one hanger.

Chapter Two
    “N o, she’s not,” I said. “I saw her this morning. Just a few hours ago.”
    “Ellie. I’m sorry, but Penny is dead,” Abby’s voice transitioned to her firm third grade teacher voice.
    I stood there staring at the cocoa box, shaking my head. Rex scratched on the door. Automatically, I opened the door, unhooked his tether, and he bounded into the kitchen, leaving wet puddles. “What?”
    “Will