by R A Wallace
She found him sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. She moved to stand beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder. He didn’t look up.
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
She could hear his mother on the other end of the phone. Her words caused Megan to pull out a chair and sit next to Dan. He disconnected a moment later and lifted his head.
She could see the worry in his eyes. “How bad is it?”
Dan set his phone on the table. “Some friends of my parents heard that Gabe is in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Dan rubbed his hands across his face. “Something out at the campground. No one is clear on what exactly. They know the police were involved.”
“You don’t sound surprised.”
“I’ve been hearing rumors lately. So have my parents.”
She looked at his coffee cup. It was empty. She stood to fill it. “What kind of rumors?”
“People are saying they can’t find Gabe when they need him.” He reached for the cup she passed to him and managed a tired-looking smile.
“Did you talk to him about it?” She went over to the stove and began transferring their breakfast to plates.
“He blew me off. Said he was too busy this weekend.”
“That’s possible, right? And not a bad thing.”
“Yeah, if it’s work that’s keeping him busy.” Dan stared at the plate she set in front of him.
“What did your mom mean? Just before you hung up, she said something about talking to Gabe.”
“She wants me to go with them to see Gabe. Try to talk some sense into him.”
Megan set her plate on the table and took her seat. She nodded at his plate. “You need to eat.”
He automatically picked up his fork and began chasing the food around on his plate.
She lifted her fork. “Maybe talking to him will help.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
***
The sound of the bells on the door of Anderson Florist made Caitlyn pause in her work. She waited a few moments with flowers in her hands, trying to determine if the ringing was caused by a customer or her new employee, Gail. The smiling college student appeared in the workroom a moment later.
“Look!” Gail held up a new purse. “It just came in the mail yesterday.”
Caitlyn glanced up from her work. “Very nice. Looks expensive.”
“I know, right? I can’t believe how cheap it was. I’ve seen them locally but they would have cost me all of my paychecks this summer combined. This one was dirt cheap.” Gail stared at her purse a moment longer before stowing it away.
“Are you sure it’s real?” Caitlyn went over to a cupboard and pulled out more floral wire and another roll of tape.
Gail leaned against the door frame looking into the workroom. “Sure. The only difference is I managed to find it marked down about ninety percent. I checked the label when I got it. Besides, it looks exactly like the pictures I’ve seen online.”
Caitlyn wasn’t sure that was proof of anything but didn’t want to dim Gail’s excitement over her new buy. “Well, congratulations on your find then.”
Gail beamed. “I used part of my first paycheck to pay for it. It was my treat to myself for passing all of my classes this past year.”
“That is definitely worth a pat on the back.” Caitlyn crossed over to a refrigerator unit and pulled out more flowers to begin another arrangement.
“Do you need my help with anything?” Gail watched Caitlyn begin to construct another arrangement.
“Not right now. I’ll be leaving for deliveries soon so you’ll be in charge while I’m gone.”
Gail looked over at the completed arrangements ready to go out. “If you take longer than usual, don’t worry about it. I packed my lunch today. I figure it will help offset my little shopping spree.”
***
Dena pulled into the parking lot at Gabe’s Garage. She knew Gabe was there. She could see his truck and the bay doors were open. It took her a moment to figure out what was different as she walked toward the open doors. Then it hit her. It was the silence. Usually, the radio was blasting while he worked. There was one car inside. Dena bent to look under it but didn’t find Gabe. She turned to go to the office to look for him but found him standing there staring at her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said as he wiped his hands on a rag.
“Why not?” Dena took a step intending to close the distance between them. The look on his face caused her to change her mind. She stopped moving.
“Look, I know what you’ve heard. In this town, the news must be all over the place by now. I don’t want you coming around here until the investigation is over.” He tossed the rag in the general direction of a rolling toolbox.
“What investigation?” Dena watched his eyes widen in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I wanted to talk to you about this gambling thing that you keep pushing.” She knew it wasn’t any of her business. She’d tried telling herself to stay out of it. Here she was anyway.
“If you aren’t interested in it, that’s fine.” Gabe turned to the rolling toolbox and began organizing its contents.
“I just think you should be focusing your energy on your garage business. You like cars and engines and things like that. You don’t need to get mixed up in the rest of it, right?” She stared at his back. His shoulders were set and his movements seemed jerky. He didn’t answer for several moments. When he did, his shoulders sagged and he turned around.
“Listen. There was some trouble out at the campground over the weekend.”
She tried to read the emotions on his face. “During the Chase?”
He nodded and brought one hand up to rub the stubble on his chin. “It was Saturday night. Someone was killed.”
“In one of the trucks?” She watched him drop his eyes then remembered he’d said it was at night. “Was it someone you know?”
“Yeah. One of those guys I was with when I saw you.”
She took a step back. Her first thought was of her children. Those men had been right next to her children.
Gabe lifted his hand and took a step closer to her then stopped. He dropped his hand. “That’s why I don’t want you around here. Not until this is all over. Do you understand?”
A million questions ran through her mind. Instead of asking them, she nodded before turning to walk away. She had no idea what was going on. She just knew she didn’t want to take any chances that it might somehow touch her children.
***
Bella carried the box of supplies to the storeroom and began restocking the shelves. From where she stood, she could hear the small beagle crying. The only time the beagle was quiet was when it finally succumbed to exhaustion. Those respites never seemed to last very long. She knew it couldn’t be good for him.
Ethan came in behind her with another box of supplies. “This is the last of them.”
“Thanks.” Bella turned her head toward the sound of the small beagle has his cries increased.
Ethan set the box on a table and opened the top. “I don’t know what else to do for him.”
“I wish he’d had a collar with a tag,” she murmured as she closed one cupboard door and opened another.
“Any clue would have been better than none,” he agreed. “We have no idea where to start looking for his owner.”
Bella’s hands stilled for a moment as she considered the options. “You would think the owner would be looking for him.”
Ethan brought over some boxes of gauze and stood beside her. “If they’re able. The dog is definitely devoted to the person he keeps crying for.”
“I imagine the owner feels the same way.” Bella reached for the boxes of gauze then began stacking them on the shelf. “What if we put out flyers?”
Ethan returned to the table to get more supplies from the box. “That’s not a bad idea. If we put them up in town, someone
might see them. Even if it isn’t the owner, someone else might know about the beagle.”
Bella turned and smiled at him. “I think we should do it.”
He handed her more supplies. “I’ll put one up at the feed store too.”
***
Dan finished entering his order for the next shipment of supplies and left his office. He walked through the feed store looking down each aisle as he did. Whenever he encountered a customer, he asked if they needed help. Halfway through, he saw one woman struggling to reach a jug of fertilizer from a top shelf.
“I’ll get that for you.” He joined her mid-aisle and reached above her for the plastic jug before setting it in her cart. “There you go.”
“Oh, thanks Dan. Those of you up in the clouds don’t know what it’s like from down here.” Mrs. Cheung chuckled at herself.
“Good point. I’ll shift some of that stock to a lower shelf to make it easier to reach.” Dan glanced down at the label.
Mrs. Cheung pretended to be worried. “Oh, don’t do that. This is my secret weapon. It’s why my roses look better than my neighbors.” She patted the jug in the cart.
Dan chuckled with her this time. “On the other hand, if your neighbor’s roses are healthy, you’ll have less chance of an infestation.”
Mrs. Cheung sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She pushed her oversized glasses back up her nose as the smile left her face. “You know, my neighbor mentioned your brother just yesterday.”
Dan felt his heart sink. “Gabe?”
Mrs. Cheung nodded. The humor had fled her eyes. They were now filled with concern.
“What about him?” Dan glanced around to see if there was anyone else within ear shot.
“My neighbor dropped her car off at the garage to get inspected. I brought her back home. I was supposed to take her to pick it up again but she said it wasn’t ready yet.” Mrs. Cheung looked around then leaned forward. “I guess Gabe is running behind with his work.”
Dan managed to keep the smile on his face. “I’m planning to talk to him later today. I’ll check on that for you.”
A movement at the end of the aisle caught his attention. Mrs. Cheung looked down at Dena and nodded. “I should let you get back to work.”
Dan watched Mrs. Cheung push her cart toward Dena. He remained where he was. He could tell by the look on Dena’s face that she wanted to speak with him.
“I can’t stay long. I need to get to my next cleaning job.” Dena clamped her lips together.
Dan braced himself for whatever she was about to say.
“I’m sure you’ve already heard this,” Dena said.
“Probably not. Just tell me.”
Dena nodded once. “It’s Gabe.” Her eyes filled with compassion. She knew her next words would be upsetting. “He said there was a death at the campground yesterday.”
Dan closed his eyes for a moment as images of her parents filled his head.
Dena blew out a breath. “Dan. The police are looking at your brother as a suspect.”
Chapter Ten
“There you are. We wondered if you’d be able to make it.” Kelly Parker smiled at her son.
Dan saw the concern etched in her face behind the smile. He held out his arms and she stepped into them.
“I thought he was getting his life turned around,” she said into his chest. She pulled away and looked up.
He could see the moisture in her eyes. “Yeah. Me too.” He followed her into the kitchen.
His father turned with a coffee pot in his hand. Todd’s eyes shot to his wife’s face. The frown on his face deepened with what he saw there. “Coffee?”
Dan shook his head. “No thanks. I’m agitated enough.”
Todd looked down at the coffee pot. “Yeah. I know the feeling.” He set the pot back on the burner.
Kelly wrapped her arms around herself. “What if we can’t get through to him.”
“Let the boy have his say first,” Todd said.
Dan could tell by the tone of his father’s voice that it wasn’t the first time he’d said that. “That’s just it, Dad. He isn’t a boy anymore.”
Todd started to say something then stopped. He nodded his head.
“I saw LeAnn in town yesterday.” Kelly stared at the wall as she spoke. Both men turned toward her. “She told me that she’s selling the house.”
Todd raised one hand to rub the back of his neck. “Can’t blame her for that.”
Dan gave a half shake of his head. “Maybe I should offer to fix it up a bit for her. She might get more from it that way.”
Kelly grimaced. “She told us not to worry about it.”
There was silence for a moment. Todd finally broke it. “Can’t blame her for that either. We practically ignored her all those years. It wasn’t right.”
One corner of Kelly’s mouth lifted in a humorless smile. “She said we shouldn’t worry about that either.”
“She’s going through with the divorce then?” Dan couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t. After spending most of his adulthood following the racing circuit, Gabe hadn’t been a real husband to her in years.
Kelly nodded just as the doorbell rang again. “That must be him. I wasn’t sure he’d come.” She looked at both men. “Try to be kind. You know he always takes things the wrong way.”
Dan glanced at his father as his mother left the room. Todd didn’t meet his gaze. They could hear Gabe’s voice as he followed his mother back to the kitchen. Todd turned to pick up the coffee pot again.
Gabe stopped when he saw Dan and Todd standing in the kitchen waiting for him. “What is this? Some kind of intervention?” He huffed out a laugh.
Todd held up the pot. “Coffee?”
Gabe ignored him. He turned to his mother. “Why am I here?”
Kelly took a deep breath. “We’ve been hearing some odd rumors and we wanted to talk to you about it.”
Gabe made a noise of exasperation and looked up at the ceiling. “I should of have known.”
“Known what? That we would be worried?” Dan motioned to Gabe. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Gabe waved his hands. “Nothing, okay?”
Todd slammed the coffee pot back onto the burner. Hot liquid flew everywhere. Kelly moved slowly to the sink and pulled some paper towels from the roll. Todd took them from her and began wiping up the coffee.
He kept his back to Gabe as he spoke. “We are your parents. We have a right to know if you’re in some kind of trouble.” He turned still holding the wet towels. “We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”
Gabe shifted his gaze from his brother to his parents. “There’s nothing to worry about.” His eyes narrowed. “Why aren’t any of you at work?”
Dan’s face filled with disbelief. “You get taken in for murder and we’re supposed to just go about our business?”
Gabe’s chin rose and a mask dropped over his face. “You heard about that?”
“Not until today and I had to hear it from my customers.” Dan heard the volume of his own voice increase. He struggled to lower it as he motioned toward his parents. “Why are you putting them through this?”
“I have to go.” Gabe clamped his lips together and turned to walk away.
“Tell me this,” Dan said. “Was it really your bat they found with the victim?”
Gabe stopped for a moment. He turned to look at the others. “Don’t worry about this, okay? I have to go.”
Dan turned to look at his parents. His mother’s lower lip was trembling. His father reached for her and pulled her toward him. Dan shook his head and followed his brother out.
***
Lee Compton stepped out of his car and turned toward the paddock. “Look Molly. She has horses now.”
Another car pulled in and parked behind them. The two people inside opened their doors at the same time and climbed out.
“Oh, aren’t they beautiful.” Molly motioned to her sister-in-law to hurry. “Look, Naomi. Horses.”
The forty-something Naomi stood next to her brother, Lee. “I don’t remember those being here the last time.”
“The donkeys are still here.” Clark Madden joined his wife. Like Naomi, he was also in his forties.
Lee looked at the house and motioned with his hand to Molly and Naomi. “You two go on in. Clark and I can get the luggage.”
“I’ll grab my makeup bag from the trunk,” Molly said.
Lee pulled the key fob from his pocket and pushed the button. The lid popped open. Molly reached in and pulled the small overnight bag out. She left the larger luggage and turned toward the house. Naomi followed her carrying her own small bag.
“Everything looks like I remembered,” Molly said. “I’m glad we decided to stay here.”
“I just feel a little guilty,” Naomi said.
Megan stood on the porch with the front door slightly open behind her.
“I know what you mean.” Molly smiled at Megan as she climbed the porch steps. “We don’t want to be a bother for you while we’re here.”
Megan’s smile was warm. “I’m not worried.” She motioned to her stomach. “And I feel fine.”
Naomi pointed to her sister-in-law and chuckled. “She is a nurse practitioner. I guess in case of an emergency, you’re in good hands.”
“Exactly.” Megan pushed the front door open and led the two women inside. “I put you in your favorite rooms.”
Molly waved Megan off. “And we know where they are. You stay down here.”
“There’s lemonade and cookies on the back porch when you’re ready,” Megan said as she watched them climb the stairs to the second floor. She went back out to the front porch.
Fifty-something Lee was pulling two large bags on wheels. When he reached the porch steps, he pushed the handles back down and lifted them, one in each hand.
Clark was right behind him with his own luggage. “We heard what you said. We’ll get these upstairs and see you in a few.”
