a detailed report with much laughter from Walter and Scooter and a somewhat disturbing recount of Thor worship by the three of you and Ronald. Besides, there’s fire extinguisher foam in your living room to back up their story.”
“Crap. I’m going to have to mop, aren’t I?”
He shrugged.
“So how did Celia propose that someone tossed a skunk into the maze?” I asked.
“She said as she was headed for the exit, that the skunk flew into the maze, right at her. Like someone has done a low toss of him into the last tunnel.”
“But that’s crazy. If someone was carrying around that skunk, they’d be as stinky as Celia.”
“Exactly. And since Gertie doesn’t smell, I figure it’s all bunk.”
I shook my head. “We get blamed for everything around here. And why? This town is full of crazy people.”
“Oh, I never said it was crazy. Risky, yes, but if someone could manage to throw a skunk at Celia for a good laugh without getting sprayed themselves, I’m not sure I’d call that crazy at all.”
“Yeah, but even if someone let that skunk loose, they couldn’t guarantee it would chase after Celia.”
“And that’s where her ‘I was targeted’ theory falls apart.” He rose from his chair. “Anyway, I’m going to head out, get a shower, eat some food, and try to get eight solid hours.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere but to the living room to watch TV and then to bed, so you won’t be getting a call about me.”
“You know, most boyfriends would hear ‘you won’t be getting a call from me,’ not ‘about me.’”
“You’re not most boyfriends.”
He laughed and leaned over to give me a kiss. “’Night, Fortune. Turn on your alarm after I leave.”
I waited until the front door closed behind him and heard the lock click into place, then grabbed my phone and armed the alarm. I knew he’d be standing out there in the rain waiting to hear the beeps. A more determined woman would have let him stand there a bit, but I took pity on him. It couldn’t be easy dating me. I looked at Walter and Ida Belle and thought Walter deserved sainthood. Carter would probably be sitting on the right-hand side of God after putting up with me.
I polished off my dinner and headed into the living room, ignoring the foam on the floor. Then I moved Merlin to the couch and sank into my recliner. I clicked through the channels and stopped when I saw Thor.
What the heck. Ronald was right. Thor was awesome.
Chapter Eight
I had an excellent night of sleep, for a change, probably because I locked Merlin out of the room and turned up the stereo so I couldn’t hear him. I was careful exiting the next morning, though. He’d paid me back before by leaving small objects on the stairs. And since I usually put on my shoes downstairs, that meant anything from stepping on a sharp object to plummeting down the stairs from slipping on a smooth object was on the menu.
But suspiciously, nothing was out of place.
I went into the kitchen and saw Merlin sitting calmly on his cat bed, licking his paws. Uh-oh. Somewhere, he’d done something. I just hadn’t found it yet. I let him outside to do his business and went on the hunt. In the half bath next to my office, I found his handiwork. He’d unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper onto the floor. I just scooped it all up and dumped it on the counter next to the toilet. Little did Merlin know that I’d dealt with far worse bathroom situations before. He was going to have to up his game to get the best of a former CIA assassin.
I headed back into the kitchen and fixed his food, then opened the back door and called. He came fairly quickly but he always did when it was time to eat, which is why I’d started letting him out for business before feeding him rather than after, which had been our usual routine. He gave me a hard stare as he strolled in, probably wondering if I’d seen his mess, then sauntered over to the food bowl for breakfast. I pulled on my navy tennis shoes that matched my skirt and striped top, grabbed my wallet, and was on my way to the front door when I heard Ida Belle honk.
Gertie had been right about church. The place was packed. Ida Belle was doing her thing in the choir, so Gertie and