“Pauline,” says Julian in an accusatory tone, “what are you doing here?”
“There’s an estate sale tomorrow,” she says.
“That’s right,” he answers. “Tomorrow. Not today.”
“Well, I wanted a sneak peek. Hello, Barbara.”
Micah’s grandmother steps out of the sitting room with a look of amusement. “Causing trouble again, Pauline?” she asks.
“No trouble. Just nosy. You know that old bitch never let anyone in, and we all knew she was loaded.”
Ms. Barbara shakes her head with a smirk. Micah, wide-eyed and ghost-white, and gives me an uncomfortable look.
“Oh, look at this!” Pauline says, picking up a silver tray etched with swans. “I need this. Did you already buy it, Barb?”
“No, it’s all yours.”
She tucks it under her arm. “Got any jewelry?” she asks Julian.
“You can find out tomorrow when the sale opens to the public.”
“Tsk. I don’t want people touching my things with their grubby little hands.”
“They aren’t your things, Pauline,” says Julian.
“There’s jewelry upstairs in the bedroom,” Ms. Barbara says. Julian shoots her a look. She winks at him as Pauline makes her way upstairs.
“Barbara, what are you trying to do to me?” Julian asks once the woman disappears. “She’s gonna walk out with half the stuff and not pay me a dime.”
“Oh, she’s just airing out her crazy.”
Julian shakes his head and follows Pauline up the stairs.
“Who is that?” I ask once they’re out of earshot.
“A lunatic,” says Micah.
“Pauline and I went to high school together,” explains Ms. Barbara. “She came from money, married more money, and has never had anything but time on her hands. It’s made her a little eccentric.”
“She digs up city flowerbeds for fun, and she once chased Patsy’s mama down the road with an ax.”
I feel my eyes bug out of my head. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Yeah, their cat was pooping in her yard. First, she tried to catch the cat and decapitate it, but when Patsy’s mama came outside, she went after her instead.”
“Did she go to jail?”
“No. The police told her they can’t do anything about Pauline Cavendish.”
I stand there, astonished. I guess even the most charming town has a vein of insanity.
“She always shows up at these estate sales and tries to steal stuff.”
“Wow. That’s…uh…wow.” I’m not really sure what to say.
“She could afford the whole lot,” says Ms. Barbara, “but I think she loves giving Julian a hard time. She has nothing else to do.”
They finally come back downstairs with a handful of necklaces, the silver tray still tucked under her arm.
