7 Madness in Miniature Read Online Free PDF

if reading a list in front of her face. Hard as it was to suspect my fellow Lincolnites of evildoing, I did the same.
    “The alley between Bebe’s and Maisie’s shops was eliminated, to accommodate our large structure,” Catherine began. “So the easy access to Miller’s Mortuary and Ed Carville’s convenience store is unavailable.”
    More PR-speak. I had to admire Catherine’s ability to let it flow. Most of us would have said that access was cut off permanently to make room for the giant store’s takeover.
    “I heard people in the crowd mention that,” I said.
    “But construction is on the books for a new road to pass right in front of them, and there will be increased parking at the back instead of just the gravel that’s there now. Mr. Miller and Eddie have both signed off and seem satisfied.”
    “How about the other stores on the boulevard?”
    “Well, there’s Video Jeff’s, of course”—either Catherine’s face reddened or my imagination projected a blush—“and this place”—she spread her arms to indicate Sadie’s customers and well-stocked ice cream chest—“which I don’t believe have suffered, except for some inconvenience during construction. The hardware store might even have done better, as our workmen often needed a quick stop for tools and supplies. There’s the flower shop, bookstore, fast foods—none of them made a fuss once they accepted the stipend we offered as a gesture for inconveniencing them.”
    That about covered the main shopping on Springfield Boulevard. At the southern end of the road was Civic Center, comprising the library, the police building, and city hall. I couldn’t imagine that anyone in those facilities would be driven to protest the new store or its most visible representative, especially at this late date. The other end of the boulevard, to the north, led past Rutledge Center, a community hall, and then on to the residential district where I lived.
    “We have to think outside the box. Sorry to use jargon,” Catherine said.
    Rather than tell her the expression was familiar even to a layperson like me, I smiled. I picked up the top note again, in case I could glean something from it with a second look.
    In a swift movement, Catherine reached over, grabbed the pile of notes, and swept them all into her briefcase, scratching my hand in the process.
    “What…?”
    “Sorry,” Catherine whispered, tilting her head toward the window.
    A tall man with hair about an inch longer than Skip’s bona fide buzz cut, wearing a dark suit despite the ninety-plus-degree weather, strode toward us. He traversed Springfield Boulevard on a diagonal course from the end of the block to Sadie’s, without regard for the pedestrian walkways.
    Behind him trailed a young woman, so much shorter that she was almost jogging to keep up. Halfway across the street, the man said a few words to her and held his hand out, looking like a crossing guard. The young woman dipped into a folder, pulled out a sheet of paper, reached up and placed it in the man’s hand.
    Craig Palmer III, I presumed. And I was lucky enough to be in a position to meet him.

Chapter 3
    On second thought, as the SuperKrafts regional manager approached Sadie’s Ice Cream Shop, my initial desire to meet him receded with each step. Hadn’t I already spent enough time and energy on SuperKrafts issues? I thought about Maddie, and how wrong she was about who was having all the fun. I wished I were the one setting up the furniture in our new dollhouse, perhaps adding an accessory or two from the new store’s stock, enjoying all the other dollhouse entries. It was time I joined my granddaughter. I had enough to do these days, like helping Bev pick out her wedding shoes and starting a new crafts project with my group. I didn’t need to become enmeshed in Catherine’s complex relationship with the guy at the top. Catherine’s boss, aka former lover, probably didn’t want to meet me either.
    I stood to leave. And