BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (88)
  1. Cover Page
  2. Front Flap
  3. Title Page
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. Back Flap
  88. Back Cover

After calling her mother, then the airlines, then Nora Regan Reilly, Karen had gone back into the bedroom. Hank woke up when she pulled her suitcase off the shelf in the closet and it came crashing to the floor.

“My mother sold the house without telling me!” Karen shrieked. “The woman talks my ear off about every little thing. What she had for breakfast, lunch, dinner, every boring detail of her life. She didn’t think something like this was worthy of a discussion?”

Hank shook his head and rolled over. After knowing Edna for thirty-five years, nothing his mother-in-law did surprised him.

“Weren’t we talking about going there at the end of the month?” he asked in a groggy voice.

“We should have made definite plans!” Karen cried. “Then she wouldn’t have sold the house so fast.”

“You underestimate your mama,” Hank replied.

There’s no doubt about it, Karen thought as she handed the gate agent her boarding pass. My mother’s going to put me in my grave.

“You have to check your carry-on bag,” the agent informed her.

“But then it’s not a carry-on bag,” Karen answered as politely as she could.

The agent’s face remained impassive. “We are a full flight. There is no further room for carry-on bags.”

Karen shook her head. “I’m sorry but I have a lot of important papers in my bag. I can’t risk losing them.”

Ten minutes later, after tearful pleading, and almost risking arrest, Karen crammed her bag into an overhead bin and then squeezed into her middle seat. She put her computer bag under the seat in front of her, and fastened her seat belt. The guy on her right was snoring, the woman on her left was wearing strong perfume that was starting to give her a headache. Karen stared straight ahead.

Thoughts were racing through her head. She had so many questions. Who was the buyer? Who was running the garage sale? Edna sometimes hid money or jewelry then forgot where she put it. Who knows what might disappear today? What family heirlooms might go missing?

After the plane took off, Karen got out her laptop. She was glad that her flight had Internet access.

Quickly she searched to see if there was anything else online about the garage sale. What she didn’t expect was to see her mother streaming live, standing with a reporter in the dining room.

Karen gasped at the sight of skulls on the dining room table. Is my mother truly crazy? she wondered. She must be. What else does she have on display?

As if hearing her baby girl’s thoughts, Edna’s voice came through the computer. “And we have so many other interesting items for sale …”

I can just imagine, Karen thought, bracing herself. But she wouldn’t find out until she got off the plane.

Her battery went dead.

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