Free A Shadow of Death in The Woods by Albert Sisson Page A

back into focus and Kat was asking if I was okay. Without much conviction, I answered, “Yeah, sure. It’s been an unbelievably long day.”
    I started downstairs with the enthusiasm of a man going to his execution. I was going to have to stop using analogies like this.
    Downstairs the kids were excited and raring to go. Going to Grandpa and Grandma’s was one of their favorite things to do. Grandparents are like parents without discipline. It is all goodies and love, no standing in the corner.
    I wished I could stand in the corner and then be forgiven. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. I would be unforgiven for the rest of my life.
    Kat had the kids dressed in their finest. Laura looked a lot like Kat. She was going to be a heart throb when she grew up. She had shoulder length tresses curled to perfection. She had on a nice dress and looked like someone you might see in a movie. Her shoes were shined. If it were the army, she was ready for inspection. Her face had the clear glow that children have before the ravages of acne set in. I wanted to lift her up and give her a hug. I knew better than to do that. If I wrinkled or smudged something, I would be in all kinds of hot water from Kat. Not only that, Kat would tell her mother what I had done, which would add further to my miseries.
    Will on the other hand was all boy. He was active and always squirming. He could transform a perfected ensemble into a pile of wrinkled cloth in no time. Everyone loved Will and never held it against him. He and Laura were an interesting contrast.
    I went to fetch the car and pulled it into the porte cochere. They got in the car and we were off to what for me would be a painful dinner. My mother-in-law, Margret (not Marge), didn’t like me and I didn’t like her. She probably had spent time that afternoon thinking up comments to torture me with. On the other hand maybe it came naturally. All I knew for sure was that it was not going to be fun for me. I couldn’t say anything back to Kat’s mother because then I would have Kat to contend with until the bad chemistry ebbed. One bright spot was that if I were to go to prison for murder, Margret would not visit me and that would be okay with me.
    I couldn’t wait for the evening to end. Then I could spend some time in my study and maybe I could settle some of my feelings. First, the in-laws.

Chapter 8
    The In-Laws
     
    We pulled into the circular drive. The house was a huge ranch house, red brick with white pillars around the entrance. The front door was beautiful and the only thing I liked about the house. It was a massive wood door. I didn’t think it matched the house architecture but what do I know? It was a splendid piece of oak wood.
    We rang the doorbell, which I thought a little weird because it was Kat’s childhood home. I guess it was proper since we didn’t live here. I could understand my ringing the bell. I could also understand Margret not answering the doorbell if she thought it was me.
    Bill answered the door and beckoned us in. The kids rushed to get a hug from Grandpa and then ran yelling for Grandma. Kat got a kiss from her father. I got a warm hello.
    Bill pointed Kat to the kitchen where he claimed that Margret was helping with dinner. I was sure Margret was in the kitchen but I doubted very much she was helping. Interfering was more like it. I didn’t think that she knew how to make toast let alone a dinner. They had a full-time housekeeper who did the cooking. Lucky for Bill.
    The housekeeper was an excellent cook. Kat and I sometimes hired her for big dinner parties. I liked her. Whenever I could arrange it, I cooked alongside her. I was good at making fancy, gourmet dishes but she was excellent at serving a whole group at once. That was engineering as much as it was cooking. Timing was critical. I learned a lot from her.
    Kat went in search of her mother.
    As I may have mentioned a few times, Margret didn’t like me. There were several reasons for this.