Tippy Toe Murder Read Free Page A

a snap
and held it in his hand a moment, savoring its heft before replacing it
carefully in his vest pocket.
    “Well, do you want the fertilizer or not?”
he demanded abruptly, impatiently clicking his dentures back and forth with his
tongue. He glared through his wire-rimmed glasses at Lucy and Sue. “You’ve
already taken up quite enough of Franny’s time with your gossiping.”
    “Oh, I want it,” said Lucy hastily. “Ben’s
already put it in the car. I really appreciate the service.”
    “He’s a fine boy,” observed the old man as
he returned to his office.
    Franny allowed herself a moment of
rebellion and rolled her eyes for her friends’ benefit before ringing up the
transaction.
    “See ya, Franny,” said Sue. She took Lucy’s
elbow and steered her out of the store. “Have you got time for a cup of coffee?”
    “Sure,” said Lucy, stepping nimbly to avoid
the heavy door. “Good, ‘cause I’m dying to know what that was all about.” “What
do you mean?”
    “Why’d Franny act so funny when I mentioned
working at the shelter?” They paused at the curb, waiting for a lobster truck
to rumble by, then crossed to Jake’s Donut Shop.
    “Franny was a battered wife,” said Lucy as
the two settled down at a table.
    “Franny?” exclaimed Sue. “I can’t believe
it. I never even knew she’d been married.”
    “It was a long time ago, fifteen years or
more. Bill and I had just moved here. It was quite a scandal. He died falling
down the stairs, and some people thought Franny gave him a push.” “Franny? I
can’t believe it. Was there a trial?”
    “I don’t think so. I don’t remember why.
Maybe it was an accident. I know he drank a lot. I’m kind of fuzzy on the
details, but I do know most people thought he got what he deserved.” She paused
to consult the menu. “I can’t decide what to order. Doc Ryder’d kill me if he
ever found out I was even in this place.”
    “Lucy, don’t change the subject. Tell me about
Franny’s husband.”
    “Honest, Sue, I told you everything I know.
It was a long time ago. How many calories do you think a Bavarian crème
doughnut has?”
    “Forget calories,” advised Sue with the
nonchalance of a perfect size eight. “Pregnancy’s the one time you ought to be
able to indulge. Do you have any cravings?”
    “Not really. Mostly I’m just tired. I’m not
twenty-five anymore. It’s harder as you get older. My back’s been bothering me
this time.”
    “Then you need Jake’s Tiger Milk shake,”
advised Sue. “You can hardly taste the brewer’s yeast.”
    “I’ll have a glass of grapefruit juice,”
Lucy told the waitress. “And I’ll have iced coffee,” said Sue.
    “So what’s this about working at the women’s
shelter? It doesn’t seem like your sort of thing.”
    “I know. I guess my consciousness got
raised a little late,” agreed Sue. “Somehow hitting all the sales and snapping
up the bargains lost its luster. I wanted to do something, well, I really hate
this word, meaningful.”
    “Why don’t you go to work?”
    “Raising two kids, cooking three meals a
day, and keeping a clean house doesn’t give you much of a resume,” she said,
pausing while the waitress placed their orders on the table. “I thought this
might help me get something more interesting than cashiering at the IGA.”
    “Or answering the phones at Country
Cousins,” said Lucy, referring to her former job at the giant mail-order
company. “Bill swears I got pregnant just so I could quit.”
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “No. He’s right. But next time I’m going to
sign up for a course. It’s gotta be easier on the back.”
    The two women shared a laugh and sipped
their drinks. Sue poured some milk into her iced coffee and watched it swirl
through the dark liquid.
    “I don’t really like it with milk, but I
can’t resist seeing it change color like that,” she admitted. “Lucy, you love a
good mystery. What do you think happened to