Yuletide Peril

by Irene Brand

  She started toward the door with Lance right behind her. “Let’s go in my van,” he said. “We can cover more territory that way.”

  Janice nodded and walked silently to his vehicle.

  When he started the engine, Lance asked, “Any ideas where they might have gone?” he asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea what goes through the mind of an eleven-year-old. Let’s check our apartment first.”

  They drove to the apartment, but it was empty. Janice went upstairs and tapped on Henrietta’s door. When she received no answer, she remembered that Henrietta had also gone to the meeting at the church. She ran downstairs and back to Lance’s car.

  “No sign of them here,” Janice said, her anger giving way to concern. “With all the trouble I’m having taking possession of the Reid property and trying to protect Brooke from harm, she pulls a stunt like this. What do we do next?”

  “Let’s drive around a bit. It’s been less than fifteen minutes. They couldn’t have gone far.”

  He eased out on Main Street and drove several blocks before they found the two children strolling along window-shopping. Brooke must have known that Janice was angry, because her face turned beet-red when Janice stepped out of Lance’s car and confronted her.

  “What do you kids think you’re doing?” Janice said. “Get in the car.”

  Wordlessly, Brooke and Taylor crawled into the back seat of the van, and when Janice sat beside him, Lance looked at her and lifted his eyebrows.

  “Please take Brooke and me back to our apartment.”

  The drive was made in silence, and after thanking Lance for his help, Janice herded Brooke into the apartment.

  “Are you going to send me away, Janice?” Brooke whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

  “Of course I’m not going to send you away. But I do want an explanation of your actions tonight.”

  Brooke curled up on the couch and clutched a pillow to her stomach. Without meeting Janice’s gaze, she said, “I told you before that Taylor wants her mom and dad to get back together again. If you and Mr. Gordon would get married, Taylor thinks her mother would have to move out of his house. That way, Taylor thinks her parents would marry again. And I’d like that, too—I don’t want to live in Uncle John’s house.”

  Brooke spoke logically, as if a situation that involved six people could be solved so simply. There was no sign of penitence, but Janice tried to control her anger.

  “Marriage is a serious matter and Taylor is selfish to try and manipulate her parents’ decisions.”

  Brooke opened her mouth to speak and Janice silenced her with a brusque wave of her hand.

  “Taylor probably has no notion of why her parents separated, and regardless, you had no reason to interfere. Do you realize that you put me in an embarrassing position tonight? If Mr. Gordon wants to get married, he’ll choose his own bride—he certainly doesn’t need a couple of kids to arrange a blind date for him.”

  “But…”

  Janice shook her head. “I’m not finished yet. Besides, I don’t want any arguments. You interfered in a situation that wasn’t any of your business, and I don’t want it to happen again. Promise me.”

  “All right, I won’t do it anymore. But I still think you and Mr. Gordon ought to get together.”

  “It is none of your business, Brooke. Can’t I get that through your mind?”

  “Am I going to be punished?”

  “Do you think you should be?”

  “Maybe.” She peered up at Janice anxiously, “Can I still go to Taylor’s slumber party?”

  “I don’t know. It’s possible that Linda will cancel the party after she hears what Taylor has done.”

  “I’m hungry. Will I have to go to bed without any supper?”

  Janice stood and moved to the kitchen area. “What do you want to eat?” Her anger had cooled now, and remembering the times she’d gone to bed hungry as a child, she certainly wouldn’t punish Brooke by withholding food from her. She was still so confused and angry that she didn’t have an appetite.

  “A bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.”

  “You prepare the sandwich while I heat the soup.”

  While Brooke ate, Janice undressed and got into her pajamas. Long after Brooke was in bed asleep, she sat listlessly in the chair—wondering what it would have been like to have shared the evening with Lance.

  Although Linda was as angry at her daughter as Janice had been with Brooke, she went ahead with plans for the sleepover because the invitations had already been given. She told Janice that if she canceled the party, she’d have to give a reason, and she wanted as little gossip about the girls’ stunt as possible. It bothered Janice that Brooke still didn’t feel guilty about trying to bring Lance and her together, but she wouldn’t punish her by taking away the opportunity for her sister to be with her friends. She gave permission for Brooke to go to the sleepover.

  The day of the party, Janice was making curtains at Mountjoy when her cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” Lance said. “Are you by yourself?”

  “No, Cecil is working on the steps to the second floor.” She hadn’t told Lance that she was afraid to be alone at Mountjoy.

  She sensed his hesitation before he said, “We haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened the other night. I realize you were embarrassed by the situation, but it would have been a pleasure to have dinner with you.”

  “Thanks for letting me know that. I was so angry and afraid that I wasn’t very diplomatic. Nothing personal.”

  “I’ve been thinking that the kids may have had a good idea. Since you’ll be alone for the evening, let’s have dinner together.”

  Her pulse beat rapidly, and Janice disguised her elation by saying teasingly, “Are you sure you aren’t using me as an excuse to get out of a house with five girls?”

  “I do wonder if the walls are thick enough to muffle their merrymaking, but that isn’t the reason I’m asking.”

  “With Brooke in Linda’s care tonight, I’d love to accept your invitation. Are we going to have cheeseburgers at the diner?” she added, mirth in her voice.

  He laughed in a mellow tone that always thrilled Janice. “I think we can do better than that. There’s a good Italian restaurant a few miles south of town. Would you like that?”

  “Very much.”

  “Then I’ll pick you up about six o’clock.”

  Janice cradled the phone in her hand after Lance hung up, and she stared dreamily out the window without seeing the wooded hills in their autumn beauty beyond the house. With the suspense hanging over her head, was she foolish to become involved romantically with Lance? Janice knew she was lonely. She’d been lonely all her life—even in a crowd of people she’d often felt alone.

  She wanted someone to care for her and she’d be vulnerable in a relationship with Lance. He’d asked her once to be his friend, but often she’d wondered how it would be to be more than a friend to Lance. If she dated him and lost her heart to him, and he wanted nothing but friendship, she’d be hurt again. She’d had so little love in her life that it seemed she had a void where her heart was.

  Janice had never felt that her parents loved her. Brooke loved her, but it was a childish love—a dependent love. Miss Caroline and Maddie had loved her unselfishly, but she sensed that a special love between a man and woman would be different. After she’d guarded her heart for years, she wanted to be sure that she didn’t lose it to Lance if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings.

  Stirring from her reverie, Janice put her sewing aside and turned off the sewing machine. She wandered down the hall and waited until Cecil finished sawing on a piece of lumber before she said anything.

  “If you’ll lock up before you leave, I’m going back to the apartment.”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ve got another hour’s work before I finish.”

  “Brooke is going to a slumber party tonight and I’ll have to be sure she has all of her things
together before Linda Mallory picks her up. See you tomorrow morning.”

  Her phone rang again as she walked to the car. She answered to Lance’s voice. “I forgot to mention this, but I thought you were very attractive in the suit you had on a few nights ago. I’d like for you to wear it again.”

  Janice’s heart skipped a beat, but she said lightly, “Thanks for the suggestion. Now I won’t have to decide what to wear.”

  How could Lance have noticed what she’d worn that night? She been so angry at Brooke that she had no idea whether Lance had been in a suit and tie or in casual dress.

  After Brooke left for the night, Janice showered and changed into the ivory and gold suit. She hadn’t told Brooke she was going out, but she’d have her phone if her sister called. She did take the precaution of telling Henrietta where she was going.

  Her elderly friend was eating peanut butter, cheese and crackers while watching the evening news, when Janice tapped on the door.

  “Come in for a snack,” Henrietta said. “I should have asked you to have supper with me since Brooke is gone. It slipped my mind about the sleepover until I saw Linda pick her up. I’ll share my peanut butter with you.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve had a better offer,” she said, laughing. “Lance is taking me out to an Italian restaurant for supper.”

  Henrietta didn’t blink an eye, or act as if one invitation was a prerequisite to marriage as some people might have done. “I’ll agree it is a better offer. That restaurant serves delicious food.”

  “Since Linda is supervising Brooke tonight, I can go out without being concerned about her.”

  “I’m here to look out for Brooke whenever you want to go out. It’s wonderful that you’re so devoted to your sister, but you need a life of your own.”

  “You have my phone number if you need to reach me.”

  “Take my advice and leave the phone at home.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Janice heard a knock on the apartment door and said, “That must be Lance.”

  She hurried down the stairs, laid the phone to one side, picked up her purse and hurried to open the door.

  “Ready?”

  Lance looked more handsome than usual in an indigo merino V-neck sweater, a small-checked light blue dress shirt with open collar and a pair of black slacks.

  “Yes. I’ve been upstairs telling Henrietta I was going out.”

  In silence they walked to the car, where he opened the door for her. “How were things at your house when you left?”

  “Noisy,” he said, with a wide grin. “But I’m used to kids, so it really didn’t bother me. However, after I’ve been around children all day, I prefer quiet evenings. How’s the work progressing at Mountjoy?”

  “Not bad. For a man who moves as slow as Cecil does, he accomplishes a lot.”

  “He makes every move count. I’ll want a tour of the house in a few days.”

  “I think you’ll be amazed at the changes. Cecil has all the windows replaced and new locks for the doors. I thought that would take care of intruders, but I’m not sure it has. Almost every day something is out of place, and I’m sure Cecil and I haven’t moved them.”

  She told him about the moving cup with the tombstone on it and the sounds she heard when she was there alone. “I assume that’s what you heard when you investigated Mountjoy before I came.”

  He darted a quick glance toward her as he turned into the restaurant’s parking lot. When he parked and turned off the engine, he said indignantly, “Why haven’t you told me that before now?”

  “I haven’t told anyone. I knew if I told you or Henrietta, you’d insist that I shouldn’t move to the house. Also, I kept hoping it was just my imagination.”

  “You should report this to the police.”

  She shook her head. “No! It would terrify Brooke if the police start investigating. Besides, they haven’t found the people who slashed my tires, so I don’t have much confidence in the local police. Surely when I move in, and my relatives know I’m not going to be intimidated, they’ll leave me alone.”

  He walked around the car and opened the door. “If it is Albert and his kids.”

  Still seated, she glanced upward in surprise. “Who else could it be?”

  “I don’t know, but despite the bad reputation the Reids have, I’ve never known them to be really violent about anything. They’re too shiftless to exert that much energy.”

  “Well, let’s forget it tonight. I’d like a few hours away from my troubles, and I’m certainly not going to ruin your evening by complaining.”

  He took her hand and pulled upward. “Then I won’t bother you about my troubles, either,” he said with a grin.

  As they entered the restaurant and waited to be seated, she said anxiously, “I didn’t know you had any trouble.”

  “What! When I deal with four hundred elementary school kids every day?” In a lower tone, he said, “I had to suspend a fifth grader for bringing a bag of marijuana to school today. That wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

  “Where did he get it?”

  “He said he found it, but the chief of police is investigating his family. Goodman is desperate to put a stop to drug trafficking around here but he hasn’t had a lead to where that carload of drugs came from. The man driving the car he apprehended a week ago posted bail and promptly disappeared. Frankly, I think it’s a bigger problem than we suspect.”

  “This way,” the hostess said, and led them to a secluded table in the rear of the restaurant.

  “It’s an interesting place.”

  “This restaurant was established in an old warehouse,” Lance explained. He motioned toward the ceiling where the furnace pipes and supporting beams had been incorporated into the décor. “It’s a little noisy, because there isn’t a ceiling to muffle sounds, but at least our next-door neighbor can’t hear what we’re saying. This restaurant started last year, and it’s a popular place.”

  The menu had a large variety of Italian entrées, but Janice had made her choice when the waitress came.

  “I’d like the vegetable lasagna, please, and the small Caesar salad. Also, hot tea.”

  Lance ordered spaghetti and meatballs, a Caesar salad and a soda.

  As they sipped on their beverages, Lance leaned back in his chair and said quietly, “It’s been so long since I’ve been out on a date, I hardly know how to act.”

  Her heart quickened from the tender expression on his face. “You’re doing fine so far,” she said, and ducked her head to hide her warm cheeks.

  “I suppose if I wanted to impress you, I’d pretend to be very experienced in the dating game,” he countered, a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes.

  “That wouldn’t impress me,” she said, a smile hovering around her lips. “It would probably scare me away. At VOH Miss Caroline discouraged any affection between the boys and girls. I double-dated a few times when I got out on my own, but I was more interested in making money than a social life.” She glanced at him shyly. “I can’t help wonder why you asked me out.”

  “Because you’re the only woman I’ve wanted to date for a long time. See, I told you I’m not experienced along this line—I shouldn’t have admitted that.”

  The waitress brought their salads, and after she left, he said, “Why did you agree to come out with me?”

  “Maybe because you’ve been so helpful, and I feel safe with you. More likely because the idea appealed to me.”

  They didn’t talk about anything else personal after the waitress brought their entrées. They ate slowly, speaking of church activities, in particular the class project. When the waitress removed the plates, she brought a dessert tray. Janice chose the carrot cake, while Lance took blackberry cobbler à la mode. While they lingered over their dessert and coffee, a man paused at their booth.

  “Hey, Dale,” Lance said heartily and pulled out a chair. “Sit down.”

  “I’m meeting a couple of guys,” the man said and his eyes moved around the room. “Th
ey aren’t here yet, so I’ll visit ’til they come if I’m not bothering you.”

  Lance signaled for the waitress and asked for another cup of coffee.

  “Dale, this is my friend, Janice Reid.”

  “Any relation to Brooke?”

  “Her sister,” Janice answered. Puzzled, she turned to Lance.

  Smiling, he explained, “This is Dale Mallory, Taylor’s father.”

  Janice saw little resemblance between Taylor and her deeply-tanned, brown-eyed father. His neat mustache set off a well-shaped chin and generous mouth. He was small-boned and of medium height, but he had wide shoulders and muscular arms.

  A smile lit his pleasant eyes when he said, “Taylor talks about Brooke a lot.” He reached his hand across the table. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  “Taylor’s having a sleepover tonight and Brooke was invited,” Janice said. “Lance was kind enough to invite me out so I wouldn’t get lonesome.”

  “A poor excuse is better than none,” Dale said, humor in his eyes as he clapped Lance on the shoulder. Janice liked him at once and she wondered why Linda had divorced him.

  “I see my buddies coming. Thanks for the coffee, Lance. Nice to meet you, Janice.”

  After he left, Lance asked for the check and paid their bill. When they returned to the car, Janice said, “He seems like such a nice man—no wonder Taylor wants her parents to remarry.”

  “He is a nice guy, and I’ve never thought he was guilty of embezzlement. Dale and I have always been friends. Linda has never told me why she divorced him and I haven’t asked.”

  “Do you think they’ll get back together?”

  “It’s hard to tell. Linda is stubborn.”

  Arriving back at the apartment, Lance turned off the car engine and turned to face Janice in the semidarkness of the street light. “So where do we go from here?” he said.

  Janice took a steadying breath. “Where do you want to go?”

  Blue eyes, soft and tender, gazed into hers. “I’m not sure. I asked to be your friend, but friendship may not be enough. My interest in you is such a new feeling that I suppose I’m being cautious.”

  “I understand exactly what you mean. We both need to be cautious. I feel like I’m living under a cloud with all the suspense at Mountjoy, and I have a responsibility to Brooke. I’m living one day at a time—too stressed to deal with anything as important as the future.”