She waited until he caught up with her before continuing. “After lunch, I talked with one of your deputies to see if he knew where you were. I wanted to tell you that I think the guy who sold Rowena the quilts might have been wearing one of the hats from the trucking company that donated a bunch to the volunteers on Saturday. Considering how many of them were given away, though, that’s probably not going to be much help in finding the guy.”
“You’re probably right about that, but I will add the info to my file.”
“Is that everybody?”
She almost said yes, but then she remembered the odd conversation she’d had with Troy Tolbert. “No, there’s one more although he’s already on your list—Troy Tolbert.”
Before she could explain the circumstances, Gage looked up from his notepad with a frown. “You promised you’d stay away from him.”
“And I have. This time he found me, not the other way around. He stopped by yesterday afternoon. He said he happened to be passing by and saw me working in the yard. He had run into Glenda at church and heard about how she’d gotten her quilt back. He wanted to know if the store owner knew the name of the guy who’d sold her the quilts.”
That had Gage sitting up taller. “Why?”
“Troy is hoping if he can identify the guy, he might be able to find his wife. He said he’s accepted she’s not coming back, which means there are legal things they need to get started on so they can both move on. That much is true. I know from my own experience, there’s no way to untangle their lives completely until the lawyers and courts have settled everything.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That the booth owner didn’t remember much about the guy. He came in when the shop was busy, so she didn’t spend much time with him. Even if she did have his name in her records, she wouldn’t give it to me. All she did say was that he was of average appearance. The only two specific details she mentioned were that he wore sunglasses and a black hat with a pink high heel on it.”
Might as well tell him the rest even if she had no idea how he’d react. “By the way, I didn’t share any of that description with Troy. I also pointed out that the booths at the swap meet probably change all the time. Even if the guy does come back with more quilts, chances are the same booth might not be there.”
Tripp blinked several times as if having a hard time following the logic of her comment. “Why did you tell him that?”
“Okay, I know everyone seems to think Troy is a great guy, so this might sound crazy. There’s just something about that man I don’t trust.” She held up her hand to forestall whatever Gage was about to say. “Having said that, the ladies of the quilting guild really like him and feel bad about how his wife left him. Even though it’s been months since that happened, at least a few of them still take him casseroles and baked goods on a regular basis.”
Tripp perked up. “Are you talking about the dreaded tuna casserole?”
When she nodded, he shuddered.
“That poor fool.” He gave her a narrow-eyed stare. “By the way, you promised to make Jean stop, but she showed up with another one just yesterday.”
Did she really want to know? Yeah, she did. “What was her special ingredient this time?”
“Anchovies.” Tripp’s expression was pretty bleak. “Lots and lots of anchovies.”
Gage gave up trying not to laugh, and she couldn’t help but join in. Tripp clearly didn’t think it was funny and muttered under his breath that there would be retribution at some point.
Dragging herself back to the matter at hand, Abby tacked on one last item to her reasons for not trusting Troy. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but in my defense, I’m not the only one who doesn’t care for the man. Zeke doesn’t like him, either. Not at all. In fact, both times we’ve crossed paths with him, Zeke has growled at Troy. To my knowledge, he’s never done that to anyone else.”
At least neither man laughed at her, although it was difficult to tell how much weight Gage gave to a dog’s opinion.
“Did Troy say anything else?”
“Not that I remember other than I needed to keep Zeke chained up. He left right after that, and I went back inside.”
Gage made a few more notes and returned the spiral book to his pocket. “I’ll let you know if we learn anything more about who was on your porch tonight, but we don’t have much to go on.”
“I know.”
Which made it all the more scary. She was getting tired of being afraid. Right now all she wanted to do was go home and hide from the whole world. Her two companions were looking pretty haggard, too. At the sound of approaching footsteps, they all looked in unison toward the door. She hoped like heck it was the doctor back with Tripp’s test results.
Luck was with them. The doctor peeked around the curtain that afforded the room some privacy from the constant stream of people passing by the glass wall that faced the nurse’s station in the middle of the emergency room.
“Mr. Blackston, looks like you were right about your hard head. No fractures.” He softened the comment with a smile. “The nurse will be in to discharge you in a few minutes. Follow the list of directions she’ll give you and check in with your family doctor in a week to get the stitches out. If your symptoms change or get worse, see him sooner or come back here.”
He glanced at Abby. “He really shouldn’t be alone for the next twenty-four hours. Will you be with him?”
Before Tripp could protest, she nodded. “I will keep an eye on him.”
“Good. Take care, everybody.”
The nurse came in right after he left and made quick work of Tripp’s discharge instructions. That he didn’t protest when they brought in a wheelchair for him to ride in on the way out to where Gage could pick them up, was clear evidence of just how bad he was feeling by that point.
The ride home was uneventful, and Gage helped her get Tripp inside and settled in the bed across the hall from her own room. He promised that one of his deputies would be parked out front for the rest of the night and that he’d stop back by in the morning to see if they could find any more evidence to help identify the intruder. She suspected he didn’t hold out much hope. At least it had finally stopped raining, which would make any investigation easier to do.
She locked up once Gage left and trudged back upstairs to get ready for bed for the second time in one night. It felt like heaven to crawl back under the covers. Meanwhile, Zeke seemed unsure which human needed his company more. Finally, he flopped down on the rug in Tripp’s room. She wished he was closer to her but didn’t begrudge him for wanting to stay near his injured friend.
The way things had been going lately, tomorrow would probably bring a whole new set of problems, but right now she didn’t care. She turned on her side to face the open door, which afforded a view of the man sleeping across the hall. Poor guy, he never signed on for this kind of trouble when he’d moved into the cottage out back. She’d have to think of a special way to thank him yet again.
She drifted off to sleep thinking about apple pies and chocolate cakes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next morning Tripp insisted on heading off to class despite Abby’s best efforts to convince the stubborn idiot to stay home and take it easy. At least he’d let her drive him and promised to call her if he got to feeling worse. One of Gage’s deputies was parked out front when she returned. She walked Abby to the door and made sure everything was okay before returning to her squad car. She also promised that she and the other deputies would maintain a high profile in the neighborhood until further notice.
Once the woman left, Abby left Zeke to stand guard and went upstairs to continue hunting for the last few quilts pictured in Aunt Sybil’s notebook.
She found two in one of those plastic storage bags with all the air sucked out, so at least some progress was being made. As she continued her search, it occurred to her that she hadn’t mentioned the odd coincidence to Gage or Tripp that both mysteries she was dealing wi
th involved quilts. It was probably better that she hadn’t, considering how both of them felt about her asking too many questions.
Right after lunch, she was debating if she wanted to dive into another one of the closets upstairs when the phone rang. Seeing that it was Gage calling, she sat back down at the kitchen table as she swiped her finger across the screen to answer. She was starting to think she should give him his own ring tone.
“Hi, Gage. What’s up?”
“I tried to call Tripp first, but he didn’t pick up. How is he doing today?”
No use in sugar coating the situation. “In my opinion, not all that well. I think his head was still hurting, but he insisted on going to class. I drove him, and he said he should be able to hitch a ride home with a classmate. I told him to call me if he got to feeling worse and needed to come back early, but we both know that’s not going to happen.”
There was a thread of amusement in Gage’s voice when he responded. “Soldier Boy might not let you fuss over him, Abby, but I’m willing to bet that he appreciates the fact that you care enough to try.”
Did men ever make sense? Not that she’d noticed recently, but they didn’t seem to understand her all that well, either. “Any news on our intruder?”
“Sorry, but not so far.”
She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by that even if she wasn’t surprised. “Well, it was a long shot considering the rain and everything.”
“We’ll keep trying, though. I know you’ve already talked to my deputy this morning, and my nightshift guys will be driving past your place on a regular basis for the next few days. You know, just in case.”
“That’s good to know. Thank them for me. I’ll definitely sleep better knowing they’re out there.”
After a brief silence, Gage let out a slow breath. “I debated telling you about this next part, but I think you should know. I would also appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself. Well, you can tell Tripp if you feel the need, but otherwise no one else. Okay?”
She hated to make promises without having all the facts first, but she trusted Gage enough to do as he asked. “Mum’s the word.”
“I drove out to talk to Rowena out at the swap meet. She gave me the same basic description she gave you, so nothing new there. However, she did show me the name and address the guy gave her. Since it was a cash transaction, she didn’t ask for any identification. When I ran the name and address, they both turned out to be bogus. Under the circumstances, I can’t say I was surprised.”
“Yeah, that makes sense if he and Julie are trying to stay under the radar.”
The whole situation gave her the creeps. Why did they feel such a powerful need to hide? Unless Julie was afraid of being found for some reason. Stealing a bunch of quilts didn’t seem like a good enough motive.
“I can understand why she might be hiding from Troy. From what he said, she practically emptied their savings accounts before she left, not to mention she took a bunch of stuff that could be easily sold for cash. Of course, the guy could be the one who’s on the run. There are all kinds of reasons that could be in play. Maybe he’s wanted for back child support or something.”
Gage picked up the conversation from there. “Here’s the thing, though. As far as I can tell, no one has actually talked to her at all, not even her parents. They have gotten a few emails saying she’s okay and promising to let them know when she gets settled someplace, but that’s all. It’s been months now, so they’re worried and understandably upset about her behavior. Oddly enough, they’re siding with Troy. I get the impression they’re pretty conservative and disapprove of a wife deserting her husband.”
Abby couldn’t help but express her opinion on that subject. “That all depends on the reasons she left. When I found out Chad was cheating on me, there was no way I could stay with him, so I’m not exactly impartial on the subject.”
“I can see why. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that we’re pretty much at a dead end on the quilt situation. And for what it’s worth, I’m inclined to trust Zeke’s impression of Troy. I don’t have to tell you to avoid him if at all possible.”
“No, you don’t. And if he comes around again, I’ll either lock myself in the house or find Tripp if he’s home.”
“Good thinking. Take care, Abby. And why don’t I call Tripp and offer to pick him up from school? That will save you driving out there again, and I’ll be out and about anyway.”
“If you’re sure, . . . or is that your way of telling me that I have to stay locked up in the house all the time?”
After a few seconds of silence, he finally answered. “No, but it would be smart if you stick to public places with lots of people around.”
“Okay, I will. Talk to you later.”
She sat staring off into space for several moments, her thoughts going nowhere fast. Finally, Zeke padded into the room to sit beneath the hook that held his leash.
“Subtle hint there, Zeke. But you’re right. It’s time for both of us to get some fresh air.” She considered their options. “For a change of pace, let’s drive over to the park and walk along the river. That should be okay. There’s always a lot people hanging out there, and we can even stop at Bridey’s on the way. A latte for me and one of her doggy treats for you.”
Zeke stared up at her with those soulful dark eyes of his, as if telling her that one just wasn’t enough, not for a guy his size. Okay, she was probably imagining things, but maybe not. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge him a bit. “Okay, big guy, I’ll still get a latte, but I’ll throw in two treats for you and maybe one for me. How does that sound?”
He barked in response as his tail beat out a syncopated rhythm of pure joy. She laughed at the way his jowls wobbled when he barked to hurry her along. After patting him on the head, she took down his leash and opened the back door. “Okay, jowly boy, let’s hit the road.”
* * *
She lucked out and scored a parking spot right in front of Something’s Brewing and ran inside to get the goodies while Zeke waited in the front seat. She didn’t bother locking the car. Who would mess with it while a ninety-pound dog with big teeth was on guard duty? After stowing her drink and Zeke’s treats out of his reach, she drove down to the park where the two of them sat at one of the picnic tables and basked in the warmth of the sun.
Afterward, they did an extra lap along the trail that followed the river, so she could work off the extra calories from her peach muffin. By the time they reached the car, they were both happily tired and ready to go home.
The only question was which way they should go. The most direct route would take them right by Troy’s house, and she’d promised to stay away from him. On the other hand, she didn’t plan to drop by for a visit, and she would be safe in the car with Zeke there to protect her. Danged if she’d spend the rest of her time living in Snowberry Creek driving blocks out of her way to avoid one man.
Regardless, she’d drive straight past without slowing down or paying any attention to his house. If he was in the front yard and saw her passing by, well, she’d deal with that prospect if it came up. As soon as she turned down his street, she regretted her decision. Not only was he outside, but the truck parked in his driveway was all too familiar. Without a doubt, it was the same one she’d seen in the parking lot at the Creek Café and again the other day when the driver had done an abrupt turn to avoid driving past her.
And if it really was Troy who’d been at the café that night, then he hadn’t been out of town on the night her window was broken like Gage had thought. As far as she was concerned, that zoomed him right to the top of the list of possible suspects who might have thrown that brick through her window. When Gage brought Tripp home, she’d tell them both her suspicions.
Meanwhile, what was Troy doing? Even from a distance, his body language screamed anger, loud and clear. Not wanting to be spotted, she pulled in between two parked cars a half a block away but left the engine running just in case. As far as she could te
ll, he remained unaware of her presence, which was a huge relief. She stroked Zeke’s soft fur, taking comfort from the contact as she kept an eye on the man down the street.
He carried two plastic bags over to the truck and started to toss them in the back end. One caught on the side of the truck and tore, revealing a brief flash of the contents before he pulled it free and shoved it inside the bed and out of sight. Her pulse kicked up to a higher gear as she tried to make sense of what she’d just seen.
“Zeke, I might be crazy, but I think that was a patchwork square I just saw.” She wrapped her right arm around the dog’s strong shoulders. “If I’m right about that, what’s he going to do with that quilt?”
Well, duh! The answer was obvious. He was going to get rid of it. From the size and weight of those two bags, it wasn’t the only one. Why would he do that? If he’d found the quilts, all he had to do was say so. Of all people, he had the perfect reason to have them. She doubted any of the ladies they belonged to would question him if he simply said he’d uncovered them somewhere in the house where he hadn’t looked before. The attic, the garage, and even the crawl space under the house were all believable locations.
Which made her wonder why he hadn’t taken the easy way out and returned them. Or did those quilts pose a threat to him in some way?
Meanwhile, he’d started the truck and was backing out of his driveway. Without hesitation, she made the decision to follow him at a discreet distance. Again, as long as she stayed in her car with the doors locked and kept the engine running, she was safe. If she saw him do anything else suspicious, she’d be on the phone to Gage in a heartbeat.
Troy made a right turn at the next intersection, probably heading over to Main Street. Where he would go from there was anyone’s guess, but she needed to avoid being seen following him. Rather than turn at the same spot, she kept going for another block and then turned. When she reached Main Street, she looked in both directions for any sign of his truck.
Death by Committee Page 24
