Murder Under Cover by Kate Carlisle Page B

San Francisco assignment.
    “Sudan, huh?” Suzie said, chuckling. “Guess he earned this plum gig after all your time there.”
    “Naturally, we are happy with whatever assignment he is given.”
    “Of course,” Suzie said lightly, but one of her eyebrows shot up and she sneaked a glance at me.
    Lisa looked down at Tyler. “You must go pick out a book to bring with you to the doctor’s office.”
    “Okay, Mama,” he said, and ran down the hall and disappeared around the corner.
    “Hey, speaking of books,” Suzie said, anxious to change the subject, “Brooklyn here is a bookbinder, so if you have any books that need mending, she’s your gal.”
    “You mend books for fun?” Lisa said.
    “Occasionally for fun, but mainly for money. It’s my job. I repair and restore rare books. I also make new ones.”
    “She teaches classes—that’s how good she is,” Suzie said, sounding like a proud parent. “You should see her studio. It’s amazing.”
    “Everyone on our floor is creative,” I demurred. “Suzie and Vinnie are sculptors. Sergio is a chef. Jeremy is a hairdresser.”
    “My goodness, so much talent,” Lisa said, then rolled her eyes as her children came laughing and running down the hall to find her. They gathered around her and Lisa pulled them closer. With a sigh, she said, “These little monsters are my works of art.”
    “Oh, that’s sweet,” Suzie said.
    “I brought my book.” Tyler held up a worn copy of Where the Wild Things Are .
    “You have read that book over one hundred times,” Lisa said.
    “I like it.” His grin faltered as the front cover separated and fell to the ground.
    “It is falling apart,” she said, then looked at me. “Do you repair these kinds of books?”
    “I’ll be glad to fix it for Tyler.”
    “Oh, dear, that was rude,” Lisa said, waving away her comment. “It’s not worth your time. I can buy another copy for ten or twelve dollars.”
    Tyler seemed not to have heard as he gazed up at me with a rapturous smile. “You can fix my book?”
    I laughed. “Yes, I can fix it.”
    Lisa shook her head. “We can talk about it later. We are going to our new doctor for checkups.” She urged the children toward the elevator. “Good-bye, Brooklyn. It was nice to meet you, Suzie.”
    “Have fun, y’all,” Suzie said.
    Tyler walked backward all the way to the elevator, his gaze trained on me the entire time. “Bye, Miss Brooklyn.”
    As the elevator door lumbered to a close and the family disappeared, Suzie chuckled. “Wow, kid’s got a crush on you.”
    “I’m not sure why,” I said.
    “It’s cute.” Then she grimaced. “Guess I stuck my foot in it with the Sudan comment.”
    “Don’t sweat it,” I said, as we headed back toward her place. “She probably has to be discreet. Doesn’t mean we have to be.”
    “Right on, chiquita .” She slapped my shoulder in solidarity. “Listen, I’m glad I ran into you. Splinters has been sick, so we’ve got him on some medication.”
    “I’m sorry. Is he going to be okay?”
    “Yeah, no worries, but the vet says we should separate Pookie from him while he’s on the medication. So we were wondering if you’d mind keeping Pookie for the next ten days or so. I know it’s a lot to ask, but we know you love the cats as much as we do, and we’ll come by every day and feed her and stuff.”
    “Are you kidding? I’d love to have Pookie stay with me.” It was true, despite the fact that I was the world’s worst pet sitter. But everyone deserved a second chance, right? And it wouldn’t be for very long. I was pretty sure I could keep one cat alive for a week and a half, especially if Suzie and Vinnie came by to feed her every day.
    “Thanks, pal,” Suzie said, and pounded my arm. “I’ll let Vinnie know it’s a go. I’ll bring Pookie and her stuff by in a little while. She’ll be ecstatic.”
    My smile was tremulous. “Me, too.”
     
    It was two o’clock before inspectors Lee and Jaglom