Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 06 - Magnolia Mansion Mysteries

by Hope Callaghan

  She shoved her hands in the front pockets of her capris and leaned back to watch as he climbed out. “Howdy stranger.”

  He grinned, grabbed her arm and started to pull her close. “Careful of the little eyes watching,” she warned.

  Paul glanced over at the garden. “Whoops! I almost forgot!” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and let go of her hand.

  The boys spied Paul and darted over to the car. “So now we get to drive the tractor?” Tyler asked.

  Gloria slowly nodded. Her word was her word. “Yes, now is the time.”

  Paul smacked his hands together and rubbed them in glee. “This I have to see!”

  The four of them made their way over to the open barn doors. “You stay out here until I get the tractor out of the barn,” she told them. She didn’t wait for a reply as she stepped into the barn and hoisted herself up the three metal steps that led to the cab door.

  She opened the door and slipped inside. The keys were in the ignition. She never bothered to take them out but now that the boys were learning to drive it, she made a mental note to keep them in the house after today.

  The tractor fired up on the first try. She pressed down on the clutch and shifted into low gear. The tractor lurched forward and slowly rolled out of the barn. When the tractor cleared the barn doors, she slipped it into neutral and put both feet on the brake.

  She decided it was best to take them one at a time. She pushed the door open and motioned for Ryan to climb up first. He clambered up the steps and scooched into the small cab. “Where do I sit, Grams?”

  The seat was small - really only large enough for one person. “You’ll have to sit here on my lap,” she told him. He nodded and climbed into her lap then grabbed the steering wheel.

  Paul and Ryan stepped to the side as Gloria took her foot off the brake, pressed in the clutch and put it in the lowest gear possible. The tractor jerked forward and began a slow crawl across the yard. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Since Ryan was younger, he was happy with the slow meandering.

  “Steer to the right,” she told him.

  Ryan grabbed the wheel with both hands and pulled. They slipped in between the garden and the garage as they headed toward the open fields back behind the barn.

  They chugged over to one of the harvested fields. The tilled earth was a bit bumpy. The tractor wandered up and down the field. Back and forth for several trips.

  Ryan jerked his head around, his small hands holding tight to the wheel. “Can we go any faster, Grams?”

  Gloria nodded. She didn’t see the harm in moving the tractor into the next higher gear. She glanced around. The coast was clear.

  She inched it into second gear and they bounced along the rutted field, which Ryan thought was hilarious. Every time they hit a bump and lifted off the seat, he burst into a fit of giggles.

  Gloria wished she had a camera to capture the moment. The look of sheer joy on his face was priceless. They rode back and forth several more times before she told him it was Tyler’s turn. Gloria was certain her oldest grandson was chomping at the bit.

  They circled around the drive and stopped in the same spot they had started.

  Ryan climbed out and Tyler climbed in. Tyler was taller than his younger brother was. Soon he would be taller than Gloria. Even now, there was no way he could fit on her lap.

  She scooched to the edge and motioned him to sit beside her. They both teetered on the outer edge of the narrow cushion as Gloria once again slipped the tractor into gear and the two of them headed for the field.

  Tyler was much more impatient than his younger brother was and first gear wasn’t fast enough. “We’re barely moving,” he complained.

  Since Ryan had managed in second gear, Gloria didn’t hesitate to move it up a notch, which seemed to make him happy for a few minutes. “One more speed higher, Grams. I can do it,” his bright eyes begged.

  Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied her grandson. They were still a safe distance from any sort of objects so she nodded her head and moved the gear up one more. The tractor jostled up and down. Gloria felt as if she was bouncing up and down on a pogo stick. It was beginning to make her dizzy. “We better slow it down and head back.” Before I throw up, she thought to herself.

  She shifted the tractor down a gear and Tyler steered the tractor towards the house. They were close to the spot where they had started. Everything was going fine until Tyler decided it would be great fun to jerk the wheel in Mally’s direction and chase her down with the tractor.

  With a look of determination on his face, he set his mouth in a straight line and zeroed in on Gloria’s beloved pooch. Mally saw the tractor turn and darted out of its path.

  “Tyler!”

  It was as if he didn’t hear Gloria as he jerked the wheel again and they careened past the garden, once again bearing down on poor Mally!

  She gave a quick glance in Paul and Ryan’s direction. She could see the fear in their eyes as they ran behind the large oak tree, a safe distance from the tractor-gone-wild.

  Gloria did the only thing she could think to do. She slid down in the seat and jammed her foot on the clutch. She grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and twisted her body to the side. With her other hand, she switched the ignition to the “off” position. The tractor came to a screeching halt.

  Tyler jerked forward, his chest hitting the center of the wheel. His eyes slid to the side, as he peeked over at his grandmother. One look and he knew he was in big trouble.

  Gloria opened her mouth but it was too late. Tyler had jerked the cabin door open and jumped to the ground.

  Gloria gave him a dark look before she started the tractor and slowly backed it into the barn. She was still upset as she climbed out of the tractor, the keys clenched tightly in her fist.

  She marched over to her eldest grandson. She opened her mouth to let him have it.

  Tyler lowered his head. “Sorry, Grams. I don’t know what came over me,” he confessed. “I got carried away.”

  She stuck one hand on her hip and ran the other through her frazzled hair. “Carried away? You could’ve hurt Mally, young man! Or us,” she added

  Paul opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it. He wisely decided it was probably best if he not get into the middle of this one.

  “On top of that, you scared me half to death! My life flashed before my very eyes.” That part was a bit of an exaggeration, but he had scared her.

  She lifted her hand and shook her finger at him. “Just for that, the next time you come over, Ryan gets to drive the tractor but you don’t,” she told him.

  Tyler hung his head and shuffled his feet as he made his way up to the house. Ryan and Paul followed quietly behind.

  By the time they were inside, Gloria had cooled off a bit. She found Tyler lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m done being angry.”

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” he admitted.

  “No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed. “But it’s over now so we’ll put it behind us.”

  His head whipped around to face his grandmother. “So that means I can drive the tractor next time I’m here?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head firmly. “You lost that privilege for now.”

  She leaned forward and kissed his forehead before heading back to the kitchen. Tyler followed her out.

  She reached into the pantry and pulled out a Tupperware container. “I made brownies the other day. Who’s hungry?”

  “Me!” replied three male voices in unison. The group settled in at the table with four large glasses of milk and a container full of brownies that quickly vanished.

  The boys headed back outside as Gloria cleaned the dish and put it back in the cupboard. Paul helped by rinsing the dirty glasses and putting them in the dishwasher. “You have that bag of stuff you found out at Andrea’s place?”

  Gloria wiped her hands on the towel and hung it on the front of the stove. The bag was
still in the trunk of her car.

  “I’ll be right back.” She wandered out to Annabelle and pulled the garbage bag from the trunk. Paul met her on the porch. She handed him the bag and sat down on the rocker. She watched while he untied the bag and peered inside. “Tell me again where you found this.”

  “The boys found it.” Gloria went on to explain how the boys were playing out in the shed and remembered when Andrea and Gloria had found the first body.

  That the boys decided to search for more when they lifted the floorboards that were loose and found the burlap bag spread out on the dirt.

  He pulled the drawstrings and turned the bag for a better look.

  She jumped up from her chair. “Here, let me get a glove.” She ran out to the garage and grabbed a pair of gardening gloves she kept on the small bench near the door.

  When she returned, she handed him the gloves and sat back down.

  He reached into the garbage bag and pulled out what Gloria thought looked like a nail. He turned it over in his hand. “This looks like an old nail.”

  She nodded. “That’s what I thought. An old roofing or barn nail.”

  He set the nail on the table before reaching back in and pulling out the burlap. He grabbed the top corners and held it out for inspection. “That sure does look like some kind of stain.” He glanced back at Gloria. “Wouldn’t that be something if it matched the DNA on the skeleton in the dumpster?”

  Gloria nodded. She wouldn’t bet her life on it, but she had a strong hunch the two were connected.

  Paul put the two items back in the bag and pulled the drawstrings. He pulled the gloves off and laid them on the table before leaning back in the rocker. “Paul and Tina are gone.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad. For everyone’s sake.”

  “Me too. Although it’s mighty quiet around the house now,” he admitted. “Except for Dorito. He’s quite a stinker.”

  Gloria’s eyes scanned the yard and came to rest on the boys who were out near the barn. She shook her head. “Good grief!”

  Paul followed her gaze and then burst out laughing. Mally was sitting upright inside the wheelbarrow. Tyler was pushing her around the yard. She looked happy as a clam, her tongue hanging out as air blew back tufts of brown fur. “What those boys don’t think of.”

  “You should bring them over sometime. They can run through the cornfields out back before they harvest it.”

  She nodded. The boys would love to run through the cornfields.

  Paul reluctantly got to his feet and reached over to pick up the garbage bag. “I better get this down to the lab so they can put a rush on it.”

  She nodded and pulled herself from the chair. She was eager to find out what was up with the bag. Which reminded her of something else. “Did they find anything out on that painting?”

  Paul snapped his fingers. “I’m glad you reminded me.” He shook his head. “Nothing came up so Andrea can have it back. It’s in the trunk.”

  She followed him to the car and waited while he popped the trunk and pulled out the portrait. Gloria grabbed the jagged edge, careful not to touch the painting itself. “Margaret has a friend who owns an art gallery down in Grand Rapids. We’re going to take it there to see what he can tell us about it.”

  Paul opened the car door and leaned on the edge. Gloria looked past the car. Mally was out of the wheelbarrow now. The boys were holding sticks in their hands and poking at something on the ground.

  She leaned forward and popped up on her tippy-toes. Paul leaned down and kissed her on the lips. “Someday we won’t have to sneak kisses,” he promised.

  “Grams! Come quick!” Ryan was waving frantically in her direction.

  She sighed. “I better go. ‘Come quick!’ is code word for ‘we got into something we probably shouldn’t have.’”

  Paul grinned and slid into the driver’s seat. He gave her a small wave before pulling out of the drive.

  Gloria hustled over to where the boys and Mally were circled around. She bent over and looked down. “What have you found now?”

  There, on the ground, was a small pile of arrowheads. “How did you find these?”

  Tyler shuffled his tennis shoe across the loose dirt. “I was thinking about climbing this tree.” Tyler pointed up. “When I got underneath this branch, I saw something shiny so I picked it up,” he explained.

  “Then we started digging around and found more,” Ryan chimed in.

  Gloria plucked an arrowhead from the pile and held it up in the sunlight. She had never found arrowheads on the farm before. Of course, she knew that Chippewa Indians had once roamed the area.

  “Can we keep ‘em?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes, of course.” Gloria turned the sharp stone over in her hand. “Try not to stab each other with them.”

  The boys spent a few more minutes digging around before pocketing the ten arrowheads they had found.

  With their treasures tucked safely away in their pockets, she gave them a gentle nudge towards the house. “Go wash up so we can eat,” she told them.

  She followed them in and made a beeline for the fridge. Nothing inside looked the least bit appealing. She opened the freezer door. Inside was a packet of frozen hamburger meat and that was about it. She shut the door as the boys wandered back into the kitchen. “Let’s head down to Dot’s for dinner.”

  Ryan lifted his right leg and hopped in a circle. He licked his lips and rubbed his stomach. “I already know what I’m gonna get,” he informed his grandmother. “A cheeseburger and fries and a chocolate shake and a piece of pie.”

  Gloria shook her head. “The cheeseburger and fries – yes. The sweets - no. You already ate an entire pan of brownies,” she reminded him.

  Gloria grabbed her purse and keys. They hopped in the car and drove to town. The dinner crowd was in full swing as Gloria and the boys headed indoors and over to one of the few remaining booths. The boys slid in one side while Gloria took the other.

  Gloria already knew what she wanted. She was going to order the pot roast. She had been planning to make some herself but hadn’t gotten around to it. The boys didn’t bother picking up the menus either.

  Dot appeared at the table with three glasses of water in hand. “If it isn’t Tyler and Ryan.” She glanced at Gloria. “I didn’t know the boys were coming over.” Gloria slid her straw from the paper wrapper. She tapped the ice cubes to the side and dropped the straw in the glass. “It was kind of spur-of-the-moment.”

  “We’re starving,” Ryan informed Dot.

  Dot smiled. “You do look mighty hungry. Hungry enough to eat a bear,” she teased.

  “Or an elephant,” he added.

  Dot jotted down their order and headed to the back. Gloria relented just a fraction on the sweets. She let them both order a root beer. The ones that came in the frosted mugs.

  Margaret and her husband, Don, walked in moments later. She waved at Gloria then pulled on her husband’s arm. Don smiled at Gloria and the boys. “I’ll grab that booth before someone else gets it.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he headed to a booth a couple spots away.

  Margaret watched his retreating back before turning to Gloria. “How’s Andrea doing?” she asked. “Her parents are the hot gossip in town. I heard they came in here for lunch and her mother was wearing some sort of mask.”

  Gloria bristled. Just the thought of Libby Thornton made her mad. The woman was not a nice person.

  Margaret caught the look. “So I take it you don’t care for them,” she surmised.

  Tyler grabbed the bottle of ketchup on the far end of the table. He popped the top off, tipped his head back and squirted a glob in his mouth. “She yelled at us.”

  Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

  Gloria briefly explained how the boys had gotten into her supply of masks and gloves and she had thrown a fit. “I guess they’re leaving soon.”

  Margaret shook her head. “Poor Andrea. She never seems to get a break.”

  “Grams
found a body in Andrea’s dumpster,” Ryan told Margaret.

  She nodded. “I heard.” She turned to Gloria. “Any news?”

  She shook her head. “Tomorrow. Paul said the results would be back from the lab tomorrow.”

  “And Andrea has a secret hiding spot under her shed,” Ryan added.

  Don was motioning Margaret over to the table. Dot was standing next to him, trying to take their order. “I better go order.” She gave Gloria a hard look. “I’ll call you later.”

  They were still waiting for their food to arrive when Ruth popped in. She was alone. Gloria waved her over and slid across the vinyl bench seat to make room.

  Ruth looked over at Tyler and Ryan. “Well, if it isn’t two of my favorite boys in the whole wide world!”

  Ruth had a chance to get to know the boys when she’d stayed at Gloria’s house not long ago. At first, Gloria thought they might get on her nerves since she never had children of her own and wasn’t used to having them around. But the boys had taken a liking to Ruth and she seemed to enjoy them just as much.

  “We got to drive the tractor,” Ryan told Ruth.

  Ruth drummed the top of the table with her nails. She dropped her chin in her hand. “I bet that was fun!”

  “Let’s just say it was an adventure,” Gloria muttered.

  Ruth chuckled and shook her head. “I wish I’d been there to see it.”

  Ryan chugged his root beer, which left a foamy moustache on his upper lip. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. “Tyler tried to run over Mally.”

  Tyler punched his brother in the arm. “I did not!”

  Gloria raised her eyebrows at her grandson. “That’s enough.”

  He crossed his arms and leaned his head back against the seat. “At least not on purpose,” he pouted.

  Dot was headed their way with a tray full of food. Gloria felt bad about eating in front of Ruth. She needn’t have worried. Dot must’ve noticed Ruth sitting there. She brought an extra plate. This one filled with fried chicken, a scoop of mashed potatoes, minus the gravy, a side of corn and a freshly baked roll.

  Ruth’s mouth fell open. She stared up at her friend. “How did you know I was going to order this?”