Saint Patrick's Day - The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club Part III: A Dark Comedy Cozy Mystery With A Twist by Duncan Whitehead

his grave. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was up there with you and May right now.
    Ferguson looked around him, checking that no one could see him talking to the headstone. “You know we are back up and running, ‘the Organization,’ that is. We aren’t doing the private jobs anymore though, just government work, and not just this government’s dirty work. We seem to be sub-contracting for everyone, and I mean everyone. The French, the Brits, and of course, the Germans. It’s busy. We have a monopoly, and that leak, all gone, and everything back to normal. I’m thinking about retiring soon, but you know how that goes--once in, never out.”
    Ferguson reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and sneezed. “Got a cold coming on, I guess. How’s May? Tell her hello from me. Well, old friend, I have work to do. Sorry it’s just a quick visit, but I’ve got a trip planned and a flight to catch. I will be back in a couple of weeks.”
    Pete Ferguson, as he always did, saluted his friend’s headstone before returning in the direction he had come. As he passed Betty Jenkins, who herself was preparing to leave the cemetery, he smiled politely once again. She, in turn, returned his smile.
    * * * * *
    Betty yawned. At last, she felt she could finally fall asleep. Tomorrow was another day and maybe Heidi would be in a better mood. She wondered if, next time she visited Andy, the nice man who had been visiting his son’s grave would be there. He had seemed to Betty as that he too was probably a former officer, as well as a polite and kind gentleman.

 
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
    3 Days before St. Patrick’s Day
     
    “What are you doing?” asked Sarah Launer, peering over her husband’s shoulder.
    “It’s my new hobby,” he said proudly, “genealogy, basically I’m compiling my family history, and tracing my lineage. It’s a lot of fun, and I’ve joined a website. I’m trying to find out about my roots, old relatives, that sort of thing.”
    “Have you found anything interesting yet? Any ‘dark secrets’ I should know about? Any skeletons in cupboards? And I am not referring to your mother,” laughed Sarah at her own joke. Sarah Launer was not very fond of her mother-in-law. She found Heidi to be overpowering and disliked the way she bullied and intimidated her husband. They had never been close, and Sarah tried her best to distance herself from the old lady. As well as her dislike of Heidi, Sarah was disappointed that she paid little attention to her grandchildren. While she did send cards at Christmas and on birthdays, she never sent gifts. The kids didn’t seem to care much for her either. When they were younger, they hated the visits to Savannah, much preferring to go to Disneyland rather than spending time with their fussy and stern Grandmother. Sarah often thought that Heidi scared them with her scowls and unpleasant words.
    Steven also laughed at his wife’s joke.
    Stephen Launer was taking a well-earned vacation from his job as a criminal defense attorney, and had spent the past ten days engrossed in his new hobby at his New York home. In three days, he and Sarah would visit his mother in Savannah, where they intended to enjoy the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, even though his mother had said she would not been seen dead at the parade. The children would not be accompanying them on their trip. They both claimed that they couldn’t afford to miss school as they had exams to study for. This had both surprised and delighted Steven, as most kids would have jumped at the chance of a few days off from school, and he was impressed by their commitments to their studies.
    “Don’t be like that,” he said turning to face his wife, “I know she is a little stern and a little harsh, and I guess she does look like a skeleton, but she is my mom. That’s funny, I agree, but she is still my mother.””
    “I am joking,” replied his wife.
    “In answer to your question though, I am finding a lot