Paws for Alarm by Marian Babson

hedge into shape –’
    â€˜That’s enough now,’ Richard said. ‘We’re going to forget the hedge and start all over again.’ He turned to Hazel. ‘How about that coffee and liqueur we were invited for?’
    â€˜Coming right up.’ Hazel moved swiftly towards the kitchen.
    â€˜Well ...’ Lania forced another smile and looked around the room. ‘Isn’t this cosy?’ She found a seat in the farthest corner. Diplomatic relations had been resumed, but it was going to take a while before they went beyond the bare courtesies.
    â€˜Just the way it should be,’ Richard said expansively. He seemed to be secretly relieved; he had not been at all sure which way his cat would jump.
    â€˜Here we are.’ Hazel wheeled in the hostess trolley with fresh supplies of coffee and exotic bottles – all unopened. I wondered if this was the first time she had entertained in a long while.
    Possibly it was the first time she had entertained in this house. There was a curiously bandbox look about it. All the furniture was new and shining, the rugs seemed not to have been subjected to any wear and tear. The room had not the conscious spotlessness of Lania’s drawing-room, it was more like the impersonal background of a hotel. There were no family photographs on the wall or on any of the gleaming surfaces. Only the video games the twins were playing with gave evidence that there were children somewhere in the background.
    That wistful expression on her face when she watched the twins had betrayed how much she missed her children.
    On the other hand, she might be enjoying the chance to have an uncluttered home for a few weeks. It would get that lived-in look fast enough when she had her husband and kids back. She might then be wistful about the good old days when she had been running a bachelor-girl establishment, with no one to tidy up after.
    â€˜I think you’ll like this.’ Hazel set a liqueur glass beside my demitasse. ‘It’s framboise – my favourite.’ A swift glance at both fragile objects gave me the sudden dizzying impression that I was a child again partaking of a doll’s tea party. I lifted the glass to my lips and my head cleared – this was no child’s drink.
    â€œThat’s what I call raspberry juice with a kick,’ Arnold approved. ‘Would you mind telling me where we can find a bottle of this for ourselves?’
    â€˜There’s a little shop in town –’ Lania cut in before Hazel could reply, unable to resist the temptation to give advice. Hazel caught my eye, smiled, and leaned back and left her to it.
    The conversation lost its constraint and went smoothly from that point. By leavetaking, most of the cracks in the Harper-Sandgate relationship had been papered over. We were back on an almost friendly footing again.
    â€˜You’ve been great.’ Arnold turned impulsively in the doorway and hugged Hazel. ‘You must come to us next time.’
    â€˜I’d like that,’ Hazel responded warmly. Too warmly. They were right underneath the front porch light and I could see her arms tighten around him.
    A nasty little suspicion curled through my mind: Hazel was missing more than her children.
    I would take this up with Arnold later. I turned away and caught the look that passed between Lania and Richard. They had noticed, too.
    â€˜You can stay, if you like,’ I told Arnold sweetly.
    â€˜Just coming –’ Arnold dropped his hostess guiltily.
    â€˜Don’t hurry on my account. Any time you want him –’ I laughed merrily to Hazel – ‘I’ll swap him for a rusty toasting fork.’
    â€˜Don’t tempt me,’ she laughed back.

Nine
    After all that, it was highly ironic to realize that Lania would have begun speaking to us again on Saturday in the normal course of events.
    Not that it was normal for the police to bring Arnold home.
    He’d been in