Dandy Detects by M. Louisa Locke Page B

odd
assortment of people , Barbara thought to herself. She looked
down at her son, who now had the full attention of the entire table
as he reported that he had heard that there were wildfires on Mt.
Diablo to the east. But they are all so kind to Jamie, and I
suppose I can’t ask for more than that .
    “Ma’am, are you finished? You didn’t hardly
touch your dinner. Will I be able to tempt you with raspberry
compote?”
    Kathleen, the boarding house maid, leaned
between her and Jamie to take their plates and continued, “But your
son sure had a good appetite, and I don’t even have to ask if he
wants dessert.”
    Barbara found her spirits lifting as they
often did around Kathleen, a freckle-faced young Irish girl whose
sparkling blue eyes radiated good humor. She replied, “Oh,
Kathleen, its just too hot. I don’t know how you and Mrs. O’Rourke
can stand it down in the kitchen; it must feel like you are in an
oven. Do tell Mrs. O’Rourke how much I did enjoy the soup. I don’t
want her to feel her efforts were wasted on me, and they certainly
weren’t wasted on Jamie!”
    Kathleen placed the dishes on the stack she
had been accumulating on her tray and said, “Well, the kitchen is
in the basement, and that is a help. I don’t know how you can sleep
nights up there on the third floor! When I went up to sweep this
morning, I like to died from the heat!”
    This comment prompted Barbara to ask a
question that had been niggling at her for several days. “Kathleen,
that reminds me, with the windows open in the evening I have been
hearing the woman across the alley play the piano. Quite lovely. I
wondered if you knew her name or anything about her? I do believe
they moved in this spring.”
    Kathleen’s face lit up, “Oh Ma’am, that would
be Mrs. Francis. Don’t that piano sound glorious? She was famous,
used to do concerts and everything. That was before she was
married. Her husband, though, I dunno. I heard he dotes on her, but
I also heard he's a rough sort. They do say opposites attract. He
runs a store for second-hand tools in the first floor of the house.
Well, I guess Mrs. Francis does most of the work in the store,
while he just runs around town, finding goods to sell.”
    Barbara watched as Kathleen moved away to
finish clearing the table, and she wondered about Mrs. Francis,
“who used to be famous.” It had been so long since she had someone
with whom she could share her love of music. She had hoped that she
might find one of the teachers at her school compatible, but so far
there had been no one she really felt she could trust. Schools
could be such gossipy places, and she couldn’t afford to make any
enemies, which some how meant she hadn’t been able to make any
friends.

    The next day Barbara found herself again
wondering about Mrs. Francis when her thoughts were interrupted by
Dandy, who was barking in great indignation at an emaciated hound
who was tied to the hitching post outside the Ellis Street butcher
shop. Saturday mornings she walked Dandy while Jamie made spending
money by doing errands for Mrs. O'Rourke. This Saturday, despite
the continued heat, she had extended her usual route so that she
could go past the Francis house.
    Barbara had some vague idea that she might
stop in the store and, if Mrs. Francis was alone, strike up a
conversation. But she had forgotten the butcher's dog, which always
sent Dandy into a frenzy. Dandy was still a pup and didn't weigh
more than fifteen pounds, so she wasn't worried he would get away
from her, but he was creating a good deal of commotion on the
crowded sidewalk.
    She scooped Dandy up in her arms, immediately
subjecting herself to several swift doggy kisses on her nose, and
she laughed, saying, "Oh you rascal. Proud of yourself aren't you.
Defended me against that ruffian. Now settle down."
    Having made it safely past the butcher shop,
Barbara put the wiggling dog down at her feet, just in time for him
to begin straining at the leash again.