Then her thoughts wandered to Brian and the upcoming proposal. She felt a sliver of jealousy but quickly pushed it away. She was happy for them. Andrea was young and so was Brian. It would be fun to watch them have children and raise their family in Belhaven.
Paul pulled into the drive, shut off the truck and walked around to open Gloria’s door. She slipped out of the seat and the two of them walked hand in hand up the steps.
Thankfully, she had remembered to leave the porch light on. She handed Paul her keys and waited while he unlocked the side door.
Gloria let Mally out and the two of them stood on the porch. They watched as she raced out to the barn, around the back of the shed and past the garden. She watered the tree and then patrolled the perimeter of the yard before she trotted up the steps and stopped on the porch.
Gloria tightened her sweater around her. “I love fall. I was thinking about having a little fall get-together this year. Maybe hook up the old wagon, throw a few bales of hay on it and have an old-fashioned wagon ride.”
She gazed up at him and asked, “What do you think?”
Paul shoved his hands in his pockets. “I think it’s a great idea. The kids would love it.”
She went on. “We could have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows after it’s over. Invite all our friends and the kids – even yours.”
He wrapped his arms around Gloria and pulled her close. “Sounds like a lot of fun. When were you thinking?”
She furrowed her brow. “Not this weekend.” The boys were coming to finish the tree fort. Trying to do that plus organize a fall party would be too much. On top of that, she had the investigation. “I think the first weekend in October would be perfect.”
That would give her time to do a little planning. She hoped Brian could wait that long!
Chapter 9
“Frances said Milt doesn’t really have any family,” Liz told her sister when Gloria called her the next morning. “I think there was a nephew he hadn’t seen in several years that lives somewhere out west.”
“So no one contacted the police to report him missing?”
Liz grunted. “No one, if you don’t count Frances. I think she calls them every single day.”
Gloria hung up the phone and headed to the washing machine.
She pulled her clothes from the washer, dumped them in the laundry basket and headed for the door. “C’mon Mally. Let’s go hang some clothes out on the line.”
Mally popped out of her doggy bed and waited for Gloria to open the door.
They stepped out onto the porch. It was shaping up to be a beautiful fall day. It was the perfect kind of day for hanging clothes on the line.
Gloria loved the smell of the fresh air and sunshine on clean clothes. It was something a dryer couldn’t duplicate, no matter how many dryer sheet companies claimed their product smelled like fresh air.
It was sheet day and Gloria had already hung those to dry. She started on the next row, clipping clothespins to the edges of her slacks and watching them blow in the breeze. She had just finished hanging her last blouse when Lucy pulled in the drive.
Lucy wandered across the lawn. She stopped at the end of the clothesline pole. “You still hang your clothes out?”
Gloria’s head whipped around. She shaded her eyes and stared at her friend. “You don’t?”
Lucy shook her head. “Nope but maybe I should.”
Gloria picked up the empty laundry basket and headed for the house. The laundry was the last chore on her list and she was ready to get the investigation under way.
She set the basket near the door, pulled her keys from the hook and grabbed her purse. “I’ll drive since you drove yesterday.”
Lucy waited until Gloria had pulled Annabelle from the garage before she climbed in the passenger side. They drove in silence for several long moments.
Gloria could see Lucy was a million miles away. “Are you alright?”
There was no answer.
“Earth to Lucy,” Gloria teased.
“Huh?”
“I asked if you were alright.”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about…”
“Bill?”
Lucy nodded again. “Yeah. Not that I want him back or anything. Just wondering how he’s doing.”
“Why don’t you give him a call?” Gloria suggested. She couldn’t see the harm in that. They were both adults, after all.
Lucy tugged on the side of her seatbelt absentmindedly. “I might do that.”
The town of Lakeville was larger than Belhaven and Gloria had a bit of trouble finding the quickie loan shop. They drove up and down the strip several times before Lucy finally spotted it. “I think it’s right there,” she pointed.
Gloria swung into an open spot and shifted the car into park.
The building was narrow and set back from the rest of the buildings that lined Main Street. Small, gold letters on the front of the glass window read: Integrity Loans. Below that in even smaller letters were the words: Money in minutes.
The girls got out of the car and walked to the door. Gloria grabbed the knob and pushed the door open. A small bell chimed.
The inside was even smaller than the outside. Two cheap, plastic chairs sat against one wall. Off to the other side was a dingy, artificial plant that obscured a small plywood desk.
An old, white ceiling fan hung above the entrance door. It was almost gray in color, whether from age or dirt, Gloria couldn’t tell.
“Can I help you lovely ladies?”
A young man wearing several gold chains around his neck, sporting a large insignia ring and slicked back blonde hair leaned an elbow on the cheap counter and eyed them with interest.
Gloria shifted her purse on her arm and stepped to the counter. “Yes, we have a friend that appears to have come up missing. I.” She looked at Lucy. “We think that you may have loaned him some money recently and wondered if maybe you could help us out.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s his name?”
“Milton Tilton.”
The man, Johnny, according to the tag on his shirt, drummed his fingers on the counter. “Lemme see…what does he look like?”
Gloria pulled her phone from her purse. She opened her Worldbook account and typed in Milton Tilton in the search bar. Milt’s profile and picture popped up. Gloria turned the screen and tipped it so the man could see.
He studied the screen. “Yeah. Yeah. He was in here a few weeks ago lookin’ for some real quick cash. I remember him cuz he seemed real desperate. So desperate that he used his fancy Caddy for collateral.”
Gloria switched the phone off and shoved it back in her purse. “Did he mention who he might have owed the money to that he so desperately needed?”
“Yeah. He did mention a name.” He snapped his fingers. “I know! It was Vinnie somebody.” He nodded. “Yeah! I’m sure the guy’s name was Vinnie. The only reason I remember is cuz I have a cousin named Vinnie.”
Gloria leaned in. “Do you remember anything else?”
Johnny paused and stared up at the ceiling. “I asked him what Vinnie looked like. You never know. It mighta been my cousin, Vinnie.”
“What did he say?” Lucy asked.
“That he had never met this Vinnie person and only dealt with a middle man.”
Gloria lowered her purse. “Can I leave my number and if you remember anything else let me know?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
The man scribbled Gloria’s number on a piece of paper, shoved it in the drawer and pushed it shut. “Yeah. He was real nervous, that one.”
“He’s still on the hook for the $5k I loaned him.” Johnny glanced at the calendar on the wall. “He has a couple of weeks left before the loan comes due. Otherwise…” The man leaned back and grinned. “I’m gonna have me a new ride.”
The girls wandered out of the store and stopped out front. Lucy looked back. “Good luck finding Milt’s car.”
Gloria nodded. “Yeah. Hey. What do you
think about me getting some business cards made and putting a company name on them? You know, something along the lines of Silver Sleuth Detective Agency or such.”
Lucy nodded. That would be cool. It would make Gloria’s investigative work more legit and it would save Gloria from having to scribble her name on scraps of paper.
“Are you gonna start charging a fee?”
Gloria blinked rapidly. It was a thought. She had built a reputation for her sleuthing. Perhaps there were people out there willing to pay for her services. At the very least, she could cover some of her expenses. Write them off: gas, dining out when under cover and maybe even buy some detective supplies.
“I need to track down my cousin, Millie. You know, the one that works on the cruise ship. She and her husband had a detective agency. Maybe she could give me some pointers on how to set up shop. I can ask her about booking a cruise at the same time.”
She made a mental note to fire off an email to Millie.
“Do you have time to make a run by Dreamwood with me and see if Frances is around?” Gloria backed out of the parking space and headed out of town. “I have a few questions now that we’re delving into this mystery.”
Lucy buckled her belt and nodded. “Sure. I haven’t seen your sister, Liz, in a while. Maybe we can all meet up and go over what we have so far.”
Gloria stepped on the gas and they sped off down the road. “Say, I was thinking of having a fall party: a hayride, apple cider, bonfire, kind of thing the first weekend in October.”
Lucy smiled. “That would be fun. Why, its been years since we had one. Not since the kids were all home.”
The more Gloria thought about it, the more excited she became. It would be fun. She’d invite all the girls and their spouses. She gave Lucy a sideways glance. Maybe by then Lucy wouldn’t be alone.
Not only that, but this would give Brian the perfect opportunity to pop the question to Andrea.
Gloria pulled into an empty visitor parking spot not far from Liz’s place. Her car and Frances’ car were both in the lot.
“Let’s try Liz first.” Gloria made her way across the manicured lawn to the back door. She peered in the window and tapped on the glass. Liz didn’t answer. “She’s not home.”
The girls wandered across the grassy strip that separated Liz’s building from the one that Frances lived in. She made her way under the small covered porch and lifted her hand to knock.
She could see Frances – and Liz – inside. They were sitting at the kitchen table.
Liz caught a glimpse of Gloria out of the corner of her eye. She waved her in.
Gloria opened the door and held it for Lucy.
“Were your ears burning?” Liz hopped out of her seat. “We were just talking about you.”
Gloria plopped her purse on the table and pulled out a chair. “Good, I hope.”
Frances eyed Lucy suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed. “You look familiar.”
“This is my friend, Lucy. I think you’ve met her before,” Gloria said.
Frances frowned. “Say, you weren’t one of those loose women that Milt was running around with right before he disappeared…”
Gloria rolled her eyes. “Good heavens, Frances! Lucy’s never even met Milt,” she snapped.
She immediately regretted her sharp reply when Frances’ eyes filled with tears.
Frances stared down at her hands. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Of course you don’t know Milt.”
Lucy patted Frances’ arm. “It’s okay. I have one of those faces that look familiar. People get me confused all the time.”
Gloria pulled a small pad of paper from her purse and slipped her reading glasses on. “Do you ever remember Milt mentioning a man named Vinnie?”
Both Liz and Frances shook their head “no.”
“What about a guy named Johnny that owned a fast cash place called Integrity Loans?”
Again, they both shook their heads.
It was Frances’ turn to ask questions. “Did you ever talk to Clyde Ward or Trudy over on Wisteria Way?”
Gloria tapped the end of her pen on the top of the table. “I talked to Clyde but Trudy wasn’t home.”
Frances slammed her fist on the table in frustration. “That woman is never, ever home! She’s some sort of apparition!”
“Maybe she’s a vampire.” Lucy muttered under her breath. “We could stakeout her place,” she added.
Gloria’s wheels were turning. Yeah, they could, but how could they do it without anyone seeing them?
Liz answered the question before Gloria had a chance to ask. “There is a small park that sits catty corner to her back yard. It has a small playground for the grandkids.”
Gloria was intrigued. “How do we stay out of sight?”
Liz shrugged. “Simple. There’s a small, cinder block bathroom. You could hide out in there.”
Frances sprang to her feet. “We could go now. You know, four sets of eyes are better than one…or two.”
Liz waved her down. “Frances, I know you’re anxious but we need to leave this to the professionals,” she advised.
Frances’ face fell but she didn’t press the matter.
Gloria didn’t want to give Frances a chance to insist on tagging along. She grabbed Lucy’s hand and they headed to the door. “I’ll leave my purse here if that’s alright.”
Frances’ chair scraped against the hard linoleum as she pushed the chair back and stood. “Wait! You’ll need these!”
She reached into the kitchen cabinet, pulled out a pair of large binoculars and handed them to Gloria.
Chapter 10
The girls picked up the pace as they hustled down the sidewalk toward Wisteria Way. They veered off on Paisley Place, the street right before Wisteria Way.
Gloria spied a small park at the end of the street. “This must be the one Liz was talking about.”
The park was empty and the girls made a beeline for the women’s restroom. Lucy stopped in front of the door. She shook her head. “This isn’t gonna work.”
“What do you mean it’s not gonna work?”
Lucy pointed up. “Look. The women’s restroom is facing the wrong direction.”
She pointed to the men’s side. “We’re gonna have to spy on Trudy’s house from the men’s side.”
Gloria looked around. “What if someone shows up and wants to use the men’s room?”
Lucy shrugged. “Then we leave. I mean, it’s not like anyone is going to recognize us.”
Lucy had a point.
Gloria had the nagging sensation this was going to be a total waste of time. “Okay, let’s roll.” She sucked in a breath and barreled through the door. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that no one was in there taking care of business.
Much to her relief, it was empty. Her happiness was short-lived when she realized the window that overlooked Trudy’s backyard was high - too high to look through unless you were standing on something.
Gloria lowered her gaze. Which happened to be the outer rim of the urinal…a filthy, dirty, disgusting urinal at that.
Lucy stuck her hand on her hip. “I’m not gonna stand on that,” she announced. “I’ll guard the door.”
Gloria looped the binoculars around her neck, grabbed hold of the window ledge, placed one shoe, then the other on the rim of the urinal. She teetered back and forth for a second before gripping the windowsill to catch her balance.
From this position, she had a bird’s-eye view of Trudy’s backyard. It was tidy. A small flower garden sat near the corner. A white picket fence surrounded the perimeter of the yard. A covered porch ran the length of the rear of the house. A set of sliding glass doors took up one whole side.
Gloria lifted the binoculars to her eyes and adjusted the dial. The curtains were all drawn. “I can’t see a darn thing,” she grumbled.
She stood there for several long moments. Nothing was happening. The woman wasn’t even home! Or, if she was, she wasn’t spending time in the yard. Alt
hough she had to at some point, considering how tidy and meticulous the yard was.
Lucy, who had been guarding the door, stepped closer to Gloria. “See anything yet?”
Gloria shook her head. “Nope. Nada. Zip.”
She remained perched on the urinal for what seemed like forever. Gloria’s back began to ache. She handed Lucy the binoculars. “You wanna try?”
Lucy shook her head. “No way. I’d bust my butt in these shoes.”
Gloria looked down at Lucy’s feet. She was wearing a pair of flats. This was definitely more of a tennis shoe-type investigation.
“We can’t stay here all day. I have stuff to do,” Lucy pointed out.
Gloria’s shoulders drooped. “Me, too. Unless Frances can give us a firmer timetable on this Trudy’s coming and going, we’re wasting our energy.”
Gloria loosened her grip on the windowsill and took one foot off the side of the urinal. The narrow edge was slick and her foot began to slip. She started to fall backward, her arms flailing wildly in the air in large circles. “Whoa!”
Lucy rushed over and caught her friend. The two of them stumbled backwards as Lucy wrapped both arms around Gloria’s waist.
Lucy fell hard against the sink behind them.
“What is going on in here?” a stern, male voice called out from the doorway.
Gloria’s eyes darted to the doorway. Her face turned bright red. Lucy’s arms were still around her waist in what must look a whole lot like two women in a bit of an intimate embrace.
Lucy promptly released her grip on her friend. “It’s not what you think.”
The man raised a hand and shook his head. “I don’t need an explanation on why two grown women are in a men’s public restroom caught in a compromising embrace.”
Gloria smoothed the front of her blouse and took a step forward. “You have it all wrong!”
The man cut her off. “Get out before I call the police,” he warned.
Gloria lowered her head and sidestepped the angry man.
Lucy scowled at him. “Jerk,” she hissed under her breath.
The girls wandered out of the men’s bathroom and across the park to the sidewalk out front. They made the trip back to Frances’ apartment in silence.
Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 07 - Missing Milt Page 7
