Death by Donation

by Sarah Hualde

  “What happened to her,” Ivy asked as all three women retreated to Bill Barnaby’s table. The women chattered as they sat.

  “The lights went out and Timmy the computer whiz lost it,” Lydia said.

  Flora snickered. “I’ve never seen a young man wig out so completely before. He was screeching and waving his hands above his head. You’d think the apocalypse had descended upon us all. I don’t think my phone will be repaired on time, do you?”

  Lydia shook her head. “I wouldn’t bet on it. All his howling frightened Scout.”

  Ivy kissed her daughter’s head. “A panicking prepper would frighten me, too. But we’re together again, Baby Girl. You’re all good.” Ivy smoothed Scout’s hair. “Is Timmy, okay? You guys didn’t leave him huddled in a corner, did you?”

  “We’re not monsters,” Flora said.

  “We waited for his mom to pick him up.”

  “His mom? Isn’t the guy, like, 27?” Flora and Lydia shrugged. Ivy rolled her eyes.

  Bill cleared his throat. “Ivy and I were almost finished chatting. But we can wrap up this session, now. I, for one, am too distracted to focus.”

  Hobo Joe, a week into his seasonal position at 3 Alarm, strolled up to the table carrying a decanter of fresh coffee. “Need a refill?” He filled Bill’s cup before giving him a chance to respond. “And you, ladies,” Joe cast a knowing look at Lydia, who returned it with a grin. “Let me get you both a cup, on me.” Flora waved a dismissive hand.

  “Thanks, but I can’t. It’ll keep Enoch up all night and he just started sleeping in five-hour chunks. I’d like to do the same.”

  “I don’t blame you. Lydia, you want anything? Better get it while it’s hot. All the machines are powered down.”

  Lydia thanked Joe and watched as he returned to the counter to grab a clean mug. Though she knew it to be true, she still couldn’t fathom Hobo Joe owning 3 Alarm Coffee. The building, the land, and the two adjacent buildings were his. This was the same man who slept in the park the entire summer and gladly took the moniker of Hobo Joe. Joe knew Lydia had found out his secret but the pair never discussed it.

  “Thanks, Joe,” she said when he placed the cup before her, brimming with hot java and garnished with a cinnamon stick.

  “You bet,” he said before checking on the few other dripping patrons.

  Lydia stirred her steamy drink with the cinnamon and turned back to the table's conversation.

  “Really? Phlebotomy? You want to work with blood and needles?” Flora jostled.

  Ivy shrugged. “It’s just one idea. Professor Barnaby says there’s an opportunity for me to intern, on a mobile blood bank, if I want to try.”

  “When and where?” Flora clapped her hands.

  Bill chimed in. “Here and tomorrow, actually. If the storm doesn’t hinder the van. It’s parking at the library, all weekend.”

  “I didn’t know that. Any special reason?”

  A pale pink flushed Bill’s cheeks. “Yes and no.” His answer was received by three inquisitive faces. The ladies now were more curious than before. Again, the Professor cleared his throat. “The library is hosting a blood drive. Any monetary benefits will go back to the library and help fund their programs.”

  Lydia wasn’t about to fall for a simple explanation. Something else was going on. “For three days? I recall the Elementary School hosted a blood drive for donations. They only scored four hours. Not a weekend.”

  Bill’s blush ignited and he coughed in excitement and avoidance. He chugged down his coffee, burning his tongue.

  “Ines scheduled the drive a few months ago.” Bill attempted to pass the buck but his efforts failed. Flora hated to see the man so uncomfortable. She squirmed in her seat. She knew Lydia was pumping Bill for information but she couldn’t stand seeing him so anxious. The man was starting to sweat. His bald head glowed with perspiration in spite of the rainstorm chill.

  “Oh, how is Ines? How are the wedding plans coming along?” Flora decided a switch in subject matter might lessen the tension.

  Bill Barnaby turned grateful eyes to Flora, who avoided Lydia’s expression. “Wonderful. Just wonderful. I never thought I’d find my soul mate in such a small town. When I moved here to get away from the city, I had no idea love was waiting for me. In a library no less.”

  Ivy smiled at the man. His infatuation was obvious. He was smitten with Ines Justice, the Honey Pot librarian. They were a perfect pairing. Both were quiet, easy-going people. Both enjoyed reading and exploring hidden branches of their respective family trees. Everyone in town congratulated the professor and his bride-to-be over their late in life love and their upcoming nuptials.

  “Now that I think of it, I should give Ines a call. I wonder if her side of the street is without power?” Bill slid his phone from his pocket and dialed. As the other end rang, he bid farewell to the ladies. “Ivy, I’ll call you when I have your visit all set up. It was good seeing you all.” Professor Barnaby scuttled nervously out of the cafe and headlong into the rain.

  Flora crossed her arms, watching the bewildered man get drenched in an instant. “Not everyone is up to something,” She said, turning her gaze upon Lydia.

  Lydia, who hated being chided, took a lingering sip of her coffee and disagreed in silence. Bill Barnaby was definitely up to something. Lydia doubted it was heinous, so she didn’t spend much energy pouring over the conversation. She simply knew Bill had a secret. Lydia would let him keep it to himself. For now.

  Chapter 3

  The rain never stopped, it only softened. At the first hint of calmer weather, Flora hurried home. Her family needed their dinner and her baby needed her. She preferred not to leave Enoch at home, even with his doting siblings watching over him. Only the storm stopped her from toting her infant to the computer shop.

  Dinner at the Everett house was strange without Ethan present. Power restored, Lydia brewed more coffee and whipped up a batch of apple spice pancakes with homemade whipped cream. Ivy broke off small pieces of flapjacks for Scout who gnawed them to mush with her three front teeth.

  “Blood, huh? I wouldn’t have guessed you had an interest in blood.” Lydia fished for more information from the career counseling session. Ivy responded in cheery excited tones. Her youth and hopeful enthusiasm colored every word.

  “It’s just one thing. We also discussed massage therapy and school counselor. It just happened that the Blood Bank is in town. I won’t get to do anything amazing. But Professor Barnaby doesn’t see why I couldn’t watch and hang out a bit on the bus. If nobody minds.” She handed Scout another nibble of pancake.

  “How is Bill going to swing that on this short of notice?”

  Ivy’s half-smile stretched across her face. “Are you being nosy or are you really interested?”

  “Interested. Interested. I promise.” With her index finger, Lydia made an x shape across her shirt.

  “Your heart is on the other side of your body.”

  Lydia laughed. “No wonder Bill thinks you’ll make a great phlebotomist”

  The teen rolled her eyes. “He said he might have a connection with the Blood Bank.”

  “With someone on the inside?”

  “I'm not saying anymore. You’re getting to be way too distrustful about everything.”

  “I guess that’s what happens after surviving two murder attempts.”

  “I don’t think that has anything to do with it. I think, deep down, you’ve always been that way.”

  Lydia chewed the last of her dinner, trying to think of a comeback. But the teen was right. She’d always been drawn to detective stories and made for TV mysteries. When they happened in real life, Lydia tried to run away but was sucked into their center. Resigned and willing to be whatever the Lord was calling her to be, Lydia stopped fighting her tendencies. She embraced them. Perhaps a mite too eagerly.

  ✽✽✽

  The storm drifted south of Honey Pot late in the night. Trees were stripped of leaves and lawns were decorated with r
andom bits of natural debris. Storms were a normal part of the season. Lydia recalled thunderstorms surrounding her birthday week every year since her arrival in the small town. This storm was slightly early but not completely unexpected.

  Lydia sat in bed, listening to a podcast, and filling in post-it notes. Each task for the day received a different post-it. Various colors meant various priorities. Family notes were purple and included her weekly video chat with her missionary daughter Joan. Orange ones were labeled with house chores and domestic duties. There were many of these. One mentioned, in bold black ink, stocking up on water and canned goods.

  Winter was on the way, though autumn had only just started. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Honey Pot had not seen a blizzard in years but any place where snow was a regular guest needed to prepare for the inevitable 100 years storm. Lydia wondered when Honey Pot was due theirs.

  Downstairs, Ivy fed Scout her breakfast. The teen was already showered and primped. She didn’t want a revisit of yesterday’s dressing in darkness dance. Thankfully, Professor Barnaby was just as Lydia had described him. He was friendly, understanding, and interested in Ivy and in her future. No fleeting glances of judgment clouded his smile. No condescension entered his tone when he explained Ivy’s options to her.

  Ivy wanted to go to university. She wanted to go badly. However, there was Scout. Scout was her priority. If she went to college at all, she’d opt for online classes to spend more time with her baby girl. She aimed to let the little one know how very wanted and loved she was by Ivy. And the young mother didn’t see how sending her to daycare for 12 hours a day would accomplish her goal.

  But, Lydia succeeded in talking Ivy into pursuing career development. Something specialized with succinct and seasonal training. Something she could learn quickly and build up experience fast. Ivy agreed. Her new focus included; finding a career college, spending a year or two training, start her career while raising Scout, and then perhaps hit up online college once Scout was in elementary school. Ivy didn’t like the thought of being halfway into her twenties before starting community college. But it couldn’t be helped. Besides, she much preferred that option over one where Scout grew up lonely.

  Lydia and Ethan were very patient with Ivy. They coached and supported her. They didn’t seem to judge her or to be anxious for her to get out of their space. But that didn’t mean they wanted to help a teen mom raise her child, for the next 18 years. Ivy would train, be the best she could be, and move out. The Everetts would have their freedom back and Ivy would still be able to take care of Scout.

  “My precious pea,” Ivy crooned to her daughter. Scout clapped as she happily chomped a teeny piece of banana into a pulp. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  “Mamamamammammamamama,” Scout blabbered. Ivy jumped to her feet and screamed for Lydia. Scout startled, tossing the rest of her breakfast to the floor and howling in fear.

  “I’m sorry, sweet Scout.” Ivy unbuckled Scout and kissed her suddenly trembling face.

  At Ivy’s call, Lydia chucked her post-its and leaped from her bed. She charged down the stairs. “What is it? What happened? Is she okay? I’ll get my purse!”

  “I think she said her first word.” Both women stared at the baby, waiting for a repeat performance. Scout’s beautiful brown eyes grew larger and welled. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. Her sticky fist held fast to Ivy’s styled blonde hair, leaving mashed banana and cereal behind.

  ✽✽✽

  Ines Justice stood in the library parking lot. Her left hand held her cell phone and her right grasped her umbrella. It wasn’t raining. Ines carried it just in case. She didn’t approve of the clumping clouds coming in from the north. She kept tabs on their movement as she watched the workers set up a canvas tent and plastic picnic table. The three lab technicians labored in a slow, steady rhythm. They each knew their job well and didn’t bother hustling to put things in order.

  The employee she searched for hadn’t stepped out of the van, yet. Ines caught sight of him through the large windshield as he unlocked the door. A second was all she needed to know he was the right man, the one she was looking for. Her thumb hovered over her fiancé’s photo on her phone. One press and her call would connect them. Ines couldn’t decide whether to alert Bill or let him arrive as planned. She didn’t want him stressed and harried for their appointment. She also didn’t want to waste any time getting this first meeting underway.

  Ines was still staring into the mobile when Ivy and Lydia arrived. “Ines,” Lydia greeted the librarian with a warm hug. Ines Justice and Lydia were longtime friends. Not close but reliable.

  “Lydia. I didn’t see you arrive.” Ines’ eyes widened. Her usual warm smile wasn’t forthcoming but her tone was nothing but pleasant. “And hello to you Miss Scout.” The librarian tickled Scout’s chin tenderly.

  “Scout and I are heading to storytime, while Ivy hangs out with Bill and the crew.”

  “Oh? Yes, I remember. I’ll be inside in twenty minutes.” Ines tucked her phone back into her coat pocket. It was later than she realized. An hour whizzed past without her noticing. Movement drew her attention. Again, for only half a second, she spotted the man she was searching for.

  Lydia picked up on Ines’ distraction and excused herself to the library. “When you see Bill, please tell him Ivy and I are just inside, at the large round table.”

  “Of course.” Ines didn’t turn her sea-green eyes back to Lydia.

  “What’s up with her?” Ivy whispered. She followed Lydia inside, happy to be out of the cold. Waiting fed her nervous tension but the inside of the library was nicer on her professional look than the outside.

  “Not a clue.”

  ✽✽✽

  A gaggle of young mothers and their lap-sitting babies gathered in the kid’s corner. Their hushed chatter filled the quiet library. Lydia listened as they spoke of diapers, cloth versus disposable. It wasn’t hard to imagine herself so young. Twenty plus years had whizzed by without a pause.

  She’d been warned, as all mothers are. Enjoy this now because it goes by so quickly. Lydia had tried. She held every moment close to her heart. Even the gut-wrenching years of defiance and teen drama. She purposed never to wish away a single stage. Still, it slipped from her grasp too fast to soak in. Now her precious baby Joanie was warrior Joan out in South Africa. Her toddler wasn’t building mud castles and playdough villages. She was constructing hospitals and churches. She wasn’t playing with dolls. She was feeding orphaned babies by syringe.

  Lydia ached for Joan. Twelve months without a single hug was weighing on her heart. The sudden attacks of missing her daughter weren’t growing farther apart and less painful. They were still frequent and ferocious.

  Lydia turned her eyes toward Ivy. The seventeen-year-old played with her own baby. Lydia sent silent and sincere praise to God for granting her the privilege of being with Ivy. Secretly, Lydia didn’t know if she could manage her homesickness for Joan without the lovely distraction of this new friend and daughter. Thankful wasn’t a strong enough word to describe her gratitude for Ivy’s presence in her life. She cherished it, even more than coffee.

  Ines entered the library only to instruct Gabby, the other librarian, to lead storytime. She stopped by the round table to discuss things with Lydia. Her eyes glistened with tears but abounded with joy. “Please forgive us, but Bill’s going to be a bit later than he expected. Would it be too much to ask you to come back in an hour or so?”

  Ivy and Lydia exchanged intrigued glances. “No, that’s fine. We’ll just head to the diner for some coffee and come back when we’re done.”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you. I’ll have Bill text you if anything changes. See you in an hour, then?”

  “Yes,” Ivy said. “We’ll be here.” Lydia and Ivy stood. Ines’ sensible pumps click-clacked as she hurried out of the library.

  “That was weird.” Lydia’s eyebrows spiked.

  “Oh, no. What are you think
ing?”

  Lydia shook her head to clear her mind. “Nothing bad. I’m thinking we should get some coffee.” The three ladies left the library, forgetting about storytime. Lydia couldn’t help swiveling her head toward the blood bank van. Two bald men hugged each other as Ines watched.

  “You’re always thinking that.” Ivy’s jab sent her into nervous giggles. Lydia didn’t reply in kind. She took another peek at the strange scene unfolding outside the Pottersville Library.

  Chapter 4

  Flora Brandes hooted to see her gal pals enter the diner. The entire Brandes clan, minus Kevin, lounged in the corner booth. Flora shooed her three eldest to another table. Ever retrieved a wooden high chair for Scout and pulled it up to the kids’ table.

  Ivy secured Scout in her chair and debated which table to sit at. She was equally comfortable at each. But less likely to get messy at the adult booth. She greeted each kid and gave Eloise a hug before joining Lydia and Flora.

  “Well, I don’t know who it is,” Flora said. “Ask them.”

  Ivy snickered. “There’s a mystery and Lydia’s got to get to the bottom of it.”

  “Pooh sticks!” Lydia pouted. “I’m just curious. Bill Barnaby is always so focused and punctual. It’s not like him to completely shrug off a meeting. He’s not acting like himself, that’s all. Nothing more.”

  Kevin, working in the kitchen, sighted the new arrivals. He flagged down a waiter and sent fresh coffee to his wife’s booth. Lydia waved at him but he was too busy scooping up poached eggs to reply.

  Flora changed the subject. “Ivy, tell me more about your interest in medical things.”

  “It’s not a new interest. Professor Barnaby asked me to make a list of everything I was intrigued by or was ever interested in doing. Phlebotomy wasn’t on my list. Not really. But I do like lab sciences and forensics. And the opportunity to get a closer look at a mobile bank is too good to pass on. I’m more interested in psychology and counseling. But that will take a great deal of time and schooling. Time I don’t have at present.”