#827
Clora spent the day going through the unkept cupboards and cleaning. There were dushes she liked and kept, others she stacked on the end of the table for MR and her grandparents housekeeping.
The longer she worked, the more Clora had the feeling that Mark needed to take car of a looming problem.
Finally she thought of a solution and went to mark's study. She came with two cups of coffee and a small dessert plate with two cookies balanced on top.,
"We have a problem." she began. "We are going to be raided by an agency, looking for the sniper rifle. This has been demanded by the Saudis, hoping to pin the death of the prince on you."
"So, I'm to be the sacrifice," Mark looked out the window with a deep frown. "You know I'm way past my expiration date. Most operatives are long gone by my age."
"I believe with all my heart, that if God has need of you, you will not die. Conversely, when it is your time, nothing can keep you alive, Besides I've thought of a clever hiding place for the rifle."
"Oh yeah where?"
"The heavy wood bedroom set you've been complaining about. Detach that monstrous sized footboard, turn it up side down and hollow out a compartment. If you are careful, you can plug the hole with the length of the first cut out. I'd say that you have no more than three days, at the most."
Mark nodded, finished his coffee and both cookies. "Good idea, I'm on it" he announced with grim determination.
"I'd be careful about doing anything outside, I feel we might be under surveillance. You need to sweep with the bug finder" Clora reminded him as she gathered up the mugs and plate.
Mark nodded again, he couldn't believe he was being so sloppy and forgetting to do his basic maintained.
The large, rusty bolts holding the footboard to the frame, took a little persuasion with a ratchet and a breaker bar. But Mark was a determined man.
The sniper rifle was the finest take down instrument he had ever used. It might eventually be found, but they were going to have to put effort into the discovery.
The detector sweep yielded nothing, and Mark breathed a sigh of relief. As he etched his cutting lines on the upended bottom rail. He couldn't help but feel very pleased at the hiding place.
It was a sawdust mess for Clora to clean up, and it looked that Eula hadn't cleaned under the bed in forty years. It was clean when Clora got done with it,
Don showed up about noon time. "I could smell that soup when I turned at the Y in the road." he approved the large stockpot filled with turkey vegetable soup.
Don decided to wait until after lunch to ask about housekeeping supplies. Ma had said she would have extras for them, but he didn;t want to distract her from getting dunner on the table.
There was soup, rolls ,the last of the sliced had, warmed over dressing and huge dish of pickles and olives.
Don was pretty sure he could smell apple pie, but he had to be careful about that. Dad could get snarly if he thought Don was getting more than his reasonable share.