Cockatiels at Seven Read Online Free PDF Page A

mother—Kate, is it?”
    “Karen. Walker—you know, my friend who works in the college financial administration office? I’d love to. She’s not answering her phone. Hasn’t been answering it all day. That’s the real problem.”
    “When’s she due back?”
    “That’s why I’ve been calling. She said ‘just for a little while.’ It’s been over six hours. That’s almost a whole working day. Under the circumstances, do you think six hours qualifies as ‘just for a little while?’”
    Michael made a sympathetic noise. At least I think it was a sympathetic noise. Maybe it was a whimper of dismay at learning that the woman he hoped to make the mother of his children wasn’t quite the natural at child care as he would have liked.
    “And you should see the mountain of stuff she left with him,” I went on. “A dozen changes of clothes. A carton of over 100 diapers. Two sets of pajamas. A folding crib. A car seat. A whole bag full of books. What if ‘just for a little while’ means just for a year or two while she runs off to Bali to find herself like Rose Noire did a couple of years ago?”
    “Don’t worry,” Michael said. “I’m sure ‘just for a little while’ doesn’t really mean overnight—she probably just brought the pajamas in case whatever she’s doing took a little longer than planned. The way you bring an umbrella even if there’s only a slight chance of rain. Just what is she doing, by the way?”
    “She didn’t say. And it didn’t seem important for ‘just a little while,’ but after six hours, I want to know.”
    I hit the speed-dial button I’d assigned to Karen’s cell phone and put it on speaker. Michael and I bothstared at the phone as it rang unanswered twelve times before the phone company’s generic answering message kicked in.
    “Chase me, Auntie Meg! Chase me!” Timmy shrieked, and began running around our lawn chairs.
    “Not again,” I muttered. I began levering myself out of the chair.
    “Relax; I’ll chase him for a while,” Michael said.
    “Timmy, Michael’s going to chase you,” I said.
    Timmy took off. Clearly, a track and field scholarship was a strong possibility for him in another fourteen or fifteen years. Maybe even cross-country. And Michael was much more enthusiastic about chasing than I was, and did a better job at it.
    Of course, he’d only been here five minutes. Give it time.
    I leaned back and closed my eyes.
    My cell phone rang. Not Karen, alas. But a useful call, nevertheless. Dad, reporting in on a sleuthing mission I’d assigned him.
    “No sign of her in any of the nearby hospitals,” he said. “And Sammy hasn’t heard anything useful, either.” Since Sammy was in the Caerphilly County police force, with access to all the local scoop about accidents and arrests, this was useful news. At least Karen probably hadn’t gone straight from our road to a hospital, jail, or morgue.
    “Thanks,” I said. “Let me know if you hear anything.”
    “I’ll keep my ears open. Bye.” He was probably already doing more than keeping his ears open. He was probably badgering all sorts of people for information.Mother and Dad had only recently bought the farm next door—partly to save it from development and partly so he and Mother could have a pied-à-terre near any grandchildren Michael and I might produce. And they weren’t there full time—Mother liked to refer to it as their summer place, though I suspected they’d find an excuse to visit any time of the year that something interesting was going on here. But already, Dad was more securely plugged into the local grapevine than Michael and I ever would be. So if there was anything to be learned about Karen’s whereabouts, Dad would find it, and if there wasn’t—well, at least people would be keeping an eye out for her.
    “Horsie-horsie! Horsie-horsie!”
    I glanced up to see that Michael was giving Timmy a piggyback ride. Timmy had worn out five human steeds so far this