Die Like an Eagle Read Online Free Page A

“No problem. See you in an hour, dear.”
    I hung up to find Michael staring at me and grinning.
    â€œI’m not sure which surprises me more,” he said. “That you just ordered your mother to organize a picnic for a hundred people on an hour’s notice, or the fact that she agreed to do it so readily.”
    â€œI didn’t order her,” I said. “I asked her. She sounded delighted. But a hundred people—did she think I was lowballing the number of baseball guests, or do we really have forty or fifty relatives in town for Opening Day?”
    â€œCould be,” Michael said. “I’m delighted by how many die-hard baseball fans there are in your family.”
    Yes, we had a lot of baseball fans, and also a lot of Josh and Jamie fans. And when my relatives added in the likelihood—which I’d just made a certainty—of having at least one grandiose family party during their stay …
    â€œI hope a hundred isn’t an underestimate,” I said with a sigh. “And that not too many of them are planning to stay at our house.”
    â€œWe’ll manage,” Michael said. “I’d better go round up our three.”
    â€œThree?” I echoed. “Oh, right—we’re giving Adam Burke a ride. Shall I call his grandparents to ask if he can come to the picnic?”
    â€œHe was coming over after practice anyway for a playdate,” Michael said. “Why don’t you call and invite them to the picnic? I’m sure Minerva and the chief would both enjoy it.”
    With that he strolled off toward the dugout.
    I pulled out my cell phone and was about to call Minerva Burke, Adam’s grandmother. But it was Thursday. And 6:00 P.M. Minerva was director of the New Life Baptist Church’s justly famous gospel choir, and Thursday evenings from six to eight were one of their regular practice times. So instead I called Chief Burke.
    â€œHi, it’s Meg,” I said when he answered. “Nothing’s wrong,” I added, because I’d long ago figured out that the chief was a bit of a worrywart when it came to his grandkids. “Adam’s playdate with Josh and Jamie is still on, but I wanted to tell you that we’re having a big picnic for visiting relatives, and a lot of the kids on the team are coming with their families, and you and Minerva are more than welcome to join us when you’re free.”
    â€œThank you kindly,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to get there until after choir practice, but if you think it will still be going on then, we’d be delighted to visit a while before we take Adam home.”
    â€œWe’ll see you sometime after eight, then,” I said. “And Adam’s brothers are welcome, too. The more the merrier.” And then, since the chief seemed to be in a mellow mood, I decided to lead up to a question that had just occurred to me. “And since we’ve got a bunch of sports-crazy kids coming, all armed with the equipment they brought to practice, it’s possible that baseball may occur. It’ll be nice to have another witness that it’s just a pickup game, in case Biff Brown accuses of us of having an illicit practice.”
    â€œI will be happy to defend the Eagles’ honor should the occasion arise,” he said. “I see you’ve made Mr. Brown’s acquaintance.”
    â€œNot formally,” I said. “But his reputation precedes him. Does Biff have anything to do with Adam getting traded onto the Eagles?”
    â€œHe has everything to do with it,” the chief said. “The boy shows signs of being a handy little ball player—”
    â€œI’d noticed,” I put in.
    â€œThank you. And there was no way in Hades Minerva and I were going to let Biff anywhere near him. I had a word with Michael, just to say that I’d rather have Adam playing for him, with a couple of kids he knew well, and we