Pickin Clover Read Online Free PDF

in the garage. He wanted to check on several of his hospital patients, then drop by the office for the list of the house calls Valerie would have lined up for him for this evening.
    He slid out of the car and stretched cramped muscles, breathing in the smell of bark mulch and newly turned earth from the flowerbeds. The gardeners had come by today, Michael noted.
    The rosebushes were pruned and bedding-out plants were arranged in careful patterns in the flowerbeds and along the slate path leading to the front door.
    Inside, sunlight streamed through the skylight in the living room, and the smell of lemon oil and pine cleaner signaled that the cleaning service had also come by recently.
    “Polly?” Michael’s voice echoed through the large, airy rooms and up the wide stairwell, even though he knew she was out. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, and the house had a different feeling when Polly was in, as if her energy charged the very air.
    He made his way into the kitchen and opened the fridge. A pitcher of orange juice sat on the top shelf. He poured himself a glass, programmed the answering machine to replay today’s messages and drank the juice as he listened. He was surprised when the third urgent request from Arthur Berina, his bank manager, contained the man’s home number.
    What was up with Berina? Why wasn’t he contacting Raymond if something financial had been overlooked?
    The next message, from Polly’s mother, indicated to Michael where his wife probably was. He glanced at the clock, and decided he could at least make an appearance at Isabelle’s before he was due at the meeting that night.
    Also, with luck, he could reach Berina before he left the bank for the day. He punched in Berina’s number and exchanged pleasantries with the clerk who answered. Her father was one of Michael’s patients. In a moment Berina came on the line.
    “Michael, thank you for returning my calls.” Berina’s voice was strained. “There’s a problem with your accounts, which I’m certain is easily remedied. I’ll just call things up on my computer so I can be accurate here. Ah, there we are. Are you aware that both your business and your personal checking accounts are overdrawn?”
    Michael scowled. He wasn’t, and Berina was making him feel like a kid called up in front of the principal. This was exactly why he had a business manager. Raymond must have screwed up somehow.
    “Today your direct debit deductions took both accounts well beyond your overdraft limit,” Berina added. “I authorized the payments, of course, but I’d appreciate it if you would cover them at your earliest convenience.”
    Now Michael was shocked and puzzled as well as annoyed. “You’re quite certain both accounts are overdrawn?”
    “Absolutely certain. I have the balance sheet here in front of me.” Alarm sifted through Michael as Berina read off staggering amounts. He frowned, trying to figure out how such a thing could possibly have happened. Raymond was meticulous; he’d never made a mistake like this before.
    “But I deposited several generous checks to each account only a week ago,” he said after a moment’s thought. “The deposits must have somehow gotten screwed up.”
    “I have a record here of two deposits, one to your business account and one to your personal account.” The manager read off the dates and the amounts; both seemed correct. “However, two debits went through that same afternoon, for more than the deposits.”
    Michael knew he hadn’t authorized Raymond to withdraw such large amounts. “Look, Arthur, I’m terribly sorry about this. As you know, my business manager, Raymond Stokes, handles my financial affairs. I’m going to call him right now and find out what’s going on. Certainly either he or I will be in first thing tomorrow to straighten this out.”
    A long, pregnant silence followed, and Michael waited impatiently, wondering what on earth Arthur expected him to do beyond that.
    “I hate to be