Diva Runs Out Of Thyme

Her shoulders slumped and I felt sorry for her. I was going through similar troubles, but at least I hadn’t lost my home and no one was stalking me.

“They’re going to use this opportunity to search our stuff, you know. No warrant needed.” She groaned.

I patted her shoulder and wondered what kind of stuff she had that worried her.

“Sophie, you have to help me. This situation with June is becoming serious and Mars closes his eyes to it. He refuses to see that she’s confused and needs help.”

Her statement caught me off guard. Considering the magnitude of Natasha’s other problems, I expected her to forget about June. In any event, I wasn’t going to let Natasha talk Mars into moving June to a nursing home.

“She’s behaved normally at my house.” Most people didn’t talk with the ghosts of their siblings, but I hoped Mom was right about that. Maybe a lot of people did it in private.

Natasha squared her shoulders and placed her fists on her hips. “I stopped by Nordstrom to buy new clothes, since the smoke from June’s fire rendered everything unwearable, and I found her in the teen section buying clothes completely inappropriate for a woman her age.”

“Like what?”

“Like lacy tops and frilly skirts.”

“You’d rather see her dressed in somber prints and black orthopedic shoes?”

“She bought a silk slip!” Natasha’s nostrils flared.

I didn’t understand why a silk slip indicated a disconnect with reality. “What’s wrong with that? The expense?”

“It’s sexy!”

At the risk of further annoying Natasha, I couldn’t help laughing. Thanks to the colonel’s attention, June felt good about herself. Instead of thinking about holing up in a nursing facility, June had romance on the mind.

“What if she were your mother? Would you feel the same way then?” I regretted my words immediately. Natasha had always been sensitive about her mother. They couldn’t be more different.

“Why do I bother thinking you’re my friend? You’re impossible.” Natasha stomped to her car and drove away.

Guilt kicked in. We all nursed stress as a result of the murders and the investigation. At the moment, poor Natasha probably felt everything in her life had gone haywire and there wasn’t a thing she could control and put back on track. She needed help.

I strolled up the steps and into the foyer, where Wolf spoke with Andrew and Vicki. Mars would hate me, but Natasha’s life might be at stake. I would never forgive myself if she was killed and I hadn’t said anything. “Wolf, someone is stalking Natasha.”

Simultaneously, Vicki, Andrew, and Wolf said, “What?”

Mars probably hadn’t had a chance to tell Andrew and Vicki about the stalker. They, more than anyone else, deserved to know now that Natasha would be staying with them.

“Nina and I have seen him twice.”

“This is terrible!” Vicki’s hand flew over her mouth in terror.

Wolf squinted at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Nina called you. She reported him to the police the first time and said she thought they blew her off. The second time I heard her leave you a message.”

I could tell Wolf was angry with himself. He’d probably been working long hours on the murders and hadn’t paid enough attention to his voice mail. His ears burned red and he strode away.

Andrew took a deep breath. “This changes everything.” He looked at Vicki. “Was the guest room ransacked, too? The burglar might have been looking for something in Natasha’s possession.” Without Wolf there to stop him, the self-appointed detective pounded up the stairs.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked Vicki.

“Just a little shaken. I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming over with Andrew. I’m worried about Natasha, though. A stalker! She never said a thing to me about it.”

“Now that she’s staying with you, maybe you can talk with her privately and find out what’s going on.”

Vicki promised to tell me if she gleaned anything from Natasha. When Wolf called Vicki from another room, I decided I was only in the way and said good-bye.

I walked the ten blocks home, glad for a few minutes alone. Porch lights flicked on as darkness settled over Old Town. Each block seemed worthy of a Christmas card picture as warm lights began to glow inside the ancient homes. As I ambled up my block, Mars arrived in Bernie’s rental. I waited for him to park and we walked to the house together.

“Did you know someone broke into Andrew’s house?”

Horror crossed Mars’s face. “Was anyone hurt?”

“I just came from there. Everyone’s fine.”

In spite of my assurances, he called Andrew on his cell phone. When he snapped it closed, he said, “What’s happening to us?”

Daisy and Mochie demanded our attention the moment we opened the kitchen door. Dressed for an evening at the theater, my parents and June waited for Hannah and Craig in the kitchen. Bernie leaned against the counter, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand.

“Hear you have an admirer.” Mars hugged his mother.

June’s cheeks flushed. “Maybe a little bit.”

“Is he going to the play with you tonight?” he asked.