My phone chirped as I dropped back into my cruiser.
“Hey, Pops. What’s up?”
“Do you know what that girl did?” he shouted.
I pulled the phone from my ear. What girl? “No, I don’t.” Pops spent most of his time with his buddies, at home or at... Oh, shit.
“She threw away all of Nellie’s furniture! I was just over there watering the garden, though I don’t know why. She can do it herself, ungrateful brat!”
Shit, shit, shit. “If you were just watering, how did you know about the furniture?”
“I went to the side door and knocked. Thought the dog might want to keep me company. But Katie didn’t answer so I looked in the window by the door?—”
“Peeping.”
“—and saw the furniture was gone. What kind of person throws out her grandmother’s beloved possessions like it’s nothing? I was wrong about giving her a chance. She doesn’t deserve one!”
“Let it go, Pops. It’s not Nellie’s house anymore. Katie can legally do whatever she wants.” I watched another line form in front of the food truck, heard Katie greeting them like a flight attendant. Rolling my eyes, I focused on Pops. “And listen, you don’t need to tend the garden anymore, either. Let Katie deal with her own responsibilities.”
“She can forget about any more help from me.” He paused. “Why would she do that, though?” The hurt in his voice killed me. “The furniture was in perfect condition. Nellie always took good care of her home, cleaning every day. She knew the value of things. Not like today’s generation. Everything is disposable. Including people!”
I put him on speaker and drove away. “She’s trying, Pops. Let her succeed or fail on her own. Okay?” I paused. “Chances are she’ll be leaving soon, anyway.” I swung around and drove back toward the station. Chaucer better still be sleeping under my desk. If he was chewing files, we’d have words.
“Leaving? She just got here.”
“Yeah, but her husband’s sending an appraiser. He’s planning to sell the house.” I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my phone, and walked into the station. My office door was now open—I’d shut it before I left—but Chaucer stood at the doorway, not trying to escape. I glanced over at a guilty-looking Heather, who was stuffing something in her desk and putting her headset back on. Great. If Heather kept feeding him, he’d never want to leave.
“He can do that? Just sell the house out from under her?” Pops continued on the phone.
I put my hand out and Chaucer stepped forward, sliding his head under it. I gave him a scratch as I walked past. “Yeah. He can, Pops. California is a community property state. She inherited it while married to him.” I heard a hiss and turned to look. I could see Heather through the doorway, motioning to Chaucer. He shifted his head, back and forth between us, one foot in the air, ready to go to her. I waved him away, and he trotted to her desk. “Katie doesn’t have the money to buy him out. The only option is selling the place. It’ll at least give her the money to get started somewhere else.”
Silence. “Oh.”
“Listen, Pops. I gotta get back to work. Don’t worry about Katie. She’s as good as gone.”
I hung up and sat down hard. Damn. She was as good as gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Kate
After picking up Chaucer, who was not locked in a cell, I stopped and bought two big cans of sauerkraut on my way home. I was not dealing with that crap again tomorrow. When I pulled up to Gran’s house, the exterminator’s van was parked out front. Harvey had picked up the key from me, but I’d been so busy, I’d completely forgotten.
He stepped through the front door as Chaucer and I got out of the car. “Heard you drive up. I’m done here. You had one heck of an infestation, miss.” He scratched the back of his neck and pulled out a notebook. “Let’s see. I pulled a family of opossums from your attic?—”
“Wait.” I held up a hand, my voice pleading. “Don’t tell me. I can’t handle the truth.”
He paused, nodded slowly, and replaced his notebook in his back pocket. “Fine. I only found a small fawn. She was wobbling through the front room. I shooed her out, and now your house is completely clean.”
“Aww, did you hear that, Chaucer?” I patted his head. “All those noises we heard were coming from a sweet little fawn.” I shook my head, smiling at Harvey. “I feel so silly for being worried.” I walked up the steps and hugged Harvey. Hard.
He patted my back awkwardly. “It’s okay, miss.”
I looked through the open doorway with something akin to hope. “So, what do I owe you?”
“Oh, well.” Harvey shuffled his feet. “The chief said he’d take care of it.”
I rummaged through my handbag, pulling out a bank envelope with the money from Mom. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m paying.” Thinking about the sheer number and variety of animals he’d rid the house of, I added, “You know, probably, assuming you didn’t gouge me on the fawn-extraction fees.”
