by Carol Cox
“No problem.” Livvy scooted her chair closer to the side of the bed. “Let’s work it through. Tell me what you’ve done so far.”
“That’s the trouble,” Kate moaned. “If I could remember the steps I’ve already taken, it would make things a lot easier. I guess that means starting all over from square one, whatever that is.”
Livvy nodded as if their whole strategy had just been mapped out. “Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll help in any way I can.”
“I will, too.” Paul rose and stood beside the bed. “Just as long as you let us do the work for you until you’re back on your feet.”
“Exactly!” Livvy’s broad smile lit up her whole face. “You send us out, and we’ll act as your deputies. Kate Hanlon and her two musketeers!”
“Make that three.” Renee waltzed into the room as though she owned the place.
Paul’s face was a study in bewilderment. “I...don’t think I heard the doorbell ring,” he said slowly.
“That’s right.” Renee settled herself into a chair near the bed like a queen upon her throne and waited for Kisses to make himself comfortable on her lap.
She bestowed a regal smile upon the others. “I didn’t want to disturb you if you were busy caring for Kate, so I just checked the doorknob. It wasn’t locked, so...” She spread her hands wide as if no further explanation was needed.
“And I’m delighted to hear that you’re ready to get back in the fray, Kate, at least in a manner of speaking. So tell me...”—she leaned forward eagerly, clasping her pink-tipped fingers beneath her chin—“what do you want the Terrific Trio to do first?”
“Maybe I’ll bow out for now and leave this to the Daring Duo,” Paul said. “Call me if you need anything.” He bent down as if to brush a kiss near Kate’s ear and whispered, “And remind me to check the lock on the front door.”
Kate stifled a giggle as he left the room, then she turned her attention to the two waiting women. “As I was telling Livvy, my recollection of anything connected to the investigation is still fuzzy, and I’m honestly not sure where to begin. Why don’t the two of you start by filling me in on what’s been happening around Copper Mill the past few days? Maybe a detail or two will spark an idea or jog my memory somehow.”
Livvy and Renee exchanged glances, then they both shrugged.
“There hasn’t been a lot going on besides the chamber of commerce issue,” Livvy told her.
“I agree.” Renee’s tone was crisp. “The situation with Mayor Briddle has been paramount in everyone’s minds. And it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of. Honestly, can you imagine Lawton Briddle as the mastermind of anything? That kind of fraud perpetrated on the chamber required sophisticated thinking, and Lawton’s mind-set is definitely of the small-town variety. That’s why it is imperative that we—”
“Unless you’d count the situation at the diner,” Livvy cut in. “Oh, sorry, Renee. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Renee harrumphed but waved at Livvy to continue.
“Well, Loretta being away from the diner at all is news, but her staying away for days on end has turned into something of a town crisis,” Livvy joked. “Oh, wait a minute. You already knew about that, didn’t you?” she added in a crestfallen tone.
Kate thought a minute, then nodded. “She went to take care of her sister, didn’t she?”
“That’s right.” A smile wreathed Livvy’s face. “Her sister Elsie in Paducah. Elsie needed help after she had surgery, and Loretta felt like she had to go. She left a week ago Saturday.”
“Well, hooray!” Kate pumped her arm in the air. “That’s one thing I remember. Maybe more of it will start falling into place.”
“I’m sure it will,” Livvy said with an encouraging nod.
“Let’s hope things at the diner start falling into place as well,” Renee said tartly. “I’ve never seen it in such a sad state of affairs.”
“What’s the problem?” Kate asked. “Loretta left LuAnne in charge, so I know it’s in good hands. She loves the diner almost as much as Loretta does.”
Renee snorted. “She may love it, and I’ll admit she’s a top-notch waitress, but the woman has no idea how to run a restaurant on her own. None!”
“I don’t think it’s quite as bad as all that,” Livvy protested. “There’s a learning curve involved in having to be the one in control, but I’m sure—”
“The only thing I’m sure of,” Renee cut in, “is that if Loretta Sweet doesn’t get herself back to Copper Mill pronto, the Country Diner is going to be in danger of losing all its customers.”
Kate gasped and stared. The older woman pressed her lips together and lifted her chin as if daring either of them to argue with her.
“What on earth is going on?” Kate asked.
“LuAnne is a little overwhelmed with all the extra responsibility,” Livvy said. “J. B. Packer agreed to cook full-time instead of part-time to help fill in the gap while Loretta is gone. But that still leaves LuAnne trying to cover all the other bases—opening up in the morning, manning the register, taking deposits to the bank, and cleaning and closing up at night, in addition to waiting tables.”
“And she isn’t doing any of it well.” Renee brushed a strand of salon-blonde hair back from her forehead, then stroked her thumb across the top of Kisses’ head. The tiny dog quivered, apparently in the throes of ecstasy at the attention.
Kate glanced at Livvy and leaned forward, intent on calming Renee down. “Well, I can see why she’d have her hands full. Anybody would, having that kind of responsibility placed in their lap. Give her a few more days, and I’m sure that—”
“She’ll run the diner right into the ground,” Renee said darkly. “The service is appalling. Why only this morning, Kisses and I had to wait ages after we’d ordered before our meal was served. Didn’t we, my Little Snuggle Umpkins?” She lifted the little Chihuahua and cuddled him under her chin.
“And when the food finally came, it was hardly worth eating. I don’t know what J.B. was doing back in the kitchen, but his mind couldn’t have been on the cooking.” Renee curled her upper lip. Kisses sneezed and swiped at his nose with his front paw, as if in agreement.
Kate spoke up before Renee could carry her diatribe any further. “Then we need to pray for them. All of them—LuAnne, J.B., and Loretta. They’re all under a lot of stress, and they’ll need extra strength to get through these next few days.”
“Let’s add a prayer for a quick recovery for Loretta’s sister,” Renee snapped. “The sooner she’s better, the sooner Loretta can come home and our Country Diner can get back to normal.”
“I’ll say an amen to that.” Kate smiled.
Livvy raised her finger. “And while we’re at it, we need to pray that Kate will be back on her feet in no time.”
Kate smiled. “Thanks, Liv. I’d appreciate that. At first I thought it must be one of those twenty-four-hour bugs, but apparently it was a longer-lasting variety. Either way, I’m ready to serve notice that it’s already gone beyond its time limit.”
“Why don’t we pray right now,” Livvy suggested. The three women bowed their heads and lifted their concerns to the Lord—Kate’s recovery, the situation at the diner, and the need to find the truth about the scandal that had rocked their beloved town.
When they finished, Kate smiled at her friends. “I hope each of you realizes what a blessing you are. And I don’t mean just because you’re willing to help me in my sleuthing.”
“But since we’re back on that subject...” Renee rubbed her hands together. “What’s our first assignment?”
Chapter Five
How’s my favorite patient this morning?” Paul balanced a tray of toast and tea in one hand while opening the bedroom curtains with the other.
Kate lifted her face to the muted light and switched off her bedside lamp. “I guess I won’t need that anymore.” She closed her Bible and set it on the nightstand, then fluffed the pillows so she could lean back and take th
e tray from Paul.
“I feel better,” she said. “Quite a bit better, as a matter of fact.” She eyed the toast, then lifted it to her lips and nibbled at it.
“Mmm, it tastes good.” Kate laughed at herself when she heard the note of surprise in her voice.
“I’m sure glad to hear that.” Paul beamed as he sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to spill her mug of tea. “Do you think you’re finally on the mend?”
Kate nodded and waited until she finished chewing another bite of toast before she answered. “I’m feeling stronger by the minute. I’m still a little wobbly, though,” she added ruefully. “I tried to get up a little earlier to help you with breakfast, but my legs didn’t seem to get the message that I’m ready to be up and around again, so I climbed back in bed and read my Bible for a while.”
“Don’t rush it,” Paul advised. “Give yourself time to build up your strength before you decide to go charging back into the thick of things.” He drew himself up and saluted. “Remember, you have your Three Mouseketeers to do your footwork for you.”
“That’s musketeers,” Kate said with a grin. “And I haven’t forgotten. Please don’t think for a moment that I’m ungrateful. It’s just that I want so much to be out there looking around on my own.” She looked at Paul sheepishly. “And it’s embarrassing to admit that, when only a few minutes ago, I was reading about patience in Romans.”
“I know it has to be tough when you’re used to being so active. But it won’t be forever. And just to make it a bit easier to behave yourself, I have a little surprise for you.”
“Oh?” Kate’s interest perked up. “You know I love surprises. What is it?”
“Uh-uh.” Paul wagged his finger at her. “Breakfast first, then the surprise. I’ll wait right here while you finish.”
Kate wrinkled her nose. “This takes me back to the days when we told the kids they had to finish everything on their plates before they could go outside to play after supper.”
Paul threw back his head and laughed. “If that’s the way you want to look at it, fine. Just don’t expect to get away with any of the tricks the kids tried to pull on us.”
“You mean I can’t hide the toast under my pillow?”
“Nope. Or stash it under the bed.”
Kate sighed and tried to maintain a straight face. “I suppose that lets out using the jam side to stick it to the back of the nightstand.”
Paul’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. “I don’t remember that one. Who came up with that brilliant idea?”
“That was Andrew’s brainstorm. Remember how he hated to eat the crusts on his toast? I thought he’d gotten over it until I was cleaning up some crumbs under the dining table one day and happened to notice that the underside of the table was decorated with petrified crusts. And they all just happened to be within reach of his place at the table.”
Paul chuckled. “Wow, the things you still learn after all these years. Sometimes I think ignorance really is bliss.”
“Only in some cases,” Kate teased. “Now let me finish my breakfast. I don’t want to put off that surprise one moment longer than I need to.”
When she had polished off the toast and jam and swallowed the last drop of tea, Kate blotted her lips with her napkin and looked up at Paul expectantly. “Okay, you’ve gotten my curiosity up. What is it?”
Paul scooped up the tray with a flourish and stepped toward the door. “Let me put these dishes in the sink, and I’ll be right back.”
“But—”
Paul lifted one eyebrow. “I believe you said you’ve been reading about patience?”
“All right, all right.” Kate laughed as she plumped up the pillows again and straightened the covers across her lap. “I’ll be patient. Just hurry!”
She could hear Paul’s chuckle as he walked to the kitchen, followed by a brief clatter when he put the dishes into the sink. A few moments later, he stood in the bedroom doorway, holding his hands behind his back.
“Close your eyes,” he commanded. “And no peeking.”
Feeling like a little girl on Christmas morning, Kate obeyed. She heard Paul step across the room and set something on the nightstand, then felt the mattress jiggle when he brushed against the bed and laid something on her lap.
“Ta-da! You can open your eyes now.”
Kate’s eyelids flew open. She looked down expectantly and blinked. “It’s...” She raised her eyes to meet Paul’s gaze. “It’s my laptop.”
“That’s right.” The expression on his face could only be described as smug.
Kate tried to mask her disappointment. “It was very nice of you to bring it in here.”
“I thought you might like to do some sleuthing online, even if you can’t go outdoors to do it in person. It’s all plugged into the phone jack, so you’re ready to research to your heart’s content.”
“That’s sweet of you.” Kate forced a smile. “And after getting a little spoiled from using the high-speed connection at the library, waiting for our dial-up connection will definitely help me in the patience department.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m afraid you’ll have to practice patience on something else. Take a look at that.” Paul’s eyes gleamed as he reached over to a flat black box on the nightstand and pressed a button on the back.
As Kate watched, a series of green lights flickered, then glowed steadily.
“What on earth is it?” she asked.
“It’s a high-speed modem. I ordered it yesterday and got the connection all set up while you were asleep. I’ve plugged it into the phone jack and connected the phone to the modem. Now I’ll hook it up to your computer.” Paul attached a cord to Kate’s laptop as he spoke, then beamed like a proud parent. “Voila! You now have a high-speed Internet connection. Surf to your heart’s content.”
Kate stared at the modem and blinked rapidly to hold back the tears. “You did this just for me? I don’t know what to say.”
Paul sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart. Just enjoy it.”
He gave her a gentle kiss and held her tight. “I know how hard it is for you to have to operate at anything less than full speed ahead. And I know this won’t be the same as being out where the action is, but maybe it can be a satisfactory second best.”
Kate’s lips curved into a smile, and she snuggled her head against his shoulder. “You mean so I can operate at high speed on the computer, even though my body’s running on low speed?”
“Something like that.” Paul chuckled. “But don’t get too used to having it. I’m afraid it’s only a temporary luxury. Our budget can’t handle the extra cost on a long-term basis, but I thought we could stretch it far enough to afford this for a month or so. Long enough for you to get back on your feet, anyway.”
Kate pulled back slightly. “Well, it’s nice to know you don’t expect me to be languishing around the house forever.”
They both laughed, and she added, “This is such a sweet thing to do, but I feel a little guilty about you spending money on something like this.”
“A man ought to spoil his wife a little every now and then.” He cradled her face in his hands. “And believe me, Katie girl, you’re worth spoiling.”
Kate sighed contentedly, then gave Paul a teasing smile. “Hmm. In that case, maybe I ought to get sick more often.”
The smile slid from Paul’s face, and his eyes darkened. “No, I don’t think so. Seeing you like that once was more than enough.”
His somber expression told Kate even more than his words how concerned he must have been. Her throat tightened, and she forced a cheerful tone into her voice. “Then I’ll just keep on getting better and plan to stay that way.”
“That’s more like it.” A tender smile creased Paul’s cheeks, and his eyes lit up again. “So where are you going to start?”
Kate breathed a silent prayer of thanks for a husband who both treasured her and encouraged her to utilize her God
-given talents. She scooted back against the headboard and tapped her fingers against her laptop.
“Last night, I asked Livvy to make a chronological list of events related to the case and Renee to contact the sheriff’s office and request updates from Skip Spencer, just to get me back up to speed on what’s been going on.
“For my part, Lawton may be the focal point in the scam, but since it involves the Copper Mill Chamber of Commerce, I think we ought to look at the chamber as a whole. Does that make sense to you?”
Paul nodded. “You’re right. Once the spotlight focused on Lawton, the rest of the chamber seemed to fade into the background. You think there’s something about the organization that was overlooked?”
“I don’t know, but it seems like a good place to start.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Well, for one thing, I’ll need to know who all the players are. You know more about the chamber than I do. Can you give me the names of the people who attend the meetings on a regular basis?”
Paul pursed his lips. “Sure, I can do that.”
Kate opened her laptop and smiled when she saw Paul had already booted it up. A word-processing document was open on the screen, just waiting for her to start writing.
“Okay,” Paul said. “There’s Fred Cowan from the pharmacy, and John Sharpe...”
“The insurance agent,” Kate murmured as she entered John Sharpe’s name below the pharmacist’s.
“Right. Then there’s Lawton, of course, and Clifton Beasley is usually there as well.”
“Of course.” Kate grinned. “Anyone who loves pie as much as Clifton does wouldn’t want to miss a meeting that’s held at the diner.”
A glint of amusement sparked in Paul’s eyes. “You’re right about that. Having Loretta’s pies available is definitely a plus.”
“With an incentive like that, I’m surprised you don’t go to all the meetings.”
Paul stroked his chin. “Now that you mention it, I have been thinking of attending more regularly.”
