Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy

by Hope Callaghan

  The first time she caught Mally eating a strawberry, Gloria was concerned that they might be poisonous to animals. She did a quick research online and found berries were safe for dogs. Grapes – no. Berries - yes.

  Gloria and Mally wandered back inside after the garden was watered. Puddles was curled up on Ruth’s lap, napping. Ruth absentmindedly stroked Puddles. Her eyes never left the computer screen.

  Gloria plucked one of the earbuds from Ruth’s ear and leaned down. “What do you think about pizza for dinner?” Gloria asked.

  Ruth didn’t bother to look up. She nodded. “Yeah, sounds great.”

  “Maybe we can order a side of chicken wings or something,” Gloria said.

  “Sounds great,” Ruth replied.

  A mischievous smile spread across Gloria’s face. “We could finish it off with a pile of cow poop for dessert.”

  Ruth waved a hand in the air. “Sure. Whatever you want to eat is fine with me.” She was still glued to the screen.

  Gloria grinned. This was fun! “Then, we can pull the rocket ship from the barn and fly to the moon!”

  “This is your place, Gloria. We can do whatever you want,” Ruth agreed.

  Gloria shook her head and headed to the junk pile in the corner of her counter. The phone book was on top.

  Pizza was a treat for Gloria. Something she rarely ordered since she lived alone and a whole pizza was too much, but since Ruth was so agreeable, it sounded perfect to her.

  She started to ask Ruth what she wanted on the pizza but changed her mind. Ruth was so engrossed in the computer screen, she was oblivious to her surroundings. Gloria lifted the face of her watch and studied the second hand. It was a full 16 seconds before Ruth even blinked.

  The pizza place picked up on the first ring. “Joe’s Pizzeria,” a male voice said. Gloria was familiar with Joe’s Pizzeria. Joe’s was a strictly “to-go” pizza place. She didn’t order pizza too often, but she knew the owners, Joe and Camilla Guiseppe.

  Gloria had met the two of them years ago when James was still alive. They would stop by the farm in search of fresh produce for their pizzas. Green peppers, onions, tomatoes. They came every week like clockwork. Until James died and then they stopped coming.

  Gloria wasn’t sure if they felt as if they would bother her with the visits or if his death made them uncomfortable and they didn’t know what to say. Which was odd since they were at the funeral. Nonetheless, Gloria still liked them and whenever she was in the mood for pizza, it was the first place she called.

  “Is this Joe?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” the voice replied. “Who’s this?”

  “It’s Gloria. Gloria Rutherford.”

  “Oh. Hey Gloria. How you doin?” Joe’s voice traveled through the phone. Warm and friendly. That was Joe. And Camilla.

  “Good. I was calling to order a pizza,” she replied. She glanced over at Ruth, still engrossed in the screen.

  “So you got some company tonight, huh?” Joe asked.

  “Yep. Ruth. Ruth from the post office is here. She’s staying with me for a few days.”

  “Oh, yeah. I heard somethin’ big was going on down at the post office,” he answered. “So are you working the case?”

  Gloria grinned. “Just a little. Not too much yet.” It was on Gloria’s to-do list, though. First thing in the morning. Right after she cleaned out the bedrooms upstairs.

  “So what kinda pizza would you like?”

  Gloria ordered a large pie with mushroom and ham on one side, pepperoni and extra cheese on the other side. That way, if Ruth didn’t like any of the toppings, she could peel the pepperoni off and eat it plain.

  “Oh, and a side of medium wings with celery and blue cheese,” she decided. Her mouth began to water at the thought of chicken wings. Another treat she rarely indulged in since she was alone…

  Maybe this Ruth thing wasn’t so bad, after all, she thought.

  Before he hung up the phone, Joe told her his new part-time delivery driver, Marty, would be delivering at the house. “He’s a good kid,” Joe assured her. “He’s had some hard knocks, though. Actually, he’s my nephew on Camilla’s side. He got into a bit of trouble there in the Bronx. You know, the Bronx in New York.”

  “Oh my,” Gloria replied.

  “Nah. Nah. It’s all good. He’s on the right track now that he’s livin’ with us,” Joe told her.

  Joe already had a whole brood of his own. “So how many kids you have living in the house, Joe?”

  “Ha!” He chuckled. “Too many. I gotta put ‘em to work here at the pizza place to earn their keep. Look, I’m gonna get started on your pizza but it was real nice talkin’ to you, Gloria.”

  Gloria hung up the phone and smiled. Joe and Camilla were good people. The nephew was in good hands with them. If anyone could straighten the youngster up, it would be Joe and Camilla.

  Gloria left Ruth at the table and headed into the living room. She grabbed the remote and plopped down in her recliner. Puddles wandered in from the kitchen and prowled across the room to Gloria’s chair. The cat hesitated for a fraction of a second before leaping into the chair and Gloria’s lap. He nudged his head on her arm, demanding to be petted that instant. “Well, look at who we have here? Did you give up on Ruth?” Gloria scratched underneath his chin.

  The cat purred loudly, circled Gloria’s lap a few times and then settled in. Mally eyed Puddles, who looked quite comfy on Gloria’s lap. She wasn’t about to have any of that! She sat down at the end of the recliner and began to whine.

  “Okay, you too.” Gloria flipped the lever on the side to lift the footrest – Mally’s signal to climb aboard. The three of them stayed there until the doorbell chimed, just as the evening news ended. Gloria started to get up, but then paused. She wondered if Ruth would answer.

  When the doorbell chimed a second time, she knew the answer was “no.” Then she remembered the earplugs. She nudged Mally from the footrest and set Puddles on the floor.

  She could see a young face at the kitchen door, peering in. Ruth still didn’t budge. Even when Gloria opened the door, set the pizza on the table and handed the young man a $20 bill. “You can keep the change,” she told him.

  “Thanks.” He grinned and revealed a dimpled chin. “I better get going. I got a few more pies to drop off.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he bounded down the steps and back to the beat up pick-up truck that he had left running.

  Gloria glanced at the computer screen as she passed by the table on her way to the cupboard to grab a couple paper plates. The inside of the post office was empty. She looked at the clock. That’s because it was closed!

  She pulled the ear bud from Ruth’s ear. “Pizza’s here.”

  Ruth jumped. “Oh, yeah.” She noticed the pizza box on the table. “Wow, I didn’t even know it was here.”

  She pulled the buds from her ear and closed the lid on the computer. She set both in the chair beside her.

  Gloria reached into the fridge and grabbed a Diet Coke. “Want one?”

  Ruth nodded. “Sure. I love Diet Coke.”

  Gloria grabbed a second one, set the sodas on the table and pulled out a chair. She opened the lid on the pizza box and handed a plate to Ruth.

  “What kind is this?” Ruth didn’t wait for a reply. She grabbed a slice of pepperoni with extra cheese and three chicken wings. She took a bite of pizza and turned to Gloria. “How did you know pepperoni pizza was my favorite?”

  Gloria grinned. She grabbed a slice of ham and mushroom. “Just a wild guess.” She popped a mushroom in her mouth and nodded at the closed computer. “The post office was closed and you were still watching it…”

  Ruth nibbled on the edge of a wing. “Mmm…spicy even.” She peeled a piece of meat off and popped it in her mouth. “I was just about to close the cover on it, right after that Sharon lady locked the front door, but something told me not to. So I waited.”

  Gloria leaned forward. This was right up her alley! “And?”

  “I
heard a noise. You know, like a doorknob rattling.”

  “Did someone go inside?” Gloria bit into her pizza.

  Ruth nodded. “I could hear footsteps but the dang camera is turned the wrong way. Whoever it was - was out of view. Like they somehow knew about the camera.”

  Ruth went on. “Then I could hear thumps. Not like pounding thumps but more of a…”

  Ruth’s eyes shot up. She stared at the ceiling. “The kind of noise you would hear if boxes were being tossed around.”

  Gloria set her half-eaten piece of pizza on the plate. “Why didn’t you come get me?” she demanded. “We could’ve jumped in the car and gone down there. Maybe even caught the criminal red-handed.”

  Ruth’s face grew grim. She leaned forward. “I started to get up to do just that and then I heard the door slam and it was silent.”

  She shook her head and grabbed another wing. “Something or someone spooked them and they left in a big hurry!”

  Gloria took a big swig of Diet Coke and slammed the can down on the table. “Sounds like it’s time for a stakeout!” she announced.

  Chapter 4

  Gloria spent the next morning sorting through boxes of trinkets and bags of clothes in the bedrooms. There was so much to get rid of, it was a bit overwhelming. She spent a good part of her morning filling bag after bag.

  In the back of her mind, she knew she would have to sort through all the stuff and tag it. When she got to the tenth trash bag, it was time to stop. One more bag and she’d be trapped upstairs. The doorway at the bottom of the stairs was partially blocked from all the bags she’d thrown down.

  She made her way to the bottom of the stairs, shoved the bags aside and stepped into her dining room. Ruth was waiting for her at the bottom, her hands on her hips. “And I thought I had a lot of stuff.”

  “Well, I had three kids,” Gloria argued.

  “True,” Ruth admitted. She reached down and grabbed two bags before heading to the back door. “You know you have to mark all this stuff,” she pointed out.

  Gloria trailed behind her, dragging two bags as she went. “I have a plan.”

  Ruth stopped to open the kitchen door. “Oh? And what’s that?”

  The two started across the drive. “You know how some stores have bins? The ones that say $2.99 or $3.99 or whatever?”

  “Yeah?” Ruth waited while Gloria unlocked the barn door and shoved the heavy door to the side. “Well, what if I did that? Have a bunch of bins with a bunch of different prices?”

  Ruth snapped her fingers. “That’s a brilliant idea – but say we all wanted to do that?”

  “We could put little dots on the items. Pink for the stuff that’s $2.99, green for the $1.99 stuff and so on. If we stick together during the sale, we can all decide whose stuff is what. We just have separate sheets of paper and when an item is sold, we take the sticker off and put it on the person’s sheet.”

  Ruth dropped the bag in what was unofficially Gloria’s section. “Sounds like a plan!”

  They moved the rest of the bags into the barn and Gloria decided it was time to stop for the day. Ruth stepped into the kitchen and plopped down in front of the computer.

  Gloria followed her in and headed to the kitchen sink. She washed her hands and nodded to the laptop. “Anything new?

  “No!”

  She pulled the leftover pizza from the night before from the fridge and popped it into the microwave. “Still want to do the stakeout tonight?”

  That question seemed to cheer Ruth. She perked right up. “Of course. I already have my outfit picked out!”

  The girls munched on the pizza and discussed strategies. In the past, Gloria almost always did a stakeout alone. This time she would have company. She didn’t see Ruth being much of a problem… at least she hoped not.

  Gloria’s eyes slid over to Ruth, who was sitting beside her in the passenger seat. The car was tucked away, out of sight, in the alley behind the post office. They were parked at just the right angle to have an unobstructed view of the back of the post office – and the rear entrance.

  Gloria smiled every time she looked at Ruth’s outfit. Her friend was shrouded in black. Black pants, black t-shirt, black socks! She even had on a black ball cap.

  The sun had set hours ago. Gloria reached over and plucked Ruth’s black sunglasses from her face. “You don’t need those anymore,” she pointed out.

  Ruth shoved the sunglasses inside her purse. “I almost forgot I still had them on.” Her eyes never wavered, never left the back door of the post office.

  Gloria had to admit, the woman was tenacious. She made a mental note to remember that if she needed an eagle-eye with her on a stakeout, Ruth would be the one to ask.

  Gloria looked up at the sky. Soon it would be pitch-black out. A small mercury lamp hung low over the back door, which gave off some light, but unless they watched the door every second, it would be easy to miss someone sneaking inside.

  Gloria checked her cell phone lying in her lap. She was waiting for Paul to call. She had left a message for him earlier. She hadn’t heard from him in a few days now. Not since his children had moved in. The poor man had his hands full.

  Gloria looked at Ruth in the passenger seat. She had her hands full, too. They needed to turn this investigation up a notch or Ruth would be living with her until Christmas!

  Ruth reached over and whacked Gloria’s arm. “Hey! I just saw something!”

  Gloria followed her gaze. There was a small movement, over in the bushes on the other side of the building.

  Ruth reached into her bag and pulled out a set of binoculars. She lifted them to her face and adjusted the dial with her index finger. “You see that? Someone’s out there!”

  Gloria squinted and stared. “Nope!” She was a bit disappointed in herself for not remembering her own binoculars. That was Detective Work 101. Don’t forget the binoculars! She chalked it up to being distracted over the new houseguest and having to clean the upstairs bedrooms.

  She wondered what on earth she was thinking when she suggested a yard sale. The crazy thing had ballooned and taken on a life of its own. As of today, Gloria’s barn was half-full. Lucy had stopped by with a bunch of stuff, then Margaret had popped in. The entire back of her SUV crammed full. And Dot? Dot stopped by with a loaded van, then came back with another second load!

  Ruth reached for the door handle. Gloria could tell from the look on her face that she planned on confronting the intruder!

  Gloria grabbed her arm. She’d been through enough of these investigations to know that was a mistake! “You can’t do that!”

  “But someone just slipped behind the bushes!” Ruth pivoted in the passenger seat. “This could be our guy!”

  “And what if “our guy” has a gun?”

  “Oh.” Ruth’s face was crestfallen. She let go of the door handle.

  “We watch and wait,” Gloria told her.

  Patience wasn’t one of Ruth’s stronger suits. Not that it was Gloria’s, either.

  Ruth crossed her arms and pouted. “I wish I had my computer so I could see if they went inside.”

  Gloria caught a movement. The lid of the dumpster flew straight up in the air and then dropped back down. “No. They’re not inside. Whoever it is - is in the dumpster.”

  Ruth jerked the binoculars back to her face. “Yeah, I see. What on earth???”

  Without warning, the lid slammed shut and the dark figure darted around the side of the post office.

  Ruth pointed. “We need to follow them!”

  Gloria threw the car in drive, stomped on the gas and swerved to the left. Gravel flew in the air as she spun out of the spot. She made a sharp right in front of the building, then she stopped. Her heart sank. “You see anything?”

  Ruth rolled down the car window and stuck her head out. Her face fell. “No. I think they’re gone!” She slapped the palm of her hand on the top of her leg. “I knew I should’ve gone after them!”

  Gloria shook her head. She made
a mental note to keep a closer eye on Ruth. The woman was going to get hurt if she kept that up.

  Ruth was still in bed the next morning when Gloria snuck out. Well, not really snuck out. She just didn’t tell Ruth she was leaving.

  Gloria had wandered out to the kitchen in the middle of the night for a drink of water and found Ruth still glued to the computer monitor.

  Gloria grabbed her purse from the chair and her car keys from the hook by the door. The first stop on her list was to run by the post office to see if Kenny had been able to find anything else out. She wanted to catch him before he started his route.

  Gloria wandered into the post office and headed to the counter. Kenny wasn’t in back sorting boxes. She leaned over the counter and glanced behind the mail slots.

  “Can I help you?” Sharon, aka the detective, was at the counter now.

  “Yeah. I’m looking for Kenny.”

  Sharon narrowed her eyes. She peered down the front of her nose as she studied Gloria. “He’s not here.”

  “Oh, I’ll just come back later,” Gloria replied. “When do you think he’ll be back?”

  “When our investigation is over,” Sharon answered.

  Gloria’s eyes widened. Did that mean they considered Kenny to be a suspect now, too?

  Gloria opened her mouth to speak and then clamped it shut. She dropped her mail in the slot and exited the post office without saying another word. Gloria slid into her car and headed out of town. To Kenny’s place.

  Kenny had lived in the same house for years. It was a cute little bungalow. One that looked like it belonged on the beach. The wood exterior was painted the palest shade of blue. The windows were trimmed in white, which was a perfect match for the small white porch that covered the front.

  Tara, Kenny’s ex-wife, and he had divorced a few years back. Tara had worked at Prestige Motors, the largest car dealership in the county. It was in Green Springs. She’d worked her way up from part-time receptionist to office manager and was eventually promoted to manager of the finance department. She and Kenny had lived the American Dream. Both had good jobs making decent money. They had spent their time traveling around the world and buying an array of toys. ATV’s, snowmobiles, boats….