“They think we’re hiding a dragon inside the house?” Max scoffed. “I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. Aren’t dragons meant to be massive creatures? How would one fit inside the house without knocking down a wall?”
The policeman barked out a laugh, which the policewoman quelled with a glare.
“You’re welcome to search the grounds if you must, but even you must admit the idea of a live dragon entering my house and cowering under the bed is crazy.”
“Are you refusing to let us search the house?” the policewoman persisted.
“You have no legal reason to search my home,” Max said calmly. “To say you’re searching for a dragon is plain ridiculous. If you wish to search, you’ll need a warrant.”
“Because you’re hiding something,” the policewoman shot back.
Max stood his ground, not intimidated in the slightest.“Like what?”
“Someone suggested, Mr. Lombardy, that you staged the abduction attempt on your brother.”
Sasha’s mouth dropped open in shock while Max appeared equally astonished by the allegation.
“Who suggested that?” Max demanded.
“Your grandmother,” the policewoman said, watching him closely.
“Out,” Max said, jerking his head toward the door. “Leave my property. I’ve changed my mind about you searching any part of my home or garden.”
“But it’s not your property, is it, sir?” the policewoman said in a smooth tone. “The house is in trust for your younger brother, and you only live here because you’re his legal guardian.”
“Out.” Max enforced the order by walking to the doorway, which led to the passage and the front door. “I don’t have to listen to these accusations. If you want to search this house, you bring a search warrant.”
10 – Grandmother Makes Her Move
Max escorted the two cops out while Sasha jogged upstairs to check on Noel. As she approached the bathroom, the garbled words of a song drifted to her—one Noel had learned at kindergarten. She grinned because his singing was horrid, but he was enjoying himself.
“Hey, Noel. Did you wash behind your ears?”
Her dragon chortled.“That’s what our mother always asked us.”
“Yeah,” Sasha replied ruefully.
“Shasha, I’m hungry.”
“Me, too,” Sasha agreed. “We’ll cook dinner once you dress in warm clothes.”
Sasha helped Noel to dry himself and dress, then they walked down to the kitchen. Max was sitting at the table, reading the contents of the envelope the police officers had delivered. A deep scowl dug into his forehead.
“Is something wrong?”
Max shot a glance at Noel. “We’ll talk once Noel is in bed.”
“Watch TV?” Noel asked.
Sasha exchanged a glance with Max.
“Let him watch a cartoon,” he said. “If I don’t talk about this, I’m going to burst. Come on, buddy. Which cartoon would you like to see tonight?”
“What are we cooking for dinner?”her dragon asked.“It might be better if we leave the chicken for another night.”
“Remember, we watched how to cut a chicken up into portions. If we do that, it will cook faster,”Sasha said.“We’ll have it with mashed potatoes, peas, and gravy.”She set to work and soon had the chicken in the oven. With that done, she peeled the potatoes and cut them small.
Max entered the kitchen, and the cackle of Noel’s favorite cartoon dog drifted after him.
