Forget Me Knot (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 13)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Tiffany is strong-willed. We tried to tell her she couldn’t see Brian but she ignored us and went anyway,” Peter Sellers said.

  “How did she know he was here?” Gloria asked.

  “She read about it in the paper. After all, it’s not every day a former judge is attacked, knocked unconscious and is suffering from amnesia,” his mother replied.

  Gloria studied Joan Seller’s face. It was drawn and haggard. So was Peter Sellers’ face. They both looked exhausted. “Andrea has volunteered to stay with Brian if you’d like to head over to his place to get some rest.”

  Joan started to say no, but Peter interrupted. “We’re not doing Brian any good by wearing ourselves out. Even the doctor said he’s on track to make almost a one hundred percent recovery.”

  “What about his memory?” Andrea asked. “Did the doctor say he’ll regain his memory?”

  The parents exchanged an uneasy glance.

  “No. They don’t know yet,” Joan admitted.

  “So he may never remember me,” Andrea whispered.

  “Even if he doesn’t, he’ll fall in love with you all over again.” Gloria said. She wasn’t sure if that was true, but she hoped it was.

  “We’ll go tell him we’re heading to his place to get some rest and be right back.” Brian’s parents walked out of the waiting room and Gloria watched until they disappeared from sight.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay here by yourself? What if Tiffany comes back?”

  “She better not,” Andrea gritted between clenched teeth. Gloria hoped not, for both of their sakes.

  Brian’s parents returned a short time later. They told her Brian didn’t seem bothered by the fact they were leaving and Andrea was staying. “So you don’t think he’ll mind if I check in on him later?” she asked.

  “Not at all. He seemed more upset Tiffany showed up. The two of them dated for several years and I won’t go into details, but it ended badly. Brian hasn’t forgotten that part,” Joan said.

  “In fact, Brian smiled when he told us what happened and how you were going to toss Tiffany out of the room.”

  Gloria hugged her young friend and turned to go when Andrea whispered in her ear. “When you get home, can you call Rose to let her know I’m willing to try her special herbal remedy on Brian?”

  Chapter 10

  The Sellers dropped Gloria off near her back porch. She waited until Andrea’s truck disappeared down the road before heading up the porch steps. Paul was home and Gloria could see him moving back and forth in the kitchen through the window.

  She stepped in the back door and spotted Allie, Paul’s daughter, sitting at the kitchen table. Gloria had completely forgotten Allie was coming over for dinner. She set her purse on the chair and hugged her stepdaughter. “Well look at this beautiful ray of sunshine.”

  Allie grinned, the dimple in her cheek deepening as she greeted Gloria. “I hope I’m not imposing,” she said.

  “Not at all.” Gloria made her way over to Paul, kissing her husband before turning back. “I haven’t been home since early afternoon. Do you mind if we have pizza for dinner?”

  “Not at all,” Paul said. “In fact, I said the exact same thing. Great minds think alike.”

  Paul ordered the pizza while Gloria headed to the bathroom to freshen up. When she returned, Paul and Allie were sitting at the kitchen table chatting.

  “I have a job interview already,” Allie told Gloria as she settled into a kitchen chair. “Dad put in a good word at the Montbay County Sheriff’s Department and I’m gonna meet with his old boss tomorrow.”

  Gloria perked up. “How exciting.”

  “If she lands this job, don’t be getting any ideas,” Paul warned.

  “Ideas?” Gloria pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes wide and innocent. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “You know exactly what I mean,” Paul said and turned to his daughter. “It seems Gloria’s sleuthing somehow always manages to involve the Montbay County Sheriff’s Department.”

  “Not every time,” Gloria argued. “Just most of the time.”

  Allie winked at Gloria. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’ll be fine.”

  Gloria changed the subject but in the back of her mind, she hoped Allie would get the job! She told Allie about Brian’s amnesia and how Andrea and she had arrived at the hospital only to discover Brian’s ex was visiting him, how he remembered Tiffany Cartwright, but still couldn’t remember Andrea.

  “That’s a shame,” Paul said. “So he still can’t remember what happened?”

  The pizza delivery driver arrived and the conversation paused. A thought occurred to Gloria as she watched Paul pay for the pizza. She remembered how Ruth had acted as if she knew something but couldn’t tell.

  They ate their pizza along with fresh, buttery breadsticks Paul had decided to order at the last minute. Not long after they finished eating, Allie told them she wanted to head back to the farm to do a little more unpacking and to get ready for her interview the next morning.

  Paul and Gloria walked her to her car and then wandered to the garden so Gloria could inspect the spring plantings. In another week, it would be time to plant a few more crops, but it had been a cold, wet season so far and forecasters were predicting patches of frost for the following evening. They had had a few beautiful days, but just as many cold and rainy ones.

  She had already planted some tomatoes, onions, broccoli and cauliflower, and was days away from adding corn, potatoes and watermelon. The fragile sprouts were poking up through the dark, rich soil. Gloria hoped the light frost would spare her garden.

  Mally trotted along the edge of the garden, she watched Paul and Gloria closely as they inspected the crops. She knew she was not allowed in the garden, not until later in the fall after all of the crops had been harvested.

  “We’ll plant the corn next,” Gloria told her beloved dog as she tiptoed over the top of the plants and bent down to pet her.

  Paul pulled the garden hose from the reel and turned the faucet on as he started to water the plants. Gloria, meanwhile, wandered over to the grape vines growing near one of the smaller out buildings. She had planted the vines years ago as kind of a fluke.

  Although it had taken a few years to start producing, Gloria was tickled every spring when they began to bud and she knew by fall, they would have a plentiful harvest.

  By the time they headed back inside, it was dark. Gloria pulled a tub of butter pecan ice cream from the freezer and scooped a heaping spoonful into two bowls. Paul and Gloria carried their bowls to the living room to watch the local news and listen to the weather forecast.

  After they finished the ice cream, Gloria carried the bowls to the kitchen to rinse them out and put them in the dishwasher. She reached for the light switch to turn it off when she noticed her cell phone sitting on the counter.

  Gloria switched it to on and glanced at the screen. There was a message from Ruth. “Stop by the post office when you get a chance. I may have something of interest.”

  “Shoot! I forgot all about Ruth!” Gloria glanced at the clock above the kitchen sink. It was late…too late to call Ruth. Whatever Ruth had, it would have to wait until morning.

  Chapter 11

  Paul left early the next morning, right after breakfast. He told her he wanted to head back to the farm to work on repairing his ice shanty before putting it away for the year. The winter had been especially brutal and part of the metal roof had come loose after the wind got hold of it.

  He hadn’t said it, but Gloria suspected he also wanted to check on Allie, to make sure she didn’t need anything. Paul’s farm was out in the country, surrounded by farm fields and on the isolated side.

  Gloria knew he was worried about his daughter being out there all by herself. She had offered to let Mally stay with her for a few days, but Allie insisted she was fine and wasn’t afraid to be alone.

  Gloria quickly finished her chores and was anxious to head into town to find out what information Ruth might
have that would help figure out who had attacked Brian. She also planned to stop by Dot’s Restaurant to let Rose know that Andrea was ready for Rose’s special “memory enhancing” herbal concoction, which reminded her she needed to call Andrea to see if Brian’s condition had changed.

  Gloria’s call went right to voice mail and Gloria left a message on Andrea’s cell phone before she hopped in the shower. The morning forecast called for cool temperatures and heavy cloud cover, giving way to afternoon sunshine. Except for the threat of the light frost that night, the weather was finally starting to improve.

  Paul had taken Mally with him to the farm. Gloria knew her pooch would have a ball running around the farm, keeping Paul company for the day and helping repair the shanty.

  She checked her email before heading out in hopes Mary Beth had a chance to send over the estimate to repair Annabelle but there was nothing from Gus or Mary Beth.

  Gloria hopped into the SUV and headed toward town. She almost stopped at Gus’s shop, but didn’t want to seem pushy about the quote so she drove past.

  When she reached Main Street, Gloria pulled into the post office parking lot and a spot near the street. She reached for her purse and grabbed the door handle when her cell phone began to ring. It was Andrea.

  “Hello dear. How’s it going?”

  Andrea let out an aggravated sigh. “No change. Brian and I had a long talk before he went to bed last night, but he still doesn’t remember anything…or me.”

  “I just pulled into the post office. I’m going to chat with Ruth for a minute and then head over to Dot’s Restaurant to talk to Rose about the memory miracle cure she told us about, if you’re still interested.”

  “Yes!” Andrea said. “Brian is getting antsy and bugging the doctor about being released. The doctor said he might discharge Brian later today or tomorrow. We’ll need to get him to try the potion before he goes home. I think it will be easier to get him to try it if he’s trapped in a hospital bed.”

  “What about Brian’s parents?” Gloria asked.

  “That’s another thing,” Andrea said. “They had some errands to run this morning, but plan to be back here around one o’clock. We’re going to switch shifts again. If they release him from the hospital later today, our chance to give him Rose’s miracle cure might be lost.”

  It was already nine in the morning. They only had a few hours! “Oh dear. I’ll try to get Rose and/or the potion there by eleven.” She quickly disconnected the line, climbed out of the vehicle and headed toward the front door of the post office.

  Ruth was behind the counter, waiting on a customer. When she caught a glimpse of Gloria walking through the front door, she abruptly cut the customer off.

  As soon as the woman left the post office, Gloria approached the counter.

  “Remember when I said I might have something?” Ruth reached behind the counter, pulled out a small stack of envelopes and slid them toward Gloria. “These have been coming in for about a week now. At first, I didn’t think too much about it, but this might be a clue.”

  Gloria reached inside her purse, pulled out her reading glasses and slipped them on as she lifted the envelope on top:

  “Nails and Knobs Hardware Store

  Attn: Hiring Manager

  832 Main Street

  Belhaven, Michigan 49505”

  Gloria set the envelope to the side and read the second, then the third. There were four envelopes in all, and all of them addressed to the hiring manager. “So Brian placed a help wanted ad for the hardware store.” She tapped the tip of the envelope against the palm of her hand. “Interesting.”

  Gloria placed the envelope on top and slid them across the counter. “Perhaps someone showed up the other morning, posing as a potential employee, but instead robbed the store.”

  She went on. “When I get home later, I’ll look through the last few days’ newspapers to see if I can find Brian’s ad.”

  “Or check the newspaper on line,” Ruth suggested.

  “Good idea!”

  “How is Brian doing?” Ruth asked.

  “I just talked to Andrea. He knows his parents, even remembers an ex-girlfriend, but still can’t remember he owns businesses and lives in Belhaven or that Andrea and he are engaged.”

  Ruth tsk-tsked. “Such a shame. I hope he remembers by August.”

  Andrea and Brian had picked August 12th for their wedding date. Margaret had offered to let them use her backyard for the wedding ceremony since they had the perfect set up and a big, beautiful covered dock leading out to the lake.

  The plan was for Pastor Nate to marry them on the dock, and then have the reception at Andrea’s spacious home. The plans even included a makeshift dancefloor set up in the sunroom.

  The reception would be similar to the one Gloria and Paul had had at Andrea’s place the previous December, but on a much larger scale. All of the Garden Girls were helping Andrea with the arrangements and it promised to be the event of the season!

  “I hope he remembers, too, which reminds me I need to run across the street to talk to Rose about her special potion to restore Brian’s memory.”

  Ruth wrinkled her nose. “I hope it works.”

  “Me too. We have to convince him to try it today, though. Andrea said the doctor might release Brian from the hospital later today or tomorrow and then we won’t have a chance to slip him the potion.”

  “Sounds exciting,” Ruth groaned. “How come I always have to miss out on all the fun?”

  “Sorry Ruth. We would wait for you if we could.” Gloria slipped out of the post office and headed across the street. Dot’s Restaurant was filled with customers and Gloria headed to the back.

  It was all hands on deck as Ray, Dot, Rose and Johnnie darted back and forth between the kitchen and the server area.

  Dot noticed Gloria first. “Hi Gloria! This place is a madhouse this morning!”

  Rose reached for a breakfast plate filled with a heaping mound of scrambled eggs, crispy slices of bacon and a small stack of wheat toast. She set it on her tray and grabbed a second plate piled high with blueberry pancakes. “Be right back.”

  She headed to the dining room with Dot right behind her, coffee pot in hand. The girls returned several minutes later and Rose slid her empty tray onto the top of the pass thru window. “How’s that young man, Brian?”

  “That’s why I’m here. He still can’t remember Andrea or the fact he owns half of Belhaven. Andrea is getting desperate and wants to know if you can whip up a batch of your special memory potion.”

  Rose grinned from ear to ear. “Girlfriend, I had a feeling she was gonna want it so I went ahead and mixed a batch.” She lowered her voice and glanced around. “But we need to keep it on the down low. Johnnie, he don’t like me makin’ this stuff. He thinks it’s dangerous.”

  “Be right back.” Rose darted across the server station and disappeared in the back. She returned moments later with a small vial of amber-colored liquid. Rose handed it to Gloria.

  “Why does Johnnie think it’s dangerous?” Gloria asked as she took the vial.

  “Well. Now, this has only happened once or twice, but I mixed it a teeny bit too strong.” Rose pinched her index finger and thumb together and then separated it, just a tad. “I gave it to Johnnie’s sister, Melody, or Mel as we call her. She took too much of it and Lordy! The woman would not shut up. Why she talked nonstop for three days and that is no exaggeration. She told story after story about Johnnie growing up and how much trouble he got into.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “Whew! He was spittin’ mad. Why, I had to quick whip up another potion in order to calm motor mouth Mel down.” She shook her head. “Which reminds me. Make sure you put only two small drops into his drink. The potion has a strong odor so try to use somethin’ to disguise the smell…and taste.”

  Gloria held up the bottle. “May I?”

  “Oh, sure. Have a whiff, but not too close,” Rose warned.

  Gloria slowly unscrewed the cap and lifted
the vial. The overpowering stench of roadkill, rotting eggs and a third odor she couldn’t put her finger on assaulted her nostrils. Her hand flew to her mouth and she swallowed hard, her stomach churning. “Oh my gosh! That’s awful.”

  Rose glanced behind her. “Shhh! Johnnie is right over there.”

  Gloria quickly screwed the cap back on and slipped it into her purse. “What’s in that?”

  “Eastern skunk cabbage, ground bombardier beetle and a couple other herbs.” Rose waved a hand. “I can’t share the rest. Remember how I told you about Great Aunt Lajaria and the curse? I added my own special ingredient…ground up stems from forget-me-not flowers.”

  She went on. “Remember…don’t give him too much. A couple drops will do.”

  “How long will it take before we’ll know if it works?” Gloria asked as she snapped the clasp on the front of her purse.

  “With Mel it worked right away, but with Uncle Delmore, it took a little longer. Maybe a day.”

  Gloria thanked Rose for the potion, stopped by to chat with Dot and then headed out. She wanted to get to Andrea…and Brian, before Brian’s parents returned to the hospital. She climbed into the SUV and offered up a small prayer Rose’s stinky potion would do the trick.

  Chapter 12

  Andrea jerked her head back and pinched her nose. “Oh my gosh! That smells so bad,” she gasped.

  “I tried to warn you. I think it singed my nose hairs. I can still smell it,” Gloria said. “We have to figure out what to mix it with so Brian will actually get enough in his system for it to work.”

  The girls stepped over to the vending machine sitting in the corner of the waiting room and studied the canned beverages on display.

  Andrea went down the line. “Coke won’t work. Sprite definitely won’t work.”

  “What about root beer?” Gloria asked.

  “Brian hates root beer.”

  “Orange juice!” Andrea exclaimed. “It might mask the taste, plus Brian loves orange juice.”