This Old Souse Read Online Free PDF Page B

out.
    â€œTrue,” Renie agreed. “I don’t suppose canvassing the entire neighborhood would help, either.”
    It was starting to rain again. The cousins stood on the sidewalk, contemplating their next move.
    â€œI really should get home,” Judith finally said. “We can always come back.”
    Renie grinned. “You’re hooked, aren’t you?”
    Judith winced. “Well…I guess. Now that we’ve put names to the owners and know that somebody’s inside and the place feels so forlorn and sad—”
    â€œHa!” Renie rocked back and forth on her heels. “I knew it. You’re a sucker for a sob story.”
    â€œDon’t rub it in,” Judith retorted. “We’d better go. I doubt that whoever was watching us is still at the window. They can’t see us from there and won’t know where we parked.”
    â€œProbably not,” Renie agreed, “unless they’ve been on the lookout all along.”
    The cousins went back down the street and crossed over to the other side. Before getting into the Camry, they both looked back at the house.
    â€œThe mail’s still in the mailbox,” Judith noted. “There’s a milk box on the porch, too.”
    â€œSo I see,” Renie said. “We could wait until somebody comes to get it.”
    â€œLike Joe on a stakeout?” Judith shook her head. “What do you bet they don’t come out until after dark?”
    â€œCould be.” With a shrug, Renie got into the driver’s seat.
    â€œTell me what the view from the alley was like,” Judith said after they were under way.
    â€œNot much,” Renie answered with a scowl. “I could hardly see anything of the house. It’s blocked off by the trees and shrubbery. They’ve got rhododendrons that must be ten feet tall. I could just barely make out a small storage shed and what might have been a greenhouse, but it’s in a state of virtual collapse. Near the fence on that side was probably once a fishpond—you can see the rectangular concrete outline, but it’s full of moss and weeds and scilla. There must be a back door, but I couldn’t see it. As for the garage, it’s locked up. There are two small windows, but they’re covered with what looks like cardboard and chicken wire, not to mention cobwebs.”
    â€œAny sign of car tracks in the dirt alley?” Judith inquired.
    Renie shook her head. “I don’t get it. If these people are old, don’t they ever go to a doctor? That’s what old people do, right?”
    Judith grimaced. “We ought to know.”
    â€œWe’re not that old,” Renie retorted, flipping on the windshield wipers. “We’ve just had some weird medical problems.”
    â€œMore than our share,” Judith conceded. “But we started out as sickly kids.”
    Allergies and asthma had plagued the cousins from early childhood. Renie had suffered severe sinus problems as well. Judith had always been prone to hip troubles, exacerbated by using a pogo stick during a growth spurt. Judith had often thought that their mutual illnesses had helped cement their bond. They had been only children, growing up two blocks away from each other until Renie’s family moved to Langford justbefore she started junior high. The cousins had always been close, even closer than some sisters. When they quarreled, both of them could retreat to their own homes instead of being forced to share the same roof.
    â€œI’ll drop you off and then stop in to see Mom,” Renie said as they once again crossed the high bridge over the canal. “As usual, she insists I’m neglecting her.”
    â€œWhen were you there last?” Judith asked.
    â€œYesterday,” Renie replied. “Twice. And I’ve talked to her on the phone three times since I stopped by. Today she needs ice cubes.”
    â€œIs Aunt Deb’s refrigerator