Page 21 of Deadly Avarice
Pops cocked his head to the side, considering my comment. With a firm nod, he said, “I stand corrected.”
I would have beamed, but that was the moment Aurelia decided to place the Jell-O in her mouth. The look of wonder lighting her Caribbean blue eyes was blinding. Without hesitation, Aurelia snagged a larger piece and shoved it in her mouth. She didn’t chew. She simply allowed the Jell-O tomeltin her mouth.
“Do others know of this?” Aurelia asked, awed joy filling her voice.
Franklin and I shared a confused look, and I asked, “About Jell-O?”
Aurelia aggressively nodded while shoving an even larger piece into her mouth. Thankfully she waited until she’d swallowed before answering, “It is divine. You should guard the recipe and only sell it to the highest bidder.” Pointing her fork at the remaining Jell-O, Aurelia confidently said, “Others would kill for this.”
My mouth dropped open. There were words; I was certain of it. They were simply lost to theWTFpart of my brain.
Pops stared, dark eyes wide. Franklin did too. Only Momma came through. Patting Aurelia’s shoulder, Momma said, “I’m glad you like it, dear. I’ve been telling Erasmus for years that Jell-O is magical. Unfortunately, someone already beat us to the recipe and release.”
Aurelia looked momentarily stunned. “This is readily available?”
“Cheap too.” Franklin finally contributed to the conversation.
Eyes narrowing, Aurelia appeared genuinely miffed. “Unfortunate.”
“I suppose so?” It was more question than statement when those words left my mouth. Thankfully, the rest of lunch was fairly uneventful. I’ll give Aurelia credit, she tasted everything on the table and went back for seconds on a few. The cherry Jell-O was a definite favorite and Momma promised Aurelia she could take the rest of the pan home with her when she left. I swear, it was like Momma had promised Aurelia the whole North American continent as a reward for some perceived good deed.
I walked over to Mrs. Hart’s house after lunch to let Miss Pattycakes out. She ran around my feet yipping and bouncing here and there, and when I went to put her back inside, Miss. Pattycakes sat on her rear and refused my gracious invite.
Feeling bad for her, I picked Miss Pattycakes up and walked back to my house. The dog had been inside before, and I knew Mrs. Hart wouldn’t mind. I failed to consider Aurelia’s hamster tooling around the house in its plastic bubble. As soon as Miss Pattycakes’s small feet hit the floor, she darted off in the direction of the noise. High-pitched yips and excited barks filled the house.
Pops was up out of his chair before I could get to Miss Pattycakes. The charm he activated surrounded us in blissful silence. It was weird, watching Miss Pattycakes jump around, her mouth opening and closing and yet hearing nothing.
“Thank God,” Franklin said as he joined our little group.
“That ankle biter is a menace,” Pops accused. “I have no idea what possessed you to bring it intothishouse.”
“She seemed lonely,” I defended while walking forward and snagging a very wiggly Miss Pattycakes. “Mrs. Hart is enjoying the day with her friends.”
“You are a bleeding heart, just like your momma,” Pops said, but it lacked the heat of an accusation.
“It’s unlike you to be so full of compliments, Nikodemus,” Momma said as she too joined us.
Pops grunted and growled out a barely audible “not a compliment.” If Momma heard, she ignored him. Instead, she walked over to the terrified hamster, picked up the ball and cradled the thing in her arms. With a look of alarm, Momma asked, “Is it supposed to be so still?”
Four sets of eyes stared into the hazy sphere, each of us holding our breath as we looked for any sign of life. The combined exhale of relief when we saw the tiny chest rise and fall was loud in my small hallway.
“Oh, thank Gaia,” I wheezed. “I thought for sure Miss Pattycakes scared the little fellow to death.”
“One should be so fortunate,” Pops said, and Momma smacked him in the gut.
“Don’t be such an ass, Nikodemus,” Momma scolded.
“Maybe it’s time to put the hamster back in Aurelia’s backpack,” I said while setting Miss Pattycakes down on the ground. She jumped around Momma’s legs, trying to get at the hamster.
“Good idea, honey,” Momma easily agreed, and the four of us headed back to the kitchen. Aurelia was still seated, her mouth stuffed full of cherry Jell-O, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Obviously, she was the least distressed regarding the hamster’s wellbeing.
“I think you need to speak to Peaches,” Franklin leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Otherwise, that hamster’s not long for the world.”
I gave a slow nod. “I’ll call him tomorrow, after Harvest Day.”
Pops grunted, and Momma looked sad but resigned. Aurelia barely gave the hamster a second glance as she shoved yetanother spoonful of Jell-O into her mouth. At this rate, there wouldn’t be anything left to take with her.
Thirty minutes later, the kitchen was cleared, leftovers were stored in the refrigerator, and we were minus one djinn, a hamster, and Miss Pattycakes, as I’d taken the dog back over to Mrs. Hart’s house.
