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The dog finished greeting Owen and caed to screith Owen’s foster parents, I was pretty sure I couldI bent and patted his head the way my old Lab used to like This one increased the speed of his tail wagging, which I took as a sign of approval

Then a voice rang in from another room "James? Are you back from the station already?"

Both Ja moved into the position you’d expect him to assume if you shouted, "Sit!" and faced in the direction froet a sense of as so nervous

Eight

"We’ve just arrived," James called out, then he saidlike he was heading to his own execution, and the dog trotted faithfully at Owen’s heels I grabbed the tin of ho, then brought up the rear, feeling more than a bit nervous, myself I’d seen Owen in all kinds of scary situations, including an all-out htmares, and I’d never seen hi in the parlor was certainly formidable She looked like the kind of character Katharine Hepburn played in her later years--the crusty, sharp-tongued, aristocratic octogenarian who turned out to have a warooey this woman was inside She was tall--alht stoop of age--and angular, with almost no hint of softness anywhere on her body She had the kind of white hair that looks like it once was red, pulled up in a tight bun on top of her head, and her blue eyes were so sharp and piercing that I wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find that one of her poas X-ray vision

She swept those all-seeing eyes past each of us I got the sense she was collecting data to analyze later The whole time, she stood totally still If it hadn’t been for her eyes, I ranite Or maybe ice

But then she suddenly melted as her face softened into a smile She stepped forward, took Owen by the shoulders, and kissed hiht faint at any moment, while James did the kind of double take Bob Hope built a career on Even the dog made a funny little "whuh?" sound

Just as abruptly, her eyes focused on me It took every ounce of will I had not to step backward "Youher words brusquely

"Yes e to curtsy "Thank you some" I thrust my tin of cookies toward her and tried to keep"These are for you"

"You’re quite welcome," she said as she took the tin from me "And thank you" I wished I could tell if her tone was particularly frosty or if that was the way she always talked I’d felt warh the ice than I did with her looking at ain "Did you have a good trip?"

"It--it was fine" He darted a glance at his foster father, and the two of theed baffled looks

She didn’t seenored it "You’ll want to get settled in Lunch will be in half an hour" Then she swept out of the rooestured with a twitch of his head that we should follow her Out in the foyer, he picked up our bags and had to hurry to catch up with Gloria, as halfway up the stairs Arawn settled himself at the foot of the stairs I had to step over him to run up after Gloria and Owen I nohere Owen had learned his rapid walking pace

"Katie, you’ll be in the blue guest room," Gloria said as I reached the top of the stairs Without waiting for ht and led me down a short hallway to a room that overlooked the front lawn "You have your own bathrooh that door Towels are laid out for you There are eers in the closet, and you may use the top drawer of the bureau Letdown in front of the bureau and then followed her I could hear her voice in the hallway, sounding softer and gentler now, as she said to him, "You’ll be in your old room, of course I have it ready for you"

The rooned was furnished in delicate, feminine antiques, with pale blue floral wallpaper, white lace curtains, and a blue-and-white quilt on the four-poster bed Because I had a feeling Gloria would check, I unpackedas neatly as possible Then I freshened up a bit to make myself presentable for lunch