Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise (35 page)

I sliced a piece of pie and licked lemon off my finger. "I can't imagine what the trouble is. Stella is usually so quiet, you know. Just sticks to her pumpkins and such."

"And for her not to tell Nate," Ruth said. "It must be something mighty troublesome."

"I suppose we'll find out sooner or later," Studebaker said."Right now we have bigger fish to fry. We need to decide on a theme for the dance or it's going to be nothing short of a sock hop."

That was when Mildred, who had been silent through the whole Stella visit, finally added her two cents.

"I can tell," she said. "I can always tell."

"Tell what?' Boris said.

"That there is criminal activity afoot. Stella Kincaid is acting quite suspicious. Her body language and facial expressions had all the earmarks of someone hiding a crime."

Ruth laughed and said, "You're crazier than a bedbug. Stella is not a criminal, Mildred, so just stuff that talk in your sack."

I laughed and tapped Ruth's foot under the table. "Let's get back to committee business please, and let Stella worry about her own problems."

"Fine," Mildred said, "but mark my words. Something foul is afoot in Bright's Pond."

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