Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 07 - Missing Milt

by Hope Callaghan

  “Yeah, I might. I got some other stuff to do. What time do you think?” Lucy asked.

  Gloria did some quick calculations. If the boys came after school, they could run by Dot’s for dinner. She remembered Brian saying he would stop by around 2:00 on Saturday. “We’ll probably eat dinner at Dot’s Friday night and start on the fort around 2:00 Saturday. Brian is going to come by and help the boys assemble the fort.”

  “What? You’re not going to crawl up there?” Lucy grinned.

  Gloria shook her head. “No way. I mean, I suppose I could.” She frowned. If Brian backed out, of course she’d have to. Otherwise, the boys would be heartbroken.

  Lucy climbed out of the car and leaned back in. “Yeah, I don’t want to miss this. Maybe I should stop by the hardware store and tell Brian not to bother coming by Saturday. That you and I can build the fort ourselves,” she teased.

  Gloria shook her finger at Lucy. “Don’t you dare!”

  Lucy smirked and slammed the door shut. But Lucy didn’t talk to Brian. Instead, she hopped in the jeep and headed towards home.

  Gloria followed her out of town. She honked and gave a small wave as Lucy turned into her drive.

  Gloria spent the rest of the evening puttering around the house. She pulled a leftover tuna noodle casserole from the freezer and popped in the microwave. Mally and she wandered out onto the porch to wait for it to cook.

  There was a cool breeze in the evening air. Gloria stepped back inside to grab her sweater before returning to the porch. She slid into the rocking chair and absentmindedly watched as Mally made her rounds.

  Mally had a set pattern for patrolling the perimeter of the farm. It cracked Gloria up each time she watched her.

  Mally would start at the big barn on the other side of the driveway, careful to stay close to the barn since she knew Gloria didn’t like her near the road.

  She would disappear behind the barn and pop back out on the other side seconds later. The crazy dog would mark her territory when she stopped near the edge of the farm field. Next, she would make a sharp left and race along the backside of the yard, past the garden.

  Gloria knew she would make another sharp left, run the perimeter behind the house, eventually taking a shortcut through the front yard, and end her run on the porch.

  Gloria watched her pass the garden and waited for her to come around the back. When she didn’t come back, Gloria scooted out of the chair and headed down the steps. She rounded the back corner of the house, in the direction that Mally had taken.

  “Woof!” Gloria heard her before she saw her. She recognized that “woof.” It was one that meant Mally had found something – or gotten into something.

  Gloria picked up the pace and jogged to the back.

  Mally had crouched down on the edge of the field and was barking at something in the tall grass. Gloria could barely make out a black shape. Black and white. Striped. It was a skunk!

  “Mally! No!” she shouted, but it was too late. The skunk turned around, lifted its tail and sprayed Mally. Thankfully, Mally had just turned and the spray hit the side of Mally – not her face.

  Mally let out a yelp and darted across the backyard– right towards Gloria. The smell of the skunk reached Gloria before Mally did. Gloria pinched her nose and took a step back. “Good grief!” she cried.

  Mally shook her body, trying to rid herself of the smell. Gloria tipped her head back. “It’s gonna take more than that, girl.”

  “C’mon. We’re gonna have to do something about that smell and fast.”

  Mally trotted along beside Gloria as they rounded the front of the house and made their way up the steps. She stopped Mally at the door. “Stay here.”

  Mally obediently sat on the porch while Gloria stepped inside and grabbed her leash from the hook on the wall. She made her way back outside, snapped the leash to Mally’s collar and then hooked that to one of the spindles on the porch rail. “You wait here until I figure out how to get rid of that smell!”

  Mally sank to the floor, dropped her head on her front paw and looked at Gloria as if she’d been sentenced to some terrible punishment.

  Gloria made a beeline for the computer, switched it on and pulled up the search page. “Get rid of skunk smell.” The homemade recipes were her best bet: a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. Thankfully, they were all common household items Gloria knew she had on hand.

  She quickly whipped up a double batch and carried it to the bathroom. She left the container next to the tub before going out to the porch to get Mally. The smell was even stronger now and hung heavy in the air. Gloria waved a hand over her face, sucked in a deep breath and reached down to unhook Mally’s leash.

  She led her inside, careful to keep a firm grip on her collar.

  Puddles was standing inside the door, wondering what in the world was going on. When his sniffer got a whiff of the skunk, he backed up and darted out of the room.

  Despite the gravity of the situation, Gloria burst out laughing. She wished she could make a run for it, too, but unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a choice.

  Gloria and Mally hustled into the bath. “Hop in,” she told her dog.

  Mally loved taking a bath and promptly jumped in the tub, which was a bit of a luxury. Her baths were usually in her own special tub and using the garden hose.

  Gloria shoved the plug in the drain and turned the water on warm as Mally patiently waited for the tub to fill.

  She leaned over to start scrubbing and noticed she was wearing one of her few nice outfits. Gloria pushed herself to her feet. “Stay right there,” she commanded Mally.

  In the bedroom, Gloria slipped out of her blouse and peeled off her slacks. She pulled an old t-shirt over her head and yanked on a pair of garden shorts.

  Mally was right where she left her.

  Gloria reached up, unlatched the locks on the bathroom window, shoved the pane all the way up and took a deep breath.

  Gloria poured a healthy dose of the concoction along Mally’s backside, added some water and began to scrub. There were a few times Gloria stood up, leaned over the open window and gulped fresh breaths of air.

  When the last of the mixture was gone and Gloria had rinsed Mally so many times, her fur gleamed, she emptied the tub and grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet.

  Gloria dried her as best she could and then opened the bathroom door to let her out into the dining room. Puddles was in the far corner, hiding under the computer desk. His eyes glittered in the dark as he warily watched Mally and Gloria.

  Mally did a doggie shake to get rid of the excess water, spraying the hutch and table with droplets of water. She followed Gloria into the kitchen and promptly crawled into her bed.

  Gloria filled her food dish, then filled Puddles’ dish before she reached inside the microwave to check on her casserole. It had not only unthawed and warmed up, but it was cold again. She pressed the warmer button to turn it back on and settled into the chair.

  She glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was already 7:30. So much for a relaxing evening, she thought to herself.

  Puddles wandered into the kitchen and slunk along the outer wall, careful to stay as far away from Mally possible as he headed to his food dish.

  Mally didn’t move. “Aren’t you going to eat?” Gloria asked her.

  Mally shifted in the bed and closed her eyes, clearly depressed by the turn of events.

  Gloria pulled her dinner from the microwave, set it on the table and unfolded the morning paper she hadn’t had time to read. She grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on.

  There, on the front page, was a picture of Milt. The caption underneath read:

  “Have you seen this man? Police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of Milton Tilton, a longtime resident of Dreamwood Retirement Community in nearby Green Springs, Michigan.

  Mr. Tilton was last seen the evening of Friday, September 2nd. Several key witnesses told authorities that Mr. Tilton had
been talking to a man driving a dark blue, four-door sedan, possibly a late model Ford Taurus, near the entrance to Dreamwood.

  Police would like to talk to the man driving this sedan. If you have any information about the whereabouts of Milton Tilton, Montbay County Sheriff’s Department is asking you to contact them at 229-1627.”

  Gloria pulled her glasses off and set them on top of the paper. This might throw a wrench into the investigation now that the police were involved.

  Gloria ate her casserole, rinsed the dishes and slid them into the dishwasher. She wondered what Liz and Frances thought now that police were involved. She didn’t have to wonder long.

  Her home phone started to ring. It was Liz. “Did you see this morning’s paper?”

  “I just read the front page about Milt and the police opening an investigation.”

  Liz let out an exaggerated sigh. “Someone tipped the police off that Frances had been lurking around Milt’s place just before his disappearance. She’s down at the police station in Langstone being questioned.”

  “Vivian.”

  “Bingo,” Liz said. “Remember when she said Milt and she caught Frances peeking in the windows? She must’ve told the police.”

  Poor Frances. She wondered if Paul was involved in the investigation since it was at the precinct he worked at in Langstone.

  Gloria hung up the phone. She was tired. It had been a long day and tomorrow was shaping up to be a repeat of today. She glanced down at Mally, who looked up at her with sorrowful eyes. She thrust a hand on her hip. “I’d love to let you sleep in the bedroom but you’re still wet.”

  Mally’s ears sank low, she shifted her body and turned to face the wall. Gloria felt bad but there wasn’t much she could do.

  “I have an idea.” She reached down and tapped Mally. “Here, you can sleep in the bedroom. You just won’t be able to jump up on the bed.”

  Gloria grabbed Mally’s bed. Mally followed her into the bedroom. She settled her into the corner and returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas.

  Puddles had already curled up near the pillows. Gloria pulled back the covers and climbed in.

  She closed her eyes and prayed. “Dear Lord, my heart is heavy for poor Frances tonight. I don’t believe that she is involved in Milt’s disappearance, but if she is, please let her confess and tell the police what she knows.”

  She finished her prayers for her family and friends before pulling the covers to her chin. She was out before she had time to worry about one more thing.

  Chapter 15

  Gloria’s eyes flew open. It was still dark outside. She leaned over and glanced at the clock: 6:48 a.m. It was a bit early for her. She settled back under the covers and closed her eyes, hoping for a few more minutes rest.

  Her mind had other ideas. It began a mental checklist of everything that needed to happen before Ryan and Tyler arrived. Then it wandered over to Frances. She wondered what had transpired the night before.

  Then she thought about her friend, Lucy. She made a mental note to give her a call before she gave up on trying to go back to sleep.

  Gloria threw back the covers and shoved her feet into her slippers. Her bathrobe was on the end of the bed. She grabbed that and headed for the door.

  Mally was in her doggie bed, curled up in a ball. She opened one eye and stared at Gloria as if she wondered what in the world she was doing.

  Gloria shuffled to the kitchen and over to the coffee pot. She switched it to on and made her way to the porch door. The sun was barely peeking up over the back of the yard. She stepped outside and gazed at the glorious sunrise.

  Mally had followed Gloria to the kitchen and pawed at the door. Gloria opened it far enough for Mally to slip out. “Changed your mind, huh?”

  Mally took a tentative step down and looked around. “Are you looking for the mean old skunk?”

  Satisfied there was no black and white menace in the vicinity, Mally trotted out into the yard to water her favorite tree.

  Gloria cupped her hands together. “Go get the paper.”

  Mally trotted out to the end of the drive, picked the morning paper up with her teeth and headed back to Gloria. She dropped the paper at Gloria’s feet and looked up, her tail wagging.

  “Good girl.” She patted her head and reached behind her to open the plastic container she had installed on the wall. Inside the container were special treats for Mally. She reached her hand inside and pulled one out.

  Mally licked her hand and grabbed the treat. Gloria stepped inside the kitchen, dropped the paper on the table and reached for her Bible. She poured a fresh cup of coffee and wandered back out onto the porch.

  The stillness of the morning made Gloria appreciate the farm and all her blessings. Gloria read her Bible each morning and then spent time in prayer before she started her day, something she had done for as long as she could remember.

  When James was alive, they would read at the kitchen table together. After he died, she continued to read by herself. She opened to her bookmark, slipped on her glasses and pulled the Bible a bit closer.

  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

  Gloria looked up from the Bible. The sun was out now, warming the air. She tilted her head back and let the beams of light shine down on her face.

  Gloria often wondered about heaven. After James died, she read all the books she could get her hands on – the ones where people had near death experiences or had actually died and come back to life.

  Looking back, if not for the presence of her Lord and Savior, she wasn’t sure how she would have made it through. There were long days of loneliness, where she shut herself away from her family and friends while she mourned.

  During that time, she poured herself into her prayers and studying her Bible.

  One night, she had a dream, or a maybe it was a vision, that the Lord had given her. It was of James. He was much younger in her dream, closer to the age he had been when they first met and married. He was smiling. He was happy.

  When she awoke that next morning, she knew that the Lord was telling her to mourn no more. That James was happy. That he was in his eternal home.

  From that morning on, Gloria forced herself back into the land of the living. She knew it wasn’t her time to go home. She would remain on the earth as long as she was supposed to be there and not a moment longer.

  A few months after that, she prayed again for purpose in her life. Not long after, she met her young friend, Andrea Malone, when she solved the murder of Andrea’s husband. Paul was in charge of Daniel Malone’s investigation and that’s how Gloria met him.

  Ever since that time, her life was full. She had purpose again. No, God wasn’t done with her yet, but when He was, she would be ready. Until then, she had stuff to do.

  Gloria closed her Bible and headed inside. It was time to shift her day into high gear.

  Gloria was waiting out on the porch when Jill pulled into the drive. She had called Gloria before she left the house, warning her they were on the way. Gloria could hear the boys in the background chattering loudly.

  “Can you tell they’re excited?” Jill asked.

  Gloria didn’t have time to answer.

  “Hey Grams, you got everything for the tree fort?” It was her oldest grandson, Tyler.

  “Yes, of course, Tyler. Ready and waiting for you out in the barn.”

  “Okay. We’re on our way.”

  The line disconnected. Gloria grinned and replaced the receiver. She could just envision the boys driving Jill crazy until they left. Which was why she was on the porch waiting. The countdown had begun. The boys would arrive in 20 minutes or less.

  Gloria had it pegged within five minutes.

  Jill hadn’t even turned the engine off before both rear doors of the sedan flung open and the boys raced across the yard and up to the porch.

&nbs
p; Gloria wrapped an arm around each of them and leaned in for a welcome hug.

  Ryan pulled back first. “Can we start working on the fort?”

  She shook her head. “No. Brian is coming by tomorrow to help, but you can check out what it will look like. She pointed to the barn. “It’s in there.”

  Tyler and Ryan raced each other to the barn. Gloria had unlocked the door before they arrived, certain they would want to see what Brian had built for them.

  Jill and Gloria followed the boys. “Thanks for taking them tonight.”

  “Whew,” she added. “I’m glad I didn’t tell them until they got out of school that they were coming over. They have been driving me nuts.”

  The boys held the corners of the boards together to get a glimpse of how it would look. “This is cool, Grams. Way cooler than I even thought it would be,” Tyler said.

  If the boys were this excited and it wasn’t together, she wondered how it would be once it was all done. “Can we stay tomorrow night and sleep in it?” Ryan begged.

  The original plan had been for only one night. Of course, Gloria, didn’t mind. She turned to her daughter.

  Jill studied her boys. “It’s up to you, Mom.”

  “I’m fine with it if you are.”

  Jill and Gloria left the boys in the barn and wandered back to the house. Jill stopped in her tracks. “Are you going to sleep in it?”

  Gloria shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’ll be a tight fit for those two.” She glanced out at the front porch. “No. Mally and I can sleep on the porch and keep an eye out from down below.”

  She remembered the stakeout Sunday evening. “I do have plans for Sunday evening.”

  “And I’m sure church on Sunday morning,” Jill added.

  “Of course.”

  “The boys don’t have church clothes, so how about if I pick them up Sunday morning?”

  Gloria nodded. “It’s a deal.”

  Jill dropped the boys’ backpacks on the porch and handed Gloria a shopping bag. “What’s this?”

  “Paint,” Jill replied, “which reminds me. There’s a set of old play clothes for each of them. Make sure they put them on before they start on the tree house.”