by Carol Cox
Kate stepped into the entry hall and peered into the beautifully decorated living room.
Renee was huddled at one end of the sofa with her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders convulsed with sobs.
Renee’s mother, Caroline Beauregard Johnston, sat beside her, patting her daughter on the knee.
“Oh dear,” Kate said.
Skip shook his head. “Yeah, it’s bad, all right. I was hoping you might be able to calm her down. I can’t seem to get through to her. If she doesn’t get ahold of herself soon, I think we may need to call her doctor.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Kate crossed the room briskly and knelt on the floor in front of Renee. Ignoring the protest from her arthritic knee, she wrapped her arms around the distraught woman.
“Renee, I’m so sorry.” She felt shivers rippling through Renee’s body. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Renee sniffled loudly, then raised her face to look at Kate. It took an effort for Kate not to gasp at the sight of Renee’s haggard appearance. Mascara formed dark circles like a raccoon’s mask under her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, smeared by the torrent of tears. Normally Renee would never have dreamt of allowing anyone to see her in such a state, which was a strong indication of how deeply Kisses’ disappearance had affected her.
Kate reached for a box of tissues sitting on a small table nearby and handed it to Renee. Renee mopped at her face, then took a series of deep breaths. “I still can’t believe this is happening,” she began in a shaky voice. “When I drove home after the meeting, Mother said she wanted to get out of the house.”
Caroline gave her head a sharp nod. “It’s been so hot lately, the walls just seem to be closing in on me.”
“I decided we would drive to the park,” Renee went on. “I wanted to inspect the area where the dog show will be held. So we walked out into the center of the park, and Mother decided she wanted to go off and stroll around on her own.” Renee sniffled. “As hot as it is today, I should have known that would be too much exertion for someone her age.”
Caroline leveled a scowl at her daughter but let Renee continue without interruption.
Renee didn’t seem to notice her mother’s pique. “A few minutes later, I heard her cry out and saw that she had fallen over near the creek. It scared me to death! I thought she might have broken her hip again. Kisses was taking a nap in his new doggie tote, so I set him down in the shade of a tree and ran to help her.”
Kate nodded and eyed Renee’s mother closely. “Are you all right?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” The elderly woman waved her hand in a gesture reminiscent of her daughter’s.
“She is,” Renee agreed. “I think the heat just got to her. I mean, it was getting to me, and I’m in great shape.”
Kate nodded but stifled a sigh at Renee’s insistence that she wasn’t a day over thirty-nine, even though she was actually in her seventies.
Renee continued. “I helped Mother to a park bench and fanned her a bit, and after a little while, she perked right up. I knew I needed to get her back home, so I helped her to the car. Then I went back to pick up Kisses.”
Her lower lip quivered. “But when I got there, the tote was missing...and Kisses was gone with it.”
Kate gasped. “Oh, Renee, that’s awful! Are you sure you looked under the right tree?” She realized her mistake even before Renee pierced her with a withering gaze.
“I looked everywhere—under every tree and all along the street. I thought some youngster might have carried him off, so I checked the children’s play area. Nothing. There was no sign of Kisses anywhere.”
Renee’s voice rose half an octave. “This is the first time I’ve ever left him alone, and look what happened. I can’t believe I could have been so negligent.”
“That wasn’t negligence,” Kate soothed. “You were doing the right thing by helping your mother.”
Relief flickered in Renee’s eyes for a moment, then faded. “I shouldn’t have left him. He depends on me, and I let him down. I know some people may think I spoil Kisses, but he means the world to me.”
Kate winced. So Renee had overheard Lucy Mae’s hurtful comments. Her heart melted to see Renee in such distress.
Renee fluttered her fingers and sniffled again. “I feel so helpless, Kate. You know I’m a person who always likes to take action, but I can’t think clearly enough right now to know what to do.”
“You’ve already spoken to Skip,” Kate said. “So that’s good. I can check with the humane society and see if anyone has taken Kisses there.”
Renee nodded, as if Kate had just thrown her a lifeline.
Encouraged, Kate cast about for another idea. “How about putting a lost-and-found notice in the Chronicle?”
Renee reached for another tissue. “Or a display ad so it won’t get lost in the classifieds. A quarter page at least, maybe larger.” Her shoulders shook again. “But the Chronicle won’t be out until next Thursday. There has to be something more I can do in the meantime.”
“Get on the phone and start calling people,” Kate urged. “Put the word out that Kisses is missing. And how about making up some flyers? You can post them around town and ask people to help look for him.”
Tears pooled along Renee’s lower lids and started trickling down her cheeks again, carrying with them new streams of mascara. She leaned forward and clasped Kate’s right hand in both of her own.
“I can do all that, but I need your help, too, Kate. I’m sure the deputies will do what they can, but you love Kisses. You’re so good at solving mysteries, and this is a matter of life and death. I want you to find my Little Umpkins and bring him home.”
Kate shot an apologetic glance at Skip, then slipped her hand from Renee’s grasp and patted the older woman’s arm. She stood up and pulled a small overstuffed chair closer to the sofa where Renee sat.
That momentary separation threw Renee into another meltdown. She began wailing all over again. “How could I have done such a foolish thing? Leaving my...precious Umpkins there...all alone. I walked away from him. This is all my fault!”
Renee seemed to be so distraught that she was on the brink of needing medical attention, so Kate took Renee’s hands in her own and spoke firmly. “Blaming yourself won’t solve anything, Renee. Let’s take it slowly, from the beginning, okay?”
Renee blinked at Kate’s tone, but her words had the desired effect. Renee freed one hand to reach for a tissue, then dabbed at her eyes.
“What do you want to know?” She sat up straight and squared her shoulders, looking more like herself.
Kate swallowed hard and sent up a quick prayer: Lord, give me the right words to say.
“Did you see anyone suspicious around the park?”
Renee gave Kate a baleful glare. “Obviously, I would have mentioned it if I had spotted the perp or seen anything suspicious. Come on, Kate, what kind of a sleuth are you?”
Kate tried to brush off Renee’s jab and her irritating use of cop-show lingo. “Indulge me, Renee.”
“Fine. I guess there were several cars parked along Hamilton Road near where we were. But it’s tourist season, after all. Strangers are milling around all over town. It could have been anyone.”
Kate’s shoulders sagged. It wasn’t going to be easy to solve this mystery.
“All right. I’ll look around and see what I can find out. I can’t promise I’ll be able to locate Kisses, but I’ll do my best.”
“Then you’ll take the case?” Renee’s eyes shone with hope.
Kate nodded. And Lord, I’m going to need all the help I can get.
THAT EVENING, Kate arranged thin slices of turkey on flour tortillas, then layered lettuce, tomato slices, narrow strips of green pepper, and shredded cheddar on top. After drizzling her homemade ranch dressing over each stack, she rolled the wraps tightly and smiled when she heard Paul’s key turn in the front lock. Perfect timing.
With a quick glance to assure herself that the place settings on th
e oak table were in order, she hurried to greet him with a kiss and a hug. “How did your day go?”
“It was great.” Paul threw his arms around her and lifted her off the floor, swinging her in a circle before setting her down again.
Kate gazed at him appraisingly and laughed. “You don’t look like a man who’s spent a long, muggy day changing oil and checking engines. Speaking of which—” She looked down at his hands and eyed them suspiciously. “You didn’t leave greasy handprints on my favorite blouse, did you?”
Paul held out his hands, palms up, for her inspection. “You’ve trained me well. I was wearing coveralls to keep my clothes clean, and I used some of that waterless hand cleaner before I left Carl’s house and got most of it off there. I figured I’d finish up the job here before supper.”
“Then you’d better get crackin’. I’m just getting ready to put food on the table.”
While Paul washed up in the master bathroom, Kate slid the turkey-ranch wraps onto two dinner plates and carried them to the table, where a freshly tossed salad and a chilled bowl of marinated green beans were already waiting.
Paul returned just as she was setting tall, frosty glasses of iced tea, garnished with sprigs of mint, beside their plates.
He sat down and rubbed his hands together. “Ah, a fitting reward for a good day’s work.”
They joined hands and bowed their heads while Paul said grace. After his “Amen,” Kate shook out her napkin and laid it across her lap, then she reached for the salad tongs while Paul spooned green beans onto his plate.
“You started telling me about your day,” she said, “but we got a little sidetracked with the grimy hands issue.” She studied his face for a moment. “It must have been wonderful. As hot as it’s been, I thought you’d come home worn to a frazzle, but you look positively refreshed.”
Paul sliced off a bite-sized piece of his turkey wrap and speared it with his fork. “When Carl talked to Jeff and Eli and they decided to start the clinic, I was thinking what a blessing it would be for both the guys and the folks they would come in contact with. Maybe even for our entire congregation. But I never thought I’d end up being so blessed myself.”
Kate added green beans to her own plate, then drizzled a vinaigrette dressing over her salad. “This is the third time you’ve held the clinic this summer, but I’ve never seen you look this buoyant before.”
“I think we’re beginning to hit our stride. Not only are we working together as a team, but I got to talk to a lot of people about the Lord today. It’s a whole different way of ministering to the community than preaching on Sunday or meeting with people in my office at the church.”
“That’s great, hon. Is the rest of the team enjoying it as much as you are?”
Paul nodded as he took a sip of iced tea. “Carl’s feeling really proud about coordinating all the details. Eli didn’t know all that much about cars to begin with, but he’s learning a lot, and I know he’s praying for the needs of the people we’re helping.”
He paused as he slid a forkful of salad into his mouth. “And then there’s Jeff Turner.”
Kate smiled at the mention of the thirtysomething young man who had become a regular at Faith Briar over the past few weeks. She finished chewing a bite of turkey and swallowed before she spoke. “He seems very nice.”
“He is. Jeff impresses me as a man of good character. I’d like to have him over for dinner sometime so we can both get to know him better. We’ve talked a bit about his spiritual growth. He’s really interested in reaching out to others as well as developing a deeper walk with the Lord. Maybe working with him at the car clinic will give me a chance to do some discipleship training in addition to community outreach.”
Paul’s voice sounded more excited as he talked. “And the best part is that while we’re working on cars, our hands are busy, but we’re also talking, and the car owners are listening and even joining in from time to time.”
Paul’s smile could have lit up the house all by itself. “It’s a win-win situation. And it looks like we’re going to be able to do this on a regular basis all through the summer. We figure twice a month will give us a good chance to reach out to the community without being inundated with too many jobs at once. If we keep that up, we ought to have all the vehicles in good shape before the cold weather hits this fall.”
Kate grinned. “You’re turning into quite the mechanic, aren’t you? What kinds of repairs did you do today?”
“For the most part, it was pretty routine stuff—changing oil, checking the air pressure in tires, things like that. We installed a new set of windshield wipers on Enid Philpott’s car.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and Lisa Phillips was there with that ancient rattletrap Ford Tempo of hers.”
“Hasn’t she been there once or twice already?”
Paul chuckled. “She’s becoming a regular customer. Last time it was a transmission filter. Today she needed a new radiator hose. It seems like as soon as we get one thing taken care of, something else breaks down. That car is pretty much held together by—”
“Let me guess. Duct tape?”
Paul laughed. “No, although I must admit it’s tempting. That thing looks like it’s ready to fall apart at any moment. I was going to say it’s being held together by maintenance and prayer.”
Kate folded her napkin beside her plate. “Do you think she knows her car is being held together by prayer?”
Paul nodded. “I’ve mentioned that we’re praying for her, but I get the feeling she’s not into prayer or God. She’s always pleasant when she talks to me, but I’ve noticed that if the conversation turns to anything related to the Lord, she shuts down and looks like she’s going to bolt.”
“I’ve had the same experience with her,” Kate mused. She pushed a bean around her plate with her fork. “Her daughter Brenna is such a sweet girl, and she really seems to be growing spiritually since she’s been coming to the youth group. And she seems to have such a good relationship with her mother. It’s hard to understand why Lisa seems so closed to spiritual things when her daughter is so open to the Lord.”
Paul swallowed the last of his iced tea and pushed his chair back from the table. “I don’t understand it either, but there has to be a reason. God knows what it is, though, and he has infinite patience.”
He chuckled. “And I have to remind myself of that when I get impatient about seeing results. In the meantime, our part is to keep on praying and showing her the love of Christ.”
Kate smiled. “Even if it’s by way of a car-care clinic.”
Paul winked at her. “That clinic might be the catalyst that God will use to connect Lisa with him, so we’ll just keep reaching out to her and see where he leads us.”
“Well, now you’ve heard about my day. Tell me about yours.”
Kate gave a rueful laugh. “Oh my, I don’t know where to begin.”
She rose and started to clear the table. Paul got up and joined her. While he carried the dishes and silverware to the kitchen sink, Kate returned the salad dressing to the refrigerator. Then she stepped over to the sink and began filling it with hot, sudsy water.
Paul leaned against the counter and regarded her with a bemused expression. He quirked one eyebrow. “I take it that this prolonged silence means you didn’t have quite as wonderful a day as I did?”
Kate plunged her hands into the dishwater and started scrubbing the dishes. “Sorry, I guess I got lost in my thoughts.” She picked at a stubborn bit of lettuce that clung to one of the plates. “It was a strange day, complete with dog-show mania and poorly timed gossip. And to top it all off”—Kate raised her head to look into Paul’s eyes—“Kisses has seemingly been dognapped.”
Paul’s jaw dropped. “Dognapped? What happened?” He picked up a dishtowel and started drying the dishes while Kate filled him in on all the details. With his help, they finished in no time at all.
“Renee asked me to help find Kisses, and I agreed. I’m not sure how successful I’ll be, but I
felt she needed some hope to hold on to. She was so distraught, but when I promised to help her, she calmed down a little. I’m worried about her, Paul. I’m not sure she realizes how much resentment she created by insisting that Kisses is going to win.”
“I can imagine. Renee tends to be pretty obsessive where Kisses is concerned. So what’s your plan? Have you already started sleuthing?”
Kate nodded. “After Skip left, I took her back to the park and had her walk through the whole scenario again. Kisses and the tote were under one of those big trees along the west side of the park, and her mother fell on the opposite end, near the creek. I can see how someone could have made off with that tote without Renee noticing.”
Paul nodded thoughtfully. “Especially when she was so distracted by what had happened to Caroline. But it sounds like you’ve made a good start. I know the case is in good hands.” He squeezed Kate’s shoulders and gave her a peck on the cheek before heading to his study to go over his sermon notes for the following morning’s service.
Kate sighed as she wiped down the kitchen counters with a damp dishcloth. Despite the lack of physical activity that day, she felt totally exhausted.
Chapter Four
On Monday morning, Millie Lovelace, the church secretary, knocked on the door of Paul’s office and stepped inside. “Pastor, there’s a man here who wants to see you.”
Paul put down the commentary he’d been studying. “Who is it?”
“He says his name is Daniel Newcomb. From the looks of him, I’d say he’s probably here to ask for a handout.”
Paul flinched. Millie hadn’t bothered to close the door all the way when she entered, and he felt sure the fellow in the outer office had heard everything she’d said.
“I’ll be glad to talk to him. Send him in.” He injected all the warmth he could into his voice to counterbalance his secretary’s bristly tone.
Instead of welcoming Paul’s visitor into the office, Millie lingered in the doorway. “I’ve stayed longer than usual today, finishing up that letter you wanted me to type. I really should leave for my job at the SuperMart, but do you want me to stay just in case you need me to call the sheriff or something?”
