Gayle Trent (16 page)

We fixed our plates and sat down and said grace. Just as we dug in, the phone rang.

“Want me to get it?” Sunny asked.

“No, sweetie,” I said, “let’s eat. That’s what the answerin’ machine is for.”

The machine’s message played: “Hello, Ms. Crumb. This is Sheriff Norville. Thank you for calling me with the information about Jim Adams yesterday evening. I talked with Dr. Moorefield today and he confirmed that Mr. Adams has an imaginary internalized companion named Flora. Naturally, this clears him of murder and closes this case. Since I have you to thank, I’d like to take you to dinner tomorrow evening. What do you say? Give me a call. I’m looking forward to talking with you.”

Sunny laughed and started making circles with her fists. “Go, Mimi! Go, Mimi! Go, Mimi!”

I grinned. “Quit that and eat before your supper gets cold.”

“Does anybody wanna let me in on this?” Faye asked.

“Mimi’s been detecting again,” Sunny said, “and this time, I think she detected the sheriff.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “If you’ll recall, the last man I dated was . . . um . . . too wrapped up in himself.”

Sunny giggled. “So? You gonna go out with the sheriff?”

“Not yet. I think I’ll play hard to get for a day or two . . .make him pay for not giving me a temporary badge.”

Faye took a drink of her iced tea. “I wanna hear all about this sheriff . . . and this other guy, too.”

“It’s a long story,” I said.

“I’ll make time,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gayle Trent is a full-time writer/editor/mom/wife/chief cook and bottle washer. Like Myrtle, I live in Southwest Virginia. As a matter of fact, some of Myrtle’s stylish personality was derived from my grandmother, Marilyn Hicks. Still, this is a work of fiction; and any similarity to persons living or dead is merely a coincidence—with the exception of Grandmother, who loved
to sit in her recliner and watch “The Young and The Restless.” I once was able to video actor Doug Davidson (who plays Paul Williams on the show) waving to her and saying, “Hello, Marilyn! How are you?” I still have the tape. Though Grandmother had a run-in with a German Shepherd when she was a little girl and didn’t care for dogs, Matlock is based on my good friend Jake, a Chocolate Lab who lives with his owner Michael in our neighborhood. Jake knows where to visit when he wants a hug, a piece of ham or a doggie treat. As a matter of fact, every animal in the neighborhood does.

Visit Gayle online at
http://www.gayletrent.com
.