Treacherous Tart Read Online Free PDF Page A

too.”
    â€œThank you for your advice, Maggie. I’m going to eat pie now.”
    She laughed to herself as she saw her friends dig into their multiple slices of pie. She knew they didn’t celebrate Christmas, but it would be interesting to see what they came up with.
    â€œGood morning, Maggie.” Professor Ira Simpson found a chair at one of the small tables. “I’ll wait for the rush to be over. I dislike waiting in line.”
    Professor Simpson had been teaching at Duke University for as long as anyone could remember. He’d taught Maggie’s mother, Delia, Aunt Clara, and Maggie. He was a kindly man, with white wings of hair at his temples and a constant twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes.
    He seemed much younger than Maggie knew he was. It was possible that was why it wasn’t unusual to see him with a pretty student or young teacher on his arm when he came in.
    â€œI’ll be right with you, Professor,” Maggie promised.
    â€œNo rush.” He pulled out his copy of the Durham Weekly .
    Maggie had forgotten that this was Wednesday, the day Ryan’s newspaper came out. It was a lot of work for him to do everything involved with it, but the paper didn’t make enough money for him to afford hiring someone full-time. Ryan made do with a few part-time people who helped with photography, or the occasional article. He also had a few students who helped deliver the papers.
    The newspaper was popular. Maggie hoped it could avoid the financial problems other newspapers seemed to be having.
    Five other customers came in looking for pie and coffee. Maggie filled their orders and sent them back out into the cold gray morning. She took Professor Simpson’s order and got him set up before she went into the kitchen to see how Aunt Clara was doing.
    She didn’t see her at first. Her aunt was crouched by the back door, which was swung wide open to the alley outside.
    â€œAre you okay?” Maggie cautiously made her way to the rear of the kitchen. She’d had a few unpleasant experiences in the alley but was hoping to put them behind her.
    Aunt Clara looked up with a big smile on her face. “She’s starving. You can see her ribs.”
    Maggie peered around her aunt. There was a scrawny, ragged-looking cat with one ear almost chewed off. It was eating a slice of Marvelous Mince pie.
    â€œWatch out!” Maggie warned her aunt. “It could have rabies or something. You shouldn’t have let it into the kitchen. Now we’ll never get rid of it.”
    â€œShe won’t come any closer. I’ve been feeding her for the last week.”
    â€œYou’ve been feeding it pie?”
    â€œWe had it left over. I thought it was better than nothing. On the other hand, if you feel like I should pick up some cat food—”
    â€œNo. If you start feeding it cat food, that will be even worse.”
    â€œWhatever you say.” Aunt Clara shrugged. “I’ll keep feeding her pie. She’ll probably gain weight faster than if she was eating cat food.”
    Maggie could see customers waiting in line at the front of the pie shop. “Let it finish eating and nudge it out the door. Whatever you do, don’t try to touch it. They call these feral cats. They don’t like humans.”
    â€œShe seems friendly enough to me.”
    â€œPlease, Aunt Clara, don’t touch the cat.”
    Maggie left her aunt in the doorway and went back up front. The pie shop was completely full of people—some sitting down waiting for food and some waiting in line for to-go items.
    â€œWhat can I help you with?” Maggie asked the first customer.
    After a few minutes of filling cups and glasses and slicing pie, the line began to go away. Maggie tackled the customers at tables, getting their drink orders first and then coming back with the drinks to take their food orders.
    â€œPie and a big cup of hot coffee sounded so good this morning.”