Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings (15 page)

She changed out of her garden clothes, tossed them in the laundry basket and checked her hair one more time.  The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.  There was only one problem.  How could she replicate what her pillow created overnight?

Gloria grabbed her keys and headed for the door.  And then she paused.  She had a stop to make.  To a special place she visited every couple of months.  And a visit was long overdue.  She reached inside the kitchen closet and pulled out a large plastic bag before heading to her car.

Dot’s was jam-packed.  The only parking spot she could find was at the end of Main Street, right in front of the Nails and Knobs Hardware Store.  She peeked in the front window. She could see Brian way in the back of the store helping a customer. 

She passed the store before she turned around and headed inside.  The door jingled as Gloria stepped inside.  Brian leaned his head to the side as he caught a glimpse of the customer.  He grinned when he saw who it was.

Gloria wandered around the store as Brian finished helping his customer.  After the man left, she made her way over to where he was standing behind the counter. 

“The murder’s been solved.”  Brian tipped his head to the side, his eyes twinkling.  “I guess it wasn’t me,” he teased.

Gloria wasn’t going to let him ruffle her feathers.  “A good detective needs to follow up on every single lead.”

“True…” He leaned forward.  “Did you figure out who it was?” 

“Barely,” she admitted.  “It took me until late last night.”

His expression grew grim.  “Such a shame.  They seemed like such a nice couple, too.”

Gloria couldn’t agree more.  And she felt guilty.  Guilty that she was glad it wasn’t Ray.  Or even Dot herself.

Gloria had a sudden thought.  “I’m heading down to Dot’s for lunch.  Care to join me?” she asked.

The dark look left his eyes and the twinkle was back.  “Aren’t you afraid people will start talking?  Dinner Saturday night and now lunch today?”

Gloria chuckled, her face reddened a bit.  “Hey, if they think I can hook someone almost young enough to be my grandson, then I say gossip away!”

He grabbed his jacket and keys from the hook behind him.  “I think you’re selling yourself short.  You’re one hot lady.” He followed her out the front door and then locked it.  “You did something to your hair,” he added.  “I like it.”

Gloria reached up and touched the stiff spikes.  “You do?  Really?”

He grinned as he took her arm and they began walking.  “Yeah.  It gives you that “Cougar” look.”

Gloria snorted.  “You missed your calling.  I think you should’ve been a comedian.”

She changed the subject as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  “Andrea told me you invited her to lunch.”

That caught him off guard.  “Yeah.  We really hit it off the other night.” He had a sudden thought.  “Say!  You weren’t playing matchmaker…”

It was Gloria’s turn to smirk.  Her eyebrows lifted. 

“You did!” He shook his head.  “You’re a jack of all trades.  Super sleuth, matchmaker, chef extraordinaire.”

“Keep it coming,” she joked.

They were in front of Dot’s now.  He opened the door and Gloria stepped inside.  The place was packed.  The noise level at an almost deafening pitch.  Gloria would bet money the buzz was about Tony’s arrest. 

Heads turned as the odd couple made their way to an empty table in the back.  Ray spied them right away.  He set two water glasses and two menus on the table.  Gloria didn’t need to look at the menu.  She knew every item on it by heart. 

“Coffee today?” Ray asked.

Gloria shook her head.  “I better stick with the water.”

Brian looked up from his open menu.  “What’s today’s special?”

“Baked chicken with two sides,” Gloria answered.

“I’ll have that,” Brian decided.

“Make that two,” Gloria added.  “I’ll have a salad and vegetable medley for my sides.”

“Ditto,” Brian said.  “I’ll make it easy on you.”

Ray jotted down the order. He tapped his pen on the notepad.   “That’s a shame about Tony.”

Gloria’s expression grew grim.  “I know.  So hard to believe…” her voice trailed off.  A tinge of guilt washed over her when she remembered for a brief time, she suspected Ray. 
What was she thinking??

Gloria stared at Ray’s back as he walked away.  She turned back to Brian who was studying her expression.

He nodded at Ray.  “You thought it was him at one point,” he observed.

“How do you do that?” she asked.

He answered her question with one of his own.  “What?  Figure out what’s going on in someone’s head?”  He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.  “Remember, I was a judge.  You become somewhat of an expert at figuring out what makes people tick.”

Gloria grabbed her straw and swirled the ice in her glass.  “I guess that makes sense.”

His expression darkened.  “So you think Andrea and I are a good match?”

Gloria rested her chin on her fist as she studied his face.  She mentally ticked off all the reason she liked him.  He was smart.  He was funny.  He was financially secure.  He was single.  He was a good looking guy.  The more she knew, the more she liked. 

Still, her number one concern was Andrea.  Gloria was very protective of her young friend.  She couldn’t bear the thought of her getting hurt.  But then, Belhaven was a small town and eligible bachelors, especially ones like the one sitting across from her, were few and far between.

She answered as honestly as possible.  “I think you two could be a very good match.” Her eyebrows drew together for a second.  What if she did a little investigative work on him?  Find out if he was on the up-and-up.  For Andrea’s sake, of course.  “Only time will tell.”

He didn’t get a chance to answer.  Ray was back with their lunch.  The roasted chicken looked delicious.  She sliced off a small piece to sample before digging into her salad. 

The two chatted easily about life in a small town.  What his plans were for the corner grocery and drug store.  She popped a piece of lettuce in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.  “I never see you working in the grocery or drug store.  Just the hardware store.”

“I have to confess, the hardware store is my favorite.  The smells, all the neat gadgets and tools.” He shrugged his shoulders.  “The other two – I have good people running them and they just don’t need much of my time.”

“You know Andrea owns an insurance agency in Green Springs.”

Brian nodded. His mouth was full of broccoli spears.  “Mmhmm.”

“And that she’s fixing up the old mansion on the hill, not far from your place.”

He nodded.  “She told me to stop by one day and she’d give me the grand tour.”

They were still chatting away when Lucy and Margaret stopped by on their way out the door.  “You two better watch it.  Tongues will start wagging,” Margaret warned.

Gloria waved a hand in the air.  “Oh stop it!”

“Poor Paul,” Lucy teased. 

Margaret leaned forward.  She tapped Gloria’s shoulder and whispered in a low voice.  “Dot said you figured out it was Tony last night.”

Gloria nodded. “Yeah, it took me awhile.”

Lucy was keeping track.  “Three for three.”

Gloria had to admit she was getting pretty good at it.  Now if she could only figure out a way to make a little money on the side.  Not that she needed it.  She remembered the gold coins hiding in plain sight inside her kitchen.  “I met with some attorneys the other day to talk about writing up a will.” Gloria gave Margaret a meaningful stare.

Brian set his fork down.  “You don’t have a will?” He was surprised.  Gloria seemed to have it altogether.  At her age, she should most definitely have a will.  Not that she was old or looked like she was going anywhere anytime soon but things could change in an instant.  “I can recommend a good one, if you need.”

Gloria pretty much decided on the woman she met with. 
What was her name? Melissa, Clarissa?  
“Do you know a Patricia Caldwell?”

Brian nodded.  “She’s good,” he confirmed.  “There’s also Evan Tate.”

That was another one of the other attorneys Gloria met with the other day.  “I met with him, too.”

“You can’t go wrong with either one,” he said.

“We can talk about it later.”  Margaret was using her “don’t say too much” voice.

“Gotcha!” 

Ray was back to pick up the dirty plates.  He set the bill on the table.  Gloria and Brian reached for it at the same time.  He got there first.  “You can get it next time,” he bargained. 

She pulled her hand back.  “It’s a deal.  But I invited you,” she pointed out.

“True,” he agreed.  “But let me be a gentleman.” He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.  “What will everyone think if I can’t even buy my girl lunch?”

Gloria rolled her eyes.  “Okie doke.  Lunch is on you.”

Gloria nodded to a few of the diners as the two of them made their way back outside.  She and Brian meandered along the sidewalk as they headed back to the hardware store, enjoying the tiny bit of sunshine peeking through the heavy rain clouds. 

They stopped in front of Anabelle.  “Thanks again for lunch.”

He nodded.  “We’ll have to do that again soon. It was nice to take a break.”

He unlocked the hardware store, the keys juggling between his hands.  “You know, I don’t think I want to buy Dot’s place anymore.  Belhaven needs a place like that.”

He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms.  “If you could think of one thing this town needs – other than a good restaurant.  Something you have to drive to the next big town to get, what would it be?”

Gloria’s first thought was a bank.  It was a real pain in the rear having to run all the way to Green Springs every time she needed some money.  To her, it was a no-brainer.  “A bank.” 

As long as he was asking, she had something else to throw out there.  “And maybe expand your grocery store.  It’s nice and everything, but bigger is better, especially for food.  Plus, if you did, I can guarantee it would be worth your while.”

“I’m one step ahead of you on that one,” he said.  “I already have an architect working on a set of prints for an expansion.”  He made a pushing motion with his hands.  “Double the size of what we have now and add on a small bakery with a gourmet deli.”

Gloria loved the idea.  Just imagine. Being able to drive into town and pick up deli treats. Plus, it would create more jobs for the small town.  Something they desperately needed.  “I’ll be your first and best customer,” she promised. 

Just then, someone met them on the sidewalk.  He pointed to the hardware store.  “You open?”

Brian nodded.  “Yep.” He waved at Gloria before he and the customer disappeared inside.

Gloria slid in the driver’s seat and started the car.  She pulled out of the parking spot and headed in the opposite direction of home.

The road at the edge of town curved sharply.  The drive from town was pretty.  A small, green valley dipped out of sight beyond the guardrail.  It was a peaceful place.  It wasn’t a road that Gloria traveled down often.  Except when she was coming here. 

She made a sharp left as she pulled in the small rutted drive and coasted to the back.  She glanced around.  The place needed to be mowed, she decided.  Weeds were beginning to sprout up here and there. 

Gloria stopped Anabelle in her usual spot.  She pushed the knob to park and shut off the engine.  She grabbed the plastic bag from the passenger seat and opened the driver’s side door.  She glanced down at her purse lying on the seat beside her.  There was no need to take it with her.  Or even lock the car.  There was no one here but her. 

She made her way to the front of the car and stepped across the gravel drive.  Up ahead was the familiar oak tree.  The tree hadn’t been there long.  It was planted only a couple years ago.  When Gloria first started coming here. 

It was getting big now.  The leaves were pushing out, reaching for the warm spring sun.  The branches sprawled forward, as if to shade the place Gloria was headed.  Except today it was gloomy.  There was no need for shade.  But soon enough it would be summer again and the leaves a welcome cover from the oppressive heat.