Darkness filled the mudroom. To my left lay a rack that stored shoes. Beside it sat a large white sink big enough to rinse out a pile of clothes in.
To my right sat said pile of clothes. Alice elbowed me toward it.
“There. That’s what she wore tonight.”
The house creaked. I held my breath and waited. Was it just the house or was Birda up and moving around?
My heart hammered in my chest, and blood rushed through my ears, sending another heartbeat drumming there.
I listened to see if the creak turned into another, louder creak.
Suddenly a door opened and a sliver of light cut right into the mudroom.
Birda stood in front of her fridge. I held my breath. I stood directly in her line of sight. All Birda had to do was look a little to her right and I’d be caught red-handed in her mudroom up to no good.
I prayed Alice wouldn’t sneeze, move or even exhale. If anyone would get us caught, it would be her.
Not that I was disparaging Alice, but between her and Ruth, Alice was more of the wild card, a loose cannon, so to speak.
My thoughts rushed to Alice as I watched Birda hunt for a late night snack. She mumbled something to herself about pickles and rummaged for a jar. After a moment the sound of tinkering glass stopped. Birda pulled a jar of dill spears from the cavity and shut the door.
She remained in the kitchen for a few more minutes as she plated the pickles, but eventually Birda left and I could breathe again.
“That was close,” Alice whispered. “There. Her clothes.”
I waited another minute to make sure the house was silent before I turned to the pile.
I sifted through it and pulled away a shirt and pants. I dipped my hands in the pockets but didn’t find a knife.
“It’s not here,” I whispered.
Alice worked her bottom lip. “Try the counters.”
I ran my hand across the counter but couldn’t find anything there, either.
“There isn’t a knife.”
Alice stared at the dark room for a minute before shrugging. ”Well, we tried. At least we have shortbread.”
“You’re sure if Birda had brought a knife, it would be in here?”
Alice nodded. “Sure as sugar. If she’d brought it, the thing would be laying on her floor with everything else. That’s how it is. Trust me. I’ve known her my whole life and Birda is nothing if not reliable in her routine.”
I rested my hands on the cool counter. “There’s nothing here.” I felt like I was letting Ruth down. Not that Ruth knew what we were up to. Goodness, if she knew, she’d either be incredibly angry or would be on the lookout to make sure we stayed safe.
Who was I kidding? She’d be my lookout for sure.
I nibbled my bottom lip. Part of me wanted to tear apart Birda’s house. She’d been so smug holding up that strip of Ruth’s jacket. How could she not have planted it on Cora’s body?
But at the same time I knew that rummaging through her house would get me caught for sure.
I wouldn’t help Ruth by being stuck behind bars.
I sighed. “I guess we’d better go.”
Alice and I sneaked out of the mudroom the same way we’d entered. I tucked the key back under the flowerpot and had just turned around when Kency Blount’s voice sliced through the air.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
