Cleaning is Murder : Myrtle Clover #13

Chapter Nineteen

The bell rang as they entered and Alice, wearing a bright blue dress and her hair swinging loose on her shoulders, looked up from behind the checkout counter. She gave Myrtle a genuine smile as she stood up. "Miss Myrtle! How did the outfit work out?"

"It was perfect," said Myrtle, returning the smile. "And now I'm back, but with Puddin."

Alice put her hand out and Puddin reluctantly shook it as if shaking hands was a foreign and rather invasive experience. "It's good to meet you, Puddin."

"She's going to the gala tomorrow and needs a scarf to wear with the outfit she's wearing now," said Myrtle.

Alice gave Puddin's black top and black pants a quick and experienced appraisal. She strode over to a table that had a variety of different accessories on it. After a few moments of careful thought, she pulled out a colorful red print. "Try this one," she said, handing it to Puddin.

Puddin handled the scarf as though it were a poisonous snake. Myrtle sighed.

Alice said, "May I?" She positioned Puddin in front of a nearby mirror and tied the scarf around her neck. "There. What do you think?"

Puddin preened. "Looks good."

"I thought a colorful scarf for a colorful personality would work well," said Alice with a smile.

Myrtle suddenly remembered the tickets still burning a hole in her purse. Red had paid for the remainder of them, but if she sold one, she'd make a profit. "Speaking of the gala, are you at all interested in gardening, Alice?"

Alice laughed. "Before you go any further, you should know that Tippy Chambers has already beaten you to it. She sold me gala tickets weeks ago."

Myrtle grimaced. "I should have known. Tippy has been a ticket-selling whiz kid. And naturally, she probably spends a good deal of time here." And money.

Alice said, "She seems thrilled about the event. Her excitement was contagious." She smiled at Myrtle. "I suppose you'll be going with your young man?"

Myrtle's eyes widened. "Pardon?"

"I mean Miles. Everyone is always so jealous of the amount of time the two of you spend together," said Alice with a grin.

Puddin snickered, her eyes full of malicious merriment.

Myrtle said with a hint of frost in her voice, "Then everyone is very silly. Miles is far too young for me. Besides, we're friends."

Alice beamed at her. "That's the best type of relationship."

"Alas, I'm attending the gala with Puddin and my friend Wanda," said Myrtle with a tight smile. "Although Miles will certainly be there." She paused. She had fewer misgivings about probing into Alice's personal life since she'd just probed into her own.

Myrtle jumped right in. "I was actually wondering how much longer you might be working here or if you'll be putting in as many hours as you were. I would miss getting your help here if so."

Alice flushed. "I suppose people are talking about it all over town. I was as surprised as anyone when the lawyer told me that I was inheriting Amos's estate. Of course, I haven't gotten a penny of it yet. It all makes me feel sort of sick, to tell you the truth."

Puddin made a scoffing noise and Myrtle gave her a repressing look. "How do you mean?"

Alice said sadly, "Oh, I don't know. I suppose because at the time Amos made the will, he clearly thought that we had some sort of future together. But then he deliberately did things to sabotage our relationship. It didn't make any sense."