Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 06 - Magnolia Mansion Mysteries

by Hope Callaghan

  But each of those mysteries had been solved and Andrea had been cleared of all charges.

  She wondered if Andrea’s parents had read the paper. She also wondered how the dinner with Brian had gone the night before. She didn’t have to wonder long.

  Her kitchen phone started to ring. “Hello?”

  “Did you see this morning’s paper?” It was Andrea.

  “Yes! And it’s bunch of bull hockey!”

  Andrea let out a deep sigh. “I guess I should be used to it by now.”

  “Don’t let it get to you, Andrea. We both know someone put that body there and it wasn’t you!”

  Andrea lowered her voice. “My dad is fit to be tied.” She went on. “He’s on my computer right now, looking for apartments for me in New York.”

  Gloria’s heart sunk. Had her parents finally convinced her to move? Gloria couldn’t blame her if she was tired of all the drama.

  “I’ve decided I am not moving,” Andrea said stubbornly. “This is my home!”

  “They’re just trying to look out for your best interest,” Gloria soothed. “Be firm but kind.” She was glad to see Andrea’s determination. She would need it to not only survive her parent’s visit, but also muddle through another mystery.

  “I will,” Andrea promised. She changed the subject. “Hey! Remember the boxes in the attic? I found a small journal inside one of them. It was tucked in the very bottom.”

  A journal. Gloria’s heart started to pound. “Did you look at it?”

  Andrea shook her head, as if Gloria could see her through the phone. “Nope. I’m saving it for you. You want to come by later and pick it up?”

  Gloria remembered the boys. “Tyler and Ryan will be here around lunchtime,” she warned.

  “Oh. You can bring them with you.”

  Gloria wasn’t sure about that. Andrea was used to the boys being around - but the Thorntons? That was another story. “What about your parents?”

  “They’re going to be out this afternoon to run errands and such.”

  “Okay. We’ll be there around 2 then.”

  Gloria poured another cup of coffee before heading to the bathroom to get ready for what was shaping up to be a very busy day.

  After she showered and dressed, Mally and Gloria headed out onto the porch to wait for Jill and the boys. They had just settled in when Jill’s car pulled in the drive. She could see the boys’ heads bobbing up and down in the back seat.

  She grinned as she watched the car come to a halt. The rear doors flung wide open and the boys raced each other to the porch. They both made it to the top at the same time. She wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them close.

  She beamed over their heads as her daughter made her way up the sidewalk, backpacks in hand. “They were driving me nuts! If they had their way, they’d have been here at six this morning. You would’ve thought it was Christmas or something.”

  Jill leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thanks for letting them stay.”

  The boys let go of Gloria and chased Mally into the yard. Jill followed her mother inside. She dropped the backpacks in the bedroom. “I’ll run back out and get lunch. I hope Mexican is okay.”

  Gloria nodded. She loved Mexican. Sometimes it didn’t love her so much, which was one of the reasons she didn’t eat it often. She told her daughter the truth. “I love Mexican.”

  “Good.” Jill headed to the car while Gloria cleared the kitchen table.

  Tyler made it into the kitchen first. He pulled out a chair and plopped down. Ryan flung himself in the seat next to his brother.

  Jill set the bags of food on the table and turned to her young sons. “Uh-uh. Go wash up first.”

  “Oh, man!” The boys hung their heads and headed to the bathroom.

  Jill pulled the wrapped food from the bag. “Tacos, burritos and quesadillas.”

  Gloria’s mouth watered. It all sounded good. All she’d eaten for breakfast was a slice of toast.

  The boys were back from the bathroom and had plunked down into the chairs, watching as their mother set the food on the table.

  Gloria unwrapped her bean burrito and laid it on top of the wrapper. She reached for a packet of hot sauce.

  Ryan reached out and touched Gloria’s finger. “That’s a pretty ring, Grams.”

  Gloria glanced down at the sparkling sapphire.

  Jill paused. “What ring?”

  Gloria dropped her hand and flashed the sapphire and diamond ring at her daughter, who raised her eyebrows. “This is from Paul?”

  Gloria’s cheeks warmed and she nodded.

  “Is that a wedding ring?” Tyler asked innocently.

  Gloria shook her head. “No, Tyler. It’s not a wedding ring.”

  “But it could be,” Ryan added.

  “Yes, it could be,” Gloria admitted. “But it’s not.” She quickly changed the subject. “Did you hear about the skeleton in the dumpster over at Andrea’s place?”

  Jill smeared a glob of sour cream on top of her quesadilla and lifted it to her lips. “Yeah!” She shook her head. “Poor Andrea has the worst luck!”

  “You found another body, Grams?” Tyler eyed his grandmother.

  “Yes, Tyler. There was a body. An old body – in the dumpster by Andrea’s house.”

  His eyes widened like saucers. “Do you think she has ghosts there, too?”

  She shook her head. “No. There are no ghosts,” she assured him. She looked up at Jill. “I have to run by her place later to pick something up.”

  Jill nodded. She finished her food, crumpled her wrappers and tossed them back into the food bag. “What time do you want me to pick the boys up tomorrow?”

  “Never!” Ryan told his mother.

  Gloria reached over and ruffled his blonde hair. “You don’t want your mom to cry now, do you?”

  He hung his head. “No.” He lifted his eyes. “It’s just that Gram’s place has all the fun stuff.” Then he remembered something his grandmother had promised him last time he’d stayed over. “Are you going to let us drive the tractor?”

  His eyes pleaded with her. Gloria did not have the heart to tell him no – plus she had promised. “A promise is a promise,” she answered.

  “Yippee!! Ryan bounced out of his chair and danced a little jig around the kitchen. Gloria was a little nervous but assured herself it would be fine. After all, what could possibly happen?

  They cleared the table and picked up their mess before Gloria walked Jill to the car. The boys had darted off to the garden.

  Jill slipped her sunglasses on and opened the car door. “You sure about the tractor?”

  “Yes. We’ll just wander around the field,” she told her. She sounded more confident than she felt. It was times like this she wished James were here. He could teach the boys to drive the tractor. But he wasn’t and she was.

  She watched as Jill pulled out of the drive and onto the road. She wandered over to the boys. “I’m going to quick run inside and grab my purse, then we’re going over to Andrea’s,” she told them.

  Neither of them looked up so she wasn’t sure if they even heard her. She let Mally back in the house and grabbed her keys off the hook. The three of them climbed in the car and out of the drive. She smiled as she listened to the conversation in the back seat.

  “I’m going to search the house for more bodies,” Ryan informed his older brother.

  “Ryan, there aren’t any more bodies. Grams found them all,” Tyler explained.

  Gloria covered her mouth and grinned. She shook her head. Kids could say the darndest things. She wished she had a way to record some of the stuff that came out of their mouths!

  Gloria pulled in the drive. She was relieved to see only Andrea’s car.

  The boys hopped out of the back seat and raced to the shed. In search of a body, Gloria decided. She cupped her hands to her mouth. “Don’t leave the yard,” she yelled.

  Andrea swung the door open when Gloria hit the front porch. “I hope
the boys are okay in the yard,” she fretted.

  Andrea craned her neck and looked off to the side. “Yeah! They can’t hurt anything out there,” she assured her.

  Gloria followed Andrea into the house and down the hall to the kitchen. The first thing Gloria noticed was the clutter in the new bar area, which was unusual for Andrea. She was very tidy. Everything had a place.

  The second thing Gloria noticed was what was on the counter. There must’ve been a dozen containers of Lysol wipes, all lined up in a row. In front of the wipes were several unopened bags of surgical masks and next to that, a box of latex gloves.

  Andrea followed Gloria’s stare. She rolled her eyes. “My mother has sanitized every square inch of the house.” She paused. “No. I take that back.” She looked up at her kitchen ceiling. “She hasn’t started up there yet.”

  Gloria leaned forward and ran her hand along a kitchen wall. “You mean to tell me she wiped all the walls with disinfecting wipes?”

  Andrea reached up, grabbed a chunk of her long hair and pulled. “I’m ready to rip my hair out. Literally!”

  The look on Andrea’s face was too much. Gloria couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing.

  The laughter was infectious. Soon, both women doubled over at the vision of Andrea’s mother wiping the entire house down with Lysol.

  Andrea wiped her eyes. “Oh, man. I needed that!” She rubbed her stomach. “Now my stomach hurts. It’s all your fault!”

  Gloria reached over and hugged her young friend. “You’re a good daughter, Andrea. Your parents are lucky to have you,” she told her.

  Andrea reached back, rummaging around in the stacks of stuff. “Oh! Here! Before I forget!” She pulled out a small journal and handed it to Gloria. “This is what I found in the bottom of one of the boxes.”

  Gloria reached in her purse and grabbed her glasses. She slipped them on. The journal was old. On the front was a small, square frame. Surrounding the frame were miniature flowering buds. Inside the picture part was another painting, similar to the ones they had found in the box. She opened the cover to inspect the front page.

  Just then, Ryan burst through the back door. “Grams! Come quick!”

  Gloria dropped the journal on the counter and raced out the back door. Andrea was hot on her heels.

  Ryan raced over to the shed. The door was open and Gloria could see Tyler inside, bent over and staring at something. As they got closer, she could see a large piece of wood propped up against one of the cabinets.

  Tyler pointed to the ground as the girls approached. “What’s that?”

  Gloria and Andrea peered in the door and followed his finger. There, lying in the dirt, was what looked like a burlap bag. Near the top of the bag was a large, dark splotch. Gloria leaned in. Lying on top of the bag was a long, thin stick.

  She turned to Ryan. “Run inside and grab a glove from the kitchen counter,” she told him.

  He nodded his head and raced to the house. Moments later, he returned with a glove.

  She stepped into the shed and tiptoed along the side of the wooden flooring until she was directly in front of the dark spot and the stick. She leaned in and with a gloved hand; she picked up the stick and held it to the light. It wasn’t a stick at all. It looked like an old barn nail.

  She glanced over at Andrea. “We should put this stuff in a trash bag. I’ll take it to Paul.” Andrea nodded. She headed back in the house for a trash bag while Gloria carefully folded the burlap bag and carried it out of the shed.

  Andrea opened the garbage bag. Gloria dropped the nail in the bag first and the burlap bag on top. Andrea sealed the bag shut and set it next to the house.

  They headed back to the shed for another look around. Tyler was standing outside the door now. He turned to his grandmother. “Did you see anything else?” she asked.

  “Nope.” He shook his head.

  “How did you think to lift that board?” Andrea wondered.

  Tyler shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. We were running around the shed and then we decided to see if we could find more bodies inside like the time you and Grams found one.”

  Ryan interrupted. “And the floor was really creaky so I pulled on the board.” He flung his hand in the air. “It popped up just like that.”

  Andrea shifted her gaze when she heard tires on the gravel drive. Her parents were back.

  Gloria tapped Tyler’s shoulder. “Go inside and wash your hands,” she told them.

  Andrea headed to the front to greet her parents while Gloria tucked the garbage bag behind a bush and out of sight. No sense in giving Andrea’s parents even more ammunition to convince her to move back to New York, she decided.

  She headed up the back steps and into the kitchen. When she opened the door, she spied Ryan standing next to the counter. He had pulled one of Libby Thornton’s surgical masks from the bag and was now wearing it.

  Her eyes darted to Tyler. He was wearing a pair of the surgical gloves. “C’mon. Let’s go operate on Brutus,” Tyler told his brother.

  “You need to…” Before Gloria could get the words “take those off!” out of her mouth, Andrea and her parents rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, coming face-to-face with Tyler and Ryan.

  Libby’s eyes widened. Her hand flew to her mouth. “What on earth…”

  Gloria snatched the mask from Ryan’s face and the gloves from Tyler’s hands simultaneously.

  Libby’s eyes narrowed, her lips thinned. She shoved her hand on her hip. “And just who are you?” Her eyes were boring holes – first into Ryan, then Tyler.

  Gloria stepped forward. “I’m sorry. These are my grandsons. They didn’t mean any harm.”

  Libby stomped over and grabbed the mask that Ryan had just had on and the gloves that Tyler had been wearing. She marched over to the trash can and tossed them inside. “You have contaminated my perfectly-sterile items!”

  Andrea walked over to the trash can. “Now, Mom. They’re just boys. They didn’t hurt anything.”

  Libby whirled around, her eyes like 4th of July firecrackers. She glared at Gloria. “They should be taught manners. Something they’re obviously lacking,” she hissed.

  Gloria put a protective hand on the boys’ shoulders. She ignored the wrath of Libby and turned to Andrea. “We should be going now. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Gloria and the boys headed out the back door and down the steps.

  “That lady is mean,” Ryan told Gloria.

  “Yeah. We were just playing,” Tyler piped up.

  “I know, boys. It’s okay.”

  Tyler turned sorrowful eyes to his beloved Grams. “You think we have manners, don’t you, Grams?”

  Gloria felt her blood begin to boil. There was no reason for Andrea’s mother to go off like that! It was a flimsy surgical mask and a cheap pair of gloves! The stupid things couldn’t have cost more than a couple bucks!

  She was still fuming as she snapped her seat belt in place and started the car. It took her until she was almost back at the farm before she calmed down. She was certain of one thing. She would not be visiting Andrea again until her parents left!

  Chapter 11

  The boys flung open the car doors and raced each other across the drive and into the house. Gloria followed them in. She dropped her keys and purse on the table and glanced over at the answering machine. The light was flashing. She pressed the button. It was Andrea. “Gloria, I am so sorry! My mother doesn’t normally act that way. Can you please tell the boys I’m sorry?”

  Gloria could tell by her voice she was near tears. “They’re leaving in the morning,” she whispered. “I’ll call you after they’re gone.”

  The boys had already forgotten about mean-old Libby. They were ready to ride the tractor. Gloria compromised. “Go play in the barn for a little while and I’ll be out in less than an hour,” she promised.

  After they scampered out into the yard, she picked up her cell phone to call Paul. She wanted to
tell him what the boys had found in the shed.

  “Forensics should have the results back in the morning,” he told her. “I’ll stop by later to pick those things up.”

  Gloria glanced out the window. The boys had opened the barn door. They must be inside, she thought. “Great. Maybe you’ll make it in time to watch me show the boys how to drive the old tractor.”

  “Wouldn’t miss that for the world.” He chuckled. “I’ll be there in an hour,” he promised.

  After they hung up, Gloria decided to wait until he got there. It might be a good idea to have someone around just in case something went wrong…

  She slipped on her yard shoes and headed outside to check on the boys. The barn was quiet. Too quiet. She looked around. “Ryan? Tyler?” Nothing. A sudden motion caught her eye. She looked up.

  The boys had managed to climb into the tractor and were sitting behind the wheel. They waved at Gloria when they saw her. She waved back.

  Tyler opened the door and leaned out. “Can we drive it now?”

  She shook her head. “We’re going to wait for Paul to come over,” she told them.

  His eyelids drooped and he shoved his chin on his fist.

  “It shouldn’t be long,” she promised. “Why don’t you see what you can find left in the garden while we’re waiting?”

  That seemed to make both boys happy. They scrambled out of the tractor and raced across the yard. Mally was right behind them, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she chased them to the garden.

  Gloria wandered back into the house. In all the excitement, she’d completely forgotten about the journal that Andrea had found in the box. She plucked it from her purse, opened the closet door and placed it on an upper shelf - safe and sound from little hands that might decide there was a better use for the old book than to read it.

  She closed the closet door and watched as Paul’s unmarked police car pulled in. Her heart skipped a beat and she glanced down at the ring. A small smile reached her lips as she headed outside and over to the car.