She quickly continued. “I might be able to help since I know almost everyone in town.”
Brian rocked back on his heels and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You have a point.” He shrugged. “I guess it won’t hurt to look for the book.”
Ruth slowly surveyed the room. “Do you have a home office or computer desk?”
“Yep. Follow me.” Brian waved her toward the back of the house. “I have a desk in the corner of the kitchen and also a home office.”
They strolled into the kitchen. Ruth stood off to the side while Brian sifted through the desk drawers and then the cupboard above. There was no black book. Ruth knew it wouldn’t be there because Andrea had told them Brian kept it in his office.
“What about the office?” she asked.
“It’s back here.” Brian headed down the long hall and Ruth followed behind him. He opened the door at the end of the hall, ran his hand along the wall and flipped the light switch.
Bright fluorescent light illuminated the masculine room. The centerpiece of the room was a massive mahogany desk. Behind the desk was a large leather office chair. Floor to ceiling bookcases lined one wall. Behind the desk was a bay window that overlooked the lake.
On the other side of the room was a fireplace. On top of the fireplace was a carved mantle, which matched the mahogany desk. Facing the fireplace were two oversized chairs.
“What a beautiful office,” Ruth said.
“Thanks. I love it.” He shuffled over to the desk and began opening drawers. “Nothing on this side.”
He pushed the desk chair back and shifted to the other side. “Aha!” Brian pulled out a large black book and held it up. “I think I found it!”
Ruth eagerly hurried over to the desk and stood off to the side while Brian opened the black book and leaned forward. He flipped a couple pages and then ran his finger down the page. “It happened last Tuesday?”
“Yes.” Ruth leaned closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the meticulously handwritten notes. “What does it say?”
“It looks like I had scheduled three interviews that morning.” Brian rattled off the names. He told her the times of the appointments and the name of each person.
Ruth began to pace the floor, thinking aloud. “Well, if it was the first person, the second and third person would have shown up after it happened.”
“The police told me a customer found me,” Brian said.
“It could be the other prospective employees showed up after the customer found you unconscious on the floor and we just don’t know it.”
“True,” Brian agreed. “What if it wasn’t one of the prospective employees but someone else?”
Ruth abruptly stopped. There was only one way to find out. “I left my cell phone in the vehicle. Let me make a quick call. I need to get a second opinion.” She didn’t wait for a reply and darted out of the room, down the hall, through the living room, out the front steps and to the postal vehicle. She opened the passenger side door and pulled her cell phone from the front pocket of her jacket.
Gloria was inside the post office, waiting for Ruth to return when her cell phone began to ring. She pulled it from her purse and stared at the screen. It was Ruth. “Well?”
“Brian found his black book. He had scheduled three job interviews the morning of the robbery. Now what?”
“Let me think!” Gloria stared sightlessly across the street at Dot’s Restaurant. “We set up a sting. Flush out the killer.” Gloria rattled off some details. “You’ll have to somehow convince Brian to go along with the plan.”
Ruth squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them. “Somehow, I had a feeling you were going to say that. Okay. I’ll see what I can do.” She disconnected the line, took a deep breath and headed back inside.
“Brian…I have an idea,” Ruth called out as she headed down the long hallway to the office in the back.
***
Gloria was anxious to put the plan into motion, to uncover the culprit, but first, they had to lay the groundwork, and to do that, she needed some backup, namely The Garden Girls, so she called an emergency meeting at Dot’s Restaurant.
Gloria briefly explained the plan to each of the girls. The plan was simple and Ruth had been able to convince Brian to play along. Dot and Rose, along with Ruth, would spread a rumor around town that Brian’s memory had partially returned and he was returning to work the following morning.
While the girls met to discuss details, Brian contacted the three people who had been scheduled to come in for an interview the morning of the attack. Thankfully, he had meticulously jotted down each person’s cell phone number next to his or her name.
Gloria was excited Brian was going to help them attempt to uncover the robbery suspect. Not only that, she hoped his returning to the hardware store might somehow “jog” his memory.
The plan was for Brian to confront each of the suspects, pretending to remember what had happened and naming each of them as his attacker.
Gloria hoped the bluff would work and one of them would confess. Meanwhile she, along with Lucy, who would be packing heat, would be close by and ready for the takedown once the culprit confessed.
Gloria didn’t have a “Plan B” if none of them confessed.
“Do you think you should ask Officer Joe Nelson to be your back-up?” Dot, the ever-sensible one, asked.
It wasn’t a bad idea, and the more Gloria thought about it, the more she decided they should ask him.
“What if he takes over our sting operation?” Lucy argued. “I won’t get to use my gun or anything.”
“Are you crazy?” Margaret gasped. “What if you lure the perp back to the scene of the crime and he decides to finish the job and shoot Brian?”
Lucy shook her head. “Not if I shoot him…or her – first.”
The girls argued back and forth, about the merits of including Officer Nelson in the sting operation. Gloria could see both sides and she was firmly on the fence. “Why don’t we let Brian decide? After all, it’s his safety and his business.”
“I’ll call him.” Since Ruth was Brian’s point of contact and the one who had convinced him to give their scheme a shot, they let her make the call. “I have to get back to work right now but I’ll let you know what he says as soon as I talk to him.” She scrambled out of the chair, grabbed her purse and hurried to the door.
Gloria watched her leave and then pushed her own chair back. “In the meantime, I’m going to give Andrea a call to make sure she made it safely to Nantucket.”
Lucy followed Gloria’s lead. “I’m going to go home and do some practice shooting. It’s a shame Andrea isn’t here. She could shoot with me.” Andrea loved to shoot guns, and Lucy and she spent a couple afternoons a month at Lucy’s makeshift shooting range out behind her house.
The girls parted ways with Dot and Rose promising to spread the good news about Brian’s recovery. Margaret left at the same time as Lucy and Gloria, and she followed them out the front door. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
Gloria frowned. Margaret was usually one of the last to be asked and not because she wasn’t willing to pitch in on investigations, covert operations and stakeouts, it was just that the others had honed a skill that typically came in handy.
Lucy was the weapons expertise, Dot with her restaurant where she could glean information and spread rumors, when necessary. Ruth, of course, had an ideal position where she had insider information on everything that happened in their small town, not to mention her surveillance background and her arsenal of spy equipment.
She remembered their last investigation, how Margaret had been so excited to try to hypnotize Eleanor Whittaker to help her remember. Gloria knew Margaret was anxious to be included in the sting but wasn’t sure how she could help.
Gloria gazed down the sidewalk, toward the hardware store. “If you want, you can be our lookout, someone nearby who can keep an eye on whoever enters the store.”
“Record them?” Margaret asked
eagerly. “I just got one of those fancy new smartphones and this baby is a real gem. I can record the whole thing,” she gushed.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have another set of boots on the ground so-to-speak, and Gloria wanted Margaret to feel included.
“Perfect,” Gloria said. “We’ll have you close by, maybe across the street from the hardware store. “Let’s go scope it out.”
Lucy headed to her jeep while Gloria and Margaret hustled down the sidewalk to the hardware store at the end of the block. They crossed the street and made their way over to the old, abandoned Masonic Temple.
The temple…what was left of it…was a disaster. It had mysteriously burned a few years back. Rumor had it someone had set the place on fire, but the initial investigation had quickly fallen to the wayside and finally fizzled. In Gloria’s opinion, it was an eyesore and a safety hazard for the children in the area.
She wished they would raze the building. The freemasons and temple itself were always somewhat of a mystery. Some of the locals attended but it was a “members only” organization. Gloria left well enough alone and never gave it much thought.
Gloria studied what was left of the windows, and could see daylight on the other side. She lowered her gaze and studied the building’s foundation. “This would be the best spot to hang out but it is a little creepy.”
Margaret shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me at all. I can hide my SUV in the parking lot on the other side.”
The women tiptoed around the ruins and stopped on the other side near what was once the main entrance. One entire section of the wall had collapsed.
“I don’t know Margaret. This doesn’t look safe.” Gloria shivered. “Not only that, it’s giving me the willies.”
Margaret stuck her foot out and poked around the rubble, surveying the charred ruins. “I found a spot I can hide out. Don’t worry about me.”
The women retraced their steps and stopped in front of Dot’s Restaurant and the SUV. “What time should I be in place?” Margaret asked.
“We’re going to meet Brian at the hardware store at 7:30 in the morning, half an hour before he’s scheduled to open.”
“Sounds good.” Margaret nodded. “I’ll plan on being in position by 7:45.” She patted her purse. “We haven’t had this much excitement since…”
“Since Ed Mueller’s body was found in the ice shanty out on the lake earlier this year,” Gloria said.
“You’re right! It seems so long ago.”
Margaret hopped into her SUV, gave Gloria a small salute and then drove off.
Gloria watched until her vehicle disappeared over the top of the hill. “I’m getting a bad feeling about this one,” she groaned as she slid behind the wheel and reached for her seatbelt.
Chapter 25
The first thing Gloria did when she arrived at the farm was to let Mally out for a run. She settled into the rocker on the porch and dialed Andrea’s cell phone.
A breathless Andrea picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hello dear. It’s me. Gloria. I wanted to call to make sure you landed safely.”
“Oh yes! I’m here. I had forgotten how beautiful Nantucket was in the late spring. You should see it.”
Gloria had never been to Nantucket. In fact, she’d never been to the State of Massachusetts. It sounded lovely. Gloria had a long bucket list of places she wanted to visit before she died. Paul and she had tossed around the idea of spending the fall driving up the east coast during color touring season.
He had suggested renting an RV for a couple months. After honeymooning in an RV, Gloria knew she would enjoy it as much, if not more, than staying in a hotel. It would be a kind of home away from home. They had set a tentative date, the months of September and October, but that was as far as they had gotten with the plans.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself Andrea.” She wasn’t sure whether she should mention Brian and decided to let her friend bring up his name, which after several minutes of chitchat, she did.
“How is Brian?”
“He’s hanging around his home. Ruth stopped by there this morning to drop off his mail.” She went on to tell Andrea how Ruth had convinced him to track down the black book, his scheduler. “We were right. Brian had scheduled three interviews the morning of his attack.” Gloria told Andrea they had set up a sting for the following morning and Brian was all in.
“He wouldn’t let me try to help but was more than willing to let all of you,” Andrea said sadly.
“Remember, Andrea, Brian didn’t remember Ruth. To him, she was an outsider and not someone he supposedly already knew.”
“True.” Andrea let out a sigh. “Good luck. Keep me posted.”
After they said their good-byes, Gloria wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea to share their plan and Brian’s involvement since it seemed to have only made Andrea feel even more isolated from the man she loved.
Gloria offered a quick prayer for Brian’s speedy recovery and then headed inside to fix lunch.
***
“You said Margaret is across the street hanging out in the creepy old burned out building keeping an eye on this place?” Lucy asked in a loud whisper.
Gloria placed her eye against the keyhole and peered out. She could just make out Brian as he moved back and forth behind the counter. “Yeah. I drove by on my way here. Her vehicle is parked out back, behind a tree.”
Gloria turned her attention to her friend. “You bring your gun?”
“Yep.” Lucy patted her purse. “Maybe I should get it out, get ready in case I need to shoot someone.”
“Please don’t shoot yourself…or me,” Gloria glanced nervously at Lucy’s purse.
Gloria kept a gun in her nightstand next to her bed. It wasn’t loaded. She was afraid one of her grandsons would come over and find the loaded firearm and she would never forgive herself if that happened.
Paul had promised to teach the boys how to shoot, with their parent’s permission, of course. Tyler was at an age where he would be able to handle the instructions. Ryan, in her opinion, was still a little too young.
When Paul had mentioned taking Tyler deer hunting in the fall, her grandson hadn’t forgotten it and every time he saw Paul, he reminded him.
Gloria turned her attention to the keyhole. “Oh! Someone just walked in.” Her armpits grew damp and her heart pounded in her chest as a pair of khaki slacks came into view.
“Let me see.”
She shifted to the side and Lucy peered through the hole. “We should’ve borrowed some of Ruth’s spy equipment.”
“It’s a little too late now,” Gloria whispered. The girls grew silent as they listened to the exchange on the other side of the door.
Brian had rattled off the schedule when the girls first arrived. Dylan Wells, Sally’s younger brother, would be the first to arrive. Brian and Dylan chatted for what seemed like forever. Sharp pains began to shoot up Gloria’s legs as she crouched on her knees.
“I can’t take this.” She groaned and then plopped over onto her butt.
Lucy gazed at her friend. “What if he starts attacking Brian and I need to come to his aid?”
“I’ll roll out of the way,” Gloria promised.
Loud voices on the other side of the door caught their attention. “You’re crazy dude! That knock on your noggin messed you up!” The young man, Dylan, stormed down the center aisle, flung the front door open and slammed it shut behind him.
“That ended badly,” Lucy reported. She glanced at her watch: 8:25. “When is the next person supposed to show up?”
“Kate Edelson is scheduled to stop by at eight thirty and the last person, Mark Clawson, is coming in at nine o’clock.” Her greatest fear was nothing would happen and they would be back to square one with no suspects and Brian’s memory as fuzzy as a ripe peach on a hot Georgia summer day.
At approximately eight twenty-nine, Kate entered through the front door. She strolled to the back, hopped up on a barstool and wa
tched Brian as he waited on a customer who had wandered in.
“What’s happening?” Gloria asked anxiously.
“Brian is waiting on a customer. Kate is sitting on a barstool,” Lucy reported.
The customer finally exited the building, and Kate and Brian were all alone.
Gloria and Lucy switched places as Gloria peeked through the key hole. “What is she doing?” she muttered under her breath.
Kate hopped off the barstool, rounded the side of the bar and disappeared from sight.
Gloria grasped the doorknob, gently twisted and eased the door open, praying it wouldn’t creak.
She could see Kate now, clear as a bell. She was standing mere inches from Brian, leaning forward while Brian was leaning back in an attempt to put some distance between them.
Kate was hitting on Brian! It was like a chess game. She moved forward. He shuffled back and almost lost his balance as he reached for the counter behind him.
“I know you remember, Brian. Give me three seconds to prove it to you,” Kate purred as she grabbed Brian’s arm and pulled him toward her. She tilted her head and puckered up for a kiss that didn’t happen.
“I don’t…”
Kate’s expression changed in a flash. “Don’t what? I think you do remember and this amnesia bull crap is your way of pretending you didn’t have the hots for me,” she screeched.
“Kate.” Brian held up his hands.
Kate pulled her hand back and slapped Brian across the face before stomping out of the hardware store. She slammed the door behind her.
Gloria’s eyes widened and she turned to Lucy. “Oh my gosh!” They were sitting on the floor, dumbfounded, when Brian strode over. He looked down at the women sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“The woman, Kate, is off her rocker. I did not have a relationship with her. At least not that I remember. I think I would remember and on top of that, I don’t date psychos.” Brian began to pace the floor.
Gloria was about to reply when her cell phone vibrated. It was Margaret. “Hello?”
Forget Me Knot (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 13) Page 13
