Fall Girl (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 9)

by Hope Callaghan

  Gloria slid onto the hard, plastic chair that was next to the bed. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

  Margaret eased back down and shifted on the mattress. “I don’t know why I have to stay here. Other than a little dizziness, I feel great.”

  “Better safe than sorry,” Gloria said. She changed the subject. “I heard that you and Andrea had a successful trip to Four Seasons Sporting Goods.”

  Margaret ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah, it was great except for the accident,” Margaret quipped. “What did you find out?”

  Gloria told her about Ruth’s handy dandy listening device, how they suspected someone had been living inside the house and might still be there.

  She told her about the small slip of paper with a Detroit address handwritten on it and that there appeared to be a spot of blood on the edge. “It’s a gun shop in Detroit.”

  Gloria pulled her notepad and pen from her purse. She flipped the pad of paper open and clicked the button on the pen. “We can work on the list of suspects and motives.” She glanced up from the pad. “Unless you would rather rest.”

  “What I’d rather do is leave,” Margaret grumbled. “Working the case will take my mind off this place.”

  “Good.” Gloria nodded. “So first on the list is Randy, Bill’s brother. The two had been fighting days before Bill’s death and now Randy is acting like he owns the place.”

  “Check,” Margaret agreed.

  Gloria scribbled his name at the top of the notepad. “Next is Barbara, the worker that Bill didn’t seem to care for but ended up dating after Lucy and he broke up. She’s the only one who has a key to the gun cabinet. The case where the gun went missing and the same model that killed Bill.”

  “Yep,” Margaret nodded.

  “Then we have this Maxim, the sales guy who had access to that type of gun. Bill didn’t care for him and on top of that, he hits the suspicion radar.”

  Margaret shivered and pulled the blanket closer. “Yeah. He was an interesting fellow, for sure. Very cagey.”

  Gloria tapped the end of the pen on top of the pad of paper. “Maybe Bill caught him doing something he shouldn’t have been…like selling guns on the black market,” she theorized.

  “It’s possible,” Margaret agreed. “What about that young man that works at the store?”

  “Zeke,” Gloria said. “Yeah. He told me Bill was suspicious of all his employees and had asked Zeke to keep an eye on things when he wasn’t at the store.” Of course, that was Zeke’s version. Bill was no longer around to corroborate the story.

  “What about the funeral? I always heard that killers love to attend the funerals of their victims. They get some kind of buzz from being there.” Margaret pointed out.

  “True,” Gloria hadn’t thought about that. She wondered if Lucy would go. She hadn’t been charged with Bill’s murder, only questioned. “I’ll check with Lucy later. I wonder when visitation or funeral services will be held.”

  Gloria popped out of her chair. “I bet it’s listed in the local paper. I’ll be right back.” Gloria darted out of the hospital room and sped down the gleaming hospital corridor.

  She remembered seeing a small gift shop on the first floor.

  When she got to the gift shop, she was relieved to find the shop was open.

  Gloria stepped inside and made a beeline for the stack of newspapers near the entrance.

  She was surprised at the variety of items the store stocked. Gloria headed for the checkout counter and then circled back to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers to take to Margaret.

  After she paid for her items, she stopped by the hospital cafeteria where she grabbed a couple chicken salad sandwiches and two bags of potato chips.

  Gloria juggled her purchases as she made her way back upstairs to Margaret’s room. On the way to the room, she stopped at the nurse’s station to make sure it was okay for Margaret to eat the food she had just purchased.

  Margaret had dozed off and was startled by the sound of Gloria setting the vase of flowers on the bedside tray. “Oh! You took so long, I got sleepy.”

  Margaret rubbed her eyes and stared at the flowers. “Gloria! Now why did you do that?” she scolded.

  “Because this place needs a splash of color.” She glanced around. “Why do hospital rooms have to be so stark? A little color goes a long way.”

  Gloria placed a bag of food on the tray in front of Margaret. “This is for you in case you’re hungry.”

  Margaret reached for the bag. “I’m starving. All I had were some donuts at Dot’s.”

  The girls unwrapped their sandwiches, bowed their heads to pray and then bit into the food. It wasn’t gourmet but it was more than edible and Gloria quickly devoured her sandwich. She opened the bag of chips and then unfolded the newspaper.

  Bill’s murder was no longer on the front page. It was three pages in. Gloria slid her reading glasses on and brought the paper close to her face. “Bingo! I found something.” She leaned in to read the article. “They’re having a candlelight vigil tonight. It starts at 7:00 p.m.”

  She lowered the paper and gazed at Margaret. She was on the fence about mentioning it to Lucy. “Should I tell Lucy?”

  Margaret shrugged and then popped a chip in her mouth. “Let Lucy decide. I’m sure she already knows about it.”

  True. Margaret had a point.

  Gloria finished her bag of chips, crumpled the empty wrapper and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. She wiped her hands on the napkin and reached for her cell phone.

  Lucy didn’t answer and Gloria left a message for her to call.

  “I’m back.” Gloria whirled around to find Andrea standing in the doorway.

  Andrea was holding three bags of food in her hand. “I thought you all might be hungry.”

  Gloria groaned.

  Margaret patted her stomach. “I’m starving.” She winked at Gloria and reached for one of the bags.

  Gloria thought Margaret was just being nice until she noticed that Margaret finished eating the entire second sandwich. “Now, I’m full,” she declared.

  Andrea plopped into the empty seat on the other side of Margaret’s bed. She turned to the woman in the bed. “What did the doctors say?”

  “That I’m too crotchety to be going anywhere anytime soon,” she joked. “Seriously, I have a mild concussion but they decided to torture me by making me stay overnight.”

  Andrea turned to Gloria for confirmation.

  Gloria nodded. “It’s true. All of it except for the crotchety part.”

  Gloria unwrapped the turkey wrap Andrea had given her. “Thanks for the sandwich, Andrea. That was very thoughtful.” She lifted the wrap to her mouth and took a big bite. “Do you have any plans later?”

  Andrea shook her head. “Nope. I dropped Alice off at the Acosta’s farm earlier this morning so I’m on my own until later this evening when I have to run by there to pick her up. Why?”

  “I was thinking about attending a candlelight vigil they’re having this evening for Bill.”

  Andrea arched a brow. “The killer always returns to the scene of the crime…or goes to the victim’s memorial or funeral.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Gloria said. “Don is coming back around six so we can go right from here to the park.” She glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing her standard spy gear from when the girls had gone to Bill’s house earlier, which consisted of a black turtleneck, black slacks and dark brown flats.

  Andrea always looked nice. She was wearing a pink cashmere sweater and black slacks. They would definitely pass muster for grieving attire.

  Lucy returned Gloria’s call a couple hours later and when Gloria explained that Andrea and she wanted to attend Bill’s vigil, Lucy paused.

  “You don’t have to go,” Gloria told her.

  “I’m torn,” Lucy admitted. “On the one hand I want to pay my respects.” There was silence on the other end. “Do you think it will look odd if I don’t at least make an appearan
ce?”

  Gloria picked at a piece of lint on her pants. “Like an admission of guilt? Maybe.” She wasn’t sure if it would look suspicious if Lucy went or if Lucy didn’t go.

  “I can meet you there,” Lucy said in a small voice. “What time?”

  Gloria glanced at her watch. “How does 6:30 sound? The candlelight vigil starts at 7:00. They’re holding it in Besterman Park.” Besterman Park was one of the larger parks in Green Springs. In the summertime, the city held concerts, Saturday night movies under the stars and other fun family events in the park.

  The girls agreed to meet in the parking lot at 6:30 on the dot.

  Andrea and Gloria stepped out of Margaret’s room when the doctor stopped by to check on her.

  He shut the door for privacy and the girls headed to a small visitors area at the end of the hall.

  “Do you think Margaret will be all right?” Andrea fretted.

  Gloria patted her hand. “She’ll be fine, dear. Like she said, she’s too cranky to go anywhere.”

  She glanced at Andrea’s hand. Andrea was wearing a silver band with a row of sapphires on her third finger.

  Gloria touched the top of the ring. “That’s a beautiful ring, Andrea. Where did you get it?”

  Andrea twisted the band between her thumb and forefinger. “Brian surprised me with it a few months back. At first, when he handed me the box, I thought it was an engagement ring,” she admitted.

  Gloria could not help herself. “Were you disappointed that it wasn’t?”

  Andrea lifted her hand and gazed at the band. “Yes and no. I mean, Brian and I have talked about settling down.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s just that we both have homes that we love and both of us are too stubborn to move in with the other.”

  “Kind of silly, huh,” Andrea added.

  “No. That’s not silly at all.” Gloria and Paul had run into the same complication. Both of them had farms that had been in their respective families for decades. Farms that they hoped to pass on to the next generation.

  In Gloria’s case, her two sons weren’t at all interested in farming or the farmhouse.

  Gloria’s oldest son, Eddie, lived in Chicago with his wife, Karen. Her middle child, Ben, lived in Houston, Texas with his wife Kelly and their twins. That left Jill, Gloria’s youngest child. Jill wasn’t interested in living on the farm.

  Jill’s two young sons, Gloria’s grandsons, Tyler and Ryan were a different story. She would bet money the two of them would fight over the farm. Just the thought of her two beloved grandsons made her smile.

  “Do what Paul and I are going to do,” she suggested. “Share time between both. Eventually, the living arrangements will work themselves out.” At least Gloria hoped they would.

  It reminded her that Paul’s son, Jeff, and Jeff’s wife, Tina, had recently moved back in with him. Maybe it wouldn’t be an issue for them, after all.

  Andrea sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe we’re putting too much emphasis on material things.”

  Gloria quoted a favorite Bible verse:

  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

  Andrea closed her eyes and nodded. “Yeah. I need to remember that. Life is so temporal.”

  Gloria thought about Andrea’s first husband, Daniel Malone, who had been murdered.

  Andrea tugged on a strand of blonde hair. “Every time I think about Daniel and how important material possessions were to him, I try to remind myself that I don’t want to end up like that.”

  Andrea impulsively reached over and hugged Gloria. “That’s what I love about you. You have a way of putting everything into perspective without even trying.”

  Gloria hugged her back. “I believe that it is God speaking through me, that’s all.”

  Andrea looked over Gloria’s shoulder. “The doctor just came out of Margaret’s room. Time to find out what he has to say.”

  Chapter 15

  They quietly made their way over to the doctor, who was standing outside Margaret’s door scribbling notes inside a chart.

  “Hello…” Gloria paused. She nodded toward Margaret’s room. “How is she?”

  The doctor looked up. “She appears to be doing much better now but we’ll still keep her overnight for observation. I’ll check on her one final time before my shift ends.”

  He went on. “Doctor Gillivray will be here later to check on her.”

  Andrea and Gloria would be long gone by then. At least Don would be here to keep Margaret company.

  Gloria thanked the doctor for the update and the girls stepped back into the room. Margaret, who held the TV remote in her hand, glanced up. “The TV shows here leave much to be desired.”

  Margaret loved to say that idle hands were the devil’s tools and she rarely watched TV. She was a movie, buff, though, and loved to watch movies in the theater room Don and she had built in their basement.

  Every once in a blue moon, when a hot new release came out, they hosted a movie night and would invite a bunch of friends over to watch it. The guests would play board games and munch on finger foods. Afterwards they would settle in with huge bowls of popcorn and soft drinks to watch the movie.

  She jabbed the “off” button and tossed the remote on the end of the bed. “Nothing but a bunch of junk.”

  “Have Don bring your e-reader,” Gloria suggested.

  Margaret snapped her fingers. “Great idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  The girls settled in again to wait for Don and the rest of the afternoon flew by.

  “There’s my girl,” Don’s loud voice boomed from the doorway.

  He was carrying a large bouquet of zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers. There were even a few crimson-colored roses tucked into the arrangement.

  Margaret’s eyes lit up when she saw her husband and noticed the bouquet. “For me?” she gushed.

  Don set the arrangement on the table and bent down to kiss his wife.

  Gloria and Andrea silently slipped out of the room.

  Gloria gave Don a quick wave as they made a hasty exit.

  Margaret was in safe hands now and Gloria was thrilled that Don had been thoughtful enough to bring his bride flowers.

  Gloria nodded to the nurses as they passed the nurses station and stepped over to the bank of elevators on the other side.

  When they reached the main level, Andrea led the way to her truck, parked in the visitor parking lot.

  Andrea had not taken the time to wash the mud off her truck. It was still covered with a thick coat of caked mud. She hopped into the driver’s seat. “Do you mind if I stop by the car wash and rinse some of this mud off?”

  Gloria reached for her seatbelt. “Not at all dear. Be my guest.”

  Andrea drove to the nearest car wash and ran her truck through twice.

  When they finished washing the truck, they turned onto the main road and headed toward the park, which was on the edge of the downtown area.

  The parking lot was packed. Andrea drove around several times before she was able to find an open spot.

  Lucy wandered over as Andrea and Gloria climbed out of the truck. She tugged on the edge of her jacket sleeve and cast a wary eye toward the clusters of people who started to gather near the fountain, located in the center of the park. “I’m nervous,” she admitted.

  Gloria wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We’re right here with you. Don’t worry. We don’t have to stay long.” Just long enough to study the mourners.

  The trio walked across the parking lot and through the wrought iron gate entrance.

  “Can you believe how many people are here?” Lucy whispered. “I didn’t know that Bill even knew this many people.”

  They had just entered the park when Andrea came to an ab
rupt halt. “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” Lucy asked.

  Andrea pointed to a beat up, rusted out, red car outside the gate. “That is the car that ran me off the road!”

  ***

  The girls hurried out of the park and made their way over to the jalopy.

  Gloria peered inside the driver’s side window. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive!” Andrea walked around the back and studied the bumper. “I remember this sticker.” She lifted her foot and kicked the back of the car with the heel of her shoe. “Piece of crap!”

  Her eyes blazed as she gazed through the gates of the park. “Whoever tried to run me off the road is inside.”

  Andrea marched through the gates as she made her way over to the fountain. She had no idea who she was looking for but she vaguely remembered the vehicle had one lone occupant and that person was wearing a dark hat or had dark hair. That left the field wide open.

  Gloria cupped her hands together and pressed them against Andrea’s ear. “You’d be better off watching the vehicle to see who gets into it,” she whispered.

  “Right!” Andrea nodded. “I’ll be out on the sidewalk if you need me.”

  She turned on her heel and stomped out of the park. Gloria shook her head. “I don’t believe I have ever seen Andrea so fired up,” she said.

  Lucy had to agree. “Me either.” She turned her attention to the crowd of people. “We don’t have candles.”

  Lucy had a point. They didn’t have candles. She glanced around. Others were “candle-less,” as well.

  Lucy’s eyes darted back and forth, as she studied the growing crowd. “I have cold feet.”

  “You can do this.” Gloria propelled her forward and they joined the outer fringe of mourners.

  “I think I’m going to throw up,” Lucy groaned.

  “Do you want to take a walk?” Gloria wasn’t sure if that would help. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

  “No.”

  Gloria glanced at Lucy’s face, which was pale and pinched. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea, after all. “We can leave if you want.”

  “No. It’s too late. We’re already here.”

  “Focus your attention on possible suspects,” Gloria suggested. “That will take your mind off the other.”