Grits and Glory

by Ron Benrey

  Sean felt Ann squeeze his hand. What, he wondered, would they all talk about during dinner that wouldn’t give anything away? He decided to start the conversation with a safe topic. He raised his glass of sweet tea and said, “To James Defoe, the new—and old—manager of Squires’ Place. May this Carolinian landmark continue to serve the best grits in the South.”

  “Why thank you, son,” James replied, in a thick Southern drawl. “I hardly ever run into a silver-tongued Yankee. I suppose I’ll have to get used to you.”

  Sean cringed again. He smiled as graciously as he could and said, “Well, North Carolina gets a good assortment of storms each year. I’m sure I’ll be a regular guest for dinner.”

  James nodded—gratefully, Sean thought. “The door is always open.”

  Lori switched the topic back to Squires’ Place. “James, do you intend to run the restaurant the way Richard did?”

  “Why argue with success? Richard built a successful business. I figure, if it ain’t broken, I won’t fix it.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear,” Emma said. “I’m happy to have a unique restaurant to recommend to my guests.”

  “Does that include using Richard’s recipes?” Lori asked. “Including Cheesy Shrimp and Grits?”

  “Of course I’ll keep all the old favorites, but I want to expand the menu. I’m debuting two new grits dishes tonight. They were suggested by Calvin Constable, of course—Curried Grits and Grits Mediterranean Style, made with cinnamon and oregano.”

  “Curried grits are certainly interesting,” said Mimi Gallagher. “It isn’t a combination I’ve had before today.”

  Sean looked at Rafe across the table. They simultaneously mouthed Yuk.

  “Enough about grits,” Mimi said. “I came this evening to learn the skinny about a murder. Come on, Rafe, pony up the juicy details.”

  Rafe snorted. “I’m afraid the details are more dreary than juicy. Miles and Gail Hayden turned on each other in ten minutes. Each insisted that killing Richard Squires was the other’s idea, and that the other did the actual killing.

  “We’re fairly certain that Miles hit Richard with a club while he was covering up the generator after fixing it. Richard was small and easy to lift, even during a hurricane. Both Miles and Gail carried him to the fallen steeple and placed him under the rubble while Sean was in the church getting help for Carlo Vaughn.

  “This was purely a crime of opportunity. The Haydens didn’t know if they’d get the chance to kill Richard that evening. They didn’t know if or when he’d leave the emergency command center, but they were ready. They waited in their car, near Richard’s, and followed him. The broken generator and the fallen steeple were enormous strokes of luck for them—and bad luck for Richard.”

  “What would have happened if Gilda had gotten worse?” Emma asked.

  “The Haydens would have gone back to Squires’ Place,” Rafe said, “and waited out the storm. Gail and Miles felt safe in this building because it had survived several other hurricanes.”

  “The first time we talked to ‘Sheila Parker,’” Sean said, “we were surprised to see piles of documents on his desk.”

  “That was Gail’s doing,” Rafe said. “After Richard was killed, she wanted to eliminate any paper trail that might show his intention not to sell Squires’ Place. She admitted shredding copies of several letters Richard had sent to Miles turning down his offer.”

  Ann jumped in. “Gail told us lots of lies. It simply wasn’t true that someone tried to sabotage the church’s backup generator.”

  “No,” Rafe chuckled. “But her phony claim got you going. That was the whole point—to make you think that someone else had a different motive for killing Richard.”

  “She also lied about her relationship with Richard,” Ann said.

  “There was no romantic relationship,” Rafe said. “Gail Hayden worked for Richard and he brought her to Glory Community on a few Sundays.”

  “But what about the photograph in Richard’s office? It depicts a loving couple.”

  “I’ll let Lori answer that one,” Rafe said. “She’s now the photographic expert in Glory’s police department.”

  “We took a close look at that photo and concluded it was doctored. The base photo was of Gail standing on the Outer Banks. Then Richard’s photo—a happy shot of him taken somewhere else—was superimposed. The result was a photo that made them look like they belonged together.”

  “Every married man should keep that technique in mind,” Rafe said.

  Both Emma and Lori dug their elbows into Rafe’s ribs.

  Sean peered at Ann. She looked pensive.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

  “I prayed for the truth to come out, to convince people that I wasn’t responsible for Richard’s death. But now that we know the facts I can’t help thinking how sad a story this is. I almost feel sorry for the Haydens. They’re going to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

  “Yes, they are,” Rafe said, “and because we caught them, your reputation in Glory has been restored. I can’t feel gloomy about that.”

  “Me, neither,” Lori said. “I enjoyed seeing the Glory Gazette publish a detailed retraction of the first article they wrote about you, complete with an apology.”

  Sean nodded. “It would have been nice if Phil Meade had apologized to Ann as graciously.”

  “He expressed regret as best he could,” Ann said. “Phil told me that he overreacted because Richard was a good friend, and he needed to blame his death on someone.”

  “That’s probably as good an apology as Ann will ever get from Phil,” Rafe said.

  “That’s okay,” Ann said. “I’ve decided to forgive Phil. There’s no point in holding a grudge.”

  “Some people find it hard to back up once they’ve traveled a while down the wrong road,” Daniel said.

  “Look at me,” James said. “It took me twenty-five years to forgive Richard.” The he stood up and asked brightly, “Who’s ready for dessert?”

  Sean’s “Me!” began the chorus of eager replies.

  James carried a large sheet cake from the kitchen. He placed it in front of Ann, who promptly burst out laughing.

  “This is your doing,” Ann said to Sean.

  “Guilty as charged. I came up with the decorations.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Hand me that cake knife,” Ann said. “I can’t wait to make the first cut.”

  She tilted the cake gently so that everyone at the table could see the top.

  To the left was the weather map symbol for a hurricane.

  To the right was a quote from Scripture: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”

  In the middle was an image of Carlo Vaughn, reproduced in icing.

  Sean heaved a deep sigh. “Isn’t it a crying shame that Carlo can’t be with us today?”

  “Alas, poor Carlo,” Mimi said. “No one minded him being a bit of a lady’s man at the Storm Channel, but putting the moves on a vice president’s wife was really foolish. Carlo is now our official ‘reporter at large.’ Last week he was in Phoenix, frying eggs on the sidewalk during a freak heat wave. And next year he’ll travel to Alaska to report on the weather during the Iditarod dogsled race.”

  Ann plunged the cake knife into Carlo’s photo. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll try to put Carlo behind me.”

  She ate a piece of Carlo’s image and flicked some icing at Sean. His grin made her stomach flip over, and it also filled her with sadness. Sean would soon leave North Carolina. Where did that leave her? In love with a man who lived almost six hundred miles away and would only return to Glory in rotten weather.

  What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.

  She glanced sideways at Sean. Their situation—the long-distance commuter romance—didn’t bother him. He acted satisfied—annoyingly satisfied, as Ann saw it—with the way things stood.

  One day soon, she’d have to kick-start him out of
his complacency. They both needed to hash out the problem and decide their future. But not tonight. This dinner was a celebration. She wouldn’t do or say anything to cast a shadow over everyone’s happy evening.

  Ann turned when Mimi Gallagher tapped her glass. She rose slowly, as befitting her elegant appearance. “Mother Mimi has an announcement,” she said. “I am delighted to report that Sean Miller and I will soon be working together far more than we have in the past.”

  Ann’s fork slipped from her fingers. What? Sean hadn’t said anything about a new assignment that would involve him more with the Scandal Channel. Why would a meteorologist agree to such an arrangement?

  Ann turned to face Sean. His grin had broadened to encompass most of his mouth.

  Mimi continued. “I fear that I haven’t communicated as clearly as I should have. Let me explain. A week ago, Sean Miller told Cathy McCabe, his boss, that he would be forced to leave the Storm Channel for personal reasons.” Mimi emphasized the word personal. “Not wanting to lose such a valued employee, Cathy proposed an alternative. Because the number of mid-Atlantic hurricanes seems on the rise, Cathy has decided to base Sean in Glory, complete with his newly repaired broadcast van. He will cover hurricanes and other storms in Georgia and the Carolinas.”

  Ann was utterly speechless. She looked at Sean as tears began to fill her eyes.

  “Because the winter weather in the Carolinas is not all that interesting, Sean will also be available to support remote broadcasts for the Scandal Channel. As I noted earlier, Sean will work closely with Mother Mimi and, in the fullness of time, may even learn to conduct interviews without getting himself into deadly peril.”

  Sean reached for her hand and held it tightly.

  “Sean has been given his first assignment,” Mimi continued. “He will produce a feature segment on the life and death of Richard Squires, which will appear both on the Storm Channel and the Scandal Channel. I anticipate that Ann Trask will appear in said feature.” Mimi smiled at Ann and took her seat.

  Ann could only stare at Sean. But Sean’s pallid face showed almost no emotion. If anything, he looked panicky. She poked him in the ribs and whispered, “If you don’t start smiling, I’ll make up with Carlo.”

  Sean released her and stood up. “I have an announcement to make, too.” He cleared his throat. “In front of my new friends and new colleague, I want to state that I have fallen completely and hopelessly in love with Ann Trask. She is everything I could ever want in a woman and I can’t imagine spending my life without her.”

  Ann put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her trembling lips. “Sean,” she said. “I love you, too.”

  “There’s more to my announcement, Ann. Please let me finish while I can still speak.”

  Ann heard Mimi laugh and Emma and Lori sniffle.

  Sean knelt in front of Ann and fumbled for a moment to retrieve something from his pocket. “Ann, my love, I ask you before God, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Sean opened the small box in his hand. He slipped an engagement ring on her finger.

  Tears slid down Ann’s cheeks as she said, “Yes, Sean. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  Sean got to his feet and helped her stand. Ever so gently, he put his lips on hers. Ann knew that the people around her were laughing, shouting and applauding, but they sounded very far away.

  “Our wedding’s not going to be on the Scandal Channel, is it?” Ann teased when Sean pulled her into a hug.

  “Do you want it to be?” Sean laughed.

  “I think I’d prefer the Storm Channel, actually.”

  “That’s an idea. Maybe we should get married during the next hurricane. And Carlo can come down and cover it, and—”

  “Just kiss me again, Sean Miller, before I change my mind.”

  “You got it,” Sean said, and leaned in to give her the kiss of a lifetime.

  Dear Reader:

  Have you ever read one of those classic cozy mysteries written decades ago that show how past events can intrude into the present and cause chaos in people’s lives today? We’ve always wanted to tell that kind of story, and Grits and Glory, our third cozy mystery set in Glory, North Carolina, gave us the perfect opportunity. Two of the characters are prisoners of their own past.

  Ann Trask, of course, focused the lion’s share of her attention on events that happened seven years ago. Perhaps she made a bad decision when she led a group of children into an old shed during a thunderstorm—or maybe she had no other choice. In any case, her preoccupation with the past impacted on both her shaky relationship with Sean Miller and her on-again, off-again relationship with God.

  But Ann wasn’t the only person who had to tear loose from the past. Richard Squires also had to restore a relationship with James Defoe that had been shattered years earlier.

  In the Book of Philippians 3:14 NIV, Paul teaches that to “press on” and move forward we must forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.

  Both Ann and Richard eventually overcame their pasts and therein lies the moral of our story. Forgive, forget and press on! When Richard forgave James, he was able to renew a precious friendship that he’d thought was beyond repair. When Ann forgave herself, she found love with Sean Miller and set the stage for a happy life in Glory.

  We hope you enjoyed reading this third story about Glory as much as we loved writing it. We’ve planned our next visit to this charming Southern town just in time for Christmas. Plan to join us for dinner at the Scottish Captain, our favorite B and B. There’ll be a chill in the air, decorations everywhere and a wannabe killer at our table.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  We are taught to trust God but Ann Trask was unable to do that. She preferred to trust herself and rely on her own abilities to solve her problems. Were you ever forced to trust God completely? If you were, what did you discover? How did it change your life?

  Ann’s past eventually came back to haunt her and she was forced to confront it. Has an event in your past ever haunted you? How did you deal with it? Were you able to move past the events?

  We earn our reputations. Has anyone attacked you publicly and destroyed your reputation? What did you do? How was the matter resolved? Was your reputation restored?

  Ann had trouble forgiving herself. Have you ever believed that you could never be forgiven for something you did? How did your belief in God’s grace comfort you? Was it enough at the time?

  Bullies can terrify us and make us feel weak and unloved. Have you ever been forced to face down a bully? Did you confront your bully head-on? Did someone help you? What was the outcome?

  It’s clear to Ann that Phil Meade didn’t like her and his objective was to make her life miserable. He went behind her back to harm her. Has anyone gone behind your back and discussed your past with others? Were you forced to defend yourself? How did you handle it?

  We are told to work “as if for the Lord.” Did you ever have a job that you couldn’t wait to leave? How were you able to “work as if for the Lord” in such a job?

  Ann loved her job, yet she was willing to walk away and find another job in another city. Have you ever been uprooted? How did you handle it? Was the decision to move yours to make? How did you react to leaving your friends and starting over? How did God guide you in your new surroundings?

  Ann was attracted to a handsome face and quickly discovered there wasn’t much behind that face. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever fallen in love with someone who later proved unworthy of you? What made you break off the relationship?

  Sean wanted to help Ann, but she was reluctant to accept his help. Has someone offered to help you solve a problem? Did you accept that help freely, or, like Ann, did you decide to go it alone?

  We can’t help who we fall in love with. Ann found herself falling for a man who lived in a different part of the country. The problem of distance seemed unsolvable to her, but Sean believed that God would make things right for them. Have you ever had a similar probl
em? How did you deal with it?

  Ann and Sean felt they were right for each other, even though they’d only known each other a short while. Have you ever fallen in love without really knowing someone? Did you feel this person was someone God sent to you? How did it work out for you?

  Church congregations often squabble over staff members. Have you ever been part of a congregation that disagreed about staff? How did your pastor handle the situation? What did you learn about your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-1972-8

  GRITS AND GLORY

  Copyright © 2008 by Ron and Janet Benrey

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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