A Fishy End

Chapter 22

Sarah Harrish yawned as she rose and left the bedroom. The kids were already in the living room watching Netflix. She paused and looked at them. They were still in their pyjamas, eating cereal, so they hadn't been up long.

"Anyone want a hot breakfast?" Sarah asked.

They all shook their heads no.

She went into the kitchen. The cereal was still on the counter, the milk next to it. She just sighed and grabbed the milk, shoving it back into the fridge. Rick would want Farina for his breakfast. The man was a creature of habit, and he'd eaten Farina almost every morning since he was a kid. She wondered what she would make for herself.

She crossed to the sink and let out a gasp. Krishna lay on its side in the sink. "Kids!" she roared. She lifted the statue gently and inspected it. Nothing seemed to have broken off.

"What?" came the kids' responses, floating in from the other room.

"Get in here," she answered, her face tight. The statue seemed okay, maybe a tiny bit scuffed.

There was the sound of feet, and she turned on the kids. "This is not a toy," she yelled, cradling her statue to her chest. "It's sacred. My father gave this Krishna to me on my wedding day. It's a consecrated idol from India. Who was messing with it?"

She fixed her eyes on Amala, the youngest and most likely culprit. She stared back, defiant. "It's wasn't me," she insisted. "I wouldn't. Ever."

Sarah believed her. Amala had trouble lying, bless her heart. She would blush and refuse to meet anyone's gaze when lying. Sarah turned to Manny.

"Huh uh," he said. "Not me." He held a hand to his heart. "I swear. On Krishna himself if you want. Didn't touch it."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. Manny was a lot harder to read. She moved on to Padme. She was the least likely, and she too denied having done it.

"You are all telling me it just fell by itself?"

They all shrugged.

She stared at them. Whatever had happened, none of them were admitting to a thing. She made an angry harrumph. "Fine, but if I catch anyone messing with it, I promise it won't go well for you. Understand?"

They nodded, Amala's eyes wide and fearful and even Manny looked nervous. They fled the kitchen.

Sarah turned to replace the statue in its proper place on the shelf above the sink. Her husband's new gold statue was in the very center of the shelf. Her eyes narrowed. She grabbed it with her free hand. It was heavy, and a sinister sensation coursed down her arm as she hefted it and moved it to the side, back to where it had been. She sat Krishna back in its place in the center of the shelf.

She gave the gold statue one last look before dismissing the whole suspicion as crazy.