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

by Hope Callaghan

  Gloria’s list of things to discuss with Paul was growing by the minute – Annabelle, Tyler and Ryan spending the night, now a visit to Houston…

  It was time to do a little digging. Gloria clicked out of her email account and clicked on the Green Springs Gazette’s online newspaper. She typed the words, “Nails and Knobs” in the search bar and hit the return key. An ad popped up moments later:

  “Small town opportunity with big time advancement. Nails and Knobs Hardware Store is looking for a unique individual to work alongside the owner, learning the business from the ground up.

  Our business is growing and we’re looking for the right individual to grow right along with it. If you’re self-motivated, hard-working, dependable and determined, please send your resume to the following address:”

  It listed Brian’s hardware store address, the same address that was on the envelopes Ruth had shown her. Could it be someone who had applied for the job attacked Brian and robbed him?

  She needed to find out who had scheduled a face-to-face interview with Brian. He must have had some sort of file, or notes on who he had contacted for an interview. She knew one thing for sure. Wherever he kept the information, it wasn’t at the hardware store!

  Gloria clicked out of the classified ads and started to click out of the Green Springs Gazette when something caught her eye.

  “Twice convicted felon, Walter Tompkins, escapes from nearby Cascade Federal Correctional Institution.”

  Chapter 14

  Gloria adjusted her glasses and began reading the article. The story told how Walter Tompkins, a former resident of the Grand Rapids area, along with another prison inmate, Bart Zagorski, from the Detroit area, had escaped. They were prison inmates who shared a cell and had overpowered a security guard by striking him in the head with a chunk of their metal bed frame they had managed to remove.

  They had escaped from the federal correctional institute the previous week. Both men were serving time for armed robbery. Tompkins was also serving time for attempted murder.

  The men had been returning to their cells after eating dinner when the incident occurred. After the men struck a security guard over the head, they held him hostage and demanded that they be released.

  Authorities believed the inmates planned the attack since a car, described as a late model, possibly black, four-door sedan, had been waiting outside.

  Police warned the men were considered armed and dangerous, and there was a manhunt in both Kent County and the Detroit area, as police believed the men would attempt to contact family members.

  Gloria finished reading the article. Armed robbery…attempted murder. Gloria hovered the mouse over the newspaper’s search bar and then typed in Walter Tompkins’ name. There were several, older articles detailing Mr. Tompkins’ illustrious life as a criminal. It appeared he had been in and out of trouble from a young age.

  Gloria read each of the articles, and several articles in, she found what she was looking for…Brian, a former circuit court judge, had reviewed an appeal by Mr. Tompkins, who insisted he had been framed and was not the armed robber the victims had pointed out.

  Brian had upheld the original court’s ruling and Mr. Tompkins was returned to prison to finish his sentence. That was a few years back.

  Gloria headed to her purse and her cell phone to call Andrea. The call went right to voice mail and Gloria left a message, asking her young friend to call back as soon as possible. She started to set the phone down when it began ringing.

  “I’m sorry Gloria. I just missed your call,” Andrea said.

  “No worries dear. I’m sure you have your hands full over there. How is Alice’s…special mixture working out?”

  “Ugh! I had to open every window in the house. It smells like a hot sauce factory in here.”

  Gloria chuckled at the thought of Andrea flinging every window open. “I was on my computer and ran across an article about an escaped convict by the name of Walter Tompkins. It appears Brian may have reviewed this man’s appeal case some time ago. Years ago, actually, and sided with the lower courts, sending him back to prison to complete his sentence.”

  Andrea cut her off. “So you think this guy Brian sent to prison and who recently escaped, came after him?”

  “Revenge,” Gloria said. “I wonder how hard it would be to find Brian.” She didn’t want to come right out and tell Andrea how Ruth had shown her Brian’s mail and they discovered Brian was looking for help at the hardware store.

  “I typed in Nails and Knobs” in the same online newspaper and discovered Brian had placed a ‘help wanted’ ad.”

  Andrea gasped. “You’re right. He did. With everything going on, it completely slipped my mind. Do you think this Walter fellow was looking for Brian, found his name on the internet and then pretended to apply for a job?”

  It was a stretch, but anything was possible. “Either that or the guy tracked Brian down from the ad and then just showed up at the hardware store, caught him off guard and attacked him.”

  “Or maybe it was one of the people he interviewed. When I talked to him the other night – when he still knew who I was and that he loved me – the old Brian, he told me he was lining up interviews.”

  “So maybe it wasn’t the escaped convict after all, but another person who posed as someone interested in a job,” Gloria said. “Is there any way to find out who may have been meeting Brian for the interview?”

  “Yes!” Andrea said excitedly. “There is! Brian kept everything on his iPad, but I liked to tease him because he also kept a calendar book. He said he kept both in case he lost everything online.”

  Gloria began to pace the kitchen floor. Finally! They were getting somewhere!

  “He keeps it in his home office as kind of a backup. Hang on.” Andrea covered the phone and began talking to Alice.

  “I’m back. The natives are getting restless,” Andrea groaned. “I’m not sure what happened to Brian’s iPad. It might be at the house, too.”

  “We should tell Brian that when he gets home he needs to search his black book. Maybe it will jog his memory,” Gloria said.

  The girls talked for a few more minutes, working out the details of the upcoming hospital visit. They decided that Gloria would pick up Lucy, Dot and Rose while Andrea would drive to the hospital with Alice.

  Margaret had been disappointed she couldn’t join them at the hospital and Ruth couldn’t either, which may have been a good thing. If Brian couldn’t remember any of them, it would seem suspicious if all of them descended on him at once.

  Andrea told Gloria that Alice and she would go in first with the rest heading to the hospital a short time later, after Brian’s parents had left for the evening. Andrea had promised Alice she could try her “memory enhancing” brew before Rose got another shot at it.

  Paul arrived late afternoon and seemed disappointed Gloria was heading to the hospital again. Gloria felt a twinge of guilt at leaving him again and promised they would spend the following day together, taking in an afternoon movie matinee and then dinner afterward.

  Gloria warmed leftover meatloaf and microwaved a couple potatoes while Paul set the table. “Mary Beth, Gus’s wife, sent over an estimate for Annabelle’s repairs. It’s going to be a few thousand dollars.”

  Paul paused and then set the napkin next to one of the dinner plates. “What do you think?” Paul knew how attached his wife was to the car. He had decided he wouldn’t decide. He would leave it up to her. It was her car and her decision.

  Gloria set the plate of piping hot meat loaf slices on the table. “I’m torn. On the one hand, it would be nice to have something newer and dependable, not that Annabelle wasn’t dependable. On the other hand, Annabelle is like family…” her voice trailed off.

  “I’m going to let you decide.” Paul placed the second napkin next to his plate and stepped over to his wife, putting his arms around her and pulling her close. “At least I know if I start to fall apart and cost money, you won’t put me out to pastu
re,” he teased. “Or at the very least, you’ll think about it first.”

  Gloria pulled away and whacked his arm. “Of course not!” she grinned. “Unless you don’t behave.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

  For a few moments, the newlyweds forgot about Annabelle, forgot about dinner…

  Finally, Paul pulled back. “Better watch it or we won’t eat dinner at all.”

  “That would be fine with me,” Gloria shot back.

  The timer on the microwave beeped and Gloria set the potatoes, along with a container of sour cream and a stick of butter, on the table. She grabbed a packet of leftover dinner rolls from the pantry and placed them on the table. “I forgot the green beans.”

  Paul waved a hand and then pulled out her chair. “Don’t worry about it.”

  They settled in next to each other and bowed their heads. “Dear Lord. Thank you for this food. Thank you for the beautiful day and the beautiful wife you’ve blessed me with,” Paul prayed. “Lord, we pray for Brian, that you recover his memory, you reveal the person who attacked him and also help Gloria decide what to do about Annabelle. Thank you for your Son, our Savior. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.”

  “Amen!” Gloria lifted her head and reached for a potato. “Before I forget, I was wondering if it would be okay if Ryan and Tyler spent the night soon. Jill stopped by earlier for a visit. Mally and I had walked back to the creek and we missed them.”

  Paul placed two slices of meatloaf on his plate and then passed the plate to Gloria. “Of course. I know you would enjoy seeing them. When were you thinking?”

  “This weekend,” Gloria said. “One more thing. Ben and Kelly invited us to visit them in Houston this summer.”

  Using the tines of his fork, Paul flattened his potato and then placed a pat of butter on top. “Sure. I’ve visited Dallas, but never the Houston area. I hear it’s a nice area.”

  Gloria had been there a couple times, but it had been several years. Perhaps flying wouldn’t be so bad if Paul went with her. “I’ll let them know it’s a tentative ‘yes’ then.”

  She switched the conversation to Brian’s amnesia and mentioned the convicted criminal who had recently escaped and how she had discovered Brian had been involved in his case.

  Paul chewed thoughtfully as he listened to her talk. “Interesting. You may be onto something. I wonder if investigators are aware of that.”

  The fact Brian had lived and there was no murder investigation put the robbery / assault investigation at the bottom of police’s priority list. In other words, they probably hadn’t done much digging around.

  Next, Gloria told him how Brian had placed a help wanted ad in the Green Springs Gazette.

  “Now that might be something, too.” Paul grabbed the shaker of salt. “Those would definitely be persons of interest.”

  She also mentioned Rose had a special herbal memory potion she was determined to have Brian try and then she told him Alice had one, as well.

  “So all of us, except for Ruth and Margaret, are going to the hospital later to see if we can somehow convince Brian to try them.”

  Paul scratched his head. “I’m not sure how this is going to work out. Think about it. What person in their right mind would let someone - a complete stranger - give them a potion they claim will restore their memory?”

  Gloria shrugged. “It’s all we’ve got. Andrea is desperate. The doctor said it could be a long time before Brian’s memory is fully recovered, if ever.”

  “I can’t wait to see how this turns out.” Paul reached for another slice of meatloaf and bottle of catsup.

  After they finished eating, Gloria and Paul rinsed their dirty dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. She had just enough time to freshen up before driving to Dot’s Restaurant to pick up Dot and Rose.

  Dot and Rose were standing on the sidewalk, waiting for Gloria when she pulled the SUV into an empty spot. Dot climbed into the passenger side and Rose slid into the back seat.

  Gloria glanced in the rearview mirror at Rose. “So what’s the plan?”

  Chapter 15

  Andrea and Alice strolled through the sliding glass doors of Green Springs Memorial Hospital’s main entrance.

  “Do you have it?” Andrea asked in a low voice.

  Alice patted her purse. “Yes. It’s in my purse.” The women picked up the pace as they strode to the west wing of the hospital where Brian’s room was located.

  Andrea stopped by the family room first, but Brian’s parents weren’t in there. “They must be with Brian.” Andrea had called to tell them they were on the way.

  When the two women stepped into the hospital room, Andrea spotted Brian’s parents seated next to the bed. There was also another woman with jet-black hair, hovering off to one side. She turned her gaze when she spotted Andrea and Alice. Her eyes were the same piercing blue as Brian’s eyes.

  Joan stood. “Hello Andrea.”

  Brian turned his attention to Andrea, a small smile on his face. His eyes slid to Alice and the smile disappeared, a thoughtful expression in its place.

  “This is Brian’s Aunt Beverly.”

  Andrea stepped to the side and grasped the woman’s hand in a firm grip.

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” the woman said as she studied Andrea closely.

  “Good I hope,” Andrea quipped. She turned to Alice. “This is my friend, Alice.”

  Alice eyed the woman and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.” Judging by the look on Alice’s face, Andrea wasn’t convinced Alice was being sincere.

  Peter Sellers abruptly stood. “The doctor told Brian he’s going to release him first thing in the morning.”

  “Not soon enough,” Brian groaned. “This is ridiculous. I feel fine, except for the knot on my noggin.”

  Joan shifted her gaze and stared at her son. “Better safe than sorry.” She leaned down, kissed the side of his cheek and stood. “Now don’t you go giving Andrea here a hard time.”

  “I’ll be on my best behavior,” her son promised.

  Andrea waited until Brian’s parents and aunt left the room before focusing her attention on the man in the bed. “I brought Alice by, hoping she might jog your memory.”

  “When I saw her, I almost remembered. Like I know I’ve seen you before.” His eyes followed Alice as she walked around the side of the bed and stood next to the window. “You love me. In fact, you say to me, ‘Alice, if I not marry Andrea, I marry you. You are the best cook in the whole world!’”

  She reached inside her purse and pulled out a round, plastic container. “Your favorite dish is my spicy Mexican soup so I bring you a batch. It’s still warm. The hospital food, it not good.” Alice reached inside her bag again and pulled out a wrapped set of plastic silverware. “In fact, I bring you silverware to make sure you eat it. It will help your memory, too.”

  Brian took the container Alice held out, lifted it to eye level and studied the contents. “It looks delicious.” He set it on the tray next to his bed.

  “You no eat?” Alice leaned forward.

  “I just ate.” Brian patted his stomach. “A piece of chicken, some rice and a salad. And something akin to Jell-O, although I’m not one hundred percent positive. I’m sure it’s not nearly as good as your soup, though.”

  Alice frowned. “You must eat my soup,” she insisted.

  “I will,” Brian promised. “Later.”

  Alice tried to wheedle, to cajole, to threaten Brian, all of which seemed to amuse him instead of making him angry, but it was a no-go.

  “I need to use the restroom.” Alice stomped out of the hospital room and out of sight.

  Andrea waited until the sound of her shoes clicking on the hospital corridor faded. “Alice adores you. She’ll feel slighted if you don’t try her soup.”

  Brian shifted in the bed. “I will. I promise.” He switched the conversation. “I appreciate you spending your time with me and I can see what attracted me to you. You’re caring, smart…gorg
eous.”

  Andrea blushed.

  “But I feel like a fraud, like I should remember you and I just can’t.” He pounded his fist on the top of the bedsheet. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  They talked for a few more minutes before Andrea told Brian she had better track down Alice.

  Andrea searched the halls, the nearby restroom and the family room. She finally found her pacing back and forth on a small outdoor terrace. “There you are.”

  Alice stopped pacing. “I wish I could force feed him.”

  Andrea grinned. “He’s stubborn, just like someone else I know.”

  “When is Rose showing up?” Alice gazed anxiously over the edge of the railing and into the parking lot below.

  Andrea glanced at her watch. “Soon. They should be here anytime.” It dawned on her that Alice didn’t want to give Rose’s potion a chance to work. At this point, Andrea was getting desperate. She hoped that at least one of them would work, although there had been a flicker of something in Brian’s eyes when he saw Alice.

  Why was it he was starting to remember Alice but not her? Maybe he didn’t love her as much as she thought. Or worse yet, maybe he did know her and was using this as an excuse to end the relationship!

  Tears burned the back of Andrea’s eyes.

  Alice wrapped her arms around Andrea. “Don’t cry cariño. We get him to remember. No worries.”

  The women talked a few more minutes. Alice would not spend the night and would hitch a ride home with Gloria later. Andrea hoped she and Rose would patch things up. Belhaven was too small of a town to have enemies.

  “We better get back inside.” Andrea held the door and Alice stepped into the waiting room.

  “There you are!” Gloria hurried over. Dot was behind her and Rose brought up the rear. “We couldn’t find you earlier. I stopped by Brian’s room while Rose and Dot waited here in case you came back. He told me you were around here somewhere.”