She bid everyone good-bye, then she, Big Mim, Little Mim, Inez, and Harry donned their coats. Jahnae walked them to the door. A driver with a school vehicle waited for them. He first ferried Aunt Tally to the passenger seat. Although they were only a short distance from the door, the winds almost blew the tiny old lady away.
O
nce back at Fairchild Alumni House, the humans were greeted by the animals. Everyone sat in the living room as the lights flickered.
If the power goes, no heat. No hot anything. The stove is electric, Big Mim announced.
This wont be the first time William Woods has lost power. Let me rummage around. I bet theres a propane heater somewhere. Harry got up, with Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, and Pewter right behind her.
She checked the kitchen closets. Then she went into the basement. Sure enough, there was a propane heater, and it was full.
She brought it upstairs and placed it in the living room. Just in case.
Better look for candles or flashlights,
Mrs. Murphy suggested.
Although Harry didnt understand what her cat was saying, she began searching for those very items. If you live in the country, you tend to think ahead. She found candles on the shelves of the broom closet and one flashlight. She brought these back to the living room.
Detective work. Little Mim reached for a candle.
Inez and Tally had been discussing Mariahs no-show.
Aunt Tally turned a sharp eye on Inez. What do you think?
Something has happened to her.
Like foul play, Little Mim whispered.
Dont jump the gun. Aunt Tallys voice rose. She could have had
a heart attack or a stroke. For all we know, shes in the hospital. Or having an affair, slipping off before a big storm. That would give her an excuse. Power goes out. No cell phone service or landlines. Its a possibility.
Kenda Shindler called the hospitals. In Columbia. In Jefferson City. In Kansas City. In St. Louis, Inez said. No Mariah.
She could have had a stroke and lost some memory. Maybe she doesnt know who she is. Aunt Tally then smiled. Or she could know exactly who she ispeople in love are resourceful. Like I said, the storm is a great opportunity.
You know, were all probably overreacting, thanks in part to Liz Filmore. Silly and drunk. Inez folded her hands across her chest. Liz rubs some people the wrong way. I get along with her, but shes a social climberat least, thats how I read her. But that tawdry ambition makes her work hard to make money. Good for me.
Liz was loaded. Tim should have stuck a wine-soaked tennis ball in her mouth. Would have shut her up and pacified her at the same time. Aunt Tally laughed.
Low-pressure systems dont help, Little Mim said. Then she explained, People feel tired, some get edgy. Maybe its not so bad.
This is awful to say, but were family. Inez winked. The meeting really was easier without Mariah. Of course, if the situation had been reversedif Flo didnt show up and Mariah didit would have been just as easy.
As Inez spoke, the lights flickered again but remained on. Im sorry for the blizzard and Im sorry for the worry. Casts a shadow over your big day. She turned to Aunt Tally. I hope it was wonderful.
It really was. The biggest surprise was meeting Ralston Peaveys granddaughter. I still cant believe it.
Me, neither, Big Mim agreed, and this was echoed by her daughter.
Tucker, Mrs. Murphy, and Pewter could feel the barometer drop more acutely than the humans could. Tucker wanted to go back to the manure pile, even if it was freezing over and covered with snow. On the other hand, she was happy to be inside. Really, she was getting as bad as Harry: She hated not knowing something.
Flo, plaid wool throw around her legs, was stretched out on Gayles sofa in the living room. Each woman would occasionally glance out the windows. Each time, they marveled at the volume of snow. They, too, were discussing Mariah.
You must have some idea? Gayle was worried.
None. Look, Gayle, I couldnt stand her. Didnt even want to be in the same room with her. If she was up to no good, she certainly wasnt going to tell me.
Apart from your college clashes, did she do something recently that offended you?
She
offends me. Her very person. Ive felt that way since I first met her. Havent you ever met someone and disliked them instantly?
Once. I avoided him.
Well, I couldnt very well avoid Mariah. I swear, she spent more time at William Woods now than when she was a student, just to torment me. God knows, she never missed a chance to drive in from Kansas City. And her being on the alumnae board means I have to deal with her a lot. Shes just so pushy. Shed searched for that word.
She is. But its in the service of the school.
Oh, bollocks. The alumnae board is a way for her to get attention. Shes raised a lot of money already. She craves attention. Always has.
I suppose she does, Gayle reluctantly agreed. It would appear that Liz Filmore suffers from attention-deficit syndrome, too. She grinned mischievously. Neither woman gets enough.
Give credit where credit is due. Flo wrinkled her nose. Mariah does raise money, and she wants attention for that. Liz wants attention for herself.
Looks like it, Gayle agreed again.
Mariah would not miss a meeting. Hell, shed go just to irritate me. Flo crossed one foot over the other. Shes done something terrible. Shes on the lam. I guarantee it.
Flo, Gayle took a deep breath, what an awful thought.
Flo thought for a moment, pulled the blanket more tightly around her. Mariah inspires awful thoughts.
Neither Flo nor Gayle knew of the twenty-five thousand dollars that had been drawn from the Kansas City account. Although it had been repaid, both women would have been outraged.
Gayle shifted on her chair. It will all come out in the wash. She paused. Certainly was a lovely dinner. Can you imagine reaching one hundred?
You know, I never thought about it. A deep sigh followed. The only way, really, would be to marry a plastic surgeon. Maybe then youd look seventy.
Maybe then your navel would be between your eyes. Gayle giggled.
The third eye of prophecy, Flo shot back, and they laughed uproariously.
A
s a precaution, four of the maintenance workers bunked up at the university. Like the alumnae, people who worked at William Woods eventually fell under its spell. Hardworking, straightforward Missouri men, not one of them could bear the thought of their kids shivering in their rooms or not being able to get hot food.
While Aunt Tally had celebrated, the four men divided up the campus, each protecting his quadrant. Every residence hall was hooked up to a series of generators, and the maintenance men showed the CA, often a graduate student, how to cut off the circuit breakers, then turn on the generator. A few of the students, not country folk, knew how to check a circuit breaker but didnt understand why they needed to cut the power when it was out. Patiently, they were informed that if the power came back on and the generator was running, theyd blow out everything.
The final carrying out of manure to the big snow-covered pile was done. The horses would be in superclean stalls in case they couldnt be thoroughly mucked out tomorrow. The students had put down extra bedding. Water usually didnt freeze inside the barns, but they knew that would happen tonight. Generators were hooked up in the barn so the pumps would still work. The frozen buckets could be dumped, then refilled with fresh water in the morning. Horses drank as much