The boys inhaled the rest of their dinner and raced from the table to the computer. They quickly flipped it on and started researching the snakes. Gloria could hear them arguing as they looked at all the different pictures. Finally, they seemed to agree on one. “Hey Grams. We found our snake,” Ryan called out.
Gloria finished putting the dishes away. She dried her hands and hung her apron on the hook by the door before walking over to the computer desk. Ryan pointed at the picture on the screen. “This is Slinky.”
Gloria popped on her reading glasses and studied the picture. Just as she suspected. They both agreed it was a Blue Racer. “So neither of you got bit?”
The boys both shook their head no. “Nope.”
“Well, that’s a good thing since it would probably be hurting right about now.” Jill would totally freak when she found out about the snake.
“Does that mean we can’t keep him?” Tyler was deeply disappointed.
Gloria shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Blue Racers aren’t meant to be house pets. They’re supposed to live free out in the fields.”
Ryan frowned and stuck his chin on his fist. “So we have to let him go?”
Gloria nodded her head. “Yes. Tomorrow.”
She leaned down to look her grandsons in the eye. “Under no circumstances are you to go near the snake until then. OK?”
Both nodded in unison. “We won’t Grams. We promise.”
Bedtime finally rolled around, much to Gloria’s relief and the boys’ dismay. She tucked them in and listened as they said their prayers.
“Please God, can we keep our snake and take him home?” Tyler whispered. “We promise to take good care of him and make sure he doesn’t get loose and scare Mom.”
Gloria smiled as she heard his fervent little prayer. It was a good thing God didn’t give us our hearts content, especially when it came to little boys.
She turned off the light and pulled the door slowly shut. “See you in the morning.”
“Night grams. Love you,” Tyler called out. “Thanks for having us over. We had a great time!” he added.
Gloria checked all the doors before heading to bed herself. She flipped on the small light over the stove before leaving the kitchen – just in case the boys woke up during the night and needed a drink of water.
Gloria pulled o her pajamas and crawled under the covers. She was just settling in when she felt something soft and furry rubbing against her feet. She lifted her head and looked down at the end of the bed. The covers were moving. Seconds later, Puddles’ head emerged. “So this is where you’ve been hiding out!” It was the first time Gloria had seen her cat all day. The minute Puddles discovered the boys were in the house, he hightailed it out of the kitchen and made himself scarce.
She scratched his ears and chin as he started to purr. “I know you don’t like those two boys but they didn’t mean to scare you, Puddles.” He rubbed his head against her hand and then licked her palm. “Even so, it’s probably safer for you to keep a low profile while they’re here. Just in case.”
Gloria laid her head on her pillow before saying her own prayers. “Thank you God for the good day you’ve given us. Thank you for a chance to spend some time with my grandsons and thank you that they didn’t pick up a poisonous snake today.” Kids could sure make you thankful in a real hurry. “Please give us a safe day tomorrow, one where the boys don’t get hurt and I don’t have to take make a trip to the emergency room. Amen.”
Puddles curled into a tight ball and settled in right next to Gloria’s head. The sound of his purring put her right to sleep – or maybe it was all the action that her grandsons had created that day. Either way, seconds later she was out like a light.
“Grams!! Come quick!!!”
Gloria bolted upright in bed. The room was pitch black except for a thin sliver of light beaming through the crack in the open door. She could barely make out the shadowy figure of her youngest grandson, Ryan. She glanced over at the clock beside her bed. It was 3:00 a.m.
She shook her head as if to clear it. Her foggy brain was still half asleep. “What are you doing out of bed?”
Instead of answering, he darted past the doorway, back towards the living room. “You gotta come! Quick!”
Gloria slid out of bed, slipped into a pair of slippers and threw on her robe as she grabbed her glasses off the nightstand. She rushed in the direction of her grandson’s voices coming from the kitchen.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Her eyes darted around the room frantically.
She spied Tyler kneeling on a chair underneath the kitchen window. He put a small finger to his lips. “Shhh!!” He pointed toward the barn. “Look! Someone’s out there!”
Gloria leaned forward as she glanced over the boys head in the direction of the barn. Sure enough, there was a solitary light bobbing its way toward the big barn doors. She could barely make out a silhouette. The dark, shadowy figure was walking at a quick pace.
When the light reached the barn door, it paused for a moment. The barn door opened a crack, just far enough to let someone slip inside. Seconds later, the door closed and the light was gone.
Gloria swallowed hard. Someone was definitely in the barn. She picked up the phone and dialed 911. “Yes. This is Gloria Rutherford. I live at 276 Millington Drive in Belhaven. I just watched someone sneak into the barn on my property.”
The 911 operator repeated the address and then told her an officer had been dispatched, assuring her he should be there within 10 minutes.
“You two stay here while I get dressed,” Gloria whispered in a loud voice. “And I mean stay here – don’t you dare even open this door,” she warned.
She darted back to the bedroom and hastily threw on the nearest thing she could find. An old pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt she kept around for gardening. She glanced down at her mismatched outfit. Well, it’s not like I’m trying to impress a police officer.
She quickly headed back to the kitchen. The boys were still peering out the window. “See anyone come out of the barn?”
The boys shook their heads in unison. “Nope.”
Just then, a patrol car turned into the driveway and pulled up next to the garage. Gloria flipped on the porch light as she made her way outside, her grandsons right on her heels.
The officer stepped from his car and began walking toward the light. Gloria’s eyes grew wide as the figure got closer. It was Officer Kennedy!
He recognized her at exactly the same moment. “Well if it isn’t Gloria Rutherford.”
Gloria ran a quick hand through her hair, certain at least half of it was standing straight up in the air. “Hello, Officer Kennedy.”
He smiled as he made his way over to the familiar figure. She looked a lot younger with messy hair and sweatpants on.
He glanced around as he remembered the reason for his visit. “Dispatch said you saw someone creep into your barn?”
Ryan peeked out from behind his grandma as he grabbed her hand in a tight grip. “Me ‘n Tyler saw him first.” He pointed back at the kitchen window. “We saw him in the driveway and then we woke Grams up.”
Kennedy smiled down at the earnest little face. “Let me go check it out.”
Ryan took a step forward, as if to follow Officer Kennedy. “But you have to stay here,” he told him. He looked up at Gloria. “To protect your Grandma.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks. He nodded solemnly at the man in uniform.
Kennedy grabbed a heavy duty flashlight from the trunk of his patrol car and made his way over to the big red barn.
Gloria held her breath as he slowly opened the double doors and shined a beam of light inside. Seconds later, Kennedy disappeared into the darkness. The three of them caught a glimpse of his bright light bouncing around through the cracks in the barn walls.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally stepped out of the barn and carefully closed the door. He disappeared from sight as he made his way around the backside. It seemed l
ike he was gone forever before eventually making his way back over to where Gloria and the boys were standing.
“There isn’t anyone inside. It’s possible they got spooked when I pulled up.”
He went on. “There’s a pretty big gap on the back side of the barn where someone could easily squeeze through and escape out the other side.”
He shook his head. “You really should padlock those doors and nail that back panel shut.”
Gloria had been meaning to do just that but with everything that was going on, it completely slipped her mind. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow,” she promised.
Tyler piped up. “I’ll make sure Grams does it,” he assured the officer.
Officer Kennedy nodded solemnly at Tyler. “I’ll hold you to that.”
Gloria tugged on the bottom of her old t-shirt self-consciously. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”
Officer Kennedy smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in a nice way. He shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’m on duty and have another call to follow up on.”
He opened the patrol car door. “But maybe I could take you up on that offer some other day,” he added.
Good thing it was nice and dark outside. Gloria blushed right down to her scalp.
Ryan tugged on Gloria’s arm. “We can’t tomorrow. We’re going to visit a haunted house.”
Kennedy’s eyebrows shot up as he looked over at Gloria. “You’re not working on another case, are you?”
Gloria blushed a deep red for the second time in a row. “No. Just going to take a look at a house my friend is thinking about buying.” She turned to Ryan. “We don’t know that it’s haunted.”
“But we think it is, right Grams?” Ryan insisted.
She ruffled his hair as she grinned at Kennedy. “We shall see.”
Kennedy slid into the driver’s seat. “You all have a good night and don’t hesitate to call if you see anything else out there.” He pointed in the direction of the barn.
Gloria watched the police car’s tail lights disappear in the dark before making her way back inside. She was surprised at how deeply disappointed she was that he couldn’t come in.
She nudged the boys. “Off to bed you two!”
It was several long hours before Gloria settled back down after the middle-of-the-night fright. Her mind went back and forth between being worried someone had taken up residence in her barn and wondering if she’d see Officer Kennedy again and if he would actually take her up on that cup of coffee.
Chapter 2
The next day dawned bright and early, mainly because the boys were up at sun rise, looking forward to another day of adventure and excitement, especially considering they would be visiting a haunted house.
Gloria waited until the boys were settled at the breakfast table before she picked up the phone to call Andrea. “Did you still want to check out the old Johnson house today?”
Andrea was nearly beside herself with excitement. She barely slept a wink the night before. That house was all she could think about. “Yes, of course! Do you still have your grandsons?”
“Yep. They’ll have to come with us.”
“Oh, that’s fine with me.” Andrea didn’t care who came with them as long as she got to see the inside of that house.
Gloria looked over at the boys. She wasn’t so sure Andrea would be saying that after she spent the afternoon with them… “We’re getting ready for church now. We can have lunch here and then head over there afterwards.”
“That’s perfect. I can hardly wait,” Andrea gushed.
Gloria didn’t have the heart to burst her bubble. Once she saw the condition of the house, she was probably going to change her mind.
The boys were done eating by now. She shooed them off to get ready as she loaded the dishwasher and made her way to her room.
By the time Gloria and the boys got to church, Andrea was already waiting outside. Justin, one of the handsome young ushers, had her ear bent. Gloria shook her head. She’d never seen him so interested in a female. He sure seemed taken by Andrea.
Andrea finally caught Gloria’s eye. She waved her over. Justin’s face fell when he saw Gloria and the boys walk towards them. “Good morning, Justin.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Rutherford,” he politely replied. “Will the boys be going to Sunday School?”
She patted Ryan’s head as she nodded firmly. “Yes, they will.”
Justin reluctantly said good-bye to Andrea as he led the boys in the direction of the youth building. He glanced back longingly as Gloria and Andrea headed inside. “Justin sure does seem to be taken with you.”
Andrea shook her head. “He was talking my ear off.” She shrugged. “I don’t believe I’ve ever met a man who likes to talk as much as he does!”
Gloria scanned the pews before finally spying Ruth in the back. Ruth slid down the bench as she made room for two more. Her other friends, Margaret and Lucy, were on the other side.
This week’s message was about supporting the missionaries the church sponsored. Several of the husband/wife teams made their way to the pulpit and shared their stories of souls saved in third world countries like Honduras. Gloria dabbed at her eyes when they told the congregation about all the poor, hungry children living in dirt huts, walking miles by foot just to hear about Jesus and then giving their lives to Christ.
The small group of Garden Girls assembled outside after the service. “I have to skip the neighborhood deliveries today,” Gloria explained. She glanced over at Andrea. “Andrea wants to run over and take a look at the old Johnson mansion. She’s thinking about buying it.”
Gasps of shock went round the small circle. “That place should be condemned!” Ruth declared.
But Andrea wouldn’t hear of it. “Oh, I only got a quick glimpse of the outside but I know it can be restored to its original beauty. I’m thinking about fixing it up and moving in,” she added, excitement filling her voice.
Dot patted Andrea’s hand. “Dear, I can see the stars in your eyes as you talk about that old place. Just remember to keep your eyes wide open as you look around.”
She turned to Gloria. “You’ll make sure she’s not getting in over her head?”
Gloria nodded. “Of course. That’s one of the reasons I’m going with her.” She put an arm around Andrea’s shoulder. “To keep her feet on the ground and be the voice of reason.”
Tyler and Ryan rushed over to where they were standing. “Are we going to go look at the haunted house now?”
Gloria shook her head. “First we have a quick lunch and then we go look at it.”
Andrea followed Gloria back to the farm. As soon as they were out of the car, Tyler took off for the other side of the garden in the direction of the plastic pail so he could check on his “pet.” Ryan was right on his heels. The boys came to an abrupt halt as they stared down at the empty pail in disbelief. Tyler tipped the pail sideways and peered inside. “Barneys gone!”
Gloria tiptoed past the edge of the garden as she made her way over to where the boys were standing. Sure enough, the plastic pail was empty.
Tyler held the lid in his hand as tears welled up in his eyes. “The lid was just sitting on top!”
Hmmm, Gloria thought. So someone took the lid off and let the snake go…. Maybe the same person who was in the barn last night.
She wasn’t the only one thinking that. “Grams, whoever was in the barn last night must’ve let Barney go.”
Andrea was standing beside them now and caught the tail end of what Ryan just said. “Someone was in the barn last night?”
Andrea was the one that discovered someone had been in Gloria’s barn in the first place when she stumbled upon a blanket and navy blue backpack in the loft. Lucy’s boyfriend, Bill, searched the barn the next day but the loft was empty. The only thing that turned up was a small pocket knife tucked away under a pile of straw. A knife that Gloria didn’t recognize.
She promised Andrea she would put padlocks on the doo
rs but had forgotten all about it. When she finally did remember, she kept finding excuses to put it off.
Andrea marched over to the barn door. She stuck a hand on her hip as she turned back to stare accusingly at a sheepish Gloria. “You promised me you were going to get locks on these.”
“I know, I know. I just got busy. I have a couple locks in the garage I can use.”
“Good!” Andrea replied firmly. “We’ll do that after we change our clothes and eat lunch. Before we go look at my house,” she added.
Gloria sighed when she heard Andrea say, “My house.” She never realized her young friend had such a stubborn streak. Maybe that was a good thing, considering all she’d been through…
Back inside, Gloria threw together a quick lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. She warmed the leftover macaroni and cheese from the night before and set it on the table along with the soup and sandwiches.
Andrea rubbed her hands together. “Oohh. This macaroni and cheese looks delicious!”
Tyler eyed Andrea suspiciously as he scooped a large spoonful onto his plate, making sure he got his fair share. “Grams makes the best macaroni and cheese in the whole world!”
Gloria caught a glimpse of Puddles’ head as he peeked out from around the corner of the dining room door. The tantalizing smell of food filled the air as he sniffed appreciatively. He stopped short of actually slinking into the kitchen when he spotted Tyler and Ryan sitting at the table.
Gloria broke off a piece of her sandwich and made her way into the dining room. She rounded the corner to find Puddles hovering under the hutch. She broke off a piece of the cheesy bread and held it out to her furry friend. Puddles sniffed the offering for just a second before wolfing it down in one bite. The second piece she held out was gone just as fast.
Gloria patted his head and gave him a quick stroke on the back before heading back into the kitchen.
“Was that Puddles?” Andrea would’ve loved to see the cat before she left.
“Yeah,” Gloria answered. “Unfortunately, he won’t come out while the boys are here.” She went on. “Last time they visited, the boys tried flushing poor Puddles down the toilet and now he’s terrified to come out when they’re around.”
Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2) Page 2
