Keeper
Copyright© 2021 by Charly Young
Chapter 7
Before she left for work, Niamh put out some tuna for the striped skunk family that lived under her porch. She had a good working relationship with the little female. It loved tuna and in return provided a warning system if anyone thought to set an ambush.
She dressed in her leathers and steel-toed boots, packed a change of clothes in her battered rucksack and hopped on her Ducati Streetfighter and took off for Wenatchee.
When she arrived, she pulled into a 7-11 and used their restroom to change out of her bike leathers and put on her version summer vacationing college girl—a long sleeve checkered shirt with tails fashionably tied around her waist to show her tanned midriff, daisy duke shorts and sandals.
Niamh excelled at disguises. When she went to work for the council, Harlan hired a Hollywood wardrobe consultant to give her tips on blending in with mundanes. With a different outfit and a deliberate change in attitude, she morphed into a late teen-early twenties student named Trixie who was home for the summer.
The Old Navy store in Wenatchee was a crowded with summer shoppers.
“Yeah, I remember that day for sure.” A bubbly clerk, whose name badge said Rita, eagerly related the dramatic story. “A little girl went missing. Hard to believe. We kinda watch out for kids, you know, but the store is pretty crowded with displays and merchandise. Nobody remembers even seeing her. Especially since that evil old lady was throwing a fit because Sandy wouldn’t give her a refund on a blouse that was practically worn out.”
“Wow,” Niamh said sympathetically, “I bet it’s tough dealing with the public day after day. She sounds like a bitch.”
“Yeah, you have no idea. I felt the worse for her little puppy. You can imagine how mean she probably is to it.”
“Really, she had a puppy in the store?”
“Yeah, it was gray with the prettiest green eyes. The poor thing was cowering every time she looked at it. It looked so miserable I felt bad for it. Hey, are you looking for work, I bet I can talk to Gloria the manager and get you some shifts.”
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