the president returns

Merideth let the dogs in and threw her hat on the kitchen counter. Oh, it felt good to be home. It felt like she had been gone a year. She went to the bedroom—now on the first floor—took off the dress and the hose and the brassiere. It took less time than putting it all on, but more time to strip down than it used to. Thank the Lord nobody wore girdles any more. That would have been a challenge. Her fuzzy robe felt good. She didn’t have to make supper after all of those delicious snacks. Maybe she would watch a little TV before bed. It wasn’t even eight o’clock!

     She turned on the news.  Oh no! There was her big black-and-white print fanny getting hoisted up into Bobby’s van! Hells bells. She had totally forgotten about the damn TV people. They had gotten that videotape off the island quick. Or probably now they did it all with computers and satellites or something.

    She went to turn the volume up, but it was too late. The clip was over. Was that local news, she wondered, or national?

     There was a knock on the door. She hadn’t heard a car. “Yes? Oh, come in.”

       “So what’s this I hear about a moped?” said Bobby, taking a seat.

      “That’s not the worst of it. I just saw us all getting into your van on the television. My backside was featured.”

     “Quite the celebrity. Too bad they didn’t get footage of you on the back of the moped. I wish I had seen it myself.”

      “Well where were you? I needed some backup at that wake.”

      “I felt sorry for Kat. She was feeling lost and out of it. We watched the kangaroos.”

       “Hmmf.”

      “Was that a ‘hmm’ or a ‘humph?’”

       “Both. Was this out of the goodness of your heart or in the interests of the investigation.”

     “Both.”

     “Well, did you find out anything?”

     “I found out that she spends much of her time in Santa Fe at a house she owned jointly with Malcolm. I would suppose that on his death she becomes the sole owner.”

    “Unless his half is part of the estate.”

    “No, I think she has it free and clear now. At least that seemed to be her impression. She says land there has appreciated enormously since they bought it twenty-some years ago.”

     “I don’t suppose she could have sold without his permission. So she may have inherited a windfall.”

      “Yes, but a house in Santa Fe is the least of it. There’s that house they’re building here, the hotel, the bed and breakfast, the rental cottages. And that’s just on Block Island. We have no idea what other property he may own. Or how much money he had. Just that it is a lot.”

     “It may have got him killed.”

     “It may have. But I’ll let you get to bed. I just wanted to tell you that I have an appointment at the police station tomorrow morning.”

      “With Joseph?”

     “Well he’s the one who scheduled me, but it’s the mainland detective I’m to see. ‘Do not leave the island without permission.’”

     “All they have to do is stake out the airport. They already watch the ferry.”

       “I could escape by private boat.”

      “The dickens. I suppose you could. If you had one.”