“Well, here’s some conversation. I want…”

  Craig stopped her. “That’s not going to get you anywhere.”

  “What do you mean? I grew up learning to ask for what I want.”

  Craig faced her with a smirk on his face. “And how’s that working for you?”

  Arthur looked confused. “What is it that you want?”

  When she started to speak again, Craig said, “Just be quiet for a minute. Can you do that?”

  She set her jaw defiantly and nodded.

  “Arthur, it appears that Missie has sour grapes about the distribution of your father’s estate.”

  “It wasn’t his to distribute!” she spat.

  Craig glared at her, then explained, “She’s behind the threats and harassment you’ve been dealing with.”

  Arthur stared hard at his cousin. “You? Why? I mean, if you knew that we’re family…”

  “Family,” she said spitting on the ground. “That’s a laugh.”

  “Boy, do you have a chip on your shoulder,” Arthur said. “I’d say you take after our grandmother. She was a spitfire as I recall, and to hear my mother talk about her…”

  “Your mother’s some judge of character,” Missie cranked.

  “Shhh,” Craig hushed. He then said, “Arthur, Missie believes that she’s entitled to some of her grandfather’s estate. Do you know anything about that? Was there anything in the will leaving something for her or for her father that you know of?”

  “Oh,” Arthur said, obviously caught off guard. “Not that I recall. I can talk to the attorney about it. Surely, your father would have received half of grandfather’s estate. Were there just the two brothers? Are you saying your father got nothing?”

  Wide-eyed, Missie simply nodded.

  “And you’ve been having thugs follow me around hassling me and scaring my wife and all you wanted was to inquire about the family estate? Why didn’t you just come to me?”

  Missie looked down at her hands in her lap. “Um…well, I…” she glanced up at Craig, who grinned at her, and she began to cry.

  “Are you okay?” Arthur asked.

  “No!” she said. “I’m not okay. I’m a total jerk. You’re so nice,” she wailed. She looked him in the eye. “All I had to do was ask?”

  “Well, yes,” he said.

  She scowled at Arthur again and demanded, “But what if there are no—you know, provisions for my dad and me in the will?”

  Arthur shrugged. “Then I’ll make some, that’s what.”

  Missie sobbed even more dramatically.

  “Is everything all right?” Savannah asked when she approached with Teddy in her arms and Rags on his leash.

  “I think everything’s just about as right as it can be,” Arthur said. “Savannah, meet my cousin, Missie.”

  “Cousin?” Savannah repeated. “Oh…um…hi.”

  “Hi,” Missie said between sobs. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then accepted a hanky Craig offered. She stared hard at Arthur and asked again. “You’ll share the fortune with me?”

  “I really can’t see why not,” Arthur said. “Again, let me check with the attorney and see what happened there. It could be that your father got something and he ran right through it. In that case, we can probably strike a deal between us. Missie, I have plenty of money to last several lifetimes. I’d planned to donate a bunch of it. Suzette and I don’t have expensive taste and we do love to help others.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Missie said, sobbing again.

  “About what?” Arthur asked.

  “About what I thought of you and what I tried to do to you. I’m so damn sorry.”

  Arthur shrugged. “Forget it—new day, new leaf. We’re good. Hey, I need to get back to work. I see a new group of people heading toward the food table.” He addressed Missie. “Can you tell me how to reach you? Or I can give you my contact information if that’s more convenient for you.”

  Craig chortled. When the others looked at him, he said, “Seems like she’s had no problem finding you, Arthur. She even somehow knew you’d be here.”

  Arthur frowned. “Yes, how did you know that?” he asked.

  Missie stuttered, “Well, I…I have my ways.”

  “She probably has people watching you,” Craig suggested.

  Arthur stared across the table at Missie, then said, “I’ll talk to my attorney first thing Monday. He may want to talk to you, too. Will you be back in the city next week?”

  She nodded. “Thank you,” she said weakly.

  When Arthur stood up with Koko, Savannah asked, “Want me to hold onto her?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  Once Arthur had walked away, Craig patted Missie on the back. “Well, what did I tell you?”

  She threw herself into Craig’s arms and hugged him hard. “Thank you so much.” She pulled back. “You know, for a cop, you’re a pretty neat guy.”

  “There you are,” Michael said approaching Savannah, Craig, and Missie. “How’s everyone doing?” He took Teddy from Savannah. “How’s my boy? Having fun at the playground?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, “until that bully kid started taking toys away from him.”

  “He’s gotta learn,” Michael said. “That’s how they learn. It’s called socialization. We all go through it one way or another.”

  “Michael, this is Arthur’s cousin, Missie,” Savannah said. “My husband, Michael.”

  Missie nodded.

  “Hi,” Michael greeted. Suddenly he looked beyond her and said, “Well, you’re back. How’s April?”

  “Just fine,” Eve said, smiling widely. “Dr. Bud said he was able to get the obstruction out of her throat fairly easily. He gave us a ride back here.”

  “Great,” Michael said, petting the little dog Butch held.

  “Why’d you guys go without telling me?” Missie asked. She told the others, “We came here together and I didn’t want to miss my ride.”

  “You drove?” Savannah asked.

  “No, we took the bus. Butch keeps the tickets.” Missie petted the dog. “How’s April? You say she had surgery? You didn’t have to put her to sleep?”

  “Oh, she went to sleep, but when she woke up she was feeling much better,” Butch explained, smiling.

  Eve kneeled next to Rags. “And it was this kitty-cat that saved her life. He showed Dr. Ivey where the problem was.”

  “Yes, he did,” Michael confirmed.

  Butch looked down at Rags and then at Koko, and immediately began to back up. “Oh no,” he said. He looked at Savannah with horror in his eyes.

  “Wait,” Savannah said. “You’re the one who…” She glanced around at the others and thought better of continuing.

  Butch, however, said, “Yes, your cat there almost killed me.” He nodded toward Koko. “And that one too.”

  “You deserved everything you got,” Savannah snapped.

  “Hey, kids,” Craig said, looking from one to the other of them, “what’s going on?”

  “Well,” Savannah said, “Arthur and I met up with this man a couple of days ago on the trail. We had the cats with us and…”

  “I’m sure sorry about that,” Butch said, backing away. “I really am, ma’am. I had no idea. I was only in it for the money Missie promised me. She’s going to get a fortune and I wanted to help her get it. She said she’d pay me when she gets it.”

  Craig nudged Missie. “Better clue him in.”

  “I will.” She took Eve’s and Butch’s arms and walked away with them, saying, “You know what, guys? Sometimes you should really ask questions before you act. You need to know someone before you place judgment…”

  Craig grinned and shook his head.

  Chapter Nine

  Later that afternoon Iris joined Savannah and Colbi at the children’s playground. “Are you guys having fun over here?” she asked.

  “Look at me, Aunt Ris-Ris,” Lily squealed. “I’m riding Rosemary on my bike!”

  “Well, you sure are.” Iris stepped inside the enclosure and gave Lily a hug, then picked up Rosemary and cuddled with her. “How’s my girl?” she cooed. “Having a good time?”

  “She sure is,” Colbi said. “She loves all the attention she’s getting from the bigger kids.” She looked compassionately at Teddy. “Him, not so much.”

  Savannah chuckled. “Yeah, he’s not making many friends here today.”

  “What’s wrong?” Iris asked.

  “Cat,” Teddy whined, pointing at a toy truck in front of him.

  When Iris looked confused, Savannah said, “He was trying to take Rags for a ride in that truck and Rags kept jumping out. Earlier a boy was taking the truck away from him.” Savannah ran her hand over the toddler’s head. “He’s having a rough day.”

  “Yeah,” Gladys said, scooping him up into her arms, “I’m going to take him home now. We both need a nap.”

  “Well, good-bye sweet boy,” Iris said. She coached Rosemary. “Say bye-bye to Teddy. He’s going to take a nap.”

  “No!” Rosemary said. “I no nap!”

  Iris chuckled. “No, you’re not taking a nap, Teddy’s taking a nap.”

  “How are you getting home, Mom?” Savannah asked.

  “Maggie and Max will give us a ride. They said they’re ready for a nap, too. Want to give me your key and I’ll get Teddy’s car seat. Michael has a key to your car, right?”

  Savannah nodded. “Thanks for all your help today.”

  “Sure. It was mostly fun.” She smiled and waved as she walked away with Teddy.

  “Aren’t she and your aunt going on a trip soon?” Iris asked.

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “I don’t know what I’ll do without them.”

  “You’ll enjoy your children,” Colbi said. “If you need any help, just let me know. Maybe we can do some baby swapping so we can get something done.”

  “Sounds good,” Savannah said. She then spoke more quietly. “Listen, guys, I wonder if you would help me to surprise Mom.”

  “Surprise her? How?” Iris asked. “When?”

  “Tomorrow.” She glanced into the distance to make sure her mother was out of earshot. “Mom has been reminiscing about the way Thanksgiving celebrations and Christmas dinners used to be—you know when we dressed up and ate off real china and freshly polished silver.” She grinned. “I have pictures of us kids all dressed up. Mom said they used to wear a hat and gloves on Easter, even.”

  Iris swooned. “Oh yes. Now, we didn’t have much when I was growing up, but I do remember that everyone wore their best clothes and the table was, well, absolutely divine.”

  “Do you have memories like that, Colbi?”

  She nodded. “Mom would make me a new dress to wear for all of the special holidays each year and I’d get hand-me-down shoes from a neighbor that I’d wear with my one special pair of ruffle-top socks. I called our holiday dinners ‘pretty dinners,’ because we got to dress pretty. The adults wore handmade corsages of fresh-picked flowers from our garden, and we’d feast on meals we didn’t usually serve at our house.” She chuckled. “‘High on the hog,’ as Dad used to say.”

  “Exactly,” Savannah said. “How would you gals feel about dressing up and using our fine china tomorrow?”

  “And linen table cloths and napkins?” Iris said excitedly.

  Colbi’s face lit up. “Rosemary can wear her ruffle-top socks and shiny dress shoes. Yes. I’m in,” Colbi said. “Who has the china?”

  “I’d love it if we could use my grandmother’s china. I have a ten place setting. Iris, you have some china, don’t you?”

  “Yes. So we could set each table with a complete set.”

  “That matches?” Colbi asked disbelieving.

  “Of course it would match,” Iris said.

  “Oh, well, in our old farmhouse, we had mismatched china, but our table was pretty just the same.”

  Savannah smiled. “Okay, spread the word that Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow is formal.”

  Iris grimaced.

  “What?” Savannah asked. She then grumbled, “Oh yes, Craig.”

  Colbi laughed. “Yeah, how are we going to get Craig to conform?”

  “Yes, how?” Iris asked.

  “Oh, let him do his thing—he’ll be okay,” Savannah suggested.

  “Wait,” Iris said, thoughtfully. “He has an old vest of his father’s. Why he saved it, I don’t know, but it has a matching bow tie. His dad used to sing with a barbershop quartet.”

  “Iris, that sounds fabulous. Yes, let’s go for it. I’ll bring my tripod and camera and we can document the day.” Savannah smiled. “This is going to be such a thrill for Mom. I’ll have to tell Auntie not to breathe a word.”

  “How will you get your mom to dress up?” Colbi asked.

  “I’ll just suggest we do so as a family. She won’t know that everyone else is, too. That will be the surprise—that, and seeing Grandmother’s china on your table.”

  “Okay,” Iris agreed.

  Quivering with delight, Savannah said, “I’ll wash the china and have Michael deliver it to you tomorrow morning. Will you need help setting the tables?”

  Iris shook her head. “No, we have plenty of help this week—Ruth, Rupert, Mattie, Francine, Suzette…”

  “Francine’s back?” Savannah asked.

  “Yes, she was happy to come back now that the cat crisis is over. She has no people, so she was pleased to get our dinner invitation.”

  “Cool.”

  ◆◆◆

  Early Friday morning Savannah and Gladys were in the kitchen preparing for their family-and-friends Thanksgiving dinner. While Savannah made a salad using fruit they’d canned over the summer, Gladys peeled and trimmed vegetables for a veggie tray.

  “You were up early,” Gladys said.

  “Yes, I had some things to catch up with around here.”

  Gladys asked, “Where’s Michael? Did he have an emergency? I heard his truck start up a while ago.”

  “Oh, I just sent him on an errand. He should be back shortly,” Savannah assured her.

  “What’s on the menu for Thanksgiving?” Gladys asked.

  Savannah’s eyes lit up. “They’re doing a traditional prime rib dinner.” She faced her mother. “And get this: Rupert is making the pies—lemon meringue, pecan, and rhubarb.”

  “Wow, those are some old-fashioned pies,” Gladys said.

  “Yeah, and Colbi’s bringing her famous gingerbread-and-raspberry cake.”

  “Oh my,” Gladys said, smiling. “Is your sister bringing something? Bri’s such a good cook.”

  “She’s a bit out of practice lately,” Savannah said, “but I think she’s bringing some sort of sweet-potato dish.”

  “That’ll be nice. Sounds like quite a feast.”

  “Yes, it will be.” Savannah looked at her mother. “Hey, Mom, want to dress up for the party today?”

  “Dress up?”

  “Yeah. I’d like to wear a new dress I bought a while back. What do you think?” Before Gladys could answer, Savannah stepped into the service porch and returned carrying two little outfits on hangers. “I just washed and ironed these for the kids—this adorable pinafore for Lily with a little sweater-shirt underneath, and these slacks and vest for Teddy. And,” she said, pulling something out of a drawer, “Rags will wear his bow tie.”

  Gladys beamed. “Well, how nice. Yes, I’d love to dress up. Oh, Vannie this just makes me so happy. A traditional meal and we get to dress up.”

  “What’s wrong?” Savannah asked, when her mother seemed to be brooding.

  “Well, I just hope we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.”

  “How would we do that?” Savannah asked.

  “If we’re dressed up, the others might feel out of place. Oh, Savannah, I don’t want to appear show-offy.”

  “Show-offy?” Savannah repeated.

  “Like we’re showing off.” Gladys shook her head. “We’d better just wear our regular clothes. We don’t want to offend anyone.”

  “No, Mom, we’re going to dress up. We won’t offend anyone, trust me.” When her phone chimed, she looked at the screen. “It’s Auntie.”

  “Well, I’ll go start getting the children ready,” Gladys said. She called out cheerily, “Come on Teddy. Lily, let’s get a bath.”

  “Good morning, Auntie,” Savannah chirped.

  “Hi.”

  “Well, you don’t seem very happy today. Is something wrong?”

  “Yes,” Margaret said. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “What are you talking about? You sound like a teenager. You have plenty of clothes. I’ve seen your closet.”

  “But you’re making us dress up, and I don’t have dress-up clothes.”

  “What about what you wore to church Sunday?” Savannah suggested.

  “I wear that all the time. I want to wear something that everyone hasn’t seen a gazillion times. And I don’t have time to go shopping,” Margaret complained.

  Savannah let out a deep sigh. “Do you remember when we went to Rags’s documentary premiere and you thought you didn’t have anything to wear?”

  “I didn’t!” she exclaimed.

  “Well, we sure found something in your wardrobe and you looked smashing. Remember that? You felt good about how you looked, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. Vannie, would you come over and help me do that again? I’m just stumped. The only thing I can think of wearing is my new black jeans with the rhinestones on the pockets. That’s dressy to me these days.”

  Savannah laughed. “And why not wear those with one of your pretty blouses that I actually haven’t seen you wear in ages. You used to have an aqua one with sort of abstract designs on it. It was silky. Oh, and the black one with orange flowers and a cute border around the bottom edge and the sleeves. That looked really nice on you.”

  “Oh…” Margaret said. “Yeah, I think those are in the back closet. I haven’t looked in there in a while.”

  “And wear those black-and-silver earrings you wore in San Francisco that night. I love those on you.”

  “You don’t think that would be a bit much?” Margaret asked.

  “Hey, you called for advice. Are you going to take it or not? Now go get dressed. See you in a bit.”

  Margaret chuckled. “Thanks Ms. Calvin Klein.”