Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 07 - Missing Milt (9 page)

Gloria touched her arm.  “No, dear.  Dot thinks this place will be a wonderful addition to Belhaven,” she reassured her.

Andrea ran a hand through her blonde locks. “That’s a relief.  I was worried.” 

She went on. “So what’s up with this missing guy? From the news story, he just up and vanished.”

Gloria nodded.  “It’s all very mysterious and not many leads so far. Although there are a couple.”

She thought about the Vinnie guy that Johnny from the loan shop had mentioned.

“Milt was quite a ladies’ man.  He may have met with foul play if he was messing around with someone’s girl or wife.” Until that moment, Gloria hadn’t considered that angle.  At least not seriously.  She would have to ask Liz who on the list might be suspect.  She didn’t dare ask Frances.

“There you are.” Alice sidled over, a plastic grocery bag of goodies in each hand.  She handed one to Lucy.  “One for you.” She handed the other one to Gloria, “and one for you.”

Gloria gave Alice a hug.  “Thank you, Alice.  You are so sweet!”

Lucy opened the bag and stuck her face in the bag.  “This smells so good!”

Andrea led them back out to the front entrance and opened the door.  The four of them stepped out onto the large portico.  “You notice anything different?”

“There is something different.” Gloria’s eyes searched the yard.  “I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Andrea pointed to the side yard.  “The shed is gone.”

The old garden shed had sat in the middle of the backyard for decades, long before Andrea purchased the large manor.  It was inside the shed that the girls had discovered a body. 

Gloria nodded.  “Ah!  You’re right!”

Andrea lifted a hand to shade her eyes.  “I figured that place had enough bad history and I wanted it gone.” She waved a hand to a spot on the other side of the gravel drive.  “I’m putting in a two-car garage.  It’ll be done before the first snowflake hits the ground.”

Andrea could use a garage, especially in Michigan where winters were sometimes long and brutal. 

Once again, Gloria silently wondered what Andrea and Brian would do when they married.  Both of them had sunk a great deal of money into each of their homes.  It would be a tough decision. 

Brian’s home had belonged to his grandparents so Gloria wondered if it held some sentimental value.

On the other hand, she knew how attached Andrea was to her home…

Paul and Gloria would have to face a similar dilemma if they ever got married.  That was a big “if.”

“I think that’s a wise decision,” Gloria answered.

The girls climbed back in the car and headed to the farm. 

“It’s a wonder you have time to get any housework done,” Lucy commented.

Gloria gave a half shrug.  “Yeah, there are days when I wonder if I’m coming or going.” 

Back at the farm, she pulled in the drive and parked close to the house. 

“I’m gonna head home,” Lucy reached for her purse that was lying on the floor.   

Gloria eased out of the car and came round to stand near the front.  “Are you still going to call Bill?”

Lucy fiddled with the keys in her hand.  “Yeah.  I think I need some closure,” she admitted.  “We didn’t really end with a fight but we didn’t really end on the best of terms, either.”

Gloria nodded. “Good luck.  Call me if you need to talk later.” She watched Lucy slide into the jeep and back out of the drive. 

Gloria whispered a small prayer for her friend as she climbed the porch steps.  She prayed that the Lord’s will be done and that He protect Lucy’s gentle heart.

Gloria’s house phone was ringing when she stepped in the door.  It was her daughter, Jill.  “I waited until the boys were in school to call you,” Jill told her.  “Do you need any supplies to finish the tree fort?  I don’t want you having to buy anything else.  You’ve already done enough.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, dear,” Gloria replied.  “I could use some small cans of paint and brushes so the boys can paint it once we have it together. Whatever color you think they would like except for black!”

“Do you need anything else?”

Gloria shook her head.  “No.  I have the rest of the stuff here.” Gloria stepped out onto the porch with Mally and the phone.  “How do you think the boys would do using the cordless drill?”

Visions of Tyler drilling a long screw into the center of his brother’s forehead popped into Gloria’s head. 

She remembered the last visit when Tyler went a little crazy driving the tractor and chased Mally across the yard.  Perhaps she should give this a bit more thought.

Jill confirmed her decision.  “I think I would be hands-on for that project.  Tyler could get the bright idea to screw his brother to the planks.”

Maybe she could get Paul or Brian to come by for the assembly part.  That way, they could crawl up into the tree and supervise.  “I’ll work on it.  Don’t worry about them,” she assured her daughter.

Gloria hung up the phone and headed to her computer.  She put off calling Liz for a list of possible jealous boyfriends - or husbands – until she saw if Worldbook would give her some good leads. 

She fired up the computer and headed to the kitchen to make a cup of hot tea.

When she got back, Puddles was in the chair, waiting for Gloria to pick him up.  She settled him into her lap and reached for her glasses. 

Gloria grabbed the mouse and spun the little black scrolling wheel as she scanned his list of friends.  The list included Trudy Gromalski, the elusive woman.  There was also another woman that looked familiar.  Gloria inched closer to the screen.  It was the woman from the restaurant.  The one that bought the chocolate chip cookies.  She clicked on her name.  Vivian Coulter. 

Gloria clicked back to the main page and scrolled through the comments.  Several of the women had posted new messages, begging Milt to call them.  “Raven Fair” caught her eye again.  There was still no profile picture.  Her last comment was unusual.  “The mystical mystery of the missing Milt.  If only he could tell you where he’s at...”

Gloria scrunched her brow.  It sure did sound like this person may have a good lead on Milt and that maybe they knew more than they were letting on.  Or maybe this person was taunting the other posters who were concerned for his safety.  A shiver inched down Gloria’s spine. 

She scrolled backwards through the screen - back to before Milt went missing. 

There were several posts from men.  Milt had his share of enemies.  One post in particular seemed to be threatening.  It was from an anonymous source. 

“If I catch you hanging around Viv one more time, I’m gonna come over to your place and pound your pudgy pig face right into the ground.”

Gloria leaned back.  She wondered if this “Viv” was the Vivian that picked up the cookies in the restaurant.  It was time to check out that bridge club Thursday afternoon! 

She opened her few emails, which were mostly online bills, played a couple rounds of Solitaire and then shut it down. 

Gloria grabbed her laundry basket and headed to the clothesline.  The clothes had long since dried in the stiff autumn breeze.  She worked her way down the line, as she folded each item and neatly stacked them inside the basket. 

A rumble of thunder threatened in the distance as storm clouds gathered out behind the barn.  She managed to get the clothes off the line just in time!  Mally and Gloria dashed up the steps as the first large raindrop hit the ground.

They stood there and watched as the wind whipped the leaves on the trees and the skies opened up.  Mally whimpered and backed closer to the door.  She did not like storms!

The two of them stepped into the kitchen as a bolt of lightning hit on the other side of the tree and shook the ground. 

Gloria looked down at Mally, who was shaking.  “We cut that close!”

She carried the laundry basket to her closet and hung what clothes she had left – the things that Lucy hadn’t tossed out the other day – onto hangers before making her way to the bed.

Mally crawled under the bed to wait for the storm to pass. Gloria reached down and patted her reassuringly before returning to the task at hand.

She pulled the sheets from the basket and lifted them to her face.  The sheets smelled so fresh, she could hardly wait to go to bed.

Back in the kitchen, Gloria opened the fridge.  Front and center was the “Firehouse Fajita’s” that Alice had given her.  It was tempting – and lethal.

She quickly closed the door and opened the freezer.  She reached for the frozen dinner that was closest, pulled it out of the box and popped it into the microwave.  Tonight’s dinner was going to be quick and easy. 

Gloria mulled over the day’s events as she nibbled on the drumstick.   

It was nice to have a little peace and quiet for a change.  She had no plans for tomorrow.  Thursday was Lucy’s breakfast date, followed by a trip to Dreamwood to spy on the bridge club.  If she got lucky, she could corner the elusive “Trudy.”

After dinner, Gloria sprawled out in the recliner and turned on the TV. She dozed off during the evening news and woke up in time to watch the beginning of her favorite TV show, Detective on the Side.  It was a rerun but it was a good one.  Actually, all of them were good ones. 

Gloria climbed into bed after she watched two episodes.  She snuggled down under the covers and pulled the sheet to her chin.  It smelled wonderful. 

As she drifted off to sleep, her brain cleared and she suddenly realized she had a good idea who the mysterious “Raven Fair” might be.

“What do you mean Frances is now a suspect?” Liz asked in disbelief.  That didn’t make the least bit of sense to Liz. 

It really didn’t make much sense to Gloria, either.  “Didn’t you tell me that Frances had a small tattoo on her lower back?”

“Yeah.  I always thought it was odd,” Liz admitted.

“And why was it odd?” Gloria pressed.

“Because it was a black raven.” Liz sighed. “And it’s uglier than all get-out,” she added.

“Go check out Milton’s profile on Worldbook and you’ll see why I added her to the list of suspects,” Gloria told her sister.

Liz didn’t want to believe her best friend could be involved in Milt’s disappearance.  If she was, wouldn’t she want to sweep it under the rug instead of chain herself to the front of the restaurant and call the local news crew? 

She hung up the phone and headed to her computer.  Sure enough, Milt was friends with a mysterious Raven Fair, who seemed to be mocking other posters, alluding to the fact that she knew something about Milt’s disappearance. 

She promptly called Gloria back.  “So should we confront Frances with our suspicions?”

“No.  We don’t want to tip our hand. Not yet, anyways.  I want to check out the bridge club and investigate a few more people.”

Gloria balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  She slid into the kitchen chair and unfolded the morning paper.  “The more that I think about it, the more I’m convinced someone, somewhere – at Dreamwood – knows something about Milt’s disappearance.”

Gloria glanced at the clock.  “I better get going.  I haven’t even showered yet.” She assured Liz she’d be there around lunchtime tomorrow so they could “accidentally” bump into the bridge club and perhaps glean a few more clues into Milt’s mysterious disappearance.

Gloria finished her coffee and morning paper, then Mally and she headed outside.  A nice, brisk morning walk would get the sleuthing brain cells pumping.  There was nothing like a long walk through the fields and back to the creek to clear the head.

Mally knew exactly where they were going.  She darted off in front of Gloria, racing to the far edge of the field before turning around and running back.  She did this two or three times before Gloria made it to the other end. 

She was panting, her pink tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth as she looked up at Gloria. 

Gloria shook her head. “You crazy dog.  I wish I had half your energy.”

The edge of the familiar woods was in sight.  Gloria wove her way through the forest and settled onto her favorite resting spot – an old fallen tree log that sat not far from the edge of the creek.  Mally splashed in the water and chased a few birds before she settled in at Gloria’s feet.

Gloria absentmindedly scratched Mally’s ear as she turned her attention to the trees.  She studied the leaves.  In a couple more weeks, the woods would be breathtaking shades of glorious gold and red.  “What do you think Mally?  You think Frances is involved in Milt’s disappearance?”

Mally let out a low moan and closed her eyes.  She wasn’t at all interested in Frances’ guilt or innocence. 

Gloria stroked Mally’s soft fur.  Of course, it didn’t make much sense that Frances was involved.  Maybe she was bored with her life and this added a little excitement, a big mystery and a lot of attention. 

If that was Frances’s goal, boy, she was certainly getting that!

The fact that she seemed obsessed with Milt, his habits, his likes and dislikes.  Maybe she had gone crazy and killed him, then buried his body and somehow mentally shut it out, her mind not able to deal with her obsession and the fact he was now gone.  One of those “if I can’t have you, no one can.”

Gloria shivered…the thought creeped her out. 

What about the threating message where someone told Milt to stay away from “Viv?”  Then there was the mysterious Trudy and last but not least, Vinny, the guy Milt owed money to. 

That was four suspects. Four people Gloria needed to check out, and the sooner the better.  The longer Milt was missing, the colder the trail became.

Gloria stood up and brushed the dirt from her pants.  “C’mon girl.  We better head home.”

She stopped in the garage to assemble the fort building supplies. She plugged the battery for the cordless drill into the outlet to let it charge.  Next, she placed a brand new box of wood screws on the table. 

She would somehow have to figure out how to attach the boards for the railing. Gloria frowned.  Better yet, she’d have to figure out
how
to build a railing…

Gloria didn’t have a lot of experience with building things.  She had always left those projects up to her husband, James.  But James had been gone a long time now and it was up to Gloria to take care of these things.

She grabbed the kitchen phone from the wall and dialed Brian’s number.  “What are you doing Saturday?” she asked when he answered.

“Going on a hot date with you?” he teased.

Gloria snorted.  “Yeah, right.  No, I was wondering if you could spare a couple hours to come by and help my grandsons put the tree fort together.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he replied.

Gloria let out a sigh of relief.  “Oh, that reminds me.  The fall party we talked about the other day…”

“The fall party?” Brian sounded confused.  “Oh!  You mean the engagement ring and your idea to surprise Andrea.”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Did you decide on a date?” he wondered.

“I was thinking the first weekend in October, or is that too late?”

“No, I think that would be perfect.  You’re going to invite all your, I mean our, friends?” he asked.

“Yes, of course.  I picked up some nice little invitations the other day when I was out and about.  I’ll start addressing them if that Saturday works for you.”

“Sounds great,” Brian reassured her, “and I’ll see you Saturday.  I can swing by around 2:00.”

“Perfect.” Gloria hung up the phone and whispered a small prayer of thanks.  It wasn’t that she couldn’t ask her son-in-law, Greg, or even Paul.  The idea was for Jill and Greg to have a little time alone and Paul – well, she wasn’t sure.   He was always busy working.

Gloria grabbed the packet of invitations from the shopping bag. She pulled out the entire stack, set them on the table and picked up a pen.  She made one out to each of the Garden Girls, along with Paul and his children.  Then she addressed two more: one for her sister, Liz and one for Frances, if she wasn’t in jail by then.  Of course, there was Jill, Greg and the boys and last but not least, Andrea and Brian.

Gloria slid the invitations inside her purse and grabbed her keys.  She wanted to get the invitations out as soon as possible. 

She eased Annabelle into an empty spot in front of Dot’s Restaurant and headed inside.  The breakfast crowd was winding down.  The only ones left were a few stragglers that stayed on for endless cups of coffee and socializing.

Gloria nodded to several of the diners and headed to the back.  Dot was storing the leftovers in containers and putting them in the fridge.  She did a double take when she saw Gloria.  “Oh. Hi Gloria.”

“Hey Dot. How’s it going?”

Dot wiped her hands on the front of her apron.  “Two visits in two days.  So to what do I owe this honor?”

Gloria held out the invitation.  “I’m inviting you and Ray to a fall party.  It’s the first Saturday in October.”

Dot slipped on her glasses and lifted the flap on the envelope.  She pulled it out and opened it.  “Oh.  This sounds like so much fun!  A hay ride and bonfire!” She looked up.  “My goodness, it has been years.”

Gloria nodded.  “Way too long.”

Dot tucked the invitation back inside the envelope.  “Well, we will definitely be there.  I’ll bring the donuts.”

Dot made the best donuts in all of Belhaven.  Probably in all of Montbay County if truth be told.  “Thanks, I hadn’t even thought about that.”

Next, Gloria headed across the street to the post office.  Ruth was inside, waiting on Judith Arnett, another Belhaven resident. 

Gloria and Judith had their share of differences and didn’t always see eye to eye, but Judith had been instrumental in helping clear Ruth’s name during a recent investigation, so Gloria had changed her opinion of Judith.  She could still be a bit of a pain in the rear, but now she was tolerable.

Judith gave Gloria small smile as she exited the post office.

Ruth leaned an elbow on the counter.  “I never thought I’d see the day when you and ole Judith buried the hatchet.”

Gloria set her purse on the counter.  She pulled out a small packet of banded invitations and dropped them in the outgoing mail slot. “Only because of you.  Miracles are still alive and kicking in Belhaven,” she joked.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Ruth replied.  “So what brings you here to the post office two days in a row?”

Gloria frowned.  It was apparent she needed to make an appearance more often. First Dot, now Ruth.  She pulled Ruth’s invitation from her purse and slid it across the counter.  “I’m having a fall party the first Saturday in October.”

Ruth picked up the invitation and turned it over.  “Really?  We haven’t had a party since, well, since you had the cookout earlier this year.”

“You’re right,” Gloria agreed. “Which reminds me.  Still seeing Slick Steve?”

Ruth’s face reddened.

Gloria nodded.  “Ahh. You
are
still seeing Slick Steve.”  Slick Steve, aka Steve Colby, had moved to the small town of Belhaven over a year ago.  He had dated several of the widowed women in town and left a trail of broken hearts, which is how he got his name, Slick Steve.

On impulse, Gloria had invited him to her backyard barbecue not long ago and he and Ruth had hit it off. 

“We’re just friends,” Ruth mumbled.

Gloria didn’t buy it but she didn’t press it either.  If – or when - Ruth wanted to talk about it, she would.  “I’m doing the whole hayride and bonfire afterwards.”

Gloria picked up her purse and turned to go.

“I can bring marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers for s’mores,” Ruth offered.

Gloria paused, her hand on the doorknob.  “That would be great, Ruth.” She turned the knob and opened the door.  “You can bring Steve with you, too.”

She quickly exited the post office and shut the door, not giving Ruth a chance to protest.  A small smile lit the corners of her lips.  She was happy to see Ruth finally had someone.  Gloria shook her head…of all people, Slick Steve!

Her next stop was her friend, Margaret’s, place.  Margaret and her husband, Don, lived in a beautiful, sprawling ranch, perched on a small bank that overlooked Lake Terrace.  It was one of the nicer homes in town.  Don had recently retired as vice president of a local bank. 

Out of all Gloria’s dear friends, Margaret had been the hardest to get close to as far as friends went.  That is, until Margaret volunteered to take a road trip with Gloria while she searched for her sister, Liz, who led them on a wild goose chase in the Smoky Mountains. 

After that trip, the two had a special bond.  The girls uncovered some old coins in Aunt Ethel’s farmhouse.  Along with Gloria’s cousin, David, Ethel’s son, they discovered the coins were worth a lot of money.

The government was fighting to claim ownership of the coins and the case continued to drag on in the courts.  They were all waiting for a decision, which David kept promising would be soon.  Although the coins could potentially make each of them rich beyond their dreams, Gloria was one of those “never count your chickens before they hatch” kind of people.

She would get excited if, and when, the coins were theirs to keep.  In the meantime, she was taking the wait and see approach.  Sometimes she even forgot about them.  Life had a way of getting in the way.

Margaret’s SUV was in the drive. Gloria pulled in behind it.  She shut the car engine off and headed up the drive. 

Margaret met her at the door. “Well, will you look at that.  What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

Gloria rolled her eyes. “Good grief!” She held out a hand.  “From here on out, I am getting out more. You’re the third person that has said almost the exact same thing to me.”

She followed Margaret up the breezeway steps and into the kitchen.  “Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”

Gloria shook her head.  “No thanks.”

Margaret opened the back slider and the girls stepped out onto the expansive rear deck.  “Have a seat.”

Gloria eased into one of the padded patio chairs and gazed out at the calm, still waters of Lake Terrace.  She took a deep breath and leaned her head back.  “This is so peaceful. I could take a nap out here.”

Margaret nodded.  “Yeah. I sometimes do.”

She pointed in the direction of the dock.  “See my momma duck and her baby chicks?”

Gloria lifted her head and studied the water.  “Oh, I do.  How cute.” She turned to Margaret.  “Let me guess.  You’ve named them all.”

Margaret chuckled.  “Yep. Chip, Skip and Flip.” She crossed her arms and shifted her body to face her friend.  “So what’s the occasion?”