huge holes in the front and sides were sealed with plastic. Skye picked her way carefully up the worn wooden steps. The porch had been stripped and a sander lay in a corner.
Before Skye could ring the bell, Trixie pulled open the unpainted door and tugged her inside. “What fun. I haven’t been shopping in ages. Are you looking for anything special? Do you want something to eat or drink before we go?”
Skye gave Trixie a quick hug. “I need an outfit for the funeral. And no thanks to the offer of refreshments. Let’s just get going before something else in my life blows up.”
“What are you talking about?” Trixie grabbed her purse from the newel post.
“I’ll tell you all about it in the car.” Skye nudged Trixie out the door.
“Okay, but I’m driving.” Trixie led the way to her Mustang convertible. “No offense, but that Buick of yours is pretty sad.”
“None taken. I’m just borrowing it till I get the insurance check.” Skye got into the passenger’s side and put on her seatbelt. As they roared toward Kankakee, she told her story, sometimes competing with the wind to be heard.
When Skye finished, Trixie said, “Wow. Do you think everything that’s been happening to you is being done by your grandma’s killer? Or maybe it’s some of those awful parents you had run-ins with?”
“Got me.” Skye shrugged. “Maybe both. I’m beginning to feel like the most hated person in Scumble River.”
“Well, then, shopping is just what you need.” Trixie flashed an impish grin. “I know maxing out my credit cards always makes me feel better.”
“I don’t know about that. I can max mine out at the gas station.”
“Want to stop at the mall first?” Trixie asked.
“Sounds good to me. Then let’s go to K’s Merchandise. I have got to get an answering machine.”
Shopping for clothing was tricky. Skye needed Plus Sizes while Trixie required Petites. Except for the large department stores, few dress shops carried that combination of merchandise. They finally decided to alternate, one place for Trixie, then one for Skye.
Their first stop was Pretty Petite. Trixie held up a short red dress for Skye’s inspection.
“It looks like a long tank top. Isn’t it a bit . . . revealing?” Skye asked.
“Yep, it’s for our ninth anniversary. He won’t tell me where we’re going, just says to dress up.” Trixie held the garment against her body. It came to mid-thigh. “I’ve always wanted a sexy red dress.”
Skye nodded thoughtfully. “Why don’t you try it on? Take this dress, too.” She held up another dress with a flared skirt and triple spaghetti straps that crisscrossed in the back.
Trixie’s giggle could be heard clearly in the waiting area where Skye sat on an overstuffed chair.
Coming out from behind the oatmeal-colored curtain, Trixie twirled in front of Skye. “What do you think? I know I don’t have the cleavage, but can I get away with it?”
The front of the bodice hung loose, but the rest of the dress hugged Trixie’s small body.
“It looks okay, except for the bust.” Skye tilted her head. “Would you consider one of those Wonderbras to fill out the top a little?”
“Maybe. Let me try on the other dress and see if I have the same problem.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be right here.” Skye resumed reading. She always carried a book in her purse for anytime she had to wait.
The second dress fit without having to resort to unnatural means and Trixie bought it. As they strolled the mall, window shopping and gossiping, Skye began to relax.
They were nearing an escalator when Skye spotted her cousin Hugo’s wife, Victoria. Skye knew she had to be in her early thirties but she looked much younger. Smooth blond hair fell straight to the middle of her back and blue eyes shone from a sun-kissed complexion. She wore a short navy-and-white polka-dot slip dress over a slim, toned body.
Skye was filled with instant loathing, a deep mingling of envy, contempt, and self-pity. It wasn’t a feeling she enjoyed or was proud of.
She froze. Before she could decide what to do, Victoria looked around, then abruptly turned and walked rapidly in the other direction.
Skye grabbed Trixie and pointed at the retreating figure. “Do you remember my cousin Hugo?”
“Yes, good-looking, but a little too smooth?”
“Right, there goes his wife, Victoria. I wonder what she’s up to.”
“What do you mean?”
Skye described Victoria’s actions. “Maybe my imagination is running overtime, but it was almost as if she didn’t want to be seen, or saw someone she wanted to avoid.”
“Or maybe she just forgot something.” Trixie suggested.
“That’s probably it. I’m not too fond of her, so I was doubtlessly thinking the worst of her.” Skye sighed. “She’s hard to like.”
Trixie patted Skye’s arm. “I have heard her referred to around town as Mrs. Perfect and Queen Victoria.”
Skye nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think she has many friends. I should try again, I suppose. She is family.”
“Why is she so disliked? Is it just her incredible looks?”
“I’m sure that’s part of it, but everything she says has a barb attached. Sometimes it pinches right away. Sometimes it’s like a time bomb, waiting for the right moment to detonate.”
“And?”
“She’s materialistic and a snob and she’s raising her son, Prescott, to be just like her.” Skye looked in the direction Victoria had headed. “I can’t figure out how Hugo supports her in the manner she demands. You wouldn’t think selling cars would earn that much income.”
Skye sat back in the restaurant’s plush red velvet seat and sipped an iced tea. “I forgot to ask. Did you get the job at the high school?”
“Yes, they called this morning.” Trixie grinned.
“Great. We’ll be working together. Unless, of course, I’m fired by next year.” Skye felt her chest tighten as she said the words.
“I’m sure everything will be fine. You’ll come up with something that will satisfy the superintendent.”
Skye decided to change the subject. “What do you think of the restaurant?”
“Sort of elegant for the Kankakee I remember.”
“Don’t worry. Kankakee may now have Chez Philippe, but it still has a Farm and Fleet store, too.” Skye picked up the huge menu.
“What a relief. We wouldn’t want to have to run all the way to Ottawa for a Farm and Fleet fix. How would the citizens of Scumble River survive without it? Where would they get their clothes, candy, and car supplies?”
Skye snickered and added, “Don’t forget electronics, hunting equipment, and livestock needs.”
Giggling, Trixie added a few more essential items that could be purchased at the discount store.
“But I must admit,” Skye said, feeling forced to be honest, “I have found some nice brand-name clothes there and the prices are about thirty percent less than Carson’s or Field’s.”
“Me too,” Trixie confessed. “I just don’t normally admit where I got them.”
Both women were laughing so hard the waiter was forced to raise his voice. “Good afternoon, ladies. Are you ready to order?”
They agreed to share a plate of tomato basil bruschetta. For her main course Trixie ordered a steak sandwich with Gorgonzola butter and fries. Skye decided on the seafood salad.
When the waiter finished the grand production of writing down their order and left, Skye asked, “Have you worked in a school before?”
“No, I just got my certification. I worked in a public library for a while as a clerk.”
“Schools are a different situation. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that makes things so intense.” Skye paused to allow their appetizer to be served. “The special education coordinator at my last school used to blame it on so many women having PMS at the same time. His other favorite excuse was ‘mental pause,’ as he so charmingly called the change of life.”
