Dog Days

by Carol Cox

Micah looked at her questioningly.

  “I won’t say anything to your aunt and uncle about what you’ve just told me, if...”—she held up a warning finger—“you promise me nothing like this will ever happen again. And I’ll be watching, you can be sure of that. If I get even a hint that you’ve been up to more mischief, the deal is off.”

  The boy nodded eagerly. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Good.” Kate stood up and dusted off her slacks. “Now, let’s get those stained-glass pieces over to the gift shop.”

  After the lamp and sun catchers had been delivered, she pulled a couple of dollars from her purse and handed them to Micah.

  “What’s this for? You don’t have to pay me.”

  “I know I don’t.” Kate pressed the money into his hand. “But I appreciate your help...and our talk. Now, why don’t you go buy yourself a cone over at Emma’s Ice Cream?”

  Micah’s gaze flickered to one side, then he looked down at the sidewalk. “I’m not sure that’d be such a good idea.”

  “Go ahead,” Kate urged with a smile. “You deserve a treat after helping me...and there’s a young lady there who I think would like very much to see you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After dinner that evening, Paul went to shower and change before the men’s prayer meeting.

  Kate headed for the kitchen. She needed some fresh ideas for finding Kisses, but inspiration seemed to elude her. It was time to fall back on her tried-and-true method for working through a puzzle. She leafed through her recipes, looking for a summertime favorite.

  She pulled out a recipe for chocolate-fudge oatmeal cookies, a no-bake treat her kids had clamored for during their growing-up years. She combined sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in a saucepan, then stirred the mixture carefully while she brought it to a boil.

  There had to be some way to find Kisses, some clue she had overlooked. She removed the saucepan from the burner, then stirred in vanilla extract and chopped pecans. The little dog couldn’t have just vanished off the face of the earth!

  She added oatmeal and a handful of chocolate chips to the mixture, then blended the ingredients together. Deftly, she began to form the stiff dough into balls the size of small walnuts and placed them evenly onto baking sheets lined with waxed paper.

  The doorbell rang as Kate was sliding the first sheet into the refrigerator, and she jumped.

  “Want me to get that?” Paul stepped into the kitchen, looking fresh and quite handsome in khaki-colored Dockers and a pale blue polo shirt that brought out the vivid blue of his eyes.

  “Would you, please? My hands are all gooey.”

  Kate reached for another pan, then began rolling out the rest of the cookies. She heard the front door open and recognized Jeff Turner’s voice.

  “Come on back to the kitchen,” Paul said. “Kate’s in the middle of one of her baking projects.”

  “Hi, Kate.” Jeff leaned on the counter and eyed the chocolate-chip-studded dough balls on her baking sheet. “Those aren’t the chocolate-fudge-oatmeal kind, are they?”

  Kate looked up from arranging the cookies on the waxed paper and laughed at his hopeful expression. “I’ve heard of people having educated palates. You, apparently, have an educated eye.”

  “My mom used to make them. They were my favorite.” Deep lines creased Jeff’s tanned cheeks when he smiled.

  Kate could take a hint. “The first round just went into the fridge. Give them a few more minutes, and then you can sample some.”

  Jeff’s face brightened even more. He turned to face Paul, resting one elbow on the counter. “I wanted to let you know I got Lisa Phillips’ car up and running again.”

  Kate flinched, remembering Lisa’s refusal to let Paul be involved in helping her.

  “Glad to hear it,” Paul said. “Did it turn out to be more complicated than we expected?”

  “No, it was just the starter, but the auto-parts store in Pine Ridge didn’t stock the one she needed. They had to order one from Chattanooga. I’d taken my tow dolly along, just in case, so I just attached it to the back of my truck and towed her car home.”

  Paul’s forehead furrowed. “That’s a shame. Did Lisa have to miss a day of work yesterday?”

  Jeff gave a short laugh. “No. I took her to work in the morning and picked her up at the end of the day. The parts store got the starter in their afternoon shipment, so I brought it over to her place last night and put it on for her.”

  Paul clapped the younger man on the shoulder. “Wow. That’s a lot of work, Jeff. I really appreciate it. I didn’t expect you would have go to those lengths when I asked you to look into it the other afternoon.”

  “No problem.” Jeff’s grin looked a little sheepish. “Lisa and I talked a lot in the truck, and last night she sat out in the carport and chatted with me while I worked on her car.”

  Paul raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

  A dull, red flush rose above the collar of Jeff’s shirt and spread up his neck. Kate turned to hide a smile and busied herself putting the second baking sheet into the refrigerator. Then she took the first batch out and set some of the cookies on three small plates.

  She recognized the signs. She’d seen that look on her son Andrew’s face when he first became interested in his wife, Rachel. Kate set the plates on the counter.

  “It’s funny,” Jeff said. “I have to admit I wasn’t looking forward to the drive home that first night. She’s always seemed so reserved when she’s come to the car clinic. Kind of on edge, if you know what I mean.”

  Paul nodded. “I’ve noticed that.”

  Jeff picked up one of the cookies off his plate. “But she really opened up when it was just the two of us.” He bit into the cookie, and an expression of pleasure spread across his face. “Wow!”

  Kate tilted her head. “I take it they’re okay?”

  Jeff took another bite and smiled around the mouthful of cookie. He finished chewing, then said, “I’d never tell my mom this, but these are even better than the ones she made.”

  Kate poured glasses of cold milk and set them on the counter. “Wouldn’t we be more comfortable at the kitchen table?”

  Paul glanced at his watch. “Sorry. I’d like to stay around and chat, but I really don’t have time. The men’s prayer meeting starts soon.”

  Jeff washed down his cookie with a long gulp of milk before he spoke. “I didn’t mean to hold you up. I’m actually coming to the prayer meeting too.”

  Seeing Paul’s quizzical look, he added, “I could have told you about the car at church, but there was something else I wanted to say to you and Kate in private.”

  Kate’s stomach tightened. What now?

  Paul leaned against the counter. “Go ahead.”

  Jeff looked down at his plate and crumbled a bit of the last cookie between his fingers. “It’s about Lisa. She had a really bad experience with a church when she was growing up.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Paul said. “Can you tell us what happened?”

  Jeff paused for a long moment, then shook his head. “I don’t want to gossip, so I think you’d better hear it from Lisa herself. I know she’s been kind of prickly where you two are concerned”—he sent a quick glance Kate’s way—“but maybe you could visit her sometime and get her to open up. I think she’s been holding this stuff in way too long. She really is a great person,” he said with a smile that reminded Kate once again of Andrew.

  Paul nodded slowly. “I think you’re right. We’ll be praying about the best time for us to visit. God knows the best timing for all of this.”

  “Thanks a lot.” Jeff’s shoulders seemed to relax. “I didn’t want to go into all of that at the meeting.”

  “You did the right thing,” Paul said.

  Jeff scooped up the last cookie from his plate. “Thanks again, Kate. The cookies were great.”

  Paul kissed her good-bye, then the two men hurried out the door.

  Kate placed the rest of the cookies f
rom the first batch on a decorated plate, deep in thought. So Lisa had been hurt by church people as a young girl. Kate picked up a cookie and chewed it slowly. She always said that baking helped her think things through. This time, it had given her something new to think about.

  THE BELL OVER THE DOOR jingled when Kate entered Emma’s Ice Cream Shop the next day. The smell of the mingled flavors of ice cream tingled her nose.

  Kate smiled. That delicious scent always took her back to the ice-cream parlor she’d frequented in her childhood. She let out a contented sigh. Some things never changed.

  Emma was nowhere to be seen, and Kate waited off to one side while Brenna served a noisy family of tourists.

  When the group left the shop, Brenna turned toward her with a quizzical expression.

  “You’re turning into my best customer,” Brenna said. “What would you like this time?”

  “Two double cones, one mint chocolate chip, and the other one a combination triple fudge and chocolate ripple.”

  Surprise flickered in Brenna’s eyes, and she gave Kate a questioning look.

  Kate shrugged. “That is, if you think you have time to eat it before the next batch of tourists comes in.”

  A grin curved Brenna’s lips. “I can get started on it anyway. I’ll stick it in the freezer if I need to.” She assembled the cones, then joined Kate at the same table they shared on Kate’s previous visit.

  Kate bit into the top scoop of mint chocolate chip. Delicious. “Did Micah happen to stop by yesterday?”

  Brenna licked her cone and nodded. “Yeah, he came in just before I went on my break.” She did a double take and stared at Kate. “How did you know?”

  “Oh, I talked with him yesterday afternoon. I got the impression he might be headed this way. We had quite a conversation,” Kate continued, lowering her voice. “As a matter of fact, he told me that he was responsible for the vandalism that’s been going on around town.”

  Brenna sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.

  Kate eyed her closely. “But I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, am I?”

  Brenna opened her mouth, then closed it. Finally she shook her head. “No. I just didn’t want to say anything. I know he’s been in some trouble back in Nashville, but he’s a nice guy, Mrs. Hanlon. Really, he is. And smart too.”

  Her eyes clouded. “But my mom would have freaked out if she thought I was getting involved with someone who was doing things like that. She already has problems with the idea that I’m old enough to be interested in boys.”

  Kate smiled, then took another lick of her ice cream. “I think that just goes along with being a mom. We all have a hard time accepting the fact that our babies are growing up.”

  Brenna eyed her doubtfully. “You really think she’ll get over it?”

  “I can’t guarantee when that will happen, but most of us learn to deal with it eventually. Believe it or not, getting past your teens doesn’t mean you’ve grown up. Becoming a mature adult is a lifelong process.”

  Brenna leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful look in her eyes. “I hope you’re right that my mom will get used to the fact that I’m growing up. I’d really like for things to get back like they used to be, before she started worrying about me all the time.”

  Kate bit into her cone and chewed thoughtfully. Then she folded her arms on the table and leaned forward.

  “There’s something I still need to know, Brenna. What was it that you two threw off the bridge?”

  Brenna took her time with another mouthful of ice cream, then she met Kate’s eyes and nodded. “I guess it’s okay to tell you now.”

  She looked around as if to make sure they were still alone. “Micah told me about his plan to help his aunt’s dog win the show. Did he talk to you about that?”

  Kate nodded.

  “It was really stupid, if you ask me. Sweet, maybe, because he really wanted to help his aunt, but stupid. I mean, did he really think that upsetting the other dog owners would make any difference?” Brenna shook her head, looking like an adult bewildered by the childish actions of a little boy.

  “He’d just bought a couple of cans of spray paint, and he brought them with him to the bridge. He was bragging about how he was going to put some graffiti on Mrs. Lambert’s house after dark.”

  The air whooshed out of Kate’s lungs. Spray paint on Renee’s pristine house? She shuddered, thinking of what that would have done to Renee...and what Renee would have done to Micah if she’d ever learned he was the person responsible.

  “Go on,” she told Brenna.

  “I kind of blew up at him.” Brenna’s eyes narrowed. “I told him it was a dumb thing to do, and he was only going to cause more problems for himself. We started arguing, and it got kind of loud, I guess. That was probably when you heard us.”

  “Then the white object I saw?”

  “I finally convinced him not to do it. He promised me he’d get rid of the paint, but I told him I didn’t know if I could trust him. So he threw the bag with the spray paint into the creek.” A tiny grin tugged at her lips. “Then I yelled at him for littering.”

  Kate laughed along with her.

  “I thought everything was okay after that, but then I heard about the toilet paper at the Wilsons’ house and the sugar next to Mr. Philpott’s truck. I knew it had to be Micah. I got really mad at him and told him I didn’t want to talk to him anymore if he was going to keep on doing things like that.”

  A lightbulb turned on in Kate’s head. That explained Micah’s uncertainty about his reception at the ice-cream parlor the day before.

  “I knew what was going on, but I didn’t say anything.” Brenna’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I didn’t want to get him into trouble, but I didn’t want to be involved with him either, if he was going to be doing that kind of stuff.” She popped the last of her cone into her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully.

  Kate reached across the table and squeezed Brenna’s hand. “For what it’s worth, I believe you’re right about Micah. I don’t think he’s a bad kid at all.”

  Brenna smiled, then Kate pushed back her chair and stood up. “I’ve got to get going, but I have one more request. If you wouldn’t mind, Pastor Paul and I would like to come over and talk to your mother.”

  Brenna’s eyes grew round, and Kate hastened to add, “Not about Micah. It’s something else entirely. Do you think she might even be available tonight after supper?”

  Brenna shook her head. “Probably not. They’re taking inventory at Fancy Fabrics. Mom’s boss told her she was going to have to work late tonight and all day tomorrow.” Brenna wrinkled her nose. “She’s going to be really cranky all weekend.”

  “Then how about Monday, after supper?”

  “That’s probably the best time. I’m glad you’re going to talk to her, to be honest.” Brenna’s brown eyes danced with mischief. “But I’m glad I have to work on Monday evening so I won’t be around when you do.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mrs. Hanlon, we’re ready for your report.” Wilbur Dodson’s paper-dry voice jolted Kate out of her thoughts.

  She blinked at the trio of officers seated at the front table. Velma Hopkins regarded her with interest, but Lucy Mae never shifted her gaze from the tablet where she was scribbling notes.

  One corner of Wilbur’s mouth twitched repeatedly. Kate wondered if he’d had to speak to her more than once before she realized it.

  “I’m sorry. What report do you mean?”

  Finalizing preparations for the show was coming down to the wire, and the pressure seemed to be taking a toll on Wilbur’s patience. The lines bracketing his narrow lips deepened.

  “We’re only two weeks away from the show, Mrs. Hanlon. Have you ordered the awards for those additional prizes you’re so eager to hand out? This is why we’ve been meeting once a week. Things like that can’t be left to the last minute. We have to be sure that none of the details slip through the cracks.”

  Kate s
traightened in her chair and spoke in a crisp tone. “I’ve ordered the awards as directed. I’m going to pick them up this coming week.”

  “That’s fine, then.”

  Kate thought Wilbur looked almost disappointed at being deprived of something to fuss about.

  “I want to bring up one last matter before we adjourn,” Wilbur said. “As most of you know, Renee Lambert’s Chihuahua is still missing. Personally, I don’t know that we can hold out much hope for his recovery at this point. But I want to urge all our members to be on the lookout for anything that might lead to his safe return.

  “It’s disturbing to hear about this kind of thing happening to any loving dog owner, but especially when it’s one of our own.”

  He curled his fingers into a fist, then smiled and reached for the gleaming new gavel that lay at his side. He picked it up and gave a sharp rap on the table. “That’s all for today. Meeting adjourned.”

  Kate grabbed her handbag and stepped out of the meeting room, still deep in thought. How was she ever going to unravel this mystery? Maybe she needed to go back to the beginning and visit Copper Mill Park again.

  Any evidence she might have missed before would surely be gone by now, but perhaps just by being in the same place...

  “Kate?”

  She turned and saw Lucy Mae hurrying toward her. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Of course.”

  Lucy Mae led her into the space between two tall shelves of books and twisted her hands together. “Micah said he talked to you on Thursday after we saw you at the diner.”

  Kate nodded but didn’t volunteer any information.

  “I do wish he’d come to me first, but I’m glad he opened up to you.” Lucy Mae heaved a deep sigh. “He told me that he was the one who dyed Maribeth’s Pomeranian blue.”

  “I got the impression you suspected it even before he told you,” Kate said gently.

  “I’m afraid so. I found the label from a box of that temporary hair color when I was throwing some scraps in the trash the other night.”

  Lucy Mae blinked rapidly. “At first I was afraid he was going to start dyeing his hair in wild colors like his friends back in Nashville. But when Maribeth carried Mitzi into the beauty shop, and Betty mentioned the temporary dye, that’s when I knew.”