The inside of the small cottage was dark, all of the curtains drawn tightly shut.
The pungent odor of mothballs, mixed with a musty smell, filled the air. If Ed Mueller had stayed in the cottage, it hadn’t been for a very long time.
Beyond the entrance was a large room. Off in the corner was the kitchen, the decor right out of the 1970’s, complete with gold-flecked Formica counters and wooden barn door cabinets.
Rustic iron latches framed the front of the wooden cabinets. With a good cleaning and a coat of stain, the cabinets would look like new.
Sitting on top of the counter was a bag from the hardware store. Gloria peeked inside the bag and spotted a new, unopened door lockset. Under the bag was a “For Sale” sign with the handwritten words “Shanty for Sale,” along with a telephone number.
Gloria shuffled out of the kitchen and over to a door, which led to a wood paneled bathroom. The bathroom was decorated in the same rustic charm as the main living area.
She shifted her gaze past the kitchen and into the living room. A wood burning stove sat in the corner. Next to the woodstove was a narrow cot and on top of the cot a sleeping bag.
Gloria hobbled over to the woodstove and placed her hand on top. It was cool to the touch. Even with the warmer temperatures, there was no way anyone could comfortably sleep inside the cottage without heat.
On her way back to the side door, she passed by a small bedroom. The furnishings inside the room were sparse. There was a twin bed on one wall and bunk beds on the opposite wall. A small wooden dresser separated the two. Directly above the dresser was a small window.
Gloria hobbled over to the window, flipped the latch and unlocked the window.
“I thought you left.”
Gloria spun around, clutching her crutches and her chest. It was Officer Joe Nelson. “Oh my gosh! You’re gonna give an old woman a heart attack!”
The officer grunted. “Old my foot. Your ticker is probably in better shape than mine.”
“Maybe if you would lay off the donuts,” Gloria teased as she shifted past him and made her way back into the living room.
Andrea, Eleanor and Mally stood near the door.
Gloria limped over to stand next to them and turned back to face the police officer. “What happened to Ed?”
The cop lifted his hat and scratched his forehead. “You know I can’t divulge any information, Gloria. We’re waiting for a special team to get here so they can break through the ice and retrieve the body.”
He nodded toward the bedroom Gloria had just left. “You find anything? I know you were snooping around.”
“We weren’t snooping,” Eleanor insisted. “The door was ajar and we wanted to make sure the place was locked up so no one would get in here.”
“So that’s why you were inside?” Officer Nelson didn’t buy the explanation for one second.
Eleanor stiffened her back. “It’s our civic duty to be aware of activity in the area and keep our small town safe.”
“All right, Eleanor. Whatever you say.” Officer Joe Nelson herded them out of the cottage and closed the door behind him. “This cottage is officially off limits.”
He turned his attention to Eleanor. “You have a bird’s-eye view of this place, Eleanor. You see anything unusual?”
“Well, I did notice lights on down here by the lake last night,” she admitted.
“Do you remember what time?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it.”
Officer Joe Nelson walked the trio and Mally back to the car. It was a nice gesture, but Gloria had a sneaky suspicion it had more to do with him wanting to make sure they had actually left the premises and weren’t hanging around.
“Mind if I hitch a ride home?” Andrea asked.
Gloria opened the driver’s side door and slipped the crutches over the headrest. “Of course. How did you get here?”
“I walked down. I was out in the backyard with Brutus when I noticed a string of cars heading down the hill toward the lake, so I ran out to the road to see what was happening and saw all the people gathered out on the lake. When I saw your car, I knew something was going on.”
Andrea hopped into the back seat and reached for her seat belt as Mally settled in next to her. “How did you know something was going on?”
Gloria started the car and backed out of the drive. “Eleanor tipped me off. She said there was something going on down by the lake so I drove to her place to see what was happening.”
“Good eye, Eleanor,” Andrea said.
Eleanor smiled. “Ain’t got much else to do except watch the goings on from my windows.”
She snapped her fingers. “I remember what time I saw the lights down at Ed Mueller’s place. I had just eaten dinner and was getting ready to watch Gastronomical Guesses, you know, that new show where they blindfold contestants and then make them guess as many of the ingredients in a dish as possible.”
Gloria had briefly watched the show and been intrigued, but ever since Paul and she had returned from their honeymoon, they had been busy. They barely had time to sit down to watch the evening news, let alone a television show. “Go on.”
“Well, the contestants were trying a new ice cream dish. It had caramel corn and potato chips, which got me to craving a little ice cream so I headed to the fridge. That’s when I saw the lights.”
Gloria tapped the steering wheel with the tip of her finger. “So you think it was around 7:30 p.m.?”
“Yep.” Eleanor nodded. “Probably closer to 7:45 since they were already on the second round of tasting. The first taste test was pizza made with salsa and topped with raisins.”
“Gross,” Andrea said. “I bet Alice would like that combination.” Alice was Andrea’s former housekeeper and her housemate. The woman had a flair for the spicy. In fact, she loved everything with heat…the hotter, the better.
When they reached the stop sign at the top of the hill, Gloria pressed her foot on the brake and looked both ways. “Do you have time to stop by Dot’s Restaurant?” she asked both Eleanor and Andrea. “We can put our heads together and discuss the case.”
Dot’s Restaurant was on Main Street in downtown Belhaven. Dot was Dot Jenkins, one of Gloria’s close friends.
Eleanor blinked her eyes behind her wire-rimmed glasses. “You mean I get to be part of the investigation?”
Gloria reached over and patted her hand. “Yes, Eleanor. I believe you will be most helpful sorting out the clues.”
Not only that, Eleanor had an unobstructed view of the Mueller cottage and Gloria planned to have her keep it under surveillance until they could figure out what had happened to poor Ed Mueller.
Dot’s Restaurant was busy and Gloria guessed it was because of the buzz about Ed’s body. News of Ed Mueller’s death had probably spread like wildfire and the residents had gathered at the town’s unofficial meeting spot – Dot’s.
There were no empty spots out front so Gloria had to park across the street in the post office parking lot. The post office was the second busiest place in Belhaven.
Gloria glanced in the front picture window and spied her friend, Ruth, leaning over the counter talking to Judith Arnett.
Judith’s husband, Carl, had also been at the shanty and without a doubt, Ruth was pumping Judith for information.
Gloria caught Ruth’s eye through the front picture window and Ruth waved frantically for her to come inside.
“I’ll catch up with you over at Dot’s,” she told Andrea and Eleanor as Mally and she made their way into the post office lobby.
“You heard about Ed Mueller?” Ruth blurted out when Gloria stepped inside. “They found Ed’s truck over on the other side of the lake, parked in the public access.”
“Yeah. Eleanor called this morning to tell me something was going on.”
A local resident stepped into the post office and over to the mailboxes. The women waited silently for the person to pull their mail from the slot, sort throug
h the pile and then exit the post office.
Ruth waited for the door to close. “Judith was just telling me Carl saw Officer Joe Nelson talking to Ed Mueller last night out near the Quik Stop. They looked like they were about to start throwing punches.”
Chapter 3
Gloria shifted her crutches. “Really?” That meant Ed Mueller had been in Belhaven the previous night. Carl and Al Dickerson hadn’t mentioned it out on the lake. Of course, it had been chaotic and Gloria hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to either of them.
She remembered the cold wood stove and the musty smell inside the cottage. If Ed Mueller had stayed at the cottage the night before, perhaps he had been trying to keep it a secret.
Ruth interrupted Gloria’s musings. “I see Eleanor Whittaker is with you. Has she been able to shed any light on the situation?”
Gloria’s eyes slid to Judith, who eagerly leaned forward. Judith had a reputation as a blabbermouth and Gloria wondered if what she might share with the women would hit the streets of town. She sucked in a breath. “Eleanor saw a light on at the cottage last night.”
It was the truth. That was all they’d had time to discuss. Gloria hoped Eleanor had more information but just hadn’t remembered it yet.
Ruth glanced at the clock. “I’m stuck here for another couple of hours,” she moaned. “Don’t start the investigation without me.”
Gloria promised to keep Ruth in the loop and then made her way out of the post office and over to Dot’s.
She stepped inside, her eyes searching for her friends, who were off in the far corner, huddled around a table.
Gloria nodded at several restaurant patrons as she hobbled to the back. Margaret and Lucy were already there, along with Andrea and Eleanor.
Dot hovered off to one side as she shifted water glasses from her tray to the table. “Heard there’s been another unfortunate death in town.”
It had been a while since the town of Belhaven had been rocked by scandal, if you didn’t count Cal Evergreen, the county commissioner, who had been charged with extortion just days before Christmas.
It had been quite some time since a death had shadowed their small town…until now.
Lucy pulled out an empty chair for Gloria and reached for her crutches. “When are you getting that crazy cast off?”
“Not soon enough,” Gloria groaned and backed onto the chair. “Ruth and Judith Arnett just told me Carl saw Ed Mueller arguing with Officer Joe Nelson in front of the Quik Stop last night.”
Eleanor gasped. “My goodness. I think…” her voice trailed off.
“Yes?” Gloria prompted.
Eleanor’s face became blank. “I can’t remember.” Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for her water glass. “There’s something stuck in the back of my head. I wish I could reach back there and pull it out.”
Margaret patted her hand. “Happens to all of us Eleanor. It will probably come to you when you least expect it.”
“I’ll be right back.” Dot darted to the kitchen. She returned a short time later with a platter of fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies and walnut brownies.
Ray, Dot’s husband, trailed behind with a pot of coffee and stack of coffee mugs. “It’s nice to see you out and about, Eleanor,” Ray said as he poured a cup of coffee and set it in front of her.
“Gloria was kind enough to include me in the group.” Eleanor smiled at Gloria, who felt about an inch tall. It was a shame she didn’t have more time to spend with Eleanor and others like her, who had no means of getting around and depended on the kindness of others.
She vowed to not only continue the Sunday visits with Eleanor, but to also check in with her during the week to see if she needed anything or perhaps even offer to take her with her sometimes.
The girls munched on the goodies and discussed Ed Mueller’s death. She wondered if Ed’s wife, Sheryl, knew yet.
First, there was the death of Ed’s sister and now Ed’s untimely demise. Gloria hoped Ed had a will. Perhaps Ed had killed himself.
They would have to wait for the autopsy results to find out. Officer Joe Nelson had made it clear he wasn’t going to discuss the preliminary investigation.
Mally, who had crawled under the table and taken a light nap, began to whine.
Gloria tilted her head and peeked under the table. “I better take Mally out for a break.”
Andrea hopped up. “I’ll take her,” she offered.
“Thanks Andrea.”
Gloria watched as Mally and Andrea made their way out the front door and past the large picture window. “They’re probably going to visit Brian.”
Brian was Brian Sellers. He owned Belhaven’s hardware store, Nails and Knobs, the pharmacy and Quik Stop, the corner grocery.
Brian had recently proposed to Andrea and an engagement party was in the works.
Andrea was like a second daughter to Gloria and Brian, like a son. Gloria was tickled pink at the engagement announcement and a summer wedding was in the planning stages.
Andrea and Mally returned a short time later, followed by Ruth.
“I gotta make it quick. Kenny is covering for me.” Ruth pulled a chair from the empty table beside them and dragged it to the table. “So what did I miss?”
Lucy and Margaret shifted their chairs to make room for Ruth to squeeze in.
“Not much.” Lucy reached for a brownie. “Eleanor said she thinks there’s something she’s forgetting.”
Dot slid out of her seat, ran to the back and returned with a cup of coffee for Ruth. She handed the steaming cup to her friend. “We’ve been trying to jog her memory but no luck so far.”
“Thanks Dot.” Margaret lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. “Don and I were in the Middle East one time and watched a man hypnotize another man to jog his memory.” She shifted her gaze. “What do you think Eleanor?”
Eleanor shrank back in the chair. “I-I don’t know…”
Gloria wasn’t sure, either. “Hypnosis?”
Eleanor pressed her index finger against the bridge of her wire-rimmed glasses and pushed. “Let me think about it.”
Margaret leaned forward in her chair. “I can do some research. I’ve always been fascinated by hypnosis!”
Andrea glanced at her watch. “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot about Alice. I have to go pick her up at the puppy place!”
Alice worked at At Your Service, a dog-training center, along with Mario Acosta, who owned the company.
They had just begun matching the first wave of trained dogs with new owners. Along with the training center, they ran a thriving boarding kennel.
Business was booming and Gloria, who had helped get the business up and running by loaning them money, was making a tidy return on her initial investment.
“I can drive out there to pick her up,” Gloria offered. She glanced at Eleanor. “Is that okay Eleanor?”
Eleanor nodded. “Sure. You can take me home afterwards.”
The women and Mally headed toward the front door and exited the restaurant. They crossed the street and climbed into Gloria’s car.
The Acosta farm and At Your Service were several miles from town, out in the country, and Gloria was thankful the roads were clear.
When they got there, Gloria and Eleanor waited in the car while Andrea headed to the building that housed the At Your Service kennel.
Eleanor watched Andrea disappear inside the building. “What do you think of Margaret hypnotizing me?”
Gloria rubbed the side of her forehead. On the one hand, she was dying to know what it was Eleanor couldn’t remember. On the other hand, Margaret was no “hypnosis expert.”
Not only that, Gloria thought hypnosis was a bunch of baloney.
“It would have to be your decision,” Gloria finally said. She wondered if Margaret would make Eleanor bark like a dog or some other silly command Gloria had seen hypnotists do.
Andrea returned with Alice in tow. The women climbed in the back seat and reached for their seatbelts.
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Mally promptly sniffed Alice and then licked her arm. Alice wrapped her arms around Mally’s neck and hugged her. “Hello Mally. I haven’t seen you in ages.” She patted Mally’s back and she laid her head in Alice’s lap.
“The dog whisperer,” Gloria teased as she glanced in the rearview mirror.
“I’m surprise you all come to pick me up,” Alice said in her thick Spanish accent. She turned to Eleanor. “You are Miss Gloria’s friend?”
“Shame on me!” Gloria gasped. “Alice, this is Eleanor. Eleanor this is Alice.”
“Nice to meet you,” Eleanor said.
“Oh. It is nice to meet you, Miss Eleanor.”
On the drive back, the girls filled Alice in on the day. When Alice found out a summer resident’s body had been found in a shanty, she made a cross symbol across her chest. “I pray for his soul.”
When they reached Andrea and Alice’s place, the two women climbed out of the car. “Oh! Wait Miss Gloria. I have some ting very special to give you.” She held up an index finger. “I be right back.”
Alice sprinted around the side of the car and disappeared inside the house.
“What is she getting?” Gloria asked Andrea.
“Oh my goodness!” Andrea grinned and shook her head. “I’ll let her explain it to you.”
Alice returned a few moments later carrying a small paper sack. She made her way over to the driver’s side window and held it out. “Take this home. It is a special spice…for lovers.”
Gloria’s face turned beet red as she reached for the package. “Th-thanks, Alice.” Not sure what else to say, she opened the top and peeked inside at the small, plastic container. “What’s in it?”
“Oh,” Alice clasped her hands together. “You doan wanna know. If you in the mood for a little love, mix just a pinch in your food.” She placed her thumb and forefinger close together, leaving only a small space in between. “Just a little. It go a loooong way.”
Gloria turned her gaze to Andrea, who shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea what she put in it, but I would heed her advice and not use too much.”
Gloria thanked her a second time and then waited while Andrea and Alice headed inside. When Alice reached the door, she turned around and gave Gloria a thumb up.
Look Into My Ice (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 12) Page 2
