by Carol Cox
Millie folded her arms and shook her head. “She was talking so fast, I couldn’t hear everything she said, but I did catch her saying something about ‘that woman.’” She arched her eyebrows. “I suppose that means your wife. I heard they had some kind of blowup the other day.”
Paul let out his breath in a long sigh and sat down again. “Well, I wouldn’t call it a blowup. It was just a misunderstanding.”
He drummed his fingers on the desktop and looked up at the scowling woman. “I know you’re ready to leave, so I’ll take care of it from here, Millie. Thanks for passing the message along.”
Millie huffed and closed the door behind her.
Paul sat deep in thought. He wondered if Lisa would have talked to him directly if he’d been available to take her call. Given the way she felt about what happened between her and Kate, it must have taken a lot for her to make the call in the first place. But it didn’t seem she had anywhere else to turn.
Millie was right, a new car would be the answer. But if Lisa didn’t have the funds to keep this one maintained, she sure didn’t have the money to buy a replacement vehicle.
He sat a moment longer, weighing his options. Carl, the obvious choice to deal with this, was in Chattanooga for the day, attending a training session to sharpen his mechanical skills. Eli wasn’t a lot better than Paul when it came to diagnosing problems.
That left Jeff Turner, who had shown great mechanical aptitude, though he wasn’t a mechanic by trade. At least his abilities were far above Paul’s and Eli’s.
Paul picked up the phone and dialed Jeff’s cell number. Jeff answered a moment later.
“Hey there, Jeff. It’s Paul. Sorry to bother you at work.”
“It’s okay. I’m on my lunch break. What’s up?”
Paul explained Lisa’s situation. “It may just be the starter, or it could turn out to be something else altogether. For some reason, she’d prefer that I wasn’t involved. Would you mind going up there and taking a look at it?”
“Sure. I’d be glad to do it, as long as she doesn’t mind waiting until I get off work.” Jeff didn’t ask why Paul wasn’t welcome.
“I’m sure she won’t. I think she’ll be relieved to know she’ll be able to get home tonight. Let me give you her number at work.” He pulled the phone directory from his desk drawer, looked up the listing for Fancy Fabrics, and read the number off to Jeff.
“If you’d just give her a call and let her know you’ll be there to bail her out, I think it would ease her mind.”
“No problem. Consider it done.”
“Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate it. Let me know how it all turns out, okay?”
Chapter Fifteen
What do you have planned for this afternoon, honey?” Paul asked Kate on Thursday as he helped her clear away the lunch dishes.
“Well, the lamp and sun catchers I’ve been working on are ready to go, so I thought I’d drop them off at Smith Street Gifts. And I need to stop at Betty’s to pick up some new conditioner she talked me into ordering. It’s supposed to give my hair a youthful sheen.”
She fluffed her strawberry-blonde curls. “At least part of me will look young.”
Paul wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Katie girl, to me you’ll always be the beautiful young woman I met in San Antonio.”
Kate looked up at him and laughed. “And you’ll always be that athletic new minister who first caught my eye.”
Paul struck a Charles Atlas pose. “You’re not saying I’m a ninety-seven-pound weakling now, are you?”
Kate reached up to squeeze his biceps and batted her eyes at him. “Ooh, what big muscles you have. Why don’t you put them to good use and go load those stained-glass pieces into the car for me while I wash the dishes?”
Paul bowed with a flourish. “Your wish is my command.”
He started out of the room, then turned back, a more serious expression on his face. “By the way, I’ve been putting off telling you, but you probably ought to know that Lisa Phillips called the church a couple days ago, asking for help with her car.”
“I don’t get it...” Kate drew her eyebrows together. “If she’s willing to talk to us again, that should be good news, right? So why put off telling me?”
“That wasn’t exactly what happened. She wanted the help, but she made it clear she didn’t want it from me.”
Kate’s playful mood evaporated. “Because of me,” she whispered.
Paul closed the distance between them and pulled her into another hug. “I knew it would make you feel bad. That’s why I haven’t said anything. But I knew you’d feel even worse if you found out later and hadn’t been able to pray about it.”
“You’re right about that.” Kate gave him a grateful squeeze, then looked into his eyes. “I may not know how to fix this, but I know who does.”
COOL, REFRESHING AIR washed over Kate when she stepped inside the beauty parlor. Lucy Mae Briddle sat across from Betty at the small manicure table near the back. Martha Sinclair sat up front in one of the salmon-colored chairs, having her hair styled by Ronda.
Betty looked up and smiled. “Hi, Kate. I’ll be right with you.” She touched one of Lucy Mae’s fingernails gently. “Okay, you’re good to go.”
Kate waited while Lucy Mae reached into her purse and gingerly fished out a bill, which she handed to Betty.
Betty tucked the money in the pocket of her smock. “You’re here for that conditioner, right?” She walked over to a small set of shelves and retrieved a cream-colored plastic bottle. “My sales rep swears by this stuff. Says it’ll—”
The door burst open, and a wild-eyed woman rushed inside. Kate stepped back in time to keep from being run over.
Betty stopped in her tracks and stared. “Why, Maribeth, what’s wrong?”
The frantic woman darted over to Betty. “It’s an emergency. You’ve got to help me.”
Kate exchanged a glance with Lucy Mae, who looked every bit as mystified as Kate felt. Martha and Ronda were frozen like statues, wearing identical expressions of shock.
“I will if I can,” Betty said. “But what on earth’s the matter?”
Maribeth wrung her hands and moaned. “It’s Mitzi,” she wailed.
“Your little Pomeranian?” Betty shook her head. “Hon, if you have a dog emergency, you need to see the vet, not me.”
“You don’t understand,” Maribeth sobbed. “Someone snuck into my backyard and...and...wait a minute, I’ll show you. She’s out in the car. It’s horrible!”
She dashed back out the door as quickly as she had come in. The five women in the shop stared at each other.
Betty looked at the others and raised her hands. “Does this sound a little peculiar to anyone else but me?”
Before any of them could say a word, Maribeth rushed back inside carrying what looked like a pile of shaggy, blue carpet. Then the rug moved, and Kate realized she was looking at a dog.
The little animal seemed to share none of its owner’s distress. Bright black eyes glinted with good humor from the depths of the sky blue fur.
Kate stepped forward and took a closer look. Even close up, the blue bundle looked more like a huge ball of cotton candy. Or like Cookie Monster wagging a plumed tail.
“Look!” Maribeth sobbed. “See what they did to my poor baby?”
Everyone in the room seemed too shocked to speak. Lucy Mae took a step nearer, her eyes wide, and simply stared.
“How did they do it?” Martha finally asked.
“I don’t know,” Maribeth wailed. “My husband thought maybe they sprayed blue food coloring over her.”
“It might have been blueberry juice,” Martha offered helpfully.
Betty leaned over and rubbed Mitzi’s fur between her fingers, then leaned down to sniff her coat. “I honestly can’t tell you what it is. There just isn’t any way for me to know for sure. The best-case scenario is that it’s some of that temporary hair color the kids use.”
“Temporary?” Marib
eth’s face lit up as if Betty had thrown her a lifeline.
“Sure. If that’s what it is, it’ll wash out eventually.”
“You mean we’ll be able to get it out in time for the dog show two weeks from Saturday?”
Betty shook her head. “Even the temporary stuff doesn’t wash out that fast. It takes some time, and that’s on human hair. I have no idea how it’ll react to a dog’s coat, since it’s more porous. And with all that white fur...”
Maribeth’s shoulders shook. “Blue fur, you mean.”
Lucy Mae reached out and touched the dog’s sky blue coat with tentative fingers. Then she stepped back and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “I’ve got to run. I’m so sorry about your dog, Maribeth. I do hope you figure out some way to get her ready for the show.”
Kate watched Lucy Mae as she left the shop, then turned back to the unfolding drama.
“Who do you think did it?” Martha asked.
“Anybody could have.” Maribeth mopped at her tear-stained face with her free hand. “Mitzi stays in the backyard when I’m not home. Anyone could have climbed over our fence and gotten to her. She might bark once or twice, but that’s just her way of saying hello. She wouldn’t harm a soul.”
Her eyes misted over again. “Mitzi loves to go to the groomer’s. She probably thought whoever did this was giving her some kind of beauty treatment.”
Betty looked over at Kate and blinked. “Oh yeah. Your conditioner.” She glanced down at the bottle in her hand and shook her head. “Here you go. Sorry, I got sidetracked.”
“Totally understandable.” Kate gave Betty a sympathetic smile and paid for her new product.
“Do you think peroxide might work?” It appeared that Maribeth wasn’t willing to give up hope just yet.
Kate didn’t wait to hear Betty’s reply. She needed to get away by herself and think. She drove west on Main and turned right onto Smith Street, where she found a parking spot across the street from the gift shop.
Farther down the block, she spotted the mayor’s Buick parked in front of the Country Diner. Acting on impulse, Kate walked to the other end of the block and entered the diner. Lucy Mae, Lawton, and Micah were sitting at a table for four.
“Afternoon, Kate,” Lawton called. “We decided to stop in here for a piece of pie. Care to join us? We’ve only just ordered.”
“I’d love to,” Kate said. “But I think I’ll just have a glass of iced tea.”
LuAnne had the plates of pie on the table in no time, then brought Kate’s iced tea.
Kate spread her napkin on her lap. “I wonder if I could ask a favor? Would you mind if I borrowed Micah for a few minutes after we’re finished here? I need to carry some stained-glass pieces into Smith Street Gifts, and I could use some extra muscle.”
Lucy Mae looked startled, then smiled. “It’s all right with me if it’s all right with Micah.”
Micah shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
Kate smiled her thanks, then added in a casual tone, “It’s a shame about Maribeth’s dog, isn’t it?”
Lucy Mae only nodded.
Lawton frowned. “What are you talking about? Has another dog been stolen?”
“Not stolen. Somebody sneaked into her backyard and dyed her Pomeranian blue.” Kate sipped her tea and watched Lucy Mae over the rim of her glass.
Lucy Mae stared at her plate as if fascinated by her slice of peach pie.
“We’ve had a rash of vandalism lately,” Lawton said in his most official tone. “I’m looking into it. I won’t stand for this kind of thing going on in my town.”
“That’s good,” Kate said. “It would be nice if nothing like this happened again.”
“A lot of it seems to have to do with dogs too,” Lawton said. “Seems like this dog show is turning the whole town upside down. I should have put my foot down and kept them from holding it here in the first place.”
When Lawton finished his last bite, and his diatribe, Lucy Mae wadded her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair. “I need to get home and check on Sir Percival. I’ve left him too long already.”
The others stood up too, and Lawton rolled his eyes at Kate. “Dogs, dogs, dogs.”
Kate laid cash for her iced tea on the table and followed them to the door. “You don’t need to wait for Micah,” she told the Briddles. “I can drop him off at your house when we’re finished.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Micah said. “I thought maybe I’d hang around downtown awhile.”
“He likes it here.” Lawton beamed proudly. He patted Micah’s shoulder. “All right, we’ll see you later. You can just walk home whenever you’re ready. Nice talkin’ to you, Kate.”
Kate led Micah down to the end of the block and crossed the street. When they reached her car, she leaned back against the side and put her hands in her pockets.
Micah hovered beside her, looking confused. “Where’s the stuff you want me to help you carry?”
“Oh, it’s in the trunk. Thanks for being willing to help me unload these pieces, Micah. But before we carry them in, I wanted to give you the opportunity to unload something else first. Have you ever heard of the old expression that confession is good for the soul?”
Micah took a step backward, and his brows drew together. “What are you talking about?”
Kate studied him intently. “Micah, I’m just going to come out and say this: you’re the one who dyed Maribeth’s Pomeranian blue, aren’t you?”
“Me? Why would you think—”
“I saw your aunt’s face in the beauty shop when they were talking about someone using a temporary color on the dog. She left immediately afterward, and she was very uncomfortable when I brought the subject up again at the diner.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean...”
Kate waited for the boy to continue, but he seemed to be wrestling with his conscience. He braved it out a moment longer, then wilted. “Okay, you’re right. I did it.”
“And the toilet paper on Carl Wilson’s house?”
Micah’s shoulders slumped, and he traced an arc on the sidewalk with the toe of his sneaker. “Yeah, that was me too.
“And the sugar at the house with the rottweiler,” he added, as if relieved to unburden himself completely.
Kate spread her hands wide. “But why? You seem like such a nice young man. Why on earth would you do such malicious things?”
“None of it hurt anybody,” he mumbled.
Kate raised her eyebrows. “What about the fact that Maribeth can’t show her dog now? And do you know how much damage it would have done if you’d managed to pour the sugar into the gas tank of Lester Philpott’s truck?”
“I wasn’t actually going to put it in the gas tank. I just wanted him to think someone was after him.”
“This makes absolutely no sense to me at all.” Kate shook her head. “Do your aunt and uncle have any idea you were behind all the vandalism?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so. You’re probably right about Aunt Lucy Mae having a pretty good idea about the blue dye, but I don’t want her to know about the other stuff. You’re not going to tell them, are you?”
“I can’t promise that, but we’ll see. First, why don’t you tell me why you did it?”
Micah swallowed. “I was doing it for my aunt.”
“For your aunt?” Kate gestured toward a bench on the edge of the Town Green. “Let’s go over there and sit down. I have a feeling there’s quite a story behind all this.”
Kate settled herself on the bench and waited until Micah joined her. “So, what’s all this about your aunt? Are you mad at her? Wanting to get back at her for some reason? Has she asked you to do these things?”
“No, that isn’t it at all. She wants to win that dog show so bad, and I was just trying to help her. She had nothing to do with it.”
“Okay.” Kate drew the word out. “So draping the Wilsons’ yard in toilet paper and putting sugar next to Lester’s pickup was going to accomplish this...how?”
>
Micah slumped on the bench, looking as if he wished he could disappear in a puff of smoke.
“I really like my aunt, okay? I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Here’s the deal. My parents got divorced when I was just a little kid. It was just me and my mom, and she had trouble taking care of me on her own. So Aunt Lucy Mae invited me to come live with her and Uncle Lawton.
“I stayed with them until I was in fourth grade, when my mom got married again. My aunt helped me with my homework and bought me clothes and took me to Boy Scouts...Everything a real mom is supposed to do.”
The strain in his voice tugged at Kate’s heartstrings.
“I don’t know what would have happened to me if it hadn’t been for Aunt Lucy Mae.”
“Okay,” Kate said slowly. “But that doesn’t explain all the mischief.”
Micah took in a quick breath of air and let it out in a huff. “I didn’t want to do anything to hurt the other dogs, but I know how much my aunt has been fussing over getting ready for the show. I just thought if their owners got rattled enough, it would give her a little bit of an edge.”
Kate’s voice was gentle when she said, “Micah, didn’t you come back to stay with your aunt this summer because you were having some problems back home? How do you think it’s going to help your aunt if you get into trouble here?”
The boy slammed the palm of his hand against the bench. “You’re right, it was a dumb thing to do.”
“Well, we can agree on that point. Do you have plans for any of the other dogs around Copper Mill?”
“No.” One corner of Micah’s lips lifted. “Well, I did have a couple of ideas, but I guess I’m not going to follow through on them now.”
“I should hope not. Now I have one more thing to ask you, and it’s very important that you tell me the truth.” Kate leaned forward and fixed her eyes on his. “Did you have anything to do with taking Renee Lambert’s Chihuahua?”
Micah scooted back on the bench and looked at her with a wounded expression. “No. I wouldn’t go that far, even for my aunt.”
Kate studied him for a long moment, then said, “All right. Then I’ll make you a deal.”
