Grim Reaper 01 - Embrace the Grim Reaper

that.” She turned away and walked toward the house on the stone path. “Anyway, they use other things he gives them. Like the TV.”
    Death followed her. “True. But the Orion’s worth a lot more. Shouldn’t they sell it and use the money for HomeMaker’s unemployed?”
    Casey stopped abruptly, but rather than bumping into her, Death strode right through her. Casey shivered. “Don’t do that.”
    “You’re the one who stopped.”
    “Anyway…” Casey looked back toward the garage. “What if there’s some reason they can’t sell it?”
    “Such as?”
    “It’s still in his name?”
    “That would work. But why would he do that?”
    “I don’t know. In case he wanted it back he could just take it.”
    She turned back toward the house and squeezed past Death, not wanting to step off the path into the vegetation. “I’m hungry. I’m going in.”
    Death gazed at the back of the house with a smirk.
    “What?”
    “Never mind. Go ahead. I’ll see you soon.”
    Rosemary was in the laundry room, a cup of coffee in her hand, staring out the back window.
    “Hey, Rosemary. You okay?”
    “What? Oh, sure, I’m fine. What did you and Eric discover?”
    Casey’s stomach rumbled. “Would it be all right if I grabbed something to eat while I told you? You can add food cost to my bill.”
    “Of course, darling. Let’s find you some lunch.” She hesitated. “Do you want to invite your friend to join us?”
    Casey froze. “What friend?”
    Rosemary gestured toward the back yard, where Death still stood, smirking at the window.
    “You can…you can see someone out there?”
    Rosemary sighed. “Yes. I wish I didn’t, but I do.”
    Casey closed her eyes, suddenly dizzy. “What about Lillian? Won’t she care?”
    “Oh, Lillian’s not here. And she wouldn’t care, anyway. She can’t see… that .”
    Casey shook her head.
    “Go ahead,” Rosemary said. “I’ll get something ready.” She swept into the kitchen.
    Casey opened the back door. “I don’t want this.”
    Death smiled and walked into the house. “Of course you don’t. But Rosemary is desperately interesting.”
    “She doesn’t seem to like you very much.”
    “She’ll warm to me.”
    Casey wasn’t so sure.
    “Here you go,” Rosemary said as they walked in. “I hope a turkey sandwich with tomato and lettuce is okay.”
    “Sounds great,” Casey said.
    “Divine,” Death said. “Are they your own tomatoes?”
    Casey rolled her eyes.
    “They are,” Rosemary said. “You can tell, can’t you? But then, I guess you can see most things.”
    “Oh, I’m still learning about vegetables.”
    That launched them into a conversation about gardening, and mulch, and the benefits of chicken or cow manure, while Casey chewed her sandwich, silently swearing at Death. Could she not even eat in peace now?
    “So, Casey,” Rosemary said. “You were going to tell me what you and Eric discovered.” She glanced at Death, her eyes half-lidded. “I assume you know all about it?”
    Death nodded, watching Casey with what one might construe as innocence.
    Casey glared at Death and told Rosemary about Aaron’s identification of the parts, HomeMaker’s faulty inventory, and Jack’s recognition of the dryer latch. She ended with her unhelpful trip to the library.
    “So we really don’t know much, do we?” Rosemary said.
    “Not enough.”
    Death pointed at Casey with a potato chip. “I think she should go talk to the banker.”
    “Todd?” Casey shook her head. “He’s not going to tell me anything about HomeMaker’s money.”
    “What if it’s not about money?”
    “What else would it be about?”
    “We do have another mystery to solve, don’t we? Not just about the unidentified appliance part?”
    “Something that has to do with Todd?”
    “Something that has to do with Ellen and Todd.”
    “You mean—” She stopped, remembering Todd’s glowing ears when she’d mentioned Ellen, as well as his fury on Ellen’s footage. She looked at Rosemary. “What do you know about Todd’s marriage?”
    Rosemary fussed with some breadcrumbs on her plate, pressing them down with a finger, then putting them to her mouth. “I don’t know much.”
    “But what you do know?”
    “They’ve been married a long time. They have three daughters.”
    Casey waited. That was the easy stuff. Even she knew those things. “Did he like Ellen?”
    “Of course he did. Everyone did.”
    “You know what I mean.”
    Rosemary sighed. “I think