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“I don’t think she’ll like it when you call Scarlett her friend, honey,” said Marge as she glanced out the kitchen window into the backyard. Odd that the cats were nowhere to be found. Usually around dinner time you couldn’t keep them away, as there was always something that fell off the table when their family sat down for dinner. She remembered Vesta’s words about that hunger strike. Knowing her cats they wouldn’t last a day without food. She smiled and took the pork chops from the fridge. They’d be back soon.

“What’s the deal between those two anyway?” asked Tex as he cut a slice off the Duffer and took a bite.

“Oh, you know,” said Marge.

“I know what happened way back when,” he said. “But why are they still at each other’s throats? Your dad is long gone, so there’s no reason for them to be enemies.”

“Vesta likes to hold a grudge. And so does Scarlett. She’s not the innocent bystander in this.”

“So maybe you should try and negotiate a truce?”

She made a scoffing sound.“No way. I don’t want to be torn limb from limb by a pack of rabid old ladies. They’re vicious.”

“And don’t I know it,” he said, massaging his ankle.

“You wanna know what I think? I think they like this feud. It adds spice to their lives.” She moved over to where her husband sat and put a slice of Duffer into her mouth. The meat simply melted on her tongue. “Oh, my God. What do they put in these things?”

“Delicious, huh?”

“Incredible.”

“At least the Duffers managed to put this town on the map.”

“You know?” she said, suddenly feeling magnanimous. “Why don’t we give my mother exactly what she wants?”

“You mean, buy her one of those foldable smartphones?”

“Yeah. I mean, why not? She’s getting on, and she won’t be with us forever. And it’s not as if we can’t afford one, right?”

“Right,” said Tex dubiously. He put another piece of Duffer into his mouth. “I guess we could always sell her old phone, and then add a little extra and buy her a new one.”

Marge sat down on her husband’s lap and gave him a kiss. “And then you will finally be able to sleep with your wife again.”

“Finally,” he said with a smile.

She returned the smile.“You’re the best hubby in the whole wide world, have I ever told you that? And I’m a very lucky girl.”

“You’ve told me, but it never hurts to hear it again,” said Tex, then took another slice and tore it into two pieces, popped one into his mouth and the other one into Marge’s.

“Oh, my God,” she murmured, and gave him another kiss, then lingered. “The house is ours, hubby,” she said hoarsely. “The kids are away, my mom is away, and so are the cats.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, wifey?”

She giggled, and then Mr. and Mrs. Poole were scooting up the stairs.

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Chase drove the car into town, and they happened to pass by the Duffer Store. A mass of people had gathered on the sidewalk, and they were shouting something.

“What’s going on over there?” asked Chase.

“Disgruntled customers, probably,” said Odelia.

“Let’s check it out,” said Chase as he parked across the road. He got out and rolled his shoulders, then marched in the direction of the protestors.

“I love it when he does that, don’t you?” said Gran.

“Does what?” asked Odelia, wondering what was up with all this Duffer mania.

“He assumes the cop stance.”

“The cop stance?” said Odelia with a laugh.

“Sure! He straightens his shoulders, lifts his chin, plasters this fierce expression on his face and dives right in. The cop stance! Just like putting on the uniform. And then when he gets home at night, he takes it off, drapes it across the back of the chair and he’s Chase Kingsley again, son,husband… father.”

“I never thought about it like that,” said Odelia, though she had to admit there was some truth to what her grandmother was saying.

“All cops do that,” said Gran, as if she was the world expert on cops. “It’s a part they play, a role they assume, and like any actor they slip in and out of it. Like Robert de Niro or Al Pacino. They become the mobsters they’re playing, and Chase becomes the cop.”

“Well, I don’t think he sees it that way,” said Odelia, “but he probably does have to project a certain authority when he approaches a mob scene like that.”

The commotion was still in full swing, and she now wondered if Chase needed backup.

“It’s because they ran out of Duffers,” said Gran.

“Yeah, I know. I interviewed Colin Duffer this afternoon. They should have fresh Duffers soon. They’ve been working on an entirely new production facility.”

“Great. I like my Duffers.”

“Everybody likes their Duffers.” Except for her, though now that she’d tasted one she agreed they were pretty yummy.

Chase came walking back to the car again. His hair was a little mussed, his cheeks were flushed, and he had a hunted look in his eyes. When he dropped down in the driver’s seat he blew out a deep breath. “These people are crazy.”

“What’s going on?” asked Odelia.

“They’re picketing the Duffer Store!”

“And what are their demands?”