Page 54

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023

12:05 P.M.

When Donna Jean’s cell phone rang in the pocket of her apron, she had just finished vacuuming the carpets for her newest client, a Mrs. Upton, and was in the process of rolling up the cord to put the vacuum away. As a general rule, Donna Jean didn’t take calls while she was working, but Mrs. Upton had stepped out for a walk. Besides, caller ID said that her daughter, Amy, was on the phone. Since this was a school day, Donna Jean worried there might be some kind of emergency, so she answered anyway.

“Have you seen the news?” Amy asked breathlessly.

“What news?” Donna Jean asked. “And no, I haven’t. I’m working. Why? What’s going on?”

“I’m in the teachers’ lounge, and the noon news is on,” Amy answered. “They just showed the Edmonds police chief doing a news conference. He said two suspects in California have been arrested in the Brewster homicide and that charges against Mrs. Brewster are going to be dropped later today.”

Donna Jean’s legs went weak under her. Barely believing what she was hearing, she sank down on a nearby chair. If the charges against Mrs. Brewster had been dropped, did that mean she, too, was no longer under suspicion?

“Are you kidding?” she whispered.

“Not at all. I thought you’d want to know. Does that mean you’ll get your old job back?”

Donna Jean had managed to scrape together enough new customers to make up for one of the Brewsters’ missing days, but if Mr. Brewster was no longer there, did she really want to go back to work for Mrs. Brewster?

“Maybe,” Donna Jean said. Then, hearing Mrs. Upton’s key in the door, she hurriedly got to her feet and added, “Thanks. I’ve got to go now.”

As Donna Jean started on the dusting, she was still thinking about what she’d just heard. At first she’d been incredibly relieved to think that maybe the whole awful ordeal was over, but what about Mrs. Brewster? If she offered to rehire Donna Jean, would she say yes or no? And that’s when the rest of it hit her. What about Pearl? Would Mrs. Brewster want her back? Donna Jean had bonded with that precious kitty, but of course there was no way around it. Pearl belonged to Mrs. Brewster, and if she wanted Pearl, Donna Jean would have no choice but to give her up.