Rita Braun - Pawing Through The Past

Pawing Through the Past

Rita Mae Brown

Books by Rita Mae Brownwith Sneaky Pie Brown

WISH YOU WERE HERE

REST IN PIECES

MURDER AT MONTICELLO

PAY DIRT

MURDER, SHE MEOWED

MURDER ON THE PROWL

CAT ON THE SCENT

SNEAKY PIE'S COOKBOOK FORMYSTERY LOVERS

PAWING THROUGH THE PAST

CLAWS AND EFFECT

CATCH AS CAT CAN

THE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF

WHISKER OF EVIL

Books by Rita Mae Brown

THE HAND THAT CRADLES THEROCK

SONGS TO A HANDSOME WOMAN

THE PLAIN BROWN RAPPER

RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE

IN HER DAY

SIX OF ONE

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT

SUDDEN DEATH

HIGH HEARTS

STARTING FROM SCRATCH:

A DIFFERENT KIND OFWRITERS' MANUAL

BINGO

VENUS ENVY

DOLLEY: A NOVEL OF DOLLEYMADISON IN LOVE AND WAR

RIDING SHOTGUN

RITA WILL: MEMOIR OF ALITERARY RABBLE-ROUSER

LOOSE LIPS

OUTFOXED

HOTSPUR

FULL CRY

Pawing Through the Past

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Mary MinorHaristeen (Harry), the young postmistress of Crozet. She won double seniorsuperlatives in high school: Most Likely to Succeed and Most Athletic.

Mrs. Murphy,Harry's gray tiger cat, calm in a crisis and sassy, too.

Tee Tucker,Harry's Welsh corgi, Mrs. Murphy's friend and confidante, is a solid,courageous creature.

Pewter, MarketShiflett's shamelessly fat gray cat, who now lives with Harry and family. Herhigh intelligence is usually in the service of her self-indulgence.

PharamondHaristeen (Fair), an equine veterinarian, formerly married to Harry. He wantsto get back together again with Harry.

Susan Tucker,Harry's best friend. She tells it like it is. She won the Best All-Round seniorsuperlative in high school.

OliviaCraycroft (BoomBoom), a buxom dilettante who constantly irritates Harry. Hersenior superlative was Best Looking.

CynthiaCooper, a young deputy in the sheriff's department, who is willing to useunorthodox methods to capture criminals.

Sheriff RickShaw, a dedicated, reliable public servant. He may not be the most imaginativesheriff, but he is the most persistent.

Tracy Raz, theformer All-State football player, who comes home for his fiftieth high-schoolreunion and rekindles his romance with Miranda.

ChrisSharpton, a newcomer to Crozet, she jumps right into activities hoping to makefriends.

BitsyValenzuela, a socially active woman who includes Chris in her circle.

Marcy Wiggins,an unhappily married woman, who looks forward to her outings with Bitsy andChris. She needs the diversion.

Big MarilynSanburne (Mim), the undisputed queen of Crozet, who can be an awful snob attimes. She knows the way the world works.

Little MarilynSanburne (Little Mim), a chip off the old block yet quite resentful of it.

CharlieAshcraft, a notoriously successful seducer of women. Voted Best Looking by hishigh-school class.

Leo Burkey,was voted Wittiest.

BonnieBaltier, was voted Wittiest.

Hank Bittner,was voted Most Talented.

Bob Shoaf, wasvoted Most Athletic later playing cornerback for the New York Giants.

Dennis Rablan,voted Best All-Round and now a photographer. He squandered his inheritance andis regarded as a failure.

MirandaHogendobber, last but not least on the list: A woman of solid virtue, commonsense, she works with Harry at the post office.

1

The hugeceiling fan lazily swirled overhead, vainly attempting to move the soggy Augustair. Mary Minor Haristeen, Harry to her friends-and everyone was afriend-scribbled ideas on a yellow legal pad. Seated around the kitchen table,high-school yearbooks open, were Susan Tucker, her best friend, Mrs. MirandaHogendobber, her coworker and good friend, and Chris Sharpton, an attractivewoman new to the area.

"We couldhave had this meeting at the post office," Susan remarked as she wiped thesweat from her forehead.

"Government property," Miranda said.

"Right,government property paid for with my taxes," Susan laughed.

Harry, thepostmistress in tiny Crozet, Virginia, said, "Okay, it is air-conditionedbut think how many hours Miranda and I spend in that place. I have no desire tohang out there in my free time."

"You'vegot air-conditioning at your house." Miranda stared at Susan.

"I knowbut the kids are having a pool party and-"

"You leftthe house with a party in progress? There won't be a drop of liquor left,"Harry interrupted.

"My kidsknow when to stop."

"Congratulations," Harry tauntedher. "That doesn't mean anyone else's kids know when to stop. I hope youlocked the bar."

"Ned isthere." Susan returned to the opened yearbook, the conversation clearlyover. Her husband could handle any crisis.

"Youcould have said that in the first place." Harry opened her yearbook to thesame page.

"Why?It's more fun to listen to you tell me what to do."

"Oh." Harry sheepishly bent over theyearbook photo of one of her senior superlatives, Most Likely to Succeed."I can't believe I looked like that."

"You lookexactly the same. Exactly." Miranda pulled Harry's yearbook to her.

"Don'tcompliment her, it will go to her head." Susan turned to Chris. "Areyou sorry you volunteered to help us?"

"No, butI don't see as I'm doing much good." The newcomer smiled, her hand on herown high-school yearbook.

"Allright. Down to business." Harry straightened her shoulders. "I'm incharge of special categories for our twentieth high-school reunion. BoomBoomCraycroft, our fearless leader"-Harry said this with a tinge of sarcasmabout the head of the reunion-"is going to reshoot photographs of oursenior superlatives with us as we are today. My job is to come up with otherthings to do with people who weren't senior superlatives.

"That'sonly fair. I mean, there are only twelve senior superlatives, one male, onefemale. That's twenty people out of one hundred and thirty-two, give or take afew, since some of us were voted more than one superlative." Harry pausedfor a breath. "How many were in your class, Miranda?"

"Fifty-six. Forty-two are still alive,although some of us might be on respirators. My task for my reunion iseasier." Miranda giggled, her hand resting on the worn cover of her 1950yearbook.

"You allwere so lucky to go to small high schools. Mine was a consolidated. Huge,"Chris remarked, and indeed her yearbook bore witness to the fact, being threetimes fatter than that of Harry and Susan or Mrs. Hogendobber.

Susan agreed."I guess we were lucky but we didn't know it at the time."

"Doesanyone?" Harry tapped her yellow wooden pencil against the back of herleft wrist.

"Probablynot. Not when you're young. What fun we had." Miranda, a widow, nodded herhead, jammed with happy memories.

"Okay,here's what I've got. Ready?" They nodded in assent so Harry beganreading, "These are categories to try and include others: Most DistanceTraveled. Most Children. Most Wives-"

"You'renot going to do that." Miranda chuckled.

"Why not?That one is followed by Most Husbands. Too bad we can't have one for MostAffairs." Harry lifted her eyebrows.

"Malicious," Susan said dryly.

"Rhymeswith delicious." Harry's eyes brightened. "Okay, what else have I gothere? Most Changed. Obviously that has to be in some good way. Can't pick outsomeone who has porked on an extra hundred pounds. And-uh-I couldn't think ofanything else."

"Harry,you're usually so imaginative." Miranda seemed surprised.

"She'snot at all imaginative but she is ruthlessly logical. I'll give her that."

Harry ignoredSusan's assessment of her, speaking to Chris, "When you're new to a placeit takes a long time to ferret out people's relationships to one another.Suffice it to say that Susan, my best friend since birth, feels compelled topoint out my shortcomings."