Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 03 - Smoky Mountain Mystery (9 page)

So was Margaret.  The wild good chase had lost all its appeal. 

Liz was outnumbered.  She knew when she was beat.  Her shoulders slumped.  Without uttering a single word, she slid into the backseat and quietly closed the door.

They made their way back in the direction of the hotel, travelling down a narrow two-lane road that ran along the edge of the mountain, past the beautiful valley below.  Off in the distance, Gloria spied a small, white church.  The doors were open and light flooded out onto the street.  The sign out front read, “Smoky Mountain Bible Church.”

Gloria felt guilty they missed church that morning.  On top of that, she was pretty sure God wasn’t happy about her visiting a casino.  Maybe if she made a good size donation of her winnings to this little church it would ease her guilt….   “Let’s go spend a little time with the Lord.”

Before Margaret or Liz could answer, Gloria whipped into the parking lot and pulled up alongside a dozen other cars.  She snapped Mally’s leash on the collar and bent down to Mally-level.  “You better be a good girl, okay?” 

She could’ve sworn the dog nodded as Gloria patted her head.  “C’mon, let’s go.”

They slowly made their way down the sidewalk to the front entrance. Warm light beckoned them in.  Gloria felt more peaceful just being there.  Soft music floated in the air.  She recognized the song right away.  It was,
At the Foot of the Cross. 
The stress from the last few days melted away.  Gloria closed her eyes and hummed along.

When she opened them, a thin fellow with short dark hair was standing nearby, smiling at them.  “Welcome!  Come on in.  Have a seat.”  He patted Mally’s head before waving them in the direction of the pews.

The girls settled into an empty bench near the back as the service began.  The pastor’s message was touching. And timely. He talked about how we’re not supposed to judge others but to love one another just as the Lord loves us.  He reminded the girls that we never know what burdens others are carrying that we know nothing about. 

Gloria was filled with guilt.  She oftentimes judged Liz.  She glanced over at her sister.  It was just so hard sometimes.  Right then and there, she vowed to try harder, to be more patient and to zip her own lip. 

Gloria set a crisp $100 bill inside the offering place when it came around.  Margaret raised her eyebrows when she saw the bill but didn’t say a word. 

Gloria, on the other hand, wondered if it was enough.  It was ten percent.  Still, maybe she should’ve given more….

The pastor stopped them on their way out the door.  “Thank you for stopping by our service tonight.” He shook each of their hands, his grasp warm and caring.  “I hope you enjoyed the message.”

“It was perfect.  Just what I needed,” Gloria assured him.

“What brings you to our small little town?” he inquired.

“We’re visiting our Aunt Ethel.  Henderson,” Liz piped up.

His eyebrows raised.  “Ethel’s quite a character.”

“You can say that again,” Margaret muttered.

“Rumor has it that she’s is sitting on a goldmine.  Some kind of small fortune buried on her property,” he added.

Gloria nodded.  “That’s what we heard.  We’re here to try and help her find it,” she explained.

“Just be careful when you go out there,” he warned.

“Is she dangerous?” Margaret was alarmed at the thought.

He shook his head.  “It’s not my place to gossip.  The Lord wouldn’t want me to do that.”  He glanced down at Mally.  “Pretty dog.”  He patted her head before continuing.  “Just watch yourselves, that’s all.”

The girls made their way out of the church and back to the car.  Gloria unlocked the driver’s side door and slid inside.  “I wonder if the hidden stash is somewhere
inside
the house.  What if Grandpa hid the money right underneath their noses?”

“So maybe we should go back there and check it out?”  Liz exclaimed.  There was hope for this treasure hunt after all! 

Gloria turned in her seat.  “We did come all this ways.  How do you feel about a stakeout of Aunt Ethel’s?”

“I’m in!” Liz could hardly wait.  She’d go tonight if she could! 

Liz looked so excited at the thought, Margaret didn’t have the heart to tell her no.  “I suppose one more day won’t hurt anything,” she agreed.

Gloria slapped her hands on the steering wheel.  “It’s settled then.  We’ll head out there in the morning.”

Gloria was so wound up about the stakeout, she could barely sleep.  All of her past stakeouts had been done alone.  Now she had to worry about keeping Margaret and Liz content during the long, tedious hours of surveillance.  And Mally.  She made a mental list of supplies they’d need to pick up before heading out.  Flashlights, binoculars, snacks…

She finally dozed off.  It seemed like only a couple minutes before the alarm abruptly woke her.  For a moment, she forgot where she was at.  It all quickly came rushing back when she heard Margaret snoring from the bed next door.  Margaret somehow managed to sleep right through the loud buzzing of the alarm clock. 

Since she was already awake, she decided to get ready first. By the time she finished up in the bathroom, Liz was tapping on their door.  She settled into one of the chairs and turned to Gloria.  “I’m so excited, I could hardly sleep,” she whispered in a loud voice.

“Yeah, me too,” Gloria admitted.  Maybe they had more in common than she thought. 

While Margaret showered, Liz and Gloria took Mally outside for a trip around the parking lot.  By the time they got back to the room, Margaret was ready to go.

“We’ll need to stop by the hardware store to pick up a few supplies,” Gloria explained.

“Like what?”  Margaret asked.

Gloria started ticking off her mental list.  “Binoculars, flashlight, bug spray since we’ll be sitting in the woods…” her voice trailed off.

“No need.” Margaret was smiling.  “Remember that extra suitcase you were griping about?”  She wheeled the small suitcase across the floor and hoisted the bag on her bed. She unzipped the top and flung it wide open.  Inside was everything anyone could possibly need for a stakeout…or a month in the wilderness…or in the event of a natural disaster. 

Gloria was impressed.  It was like peeking inside the suitcase of a survivalist.  “Margaret, you’re my hero! How did you know to bring all this??? Never mind!  I love you!” she hugged her impulsively.

Gloria was like a kid in a candy store.  She grabbed everything on her mental list plus a few extra’s like magazines, energy bars, even a small package of wet wipes. 

They loaded everything into the backpack Margaret also managed to bring and then headed out the door. 

Gloria swung by the drive-thru for food and drinks and the girls were soon on their way.   

Liz could barely contain her excitement as she leaned over the front seat to get filled in on the details.  “So what’s the plan?”

Gloria didn’t really have a plan per se.  She worked better by the seat of her pants.  “I’m still working on that part,” she answered vaguely. 

The road connecting to Aunt Ethel’s drive had plenty of hideaways for Gloria to park the car and not be seen from either the road or the property.  She spied a cluster of trees and tall, thick bushes.  The perfect spot to hide Anabelle! 

The morning was bright and clear as Gloria and the girls climbed out of the car and crept closer to their aunt’s property.  Gloria spied a fallen oak tree.  It was the perfect spot for waiting it out.  Margaret studied the tree before plopping down.  Liz gingerly sat down beside her. 

But not Gloria.  She had her hands full with Mally.  The dog was darting here and there, determined to sniff everything in sight. 

She finally had to reel her in when she began sniffing around a small pile of rocks, which was apparently the home of a black widow spider.  Gloria immediately recognized the red hourglass shape as it scurried towards Mally.  She yanked the dog back just in the nick of time!  Another couple inches and Mally would’ve been subjected to the wrath of the spider. 

“I really need to enroll you in some dog obedience classes,” she muttered under her breath. 

Mally knew she’d gotten in trouble.  She stopped pulling on the leash and obediently followed Gloria back to where the others were sitting.  She plopped down on the log as Mally settled at her feet. 

Margaret was already getting restless.  “Now what?”

Gloria swatted at a bug buzzing around her head.  “We wait.”

They sat there in silence for a long time.  Gloria was actually enjoying the sounds of nature.  The birds were singing a happy tune as they floated by on their way to perch in the trees overhead.  Not too far off, Gloria could hear the sound of a bubbling brook.  Too bad they had to sit there and keep watch.  She would’ve loved to go explore the area.

Liz clutched her arm.  “Somebody’s coming!”

Gloria grabbed the binoculars hanging ‘round her neck and pulled them to her eyes.  A vehicle was creeping down the rutted drive.  She adjusted the lens until it came into focus.  It was an old blue Chevy pick-up truck.  Gloria moved the binoculars to the driver’s side. She could see Aunt Ethel behind the wheel. 

Gloria followed the truck as it made its way down the drive and onto the main road where it made a right hand turn towards town.  She jumped to her feet.  “Okay, let’s go.”

“Go where?” Margaret wondered out loud. 

“To check out the house!”

Margaret shook her head.  No way was she gonna do that!  That was trespassing.  And breaking and entering.  “We could get arrested!”

Liz sprang to her feet.  “Not if we don’t get caught!”

“We gotta get going,” Gloria urged.  The clock was ticking.  There was no telling how long Ethel would be gone! 

Gloria bolted up the rutted drive with Liz hot on her heels.  Margaret shook her head as she reluctantly brought up the rear.

Gloria was moving so fast, even Mally was having trouble keeping up.  They were on the front steps in a matter of minutes. 

Liz bent over as she tried to catch her breath.  She lifted her head and looked up at her sister.  “No wonder you stay so skinny.  This detective stuff is hard work!”

Gloria didn’t comment.  She was too busy peeking in the front windows, trying to figure out how they were going to get inside.  “We need to find a way to get in.”

“How ‘bout through the front door?”  Margaret was standing by the door, which was now wide open. “It wasn’t locked.”

Feeling a little foolish, Gloria and Mally followed the others inside.  It took a couple seconds for their eyes to adjust to the lack of light in the cramped room, which was even more crowded than Gloria remembered.

“Where do we start?” Liz whispered loudly. 

Good question.  “We should split up,” Gloria decided.  “You know.  Divide and conquer.”

Margaret shuddered.  That wasn’t what she had in mind.  This place gave her the willies.  On top of that, they were breaking and entering, even though
technically
the door was unlocked.  Visions of police cars and handcuffs popped into her head.  She wasn’t sure what was more terrifying - the creepy old house or the thought of getting arrested. 

“I’ll split up if I get to take Mally with me,” Liz bargained.  “And I’ll start in the kitchen.”

Gloria nodded.  There was no time to argue.  She handed the leash to Liz and headed for the stairs.  “I’ll start upstairs.”

That left Margaret to search the living room.  She looked around in dismay.  At least she came prepared.  She pulled a pair of surgical gloves from her pocket and slipped them on. 

Gloria slowly climbed the narrow steps. Every single step creaked loudly as she made her way to the top.  At the top of the staircase was a long hallway with three doors.  Two to the left and one to the right. 

She decided to start with the door on the right.  She grabbed the round silver knob and slowly twisted.  Like everything else in the house, it creaked loudly in protest as Gloria pushed it open.  She groped the wall, praying there would be a light switch nearby.  Thankfully there was.  She flipped the switch.  The room was immediately filled with a bright yellow light. 

Her heart sank as she looked around the room.  It was filled from floor to ceiling with more boxes and bags.  Even the bed was loaded down with piles of junk.  They would never have enough time to search the entire place.  There was entirely too much stuff!

She shut the light off and pulled the door shut before moving on to the next room.  It was identical to the last one, right down to the amount of stuff inside.

After checking the third and final room, just as cluttered as the other two, Gloria made her way back down the stairs.  It was no use.  They were never going to find anything with all this stuff inside. 

Gloria made her way through the maze of boxes as she headed to the kitchen.  Halfway through, she heard a small thumping noise coming from behind a tall stack to her right. “You in here Margaret?”

Margaret’s head popped out from behind a towering mound.  There was a huge clump of gray dust perched on top of her head.  Gloria smiled. 

“What?  What’s wrong?”  She ran her hand through her hair.  The huge dust bunny fell to the floor. 

“Ugh.  This place is a fire hazard,” Margaret announced.

Gloria nodded.  That was an understatement.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from the kitchen.  Liz’s frantic scream echoed into the living room.  “Aaahh!!” 

Gloria scrambled around the maze of boxes and rushed into the room.

Liz was perched on top of a kitchen chair, pointing at Mally, who was pawing at the crack between the fridge and the cabinet.  “There’s a rat back there! He’s this big!”  Liz held her hands almost a foot apart.

“C’mon Liz.  It couldn’t be that big!” Surely she was exaggerating!

Mally batted furiously at the fridge.  She must’ve somehow managed to hit the critter with her paw.  A large rat, at least six inches long if you counted the tail, burst out from around the other side of the fridge.

Gloria yanked out a chair and joined Liz as she hopped on top of the seat.  Only Margaret seemed unfazed by the nasty critter as she casually strolled over, grabbed the creature by its tail and held up a gloved hand for the others to see.  “This thing isn’t going to hurt us!”

Gloria clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream as Liz crumpled into an unconscious heap at the sight of Margaret holding the rodent.  She promptly landed on the floor face down.

Margaret calmly walked over to the kitchen door and opened it with her free hand.  She tossed the rat into the backyard and pulled the door shut. 

Mally wandered over to Liz, who was still out cold.  She licked the side of her face with one long swipe which brought Liz out of her state of unconsciousness.  She swatted at the dog as she propped herself on her elbows.  “Where’s the rat?”

Gloria was still in awe of her friend.  “Margaret just tossed it out the door.”  She glanced around the kitchen.  “Any luck in here?”

Liz shook her head in disappointment.  “Nope.  Nothing.”

Margaret pulled out a chair and sat down.  “We don’t have time to go through this house with a fine tooth comb.” She shuddered violently.  “Not that I would even want to.”

Liz finally admitted defeat.  She pulled herself off the ground, wiping the dirt and dust from her black jeans.  “I guess we better get out of here before she comes back and finds us.”

The three of them wandered out the back door and started ‘round the corner in the direction of the driveway when Gloria spied a set of old wooden cellar doors on the side of the house.  “I’m just going to take a quick peek down here.”

She hurried down the steps.  When she reached the bottom, she grasped the square wooden peg being used to keep the door closed and twisted it to the left.  She grabbed the metal handle and yanked the heavy door open.  Thick cobwebs covered the entrance.  Gloria swatted them off and peered into the darkness.  She turned back to see Liz and Margaret hovering at the top of the steps.  “You coming?”

Liz shook her head.  “We’ll just wait up here with Mally.” 

It was clear Gloria was going to have to check this one out on her own.  Not that she could really blame them.  She whirled back around to face the darkness.  It took a second for her eyes to adjust.  A faint light shone through a small grime encrusted window. 

In the center of the room was a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, a long string dangling beside it.  Gloria walked to the center of the room and pulled the string.  Bright light instantly illuminated the damp cellar.  She glanced around.  The walls were lined with wooden shelves.  Tidier than the upstairs, the shelves were filled with row after row of glass bottles in all different shapes and sizes.  In one corner was an old wringer washer.  A stack of wooden crates were lined up beside it.

“This place is cleaner than the house!” Liz and Margaret bravely wandered down the steps and were now standing just outside the door. 

“Well, well, well!  Look it who we have here!”

A tinge of fear ran up Gloria’s spine as she whirled around to face the voice. Aunt Ethel was standing at the top of the stairs holding her shotgun.  “Trespassers!” She raised the shotgun and aimed it right at Liz.  “I have half a mind to put a hole right through you!”

Liz clutched Margaret’s arm as they flattened themselves again the wooden door.   

Ethel yanked the gun sideways as she motioned them into the cellar.  “Why don’t you two go join Gloria inside.”  It wasn’t really a suggestion.