It was fairly late when Harry arrived in the city and he put off visiting Dorie until the next morning. When the kids had gone to school and Moe was at work, he drove to Dorie’s house. After parking in the driveway, he strolled around the front yard, looking at the rocks on display. They were all different sizes and each was a small work of art. It wasn’t long before he heard the front door open and close. He paused and waited until Dorie came up to him. “Good morning, Dorie.”
“Nice to see you again, Harry. What do you think of my display?”
“Very impressive. Where did you get all the rocks to begin with?”
I went to the beach with Shawn, Moe and the kids one day. The rocks were all along the beach, high up past the tidal point. Shawn didn’t care how many I brought back so I stocked up. The kids helped out for a while but they soon grew bored and went off on their own adventures.”
“Typical kids.” Harry laughed. “And now someone’s stealing them from the yard.”
She nodded. “Come on inside. We’ll talk over coffee.”
“What made you decide to start painting rocks?” Harry asked, when they were seated at the kitchen table.
“I’d seen a few ideas online, but hadn’t seen many painted rocks around here. Several people had painted some to look like ladybugs… I saw a line of rocks that looked like a caterpillar… things like that. But no one had done any rocks with actual art.”
“And you decided to fill the gap.”
“Sort of.” She sipped her coffee. “Then, several weeks ago, I noticed that one of them had been replaced with a new, clean rock. So I brought it in, painted it and put it outside when it was dry. The next day another painted rock had been replaced. Now it’s several times a week.”
“Have you looked for them at all?” Harry asked.
“Where? I haven’t seen them in any front yards and I don’t intend to go snooping in anyone’s back yard. If someone wanted one, all they have to do is ask. I don’t mind others having them but I’d like to know where they are.”
“Is there any particular time of day when they’re taken?”
She shook her head. “Not certain but, around ten every morning, I go to a friend’s for at least an hour. The only thing is, I go out the back.”
“Okay, then I will be here in the morning before you leave. I’ll park back the street a ways, and we’ll see what happens.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
