A Firm Foundation

by Anne Marie Rodgers

  Paul was slicing tomatoes when she walked into the kitchen. A neat pile of thinly sliced cucumbers was already stacked to one side.

  “Uh-oh. I guess I know what you’re hungry for,” Kate said with a laugh.

  “Is this okay? I had a hankering for those tomato-cucumber sandwiches you make, Katie.”

  She smiled and kissed his cheek. “What an excellent idea. Nice cool sandwiches, with the added bonus that we use some of this never-ending stream of produce our wonderful parishioners bring us. Which reminds me, would you run out to the garage and grab the sack of green beans along the far wall? Old Man Parsons insisted I take them the other day, and I forgot to bring them in yesterday.”

  “Yum.” Paul was already headed toward the door that led into the garage.

  He was barely through the door when the telephone rang. Kate picked up the receiver in the kitchen. “Hello?”

  There was only silence on the other end.

  Could she hear someone breathing? “Hello?” Goose bumps prickled over her skin. “Is someone there?”

  “Stop investigating the library demolition. Or you’ll be sorry.” The voice was a harsh whisper, gravel against sandpaper, and the menace in the clipped words was palpable enough to make her swallow.

  “Who is this?” she demanded. But the only answer she got was a dial tone. Her mystery caller had hung up.

  As Kate stood there with the receiver in her hand, Paul came back in with the bag of beans. “Sorry,” he said, “I picked up the wrong bag first.” Then he noticed the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just got a threatening phone call,” she told him.

  Paul dropped the sack of beans. “What did they say?”

  Kate described the call. As she talked, she buttered slices of wheat bread and then spread a thin layer of cream cheese over half of them: two for Paul and one for her. She covered the cream cheese with a layer of cucumbers and ground a bit of pepper over them. Then she added a layer of sliced tomatoes and very lightly salted them before covering each with a second slice of bread.

  “I don’t like this,” Paul said. “That’s a serious threat.”

  “Maybe.” It had been scary, but...“At least I know I’m getting somewhere with this investigation. Apparently I’m making someone nervous.”

  “Apparently,” Paul said in a dry tone. Then his voice grew serious again. “If it happens again, promise me you’ll tell Sheriff Roberts.”

  “I promise.” Efficiently cutting the sandwiches into quarters, she transferred them onto a plate and covered them with plastic wrap, then she placed them in the refrigerator. In thirty minutes, they would be cool and delicious.

  While she was waiting, she took a bowl into the living room, sat down in her rocker, and snapped the beans Paul had brought in. Paul waved a newspaper at her from his seat on the couch. “Hey, we’re famous.”

  “Oh?”

  “This is today’s Chronicle. We got a mention in the tornado article. More than a mention, actually. Three paragraphs and a couple of quotes.”

  “Woo-hoo. I’ll clip it and send it to the kids.”

  “Not until we’ve called each of them and explained that we were nearly caught in a tornado, but we’re not hurt.”

  “Excellent plan.”

  LIVVY’S HUSBAND, DANNY, was waiting for Livvy and Kate at the circulation desk at four thirty. He waved as he saw them walking toward him.

  “I didn’t get time to eat lunch, so I asked Danny if we could all go get something to eat at the diner while he looks at the budget,” Livvy said.

  By unspoken agreement, the three of them chatted about general topics on the short walk east along Main Street and then north on Smith Street to the Country Diner at the corner where Smith met Hamilton. It was a pleasant summer afternoon, despite the heat. Kids whizzed by on bicycles, other pedestrians greeted them as they passed, and young mothers chased toddlers on the Town Green.

  The diner was a popular spot all day long. Even before the supper rush began, there was a decent crowd. It was calm and cool inside, although sunlight battered the blue gingham curtains at the windows.

  LuAnne Matthews was waitressing. Her red hair looked as if it came straight from a bottle, and her fifties-style eyeglasses swung from a jeweled chain around her neck. She greeted Kate, Livvy, and Danny as she showed them to a quiet booth near the back of the restaurant, then fished an order pad and pencil out of the white apron wrapped around her ample frame.

  “Y’all ready to order?”

  Livvy nodded. “I’d like a tuna melt on rye with swiss cheese, whatever the vegetable is—”

  “Baby carrots,” LuAnne inserted.

  Livvy nodded. “And a piece of that apple pie. Carbs, protein, dairy, vegetable, and fruit.”

  LuAnne laughed. “And what would ya like to drink? We have fresh-squeezed lemonade.” She winked. “Loretta was annoyed with the produce delivery today, so she took it out on the lemons.”

  Livvy grinned. “Lemonade sounds delicious, especially in this heat.”

  “Just lemonade for me,” Kate requested. “I’m eating dinner with Paul at home.”

  “I’ll have lemonade too,” Danny said. “And I’d like the pork chops with mashed potatoes and the vegetable. No pie for me. I’m watching my figure.”

  Kate and Livvy both groaned as he chuckled.

  “Three lemonades and two suppers comin’ right up,” the waitress sang out as she hustled back toward the kitchen.

  Livvy heaved a deep sigh. “Oh, what a week this has been. If I’ve had one any worse, I can’t remember when.”

  Kate made a soft sound of sympathy. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when all this started.”

  “What could you have done?” Livvy asked. Then she mimed smacking herself in the forehead. “Oh, wait, I forgot who I was talking to.”

  Sitting beside his wife, Danny grinned. He looked at Kate and said, “Thank you for all the work you’re putting into this. Livvy finally told me what was going on.” He shook his head, looking appalled and bewildered. “It’s hard to believe the town council would let this happen.”

  “The council doesn’t know yet, unless Eva has told them,” Kate pointed out. “I haven’t told them, and I’m quite certain Tosten Glass hasn’t. And even when they do find out, they may not feel they have a choice if it turns out the property really is owned by someone else, and that’s what it’s looking like right now.”

  He sighed. “This is crazy.”

  “I know.” Kate opened her handbag and pulled out the copy of the town budget Lawton had made for her. “Here’s the budget. I glanced over it and didn’t see anything out of place, but I’d like your opinion. It’s pretty confusing.”

  Danny took the budget and began to read it. After a moment, he looked up. “I’m not an accountant by any means, but this looks awfully complex for a small town’s budget.” He fell silent as he became absorbed in going through the figures.

  LuAnne returned with their lemonade. As she tossed a couple of straws on the table and departed, Kate’s eye was caught by a tall man coming in the door. His red hair made him hard to overlook.

  “There’s Carey Carver,” she said.

  Livvy turned around. “Indeed it is.”

  “I’ll be back.” Kate slid out of the booth. She hurried across the diner, offering her hand as she reached the man who had just folded his long frame into a chair at a small table near the front of the diner.

  “Mr. Carver? Kate Hanlon. I attended the council meeting the other day.”

  “Of course,” he said, shaking her hand. He grinned. “You shook up our fearless leader a little bit.”

  “Did I?” Kate knew he was referring to Tosten. “It wasn’t my intention to upset anyone.”

  Carey shrugged. “Lots of things upset him. I wouldn’t pay him too much mind.”

  It was the perfect opportunity.

  “Mr. Carver,” Kate said, keeping her voice low. “Have you heard anything about the disposition of t
he library after the contents are moved?”

  Carver frowned. “No.” He cleared his throat. “This is awkward. Tosten warned us not to discuss the particulars with anyone. I believe you heard that we fear a lawsuit.”

  Kate nodded. “Yes, but I have discovered the building is going to be demolished.”

  “Demolished?” Carey Carver gave a visible start. “What?”

  Kate nodded. “Today I found out that the demolition is scheduled to take place on Monday.”

  “Monday!” Carey fell back in his chair, clearly perplexed by this news.

  “You didn’t know?” she said, even though it was obvious that he didn’t. Apparently Eva had been serious about not discussing the situation. “Wasn’t the town council responsible for hiring the demolition company?” She already knew the council had nothing to do with the demolition order, but she wanted to see how the tall man reacted.

  “No, no. That’s not right. We didn’t hire anyone to tear down that building.” Carver sounded genuinely distressed. “Why, it’s a historical landmark.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  In that instant, Kate became certain the red-haired man hadn’t been told about the planned demolition.

  “I wonder who did hire someone to tear it down,” she said, fishing again. Even though she had seen the demolition orders and knew Gerald Foxfield was named as the owner, she didn’t know if his name was known to any of the other council members. Tosten, she assumed, knew exactly who he was, although she doubted she’d ever get him to admit it face-to-face.

  “Gerald Foxfield,” Carey said. “He’s the guy who owns the property. He came to that closed meeting we had.”

  “I’ve heard his name mentioned before,” Kate said carefully.

  “We weren’t supposed to talk about it,” Carey said, bitterness evident in his tone, “but I never signed up for anything like this. I’m going to call Tosten as soon as I leave here.”

  Coming from the man she’d pegged as the wishy-washiest person on the council, Kate was surprised by his declaration.

  “I’m going to call Chalmers and the others too. I want to find out who knew about this and if it’s true.” Carey stood up. “Tell LuAnne I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for lunch.”

  Kate wished him luck, then returned to her booth as Carey rushed out the door.

  “What on earth did you say to him?” Livvy asked, looking after the departing council member.

  “I told him about the demolition,” Kate said. “He wasn’t happy. I’m confident that he knew nothing about it. He’s planning to contact the rest of the council. I hope he follows through.”

  Livvy nodded. “He’s not the most...forceful of personalities. But if Carey said he would do it, he will. He graduated with me.” She grinned. “We called him ‘Matchstick’ because he always stuck out in a crowd, being so tall and skinny and having that bright red hair.”

  Kate laughed. “It sort of fits, doesn’t it?”

  “If Carey didn’t know, I wonder if the rest of the council does,” Livvy mused.

  “I already spoke to Eva and Ben Dean,” Kate told her, “and unless she was acting, I’m pretty certain Eva didn’t know. Ben was harder to read.”

  Livvy snorted. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “But it would surprise me if he was involved,” Danny said, raising his head from the budget. “Ben isn’t a very subtle person, and I wouldn’t trust him with an important secret.”

  LuAnne returned then with Danny and Livvy’s supper platters, which she slid in front of each of them. “Anything else?” she drawled.

  They all shook their heads. “Thanks,” Livvy told her. “I think we’re good.”

  As LuAnne walked away, Livvy picked up her knife and cut her sandwich into quarters. Then she pointed the knife at Kate.

  “While we eat, you have to promise me we won’t talk about anything to do with the library,” Livvy said.

  “I promise,” Kate said promptly. It would be a wonderful relief to give the topic a short rest. “Want to hear about my trip?”

  “Oh! I practically forgot. Yes. Every detail. Especially New York. Next time you go up there, I want to go along. I’m dying to see a Broadway show.”

  Danny set aside the budget and began to dig into his meal. “Oh yes,” he deadpanned, “I’m just dying to see a Broadway show.”

  Kate laughed as Livvy socked her husband in the shoulder.

  “A little culture would be good for you,” she told him.

  Dinner was enjoyable. Kate regaled her friends with stories about her trip. Danny had gone back to perusing the town budget, and he barely looked up, periodically running the fingers of one hand through his dark curls. At one point, he pulled out a calculator and began punching in some numbers.

  Beneath the facade of her carefree demeanor, Kate continued to worry about what was happening to the library. It was becoming clear to her that the demolition had been kept very quiet so it could be accomplished before many people knew about it or could organize to stop it.

  Finally Danny pushed away the budget papers and sat back, running his fingers through his dark hair again. “This budget appears to be in order, Kate. The library is right on track with spending projections for the fiscal year.” He grimaced. “Or at least it was before they hired movers and had to restore storm-damaged books.”

  “Thanks, Danny.” Kate collected the papers and put them in her bag. Another dead end.

  Was it too late to stop the mysterious Gerald Foxfield from tearing down their library?

  KATE WAS THOROUGHLY frustrated. She had talked with Paul, Livvy, and Danny about Malcolm Dekker. But she had yet to find the slightest shred of evidence that would point to his involvement in the library demolition.

  Malcolm was considered more than a little strange, although everyone agreed that he was an excellent funeral director, efficient and unobtrusive. He was well liked enough to have been elected to the town council, Kate mused, although his ability to cut through the fat and get to the meat of a matter, as well as his capable manner, probably had a lot to do with that. He was considered a doer in the community.

  Malcolm had lived in Copper Mill all his life and took over the funeral home when his father passed. It was generally agreed that he was a far better funeral director than his father had been.

  But Kate couldn’t see how any of those things might fit with the profile of a man trying to have the library torn down. As far as anyone knew, Malcolm’s finances were in order, although she knew that appearances could be deceptive where money was concerned.

  Eli Weston was a similar story in that she couldn’t find anything problematic in his lifestyle or his history that would lead her to believe that he was involved in this for some reason. His antique business was thriving, despite the economy, and he was a regular volunteer with the Faith Freezer Program.

  When Paul and Kate had first arrived in town, Eli had been a sad and troubled man. His fiancée had died after battling cancer, and in his grief and anger at God, Eli had accidentally burned down Faith Briar Church. But Eli had healed, Kate thought. If she had a group of favorite folks in town, Eli would be among them. How could he possibly be involved in the demolition scheme?

  AFTER LEAVING DANNY AND LIVVY, Kate opened the door of her home. It felt as though she hadn’t been there in a very long time.

  Paul came out of his office. “Hi, honey. Long day?”

  “Unbelievably so.” Kate walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, kicking off her sandals. “I feel just like I did when I was pregnant—so exhausted I’m loopy. Remember how tired I always was during those early months?”

  Paul smiled. “I sure do. Have you gotten anything ready for supper yet? If not, I could make us some soup and sandwiches.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful.”

  While Paul made the meal, Kate set the table and got drinks. She told him about the note in her handbag. Then, feeling that since she now had solid proof, she told Paul about the i
ntended demolition and her shock when she saw the date on the demolition order.

  He was as stunned as Livvy. When he had gotten over the surprise, he said, “Your name is on everyone’s lips these days. Even the guys on the job site want to know what you’re up to.”

  Kate sent him a sleepy smile as they finished their meal. “Oh?”

  “Jerry Cox asked me yesterday about what you were doing. He’s the new volunteer I told you about from McMinnville.”

  Kate’s eyes flew wide, and she sat up abruptly, her hair flying. “McMinnville? You didn’t tell me he was from McMinnville.”

  “I didn’t?” Paul frowned.

  “I would have remembered that,” she said. “He’s the one who said he knew Louisa, the one she didn’t seem to remember right away.”

  Paul nodded.

  Kate felt as if she were just on the edge of discovering something new and important. “Would it be all right,” she asked, “if I were to visit your job site tomorrow?”

  Paul nodded. “Sure. Do you want to meet Jerry?”

  “I certainly do. But Paul?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do me a favor and don’t mention to anyone that I’m coming.”

  KATE RETURNED TO THE LIBRARY on Friday morning. As she pulled into the parking lot, she spotted Clifton Beasley, an elderly man whom she often saw kibitzing with his cronies in front of the Mercantile. Clifton waved as Kate got out of her car and came toward him. He told her he’d come down to see what the fuss was with the library, and he had something to give her that he had left in his car.

  “Ida Mae sent this along,” he said, opening the door of his Buick and reaching onto the passenger seat.

  As he slowly straightened, Kate could see that he had a book in his hands. It was spiral-bound in creaky, red plastic and had a folksy cover with a hand-drawn picture of Copper Mill Creek’s best-known set of little waterfalls on it. Emblazoned on the cover were the words Copper Mill Chronicle: Best-loved Recipes.

  “What’s this?” Kate asked, delighted. She immediately opened the book and began to flip through it.