Trophies and Dead Things

by Marcia Muller

  At first I felt a stubborn resistance. All those months he’d been silent, left me wondering where we stood, and now he thought he could simply walk back into my life. But then I felt a softening: it couldn’t have been easy for him, either. Besides, on some level I’d always known where we stood, known he’d eventually return.

  I picture George: his rough-hewn face, his changeable hazel eyes, his gray-frosted black hair, his tall, lean body. I put my hand to my lips, imagining how it would be to see him after all this time. Imagining how we could be together.

  The pain and anger and disillusionment of the past week fell away from me. Their vestiges would return, I knew. Bad memories would recur—probably for the rest of my life. But I would take comfort in moments like this, when I felt temporarily safe, warm, insulated. I stretch, yawned. What an embarrassment of riches I’d come home to!

  Restlessly I moved about the silent house, testing the doors and windows, even though I knew they were all locked. I prowled through the parlor, straightening a book on the shelf, dusting a cobweb from the mantelpiece. In the kitchen I checked to see if the pilot light on the stove was lit. Snooped at the ice cubes in the freezer, felt for the bread for freshness, looked to see if there were enough eggs for breakfast. But finally weariness drove me to the bedroom, where I dropped my robe to the floor and crawled naked between the sheets.

  As I hugged my pillow and closed my eyes, I resolved to wake by noon and return four of the five phone calls. I would reassure my mother. Thank Luke Widdows for the information that had aided me in my investigation. Ask Anne-Marie if I couldn’t visit Hank sooner than Sunday. And tell George yes, I felt the same, wanted to see him.

  And after that I would initiate a call of my own. I couldn’t go on fooling myself: it was high time I told Ted to drop Ralph and Alice off at their new home.

  We hope you’ve enjoyed this McCone mystery. Now check out the rest of Marcia Muller’s SHARON MCCONE series – all available as ebooks and audiobooks from AudioGO!

  1 Edwin of the Iron Shoes

  2 Ask the Cards a Question

  3 The Cheshire Cat’s Eye

  4 Games to Keep the Dark Away

  5 Leave a Message for Willie

  6 Double

  7 There’s Nothing to Be Afraid Of

  8 Eye of the Storm

  9 There’s Something in a Sunday

  10 The Shape of Dread

  11 Trophies and Dead Things

  12 Where Echoes Live

  13 Pennies on a Dead Woman’s Eyes

  Plus two short story collections: McCone and Friends, and The McCone Files.