The two women rose to their feet and silently walked out of the Kensington County Sheriff’s station.
Chapter 8
Lucy stared out the window the entire ride home. Gloria, determined to give her friend the space she needed, focused on the road ahead.
When they reached the outer edges of Belhaven, Lucy spoke. “Can we stop by the cemetery?”
“Sure.” Gloria nodded. Gary, Lucy’s first husband, was buried in the cemetery.
Gloria’s husband, James, was buried in the same cemetery, but his grave was in a different section.
Gloria pulled Annabelle into the cemetery grounds and eased down the narrow dirt path. She stopped the car adjacent to Gary’s headstone.
She shifted the car into park and watched as Lucy climbed out of the passenger seat.
The wind had picked up. Lucy pulled her jacket tightly around her thin frame and lowered her head.
Gloria’s heart broke as she watched the frail, broken figure shuffle to the gravesite.
Lucy dropped to her knees. She rubbed a light hand across the letters, Gary Carlson. Lucy took a deep breath and spoke to the man who had been the love of her life for decades. She poured out her heart and explained her situation.
When she finished, Lucy wiped the tears on her face with the back of her jacket. She placed both hands on the cold, hard ground and pushed herself to a standing position. She stood, looking down at the grave one final time before she turned on her heel and made her way back to the car.
She opened the door of the car, eased into the passenger seat and reached for her seatbelt. “Thank you for waiting for me, Gloria. I feel much better now.”
Lucy clicked the lock in place and turned to Gloria. “It’s time to stop messing around and track down whoever it is that’s trying to frame me!”
The old Lucy was back and Gloria shifted the car into drive as they headed out of the cemetery. “You betcha Lucy! That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Gloria vowed.
The girls swung by Lucy’s place so she could let Jasper out for a run before they drove to the farm.
Gloria parked in front of the garage and the girls headed inside the house where they hung their jackets on hooks just inside the door.
Lucy dropped her purse on an empty chair and eyed the box of baked goods that Dot had left behind.
Gloria slid the box toward her friend. “Help yourself.” She headed to the fridge to scrounge up something for lunch.
By the time Gloria had fixed two roasted turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches, along with bowls of piping hot chicken noodle soup, Lucy had wolfed down one Bavarian cream donut, two pumpkin spice donuts and topped it all off with a tangy lemon bar.
She reached for a napkin and dabbed at her lips. “Those were delicious!”
Gloria set the sandwich and bowl of soup in front of Lucy. “You sure you don’t want to finish it off with a cup of hot chocolate?” she teased.
Lucy shrugged as she reached for her sandwich plate. “Maybe for dessert.”
Gloria eased into the seat across from her and unfolded a napkin in her lap. The girls bowed their heads in prayer and Gloria thanked the Lord that Lucy was home safe and sound.
When she finished praying, she explained to Lucy all that had happened that morning and how the girls had come up with a plan.
Lucy gazed out the window. Tears began to well in her eyes. “I don’t know what I would do without my friends,” she whispered in a soft voice.
Gloria lifted her soupspoon. “You would do exactly what we are doing for you.”
She silently hoped that Andrea and Margaret were able to glean some information from their trip to All Seasons Sporting Goods.
***
Andrea turned into All Seasons Sporting Goods parking lot and pulled into a parking spot on the end.
Margaret unbuckled her seatbelt. “What was the name of that gun again?”
“It’s a 9MM Kahr®,” Andrea said. “I think I have enough questions the employees won’t be able to answer and they’ll have to call in that gun rep…what was his name?”
Margaret reached for her purse. “Maxim something.”
The girls had decided to let Andrea do the talking. Margaret knew next to nothing about guns. Andrea had a small handgun for protection. Lucy was the weapons expert of the bunch.
The store was busy and the two women wandered around while they waited for one of the employees, a woman, to approach.
If this was Barbara, Margaret has to wonder what Bill had seen in the woman. She was short…shorter than Margaret, who stood a mere 4’ 8” tall. She wore wire-rimmed glasses and her long, dark hair hung limp around her shoulders.
Lucy was a thousand times prettier!
“Can I help you?” Her green eyes peered at them through the thick frames.
Andrea shifted the purse on her shoulder. “Yes, my…”
“Mother,” Margaret blurted out.
Andrea slid a sideways glance at Margaret. “My mother is looking for a handgun. Something small and easy to handle. Price isn’t a concern,” she added.
The woman, Barbara, lifted a brow. Andrea could almost see the commission cha-ching in her head. “Follow me.”
She motioned them over to a display case off to one side. Several handguns sat on the top shelf while several larger pistols were displayed on the lower level.
Barbara fished inside her pocket and pulled out a keyring. She inserted one of the keys into the lock on the back panel, turned the key and slid the door to the side.
“This would be a good choice.” She pulled out a small, silver gun and handed it to Margaret who motioned for Andrea to take it.
Andrea picked up the weapon and slowly turned it over in her hand. It was a Ruger® . “I don’t like the way this one handles. Anything else?” she asked as she handed the weapon back.
Barbara nodded and reached for another gun. “This one has a different grip. You may like it better but it’s more expensive.” She handed it to Andrea. It was the Kahr®.
Andrea ran the tip of her finger over the cool metal of the gun. The gun was lighter than the other one and the grip was comfortable. Actually, Andrea liked the gun. “Do you have any others in this model?” Andrea knew they didn’t. She had done her research on line before she left the house. There were several stair step models but the one in her hand was only one of two that All Seasons stocked.
Barbara smiled. The store carried the cheapest version of the Kahr®. The others were much more expensive…and special order. “We have two but the other one…isn’t here.
Barbara took the gun from Andrea and placed it back inside the case. “Artie Maxim, our Kahr® rep, comes by every Thursday.”
Tomorrow was Thursday. “Perfect.” Andrea turned to Margaret. “Mom, do you have time to come back tomorrow?”
Margaret shifted her purse. “I think I can squeeze it in.” She turned to the clerk. “What time?”
Barbara lifted a finger. “Let me check. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared in the back of the store.
Andrea turned to Margaret. “Can you come back tomorrow?”
Margaret didn’t have time to answer. Barbara had returned. “He’ll be here in the morning; around 9-ish is when he usually shows up.”
The girls told the woman they would come back the next day and then turned to go when Andrea paused. “Say. I heard that the man who owned this place was murdered.” Her eyes widened innocently.
Barbara locked the gun case and shoved the keys in her pocket. “Yeah.” Barbara’s expression grew solemn. “It looks like his ex-girlfriend may have been involved,” she stated.
“Interesting.” Margaret set her purse on the counter and leaned forward.
Andrea was certain that Margaret was ready to pop the woman in the jaw. She reached over and touched her arm.
“Why do you say that?” Andrea asked.
“I know for a fact that the ex-girlfriend had recently purchased a gun identical to the one that killed Bill,”
she answered. “On top of that, his body was discovered in a dilapidated old farmhouse just down the road from where the ex lives.”
“Maybe someone set her up,” Margaret theorized.
Barbara tapped her fingers on the top of the glass. “True. Never thought about that. Course, one of those exact same guns came up missing a couple days before Bill was murdered.”
She went on. “Randy, Bill’s brother, told the police about the missing gun, but I guess police uncovered more evidence that pointed to the ex. What was her name…Trudy.”
Barbara rubbed the palm of her hand across the glass top. “No. That wasn’t it. I can see her face.” She stared up at the ceiling as if Lucy’s name would magically materialize. “Kinda homely woman with bright red hair.”
Andrea felt the tips of her ears burn. She slid Margaret a sideways glance.
Margaret appeared to be on the verge of lunging across the counter to attack the woman. “What about his brother, Randy?”
Barbara shrugged. “Randy. He’s a nice enough guy, although now that I think about it, the two of them had a knockdown, drag out argument a couple weeks back.” She shook her head. “It was a pretty tense work environment.”
“What were they fighting about?” Margaret asked through thinned lips as she tried to blot out the image of Barbara’s eyes bulging as she squeezed the life out of her.
Barbara shrugged. “Money. Not that I know for certain, but I do believe they were arguing about money.” Barbara must have decided she had said too much. She quickly changed the subject. “So you’ll be back tomorrow morning? I won’t be here,” she added.
Andrea fumbled with the clasp of her designer bag and reached for her truck keys. “Yes and we’ll be sure to let the gun rep know that you helped us today,” she assured the woman.
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
The girls stepped out of the store and made their way to the edge of the parking lot where Andrea had parked the truck.
Margaret jerked her head toward the store. “What do you think?”
Andrea clicked the key fob and unlocked the doors. “That we have too many suspects with too many motives. Maybe talking to this Maxim guy tomorrow will help.”
The women climbed into the truck and headed back to Belhaven. When they turned onto Main Street, Andrea spotted Gloria’s car parked in front of Dot’s Restaurant. “Want to stop by?”
Margaret nodded. The girls had agreed to meet up later in the day. They were early but Margaret was starving.
Andrea pulled into an open spot and shut the engine off. She reached for the driver’s side door. “Don’t mention…”
“That the nasty store clerk described our Lucy in a most unflattering way? It took everything I had not to punch her in the face,” Margaret admitted.
Andrea giggled. “I could tell. Just remember, the woman was after Bill while he and Lucy were dating,” she reminded her.
“True.” Margaret climbed out of the truck and shut the passenger door. “Still. I would’ve loved to inflict a little pain on that woman’s pig face.”
Andrea, if she were honest, would have liked to, too. Nothing was worse than having to remain silent and unable to defend their friend in the face of a blatant attack!
The girls picked up the pace as they stepped inside. It was a mini reunion as the girls celebrated Lucy’s release. They hugged Lucy and thanked God that she hadn’t been booked but just detained for questioning.
Dot and her husband, Ray, made their way over with glasses of ice water. “The only one missing is Ruth,” she said.
Gloria reached for an ice water to lighten Dot’s load. “We’ll be sure to fill her in.”
Lucy reached for a water and turned her attention to Andrea and Margaret. “What did you find out?”
Margaret bent down and shoved her purse under her chair. “That one of the guns, the same gun that killed Bill, came up missing from the display case a couple days before his death.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Really? The Kahr® is missing?”
Andrea nodded. “Yep. And Mom and I are going back tomorrow to talk to Maxim, the dealer.”
Gloria frowned. “Mom?”
Margaret chuckled. “Yeah. We told Barbara that I was Andrea’s mother and that we were in the store to shop for a handgun for me.”
Margaret could easily pass for Andrea’s mother. They both had light colored hair and Margaret was a good 25 years Andrea’s senior. “Good cover,” Gloria said. “Smart thinking.”
She turned to Dot, who had stopped by Brian’s hardware store earlier to ask him about attorneys, just in case Lucy would need one, although she hoped not. “What did Brian say?”
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Dot reached inside the front pocket of her apron and pulled out a slip of paper. “According to Brian, this guy is the best around. He said if you need to hire him, mention Brian’s name and he’ll give you a discount.”
Lucy took the slip of paper, briefly glanced at the information and then shoved it in her front pants pocket. “I hope not.”
Dot jotted down Margaret and Andrea’s lunch orders and the group waited for her to return before they turned the conversation back to the investigation.
Dot slid into an empty seat and looked at Gloria expectantly. “Now what do we do?”
Gloria frowned as she swiped at a stray strand of hair. She didn’t have a plan. They had already searched the house across the street and came up empty handed.
It looked like Margaret and Andrea had a good handle on the list of suspects.
The only thing she could think of was to get inside Bill’s house to search for clues. “Too bad we can’t search Bill’s place,” she said aloud.
Lucy grasped the end of her straw and jabbed the ice cubes inside her glass of water with the tip. “We could…I still have a key to his house.”
Chapter 9
Gloria gasped. “Lucy! Why didn’t you mention that before?”
Lucy fidgeted in her seat. “Well, if the police knew I had a key to his house, wouldn’t that make me even more of a suspect?” she pointed out.
Gloria frowned. It was true. If the police knew that Lucy had access to Bill’s house, it would certainly be a piece of incriminating evidence.
Ruth wandered in and to the back of the restaurant. “Well? What happened?” She slid into the last available chair and dropped her purse on the floor next to her.
Gloria brought her up to speed and finished with the last tidbit of information – that Lucy still had a key to Bill’s house.
Ray and restaurant employee, Holly, carried two trays laden with food to the table. The girls waited until the food was on the table before picking up where they left off.
Andrea reached for an onion ring and dipped it in her ketchup. “Are there a lot of neighbors close to Bill’s place?”
Lucy shook her head. “Nope. He owns some 20 acres of land and his ranch sits smack dab in the middle of the property.”
That made sense. Someone like Bill who had been an avid outdoorsman his entire life probably craved the solitude and quiet of living in the middle of nowhere.
“So it would be fairly easy to…say…stop by his place and have a look around?” Ruth inquired.
Lucy nodded. “Yep. He had a couple hunting dogs that guarded the property but I’m sure that by now, someone has picked them up.”
Gloria glanced around the table. “I’m a sucker for an adventure. Who wants to go with me to have a look around?”
“I’ll go with you,” Lucy offered.
“But…” Gloria started to argue.
Lucy lifted a hand to stop her. “It makes sense for me to go. I know the layout of the property and house. You’d be going in blindly without me,” she pointed out.
Lucy was the most logical choice to go. Still, if they were caught trespassing and Lucy was with them, it would be one more nail in Lucy’s coffin, so to speak. She thought back to the close call they’d had at the farm across the street the night before.<
br />
“I’ll go with you,” Ruth piped up. “I can bring my drone along to do a little reconnaissance beforehand. You know, make sure the coast is clear before we try to get inside the house.”
Gloria narrowed her eyes. She remembered the last time Ruth had used her drone to try to help solve a mystery and it had turned into a disaster when the drone had run out of power and gone down behind enemy lines.
But that was before Gloria and Margaret had gifted Ruth a new Phantom II drone. It had longer range and a heavy-duty battery.
Ruth noted the look of concern on Gloria’s face. “Don’t worry. I’ve been practicing with the drone you guys bought me.” She rubbed her hands together. “This will be my first chance to test ‘er out!”
There was no way Gloria could tell her friend “no.” And, it was one of the reasons they had bought Ruth the drone in the first place. So that she could, at some point in time, help them out if need be. She hadn’t realized it would be only days later that they would put Ruth’s new toy to the test.
Gloria gazed out the large picture window thoughtfully. “So when should we go?”
Ruth popped the last piece of the BLT sandwich in her mouth and dropped the napkin on her empty plate. “The drone is hard to use when it’s dark so it will have to be during the day.”
She went on. “Kenny can cover for me if you want to go first thing tomorrow morning.”
The trio agreed to meet at Ruth’s place first thing in the morning.
While Gloria, Lucy and Ruth were breaking in…err, searching Bill’s place, Andrea and Margaret would head back to All Seasons Sporting Goods to try to glean information from Artie Maxim, the sales rep.
“I guess I’ll hold down the fort,” Dot said. “Come back tomorrow when you’re done and you can be my taste testers. I’ve been working on a new strawberry donut.”
“Cool!” Lucy rubbed her hands together. “I’ll be the official taste-tester!”
Gloria glanced at her watch. “I should get going.”
Gloria and Lucy climbed back in the car. She stopped at Lucy’s place to drop her off before heading home.
As soon as Gloria opened the porch door, Mally darted out into the yard.
Fall Girl (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 9) Page 6
