Something Suspicious in Sask Read Free Page A

and, holding it in one hand with her arms over her head, inched forward using her heels and bent knees. Her right hand found Aunt Margaret’s left arm and she wrapped her fingers in the cotton shirt fabric.
    â€œJust cut the sleeve right off at my elbow,” Aunt Margaret said. “You’ll never free it from the cutter bar.”
    â€œOkay, but don’t forget to tell me if I slice into your arm.”
    â€œDon’t worry, you’ll hear me loud and clear.”
    It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Katie bunched up the cotton and struggled to work the knife tip through. But there wasn’t much room to move and she couldn’t see what she was doing in this confined space with her arms stretched above her head. The knife tip refused to break through the fabric. Katie held her breath. What if the knife slipped? What if she stabbed Aunt Margaret’s arm? She could slice into an artery, blood would spurt everywhere.
    Katie was suddenly way too hot, her face damp with sweat. A frightened little squeak slipped from her throat.
    â€œKatie,” Aunt Margaret said calmly. “Take a deep breath. Don’t worry, you can do this, you won’t cut me. Besides I’m a tough old bird.”
    Katie took her aunt’s advice. She paused, took a long deep breath, let it out, and tried again. One quick slice and the knife slipped through the shirtsleeve. After that she sliced and hacked, holding the material away from her aunt’s arm as she worked her way around the sleeve. Mosquitoes whined in her ears and tickled her face with their landings. But there was nothing she could do about them, except work a little faster.
    At last the sleeve came free. “Ahh.” Aunt Margaret pulled her arm to her side. “Let’s get out of here!”
    The minute they were both standing up, free of the windrower, Aunt Margaret engulfed Katie in a grateful hug. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
    â€œAnytime,” Katie said, pulling away. “But what happened?”“It’s the strangest thing.” A confused look came over Aunt Margaret’s face. Confusion and something else. Worry? She glanced in Megan’s direction and then back to Katie. “It seems a piece of chicken wire got left in the field. It was hidden in the hay, and I didn’t spot it until too late. I was trying to free it from around the cutter bar when my sleeve got caught up.”
    â€œOh, Margaret, you had us so worried.” Gram stepped up to wrap her arms around Aunt Margaret.
    She placed her hands on Margaret’s shoulders and took a half step back to study her daughter’s face.
    â€œBut I don’t understand how wire could get left out here. I’d think you would all be very careful about things like that.”
    â€œI don’t know, Mom.” Again she glanced over at Megan, who stared back at her, unflinching. “I can’t imagine anyone here being so careless. That harvest header is an expensive piece of equipment, and we can’t afford to damage it.”
    â€œJust say it why don’t you?” Megan’s shout made everyone jump.
    Megan looked at Gram. “My mother thinks it’s my fault.” She swung around and stomped away, parting the hay in front of her as she went.
    â€œI don’t understand.” Gram turned to Aunt Margaret.
    Aunt Margaret bit her lip. “Let’s talk about it later, Mom.”
    Cliff walked to the front of the header and crouched low for a closer look. “It’s chicken wire all right,” he said, getting to his feet. “But it can’t be Megan’s fault.
    I warned you we hadn’t seen the last of Scott.”
    â€œWho’s Scott?” Katie asked.

3
    Cliff pulled off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through straight sand-colored hair that flopped lazily over a forehead beaded with sweat. His blue eyes swept past Katie and sought out Aunt Margaret.
    Why didn’t he answer her?