Free The Silence of the Llamas by Anne Canadeo

was proud of Matt and very much in love. It was sweet to see. Matt had moved into Lucy’s cottage about six months ago, and the glow wasn’t gone yet. A good sign, Maggie thought.
    Maggie wondered if they’d get engaged soon, maybe at Christmas? But she didn’t like to pry and wouldn’t offer her opinion unless Lucy asked for it. Unlike their other friends.
    “I did ask if he was obliged to report the incident,” Lucy added. “If the Kruegers haven’t already. He said he was but didn’t want to put them in a difficult position. He’s going to talk to them about it again today.”
    “That sounds reasonable.” Maggie sipped her coffee.
    “Look at this, an article about the open space laws.” Lucy had turned the page and now folded the paper to read aloud again. “ ‘The village trustees will meet in a special session to discuss the open space zoning laws that are due to expire throughout Essex County the first of the coming year. A proposal to keep the laws on the books within village limits, drafted by citizens’ group Friends of Farmland, will be discussed in a town hall open forum meeting next Thursday night.”
    “That should be a lively one,” Maggie predicted. “Every timeI need to sit through a meeting at the village hall, I practically fall asleep. I might try to catch this one, though it does conflict with knitting group night,” she added. “But I don’t know much about this issue, beyond Ellie and Ben’s side of the story.”
    Lucy looked up from the newspaper. “If we take Ellie and Ben at their word, this debate will be more than lively. It could get downright ugly.”
    Maggie was thinking the same thing. “It would be interesting to see the personalities involved,” Lucy added. “Justin Ridley will be there, don’t you think? Didn’t Ellie say he was the head of the Friends of Farmland?”
    “ ‘Ringleader’ is the exact term she used,” Maggie recalled. “Yes, I think he would be there. Unless he’s even more of a recluse than the Kruegers make him out to be. What else does it say?”
    Lucy looked back at the paper and continued. “ ‘Attorneys for Friends of Farmland assert that as an incorporated village, Plum Harbor has the right to maintain the open space zoning laws within town limits, regardless of the county’s change. Attorneys for the village are still studying the proposal and have not made a recommendation to the mayor and trustees.’ ”
    “It’s like states’ rights or something,” Maggie observed. “Not a bad thing, when you think of it. I don’t know that much about the issue. But being out there on Saturday, I have to say, I wouldn’t want to see that beautiful countryside looking like the turnpike up near the interstate. It does seem worth the fight to preserve it.”
    “I love it out there, too. I love the emptiness and peacefulness. I understand why people are passionate about the cause.But I hate to think that Ellie and Ben are caught in the cross fire and someone really is trying to force off them off their farm because of all this. That doesn’t seem fair or right to me, either.”
    Maggie felt the same. “When are the village trustees due to vote? Does it say?” she asked after a moment.
    Lucy looked back at the paper, then shook her head. “Nothing about that here. Soon, I’d guess. Maybe once the issue is decided things will settle down and that will help Ellie and Ben.”
    “I hope so.” Maggie had emptied the first carton and started on another.
    Lucy glanced at her watch. “Whoops, look at the time. I’ve got to run. I didn’t even get to show you my little knitting glitch.” Lucy peered into her knitting tote but didn’t take out her project. “That easy, breezy argyle vest I started for Matt? It’s acting up again.”
    “That’s too bad. I thought you’d take to intarsia in a snap.” Maggie gave Lucy an encouraging smile. Lucy was a skillful knitter—not as advanced as some others in their group, but she hadn’t