I'll Stand by You (13 page)

“Got the list finished?” Johnny asked as he set the coffee out of Luther’s reach.

She pushed it toward him.

“Oh wait. I need to go get the money. I’ll be right back.”

She flew out of the kitchen with the baby on her hip so fast he didn’t have time to stop her. She came back within moments with her purse, emptied out what cash she had, and pushed it across the table.

“Now, what can I do for you? I’ll be here all day. Please let me help,” she said.

He started to say nothing as he pocketed the money, and then realized he would be denying her a way to give back.

“The floors always need cleaning. There’s a broom and mop out in the utility room.”

“What else? I’m good at all kinds of things, I swear—laundry, washing windows, changing beds, whatever you need.”

“Can you cook?”

She nodded.

Johnny hesitated to add to her day, but she’d asked.

“We eat really basic food because I don’t cook a lot of different things, but there’s some hamburger meat thawed out and you can look through the pantry for what else is here and do what you want with it.”

“I can make a meat loaf,” she offered.

“That would be great,” Johnny said and then glanced at the time. He needed to hurry, but he hated to leave her alone.

“You have your phone, so—”

“Officer Pittman gave me Granddaddy’s cell phone. He carried it out of the house before he—”

When she stopped and looked away, he kept talking, giving her time to regain her composure.

“Give me your number and I’ll write my number down, and if you have a problem or need help, you call me, okay?”

She added the phone number to the grocery list and then watched him copy down his number for her. As he did, she noticed the healing cuts and skinned knuckles on his hands. She didn’t even know where he worked.

“What do you do…for a living, I mean?”

“I drive a dozer for Clawson Construction.”

“That’s a good job. How did you learn to do that?” she asked.

“My dad used to work for Mr. Clawson before he got sent to prison. I hung out with him a lot back then, and Mr. Clawson taught me the rest. He’s been a lifesaver for me and the boys. Look, I hate to walk out on you, but I’ll be back soon with the stuff on your list. Hang in there, okay?”

Dori blinked, willing herself not to cry.

“Thanks to you, we’ll be fine. You made sure of that.”

“See you soon,” he said and hurried out of the kitchen, yelling at the boys to hurry up as he went.

She took another bite of oatmeal and then gave the rest to Luther. As soon as they were gone, she went back to her bedroom and made the bed, then found a big blanket in the closet and took it to the living room to make a pallet for Luther to lie on. She gave him a teething ring from the diaper bag, covered him up with his little blanket so he wouldn’t get cold, and turned on the television to distract him, giving her time to call the police station. Someone there would surely tell her where they’d taken her grandfather’s body. Her hands were trembling as she sat down nearby and made the call. The phone rang three times before someone answered.

“Blessings PD, Ames speaking. How may I direct your call?”

“Uh, this is Dori Grant. I’m trying to find out where they took my granddaddy, Meeker Webb, last night.”

“Miss Grant, this is Avery Ames. I want to offer my condolences. I am sorry about your grandfather.”

Dori was trying to control her emotions, although her shaky voice gave her away.

“Thank you, Mr. Ames. The reason I’m calling is…I don’t know where he is.”

“Let me check the ambulance logs. Yes, here they are…um, they took him to the hospital, and then Harper’s Funeral Home picked him up.”

“Harper’s. Is that the one on the hill above the Catholic church?” Dori asked.

“Yes, that’s the one,” Ames said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, and thank you for your help.”

She hung up, got the phone book, found the number to Harper’s Funeral Home, and made the call. She knew Mrs. Harper. She came into the restaurant at least twice a week with her daughter for lunch. Dori had washed the dishes Mrs. Harper had eaten from many times. Now Mrs. Harper was going to do something for her.

“Harper’s Funeral Home.”

“Mrs. Harper, this is Dori Grant.”

Evelyn Harper’s voice immediately softened. “Dori, sweetheart. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for all you’ve lost. How can I help you? What do you need to know?”

Dori started crying. She didn’t want to, but there was no way to say all this because the words were choking. “I have to bury Granddaddy, and everything we owned burned up. What do I do? Do I need to come there and pick out a casket? I need someone to help me.”

Dori didn’t know Evelyn was fighting back tears. All she heard was the kindness in her voice. “Honey, let me tell you what I know, and then we’ll go from there. Meeker had already picked out a casket and paid for his funeral. His headstone and burial plot are already in place because it’s where your grandmother is buried. If you want flowers, you’ll have to contact the florist, but you know they’ll do anything you want. As for his clothing, will you trust me to do that for you? I grew up with the man. I’ve seen him in church enough times in my life to know what he liked to wear.”

“In the circumstances, that is good news,” Dori said and then wiped her eyes and nose and cleared her throat. “We don’t have any other family, so there’s no need to delay the service. Can we do this say, day after tomorrow? That will give me time to get some clothes for Luther and me.”

“Absolutely. The whole day is open. Would you prefer morning services or afternoon?”

“I don’t know,” Dori said. “Which is better?”

“Day after tomorrow is Saturday. I’d say afternoon, maybe 2:00 p.m. I’ll call the preacher and have him get in touch with you for details. Oh, just so you know, Meeker wrote his own eulogy. I have it on file.”

Dori frowned. “I never knew any of this. I can’t believe he planned so far ahead.”

There was a moment of silence and then Evelyn sighed. “You didn’t know about his heart?”

Dori gasped. “What about his heart? He never said a word about anything being wrong.”

“All I know is what he told me when he was making all the plans. He said he had a bad ticker. Those were his words. I guess you’d have to ask his doctor for details.”

Dori was crying again, and this time she made no attempt to calm down. “He should have told me. I would have stayed home and taken care of him and Luther, but he insisted I go to work. He said I needed the experience. He said he wanted to babysit. He shouldn’t have hidden this from me!”

Evelyn Harper sighed. “Dori, honey, Meeker was so proud of you. He said you were going to be something special one day. I’m guessing that he wanted you to have a job on your own, hoping you’d learn to have faith in yourself and your ability to make do. Do you understand?”

Dori heard her, but it wasn’t making things any easier to accept.

“I hear you, Mrs. Harper, and thank you for all you’ve done. You can give the preacher the date and time and furnish him with a copy of the eulogy. I’ll call him later. I need to hang up now. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

She disconnected as she ran and barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up. By the time the spasms had passed, she was shaking. She splashed cold water on her face and then dried her hands and face without looking in the mirror, unable to face the added guilt.

* * *

By midmorning, word had spread all over Blessings about the fire and Meeker Webb’s death. The next question after that shocker was what happened to Dori and her baby, but no one had an answer. Her disappearance only added to the drama.

When P. Nutt Butterman heard about Meeker’s passing, his first thought was to contact Dori Grant. Meeker had been one of his clients, and she needed to know what provisions her grandfather had made for her. But when he called the police station to inquire as to where she’d been taken, no one knew.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Butterman asked. “Surely to God you didn’t just leave her behind on her own?”

The officer on the desk was instantly defensive.

“I wasn’t on duty last night. I couldn’t speak to what was done. Pittman was there. Do you want to talk to him?”

“Please,” Peanut said.

Moments later, Lon Pittman picked up the phone.

“This is Pittman. How can I help you?”

“Lon, this is Peanut. I’m trying to find out where Dori Grant and her baby were taken last night.”

Lon frowned. “I don’t know. I was talking to her after the ambulance left with her grandfather’s body, and then I got called away for an emergency. Her neighbors on both sides of the street were all there in the yard. I guess I assumed one of them would take her and the baby home, at least for the night. You might check with Bart and Pansy Jones. They live across the street.”

“Thanks for the info,” Peanut said. “I’ll do that.”

He disconnected, looked up the phone number, and then made the call and waited for someone to pick up.

“Jones residence.”

“Mrs. Jones, this is Peanut Butterman. How are you this morning?”

“Why, I guess I’m fine,” she said, surprised by the call.

“I’m calling because you were Meeker Webb’s closest neighbor and I’m trying to locate his granddaughter and baby. I was wondering, if by chance, they are at your house?”

“No, they’re not here,” she snapped.

Pansy’s guilt made her answer defensive, and Peanut heard it.

“Did you happen to see where she went?”

“Yes, actually, I did. She and that baby left with Johnny Pine.”

That
baby.
That description alone told him how she really felt.

“Really?” Peanut drawled.

So, without her grandfather’s protection, Dori and
that
baby
had become a community burden no one wanted to bear. He sighed. Small-minded people got on his nerves, and to his disgust, the woman wasn’t through talking.

“If you ask me, it was all rather strange,” Pansy said. “I mean, she never would name that baby’s father and then out of the blue here comes Johnny Pine to the rescue and takes her away. I’m thinking the daddy finally showed his true colors and came to claim his child.”

The skin crawled on the back of Peanut’s neck. “I find your comments leaning more toward gossip and supposition rather than fact, and until I knew the truth, I would keep them to myself. In the meantime, thank you for your assistance.”

He hung up in Pansy’s ear.

Pansy was furious that Butterman had talked to her like she’d done something bad. He didn’t have to live with Bart Jones. She’d just done what she’d been told. It wasn’t her fault that Pine boy had come to claim his own.

Butterman was just as irked with her as she was with him. As far as he was concerned, she’d said more than enough. He was muttering to himself about the sharp tongues of self-righteous women as he flipped through the file he had on Meeker Webb.

There was a phone number for Dori Grant along with Meeker’s contact information. He called the number listed for Dori and got nothing. He decided to take a chance and called Meeker’s number next. She answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

Peanut heard a quaver in the female voice and guessed he’d found his missing heir.

“Hello. This is Peanut Butterman. I’m trying to locate Dori Grant.”

Dori recognized the lawyer’s name.

“Hello, Mr. Butterman. This is Dori.”

“Miss Grant, my condolences on the loss of your grandfather.”

Dori stomach roiled. And so it began.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Yes, and now to the reason I’m calling. I drew up your grandfather’s will, and as you are his sole heir, there are some things you need to know.”

“Okay.”

“I was told you are staying at the Pine residence. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“We need to talk in person. Would it be convenient if I came by this morning?”

“Yes, sir, I guess so. Johnny is at work and the boys are at school.”

He glanced at the time and then at his daily planner. He had court this afternoon. This needed to be dealt with before.

“Would it be possible if I stopped by about ten o’clock?”

“Yes. Do you know where he lives?”

“I do, and I’ll see you then,” he said and hung up.

Dori heard the click and disconnected. This was going to be a long day; she just knew it.

Johnny had come and gone over two hours earlier to drop off the things he’d bought, so her immediate needs had been met. Luther was taking his morning nap, and the floors she’d just mopped were almost dry. She’d washed her T-shirt and sweats. They should be dry soon. She’d still be in her sock feet, but at least she’d be wearing her own clothes when he came.

* * *

Like all the others in Blessings, Ruby Dye had been awakened in the night by the sirens, and when she got up to look out, the flames she saw over the rooftops to the south had given her chills. But she didn’t learn what had happened until the next morning when Vera Conklin called to spread the news.

“Ruby, it’s me, Vera. Did you hear about the fire last night?”

Ruby topped off her coffee and carried it to the table as she continued her conversation.

“I heard the sirens and saw the flames, but didn’t know what was burning.”

“Oh, Sister, it’s just awful. It was Meeker Webb’s house. It’s gone. Burned to the ground,” Vera said.

Ruby was horrified. “Oh Lord! Did they get out of the house?”

“All three of them got out, but then Meeker had a heart attack in their yard while they were fighting the fire and died.”

Ruby gasped. “Oh no! What’s going to happen to Dori and her baby?”

“I don’t know. I asked where they were, but Vesta didn’t know.”

“How did Vesta find out?” Ruby asked.

“One of her clients called to change an appointment and told her about it.”

“Lord, Lord, that poor girl. She must be scared half to death, not to mention devastated by her grandfather’s passing. I’ll need to find out where she’s staying. I’m guessing her and her baby are in serious need of some clothing. I’ll see what I can find out and get right on that. Thanks for calling. I’ll see you at the shop later.”