Sleuthing at Sweet Springs (The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

wife.”
    “Like the uterus is a homing device.” We laughed at my corny man-bashing joke. Glancing at her desk, I noted the pinkish-red can of bargain-store air freshener. Non-smoker versus smoker in the workplace.
    “I was hoping that property on Sweet Springs was still available,” I said. “It’s beautiful out there.”
    “It is.” Norma’s fingernails clicked nervously on her desktop for a moment. “I’m surprised the property’s gone. Gail didn’t mention a sale to me, pending or final.”
    “It would have been a nice spot for my daughter and her husband for weekends and summer.” I let doubt creep into my voice. “Just yesterday someone said the signs are still up.”
    She sighed. “Gail hasn’t been keeping up with stuff the way she used to.” She grimaced. “At least you’re being nice about it.”
    “Clients have been upset with her?”
    A shrug indicated she shouldn’t say more, but she went on. “It’s not my business, except sometimes I get to deal with them.”
    I let my eyes widen with disapproval. “You shouldn’t have to explain someone else’s mistakes to the customers.”
    When Norma leaned forward, I knew I’d hit the right note. “This morning I got an email from some people in Ohio interested in the Clausen place. They planned to drive up this weekend to take a look at it.” Touching her phone as if in anticipation she finished, “They won’t be happy when I tell them not to bother.”
    “So Ms. Sherman has put you in hot water.”
    Norma pressed her lips together to keep from further criticizing a fellow agent. “Like I always tell my kids, I’ve got broad shoulders.”
    And she did. I could have given her some pointers on minimizing them, but I stuck to my purpose. “Does Gail do stuff like that a lot?”
    “She’s always been, um, independent.” She rearranged some folders at her elbow, and I guessed she was lecturing herself against bad-mouthing a colleague. The lecture must have been successful, because she said, “It’s the trouble with her aunt. Since Clara’s got nobody else, Gail had to make the decision to move her to a care facility.”
    “That had to be tough.” After a beat I asked, “Will Gail decide what happens to Clara’s property if she’s judged incompetent?”
    Norma shrugged. “I guess so.”
    “That’s a worry for her, but I suppose it’s frustrating for you to have a colleague who’s so distracted.”
    She grimaced ruefully. “I try to keep in mind that deciding what’s best for someone else is hard.”
    It is if you care about that person , I thought. We didn’t know how much Gail cares about Clara, but we did know she wasn’t overly concerned about Clara’s chickens.
    I left the office with a complimentary chocolate mint that was delicious and a head-full of questions. Why was the property next to Clara’s still marked for sale if it had sold? If Gail had made a deal recently, why hadn’t she told her fellow agent? There was also the question Faye would ask: Who would take care of the chickens if Gail didn’t feel obligated to keep her promise?
    When I called my sisters the next morning to report my stop at So-Rite Realty, Barbara said Gail Sherman’s failure to take the signs down was probably simple logistics. “Sweet Springs is pretty far out, so it might take a while to get out there and remove the sign. And the fact she didn’t tell the other agent was probably an oversight due to the stress of what’s been going on in her personal life with the aunt.”
    Faye argued my statement that Clara was as sharp as a tack. “People in nursing homes often appear capable, Retta, but that doesn’t mean they are.” Her strongest concern was for Clara’s hens, and she was not happy to learn Ms. Sherman had lied about doing her poultry duty.

Chapter Seven
Faye
    I was in the kitchen making breakfast when Gabe’s head bobbed by the window. Nervous around Barb and terrified of me, Gabe tended to go to the back door, where