California Schemin' (28 page)
I went to pull an old towel out of Tank's
bed, and there, curled into a ball, was Stripes without a scratch
to be seen. He lifted his head and looked at me reproachfully. I
hadn’t fed him his dinner. I ran to the truck and pulled out the
forgotten cans of cat food from where Max had left them and popped
one open. Everything else in my life might be shit, but my hungry
skunk was still alive.
I left the open can of cat food on the floor
and turned back to the house. I pushed open the door and stopped on
the threshold. The glass had been swept from the floor. The chair I
had toppled scurrying away from the door had been righted, and
there on the table was a large dress box topped with a bow.
“Hello?” I called. “Anybody here?”
There wasn’t an answering call, and the dogs
were looking at me like I was crazy, so I figured we must be alone.
No way my dogs would ignore an extra body in the house. They’d be
hunting them down for either love or lunch.
I tore the ribbon from the box and opened it.
On top of the tissue paper was a small piece of notepaper folded in
half. I lifted it up and unfolded it.
I thought you might like to have these.
That’s all. No signature. No “hope you are
okay,” nothing.
I folded back the tissue paper and there,
freshly clean and neatly folded, rested the blue dress and the
matching blue shoes.
###
Ms. George has enjoyed a life-long love
affair with mysteries, and by age 25 had written her first book, a
truly awful novella. She then wisely took a break from writing.
When Ms. George realized that she could use her own off-beat sense
of humor in her work, she began writing seriously again. Ms George
loves animals and they find their way into her writing. The
incident with the crazy skunk in
California Schemin’
(March
2011) is a true account. For the record, the dogs would rather
stink than be washed with peroxide, baking soda or dishwashing soap
ever again.
Bonus Material
California Schemin' Book
Trailer
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