He nodded across the road. “I had a sneaky suspicion you were up to something so I thought I’d drop by. When I saw Mally wandering around the yard, Lucy’s jeep in the drive and neither of you in sight, I put two and two together.”
Lucy slid her foot across the smooth floor and made contact with the gun. She casually reached down and picked it up. “You sure got Gloria pegged,” she joked.
Gloria shot her a death look as Lucy tried to slip the gun in the waistband of her pants.
Paul’s sharp eye didn’t miss a thing. “You brought your gun with you?”
“Well…”
“Not only did you bring your gun with you, you lost it? What if I had been the killer, found your gun and then shot you with your own weapon?”
This was as close Paul had ever come to scolding her errant behavior. Gloria looked properly contrite. “I’m sorry.”
Paul, feeling bad for the tone he had just used and knowing that Gloria’s heart was in the right place, wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “You’re going to give me more gray hairs than I already have,” he complained.
Gloria snuggled against Paul for a moment and then pulled back. “I think we’re running out of time. My gut tells me that Officer Burnett is waiting to pounce,” she predicted.
The trio wandered out the back door. Paul reached behind him, pulled the door shut and wiggled the knob to make sure it had locked. “How did you get in?”
Lucy pulled her local grocery store rewards card from her pocket. “I used this.”
Paul led the way across the drive and to the edge of the road. “Lucy Carlson, I do believe you have missed your calling.”
Lucy grinned. “Me too.” Her smile vanished and she turned to her best friend. “I’m sorry to drag you into all of this,” she apologized.
Gloria patted her arm. “You know that’s not true. I was more than willing to jump into this investigation with both feet. On top of that, I’m sure I’m on the suspect list too,” she pointed out.
Back inside the house, Gloria started a fresh pot of coffee while she explained to Paul what the All Seasons Sporting Goods employee, Zeke, had told her.
Paul poured a small amount of milk into his coffee cup and stirred. “Sounds to me like this Zeke character is throwing everyone under the bus but himself.”
Gloria thought the same thing. There was no way to corroborate his story, especially the part about Bill telling him to keep an eye on the other employees.
Gloria dropped into the chair next to Paul and turned to Lucy. “That woman…Barbara. What’s her story?”
Lucy explained that she had started working at Bill’s store a few months before the two of them broke up. She said that Bill had told her the woman flirted with him all the time and that he had started to avoid her.
He had been trying to figure out how to let her go without bringing an unlawful termination of employment suit against him…or worse yet, sexual harassment.
Lucy turned the coffee cup in small circles. “Next thing I know, we break up and the two of them are dating.”
“What about Bill’s brother, Randy? Any bad blood there?” Gloria probed.
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “He never said anything negative about Randy but I sometimes got the feeling that the two of them didn’t get along.”
Gloria tapped the tabletop with her fingernails. “So far we’ve got Zeke, Randy, the brother, Barbara, the on-again-off-again girlfriend and this Maxim guy that Bill didn’t like.”
Paul slid his chair back and stood. “I need to get back to the station.” He pulled Gloria close and kissed her soundly on the lips.
Lucy covered her eyes and lowered her head. “Get a room,” she teased.
Gloria giggled. “Won’t be long now ‘til wedding bells ring.” She frowned. “Unless I’m too much to handle.”
“No way,” Paul said as he reached for the doorknob. “I kinda like you keeping me on my toes.” He sighed as he pulled the door open. “Although it would be nice if maybe you took up something safe, like crocheting or pottery…”
Lucy snorted. “Pottery? I’d like to see that!”
Gloria walked Paul out to his patrol car. He slid into the driver’s seat, pulled the door shut and rolled down the window. He cast an uneasy glance in the mirror at the dark house across the street. “Call it a cop’s intuition or just worrying about the love of my life, I have an uneasy feeling about this.”
Gloria did, too, and Paul just confirmed her own thoughts. She leaned her head inside the window, closed her eyes and savored the sweet, tender kiss. When she pulled away, she lifted her hands above her head and stretched her back.
“Dinner tomorrow?” She had promised to make him a home-cooked meal. It would be nice to have quiet evening at home.
Paul nodded. “Can’t wait. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.” He blew Gloria a kiss, backed the patrol car out of the drive and waved as he drove off.
Lucy met her on the sidewalk, purse in hand. “I should get going. Jasper doesn’t like to be left home alone after dark.”
Lucy climbed into the jeep and slid the key into the ignition. She cast a wary glance back. “Better lock the doors as soon as you get inside,” she warned.
Gloria nodded. “I will. Talk to you in the morning.” She watched until Lucy’s taillights disappeared from sight before she slowly shuffled back into the house.
***
Gloria dreamt that her grandsons, Tyler and Ryan, were visiting. They had decided to remodel the tree fort out front.
She was in the backyard hanging clothes on the line. She clipped the last clothespin to the edge of her blouse and picked up the laundry basket. Mally ran ahead and Gloria brought up the rear.
Gloria followed the sound of the hammering but when she got to the front yard, it was empty. The boys weren’t in the treehouse but the pounding continued.
Through the haze of the dream, Gloria realized that the noise was real and it wasn’t her grandsons at all. Someone was tapping on her bedroom window.
Gloria bolted upright in bed. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and scooted to the window. She lifted the edge of the blind and peeked out.
Margaret was on the other side. She motioned frantically for Gloria to let her in.
Gloria cupped her hands to her mouth. “Go around.”
Margaret disappeared and Gloria headed for the door. She grabbed her robe as she passed by the bed and glanced at the clock. It was 7:15 in the morning!
Gloria’s heart began to race as she picked up the pace. Something was terribly wrong for Margaret to be pounding on her bedroom window at the crack of dawn!
Mally was already waiting at the door.
Gloria opened the door to let Margaret in and Mally out.
Margaret reached out and patted Mally’s fur as the dog made a beeline for her favorite tree.
“Is everything okay?” Gloria asked as she swung the door open.
“No!” Margaret said. “The police picked Lucy up first thing this morning. Ruth just told me they took her to jail!”
Chapter 7
Gloria’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Margaret, speechless. She had feared this moment was coming and had prayed before she went to bed the night before that it wasn’t but that nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen hung in the back of her mind.
“What…”
“Ruth was on her way to work and saw the cops putting Lucy in the back of the cop car,” Margaret blurted out. “When I stopped by the post office to drop some stuff in the box out front, Ruth met me at the door. She said Officer Nelson had just been by and he told her they picked Lucy up. He said they were going to charge her with Bill’s murder!”
The blood drained from Gloria’s face. Poor Lucy! She had never been booked before, unlike Gloria, Margaret and Gloria’s sister, Liz. It was an unpleasant experience and one that Gloria hoped she would never have to go through again.
Gloria motioned her into the
kitchen and slowly walked over to the coffee pot. She poured the leftover coffee from the night before into clean cups and put both cups in the microwave. Normally, Gloria would have brewed a fresh pot but her mind was numb.
Margaret pulled out a kitchen chair and plopped down. “What are we going to do?”
“Call Paul.” Gloria reached for her phone. The call went right to voice mail and Gloria had a hunch he was sleeping since he had worked the night before. “I’ll have to wait. Maybe we should run down to the station. I can post bond.”
“We need a lawyer,” Margaret said.
“Right.” Gloria nodded. “Brian should be able to point us in the right direction.”
Just then, Dot’s van pulled in behind Margaret’s SUV. News sure did travel fast in the small Town of Belhaven. “You talk to Dot while I go get ready.”
Gloria disappeared into the dining room and raced to the bedroom to grab some clean clothes. Her mind spun recklessly. What kind of evidence could the police possibly have to arrest Lucy?
Gloria emerged from the bathroom a short time later. Not only was Dot and Margaret there, Andrea and Ruth had arrived and the group of Garden Girls, minus Lucy, gathered around the kitchen table.
The girls looked at Gloria expectantly.
Dot spoke first. “This is a 911 Garden Girls emergency. What do we do?”
“Coffee. We need coffee to clear the cobwebs.” Gloria made a beeline for the coffee pot. She filled the pot with water, popped a new filter into the basket, poured fresh coffee grounds inside the basket and then filled the reservoir before turning it to on.
The girls slid their chairs to the side to make room for Gloria. “The first thing we need to do is pray.”
The girls promptly reached for each other’s hand and bowed their heads. “Dear Lord. You know that our friend, Lucy, is in jail this morning, charged with a crime she didn’t commit. Lord, we ask You to help us solve the murder and track down the true killer.” Gloria didn’t know what else to add so she ended it with, “Amen.”
Dot uncovered a box of tasty looking pastries and donuts as Gloria set a cup in front of each of her friends. She poured freshly brewed coffee into each cup.
All of them eyed the tempting treats with the same thought in mind. Lucy was the sweet tooth of the bunch and just the sight of the goodies made Gloria’s stomach churn.
“I don’t think I can eat these,” she admitted.
Andrea shook her head. “Me either.”
They unanimously agreed that the sight of Lucy’s favorite food caused them to lose their appetites.
Dot replaced the lid on the treats and pushed them off to the side. “What do we do?”
“The first thing we need to do is see if we can get Lucy out of jail,” Gloria said.
She went on. “Then, we have to get serious about solving this case.” She left the words unspoken that it was either that, or chance one of their closest friends being convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.
Ruth lifted her cup to her lips and eyed Gloria over the rim. “What about Paul?”
“I left him a message.” Gloria glanced at the clock above the sink. “Don’t you have to work?” It was just after eight in the morning.
Ruth shook her head. “Kenny is holding down the fort.” Kenny was Ruth’s right hand man at the post office. When he found out one of the girls was in trouble, he offered to cover for Ruth until she could make it in.
Andrea nodded. “Maybe I should call Brian to see if he can recommend an attorney.”
“Great minds think alike,” Gloria said. “Margaret said the same thing.”
Andrea reached for her cell phone while Gloria poured the last of the coffee and headed to the kitchen counter to brew another pot. While the coffee was brewing, she told the girls what had happened so far and ticked off the list of suspects.
Margaret wiped an imaginary crumb off the table. “Someone needs to do a little snooping around Four Seasons Sporting Goods.”
Ruth raised a brow. “Maybe look into ordering one of those guns. Like the one that killed Bill,” she suggested.
Gloria wandered over to the counter and reached for the pot of coffee. “I’d love to but Lucy and I were in there yesterday. They would recognize me.”
“True.” Andrea dropped her chin on top of her fist. “I know enough about guns. Not as much as Lucy, for sure. But I’ll go if one of you will go with me.”
Ruth shook her head. “I’d go but I have to work.”
“I can go in a pinch,” Dot offered.
Margaret held up a hand. “The most obvious choice would be me. I can go. Besides, Don and I have been talking about buying a gun for protection, what with the way the world is today.”
All heads turned to Margaret.
“You don’t have a gun?” Gloria was surprised. Margaret and her husband, Don, were two of the wealthier residents in their small town. Don had retired a couple years earlier as vice president of a local bank. “Why that’s your second amendment right.”
Margaret frowned. “There was never a need.”
She had a point. The Town of Belhaven was relatively crime free…except for the murder of Andrea’s first husband, whose body had been discovered in the woods out back of the old elementary school. Or the time there was a large drug trafficking ring operating out of the post office. Then there was the time…
“I take that back,” Margaret thought about her answer. “Yeah. It’s probably time to buy a weapon.”
The girls decided to divide and conquer. Andrea and Margaret would head over to All Seasons Sporting Goods to do a little investigative work.
Dot would stop by Nails and Knobs, Brian’s hardware store, to see if he could recommend a good attorney.
Ruth had to head back to work so Kenny could start his route but promised she would keep her ear to the ground.
Gloria would be the one to drive to the police station to see if she could spring Lucy.
The girls agreed to meet at Dot’s Restaurant around five and each of them headed out.
Dot was the last to leave. She reached for her purse and then paused. “I know you love Lucy with all your heart. You love all of us, and that you’re worried sick. Just be careful, Gloria. Sometimes I think you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
Dot impulsively reached over and hugged her friend’s neck. A lone tear trickled down Gloria’s cheek as she watched Dot make her way back to her van. The stress of the last couple of days was wearing on her and at that moment, she felt every single one of her sixty some years.
Gloria slowly closed the door, leaned her head against the glass pane and let the tears flow. When she lifted her head, she wiped the wetness from her cheeks and stiffened her back. Lucy needed her and Gloria was not going to let her down!
Gloria grabbed her purse from the chair, her car keys from the hook near the door and stepped out onto the porch. It was time to bring Lucy home!
***
The Kensington County Sheriff’s station was abuzz with activity. Gloria had to circle the parking lot twice before she was able to squeeze Annabelle into a spot near the back.
She shut the engine off and reached for the door handle before she paused to bow her head and pray a quick prayer that they would allow her to post Lucy’s bail and take her home.
It was 11:45 in the morning, which meant that, according to Ruth, the police had picked Lucy up over four hours ago.
Gloria hoped that the interrogations had ended and Lucy had been booked. She frowned as she wondered if bail had even been set. If not, this trip would be a waste of time.
Gloria stepped inside the cold, drab lobby and approached the counter. A dark-haired woman in a police uniform looked up from her computer. “Yes, can I help you?”
Gloria nodded. “I’m looking for my friend, Lucy Carlson.” She didn’t know what else to say so she closed her mouth and waited.
She lowered her gaze and read the woman’s tag. Her name was Lisa. “Let me check to see i
f we have anyone here by that name.” The woman turned her attention to the computer screen in front of her and began to tap on the keyboard.
She frowned and then looked back up. “You said Ms. Carlson was a friend of yours?”
Gloria nodded. “I-I’m not certain if she’s been arrested or was picked up for questioning…” her voice trailed off. She wasn’t sure on the police lingo.
Although Gloria’s favorite TV show was Detective on the Side and she hardly missed an episode, she wasn’t sure if she had explained it right.
The woman, Lisa, nodded. “Yes. She’s here.”
Gloria set her purse on the counter. “Can I see her?”
The woman held up an index finger. “I’ll check.”
Lisa stepped over to a door on the far side of the lobby area and disappeared behind it.
Gloria wandered over to the “Wanted Posters.” Her mind must have been playing tricks on her because several of the people in the mugshots looked familiar, although she wasn’t sure why.
She shrugged her shoulders, certain that she was under extreme duress and the people in the pictures could not possibly be anyone she knew.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Gloria spun around. Lisa had returned.
“Ms. Carlson is free to leave. She’s in the waiting room across the hall.”
Lisa pointed to a door on the right.
Gloria smiled. “Thank you…Lisa.”
The woman returned the smile and switched her attention back to the computer screen.
Gloria crossed the room, grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. On the other side of the door was a small hall and across the hall was another door.
She stepped inside the room and gazed around. Her heart sank when she caught a glimpse of Lucy’s bright red head bent down, her hands covering her face.
Gloria tiptoed over to the corner chair. She eased down in the chair next to Lucy. “Hey, Lucy.”
Lucy’s head popped up. Her eyes, red and bloodshot, met Gloria’s eyes.
Gloria reached out and grabbed her friend’s hand. “I’m here to take you home,” she simply said.
Fall Girl (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 9) Page 5
