When Paul finished chatting with the departing members of the congregation, many of whom congratulated him on his sermon, he joined Kate and the children.
“We’ve had at least one request for lunch,” Kate told him. “Should we go to the Country Diner?”
The Hanlons often had Sunday lunch at the diner, and many members of the congregation frequented the popular eating spot as well.
“I have a better idea.” He grinned and winked at Kate. “Since our young house guests are all dressed up and we are too, why don’t we go to the Bristol at the Hamilton Springs Hotel? We’ll make it a special day.”
His suggestion surprised Kate. The children had already been treated to one special day, but she wasn’t about to turn down a chance to eat at the Bristol, the nicest restaurant in Copper Mill. The locals felt it was a bit citified, catering to wealthy tourists, but Kate enjoyed both the service and the sophisticated ambience.
“I’ll vote yes,” she said. “How about the rest of you?”
Megan’s forehead furrowed. “That’s a pretty fancy place.”
“I’ll go if they’ve got hamburgers.” Beck shrugged.
“I’m sure they do, buddy,” Paul said.
Once they were all in agreement, they piled into the Honda, the three youngsters squeezing into the backseat. Paul drove, and Kate took the passenger seat.
Built in the early 1900s and recently restored, the two-story Hamilton Springs Hotel was constructed of red brick. Evenly spaced windows glistened as the noontime sun glanced off the panes, producing a diamond effect that shot rays of silver across the gardens.
Quite a few cars were in the parking lot, including the sheriff’s patrol car and Deputy Skip Spencer’s official black-and-white SUV with the county logo on the side.
“Wonder what brings them here,” Paul mused out loud.
Megan leaned forward between the seats to get a better view. “Maybe we shouldn’t go in.”
“Let’s at least take a look. Maybe they’re just enjoying a leisurely brunch,” Kate said.
“Ma always told us to stay away from cops.”
At Megan’s worried tone, Kate glanced over her shoulder. “Nothing to worry about today. Sheriff Roberts is a very nice man.”
Sliding back onto the seat, Megan didn’t look convinced.
Kate had to wonder why their mother had warned her children to stay away from the police. Kate had encouraged her own children to trust police officers and go to them if they needed help.
Of course, if Glynis or her boyfriend were involved in something illegal, that would be a good reason for her to tell the children to steer clear of the law.
Or maybe the children had another reason to avoid the police. Kate didn’t want to believe they were involved in anything illegal, like Dumpster-diving. Still, Megan had been pretty desperate to take care of her siblings.
By the time they parked and were walking toward the hotel entrance, a small crowd had gathered on the grassy lawn to the left of the building. Kate spotted the sheriff as well as Sybil Hudson, the hotel’s efficient general manager.
“Let’s see what’s going on,” Paul suggested.
The children hung back, following well behind Paul and Kate as they joined the crowd of onlookers. The focus of attention was an electric service cart used by hotel maintenance personnel around the grounds. The front of the bright yellow cart had crashed into something and was creased almost as far back as the driver’s seat. Sheriff Roberts and Skip Spencer were examining the vehicle.
“What happened?” Kate asked Sybil.
Sybil pushed her glasses up farther on her nose and shook her head. “Looks like the vandals who have been messing around in town hit us last night. They got into our trash bin, pulled the mess out onto the driveway, then took a joyride in that cart.”
“How did they get it started?” It looked too heavy to have been pushed from the maintenance area to this part of the hotel grounds.
“The maintenance men were forever misplacing the key to the cart, so they started leaving it in the ignition. Somebody just hopped in, stepped on the accelerator, and off they went. You can be sure the policy on keys is about to change.”
“It’s a shame someone did so much damage. I hope your insurance will cover the repairs.”
“It should.” The hotel manager wore her hair in a knot at the back of her head, and strands were coming loose as though undone by the vandals’ action. “I’ll call my agent first thing in the morning.”
Paul spoke up. “Sam, Skip, and I have been talking about setting a trap for those vandals. Guess we’d better get to it.”
“If you catch them, I’ll be first in line to press charges,” Sybil said. “Vandals tearing up the hotel property doesn’t help my bottom line one bit, and it makes the guests nervous about their own safety.”
Kate could empathize with Sybil’s problem. The entire town was beginning to worry that their homes or businesses would be attacked next. At least for this act of vandalism, the children had a solid alibi. They’d been sound asleep in the Hanlon household only a few feet away from Kate.
But that didn’t mean they had an alibi for the Dumpster affair in town. Kate had no way of knowing where the children had been when that vandalism occurred.
Edging her way around the crowd, she tried for a closer look at the damaged cart. The front end was caved in so far, it would be surprising if no one had been injured. Ugly scratches marred the dashboard, and it looked as though the steering wheel had been bent at an odd angle. Because of the force of the crash? Probably. But who, or what, would have been reckless enough, or vindictive enough, to run the cart at full power into a tree?
In any case, the cart would be expensive to repair.
Paul sidled up beside her. “Word has it we have a nine-year-old who’s starving and may soon blow away because he’s so hungry.”
“Oh dear. We wouldn’t want that.” Smiling, she hooked her arm through his. “Let’s hope they can seat us quickly.”
As they walked toward the wide double doors leading into the hotel, Kate noticed that the children did their best to skirt the crowd, staying as far away from Sheriff Roberts as they could.
THE NEXT MORNING, Kate found herself at the library’s front door again when Livvy arrived to open up.
“I think I should get you your own personal key,” Livvy said with a laugh as she unlocked the door. “More research today?”
“More research, same topic.” Kate followed her friend inside. After being closed up tight all night, the library smelled a bit musty. “I’m trying to locate Glynis Maddock, the mother of the children who are staying with us.”
Nodding, Livvy switched on the overhead lights. “Yes, you mentioned that the other day.”
“I’ve already tried Google and found nothing. I thought I might have better luck if I enlisted your researching brainpower.”
Livvy entered her private office and switched on the light. “Well, there is one program we might try. It helps locate various articles and other information sources that require a subscription to access. It’s called LexisNexis.”
“Sounds perfect. I knew you could help, Watson.”
Livvy chuckled. “You got it, Sherlock. Come on in my office and we’ll take a look.”
Sitting down at her desk, Livvy tucked her purse into the bottom drawer, then swiveled around to face her computer. “Bring a chair around and tell me what you need.”
While Kate dragged a chair into place, Livvy booted up her computer.
“What was the woman’s name again?”
“Glynis Maddock. She left town with her boyfriend over six weeks ago, heading for Nashville. She hasn’t been heard from since, and I’m worried that something’s happened to her. I was hoping you might have a way to check accident reports or hospital admissions.”
Livvy jotted Glynis’ name on a piece of scratch paper. “If she’s been gone that long, no wonder you’re worried. Let me see what I can find.”
Kate watched the computer screen as Livvy alternately typed instructions and used her mouse.
“I’m not getting any hits in Tennessee for Glynis Maddock. I could widen the search to include the surrounding states or go back farther than two months. Or maybe I’ve got the name spelled wrong.”
Kate wondered if Glynis had reached Nashville and simply kept going. It would devastate the children to learn that their mother had indeed deserted them.
“Try Hank or Henry Weller. Maybe you’ll hit something there.”
Livvy’s fingers moved over the keyboard again. “The boyfriend?”
“So I’m told.”
“Here we go. I got a couple of hits on Henry Weller.” A few more clicks brought up a new screen. Livvy leaned forward to read the words as she scrolled down. “Uh oh. I don’t think this is going to be good news.”
Kate’s heart missed a beat. “What is it?”
“This is from the Tennessean, the Nashville newspaper, written, let’s see”—Livvy nodded her head rapidly as if mentally counting—“seven weeks ago. ‘Two fatalities were reported in a high-speed rollover accident on Interstate 24 near La Vergne last night. The driver was identified as Henry Weller of Knoxville. Identification of the female passenger, who’d been thrown from the car, was delayed pending notification of next of kin. Paramedics pronounced both victims dead at the scene.’”
Chapter Eleven
Kate covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a sob. Please, God, don’t let it be true. But even as she sent up the prayer, she knew in her heart the Lord had already called Glynis home. But the children, the poor children...
Livvy turned away from the computer. “I’m sorry, Kate. This will be terrible news for the children.”
“I know.” Her throat tightened with sorrow. She blinked back tears. How can I tell them? “Do you think there’s a way I can confirm it really was Glynis and not someone else?”
You’d have to talk to the highway-patrol officer in charge of the accident investigation.”
“All right.” With an effort, Kate pulled herself together. “Then that’s what I’d better do. Thank you for your help, Livvy.”
Livvy squeezed Kate’s hand. “Sorry it wasn’t better news.”
“Not your fault.”
As Kate reached the library front counter, Jennifer McCarthy came bustling through the front door. A recent graduate of the University of Tennessee, she was a hard-working reporter for the Copper Mill Chronicle.
“Hey, Mrs. Hanlon. You got any hot church news for me today?”
“Unfortunately not today.”
Livvy stepped behind the counter. “Kate just found out some sad news, I’m afraid.”
Jennifer’s eyebrows rose marginally. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
Kate sensed Jennifer’s reporter instincts had kicked into high gear. She had to be careful or Glynis’ story could end up on the front page of the Chronicle.
“There was an auto accident near Nashville,” Kate said cautiously. “An acquaintance of mine was killed.”
“Recently?”
“Almost two months ago.” Glancing around, Kate tried to think of a gracious way to escape the reporter’s prying.
“I’m really sorry. I have to go.” She waved to Livvy as she hurried out of the library, the weight of the children’s grief already on her shoulders.
She wished Paul were there with her, but he was visiting Pine Ridge Hospital this morning in his role as chaplain.
Letting herself into the parsonage, she was struck by the silence and the scattered evidence of children living there. Beck’s bed in the living room. A schoolbook left behind and a dirty milk glass on the kitchen counter.
She found a pen and notepad and dialed information to get the number of the highway-patrol office in Nashville. When an officer answered with a brisk “Highway Patrol,” she explained who she was and asked to speak to the person in charge of the accident that killed Henry Weller.
The wait seemed extremely long as she doodled stars and flowers on the yellow notepad.
“Captain Sanchez,” a male voice barked into the phone. “Who’s this?”
She gave him her name and identified herself as the pastor’s wife at Faith Briar Church in Copper Mill, a role that usually provided her with some credibility.
“I’m calling about a fatal accident nearly two months ago that took the life of Henry Weller. I believe the woman with him was Glynis Maddock.”
There was a pause, and Kate pictured the captain searching through paperwork or checking his computer.
The captain asked Kate for her name again as well as her address and phone number. Then he asked, “What is your relationship to the crash victims, Mrs. Hanlon?”
Kate’s heart sank a little further. By asking that question, the captain had virtually confirmed Glynis was the deceased woman. “I’ve never met either of them, but Glynis’ children are staying with me and my husband.”
“You’re not in Knoxville?”
“No sir. As I understand it, Glynis and her family moved from Knoxville to Copper Mill three years ago.”
“I see. That’s why we couldn’t locate her next of kin at the address in Knoxville that was listed on her driver’s license. She hadn’t left a forwarding address.”
Which suggested she might have been on the run then as well, Kate thought.
“Do you know if Ms. Maddock was involved in any illegal activities?” the captain asked.
“Not that I’m personally aware of. But as I said, I never met the woman.” Recalling the handwritten note, she added, “It is possible she was running away from something or someone.”
“What was Ms. Maddock’s relationship with Mr. Weller?”
“Her daughter told me that Hank Weller was her mother’s boyfriend.” Kate paused. “Captain Sanchez, any information you can give me would be much appreciated. I need to know as much as I can in order to carefully and accurately break this horrible news to the children.”
“You have custody of the children?”
“It’s an informal arrangement,” she hedged. “But I am taking care of them, yes.”
Captain Sanchez seemed to ponder her request for a moment. “Okay, Mrs. Hanlon. The deaths of the two people in the car were a result of a high-speed chase by patrol officers. One officer had pulled the car over to cite the driver for speeding. The vehicle stopped, but when the officer got out of his car, the driver of the suspect vehicle slammed his car into reverse, pinning the officer against his own patrol car.”
Kate gasped.
“After the suspect vehicle took off, our officer was able to get to his radio and report the incident. Other patrol cars went in pursuit of the suspect. In the course of that chase, the suspect’s car flipped over...killing both occupants.”
“Is your officer going to be all right?”
“We think so, ma’am.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Despite the tragedy of Glynis’ death, her biggest concern remained the children’s safety. “I have to ask, Captain...Are the children in danger?”
“It’s possible, Mrs. Hanlon. After identifying the suspect, we discovered that he was wanted for a series of armed robberies in Knoxville—several convenience stores and a jewelry store.”
Who was Glynis that she had gotten involved with a thief?
“We’ve now been able to identify the two other men involved in the robberies. Henry’s brother, Perry Weller”—Kate instantly pictured the dark-haired, heavyset man with the shadowed whiskers that Skip Spencer had shown her—“and Curt Smedley, both career criminals and considered armed and dangerous.”
This was too much for Kate to take in at once.
“There’s more. The merchandise stolen from the jewelry store, close to a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of cut diamonds, hasn’t been recovered yet. A few days after the accident, someone broke into our impound yard and vandalized what was left of the suspect’s damaged vehicle. Ripped out the overhead lining, tore up the s
eats, and every place else where the stolen property might have been hidden. We think the doers were probably Weller’s brother and his buddy Smedley.”
“What are you saying, Captain?” She glanced out the kitchen window where everything looked so normal. A light breeze shifted the maple leaves. A blue jay pecked the ground for a hidden morsel to eat. In contrast, a painful knot had tied itself in Kate’s stomach.
“We don’t think they found what they were looking for. Our accident investigators had already removed the victims’ personal effects and examined the car for contraband. The only thing they found was some old hamburger wrappers and a bag of marbles. Chances are good that Perry Weller and Curt Smedley will keep looking for the diamond stash. The next logical place would be where Henry Weller had been holed up before he got to Nashville. I’m guessing he was staying with Glynis Maddock.”
“Yes, I’ve been told he was.”
“Weller and Smedley are very dangerous, Mrs. Hanlon. If they get wind of where Hank was, they’ll come searching for whatever he left behind.” The man paused. “Have the children said anything about, I don’t know, seeing any stolen property? Any suspicious characters hanging around their neighborhood?”
“Not at all, Captain. They’re entirely innocent and very worried about their mother.” But there had been someone—or something—in the woods the day she’d moved the children out of the trailer and brought them home with her. But realistically, the noise had probably been made by an animal or a neighbor passing through, and she’d been spooked for nothing.
“Yeah, I understand,” the captain said. “This sort of thing is tough on kids.”
An unbearable burden.
“I urge you to use the utmost caution, Mrs. Hanlon. These criminals may try to use the children to recover the diamonds they stole.”
By the time Kate hung up, her hands were shaking and she had a sick feeling in her stomach.
It seemed clear that Hank had double-crossed his brother and their partner by taking the diamonds. Since the two crooks had not yet shown up in Copper Mill, Kate assumed they didn’t know Hank’s whereabouts. Yet it also seemed likely that the news of the accident had reached Hank’s brother, leading him and Smedley to the Nashville impound yard.
For the Least of These Page 9
