Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2)

by Hope Callaghan

  He wasn’t really scary and most people didn’t mind giving him a lift if they were going in the same direction. He was a man of few words, though. No one really knew where he came from or if he even had any family.

  “The dead man you found in the shed is Walking Stan’s brother.”

  You could’ve knocked Gloria over with a feather. “He had a brother?”

  He nodded. “His name was Arthur Blackstone.”

  Gloria was speechless. All she could do was shake her head. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever even heard what Walking Stan’s last name was.

  Officer Kennedy wasn’t done. “They found a backpack near his body. A navy blue one.”

  She nodded at that. “We didn’t get a look at the man in the shed since he was covered in a tarp and all. The only thing sticking out was a hand. We got a quick look at the backpack before the police took it away.”

  Kennedy was curious. “Did it look familiar?”

  Gloria nodded. “Andrea said it looked like the one she saw in my loft a couple weeks ago.”

  Kennedy shook his head. None of this was adding up. If this Arthur fellow was Walking Stan’s brother, why was he hiding out in Gloria’s barn?

  “What was in the backpack?” Gloria was hoping for some sort of clue.

  “It was empty, all except for a small piece of paper with Walking Stan’s address on it.” He went on. “We paid a visit to Stan. That’s when he told us it was his brother. Said Arthur showed up on his doorstep out of the blue.”

  He absentmindedly bent down to stroke Mally’s head. “A very odd man. Not much of a talker.”

  “Yeah, that’s him for sure.” Gloria nodded. “So did you check the Johnson house?”

  He nodded. “Clean. Not a single clue.”

  Gloria opened her mouth to speak and then quickly closed it. She was torn. Should she mention what she discovered at the house the other day? After all, she didn’t want him thinking she was already working “the case.” She decided to take her chances since she really wanted his thoughts. “I noticed something when we were in the house the other day…”

  Kennedy waited. This is what he had been hoping for. He hated to admit it but this woman was a stickler for details. She knew something.

  “It was the kitchen. The kitchen in that house was really clean. You know, not dusty like it hadn’t been lived in for years,” she explained.

  That in itself might not be earth shattering clue material but what she said next, well that might be something. “And when I turned on the kitchen faucet, the water was clear. If the well and the pipes hadn’t been used for years, wouldn’t the water have rust in it?”

  Kennedy nodded thoughtfully. Hmmm, so maybe there were more clues inside the house…. “Is that all?”

  She nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s it.”

  Kennedy looked at his watch. “I’m off duty now. If you’ve got the time, maybe I can take you up on that offer for a cup of coffee…”

  The blood instantly drained from Gloria’s face before returning with a vengeance and causing it to turn the brightest shade of pink. Her tongue turned traitor as it twisted up in her mouth. The only thing that came out was a pathetic, squeaky “Of course.” She whirled around, hoping he hadn’t noticed the color of her face and praying he wouldn’t change his mind.

  Her fingers were slicker than a can of Crisco as she fumbled with the cups, almost dumped a plate of cookies on the floor and then nearly tripped over the darned cat who decided it was time to check out the visitor.

  The man was obviously an animal lover because Puddles jumped up on his lap and started purring loudly. “How many pets do you have?”

  Gloria breathed a sigh of relief when everything was safely on the table and she was able to sit down. “Just two. Probably two too many, though.”

  She looked at Mally warningly. “She’s on probation. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep her.” But she knew that wasn’t true. The dog was here to stay.

  Mally dropped to the floor and laid her head on top of her paws, staring at Gloria remorsefully. “I’m just kidding. Of course, you’re staying.”

  Paul Kennedy was an expert at putting people at ease and it worked like a charm on the nervous woman across the table. They chatted easily about living in a small town and how much he liked being a cop, even though he didn’t patrol the streets very often anymore.

  He leaned back in the chair. “I’m thinking about retiring in the next couple years.” He stared blankly out the window. “My wife died a few years back. Just not sure what I’ll do with myself if I don’t have a job to go to every day.”

  Gloria stared down at her hands. So they were both in the same boat… “Same here. My husband James passed away a couple years ago. He had a heart attack in his sleep.” She started to tear up as she spoke the words. “At least he died peacefully…”

  Kennedy reached over and gently squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She shook her head. “It’s OK.” A sigh escaped her lips. “It just gets lonely sometimes.”

  Paul felt a kindred spirit with the woman seated across from him. “Maybe I could take you to dinner one evening?” he asked hopefully.

  Gloria’s head shot up, a look of surprise spread across her face. “That would be lovely.” She surprised herself with how quickly she answered. “I would like that very much.”

  Kennedy eased out of the chair and reluctantly stood. “How does Friday night sound?”

  It sounded fabulous to Gloria. She nodded.

  “Good, I’ll pick you up around 6 then?”

  She nodded again, too nervous to answer.

  The dog followed them to the door. No way were they going to go outside without her!

  By the time Gloria and Mally made their way back inside, Gloria’s phone was ringing. It was Ruth. “Do you know who the dead guy in the shed was?”

  “Yep.”

  Ruth was like a deflated balloon. “You do?”

  “Mmhm. It was Walking Stan’s brother, Arthur.”

  “I’d like to know how you keep finding this stuff out before me,” she huffed.

  A small smile played across Gloria’s lips. There was no way she was going to tell her that Paul Kennedy was just at her house. That would really start the tongues in Belhaven wagging. “Look, I gotta run. The dog needs to go out,” she fibbed.

  “What dog?” But Gloria had already hung up. She smiled into the phone knowing that right about now Ruth was annoyed as all get out.

  The phone was ringing again. Gloria sighed tiredly. Careful what you wish for. First she was bored to death and now she couldn’t even sit down.

  “Hello?”

  “How’s Mally doing?” It was Jill.

  “We’re having a grand old time. We’ve already tromped through the garden and thoroughly investigated the big red barn.”

  “Did she find anything?”

  “You mean like clues as to who was in the barn the other night?” Gloria asked innocently.

  “Yeah. That!”

  Gloria poured another cup of coffee and sat down. This might take awhile. “No, but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore.”

  “Oh, really. Why is that?”

  Because the person who was in my barn is the same one we found dead out at the old Johnson place.”

  Jill was completely confused. “H-how on earth do you know that?”

  “Officer Kennedy stopped by a few minutes ago. He told me the man was Walking Stan’s brother.” Gloria held her breath, waiting for her daughter to react.

  “Who is Officer Kennedy?”

  Gloria sighed. “It’s a long story. He’s with the Montbay Sheriff Department.”

  “He?”

  “Yep.”

  Jill sounded aggravated. “I give up! You have people hiding in your barn that turn up dead and now cops are stopping by your house for a visit. Next you’ll tell me you’re going on a date!”

  Gloria smiled. “Friday ni
ght.”

  “Ugh! I’m not saying anything else. Who knows what else I’m going to find out.”

  Jill paused before continuing her rant. What her mom wasn’t saying was way more telling than what she was. She sounded excited, like maybe she was interested in this Kennedy fellow.

  Jill switched gears. “What are you going to wear?”

  Wear? Oh, my. Gloria hadn’t even gotten that far yet. Now she was going to have to worry about what to wear??

  “I’ll stop by later this week and help you pick something out. Something young and sexy.” Jill added.

  Gloria blushed. “Stop that!”

  Jill suddenly began yelling. “Look, I gotta go. The boys are at it again!”

  The line went dead. Gloria shook her head. Better her than me.

  The rest of the afternoon was peaceful and quiet. It was out on the porch later that evening that Gloria discovered Mally was content to curl up at her feet and take a dog nap. There was one small problem, though. The pooch considered squirrels to be big game. Every time lifted her head and spotted one, she sprinted down the steps and peeled across the lawn as if her tail were on fire. Gloria couldn’t fault her that one little flaw. Otherwise, she was pretty darn perfect.

  They stayed on the porch for a long time. Gloria’s stomach growled. She glanced at her watch. “You hungry yet, Mally?” Her ears perked up when she realized food was being discussed. She wandered over to the door and patiently waited for Gloria to open it.

  Minutes later, leftover slices of meatloaf tantalized the hungry pup’s nose as her sniffer found its way over to the edge of the kitchen counter. Gloria glanced down at the dog who was now directly under foot. “I bet you like meatloaf.”

  She pulled a paper plate from the cupboard. She sliced several thin pieces and arranged them on the plate before setting the plate on the floor. Gloria grabbed her own plate and headed for the living room, eager to see if the evening news had any updates on Arthur’s murder.

  She no more than sat down in her comfy recliner when Mally sidled up next to Gloria, carrying the empty paper plate in her mouth. “Well, look at that. I guess that means you want more, huh.”

  She dropped a few more small pieces on the plate as Puddles jumped up and wiggled in next to Gloria. “Between the two of you, I won’t have anything to eat myself,” she grumbled. But she didn’t really mean it. She let Puddles eat a few pieces out of her hand before finishing what was left.

  The news was just starting. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the murder. It looked as if she’d have to work on getting more clues on her own. What better place to start than with Walking Stan himself – if she could get him to talk, that is. Tomorrow would be the perfect time to try.

  Chapter 4

  First thing the next morning Gloria made a list of questions she wanted to ask Walking Stan. After all, how much sense would it make to show up on his doorstep if she had no idea what she wanted to say?

  She grabbed her car keys and purse and headed for the door. Mally was already waiting for her, stuffed toy firmly clenched in her mouth. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  She pawed at the door lightly. A small, pitiful whine escaped. “You can go this time. Just don’t think that you’re going to go every time, got that?” Gloria tried to sound stern but even to her own ears it rang hollow. They all knew who was running the show these days and it definitely wasn’t Gloria.

  It took less than a minute for Gloria to turn onto the road where the only purple house in Belhaven could be found. Or it used to be purple. Hard telling what it looked like now. She cautiously pulled into the drive. The house was still purple but more of a lilac color from years of fading in the sun. She turned the car off and glanced warily at the large picture window in front. The shades were drawn tight. The van was in the drive so Stan was either in the house or managed to hitch a ride to who-knows-where.

  She grabbed the handle. Mally dropped her stuffed animal on the seat and squeezed in next to Gloria. “You stay here,” she commanded. Sad, mournful eyes met hers but it wasn’t going to work this time. She was going to have to stay put for a few minutes.

  The cement steps leading to the front door were in need of some serious repair. Gloria sidestepped the crumbling corners as she made her way to the front door. Before she could change her mind, she firmly pressed the doorbell and nervously waited.

  The door creaked open, just a teeny bit. One hazel colored eyeball stared through the crack. “Who is it?”

  The hair on the back of Gloria’s neck rose unexpectedly. She swallowed hard. “G-Gloria Rutherford,” she stammered. “Your neighbor down the road.” She closed her eyes and prayed he wouldn’t fling the door open, shotgun in hand. Thankfully, he did open the door and there wasn’t a gun. Just a metal baseball bat. Of course, that would hurt pretty badly, but not nearly as much as being shot.

  A small disheveled man stood in the doorway. He eyed her suspiciously. “Yeah, what do you want?”

  So much for pleasantries. “I-uh, just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about your brother…”

  The old man shook a shaggy head. “He wasn’t much of kinfolk to me. Nothin’ but a thief and a crook.”

  Jackpot! So the brother was a criminal…

  “Why do you say he was a crook?”

  Walking Stan didn’t answer. Instead, a scarred hand that reminded her of a claw waved her inside. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking a deep breath and following him in. She glanced back at Mally whose snout was smashed against the driver side glass window. Hopefully, she’d make it back out alive.

  The inside of the house was surprisingly tidy. Almost too tidy for a known recluse and confirmed bachelor. The walls were painted a normal shade of light beige. No, the inside definitely did not match the outside.

  “You have a nice little place here, Mr. Stan.”

  He swung around and studied her for a moment, as if he thought she was making fun of him and his house. “Mr. Blackstone. But you can call me Stan.” A toothy grin accompanied the words.

  He likes me! Oh no! I hope he doesn’t like me like that or think that I’m trying to hit on him. The thought hadn’t occurred to Gloria until that precise moment. She took a small step back.

  It was time to steer the conversation back to the reason for her visit. “So why do you think your brother is a crook?”

  He reached over and plucked a newspaper clipping off the end table. He handed it to Gloria. “This is my brother.”

  She snatched her reading glasses from inside her purse and slipped them on. The article was about six months old and briefly described a bank robbery in Grand Rapids. She quickly scanned the short story. The robber was never been apprehended.

  Gloria handed the news article back to Stan. “And you’re sure the robber was your brother?”

  Stan nodded solemnly. “I know it for a fact. Came by here a few months ago asking me if he could crash on my couch. He had a backpack full of cash with him. That’s when he told me he was the one that robbed the bank.”

  He carefully set the piece of paper back on the stand. “Told him I don’t take kindly to thieves and that he best be leaving before I called the po-lice on him.”

  “That was the last you heard of him?”

  He shook his head. “It was up until a few days ago. He was back on my doorstep lookin’ real scared. Said he owed a lot of money - gambling debts - to some real bad people and wanted me to hang onto what money he had left from the robbery.”

  Stan raised his hands in front of him. “Told him I wanted nothin’ to do with it and he better leave.”

  “So he did?” she prompted.

  Stan nodded. “Yep, that’s the last I heard of him ‘til the other day when the officer came ‘round and told me they’d found him dead in the back shed of that big old house on the hill.”

  He scratched his scruffy beard thoughtfully. “Looks like the folks that were after him finally tracked him down.”

  “Your broth
er never gave you any clue as to who might be after him?”

  He shook his head. “Nope, none at all…”

  Gloria was curious. “Did you tell the police about the money?”

  “Nope. I sure didn’t. They didn’t ask if I knew what was in the backpack and I didn’t offer. No sense in stirring up a hornets nest. My brother’s dead and the killers are looong gone.”

  Gloria took another step back and reached behind her, groping for the door handle. “Well, I’m sorry about your brother. I hope for your sake you’re right and the killers are long gone.”

  Stan seemed pretty confident. “But if not,” he grabbed his metal bat and tapped it against the gnarled hand, “they’ll be sorry if they come around here and try to mess with Stanley Blackstone. You can be sure of that.”

  Gloria heaved a sigh of relief as she stepped out the door and back onto the porch. She glanced at Mally who was sitting in the exact same spot that Gloria left her.

  Stan peeked his head around the corner of the door. “Pretty dog.”

  Gloria couldn’t agree more. “Yeah, she’s a keeper, that’s for sure.”

  She pulled the car door open before turning back. Stan was standing in the doorway watching her. “Maybe you should get a dog, Stan. They’re good company and you could probably use a good watchdog.”

  He scratched his beard as he studied the dog thoughtfully. “Yeah, been thinkin’ ‘bout it.”

  That was the end of the conversation as he slipped back inside and silently shut the door behind him.

  Gloria scooted Mally over to the passenger side as she hopped in the car. “Were you worried about me, girl?”

  Mally took one long, wet swipe at the side of Gloria’s face with her tongue. “I swear you’re half human.” Another lick on the face was her only response as Gloria backed the car out of the driveway.

  Today was errand day and the next stop was the post office. This time she let Mally get out with her. The dog was as good as gold. She stayed right by Gloria’s side as they made their way into the small brick building.

  Ruth stepped out from behind the counter when she saw them come in. She reached down and patted Mally’s head. “I thought you were kidding about the dog.”