Greed with Envy (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 15)

by Hope Callaghan

  Paul patted the dog’s head. “You want to go for a ride to check on the farm?”

  Mally’s back half wiggled as she wagged her tail and then darted off across the yard. She looked back as if to say “hurry up” and then as soon as Gloria opened the rear door of the car, she jumped in.

  “Mally, are you ready to go for a ride?” Gloria smiled at her pooch as she circled the backseat and flopped down.

  Gloria climbed in the passenger seat and scooched across the seat until she was sitting in the middle, right next to Paul. “What’s this?” He grinned as he reached for his seatbelt.

  “It’s me coming over here to be close to you.” Gloria smiled and snuggled close. She instantly thought of Margaret, how she was alone now. Alone and overwhelmed by what had happened. Her smile quickly faded.

  They took their time driving to Paul’s farm. The backroads were deserted and it was a welcome change for Gloria to be able to enjoy the view as she rode.

  Paul’s farm was similar in size to Gloria’s farm. They hadn’t stayed there since Allie moved out.

  The old farmhouse was in need of renovations and mechanical updates but since no one was living in it for the most part, it didn’t make sense to sink money into a home that sat empty. It was a shame.

  Paul pulled the car into the circular drive and parked in front of the house. Gloria exited the car and held the door so Mally could scamper out. She promptly trotted over to the barn silos to investigate. After inspecting the silos, she patrolled the outside of the barn.

  The round corncrib was next. The wooden slats near the bottom of the corncrib were missing and Mally slipped inside the empty bin to explore.

  Gloria and Paul wandered over. “I wonder what happened to the bottom slats. C’mon Mally.” Paul coaxed the pooch out. “I need to get those boards replaced to keep critters from moving in.”

  They wandered toward the back of the house and up the rear steps. Paul unlocked the door and led the way inside. He checked the entire house before turning the thermostat off. “No sense in wasting electricity.”

  “We can spend this weekend over here if you like,” Gloria offered, a twinge of guilt prodding her. “Liz will watch my place.”

  “There’s no cable television,” Paul reminded her. “Or internet.”

  “True,” Gloria said. “But you still have the old television antenna hooked up. We can sit around and read books or work on a puzzle or something…”

  “Or enjoy each other’s company.” Paul’s eyes twinkled as he teased his wife.

  “Of course.” Gloria batted her eyes flirtatiously before she made her way to the enclosed front porch. The porch was similar to the one on the front of Gloria’s farmhouse but unlike Gloria’s farm, there were no neighbors within sight, just acre after acre of farm fields as far as the eye could see.

  They walked around the front and rear yards before finally heading back to the car for the ride home. The exercise from swinging the tennis racket not to mention squatting and bending her knees was catching up with Gloria. She rubbed the tops of her legs.

  Paul cast a quick glance at her. “Are you okay?”

  “My leg muscles are not used to chasing after tennis balls,” she said. Back at the house, it took her a couple extra moments to coax her sore legs to move and she gingerly limped up the porch steps. “A hot bath sounds good.”

  After cashing in the coins from Aunt Ethel’s farm, Gloria had splurged and completely renovated her bathroom, installing a larger single sink vanity, a new toilet and her favorite purchase, a large, jetted tub.

  She headed to the bedroom to grab a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt and passed by the bathroom. The door was closed and she could hear Liz on the other side, singing.

  “Looks like someone beat you to it.” Paul pointed at the door.

  Gloria frowned. “She’s starting to cramp my style.”

  Paul followed his slow-moving wife into the living room and watched her ease into the nearby recliner. “How much longer is she staying?”

  “I have no idea. She told me she has short-term tenants in her home. I thought her plan was to track down her golf pro/tennis pro/gigolo boyfriend but she seems to have lost interest.”

  The conversation stopped abruptly as Liz emerged from the bathroom and breezed into the living room. “You’re back. That was not a very relaxing bath. I ran out of hot water halfway through. You must have one of those rinky-dink hot water tanks.”

  “Rinky-dink hot water tank?” Gloria exploded in a mini rant. Paul shook his head and hurried from the room. “I think I’ll stay out of this one.”

  Mally lowered her ears and crawled under the coffee table.

  “I’ve taken plenty of baths in my jetted tub and never run out of water.”

  “Huh.” Liz sniffed. “Well, maybe it’s on the fritz. The water was lukewarm at best. It also has a strong sulfur odor and now I feel scratchy all over.”

  To demonstrate, Liz started scratching her upper arms. “You probably need a water softener. These old farms don’t have the best plumbing.”

  Gloria started to climb out of the recliner, a look of murder in her eyes.

  “It’s just a suggestion.” Liz quickly retreated to her bedroom. “The bathroom is all yours,” she hollered back.

  Gloria climbed out of the chair and headed to the kitchen where she found Paul snacking on a bowl of mixed nuts and working on a crossword puzzle. “She’ll be gone before you know it.”

  “Not soon enough.” Gloria shuffled to the bathroom. Her mood darkened when she turned the faucet full force hot and stuck her hand under the lukewarm water.

  “Dear God. Please give me patience to survive Liz’s visit.” She muttered a quick prayer before climbing into the tepid tub.

  Despite her aggravation, Gloria closed her eyes and focused on all of her blessings, something she hadn’t done in a while. By the time she finished her bath, her mood had improved.

  She passed through the living room where Paul was watching television. “I’m still stiff and Liz used all of the hot water but at least I have a roof over my head, a husband I adore and food on the table.”

  “Good girl. Always count your blessings.” Paul shifted in his recliner. “I’ll be in after my show ends.”

  Gloria nodded and hobbled to the bedroom. She slipped into her pajamas and crawled into bed where she prayed God would help her appreciate and embrace her sister’s annoying traits. As soon as she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 16

  Dot glanced at the clock above Gloria’s kitchen sink. “How much longer should we give her?”

  “Five minutes,” Gloria said. “If Margaret doesn’t show up in the next five minutes, I’ll drive to her house.” She glanced out the window. “Ah. There’s Ruth. Kenny must have covered for her at the post office.” She stepped onto the porch and waited for Ruth to park her ‘spy-mobile’ behind Dot’s van.

  Spy-mobile was the nickname the friends had given Ruth’s tricked out, bulletproof, video recording, surveillance center on wheels.

  Ruth slid out of the van and hurried across the drive. “Margaret isn’t here yet?”

  “No.” A movement caught Gloria’s attention. “There she is now.”

  Margaret’s SUV swung into the drive and came to an abrupt halt behind Lucy’s jeep.

  “I’ll wait inside.” Ruth headed into the kitchen while Gloria headed down the steps. She met Margaret by the driver’s side of the SUV, opened the door and then took a step back as she studied the dark circles under her friend’s eyes.

  “I was just about to head out to track you down,” Gloria said as she watched her friend ease out of the vehicle.

  “I almost didn’t come,” Margaret admitted. “But I knew if I didn’t you’d be on my doorstep.” She glanced at the other vehicles parked in the drive. “Who all is coming to your brunch?”

  Gloria rattled off the list. “Dot and Rose are already here. Ruth just arrived. Lucy is here. Liz is here.”


  Margaret interrupted. “I forgot about Liz. How’s it going?”

  Gloria groaned. “She’s driving me up the wall but other than that, she’s still alive.”

  Margaret chuckled. “I’d offer to let you ship her to my house but I’m not sure I’m up for a dose of Liz.”

  “I wouldn’t send her to Sally Keane’s place.” Sally was a Belhaven resident. Gloria had had ups and downs with the woman. She was a constant complainer and now that she was semi-engaged and semi-dating Officer Nelson, she’d determined it was her duty to stick her nose into everyone else’s business.

  “Andrea and Alice should be here any second,” Gloria said. “How are you?”

  Margaret sucked in a breath, closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m hanging in there. Last night was rough. I barely slept. It was weird being in the house by myself. I kept hearing noises; certain someone was trying to break in.”

  “That’s normal,” Gloria said. She didn’t mention that Margaret had not returned her call. The important thing was she was there and she was okay, at least physically. The emotional healing would take months or even years, if ever.

  Gloria led the way into the kitchen and the group surrounded Margaret as they hugged her and offered words of encouragement and support.

  Margaret put on a brave face as she thanked them for their concern and assured them she would be all right.

  The breakfast bake had just finished baking and Gloria pulled it from the oven. She set it on the kitchen counter, next to the donuts, pastries, bagels and large pan of bacon, sausage and ham Dot had brought.

  Andrea and Alice were the last to arrive and Alice placed the large glass dish of the Spanish bread pudding alongside the rest of the food.

  Gloria uncovered the dish and the smell of cinnamon wafted up. “It looks and smells delicious,” she told Alice as she placed the cover on top of the microwave.

  Since the large group wouldn’t all be able to fit around the kitchen table, Gloria had dragged a couple card tables and folding chairs from the attic and lined them up in the center of the kitchen.

  After everyone was seated, Gloria spoke. “Thank you all for coming here on such short notice.” She smiled at Margaret. “Thank you, Margaret, for coming. We know this is a difficult time for you and we want to be here for you.”

  “Day or night,” Ruth piped up.

  “We’re only a phone call away,” Lucy said.

  “And if you won’t call us, we’ll call you,” Andrea said.

  “Let’s pray.” The women bowed their heads and Gloria began to pray. “Thank you Heavenly Father, for bringing us all together this morning. Thank you for this wonderful food we’re about to enjoy.”

  “Lord, we lift up Margaret to you this morning. You know what a difficult time she’s been going through, that her heart is heavy as she mourns the loss of her husband. Lord, we ask that you comfort her with your presence in the days and months ahead. We ask that you help her physically, emotionally and financially as she begins this next chapter in her life. We thank you, Lord for your gift of salvation, that we’re always mindful of our many blessings, in Jesus name.”

  “Amen.” They all said in unison.

  Margaret dabbed at her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “That was beautiful.” She eyed the plentiful dishes of food on the counter. “I’m not very hungry.”

  “Try to eat something. You might surprise yourself.” Gloria led her to the end of the counter and handed her a plate.

  She turned to the others, still seated. “Don’t be shy.” She waved her hands. “Get it while it’s hot.”

  Gloria waited until the others had filled their plates before filling her own.

  “This is your seat.” Rose patted the empty chair next to her, on the other side of Margaret. The women oohed and aahed over the breakfast bake, the Spanish bread not to mention the other goodies Dot and Rose had brought with them.

  Margaret finished her breakfast first and she stared at her empty plate in disbelief. “I can’t believe I ate all my food.”

  “There’s more where that came from.”

  “No. I’m full.” Margaret patted her stomach. “I think I’ll have a little more coffee. The cinnamon dish was delicious. All of it was delicious.” She refilled her cup and returned to her seat.

  “How is the investigation going?” Gloria had gone back and forth as to whether she should bring up Don’s death but decided it wasn’t far from anyone’s mind, including Margaret’s.

  Margaret rubbed her forehead. “Oh. I forgot to tell you. Detective Givens said they are ruling Don’s death accidental.”

  “So they’ve dropped the investigation,” Ruth said.

  “Yes. Lack of evidence, inconclusive, whatever. I think the detective felt sorry for me. With everything that happened, I forgot Don had taken out a life insurance policy years ago. It was for a substantial amount. I contacted the company yesterday and they’re processing the claim.”

  “If the authorities had ruled Don’s death a suicide, you might not have been able to collect,” Andrea said. “It depends on the age of the policy.” Andrea’s first husband, Daniel Malone, had owned an insurance agency and she was familiar with many of the stipulations and rules of standard policies.

  “The policy was almost ten years old so even if they’d ruled his death a suicide, the claim was still valid.” Margaret sipped her coffee. “I still can’t accept the fact Don took the money from all of those retirement accounts, not to mention our bank and savings account. How could he have done such a thing?”

  “Maybe he planned to invest the money, hoping to accumulate even more.” Gloria thought of the Ponzi scheme the men at the golf club had mentioned. “Did he mention investing in a business venture recently?”

  “No.” Margaret shook her head. “Not a peep, other than what George at the bank told Chad and me. You were going to visit the country club yesterday. Any success?”

  Liz cleared her throat. “Yeah. We’ve got a few leads. We were wondering if you could give us a list of close friends Don golfed with so we could do a little intel.”

  “That and if he had a pattern of when he played golf,” Gloria added.

  “Of course. I’m sorry. I know you asked who he golfed with the other day.” Margaret lifted her hand and waved it over her head. “Everything has gone over my head. I’m lucky if I remember what day it is.”

  She continued. “Don had a 1:00 standing tee time every Saturday and played with a small group of buddies he regularly golfed and hung out with. Club NED.”

  “Club NED?” Dot asked.

  “Yeah. Club NED was their nickname around the country club for always playing together and hanging out afterward. There was Nolan Bolton, Ed Shields, Don of course and the fourth player changed but was usually one of the co-owners, Phil Holt.”

  “What about a woman…Becky something?” Liz asked.

  Margaret frowned. “Becky.” She shook her head. “No. I don’t know anyone named Becky. Where did you come up with that name?”

  “We were looking at Montbay Hills’ social media site and found a picture of Don standing with two other men and a woman and it listed her as Becky something,” Gloria said. “We should go over there later today, play a little golf. If the others kept the tee time, we might get lucky and run into Don’s golf partners. Club NED.”

  Gloria didn’t mention the Ponzi scheme. She wanted to throw some bait out there since at this point it was merely speculation.

  “Today just happens to be Saturday,” Gloria said. “Who’s up for a few rounds of golf with Liz and me?”

  Lucy’s hand shot up.

  Rose shook her head. “No way.”

  “I’m afraid I’m out,” Dot said.

  “I’ve got to work or I would go,” Ruth said.

  “I’ve shot a few rounds,” Andrea said. “I could be the fourth player.”

  Gloria pointed around the room. “Lucy, Andrea, Liz and me. Let’s leave here around 12:30 and see if we can do a l
ittle recon on Don’s buddies.”

  “Don’t forget there’s a golf tournament tomorrow with a large party at the clubhouse,” Liz said.

  “You’re right,” Margaret said. “I forgot all about it. Everyone who is anyone at the country club will be there.”

  “Are you going to the party?” Margaret asked. “It’s by member invite only and technically you’re not members. I could extend an invitation since I’m still a member.”

  “We met some guys in the Snack Shack near the back of the course. We started a conversation and one of them invited us to the party,” Liz said.

  “Liz was pouring on the charm,” Gloria joked. “We didn’t get a last name but his first name was Rex. She’s already forgotten about her gigolo boyfriend.”

  “Martin is not a gigolo,” Liz insisted. “You’ll see, just as soon as we’re able to track him down.”

  “Martin?” Lucy turned in her chair to face Liz. “Gigolo? What have I missed?”

  Gloria briefly explained Liz’s dilemma and told the group Liz had asked her to track down her boyfriend and the money. “She thinks he’s in Poughkeepsie, New York.”

  “If he’s a golf pro, he’s probably on NGPD.” Margaret explained NGPD, or National Golf Pro Directory was a database that kept track of all of the golf pros in the United States. “Don was looking for one of the old golf pros he met years ago when we first joined the country club and Phil, one of the owners, showed him the system. He was able to track the man down in California.”

  Liz’s eyes lit. “Montbay Hills has access to this database?”

  Gloria could see the wheels spinning in Liz’s head. “Oh no…”

  “Oh yes,” Liz screeched. “I’m gonna track down Martin Heemingstar if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Chapter 17

  Gloria spotted the car Margaret had described as soon as she drove into the country club. “That looks like it could be Ed Shields’ Silver Lincoln MKZ.” She pulled into the parking spot next to it, reached for the door handle and turned to her friends. “Remember, we’re a group of wealthy women who’re looking to invest in something where we can make some quick cash.”