Cooking is Murder, A Myrtle Clover Mystery #11

Chapter Twenty

­­It was fairly dark when Myrtle left Bonnie's house, and there wasn't as much traffic on the road. It wasn't far into her trip home when a car pulled up alongside her.

Tippy Chambers rolled down her passenger window. "Myrtle! What on earth are you doing walking around at this hour?"

"I frequently walk around at night," said Myrtle with some irritation, "it's just that I'm usually closer to home than this."

"Well, hop in. I'll drive you back to your house. For goodness sake."

Myrtle climbed into the leathery luxury of Tippy's Cadillac.

Tippy said, "Couldn't someone have driven you over and back? Elaine or maybe Miles?"

"I don't really mind walking," protested Myrtle. She was about to go on a rant about how people underestimate seniors when she suddenly decided to spend her time more productively. "Tippy, you know everything that goes on at the church, don't you?"

"Goodness. I don't know about everything," said Tippy.

"Except that you've basically been an unpaid, unglorified volunteer over there for the past twenty years and in every aspect of the church's running," said Myrtle.

"Well, I wouldn't have put it that way, Myrtle, but yes, I do seem to have a hand in nearly everything that goes on over there." Tippy suddenly turned to look at Myrtle with wide, delighted eyes. "Are you interested in volunteering? Because I can put you on the Chancel Guild."

Myrtle hastily said, "Unfortunately, I don't have time for volunteering right now and usually when I do, it's Red who signs me up, as you know. That's just tradition. No, what I wanted to ask you was about Felix."

Tippy raised her eyebrows. "Is Felix interested in volunteering at the church?"

Myrtle said, "Would that be an extraordinary event?"

"It certainly would. Oh, he talks about helping there, and I'm sure he'd like to have the chance to do a little politicking at the church. But so far, it hasn't come to fruition."

Myrtle said, "So what if Felix were to say that he was contacting someone about helping with a project he was overseeing at the church?"

"Then I'd say he'd suffered a small stroke," answered Tippy, succinctly.

Myrtle thought about the fact that Felix wasn't a football player and was actually rather clumsy. And the way he'd fibbed about the church. How he'd forgotten the title of the book he was reading. And the way he so solicitously took Louvenia home from Myrtle's dinner party before anyone noticed anything amiss. Myrtle's lips tightened into a thin line.

Myrtle's cell phone started ringing, making her jump.

It was Elaine. "Myrtle, I hate to ask you, but do you mind coming over and keeping an ear out for Jack for an hour or so? He's asleep, so it shouldn't be any trouble. Red has been insistent about not going to the doctor for the last couple of days, but now he has this raging fever. I need to drive him to the urgent care before they close."

"Of course! I'll be right there," said Myrtle. She said to Tippy, "If you could drop me by Red's instead. I need to help with Jack for a little while."

Tippy said with a smile as she pulled on Myrtle's street, "They're lucky to have you."

"And vice versa. Well, except for the fact that Red gets on my nerves sometimes."

Tippy dropped Myrtle off at Red's house as Elaine was walking out the door with a very grouchy, flushed Red.

The house was quiet with Jack sleeping soundly in the back. Myrtle thought about napping herself, but her mind was racing too much with information. She watched a couple of evening game shows, winning them all easily.

It took longer than they'd expected to get Red home. There was a long line of people still ahead of them at the urgent care, even though Red was the last patient they accepted. By the time he was seen and they'd traveled to the next town to the 24-hour pharmacy, it was eleven o'clock.

"Sinus infection," said Elaine, a knowing smile on her face.

"Which probably got worse through all the aggravation at the urgent care," growled Red.

"Everything all right here?" asked Elaine.

"Just fine. Jack is sound asleep and I won a pot of money on the game shows."

"Too bad it's not real," said Red. "Especially after all the medical bills we racked up tonight. Need me to walk you back home?"

"Across the street? Certainly not. I'll be just fine. You take your medicine and turn in," said Myrtle. "Besides, I've got a houseguest over there. Miles doesn't have air conditioning."

Elaine said, "Oh good. I was going to ask you about that. I thought I saw someone outside your house when we drove by."

"He was passed out asleep when I left." Myrtle frowned.

She paused for a moment, wondering whether she should share what she'd found out from Tippy and Bonnie and what she now thought about Felix. But the tiredness in Red's eyes as well as his obvious fever made her decide to keep it to herself until tomorrow. Then she could reveal how she'd solved everything.

Myrtle walked across the street and up the walkway to her front door. She sighed as she passed by the scalped yard and fished her keys out.

She quietly let herself in, in case Miles had gone back to sleep. She was feeling tired herself and wasn't exactly in the mood to rehash her visit with Bonnie or to hear any recriminations for ditching her sidekick to go.

Myrtle frowned as she walked into the living room. The house was completely dark. But Elaine said she'd seen someone outside her house. Surely Miles would have had the good sense to turn on a few lights for her before she came back home.

She walked toward the desk and the light on top of it, being careful to lean on her cane as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Before she clicked it on, she heard a low growl and her heart jumped into her throat.

It was Pasha. But Pasha's fur was standing on end and her teeth were bared as she continued growling and staring toward the hall to the bedrooms.

Pasha wouldn't growl at Miles. She liked Miles a whole lot more than Miles liked her, actually.

Myrtle walked as quietly as she could down the short hall, carefully avoiding the squeaky floorboard as Pasha stayed in the living room.

She heard a squeaking sound, like bedsprings. Myrtle rushed into the guest room, flipping on the overhead light.

And saw Felix Todd holding a pillow to Miles's face.