Missing Milt

Garden Girls

Cozy Mystery Series Book 7

Hope Callaghan

http://hopecallaghan.com

Copyright © 2015

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction.  Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are fictitious.  Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.  The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

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Visit my website for new releases and special offers:  http://hopecallaghan.com

A big thank you to Peggy Hyndman and Wanda Downs, for taking the time to preview Missing Milt - to make sure all my ‘i’s are dotted and my ‘t’s are crossed – and always for their words of encouragement.

Table of Contents

About The Author

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Layered Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

About The Author

Hope Callaghan is an author who loves to write Christian books, especially Christian Mystery and Cozy Mystery books. Born and raised in a small town in West Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her husband.

She is the proud mother of one daughter and a stepdaughter and stepson.  When she's not doing the thing she loves best - writing books - she enjoys cooking, traveling and reading books.

Hope loves to connect with her readers!

Visit hopecallaghan.com for information on special offers and soon-to-be-released books!

Email:  hope@hopecallaghan.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hopecallaghanauthor

Other Books by Author, Hope Callaghan:

DECEPTION CHRISTIAN MYSTERY SERIES:

Waves of Deception: Samantha Rite Series Book 1

Winds of Deception: Samantha Rite Series Book 2

Tides of Deception: Samantha Rite Series Book 3

GARDEN GIRLS CHRISTIAN COZY MYSTERIES SERIES:

Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set Books 1-4

Who Murdered Mr. Malone?  Garden Girls Mystery Series Book 1

Grandkids Gone Wild: Garden Girls Mystery Series Book 2

Smoky Mountain Mystery: Garden Girls Mystery Series Book 3

Death by Dumplings: Garden Girls Mystery Series Book 4

Eye Spy: Garden Girls Mystery Series Book 5

CRUISE SHIP CHRISTIAN COZY MYSTERIES SERIES

Starboard Secrets Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 1

Portside Peril: Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 2

Chapter 1

Gloria Rutherford rolled her car window down, letting the first hint of crisp fall air whoosh in.  The fresh air was most definitely welcome!  Summer had been long and hot.  To Gloria, it seemed to have gone on forever.

She glanced out the window at the towering oak trees. The tips of the leaves had started to turn.  The hint of colors lined the sides of the road as she headed into town.  Soon, it would be time for the fall festivals, wagon rides, color tours and pumpkin patches.

The beautiful fall days reminded her that she had promised her grandsons, Tyler and Ryan, that they could sleep over and finish building the tree fort they had started the last time they had spent the weekend.

Brian Sellers, the owner of Nails and Knobs, the small town of Belhaven’s only hardware store, had left a message on Gloria’s answering machine, letting her know that the walls for the fort were ready for her to pick up.

She hadn’t told the boys the fort was ready to go.  She needed to talk to her daughter, Jill, first.  School had recently started and Jill kept the boys on a tight schedule.

Gloria eased Annabelle into an empty parking spot in front of the post office.  She squeezed out the driver’s side door and scooted her way to the front.

The parking lot was full, although from what Gloria could see through the plate glass window, the residents of Belhaven weren’t inside the post office.

She took a quick glance across the street.  Many of them were in Dot’s, a restaurant owned by Gloria’s friend, Dot Jenkins, and her husband, Ray.  The placed was packed!

Gloria stepped into the lobby of the post office and headed to the counter.

Head Postmaster, Ruth Carpenter, looked up when she heard the doorbell chime.  She peered at Gloria over the rim of her reading glasses. “You’re out bright and early this morning.”

Gloria lifted a brow. She wasn’t sure if this was a potshot at the fact that Gloria had been a bit of a recluse lately, since she had been staying close to home, trying to get everything organized.

On the heels of the fall festivals that were right around the corner were the holidays.  This year, all of Gloria’s children would be coming home for a visit and Gloria wanted to get a jump-start on whipping the place into ship shape for all of the company.

She set her purse on the counter and dropped a small stack of envelopes next to it.  “Yeah, I’m just trying to get some stuff done around the farm.”

Ruth tapped her pen on the counter.  “You talked to Liz today?”

“Nope.”  Gloria shook her head.

“Liz” was Elizabeth Applegate, Gloria’s sister.  “What’s she got cooking now?”  Liz had a penchant for getting herself into some sticky situations.  When she wasn’t getting into trouble, she was vanishing for days at a time, putting everyone around her in an uproar. Namely, Gloria.

Eventually, Liz would return and wonder what all the fuss was about.  Gloria tried to avoid the drama, but somehow Liz always managed to suck her into whatever was going on in her world.

Ruth picked up the stack of envelopes and dropped them in the large metal bin next to her.  “Milt is still missing,” she said.

Gloria frowned.  Liz had called Gloria one day, out of the blue and in a state of panic.  “Milt” was Milton Tilton.  He was a resident at Dreamwood Retirement Community, along with Liz and Liz’s best friend, Frances.

Gloria had promised Liz she would look into his disappearance.  Gloria ended up sidetracked with other, more pressing issues, and had forgotten. She hadn’t heard anything else so she assumed Milt had been found.

Ruth pointed at the back wall. “Check out the poster.”

Gloria wandered over to the large corkboard. She pulled her glasses from her purse and slipped them on.  Sure enough, a glossy 8-1/2x11 poster of Milt’s mug hung on the wall.  Below his picture was a plea:

“We desperately need your help!  Milt Tilton, a resident of Dreamwood Retirement Community in Green Springs, Michigan is missing and we fear his life may be in danger.

Mr. Tilton was last seen near Dreamwood’s main entrance on Friday evening, September 2nd, wearing plaid leisure pants and a gray polka dotted shirt.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Milton Tilton, please contact Frances Crabtree at 626-1889.  A reward of $500 is being offered for any information that leads to the safe return of Mr. Tilton.”

Gloria scrunched her nose.  “Huh!  Frances is getting desperate.  She’s even offering a reward!”

Ruth nodded.  “Yeah.  She and Liz were in here not 15 minutes ago. I think they were headed to your place to see if you could help track old Milt down.”

Gloria had a bit of a reputation around, not only the small town of Belhaven, but also throughout the entire community.  She had managed to end up right in the middle of several mysteries and murders.  On top of that, she was good at solving them!

“I’ll have to give her a call.”  Gloria stood upright.  “I probably passed them on the road.”  She flung her purse on her shoulder and grabbed the door handle.  “If they come back by, tell them I had to make a stop at the hardware store and then I’m heading home.”

Ruth lifted her hand in a small salute.  “Will do!”

Gloria shuffled over to the car, opened the driver’s side door and slid into the seat.  She pulled out of the parking lot and veered left, in the direction of the hardware store.  She got lucky and found a front row parking spot.  Gloria climbed out of the car and made her way to the door.

Brian was standing on the front stoop talking to Carl Arnett, a longtime resident of Belhaven.  Gloria stood off to the side and waited while the two of them finished their conversation.

Carl gave Gloria a brief nod then headed down the sidewalk toward Dot’s.

Brian rubbed his hands together.  “Let me guess. You’re here to pick up the walls for the tree fort.”

Gloria tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  “Yeah.  I can’t wait to tell the boys it’s ready to go.”

“Follow me.” Brian waved her around the side of the building toward the back.  “I have a surprise for you.”

Gloria kept pace with his long strides as they made their way to the rear of the hardware store.

Brian lifted a metal latch, pushed the wooden gate open and stepped to the side while she followed him in.

The boards for the tree fort were propped up against the wall.

Gloria bent down and lifted one of the particleboards from the stack.

Brian had done an amazing job of cutting windows out on two of the boards, and a doorway for the front of the fort on a third board.  On the other side of the wall panels were several long, wooden planks.

“Here’s my surprise.” Brian picked up a board.  “I found these up in the attic.  The boys can use these to build a railing to go around the fort.”

Gloria studied the boards.  “Brian, you went above and beyond what I asked you to do!”

Brian’s cheeks turned pink.  “I always wanted a tree fort myself when I was a kid,” he confessed.  “Say, I can load these in the back of my SUV and bring them over on my lunch break.”

Gloria was beginning to feel guilty!  He could see from the look on her face that she was torn.  “Tell you what - you make me lunch and I’ll run by and drop these off,” he bargained.

Gloria nodded. “That would be perfect.  Do you think you can take a peek at the base of the fort while you’re there?  Make sure it’s sturdy and all.”  The boys had done a great job of building the platform but it wouldn’t hurt to have another set of eyes look at it to make sure it wasn’t going anywhere.

“Anything for my girl.” Brian grinned.

Gloria stepped out onto the sidewalk.  Brian followed behind.  He pulled the door shut and the two of them strolled to the front.  “Your sister, Liz, was in here earlier looking for you.”

He gave her a sideways glance.  “Something about some guy that’s missing.” He shook his head.  “She had another lady with her who was totally off the charts. She came inside the store and bought a long cable and combination lock.”

Gloria chuckled.  He must be talking about Frances.  “I wonder why she didn’t just call me on my cell phone.”

She rummaged around inside her purse and pulled out her cell phone.  Gloria flipped it over and stared at the screen.  No wonder Liz hadn’t called.  The phone was off!

“Anyways, the two of them were trying to track you down,” Brian added.

Gloria thanked Brian again and climbed into the car.  She decided it would be best to wait until she got home to call Liz.

Gloria pulled Annabelle into the drive and made her way up the porch to the side door.  She grabbed the handle on the screen door and something caught her eye. Tucked between the frame and the door was a slip of paper.  Gloria plucked the folded sheet of paper, unlocked the door, and stepped inside her kitchen.

She dropped her purse on the table and reached for her glasses.  She flipped open the note: “Help!  Gloria, I am desperate!  Please call me ASAP!”

She rolled her eyes.  This was typical Liz drama.

Mally, Gloria’s Springer Spaniel, wandered into the kitchen.  She held the note out so that Mally could see it.  “Liz is in a tizzy.” She peered down at her pooch.  “I should probably get this over with and find out what in the world is going on.”

Gloria grabbed the house phone and dialed Liz’s cell number.  Liz picked up on the first ring.  “Thank God you called!  I just left Frances.  She’s having a cow!”

Gloria interrupted.  “So Milt is still missing and Frances wants me to see if I can track him down.”

Liz let out an aggravated sigh.  “It may be too late. When I left her on the sidewalk out front of her apartment a few minutes ago, she had that look in her eye and mumbled something about staging a protest out in front of Dreamwood Eats.”

Dreamwood Eats was the buffet-style restaurant inside Dreamwood Retirement community.  It was the hub of Dreamwood – the main gathering place for the residents.

Liz went on. “She took a long cable and combination lock with her.”

Gloria glanced up at the clock.  It was already 11:00 a.m.  Almost time for lunch.  “You don’t think she’s going to…”

“Oh, I do think she’s going to.  She’s been threatening for days now that she was gonna chain herself to the front doors of the restaurant.  To bring attention to Milt’s disappearance.”

Liz begged her sister.  “Can you please come by here and talk to her?  I think you’re the only person she’ll listen to.”

Gloria wasn’t sure if chaining herself to a building on private property would get her arrested.  Unless, of course, Dreamwood decided to press charges.  There was also the chance they might arrest her for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace kind-of-thing.

“Brian is coming by for lunch with the materials for the boys’ tree fort.  After lunch, I’ll head over,” Gloria promised.

“Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!”

Gloria hung up and headed to the fridge.  Luckily, she had just gone to the grocery store the day before and stocked up on all sorts of goodies.

She grabbed a package of deli turkey and sliced Colby cheese from the fridge.  She set the food on the table and reached back in for the new jar of chipotle mayonnaise she’d been dying to try.  She set that on the table along with the other ingredients and pulled the panini press from the top of the fridge.  She blew a thin layer of dust from the top and then wiped her hand across the surface.

Mally let out a low whine when she smelled the grilling sandwiches.  Gloria looked down.  She knew there was no way she could refuse those doleful brown eyes.  Right beside Mally was her cat, Puddles, with the same look on his face.

She pulled a slice of meat from the packet and tore it into small pieces. She put the small pieces in a bowl and moved it to the side for Puddles, out of Mally’s reach.

Next, she took another piece of meat and dropped the entire piece in Mally’s dish.  The treat lasted but a second and she got the same pitiful look from both her pets.

Gloria shoved a hand on her hip.  “Now you know that’s a treat and I can’t give you all of it.”

Instead, she filled their dishes with pet food and added fresh water to their water dishes.

After that, Gloria set the sandwiches on the plates and the plates on the table.  She finished up just in time to see Brian’s dark SUV pull in the drive.

She met him at the door.  “Right on time.  Sandwiches are hot off the press. Panini press, that is.”

She gave Brian a light hug and held the door as Mally trotted over.

Brian bent down to pat her head.  “Hey, girl.  Haven’t seen you in a while now.” He scratched her chin.  “Have you been naughty and Gloria is leaving you at home?”

Gloria frowned.  It had been a few days since Mally and she had gone anywhere.  “You’re right.” She turned to her beloved pet.  “You can go to Liz’s place with me,” she promised.

Brian pulled a chair out and plopped down.  “Did you find out what was going on with Liz and her friend?”

Gloria settled into the chair across from Brian.  She lifted the lid on the new container of potato salad and scooped a large spoonful onto her plate before passing it to him.  “Liz’s friend, Frances, may have chained herself to a building in protest.”

Brian had just taken a huge gulp of lemonade.  He spewed the liquid from his mouth and it dribbled down his chin.  He grabbed his napkin. “You’re kidding.”

Gloria shook her head.  “I wish I was.  Somehow, I can picture Frances doing that.”

Brian took a big bite of his sandwich. “This is delicious.”

Gloria tore a piece of her sandwich off and popped it into her mouth.  He was right.  It was good.  The chipotle mayonnaise gave it the perfect level of heat.

Brian was curious. “What does this ‘Milt’ person look like?”

Gloria lifted a fork full of potato salad to her mouth.  “Stop by the post office.  Frances posted a picture on the community board.”

Brian nodded, and then changed the subject.  “What do you think of Andrea’s new house mate, Alice?”

“Andrea” was Andrea Malone. One of Gloria’s close friends.  She was a young woman that Gloria had helped by solving her husband’s murder quite some time ago.  In fact, it was the very first murder that Gloria had solved.

The two of them had grown close and Andrea had purchased a big – some say haunted - house in the small town of Belhaven.

She had fixed it up and was now living in it, along with Andrea’s childhood housekeeper, who had just retired and moved there from New York City.

Gloria was glad Alice was here.  The house was too big for just Andrea.  Now Gloria didn’t worry about her young friend as much.

Andrea had had her share of odd things…and old bodies popping up on the property.  The house was somewhat of a magnet for creepy, criminal activities.

“I think she’s a great addition to the family.” Gloria popped the last bite in her mouth.  She swallowed the last bit of lemonade and set the glass on top of the empty plate.  “Is she still after you?”

Alice had taken a real shine to Brian.  Maybe that was too weak of a word.  Alice was infatuated with Brian.

Brian chuckled.  “Yeah.  She hasn’t given up yet.  Of course, I think that’s for show and she secretly hopes that Andrea and I will get married.” He paused.  “Let me clarify that.  It’s not ‘secretly hopes.’  Every time I go over there she bluntly asks when I’m going to propose.”

Gloria’s interest was piqued.  “And?”  She herself was curious.  The two had dated for almost a year now and they seemed a perfect match.

Brian twisted his drink glass in a small circle.

Gloria could see the wheels turning in his mind.  It looked like he was weighing the pros and cons of something.

Maybe he needed a little nudge…

“Are you going to ask Andrea to marry you?”

Brian didn’t answer.  Instead, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small jewelry box.  He handed it to Gloria.

She grabbed her reading glasses from the center of the table and slipped them on.  She lifted the lid on the box and gasped.  Inside the box was one of the largest diamond rings Gloria had ever seen, if you didn’t count gazing at them from the outside of a display case at a large jewelry store.

She looked at Brian over the rim of her glasses. “May I?”

Brian nodded.

Gloria plucked the ring from the velvet folds and pulled it close to her face.  The diamond was a princess cut.  Smaller, twinkling diamonds surrounded the large center diamond, then ran down both sides of the silver band.  “This ring is beautiful,” she gushed.

She held it up to the light.  “Andrea and I must wear almost the same size ring,” Gloria told him.

She slipped the ring back inside the box and closed the lid before handing it back to Brian.

He opened the lid and studied the ring.  “I’ve been racking my brain, trying to plan something special.  Something that’s completely unexpected.”

Gloria dropped her chin in her hand. “Hmm…” She gazed out the window.  Andrea wasn’t flashy.  Although she had grown up in New York City, she was a down-to-earth, small-town girl at heart.  She did have a taste for the finer things, but they didn’t define Andrea.

Her eyes wandered to the barn and beyond.  Then it dawned on her.  “Brian, I have the perfect idea!”

Chapter 2

Gloria shared her idea with Brian, who promptly agreed it was the perfect setting for the upcoming proposal.  He closed the lid and shoved the box back inside his jacket pocket.

Gloria carried the dirty dishes to the dishwasher and arranged them on the shelves.  “It’s time to take a look at that tree fort.”

They headed outdoors.  The base of the tree fort rested on several sturdy limbs of the large, leafy tree, which was smack dab in the center of Gloria’s front yard.

Brian eyed the tree cautiously.  “I haven’t climbed a tree since I was a kid.  Here goes nothing!”  He scampered up the tree so fast Gloria had to blink to make sure he had climbed and not catapulted!

He made his way to the center of the platform, spread his legs apart and swayed from side to side.  The wooden frame shifted slightly under his weight.  “It could probably use a couple long screws drilled into the tree to keep it from wobbling, but all-in-all, the boys did a great job of securing it,” he hollered down to Gloria.

Brian waited in the tree while Gloria ran out to the garage to grab a cordless drill and a couple long screws. She handed them up and waited for him to secure the frame before he eased back down.

He pointed to the side of the tree.  “Maybe you should put some slats in the side here to make it easier to climb up and down.”

Gloria thought that was an excellent idea.  There was still some scrap wood in the barn that would work perfectly.

Brian unloaded the materials for the tree house from his truck and propped them up against the wall, just inside the barn.  He looked down at his handiwork.  It had been fun, thinking of how much Gloria’s grandsons, Tyler and Ryan, would enjoy this project.  Someday he would have boys of his own and they would build a tree fort.

Brian wiped his hands on the front of his jeans.  Gloria followed him to his truck and watched while he slid in the driver’s seat.  He stuck the keys in the ignition and started the engine.  “You’re not gonna…”

Gloria made a zipping motion across her lips.  “My lips are sealed,” she promised.  “But, I’m so excited!”  It almost felt like one of her own children was about to propose!

Although Gloria was thrilled for Brian and Andrea, she couldn’t help but wonder when her day might come.  She and her boyfriend, Paul Kennedy, had been dating for quite a while now.  She glanced down at her finger and the beautiful sapphire and diamond ring Paul had given her not long ago.

Gloria scolded herself.  Be happy with what you have, which is more than so many others.

She shook her head to clear it, and then headed for the house.  It was time to find out what was going on with Frances and Dreamwood Retirement!

Mally must’ve known she was going for a ride.  She was waiting by the kitchen door, stuffed elephant clenched firmly in her jaw.  “Ready to see what kind of bee Frances has swirling round her bonnet?” she asked her pooch.

She grabbed her purse, lifted her car keys from the hook near the door and headed back out.  Gloria stood beside the car and waited while Mally took care of business, then sniffed around the dead and shriveled vegetables that littered the garden.  “C’mon, girl.  We gotta get going.”

Gloria opened the door.  Mally bolted across the seat and settled into the passenger side.  Gloria followed her in, then reached over to buckle Mally’s belt.  She made sure the belt was secure around her before she fastened her own and started the engine.

Her mind wandered to Brian and Andrea.  Andrea had the large, two-story mansion style house she had just renovated.  Brian had a home of his own.  His home was a big, beautiful, modern place that overlooked Lake Terrace.  She wondered who would have to give up what house.  They certainly couldn’t live in both.

Their situation was similar to Paul and Gloria’s situation. Both had acreage, farms and rambling farmhouses that had been in each of their families for decades.

Some time ago, they had discussed the fact that they both wanted to hang onto the homesteads and pass them down to the next generation.

Gloria wasn’t sure which of her children would even want the farm.  Her oldest son, Eddie, lived in Chicago with his wife, Karen.  They had no children and showed no interest in moving back to Michigan, let alone Belhaven.

Next in line was her son, Ben, the middle child.  He lived in Texas with his wife, Kelly, and their two children Ariel and Oliver.  She doubted they would want the farm.

That left her youngest child.  Her daughter, Jill, and Jill’s husband, Greg, who lived in the nearby town of Green Springs.  Their two sons, Tyler and Ryan, were closest to Gloria since they lived nearby and often came to spend the weekend.  Now those two – they might fight over the farm!

Gloria adored her grandsons, not that she didn’t love Ariel and Oliver just as much.  She didn’t get to see them very often, unlike Tyler and Ryan.

The thought of the boys reminded her that she needed to give Jill a call to see when they could spend the night and finish the fort.

Gloria slid Annabelle into Dreamwood’s visitor parking spot, a straight shot across the parking lot from Liz’s apartment unit.  She opened the door, climbed out and waited for Mally to join her.

Mally tiptoed across the seat and hopped out onto the asphalt.  She waited while Gloria closed the door and locked it.

As the two of them headed towards Liz’s apartment, Gloria noticed a TV 8 news van parked at the end of the lot.  Gloria wouldn’t bet money on it, but she had a sneaking suspicion the van might have something to do with Frances.

She picked up the pace and darted across the parking lot.  She and Mally headed to Liz’s side door and rang the bell.  From where she stood, she could see her sister frantically dart back and forth, from the kitchen to the hall.

Liz whirled around at the sound of the bell.  Her eyes lit up when she spied Gloria.  She hustled to the door and flung it open.  “Am I glad to see you!” She grabbed Gloria’s hand, jerked her inside and Mally trotted in behind her.

Liz slammed the door shut behind them.  “Frances chained herself to the front of the restaurant in protest.  She’s refusing to budge,” she blurted out.

Gloria shook her head.  This was not good.  “But what can Dreamwood do to find Milt?”

Liz backed into the living room and plopped down on the sofa.  “I have no idea.  Frances is half out of her mind with this missing Milt thing.  She figures if she can get the local news to pick up the story, maybe the police will open an investigation.”

Gloria eased onto the other end of the sofa.  Mally settled in at her feet.  “I think she’s got that covered.  There’s a Channel 8 news van in the parking lot.”

Liz shot to her feet.  “You’re kidding me.” She headed to the slider and peered out.  Sure enough, the news van was still there.  “We better get over there and try to talk some sense into Frances.”

Liz grabbed her house keys from the counter and opened the side door.  “Maybe you can offer to search for Milt or something.”

Gloria frowned.  Of course, she was willing to help in any way she could, but what if Milt wasn’t really missing?  What if he had vanished of his own free will?

The three of them headed down the sidewalk and in the direction of the restaurant.  As they got closer, Gloria could see a large crowd had gathered out front.

The girls stopped near the outer circle and Gloria peeked over a woman’s shoulder to catch a glimpse.  Despite the gravity of the situation, she almost burst out laughing at the sight of Liz’s best friend.

Frances had wedged her ample frame between the two metal handles attached to the front doors.  Around her waist was a long, black cable.  The cable looped around the door handles and Frances.  In the middle of the cable, hanging right below Frances’ belt, was a combination lock.

Plastered to the front of her shirt was a large piece of poster board.  In the center of the poster was a picture of Milt.  Above his mug shot, in large black letters was the word:  MISSING.

Printed below his picture was the word: REWARD.

A reporter, holding a microphone, stood next to Frances.  Gloria and Mally squeezed in and around the growing crowd until they stood next to the reporter.  The young man was asking Frances a question.  “How long do you plan to remain chained to this entrance?”

Good question.  Gloria was wondering the exact same thing.

Frances crossed her arms and frowned.  “Until the police assure me they will look into the disappearance of Milton Tilton.”  She lowered her voice.  “Or until I have to go to the bathroom, whichever comes first.”

The crowd snickered.  Gloria rolled her eyes.  The poor woman reminded her of a raving lunatic.  Gloria needed to save her before she destroyed her reputation, what little she had left.

The reporter had turned to talk to the cameraman.  This was Gloria’s chance to have a word with Frances off camera.

She tugged on Mally’s leash as they inched closer.  Gloria leaned in.  “If you free yourself from the restaurant, I’ll help you search for Milt,” she whispered in Frances’ ear.

Frances’ face lit up.  “You promise?  Today?”

Gloria nodded.  “Yes.  Free yourself from this fiasco and I promise I’ll start today.”

That was all the persuasion Frances needed.  She promptly reached down, grabbed the combination lock and dialed some numbers.  The lock clicked open and Frances pulled it from the cable loop.

Gloria helped her untangle it from the doors.  A cheer went up in the crowd.  Gloria wasn’t certain, but she figured they were thrilled they could now go inside and enjoy their lunch.

The reporter stepped forward.  He turned the microphone to Gloria.  The camera was on her now.  Gloria did not want to be on the evening news.  She swallowed the lump in her throat.

The reporter thrust the microphone into her face. “What exactly did you say to Ms. Crabtree to convince her to abandon her protest?”

“That I would help her search for Mr. Tilton,” she admitted.

Frances tapped the young man’s shoulder.  “This is the famous sleuth, Gloria Rutherford.”  Gloria, at that moment, wished the sidewalk would open up and swallow her whole.  She did not want – did not need - this kind of attention.

The reporter lifted a brow.  “Hey! I think I remember you from the night I interviewed you and a young woman after police caught two suspected killers in nearby Belhaven.”

Gloria narrowed her eyes and studied his face.  This young man was the one that had done the interview that evening outside of Andrea’s place.  The young reporter that begged for an interview, telling Gloria and Andrea that he was new.

She cocked her head.  “I remember you.  You were new.”

He nodded eagerly.  “Yeah, that was me.  You gave me my first big break!”

He covered the microphone with his hand.  “I’m an anchor on the 6:00 evening news now!”

“Congratulations,” she said.  “Now do me a huge favor and cut me out of your report.”

Frances butted in.  “No!  You’ve gotta leave Gloria in the clip.  She’s nearly famous around these parts!”

Gloria grabbed her arm and gave her a withering look.

Frances shrugged.  “Well, it’s true.”

The crew wrapped up their interview. The reporter asked if he could get Gloria’s number and follow up to see if she was able to crack the case.  She shook her head no.

Liz was directly behind the reporter.  Gloria hadn’t noticed her move up.  She blurted out Gloria’s cell phone number, much to Gloria’s dismay.

After the reporter and TV crew left, the girls wandered into the cafeteria for a bite to eat.  Liz shuffled to the front of the restaurant while Gloria and Frances followed behind.

“I was about to give up the protest,” Frances admitted.  “I was starting to feel faint from hunger.” She glanced around.  “Plus, I gotta use the bathroom.”

She darted off to the left, in the direction of the restrooms, while Liz and Gloria grabbed two trays and started down the line.  Gloria wasn’t the least bit hungry since she’d just eaten lunch with Brian.

She followed along behind Liz as she set two grilled cheese sandwiches on her tray, along with a couple bowls of piping hot tomato soup and several packets of saltine crackers.

Frances caught up with them at the cash register. “Here, let me pay,” she graciously offered.  The girls waited for Frances to pay and then the three of them and Mally wandered over to an empty table off to the side.

They no more than settled into their seats when a heavyset woman with shocking white hair and twinkling blue eyes approached the table and turned to Frances.

“I sure do admire your gumption,” she gushed.  “Why, I was just thinking as I watched you chained to the doors how we should get together and protest the food in this joint.”

She leaned forward.  “I’d like to see ‘em put more meat and potatoes on the menu and less of those foo foo wraps and salads.”

Frances’ eyes lit up.  “Get with me later, Agnes.  Maybe we can round up a few more protesters and get some real changes around here.” She thumped her fist on the table for emphasis.

Gloria sipped her soda and glanced at Frances from the corner of her eye.  The woman had more spunk than Gloria had given her credit.

Frances gobbled up her sandwich and soup. Liz ate a bit slower and Gloria steered the conversation to lighter things – like grandchildren and the weather.  No sense in getting Frances all stirred up – again.

They cleared the table and dumped the dirty dishes in the bin on top of the trashcan.  Gloria trailed behind Liz and Frances.  “Say, Frances, what happened to your walker?”

Gloria hadn’t noticed with all the excitement, but Frances was getting around pretty darned good.  She was no longer using a walker!

Liz held the door as Frances and Gloria stepped out onto the sidewalk.  “I started taking these cayenne pepper pills a few weeks ago.  Heard they were good for loosening limbs and joints.  I also started walking around the neighborhood.”

“In search of Milt,” Liz pointed out.

Frances’ head drooped.  “True. In search of Milt.” She lifted her shoulders and looked around.  “I get this feeling that Milt is here, that he’s with us.  Close by.”

Chapter 3

Frances’ apartment faced Liz’s apartment.  If the two stood staring out their bedroom windows, they could look directly into one another’s window.

Frances unlocked her side kitchen door and led them inside.

Gloria stepped across the threshold and caught a whiff of men’s cologne.

Liz smelled it too.  “Did you start wearing men’s cologne?”  She spun around and faced her friend.  Her eyes narrowed.  “What’s up with that?”

Frances closed the door behind them.  “I-I.” She began to sniffle.  “It’s a bottle of Highland Nights, Milt’s favorite cologne,” she confessed.  “I spray it in the house.  It reminds me of him.” She burst into tears, dropped her head in her hands and began to sob.

This was way worse than Gloria had imagined.  This woman had an extreme obsession!  She had no idea what the big draw over Milt was all about.  The man’s head was shinier than Mr. Clean’s and he had beady, brooding eyes.

His voice an annoying pitch that was always three decibels too high and it grated on Gloria’s nerves every time she heard him talk.  On top of that, he was just plain slimy, for lack of a better word.  Every time Milt shook Gloria’s hand, she had the overwhelming urge to douse it in hand sanitizer.

Liz led Frances over to the dining room table and pulled out a chair.

Frances sunk into the seat. She dropped her arms on the table and laid her head on top of her arms.  “I have to find Milt,” she wailed.  “I just have to.”

Gloria pulled out the chair next to the heartbroken woman and settled in.  “Now, Frances,” she told her in a stern voice, “you have to pull yourself together if you want to help me find Milt.”

“She’s right, Frances,” Liz agreed, “Gloria is a very busy woman and doesn’t have a ton of free time to spend on this case.”

Gloria’s eyes shot up as she glared at her sister.  Liz was making her sound downright heartless.

Liz gave a dismissive wave.  “So we’re gonna have to map out a strategy here to try to find him.”

Gloria spied a small notepad and pen on the edge of the table.  She grabbed the pen and the notepad, slipped her glasses on and lifted the cover.  She needed to take a few notes if she was going to trace Milt’s steps.

Her eyes widened when she spied the chicken scratch on the first sheet of paper.  Frances had already started taking notes!

“Milt was last seen on the evening of September 2nd.  He was talking to Clyde Ward out in front of the Rolling Green Clubhouse.”

Rolling Green was the golf course located on Dreamwood’s property, used exclusively by residents and their guests.  Gloria had only caught glimpses of the golf course on her way in and out of Dreamwood, herself never having swung a golf club in her life.

Liz, on the other hand, was an avid golfer…or so she told Gloria.  Whether she was or not hadn’t been confirmed.

Gloria continued down the list.  Next on the paper: “Milt’s habits.”

“7:30 a.m.  Breakfast - Del’s Diner with his buddies

9:00 a.m.  Workout - Dreamwood gym

11:30 a.m. Lunch - Dreamwood Eats

1:30 p.m. Nap at home

3:00 p.m. Poker playing in the clubhouse

5:15 p.m.  Dinner at someone’s house.  Rarely eats dinner at home. Frances had written a small side note.  Not certain that Milt knows how to cook.

7:00 p.m. Walk with Frances.”

There was a second list.  This one listed Milt’s preferences:

Milt drinks 2 cups of coffee every morning.  Dunkin Donuts original blend.  (Purchased at Meijer, the local supermarket.)

Favorite food: Chocolate chip cookies.  He eats at least a dozen cookies per week.  The kind with the chunks.  Milt likes to dip them in a glass of cold milk.

His favorite sports team is the Detroit Tigers and his second favorite is Dallas Cowboys, although I’m not sure why. (Frances had added additional commentary.)

Milt’s favorite cologne: Highland Nights.

His dog, Fudge, died a couple years ago and he never got over it.

His favorite color is green.  The color of money.

There were so many questions swirling around Gloria’s brain.  This was beginning to creep her out.  How did Frances know that Milt napped at 1:30 every afternoon?  Did she really want to know?

She closed the cover on the pad of paper and slid it across the table.  “I guess the first thing on my list is talk to Clyde Ward to see if Milt said anything unusual.”

Frances nodded.  “I tried that already but every time I try to ask Clyde about Milt, he just clams up.”

“That’s because Clyde asked you to the afternoon movie matinee a few weeks ago and you shot him down, telling him he didn’t hold a candle to Milt.  You snubbed him,” Liz pointed out.

Frances rubbed an imaginary spot off the table with the tip of her finger.  “I know, I remember.  Looking back, I shouldn’t have said anything,” she admitted. “He lives over at 726 Peachtree Lane.”

Gloria slipped her glasses into her purse.  “What about Milt’s house phone and cell phone?  Are they still in service?”

“Check,” Frances answered.  “I call them every single morning as soon as I wake up.”

“Do you leave a message?” Gloria wondered.

Frances nodded.  “I was leaving messages.  Of course, now both the mailbox and answering machine are full and it won’t let me.”

“I also could’ve sworn I saw Milt talking to Trudy Gromalski the night he disappeared,” she added.

Frances grabbed the notepad and pen and flicked the pad open.  She scribbled a number down, ripped the sheet off and handed it to Gloria. “She moved to Dreamwood a couple months ago.  She lives over on Wisteria Way.”

“Did you try to talk to her?”

Frances jerked her head.  “Of course!” she snapped.

Gloria crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Frances backed down.  “No. I mean, of course I tried,” she soothed.  “Every time I go over there, no one is home.”

Gloria rubbed her brow thoughtfully.  She could kill two birds with one stone.  Visit Clyde first then swing by Trudy’s place. Hopefully, they would be willing to talk.

She grabbed her purse and rose from the chair.  “If you think of anything else, let me know,” she told Frances.

Gloria and Mally followed Liz out the door.  Frances stood in the doorway.  Her eyes filled with tears.  “Will you let me know what you find out?”

Gloria assured her she would. Liz and Gloria slowly wandered across the meticulously manicured lawn toward Liz’s place.  “You want me to go over there with you?” Liz offered.

Gloria shook her head.  “No.  I’ll go by myself.  I might be able to get more out of them if I’m alone.”

Liz had more enemies than friends at Dreamwood and Gloria wasn’t sure what side Clyde and Trudy were on – friend or enemy.

The skies were clear and the temperatures perfect for a leisurely stroll.  Gloria clipped Mally’s leash to her collar and they headed down the sidewalk.  Gloria admired the rich reds, buttery yellow and deep oranges of the fall flowers as they strolled along.

Gloria sometimes wished she had sidewalks near home.  Of course, Mally and she took lots of walks.  Through the fields behind the farm, to the creek that ran through the back of her property, but that was about it.

The road in front of the farm was the main road into Belhaven and there was a lot of traffic.  No, it was not safe for them to walk on the side of their road.

Gloria was glad she had thought to hook Mally to her leash.  A few times, she tried to dart off toward the old oak trees that lined the streets in hot pursuit of a pesky squirrel.  The critter was bent on taunting poor Mally, who finally abandoned the chase and obediently trotted along next to Gloria.

Gloria turned at the corner of Peachtree Lane as she made her way to Clyde’s place first.  She was in luck!  Sitting in a wooden rocker on the front porch was a dark-haired man, a pipe pursed between his lips.  He eyed Gloria with curiosity as she made her way up the sidewalk to his front porch.

He took a puff off his pipe and studied her from his chair. The smell of maple and hickory floated in the air and drifted down the steps.  The man pressed his foot on the porch floor and the rocking stopped.  “Can I help you?”

Gloria shifted Mally’s leash from one hand to the other.  “Yes. My sister, Liz. Liz Applegate, lives in the complex.  She was telling me that one of the residents, Milt Tilton, is missing and I’m making my rounds to see if perhaps some of the residents might know what happened to him.”

Gloria left out the part about Frances saying he was the last person seen talking to him.  She wanted to get Clyde Ward’s take on things.

Clyde leaned back in his chair and studied her thoughtfully.  “Yeah. It’s the talk of the neighborhood, even more so now that that kook Frances chained herself to the front of the restaurant.” He snorted.

“Did you know Mr. Tilton?” He seemed willing to talk.  It was an encouraging sign. Gloria took a step up.

He nodded his head.  “Yep.  Old Milt and I like to play cards down in the clubhouse most afternoons. Poker.  Not for much money though…just a few coins.”

He changed the subject.  “Pretty dog.  Used to have a cocker spaniel myself.  Good hunting dog.”

Gloria glanced down at Mally.  “Yeah, she loves to chase the birds, the squirrels.  Just about anything, really.”

Mally thumped her tail and let out a low whine.  Gloria saw this as her opportunity to get closer to Clyde Ward and perhaps ask a few more questions.

They wandered up the steps and onto the covered porch.  Mally trotted over to the rocker and Clyde patted her head.

“She’s a beauty,” he said admiringly.

“Do you think Milt took off or is there a chance something else happened to him?”

Clyde scratched under Mally’s ears, which made her promptly drop to the floor and roll over onto her back for a belly scratch.

“You know, it’s kind of odd.  Can’t see Milt as the disappearing kind.  Course anything is possible.”

He glanced up at Gloria.  “Guess I was one of the last people to see him before he disappeared.”

His eyes narrowed as he looked at Gloria suspiciously.  “You seem awful curious about old Milt.”

He leaned back in his chair.  “Say…aren’t you that nosy lady that’s always coming across dead bodies?” He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.  “Yeah! Yeah, you are that nosy lady.”

Gloria stiffened her back.  She wasn’t nosy!  She was a detective.  Well, an unpaid sleuth. Her lips drew in a thin line.  “I’m trying to help a friend that is very concerned for Mr. Tilton’s well-being.”

He snapped his fingers.  The light bulb clicked on.  “Frances is behind all this, isn’t she?”

Gloria wasn’t about to argue.  “All I’m trying to do is make sure the man disappeared of his own free will.” Gloria went in for the kill.  “I would think any good friend would want the same,” she pointed out.

Clyde Ward nodded.  “True.”  He rose from his chair and shoved his hands in his front pockets.  He stared down at Gloria.  He was taller than he first appeared.

“Milt did make a bit of an odd comment the night he disappeared.”

Gloria leaned in.  This is what she’d been hoping for…

“He said something about someone lurking around his bushes the last few nights.”

“Like a peeping Tom?” Gloria prompted.

Clyde nodded.  “Yeah. Every time he went out to check, there was no one there.”

Gloria nodded.  “Huh. That’s interesting.”  She stepped back down onto the sidewalk.  “Is that all?”

“Yeah,” Clyde rocked back on his heels.  “Hope old Milt’s okay. Good poker player, that one,” he added.

Gloria fumbled inside her purse and grabbed a pen, along with small scrap of paper from her wallet.  She scribbled her phone number on the slip of paper and stepped back up, pressing it into Clyde Ward’s hand.  “If you think of anything else, please call.”

He glanced down at the paper.  “Will do, ma’am.”

He watched as Gloria and Mally stepped back onto the sidewalk and turned left.  She could feel his eyes following them until they rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Chapter 4

Gloria and Mally walked to the next corner and stopped.  She wasn’t sure which way to go and where this Wisteria Way might be.  They turned right and headed deeper into the neighborhood, farther away from the front where Liz and Frances’ apartments were located.

They walked three more blocks.  Gloria was about to give up and call Liz to see if she knew how far back this Wisteria Way was.  At the corner, finally, she found the street.

The two of them made another right.  It was a small cul-de-sac. Gloria let out a sigh of relief.  She loved the walk and fresh air, but realized they would have to cover the same distance to get back to the car.

She looked down at her shoes – flats - and not necessarily the best pair of shoes for walking the neighborhoods.

The two of them made it to the end of the street when Gloria spied the address she had been looking for: 72709 Wisteria Way.  She glanced at the name on the mailbox: Trudy Gromalski.

The driveway was empty and the garage door shut.  The curtains were drawn.  It appeared as if no one was home, but Gloria pressed on as Mally and she made their way up the drive to the side door that faced the drive.

She rang the bell and waited.  No answer. She rang the bell a second time.  Still no answer.  After the third ring, she gave up and the two of them headed back down the drive.

She looked down at Mally.  “We might as well finish the walk before we head back,” she told her.

Mally’s tongue hung out the side of her mouth.  “Woof.”

Gloria admired some of the houses on the street, and correctly guessed that this section of Dreamwood was a newer one.  The houses were all Craftsman style with spacious covered porches and custom woodwork.

The homes were the complete opposite of Gloria’s old farmhouse, which was in desperate need of a new paintjob.  Maybe she could hire Tyler and Ryan to paint it next spring.

She turned back to give Trudy Gromalski’s house one last look and wondered if maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her.  She could have sworn she saw the curtain move.  She narrowed her eyes.  Maybe someone was inside - avoiding her!

Back on the next street, she studied several other houses.  The styles of these homes were a bit different, a little older and more of the traditional brick exteriors.  She saw a few more curtains move and decided to make a game out of counting how many curtains moved and guessed at how many people were watching her – a stranger to their neighborhood – and Mally walk by.

Gloria didn’t see Liz as she made her way through the parking lot and over to her car. She opened the door and waited for Mally to climb in.  She started the car and pulled out of the lot.  At the stop sign, she debated.  Should she make a run by Del’s Diner to see if any of the employees or his buddies could recall anything odd Milt may have said or done or save it for another day?

It was already late afternoon. The first shift employees – the ones that probably waited on Milt and his pals – were long gone.  She’d have to save that for another day.  Maybe run by there for breakfast in the morning.

Gloria cruised into the small town of Belhaven and made a last minute decision to drop in to Dot’s place.  It didn’t appear to be terribly busy since they were smack dab between the lunch and dinner crowd.

Dot was sitting at a back table with her husband, Ray, when Mally and Gloria stepped inside.  The place was nearly empty.  She wandered to the back table.

“Haven’t seen you around in a few days,” Dot commented.

Gloria slumped into a chair and Mally crawled under her chair.  “Yeah, I’m trying to get ready for the kids’ visit.”

Dot frowned.  “That’s not until December,” she pointed out.

Gloria nodded. “True, but Eddie and Karen will be here in a couple weeks for the fall color touring.”

Dot crinkled her nose.  “Oh, I forgot about that.”

Ray got up from the table and grabbed a clean coffee cup.  He set the cup in front of Gloria, reached for a fresh pot of coffee and poured.  “You met Andrea’s housekeeper, Alice?”

Gloria sipped the coffee.  “Yeah, she’s a real character.”

Ray refilled Dot’s cup, then his own before he sat back down.  “She sure is.  She came back in the kitchen to give me pointers on how to spice up the food.”

Gloria grinned.  She could picture Alice doing just that.  Alice loved Mexican spicy food…the kind of food that roared through Gloria like fire!

Dot peeled the lid off the small creamer and dumped the liquid in her cup.  “She got me to thinking…what about all-you-can-eat taco night?”

Gloria studied her over the rim of her cup.  Dot served mostly comfort food: fried chicken, meatloaf, burgers and fries.  “Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.  She can share some of her seasoning recipes.”

Ray agreed.  “That’s what we were discussing.  You know…a change from the same old, same old.”

Dot got out of her chair.  “You want a piece of pie?  I’m trying a new pumpkin recipe.”

Gloria’s stomach grumbled.  All that walking around had made her hungry.  “Sure, I’d love to be your guinea pig.”

Dot popped into the kitchen and returned with a generous slice of pie, topped with a dollop of real whipped cream.  In her other hand, she had a small dish filled with diced chicken.

She slid the pie on the table and set the dish on the floor.  Mally licked Dot’s hand and chomped down on her treat.

Gloria lifted her fork and sliced off a piece before popping it into her mouth. The layered pie was delicious.  There was something different about it. Gloria pointed her fork tines at the pie.  “What’s in this?”

Dot shook her head.  “Nope.  You gotta guess.”

Gloria took another bite.  She rolled the creamy pumpkin around on her tongue.  “Hmmm…there’s a creaminess to it.  I mean, even creamier than pumpkin pie normally is.”

Dot nodded.  “It has a layer of cream cheese and white chocolate.”

It was divine.  It was heavenly.  It was a hit – in Gloria’s book!

She devoured the piece in record time.

Dot watched the pie disappear. “Did you ever catch up with Liz and her friend?  They were in here looking for you this morning.”

Gloria nodded and rolled her eyes.  “Frances’ love interest, Milt, has been missing for, I dunno, maybe a couple weeks now.”

Dot nodded.  “I saw the missing poster over on the wall in the post office.”

Gloria picked up the last remaining chunk of crust and nibbled the edge.  “Frances is going to be on TV 8’s 6:00 o’clock news.  She chained herself to the front entrance of Dreamwood’s restaurant to draw attention.”

Dot raised an eyebrow.  “To draw attention to whom?  Her or her missing boyfriend?”

Gloria picked up her coffee and took a sip.  “Luckily, I was able to talk her into unchaining herself.”

“In exchange for helping search for missing Milt.” Dot finished the sentence.

“Bingo.” Gloria wiped her mouth and dropped the napkin on top of the empty plate.  “I need that recipe.  I could make it for the kids when they come to visit.”

“Or you could just order it from me.” Dot winked.

“Yeah, maybe I should just have you make it. I’m probably going to have my hands full.”

It had been years since all of her kids – and grandkids – had been home for the holidays at the same time.  Gloria was excited.  Not only would she get to see them, they would get to meet Paul.  Of course, Jill had already met him.

Gloria grabbed her purse from the floor and stood.  “I should get going.  Lucy promised to come over for pizza and help me clean out my clothes closet.”

Gloria had several close friends who lived in the small town of Belhaven: Ruth from the post office, Margaret who lived up on the lake and of course, Dot.

Gloria was closest to Lucy.  Lucy was the most adventurous of her small group of friends and more times than not, she ended up in the middle of Gloria’s adventures.  Gloria had dragged all of the girls into her misadventures at one time or another, but Lucy was her main sleuthing sidekick.

“You want me to take a piece of the pumpkin pie for Lucy to try?”  Lucy had the biggest sweet tooth in town.  She was a bit of a confectionary connoisseur and Dot usually bounced her new dessert recipes off Lucy.

Dot shook her head.  “She was in here earlier to pick up some cookies and such and she tried a piece.”

Gloria wasn’t surprised.  It probably would’ve surprised her more if she hadn’t shown up.  Gloria waved good-bye to Dot and Ray and headed out the front door.

Chapter 5

Lucy’s little white ranch was on Gloria’s way home.  She swung in the driveway and pulled in behind her friend’s yellow jeep.  She made her way up to the front door and tapped lightly on the glass pane as she peeked in the window.  Lucy was nowhere in sight.

She waited for a few minutes before wandering around back to the storage shed.  The single side door was closed and the padlock in place.

Mally and Gloria made their way over to the garage.  The garage door was open but no Lucy there either.

Gloria started to grow concerned.  It wasn’t like Lucy to leave the garage door open and not be around.  She headed to the car to grab her cell phone and give her a call.  Hopefully everything was alright.

She was halfway back, phone in hand when what sounded like a dull roar echoed from the field directly behind Lucy’s house.

Gloria stopped in her tracks. The sound grew louder.  Mally backed behind Gloria, her ears flattened out and she growled.  Gloria patted her head.  “It’s okay, girl.”

A bright flash of red careened around the corner of the shed. On two wheels.  It was a four wheeler.  The ATV skidded to a stop. A cloud of dust swirled around the machine and drifted toward Gloria.

The driver shut off the engine, then reached up and unfastened the helmet, lifting it off a head of red hair.  Lucy’s red hair and it was standing straight up in the air.

Gloria stuck a hand on her hip.  “What in the world?”

Lucy lifted her left leg and hopped off the quad.  She set the helmet on the seat and peeled off a pair of black leather gloves.

Lucy patted the windshield.  “Well, whatcha think?”

“What do I think?  I think you have officially boarded the crazy train and lost your ever lovin’ mind, that’s what I think!”  Lucy had done some crazy things in the past.

Well, now that Gloria thought about it, Lucy had done a lot of crazy things in the past.  Skydiving, building small explosives, hitchhiking to the Upper Peninsula by herself.  Of course, that had been years ago when they were a lot younger.

Lucy held out the keys.  “Here, give ‘er a spin!  It’s fun!”

Gloria took a step back.  “No siree, Bob.  I think I’ll pass.”

Lucy slapped the leather gloves across the front of her leg.  “Oh, c’mon!  Please?” she pleaded.

Gloria looked from her friend, to the menacing red machine, then back to Lucy.

Lucy could see she was starting to cave.  “Then let me give you a ride.  I’ll go slow, I promise.”

Gloria sucked in a deep breath. She led Mally over to the open garage and wrapped her leash around the leg of a work bench.

She bent down to Mally-level.  “Now, if I don’t come back in 15 minutes, call Paul and tell him to come look for me.”

Mally let out a low whine before she yawned and slumped onto the cement floor.  She closed her eyes.  “Good watch dog you are,” Gloria grumbled.

Lucy grabbed a helmet from the shelf and handed it to Gloria.  “Strap that on.”

Gloria pulled the helmet on her head and fastened the Velcro strap under her chin.  Lucy had already pulled her helmet on. She reached forward and turned the key.  The quad fired up.  Lucy squeezed the handle and revved the motor.

“Climb on.” Lucy reached behind her and patted the seat.

Gloria straddled the back of the seat and plopped down in the center.  She gingerly placed her feet on the footrests before closing her eyes.  “Dear God.  Please protect me in my moment of insanity.”

Lucy turned her head.  “Hang on.”

Without warning, Lucy pressed the throttle with her thumb and the quad lurched forward while Gloria jerked back. She grabbed the back of Lucy’s shirt and pulled herself upright.  She wasn’t kidding!

Lucy made a sharp U-turn and the quad zipped by the shed to the open field out back.  When the girls reached a semi-flat patch of ground, Lucy pressed down on the gas and the ATV raced across the field.

A couple of times, the quad hit a bump and Gloria flew off the seat.  The girls made three trips up and down the long, open field before Lucy steered it back to the side of the shed.  She killed the engine and Gloria slid off.

Lucy’s eyes lit up as she pulled the helmet off.  “That was fun, huh.”

It was fun.  Gloria enjoyed it much more than she thought she would.  Her grandsons, Tyler and Ryan, would LOVE a ride.

Lucy took the helmet from Gloria and set that, plus her own helmet, on the garage shelf.  She dropped the key in her pocket and waited while Gloria untied Mally.

The three of them walked to the house and stepped up onto the porch.  “You think I could bring the boys by for a ride next time they’re over?” Gloria asked.

Lucy grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open.  “Sure.  Yeah! Of course.”

Lucy dropped down in a kitchen chair and slipped out of her work boots.  She set them by the door before she shuffled over to the cupboard. “Tea?”

Gloria nodded.

Lucy pulled a pitcher from the fridge and filled two glasses.  She reached to the back of the counter and grabbed a box of goodies.  “I picked these up at Dot’s earlier.”

She opened the lid and slid the box towards Gloria.

Gloria eyed the contents.  She had just eaten the piece of pumpkin pie.  Of course, she’d also walked around Dreamwood so that had to count for something.  She chose a small peanut butter cookie.  “Thanks.”

Lucy grabbed a peanut butter cookie, a lemon bar and a chocolate macadamia nut cookie before closing the lid and sliding it back on the counter.  “We still on for dinner?”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah, I really need to get rid of some of those old clothes.” She eyed Lucy critically.  Although Lucy’s main staple was sweets, she was thin…almost too thin.

Gloria wasn’t big herself, but she had a lot more curves than Lucy and none of her old clothes would look right on her friend.

Lucy nodded.  “I heard about the guy that’s missing over at Dreamwood.”

Gloria nibbled the edge of her cookie and sipped the tea.  “Watch the 6:00 evening news on Channel 8.  Frances chained herself to the entrance to Dreamwood Eats.”

Lucy rolled her eyes.  “Lord have mercy!  That woman is crazy!” She tasted her tea before reaching for the sugar bowl.  “This needs a little sugar.”

Gloria watched as Lucy dumped several large heaping spoons of sugar in her glass of tea and stirred. She lifted it to her lips and sipped.  “Much better,” she decided.

“How’s Bill?” Bill was Lucy’s boyfriend.  Gloria had meant to ask about him the last time she’d seen Lucy.  Gloria hadn’t seen his truck in the drive for at least a couple weeks now.

Bill and Lucy had been dating for over a year now.  Gloria liked him well enough, although she felt that it was a bit of a one-sided relationship.  The one side being all in Bill’s favor.  Whatever Bill wanted to do, Lucy did it.

Lucy’s lowered her eyes and shrugged.  “Uh, I dunno.”

Gloria paused, cookie mid-air.  “Is everything okay?”

Lucy lifted her gaze.  “We had a bit of a falling out.  I haven’t seen him for a couple weeks now,” she confessed.

“Whatever happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Lucy looked out the window.  “I told him I didn’t want to go bow hunting this year.  That I wanted to hang out with you girls, maybe head to the outlet malls and do some shopping and such.”

“And?” Gloria prompted. She could feel her face starting to grow warm at the thought that Bill was angry just because Lucy wanted to do something other than what he wanted!

“Well, he said if that was the case, that maybe he would give me a lot more free time to spend with my friends.”

Gloria opened her mouth to speak and promptly closed it.  What she really wanted to say was that Lucy was too good for Bill, but she knew if the two of them patched things up, there would always be that hanging in the back of Lucy’s mind.  The last thing she wanted was for her friend to think that she didn’t support her 100% - no matter what choices she made.

“I’ll pray about it,” Gloria simply said.

Lucy nodded.  “I appreciate that.  In the meantime, I’m free to do – to hang out or whatever.” Her voice trailed off.

Gloria finished the last bite of cookie and crumpled her napkin, envisioning Bill’s head as the crumple.  She squeezed it extra hard.  “Great, you can help me with the missing Milt case,” she said.

That suggestion seemed to brighten Lucy’s mood.  “You think so?  Really?  I mean, you know I’m all in.”

And, indeed, Lucy was all in.  Lucy was a good little sleuth and Gloria was glad they had something to work on together, to take her mind off Bill.

Romance and love was a tangled affair.  Her mind drifted back to earlier that day when Brian showed Gloria the stunning engagement ring.  Who wouldn’t feel like a princess getting a ring like that?

She wondered if Paul would ever pop the question.  She glanced at her friend and stiffened her back.  Who needed men anyways?  They had survived just fine all this time without them!

That resolve lasted until Gloria got in her car and glanced down at her phone.  Paul had sent her a text.  “I miss my girl.”

There was a second text: “Dinner tomorrow night?”  Although Gloria felt bad for Lucy, she texted back that dinner sounded lovely.  Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing her Paul.

Gloria parked the car in front of the garage.  Mally followed her up the steps and into the kitchen.  She set her purse on the chair and hung her keys on the hook.  The afternoon had flown by.  Lucy had promised to come down after she cleaned up, which gave Gloria just enough time to wash up herself and call her daughter, Jill.

Jill picked up on the first ring.  “Hi Mom.”

“Hello dear.”

“Aunt Liz called earlier looking for you.  She was in a bit of a tizzy.”

Gloria grinned.  “She found me.”

“It was something about Frances’ boyfriend.”

Gloria sighed.  “Yep. I guess I have a new investigation.”

Jill snorted.  “That’s kinda what I thought.”

Gloria could hear screams in the background.  Her grandsons.  “How are the boys?”

Jill groaned.  “Driving me C-R-A-Z-Y,” she said.  “They have an in-service teacher day and the boys are off this Friday.  I’m trying to figure out what to do with them.”

Gloria nodded into the phone.  “Good. That’s why I’m calling.  The tree fort is ready to put together.  Brian dropped the pieces off earlier and I was wondering if they could come spend the night.”

“Yes!  A thousand times yes!” Jill groaned.  “You are a lifesaver, Mom!  I don’t even have to ask the boys.  I know the answer already.  In fact, I think I’ll wait to tell them until Thursday night.  Otherwise, they’ll drive me even crazier than they already do.”

Gloria talked to her daughter for a few more minutes then hung up the phone.  She couldn’t wait to see how the tree fort looked when it was done.  They would need more nails and maybe even some cans of paint so the boys could customize it.  Visions of painted walls and painted hair filled her mind.

Gloria wandered out to the front, screened-in porch, which she rarely used anymore.  The porch was large and it ran the entire length of the front of the house.  On one end was a deep freezer where Gloria kept all the frozen stuff that she harvested from the garden each summer:  strawberries, corn, broccoli and green beans.

She headed to the opposite end – to the metal storage cabinet that had been a fixture on the porch for as long as Gloria could remember.  She lowered the lever and opened the cabinet. Inside was everything the boys would possibly need for camping out.  Sleeping bags, flashlights, bug spray…

She closed the door and watched through the front porch window as Lucy’s yellow jeep pulled in the drive.    Gloria and Mally met her at the back door.

After placing an order for pizza, they headed to Gloria’s small walk-in closet in the corner of her bedroom. The last time she’d cleaned the closet was after her husband, James’ death.

Those had been some dark days and Lucy had come to her friend’s rescue.  The two women had painstakingly gone through all of his belongings.

Gloria donated most of it to charity.  She kept a few items that had sentimental value to pass down to her kids and grandkids.

Gloria switched on the light and stepped to the side.

Lucy eased around her and stood in the center. “Good grief, Gloria!” She plucked a shirt from the hanger and studied it.  “This has to be from the 70’s!”

“I told you I needed help,” Gloria pointed out.

Lucy shook her head.  “Help?  You need an intervention.”

Lucy began pulling shirts from the hangers left and right, tossing them in the center of the floor.  Soon, there was a small mountain.

Gloria grabbed Lucy’s arm. “If you toss much more, I’ll be walking around naked.”

Lucy stopped her cleaning frenzy and glanced at the empty racks.  “True.” She looked at the pile on the floor.  “I’ll stop right here but we need to go shopping.”

Gloria trotted to the kitchen and brought back a brand new box of heavy-duty lawn bags.  The girls filled the bags – three in all – and carried them out to the kitchen.  “I’m going to Green Springs tomorrow.  I’ll drop them off if you want,” Lucy offered.

She changed the subject.  “Where do we go from here on this missing Milt case?”

Gloria told her all that she knew so far.  How Milt had commented he thought someone was lurking around outside his apartment and shortly after, he disappeared.  How Frances was convinced he was somewhere in the vicinity.

“What do you think?” Lucy wondered.

Gloria wrinkled her nose.  “Well, my next stop is Del’s Diner in Green Springs.  Milt and his cronies ate breakfast there every morning.  I thought maybe I could head over there, do a little investigating and get his friends’ take on his disappearance.”

The pizza had arrived.  Gloria paid for the pizza since Lucy had so generously offered to help de-clutter her closet.

Lucy cleared the table while Gloria grabbed paper plates and napkins.  The girls munched on the pizza and talked about the upcoming holidays and the welcome relief from the summer heat.

Gloria was careful to avoid the painful topic of Bill. She lifted a mushroom from the top of her slice of pizza and popped it into her mouth.  “Why don’t we drop the clothes off together in the morning and then have breakfast at Del’s?”

Lucy picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth.  “Sure.  Sounds good to me.”

After they finished eating, Gloria took a leftover piece of pizza, sliced it into bite-size snacks and put them on two paper plates – one for Mally and one for Puddles.  She shut the lid on the pizza box.  “The leftovers are yours.”

She walked Lucy to her jeep.  The sun had set and it was dark out. The croak of bullfrogs filled the night air.

Gloria waited for Lucy to climb into her jeep before handing her the pizza box.

Lucy pulled the driver’s side door shut and rolled the window down.  “What time you want to leave in the morning?”

Gloria crossed her arms.  If she remembered correctly, according to Frances’ meticulous notes, Milt and his pals ate in the restaurant early.  “Would 7:30 be too early?”

Lucy was a morning person.  She nodded.  “Okie Dokie.  I’ll be here at 7:30 with bells on.”

Gloria watched Lucy’s jeep until the tail lights disappeared in the dark. She stepped back into the kitchen and locked the door behind her.  She looked down at Mally.  “I guess I better head to bed if I’m getting up at the crack of dawn.”

Chapter 6

Gloria had just finished her first cup of coffee when Lucy arrived bright and early the next morning.

She was happy to see that Lucy was a bit more chipper than the day before.  Gloria didn’t dare ask if perhaps she and Bill had talked.

Traffic was light and the drive to Green Springs flew by.  On the way, the girls discussed the possibilities of what might have happened to Milt.

Del’s Diner was packed and Lucy had to drive around the block a couple times to find an open spot.  The inside was just as busy.  The girls wandered around the maze of packed tables and squeezed into a corner booth.

Lucy studied the menu while Gloria studied the crowd.  It was mostly men, which made it difficult for Gloria to try to figure out which group was Milt’s buddies.

“Good morning, gals.  Can I get you a cup of coffee?” A young woman wearing a black uniform and dark blue apron approached their booth.

Gloria nodded.  Lucy shook her head. “I’ll take a hot chocolate, please.”

“Coffee for me,” Gloria told the woman.  When she walked away, she turned to Lucy.  “You still on that hot chocolate kick?”

Lucy nodded.  “Yeah.  I think I’m addicted to it,” she admitted, “chocolate, that is.”

Gloria smiled.  Had Lucy just figured that out?

Gloria perused the menu.  She decided to go heavy on the breakfast and skip lunch since Paul was taking her to dinner.  She glanced over the top of the menu at her friend.  She didn’t dare mention the dinner date.

The waitress returned.  She set a cup of coffee in front of Gloria and an empty mug, packet of hot chocolate and pot of hot water in front of Lucy.

“I’ll take the chocolate chip waffle and a side of bacon,” Lucy told her.  She turned to Gloria.  “You should try chocolate and bacon together.  It’s to die for!”

Gloria scrunched her eyebrows.  Maybe she should follow Lucy’s weight loss plan: eat all the sweets you can stomach and the pounds will melt away!

The thought of that much sugar made her stomach turn.  “I’ll take a western omelet, wheat toast and a side of sausage.” She handed the menus back to the woman who turned to go.

“Wait!”

The woman spun back around. She lifted a brow.  “Yes?”

Gloria stuck her elbow on the table.  “Say, you ever wait on a man by the name of Milton Tilton?”

The woman shoved her order pad in her pocket and clipped her pen to the front.  “Yeah,” she clucked.  “Poor guy is missing.  I saw some crazy lady on the 6:00 news last night.  She had chained herself to some restaurant because of it.”

She twirled her finger in a circular motion near the side of her head.  “There sure are a bunch of lunatics in the world.”

Gloria covered her mouth to hide her grin.  If she only knew.  “I heard he was a regular and that he came in with a group of men most mornings.” She glanced around.  “You wouldn’t happen to know if they’re in here this morning.”

The woman tilted her head to a table not far from where the girls were sitting.  “Yeah, that’s them over there.”

She leaned in.  “Nothin’ but a bunch of cheapskates.  They come in here every morning, sit there at that same table for hours and drink coffee.” She waved her hand.  “Coffee and if I’m reaaal lucky…maybe a donut or two.”

The waitress shook her head.  “Lucky if I get a whole dollar tip from those tightwads.”

She straightened.  “Course Milt. He’s a better tipper than most of ‘em.  He’d give me fifty cents no matter what he ordered.”

The party in question was calling her name.  “Hey Fran!” She rolled her eyes.  “I gotta go.”

The girls watched as she headed over to their table with a fresh pot of coffee.  “Looks like they’re here for the long haul,” Lucy observed.

That would give the girls plenty of time to finish their breakfasts and head over there for a chat.

Their waitress, Fran, came back a short time later with breakfast.  Gloria’s mouth watered as the woman set the piping hot food in front of her.  The aroma of cooked sausage and onions wafted in the air.

Gloria eyed Lucy’s chocolate chip waffle, which came with a side of melted milk chocolate and syrup.

Lucy promptly dumped the entire mini pitcher of melted milk chocolate on top of the waffle.  Next, she poured the syrup over the chocolate.  She picked up a slice of bacon and dipped it in the chocolatey-syrup concoction.

She took a big bite and closed her eyes.  “Mmm.  This is so good.” She picked up a second piece, dipped that in chocolate and held it out.  “Here, you have to try this.”

Gloria scrunched her nose.  She almost refused but it did look tasty - and fattening.  She took the piece of bacon and bit the end off.  It was good, but a bit too rich for Gloria’s blood.  “Delicious,” she agreed and handed the rest of the piece back to her friend.

The girls ate their breakfast in silence. Gloria sipped her coffee – Lucy – her hot chocolate.  Lucy lifted the steamy mug to her lips.  “We should do this more often.”

Gloria nodded.  “I’d like that Lucy.”  She picked up her napkin and dabbed the corners of her mouth.

Lucy set her cup on the table.  “I-I know that Bill took a lot of my time.  You know, we were always doing what he wanted to do.”

Lucy looked up and Gloria could see the unshed tears shining in her eyes.  “Sometimes I miss him but you know, I’m just not sure he was the one for me,” she confessed.

She drew a shaky breath.  “The more he sucked me into his life, the less of me and my opinion seemed to matter,” she said.  “If that makes sense.”

It did make sense.  Standing on the outside looking in, Gloria felt that Lucy was losing her identity.  Of course, Lucy had always been – and probably always would be – a bit of a risk taker and free spirit, doing things that Gloria herself would never even try.  But somewhere along the way, Lucy began to change in small, subtle ways.

Gloria wrapped her hands around her coffee mug.  “I love you, Lucy.  You know that, and I never want to say anything to hurt your feelings but I have to agree that you lost a little bit of yourself when you started dating Bill.”

She let go of the cup and grabbed her friend’s hand.  “If Bill isn’t the one for you, the Lord will find the right one.”

Lucy squeezed Gloria’s hand and smiled.  “You’re right.  I’m at peace with this.”  She reached for her check and lifted her purse.  “You know what else? I’m okay if there isn’t a ‘Mr. Right’ waiting in the wings.”

Lucy lifted her chin in defiance.  “Either way, after I got home last night, I made a list of all the things I want to do.  You know, the bucket list.” She pulled her wallet from inside the purse.  “One of the first things on the list is that cruise we keep promising ourselves that we’re going to take.”

Gloria nodded.  She picked up her handbag and set it in her lap. “Hey! That reminds me.  Do you remember my cousin, Millie?”

Lucy tugged on her earring.  “Oh yeah!  She was married to that jerk, Roger.  Wasn’t he the guy that ran off with one of his clients?”

Gloria nodded as she pulled some bills from her wallet.

“Uh-uh,” Lucy stopped her.  “Breakfast is on me.” She dropped a twenty on top of the check.

The waitress stopped by with a dash more coffee, picked up the money and the bill.  “Be back in a jiff,” she said.

“Thanks, Lucy.” Gloria watched the waitress head to the back.  “Anyways, Millie took a job on a cruise ship.  Her daughter, Beth, called the other day to tell me her mom was having a blast.” She went on.  “What do you think about going ahead and booking our cruise on Millie’s ship?”

Lucy placed her palm on the table. She leaned in.  “Really?  Can we? I mean, that would definitely give me something to look forward to.”

Gloria nodded.  “Let’s all of us girls meet for coffee at Dot’s and pick a date.”

Lucy didn’t have time to answer.  Her gaze shifted to the table of men.  One of them looked like he was getting ready to leave.  She scrambled out of the chair.  “I’ll try to hold them off from leaving.”

Lucy pushed in her chair.  “Tell Fran to keep the change.”

Gloria watched as Lucy headed to the table. The man sat back down as Lucy waved her hands in the air.

Gloria grinned. She had no idea what tactic Lucy was using to stall them!

Fran was back with a receipt and change.

Gloria waved her off.  “You can keep it.”

Fran looked at the five-dollar bill and coins in her hand.  “Really?  That’s the best tip I’ve had all day!”

Gloria got to her feet.

Fran held out a hand.  “Say.  I just thought of something.  Milt was in here a couple days before he went missing.  He came in with a woman.”

She looked around then lowered her voice.  “It was for lunch and the only reason I remember is that Milt was in here with his friends for breakfast and then came back a couple hours later with this woman.”

“And?” Gloria prompted.

“Well, I could tell they were having a kind of serious conversation, you know.  From the looks on their faces,” she paused.  “I’m a pretty good judge of that, what with having to deal with people every day.”

Gloria’s pulse raced.  “Did you hear what was being said?”

Fran frowned.  “Nope.  Every time I came close, they would stop talking, which is another reason I think there was something to it.  You know, more than just a regular conversation.”

Gloria pointed to Fran’s pad of paper and pen.  “Can I borrow that for a minute?”

Fran handed it to Gloria, who grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on.  “Do you recall what the woman looked like?”

Fran tapped the side of her cheek and stared at the ceiling.  “She was – uh.” Fran snapped her fingers.  “Yeah.  She had gray hair with black streaks.  It was kinda short and curly…like she permed it or something.”

Gloria frowned.  That could be just about anyone!  “Anything about her stand out like a mole or a tattoo?”

Fran shook her head.  “No. Not that I can recall.”

Gloria scribbled her cell number on the pad of paper and handed that and the pen to the woman.  “If you think of anything, anything at all, call me.  Please.”

Fran slipped the pad in her apron pocket.  “Will do.”

Luckily, Lucy was doing a great job of entertaining the gentleman, all of whom were still at the table.  She was waving her hands in the air.  “…and then I came down with a whoosh and landed flat on my back.  When I opened my eyes, I was staring straight up at the bluest skies.  At first, I thought I had died.”

Gloria tapped her shoulder.  Lucy swung around.  “Oh, there you are.”

One of the men eyed Gloria curiously.  “Your friend here was telling us about her first skydiving adventure.” He pointed to the men around the table.  “We were just talking about trying it ourselves.”

The man on the other side of the table spoke up. He looked to be the youngest of the bunch with only a smattering of gray in his hair.  “You never can be too sure how long we’ll be here on earth so we decided to try something adventurous.”

“Lucy, here, is quite the daredevil.” Gloria cleared her throat and changed the subject.  “My sister lives over in Dreamwood.  They have an interesting situation on their hands what with that Milt Tilton missing.”

“Yeah, he’s our morning coffee partner.” The man paused. His eyes narrowed.  “Say, you look familiar. He lifted an index finger and pointed it at Gloria.  “I caught a glimpse of you on the evening news!”

“Yeah!” The guy seated next to Gloria nodded. “I saw her, too.”

Gloria’s face reddened.  Lucy jumped in.  “Some of the residents at Dreamwood asked Gloria here to see what she could find out about Milt’s disappearance.”

“Ahh.” Several of the men nodded.  Then they clammed up.

Gloria shifted her purse on her shoulder. “Did Milt say anything about odd occurrences or weird phone calls?”

All of them shook their head. No one spoke.

Gloria tried again. “What about people he may have known that didn’t like him?”

Chirp. Chirp. There was only the sound of silence.

Gloria was striking out so Lucy tried to help.  “Listen, your friend is missing.  Aren’t any of you concerned for his well-being?”

Finally, the man closest to Lucy spoke up.  “Well, he did mention someone was peeping into his house days before he disappeared.”

Gloria’s brows formed a V.  Clyde Ward had said the exact same thing.  “Were there any business dealings that might have gone bad?”

“Naw.” The young man in the back spoke up.  “He did say some crazy lady was stalking him.” He whacked the arm of the man next to him.  “What was her name?  Janet…Janice…”

The man on Lucy’s left snapped his fingers.  “Francine, I think.”

Gloria shifted her foot.  They were talking about Frances!

The men didn’t seem to be able to offer any additional information.  Gloria thanked them for what they did tell her and the girls headed toward the front entrance.

Lucy grabbed her keys and unlocked the doors of the jeep. She started to slide into the driver’s seat.

“Excuse me!”

Gloria spun around.  One of the men that had been sitting at the table hurried over to the jeep.  He stopped next to Lucy.  “Most of the other guys didn’t know this, but Milt, he had a few dealings on the side.  You know…a small gambling habit.”

The man turned to look behind him.  “Between you and me, he mentioned owing some money and he didn’t know how he was gonna come up with the cash.”

Gloria dropped her purse on the passenger seat and stared over the top of the jeep.  This was taking an interesting turn!

The man went on.  “I gave him the name of a good quickie loan place.” He shrugged.  “Not sure if he took me up on it but he seemed pretty concerned about some mafia-types coming to track him down and break his legs – or worse.”

“Do you recall the name of the place you suggested?” Gloria asked.

“Sure.  Integrity Loans.  They’re up there in Lakeville.” The man turned to Lucy.  “Tell em Max sent ya.  Max Field.” He was giving Lucy googly eyes.

Gloria leaned against the passenger side of the jeep while Max leaned closer to Lucy.  “Say, you wouldn’t happen to wanna.” He paused. “You know…maybe have breakfast sometime.”

Lucy’s face turned the same bright red shade as her hair. “I-I…” She looked at Gloria as if to say, “What do I do?”

Gloria was more than happy to oblige.  “Why Lucy, here, would love to meet you for breakfast. Right, Lucy?”

Lucy swallowed hard and shook her head.  “I-I…”

“How does Thursday sound?” Gloria was setting Lucy up on a date.  “We live over in Belhaven and have a great restaurant in town.  It’s called Dot’s Restaurant and it’s on Main Street.”

Max turned to Gloria and smiled.  He was a fine looking fellow.  She didn’t see the harm in having him meet Lucy there for breakfast.  That way, Gloria and girls could kind of “scope him out” so to speak.

Max cleared his throat.  “Great.  How does 9:00 o’clock Thursday morning sound?” He was talking to Lucy but asking Gloria.

Gloria grabbed the door handle.  “Sounds perfect.  She’ll see you then.”

Max gave Lucy a goofy smile and then sauntered off down the sidewalk.  They watched as he climbed into a silver Audi convertible.  He backed out of the parking spot and then drove past them, waving as he went.

Gloria slipped her sunglasses on and climbed into the jeep.  “Will ya’ look at that.”

Lucy slid into the driver’s side.  “You just set me up on a date!” Lucy huffed. “Wh-what if I don’t want to go?”

Gloria lowered the visor and peered at her reflection in the mirror.  “Oh, Lucy.  It’s just a little breakfast.  What’s the harm?”  She glanced at her friend out of the corner of her eye.  “He was kinda cute and he drives a nice sports car.”

Lucy frowned and grabbed her sunglasses from the center console.

Gloria dropped her purse on the floor.  “Don’t worry. The girls and I will stick close by.  Make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

Lucy pounded the steering wheel in frustration.  “You set me up on this ‘date’ and now you’re gonna spy on me?”

She stopped pounding and put the jeep in reverse.  “He was kinda cute, huh,” she agreed.

A small smile turned the corner of Gloria’s lips.  This was turning into a productive day!  Not only did they have a lead, Lucy had a hot date!

Chapter 7

Lucy pulled up to the stop sign and looked first to the left then to the right.  She glanced over at Gloria. “Do you want to run by that loan place tomorrow?”

The loan place was in Lakeville, on the opposite side of the county.

Gloria glanced down at the clock on the car radio.  Paul would be by in a few hours.  They wouldn’t have time to go today. It would be cutting it too close.  “Yeah, I think tomorrow would work out better.”

The jeep rolled down Main Street, Belhaven.  The small town was packed and they had trouble finding a parking place.

Lucy swung into a parking spot near the end of the block.  The girls climbed out and headed to Dot’s Restaurant.  Since they had just eaten, the girls ordered a couple Diet Cokes and waited for Dot take a breather.

Dot set Lucy’s Diet Coke in front of her.  “What? No hot chocolate today?” she teased.

Lucy reached for her drink.  “I just had some,” she mumbled.

Dot placed Gloria’s drink in front of her.  “Let me guess.  You’re working on Frances’ missing beau.”

Lucy nodded.  “Yeah.  We have a few leads now, huh Gloria.”

Gloria nodded. “We’ll follow up on one tomorrow over in Lakeville.”

“Well, lookie who we have here.” The girls’ friend, Margaret, wandered over to the table. She clasped her purse in front of her and folded her hands over the front.  “I haven’t seen either one of you in days now.”

Gloria wiped the sweat from the bottom of her glass with her napkin.  “I’ve been trying to do a little early fall cleaning.”

Margaret pulled out a chair and plopped down. She looked at Dot.  “I’ll have a coffee but only when you get back around this way.”

Margaret turned her attention to Lucy.  “How you doin’ Lucy?”

“Oh…fair,” she answered vaguely.

Gloria held her tongue. She wasn’t sure if the others knew that Bill and Lucy had split up.

Margaret dropped her chin in her fist.  “How’s Bill?  I haven’t seen his car around your place in a while now.”

Lucy fidgeted in her seat.  “We, uh, mutually agreed to part ways.”

Margaret raised a brow but kept silent.  Although no one had ever said nary a bad word about Bill, they all shared the same opinion.  That it was mostly a one-sided relationship.

“Yeah,” Lucy sighed.  “I’m in a good place, though.”

“Which reminds me,” Gloria attempted to take a little heat off her friend.  “Lucy and I were just discussing that cruise we’ve been talking about for ages.  We need to pin down some dates.”

Dot shoved her hands in the front pockets of her apron and nodded her head.  “Man, I sure could use a vacation.  I’m ready to go now!”

“I bet you are,” Gloria answered wryly.  “My cousin, Millie, started working on a cruise line.  I’ll have to find out which one.  Maybe we could try that one out.”

“Sounds good to me,” Margaret said.  “Of course, I’m free whenever.  The only one we’ll have to check with is Ruth.”

“My ears are burning,” a voice behind them answered.  Gloria swung around.  Ruth, the postmaster, was bearing down on them.  “What exactly are you checking on?”

“A cruise,” Dot answered.  “You know…the cruise Gloria and Lucy have been talking about forever.”

Gloria watched as Ruth reached for the last empty chair.  “We’re ready to start looking at dates.  What works for you?”

Ruth slid into the seat.  “Any time before November 15th.  That’s when the holiday season kicks into high gear and I can’t get any time off until after New Year’s.”

“Well,” Gloria did a few mental calculations.  “It’s September now.  That would only leave October and that might be too short of notice.  How does January sound?”

“Sounds wonderful!” Lucy exclaimed.  “We can escape the gloomy Michigan winters, not to mention snow and ice.”

“Ah.  Warm sunshine, ocean breezes,” Lucy murmured dreamily.

The girls all agreed January would work best, that they’d all need a nice, long vacation after muddling through the holidays with busy schedules and family get-togethers.

Gloria looked down at her watch.  “I better get going. Paul’s coming by later to pick me up for a dinner date.”

Lucy slid out of her seat.  “I’m ready.”

“Are you gonna mention…” Gloria jerked her head at Lucy, who violently shook her head as if to say “absolutely not!”

Gloria plowed ahead.  “Lucy has a hot date here Thursday morning.”

“I do not have a date!” Lucy gritted through her teeth.

Gloria ignored her comment. “His name is Max.  We met him this morning when we were working on Milt’s case.”

“We’ll be sure to be here to scope him out,” Margaret teased. “What time?”

“I don’t need an audience,” Lucy protested.

“9:00 a.m.” Gloria answered.

Dot placed a light hand on Lucy’s shoulder.  “Lucy, we’re just trying to watch out for you.  We won’t embarrass you in any way,” she promised.

Lucy’s shoulders drooped.  “This is all Gloria’s fault.  She’s the one that told him yes!”

The girls all agreed they wouldn’t put Lucy on the spot so Lucy relented.  “I guess I might as well get this over with.  After all, it’s just breakfast.”

“What if you really like him?” Ruth pointed out.  She looked over at Gloria.  “Gloria seems to think he shows promise.”

“But I’m not sure I’m ready to date yet,” Lucy argued.

“You just gotta get right back in the saddle,” Margaret encouraged.

Lucy pulled a five from her pocket and handed it to Dot.  “I guess I’ll see you Thursday morning,” she said.

Gloria winked at the girls and followed Lucy out the front door and they headed back to the farm.

Lucy pulled up next to the house and put the jeep in park.  “What time you want to leave in the morning?”

Gloria grabbed the door handle and stopped.  “Will right after lunch work?” She wanted to take a run by her friend, Andrea’s place, in the morning. She hadn’t heard from her in a few days, although she knew Andrea was hard at work, getting her Magnolia Tea Room ready to open for business.

Lucy nodded.  “Sounds good.”

Gloria pushed the door open and slid one leg out.

Lucy grabbed her arm.  “Gloria.”

Gloria twisted back around.  “Hmm?”

“Thank you for being such a great friend.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Sudden tears sprung to the back of Gloria’s eyes.  She loved Lucy.  Loved all of her friends.  There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for them…including giving them the shirt off her back.

She leaned across the seat and hugged her friend.  “Same here. That’s what friends are for.” When she pulled back, she could see Lucy’s eyes brimming with unshed tears.  “You alright?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m fine.” Lucy waved her out. “Go on.  Get out of here before both of us start bawling like babies.”

Gloria stepped out and leaned her head in.  “See you tomorrow then.” She didn’t wait for a reply.  Instead, she softly closed the door and slowly walked to the house.

Gloria had a few minutes to kill before it was time to get ready for her date with Paul.

She wandered over to her computer and turned it on.  Her cat, Puddles, had curled up on the computer chair, his favorite spot to hang out.

She picked him up and settled into the seat.  She set him on her lap where he promptly began to purr.

It was time to do a little more Milt investigating.  She logged into her Worldbook account and typed in “Milton Tilton.”

Seconds later, a picture of Milt popped up.  Much to Gloria’s surprise, he had hundreds of friends, mostly women, she noted.  Or maybe she wasn’t surprised.

She read several of the messages posted on his page.  Some of them nearly singed her eyebrows.  She shook her head.  This Milt was a real player!

She wondered if Frances was aware of all the female friends he had and all the racy posts they left on his page.  She scrolled through his friends list to see if Frances and Milt were friends.  She couldn’t find her name anywhere.

A few of the women looked familiar and Gloria could only surmise that they were Dreamwood residents.

The last few posts were panicky women who wondered where Milt had gone and begged him to call them asap.

She almost clicked away when one message in particular caught her eye.  It was from someone named “Raven Fair.” Her text message read “Milt, baby.  We need to get together again after you get back.”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed.  She wished she knew who “Raven Fair” was. She clicked on Raven’s profile.  A picture of a black bird popped onto the screen.  Did this “Raven Fair” know something that no one else did?  Maybe that Milt had gone somewhere of his own free will?

Gloria wandered to the bath and drew a tub full of warm water.  She poured several capfuls of her homemade rose scented oils in the water.  Gloria stripped off her clothes and sank into the fragrant waters.  She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Instead of a nice, relaxing soak in the tub, she spent the entire time bouncing between thoughts of Milt and Lucy.

Perhaps she had overstepped her boundaries when she set Lucy up on that date.

But what the heck. It was a harmless breakfast.  The worst that could happen was that Lucy would end up with a new friend, someone to hang out with…or maybe it would turn into something more.

After all, the girls weren’t spring chickens anymore.  Life was too short to spend it pining over someone like Bill.  On top of that, Lucy didn’t seem all that upset.  She even thanked Gloria for being such a good friend.  That’s what friends were for. Picking you up, dusting you off, setting you up on dates…

Satisfied that Lucy was on the right track, Gloria mulled over the Milt issue.  The men at breakfast had mentioned a woman – Francine - that seemed to be a bit of a stalker.  It was obvious they were talking about Frances.  Maybe Milt was trying to escape Frances and the only way he knew how was to “disappear?”

The fact that Frances knew so many intimate details of Milt’s daily schedule was disturbing.  Who did stuff like that?  Unless of course they were obsessed, which Gloria was beginning to think maybe Frances was a bit unbalanced.  She made a mental note to discuss the possibility with Liz.

Then there was the small problem of Milt’s gambling debts.

The bath water was beginning to cool.  Gloria lifted her foot, flipped the dial and turned it all the way to hot.

Gloria still hadn’t had a chance to question Trudy, who was supposedly one of the last people to talk to Milt before he vanished.

Her eyes narrowed. Something about Clyde Ward was bugging her.  She got the feeling that maybe he was holding something back.

She wondered if Frances had tried to contact Milt’s family, possibly his children, to see if maybe they had heard from him.  Although she was almost 100% certain that Frances had tracked down every lead out there.

Gloria climbed out of the tub, relaxed and ready for her date with Paul.  Her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing him.  He had been working long hours and she hadn’t seen him in several long, lonely days.

Gloria slipped into a pair of tan slacks and a white cotton blouse.  The day was sunny and warm but the evening would be cool.  She wasn’t sure where they were going for dinner and Paul had told her it was a surprise.

Now all she had to do was wait!

Chapter 8

Paul was right on time.  She watched as he eased his tall, athletic frame from the driver’s side of his pickup.  Gloria smiled at the sight of his truck.  The truck meant he wasn’t scheduled to work early the next morning!

Gloria noticed he was carrying a crimson-colored box as he stepped onto the porch.  She looked down at the package in his hand.  It was a box of her favorite Belgian chocolates.

He handed the box to her when he reached the top of the steps.

Gloria shook her head. “You are spoiling me rotten.”

“Yep.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips.  “Just the way I like you – spoiled.”

She led him inside, set the chocolates on the table and placed her hand on his arm.  “Would you like to sit down?”

He jerked his head toward the door.  “What about the porch?”  The late afternoon was crisp and clear.  Gloria nodded.  She reached for her sweater hanging on the hook and followed behind as he headed back out to the porch.

Paul settled into the rocker and Gloria took the seat next to him.  He reached for her hand. “How is the fall cleaning going?”

Gloria tapped her foot on the porch board and gave a gentle push.  “Lucy came by to help.  I don’t have many clothes left,” she groaned. “If I hadn’t stopped her, I’d be running around in my birthday suit.”

Paul raised his brows.  “Now that I wouldn’t mind seeing,” he teased.

Gloria’s face reddened.  “You’d probably laugh your head off.”

“Hm.  I don’t think so.”

Mally wandered up to the porch and settled in on top of Paul’s feet.  He leaned down and patted her head.  “You behaving yourself?”

Mally let out a low moan and closed her eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” he answered.

Gloria rubbed her hands together.  “Where did you say you were taking me?”

“I didn’t,” Paul chuckled.  “It’s a surprise.”

The two of them talked a few more minutes about kids, grandkids, the upcoming holidays and Lucy’s date.

Paul frowned.  “What happened to…Bill?”

Gloria explained the situation while Paul listened quietly, nodding once or twice.  “I know you never cared for him that much.”

“Yeah,” Gloria admitted, “he wasn’t my favorite.”

Gloria went on to tell him about Frances and her missing boyfriend, Milt, and admitted she had agreed to look into his disappearance.

“Another mystery,” he surmised.

She nodded.  “What do you think?”

Paul clasped his hands together and placed them behind his head.  He leaned back in the chair and stared thoughtfully at the barn across the street.  “If this is out of character, there would be cause for concern.  Has his family reported him missing?”

“That’s something I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’m not sure if he even has family.”

Paul rose to his feet.  “I would start there.”

Mally lifted herself from Paul’s feet and waited by the back door.  Gloria let her in, grabbed her keys and met Paul back out on the porch.

They rode in silence, each of them deep in their own thoughts.

Paul turned and headed toward the larger town of Rapid Creek, which was on the other side of Green Springs.  Rapid Creek was halfway between Belhaven and Grand Rapids.

He made a few more turns and Gloria finally figured out they were heading toward Lake Harmony.

He parked the truck in the parking lot across the street from the lake.  Gloria knew better than to try to climb out herself.  She obediently waited for Paul to come around to the passenger door and open it.

She slipped her hand into his and stepped out of the truck.

“Where…”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Paul assured her.

They walked down the small gravel path toward the boat launch.  When they cleared the trees, Gloria saw the surprise.  A long, wooden dock ran along the launch.  Jutting out into the water was a large, two-story passenger boat.  The bottom section was enclosed.  An upper level sported an open, airy deck.

Paul and Gloria joined the line of people that were boarding.  The man near the entrance took the tickets from Paul and they stepped inside.

A rich mahogany wood covered the interior walls.  Antique lighting fixtures dotted the ceiling and intimate tables for two and four spread out around the cozy dining room.  In the center of each table was a black taper candelabrum with three lit candles. At the base of the candelabra were pink and red roses, adorned with sprigs of baby’s breath.

A waiter escorted them to their table. A placard with their names engraved in gold lettering sat off to the side of the gorgeous centerpiece.  “You may be seated now but I suggest heading up one floor to order a cocktail and enjoy the breathtaking view during sail away.”

Paul led Gloria to the stairs in the back and stepped to the side while she climbed the stairs ahead of him.

In the center of the upper deck was a large bar, built of the same magnificent mahogany as the lower level.  Scattered across the deck were bistro tables.  Several other guests were already standing at the edge of the railings, enjoying the view.

They made their way over to the bar where Paul ordered two glasses of chardonnay.  He handed one to Gloria and raised his glass.  “A toast.”

She raised her glass.

“A toast to dinner with the most beautiful woman in the world.”

They tapped their glasses and Gloria lowered hers to hide the tinge of pink that colored her cheeks.

“Shall we?” Paul held out his arm.

Gloria slipped her arm through his as they made their way over to the side rail and watched as more passengers wandered down the dock.

Finally, the ship set sail.  Gloria felt her tension slip away as the ship drifted from the shoreline.

Romantic music softly floated in the air as the boat circled the outer edges of Lake Harmony.  They finished their glass of wine just in time to hear the captain announce dinner was about to be served. The two placed their empty glasses on the edge of the bar and descended the stairs.

Paul pulled out Gloria’s chair and waited for her to slide in before taking the seat across from her.  Water glasses sat nearby.  A basket of bread and tin of butter were off to one side.  Next to the basket of bread were two covered dishes.  Gloria eyed them curiously.

Paul plucked a piece of crusty bread from the basket and set it on his plate.  “You’re dying to find out what’s under there.”

Gloria nodded.  “I am,” she confessed.

She gingerly reached over, lifted the lid and peeked underneath.  She lifted it high enough to see herself but not for Paul to see.  She set the lid back down and smiled.

He scooped a pat of butter on his knife and spread it across the bread.  “Well?”

“Well what?” she asked innocently.

“What’s underneath?”

Gloria sniffed.  “Hm.  Curiosity killed the cat.”

Paul shrugged and smiled.  “Touché.”

The waiter arrived at their table.  “What?  Your salads – they no good?”

Paul reached for another piece of bread.  “Salad.  Huh.”

“Have you looked at the menu?” The waiter turned to Gloria.

Gloria hadn’t.  She had been too busy trying to irritate Paul to notice them sitting on the edge of the table.  “Not yet,” she admitted.

“Take your time.” He lowered into a small bow.  “I’ll be back.”

Gloria settled on the salmon filet with new potatoes and a side of parmesan garlic green beans while Paul decided to try the prime rib, baked potato and steamed asparagus.

Their table sat facing a window.  They gazed out the large, glass pane and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. The twinkle of lights from the houses that dotted the shore cast a romantic glimmer across the water.

Their conversation flowed easily and bounced from missing Milt, to Lucy’s hot date, to the holidays.

The waiter finally returned with their food.  Gloria stabbed a bean with her fork and then nibbled the edge.  “The food is delicious.”

The interior lights had dimmed, giving off a warm glow.  Soft violin music drifted in the air.

Paul sliced a piece of meat.  “I hoped you would like it,” he confessed.

Gloria set her fork on her plate.  “Like it?  This is one of the most romantic dinners I’ve ever had,” she assured him.

They spent the rest of the meal chatting about Paul’s job and his flip-flopping on retirement.

The waiter cleared their empty dinner plates and returned with two cups of coffee and two huge pieces of chocolate cake.

Gloria frowned at the large slice of cake.  There was no way she could eat it.  The waiter, noting her look of dismay, offered to box it up.

Finally, the romantic evening and cruise ended when the boat docked in the same spot where it had departed.

Paul held Gloria’s sweater as she slipped her arms in the sleeves.

They wandered out of the dining room and onto the dock.

Gloria glanced back one more time and let out a wistful breath.  “That was lovely.” She grabbed Paul’s hand and pulled him to her for a kiss.

A tingle ran down her spine when their lips met. The tingle started at the top of her head and raced all the way to the tip of her toes.  Finally, they took a step back and Gloria worked to catch her breath.

Gloria sat quietly in the truck on the ride back.  Paul was so thoughtful and loving.  He was her perfect mate.  A small sigh escaped her lips…maybe someday.

Her mind switched gears as she mulled over Milt’s disappearance.  She needed to call Frances and find out if any of Milt’s family had reported him missing.

Then her thoughts wandered to Brian and the upcoming proposal.  She felt a sliver of jealousy but quickly pushed it away.  She was happy for them.  Andrea was young and so was Brian.  It would be fun to watch them have children and raise their family in Belhaven.

Paul pulled into the drive, shut off the truck and walked around to open Gloria’s door. She slipped out of the seat and the two of them walked hand in hand up the steps.

Thankfully, she had remembered to leave the porch light on.  She handed Paul her keys and waited while he unlocked the side door.

Gloria let Mally out and the two of them stood on the porch.  They watched as she raced out to the barn, around the back of the shed and past the garden.  She watered the tree and then patrolled the perimeter of the yard before she trotted up the steps and stopped on the porch.

Gloria tightened her sweater around her.  “I love fall.  I was thinking about having a little fall get-together this year.  Maybe hook up the old wagon, throw a few bales of hay on it and have an old-fashioned wagon ride.”

She gazed up at him and asked,  “What do you think?”

Paul shoved his hands in his pockets.  “I think it’s a great idea.  The kids would love it.”

She went on. “We could have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows after it’s over.  Invite all our friends and the kids – even yours.”

He wrapped his arms around Gloria and pulled her close.  “Sounds like a lot of fun.  When were you thinking?”

She furrowed her brow.  “Not this weekend.” The boys were coming to finish the tree fort.  Trying to do that plus organize a fall party would be too much.  On top of that, she had the investigation.   “I think the first weekend in October would be perfect.”

That would give her time to do a little planning.  She hoped Brian could wait that long!

Chapter 9

“Frances said Milt doesn’t really have any family,” Liz told her sister when Gloria called her the next morning.  “I think there was a nephew he hadn’t seen in several years that lives somewhere out west.”

“So no one contacted the police to report him missing?”

Liz grunted.  “No one, if you don’t count Frances.  I think she calls them every single day.”

Gloria hung up the phone and headed to the washing machine.

She pulled her clothes from the washer, dumped them in the laundry basket and headed for the door.  “C’mon Mally.  Let’s go hang some clothes out on the line.”

Mally popped out of her doggy bed and waited for Gloria to open the door.

They stepped out onto the porch. It was shaping up to be a beautiful fall day.  It was the perfect kind of day for hanging clothes on the line.

Gloria loved the smell of the fresh air and sunshine on clean clothes.  It was something a dryer couldn’t duplicate, no matter how many dryer sheet companies claimed their product smelled like fresh air.

It was sheet day and Gloria had already hung those to dry.  She started on the next row, clipping clothespins to the edges of her slacks and watching them blow in the breeze.  She had just finished hanging her last blouse when Lucy pulled in the drive.

Lucy wandered across the lawn. She stopped at the end of the clothesline pole.  “You still hang your clothes out?”

Gloria’s head whipped around.  She shaded her eyes and stared at her friend. “You don’t?”

Lucy shook her head.  “Nope but maybe I should.”

Gloria picked up the empty laundry basket and headed for the house.  The laundry was the last chore on her list and she was ready to get the investigation under way.

She set the basket near the door, pulled her keys from the hook and grabbed her purse.  “I’ll drive since you drove yesterday.”

Lucy waited until Gloria had pulled Annabelle from the garage before she climbed in the passenger side.  They drove in silence for several long moments.

Gloria could see Lucy was a million miles away.  “Are you alright?”

There was no answer.

“Earth to Lucy,” Gloria teased.

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were alright.”

Lucy nodded.  “Yeah.  Just thinking about…”

“Bill?”

Lucy nodded again.  “Yeah.  Not that I want him back or anything.  Just wondering how he’s doing.”

“Why don’t you give him a call?” Gloria suggested.  She couldn’t see the harm in that.  They were both adults, after all.

Lucy tugged on the side of her seatbelt absentmindedly.  “I might do that.”

The town of Lakeville was larger than Belhaven and Gloria had a bit of trouble finding the quickie loan shop.  They drove up and down the strip several times before Lucy finally spotted it.  “I think it’s right there,” she pointed.

Gloria swung into an open spot and shifted the car into park.

The building was narrow and set back from the rest of the buildings that lined Main Street. Small, gold letters on the front of the glass window read:  Integrity Loans.  Below that in even smaller letters were the words: Money in minutes.

The girls got out of the car and walked to the door. Gloria grabbed the knob and pushed the door open.  A small bell chimed.

The inside was even smaller than the outside.  Two cheap, plastic chairs sat against one wall.  Off to the other side was a dingy, artificial plant that obscured a small plywood desk.

An old, white ceiling fan hung above the entrance door.  It was almost gray in color, whether from age or dirt, Gloria couldn’t tell.

“Can I help you lovely ladies?”

A young man wearing several gold chains around his neck, sporting a large insignia ring and slicked back blonde hair leaned an elbow on the cheap counter and eyed them with interest.

Gloria shifted her purse on her arm and stepped to the counter.  “Yes, we have a friend that appears to have come up missing.  I.” She looked at Lucy.  “We think that you may have loaned him some money recently and wondered if maybe you could help us out.”

His eyes narrowed.  “What’s his name?”

“Milton Tilton.”

The man, Johnny, according to the tag on his shirt, drummed his fingers on the counter.  “Lemme see…what does he look like?”

Gloria pulled her phone from her purse. She opened her Worldbook account and typed in Milton Tilton in the search bar.  Milt’s profile and picture popped up.  Gloria turned the screen and tipped it so the man could see.

He studied the screen.  “Yeah. Yeah.  He was in here a few weeks ago lookin’ for some real quick cash. I remember him cuz he seemed real desperate.  So desperate that he used his fancy Caddy for collateral.”

Gloria switched the phone off and shoved it back in her purse.  “Did he mention who he might have owed the money to that he so desperately needed?”

“Yeah.  He did mention a name.” He snapped his fingers.  “I know! It was Vinnie somebody.” He nodded.  “Yeah! I’m sure the guy’s name was Vinnie.  The only reason I remember is cuz I have a cousin named Vinnie.”

Gloria leaned in.  “Do you remember anything else?”

Johnny paused and stared up at the ceiling.  “I asked him what Vinnie looked like.  You never know.  It mighta been my cousin, Vinnie.”

“What did he say?” Lucy asked.

“That he had never met this Vinnie person and only dealt with a middle man.”

Gloria lowered her purse. “Can I leave my number and if you remember anything else let me know?”

“Yeah.  Sure.”

The man scribbled Gloria’s number on a piece of paper, shoved it in the drawer and pushed it shut.  “Yeah. He was real nervous, that one.”

“He’s still on the hook for the $5k I loaned him.” Johnny glanced at the calendar on the wall.  “He has a couple of weeks left before the loan comes due.  Otherwise…” The man leaned back and grinned.  “I’m gonna have me a new ride.”

The girls wandered out of the store and stopped out front.  Lucy looked back. “Good luck finding Milt’s car.”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  Hey.  What do you think about me getting some business cards made and putting a company name on them?  You know, something along the lines of Silver Sleuth Detective Agency or such.”

Lucy nodded.  That would be cool.  It would make Gloria’s investigative work more legit and it would save Gloria from having to scribble her name on scraps of paper.

“Are you gonna start charging a fee?”

Gloria blinked rapidly. It was a thought.  She had built a reputation for her sleuthing.  Perhaps there were people out there willing to pay for her services.  At the very least, she could cover some of her expenses.  Write them off:  gas, dining out when under cover and maybe even buy some detective supplies.

“I need to track down my cousin, Millie.  You know, the one that works on the cruise ship.  She and her husband had a detective agency.  Maybe she could give me some pointers on how to set up shop. I can ask her about booking a cruise at the same time.”

She made a mental note to fire off an email to Millie.

“Do you have time to make a run by Dreamwood with me and see if Frances is around?” Gloria backed out of the parking space and headed out of town.  “I have a few questions now that we’re delving into this mystery.”

Lucy buckled her belt and nodded.  “Sure.  I haven’t seen your sister, Liz, in a while.  Maybe we can all meet up and go over what we have so far.”

Gloria stepped on the gas and they sped off down the road.  “Say, I was thinking of having a fall party: a hayride, apple cider, bonfire, kind of thing the first weekend in October.”

Lucy smiled.  “That would be fun.  Why, its been years since we had one.  Not since the kids were all home.”

The more Gloria thought about it, the more excited she became.  It would be fun.  She’d invite all the girls and their spouses. She gave Lucy a sideways glance.  Maybe by then Lucy wouldn’t be alone.

Not only that, but this would give Brian the perfect opportunity to pop the question to Andrea.

Gloria pulled into an empty visitor parking spot not far from Liz’s place.  Her car and Frances’ car were both in the lot.

“Let’s try Liz first.” Gloria made her way across the manicured lawn to the back door.  She peered in the window and tapped on the glass.  Liz didn’t answer.  “She’s not home.”

The girls wandered across the grassy strip that separated Liz’s building from the one that Frances lived in.  She made her way under the small covered porch and lifted her hand to knock.

She could see Frances – and Liz – inside.  They were sitting at the kitchen table.

Liz caught a glimpse of Gloria out of the corner of her eye.  She waved her in.

Gloria opened the door and held it for Lucy.

“Were your ears burning?” Liz hopped out of her seat.  “We were just talking about you.”

Gloria plopped her purse on the table and pulled out a chair.  “Good, I hope.”

Frances eyed Lucy suspiciously.  Her eyes narrowed. “You look familiar.”

“This is my friend, Lucy.  I think you’ve met her before,” Gloria said.

Frances frowned.  “Say, you weren’t one of those loose women that Milt was running around with right before he disappeared…”

Gloria rolled her eyes.  “Good heavens, Frances!  Lucy’s never even met Milt,” she snapped.

She immediately regretted her sharp reply when Frances’ eyes filled with tears.

Frances stared down at her hands.  “I-I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that.  Of course you don’t know Milt.”

Lucy patted Frances’ arm.  “It’s okay.  I have one of those faces that look familiar.  People get me confused all the time.”

Gloria pulled a small pad of paper from her purse and slipped her reading glasses on.  “Do you ever remember Milt mentioning a man named Vinnie?”

Both Liz and Frances shook their head “no.”

“What about a guy named Johnny that owned a fast cash place called Integrity Loans?”

Again, they both shook their heads.

It was Frances’ turn to ask questions.  “Did you ever talk to Clyde Ward or Trudy over on Wisteria Way?”

Gloria tapped the end of her pen on the top of the table.  “I talked to Clyde but Trudy wasn’t home.”

Frances slammed her fist on the table in frustration.  “That woman is never, ever home! She’s some sort of apparition!”

“Maybe she’s a vampire.” Lucy muttered under her breath. “We could stakeout her place,” she added.

Gloria’s wheels were turning.  Yeah, they could, but how could they do it without anyone seeing them?

Liz answered the question before Gloria had a chance to ask.  “There is a small park that sits catty corner to her back yard.  It has a small playground for the grandkids.”

Gloria was intrigued. “How do we stay out of sight?”

Liz shrugged. “Simple. There’s a small, cinder block bathroom.  You could hide out in there.”

Frances sprang to her feet.  “We could go now.  You know, four sets of eyes are better than one…or two.”

Liz waved her down.  “Frances, I know you’re anxious but we need to leave this to the professionals,” she advised.

Frances’ face fell but she didn’t press the matter.

Gloria didn’t want to give Frances a chance to insist on tagging along.  She grabbed Lucy’s hand and they headed to the door.  “I’ll leave my purse here if that’s alright.”

Frances’ chair scraped against the hard linoleum as she pushed the chair back and stood.  “Wait!  You’ll need these!”

She reached into the kitchen cabinet, pulled out a pair of large binoculars and handed them to Gloria.

Chapter 10

The girls picked up the pace as they hustled down the sidewalk toward Wisteria Way.  They veered off on Paisley Place, the street right before Wisteria Way.

Gloria spied a small park at the end of the street. “This must be the one Liz was talking about.”

The park was empty and the girls made a beeline for the women’s restroom.  Lucy stopped in front of the door.  She shook her head. “This isn’t gonna work.”

“What do you mean it’s not gonna work?”

Lucy pointed up.  “Look. The women’s restroom is facing the wrong direction.”

She pointed to the men’s side.  “We’re gonna have to spy on Trudy’s house from the men’s side.”

Gloria looked around.  “What if someone shows up and wants to use the men’s room?”

Lucy shrugged.  “Then we leave.  I mean, it’s not like anyone is going to recognize us.”

Lucy had a point.

Gloria had the nagging sensation this was going to be a total waste of time.  “Okay, let’s roll.” She sucked in a breath and barreled through the door. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that no one was in there taking care of business.

Much to her relief, it was empty.  Her happiness was short-lived when she realized the window that overlooked Trudy’s backyard was high - too high to look through unless you were standing on something.

Gloria lowered her gaze.  Which happened to be the outer rim of the urinal…a filthy, dirty, disgusting urinal at that.

Lucy stuck her hand on her hip. “I’m not gonna stand on that,” she announced.  “I’ll guard the door.”

Gloria looped the binoculars around her neck, grabbed hold of the window ledge, placed one shoe, then the other on the rim of the urinal. She teetered back and forth for a second before gripping the windowsill to catch her balance.

From this position, she had a bird’s-eye view of Trudy’s backyard.  It was tidy.  A small flower garden sat near the corner.  A white picket fence surrounded the perimeter of the yard.  A covered porch ran the length of the rear of the house.  A set of sliding glass doors took up one whole side.

Gloria lifted the binoculars to her eyes and adjusted the dial.  The curtains were all drawn.  “I can’t see a darn thing,” she grumbled.

She stood there for several long moments.  Nothing was happening.  The woman wasn’t even home!  Or, if she was, she wasn’t spending time in the yard.  Although she had to at some point, considering how tidy and meticulous the yard was.

Lucy, who had been guarding the door, stepped closer to Gloria. “See anything yet?”

Gloria shook her head.  “Nope. Nada. Zip.”

She remained perched on the urinal for what seemed like forever.  Gloria’s back began to ache.  She handed Lucy the binoculars.  “You wanna try?”

Lucy shook her head.  “No way.  I’d bust my butt in these shoes.”

Gloria looked down at Lucy’s feet.  She was wearing a pair of flats.  This was definitely more of a tennis shoe-type investigation.

“We can’t stay here all day.  I have stuff to do,” Lucy pointed out.

Gloria’s shoulders drooped.  “Me, too.  Unless Frances can give us a firmer timetable on this Trudy’s coming and going, we’re wasting our energy.”

Gloria loosened her grip on the windowsill and took one foot off the side of the urinal.  The narrow edge was slick and her foot began to slip.  She started to fall backward, her arms flailing wildly in the air in large circles. “Whoa!”

Lucy rushed over and caught her friend. The two of them stumbled backwards as Lucy wrapped both arms around Gloria’s waist.

Lucy fell hard against the sink behind them.

“What is going on in here?” a stern, male voice called out from the doorway.

Gloria’s eyes darted to the doorway.  Her face turned bright red.  Lucy’s arms were still around her waist in what must look a whole lot like two women in a bit of an intimate embrace.

Lucy promptly released her grip on her friend.  “It’s not what you think.”

The man raised a hand and shook his head. “I don’t need an explanation on why two grown women are in a men’s public restroom caught in a compromising embrace.”

Gloria smoothed the front of her blouse and took a step forward.  “You have it all wrong!”

The man cut her off. “Get out before I call the police,” he warned.

Gloria lowered her head and sidestepped the angry man.

Lucy scowled at him.  “Jerk,” she hissed under her breath.

The girls wandered out of the men’s bathroom and across the park to the sidewalk out front.  They made the trip back to Frances’ apartment in silence.

When they reached the sidewalk in front of Frances’ place, Gloria grabbed the door handle.  “Let’s pretend what just happened never did.”

Lucy nodded.  “I agree.  That guy was a jack-.”

“Lucy!” Gloria cut her off.

The door swung open. Frances was on the other side.  “Well?  Didja see anything? Was Trudy home?”

Gloria shook her head. “No and no.”

“We got a good look at the men’s restroom,” Lucy said.

Gloria handed Frances the binoculars. “You need to pinpoint Trudy’s schedule so we can try to corner her – or spy on her – or maybe both.” The fact that the woman was so evasive piqued Gloria’s interest.  It almost seemed as if she was hiding something.

All that sleuthing had made Gloria thirsty.  “Can we swing by the restaurant and grab an iced tea before we head home?”

Lucy wiped her brow.  “Yeah, I worked up a sweat.”

The girls made their way to Dreamwood Eats and over to the soda fountain.  Gloria filled her glass with ice and finished filling it with tea.  The place was busy for early afternoon and the four of them squeezed into a small table near the front.

The girls chit chatted about everything except Milt.  Honestly, Gloria was a little tired of hearing about him.  After all, it was looking more and more as if he had intentionally gone missing and didn’t care to be found.

“That’s interesting,” Liz commented.

“What?” Lucy wondered.

“Isn’t that Vivian?” Liz answered Lucy’s question with one of her own.

Gloria followed Liz’s finger over to the small bakery counter off to one side.  “Vivian there is ordering a box of those chocolate chip cookies that Milt likes.”

Frances shrugged.  “So?  Those are one of the restaurant specialties and they always have them on sale.  That’s why Milt liked them.”

“Yeah, but Vivian can’t eat them.  She’s allergic to chocolate.  I know that for a fact.  She had a reaction here in the restaurant not too long ago when she bit down on a small chip mixed in with the everything muffins.  She didn’t notice it and when her throat started to close up, they had to call an ambulance.”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed.  That was interesting.  Why would a woman who was allergic to chocolate, order a big box of chocolate chip cookies?  “What do you know about this Vivian?”

Liz and Frances stared at each other.  “She moved in here about a year ago, after her husband died.  I heard he was a high school principal at some school in Grand Rapids.”

Vivian paid for her purchase and strolled across the dining area to the front door.

“What day is today?” Liz asked.

“Tuesday,” Gloria answered.  “Why?”

“Well, it’s bridge day.” Frances told them. “The ladies bridge club meets in the clubhouse every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. She probably picked them up for the club.”

Liz snapped her fingers.  “Now that you mention it, I think that Trudy is part of the bridge club, too. I was in there talking to the manager one afternoon and a group of them were playing.”

Gloria didn’t have time to do a second stakeout today.  “What time does it end?”

“It lasts a couple hours, I’m sure.  Maybe three or so?” Liz wasn’t 100% certain.

“I’ll come back Thursday afternoon and we can check it out.” Gloria reached for her purse.  “For now, we should probably head out.  I want to stop by Andrea’s on the way home.”

The girls made their way back to the car and climbed inside.  Lucy slid her sunglasses on and glanced at Gloria.  “What are you thinking?”

“That this case is tough to crack.  It’s easier when there are bodies.”

Gloria pulled into Andrea’s gravel drive and rounded the bend.  Andrea’s sports car was in the drive, parked off to the side.

A truck filled with tools and construction materials was right behind her car.

The girls climbed out of the car and headed to the front door.

Gloria rapped the lions head knocker and gazed out into the yard as she waited for Andrea to open the door.  Something was different but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

The door swung open. Andrea Malone grinned when she saw Gloria.  “I thought you were coming by this morning.”

“I was.  I got bogged down finishing up a load of wash and then we went over to Dreamwood.”

Gloria and Lucy stepped inside and Andrea shut the door behind them.  “Isn’t that where your sister, Liz, lives?”

Gloria nodded.

“Does she know that crazy lady that chained herself to the front of the restaurant?” Andrea laughed.  “Man, she’s obsessed with some guy…”

“Milton Tilton,” Gloria told her.

Andrea’s brow went up.  “You know him?”

“You could say that,” Lucy muttered.

Andrea’s eyes widened.  “Let me guess.  You’re looking for him.”

“Bingo!” Lucy shouted.

The girls followed Andrea into the kitchen where Alice, Andrea’s former housekeeper and new housemate, hovered over a hot stove.  The aroma of cilantro, onion and garlic filled the air.

Alice wiped her hands on the front of her apron.  “Ah, Miss Gloria.  You’re just in time for my firehouse fajitas!”

Firehouse fajitas.  The dish sounded delicious – and lethal.  Although Gloria loved spicy foods, they didn’t love her back.  It was a recipe for disaster.  She shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Alice, I can’t stay that long.  I have to get Lucy home.”

“But.” Lucy started to protest.  Gloria pinched her arm.

“Uh, yeah.  Sorry Alice. I have to get home.” She glared at Gloria.

“Oh, you can take them to go.  I wrap them up for dinner.”

Gloria protested. Alice insisted.

“While Alice finishes up, come check out the tea room.” Andrea waved them into the hall.

Andrea had added a beautiful addition to the side of the house.  A glass enclosed sunroom really and she had plans to turn it into a tea room.  Gloria had a sneaking suspicion that part of the reason was so that Alice would have something to do.

Andrea and Gloria had stumbled upon a secret room inside Andrea’s home that boasted a room full of beautiful paintings by the former owner and famous artist, Sofia Masson.

The girls trailed behind Andrea as they followed her down the hall and into the living room.  They crossed the room as they made their way over to the set of French doors on the other side of the massive living room fireplace.

Andrea opened the leaded glass doors and the girls took a step down.

Gloria drew a deep breath and turned in a slow circle.  The room was magnificent.  Andrea had added a bit of her own personal touch with hanging plants and Persian rugs.

Off in one corner was a gurgling angel fountain.  Several easels displayed a few of the famous artist’s paintings.  “It looks like you’re almost ready to open for business.”

Andrea nodded.  “All I’m waiting on are the bistro tables, which should be here any day now.”  She looked back towards the living room.  “I finally convinced Alice that we can’t serve spicy all the time.  We narrowed it down to Tuesday tacos in the tea room.”

“Catchy name.” Gloria nodded.  “Good idea.”

“The rest of the time will be light finger foods and bite size sandwiches.” She eyed Lucy, the queen of sweets. “And there will be trays of tempting desserts.”

Lucy grinned.  “I’ll be one of your first customers,” she promised.

Andrea stopped in the middle of the room.  Her brow furrowed.  “You don’t think Dot will be upset – like I’m competing against her?”

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.

Chapter 11

“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?”

Gloria reached into her purse and pulled out the invitation addressed to Margaret and Don.  “I’m having a fall party…on the first Saturday in October.”

Margaret studied the front and turned it over. She lifted the flap.  “Of course we’ll be there.  What can I bring?”

A slow smile beamed across Gloria’s face.  She had the best friends in the whole world.  “Dot is bringing donuts, Ruth is bringing stuff for s’mores.  I haven’t talked to Lucy yet.”

Margaret tapped the arms of her chair.  “What would a fall bonfire be without apple cider?  I’ll bring that and some bags of chips.”

Gloria grinned.  “Between you girls, I’m not going to have to supply anything.” They chatted for a few more minutes and then Gloria got to her feet.

Margaret opened the slider door.  “I can’t wait for the party. It sounds like fun.”

Gloria had one more stop to make.  Lucy’s place.  Not only did she want to drop off Lucy’s invitation, she was curious to find out if Lucy had called Bill.

Chapter 12

Lucy’s jeep was nowhere in sight and the garage door was closed. Gloria’s heart sank.  She parked the car and walked to the porch.  Since Lucy wasn’t home, she decided to tuck her invitation in the door.

Gloria opened the screen door and lifted her hand to shove the envelope inside when a movement inside caught her eye.  Lucy was home. She was at the kitchen sink washing dishes.

Gloria tapped lightly on the glass.  Lucy swung around. She lifted a sudsy hand and motioned her in.

“I thought you weren’t home.” Gloria slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

“Yeah, I was out earlier and decided to park in the garage.  Might as well start now.” She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and hung it on the handle of the stove.  “You want a cup of coffee?”

“No. I wasn’t gonna stay long.  I wanted to invite you to a fall party I’m having first weekend in October.” She set the invitation on the table and pulled out a chair.

Lucy picked it up but didn’t open it. “Sounds like fun.  What can I bring?”

Gloria went over the list of what the other girls were bringing.  “You don’t have to bring anything.”

Lucy tapped the tip of the envelope on the table.  “You sure? What about bales of hay?”

Gloria frowned.  “Yes, that would be an important part of a hayride – hay.”

“I have a bunch of bales stacked in the shed.  They’ve been there awhile but I’m sure they would work just fine.”

“That would be great.” Gloria gazed out the window. “You still want to go with me to Dreamwood tomorrow?”

Lucy nodded.  “Sure.” She took a deep breath.  “I am so nervous about that breakfast date you set up for tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll be fine.  It’s just breakfast,” Gloria pointed out.

“I’m thinking of canceling,” Lucy confessed.

“How you gonna do that?” Gloria argued. “You don’t even have Max’s phone number.”

“True…” her voice trailed off.  “Maybe he won’t show.”

“Oh, no!  I saw the look in that man’s eyes.  He’ll be there.  Early probably,” Gloria predicted.

Lucy smacked the palm of her hand to her forehead and shook it back and forth.  “I don’t know how I let you get me into these things,” she groaned.

“Speaking of that, did you talk to Bill?” Gloria didn’t want to pry, but she was curious.

Lucy lifted her head, placed the palm of her hand on the table and wiped at imaginary crumbs.  “Yeah.”

“And?”

“It went okay. We talked a little. He has a few things still here at the house that he’s going to stop by and pick up but that’s it,” Lucy told her.

“How do you feel?” Gloria asked.

Lucy lifted her head and stared into Gloria’s eyes.  “I feel good.  Like this was the right decision.  He wasn’t for me.  I guess I knew that all along,” she admitted.  “Maybe I just didn’t want to be alone.”

“But you’re not alone, Lucy,” Gloria argued.  “You have all of us.  All of your friends.”

Lucy nodded.  “I know.  Actually, I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time.”

“I’m glad,” Gloria simply replied.

Lucy walked Gloria out to her car.  “So you’ll be at the restaurant at 9:00?”

Gloria grabbed the door handle and pulled.  “With bells on.”

Maybe this Max wouldn’t turn out to be anything, but maybe it would. Either way, Lucy was on the right track!

By the time Gloria arrived at the restaurant the next morning, she wasn’t sure who was more nervous – Lucy or her.  Lucy was hanging out in the back, talking to Dot when Gloria made her way inside.

Dot was trying to calm Lucy’s nerves. She stuck a cup of tea in her hand.  “Here, I know chocolate is your drink of choice, but try this mint tea.  It’ll calm your nerves.”

Lucy sipped the steaming tea and nodded.  “I feel better already.”

“He’s here,” Gloria whispered.

Sure enough, Max walked into the restaurant at 9:00 a.m. sharp.  Gloria’s eyes traveled from his head to his toes.  He was sporting a nice pair of dress slacks and polo shirt.  Not too overdressed, not too underdressed.  He settled into a table and looked around.

He hadn’t noticed the girls standing in the back.

Gloria gave Lucy a small shove in the middle of her back.  “Get out there.”

Lucy slapped at her hand and scowled.  She straightened her shoulders, lifted her head and made her way over to the table.

Max jumped up, pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit before taking the seat across from her.

Dot and Gloria stepped off to the side and peeked at them through the wooden lattice that separated the eating area from the employee area.

Ray walked by with a pot of coffee.  “What are you two up to?”

Dot waved her hand.  “Shush.  We’re trying to spy on Lucy and her date.”

Ray rolled his eyes and wandered over to Max and Lucy’s table.

Gloria watched as Ray shook Max’s hand while Ray pointed to the girls spying in the back.  Gloria quickly ducked.  “He just ratted us out.” She started to giggle.

Gloria grabbed Dot’s hand and the two of them made their way over to the table.

Max looked up.  “Hi Gloria.”

“Hi Max.  How’re you today?”

His eyes slid to the side as he gave Lucy a sly grin.  “I’m having a wonderful day so far.”

“Good.” She turned to Dot.  “This is my friend, Dot Jenkins.  She and her husband, Ray, own this restaurant.

Max jumped to his feet. He shook Dot’s hand.  “Pleased to meet you.”

Dot placed two menus on the table and patted the top.  “Here are a couple menus.  I’ll be back to take your order.”  She took a step back.  “No hurry.  Take your time.”

Gloria followed Dot to the back.  “He looks like a very nice man,” Dot decided.

“I think so, too,” Gloria agreed.

Dot returned to their table a few minutes later to take their order while Gloria hung out in the back.  She was torn.  On the one hand, she was dying to know how the date was going.  On the other, she wanted to respect their privacy.

An hour later, Dot wandered over to Gloria, still hanging out behind the lattice.  “He’s gone,” she announced.

“Where’s Lucy?” Gloria wondered.

“Still sitting by the window, gazing out like a love struck teenybopper,” Dot answered.

Gloria jumped out of the chair and made a beeline for the table. She pulled out a chair – Max’s chair – and plopped down. She leaned in.  “Well?  How did it go?”

Lucy was still staring dreamily out the window.

Gloria snapped her fingers in front of Lucy’s face.  “Hellooo Lucy.”

Lucy jerked her head back.  “Huh?”

“I asked how the date went.”

Lucy turned a bright shade of red.  Almost the same color as her hair.  “It was nice,” she answered vaguely.

Gloria crossed her arms.  “It was more than nice.  Your face is the shade of that bottle of Heinz catsup!”

Lucy glanced at the bottle.  She took a deep breath.  “Okay. It was better than nice.  He seems like a really great guy,” she admitted.

“So?”

“So what?” Lucy replied.

“So are you going on another date?” Lucy was totally out of it.  This Max guy had cast some sort of spell!

“Yeah,” Lucy said. “I invited him to your fall party.”  Her eyes clouded over.  “I hope that’s okay.”

Gloria nodded.  “Of course it’s okay.  It’ll give me – give us – a chance to get to know him better.” Run a background check, interrogate him…

Dot swung by. She dropped a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of Gloria and then slid into an empty seat.  “So you like him?”

Gloria picked up a slice of bacon and bit the end.  “Like him?  She’s over here in la-la land.”

Gloria grabbed her fork. “She invited him to my fall party.”

Dot nodded.  She was happy for Lucy.  He seemed like a nice enough fellow.  Course, she didn’t want to see Lucy jumping into a new relationship too soon.  “How long has it been since you and Bill broke up?”

“Oh, a month.  Maybe a little longer,” Lucy told her.

Gloria didn’t see a problem with it.  The girls weren’t getting any younger.  Of course, she didn’t want Lucy in the same situation with Max as she had been with Bill.

After Gloria finished her breakfast, the two of them climbed into Gloria’s car.

Lucy buckled her seat belt and stared out the window.

Gloria fastened her seatbelt and gazed over at her friend. It was going to be a quiet ride to Liz’s place.

Chapter 13

Liz was pacing the floor when Gloria and Lucy arrived.  She swung the door open and motioned them inside.  “I’ve been thinking about what you said and it kept me up all night,” Liz groaned.  “What if my best friend is a killer?”

Lucy was out of her dream state and turned to Liz.  “What do you mean?”

“She means that we think Frances is using the cover ‘Raven Fair’ on Worldbook to leave comments on Milt’s page.  Weird comments.  As in, she may be involved in his disappearance comments.”

Liz lifted the lid on her laptop and pointed to the screen.  “Here.”

Lucy leaned forward. She narrowed her eyes and studied the screen.  “Well, I’ll be darned.” She scrolled through a few of the posts. “Whoever this Raven Fair is, does seem to be leaving some odd messages.”

She stood up.  “What makes you think this is Frances?”

Gloria held up a finger.  “One, she doesn’t have a profile on Worldbook.” She held up a second finger.  “Two, whoever Raven Fair is, seems obsessed with Milt, not unlike Frances.”

She put her hand down.  “Last but now least, Frances has a small tattoo of a raven on her lower back.”

Lucy frowned.  “That does seem like a lot of coincidences.” She shook her head.  “But why would she offer a reward, chain herself to the restaurant and call reporters?”

“Maybe we’ll come up with something when we scope out the ladies’ bridge club.  Several of the women in the bridge club have also dated Milt in the past, including Trudy, Vivian and there’s one other.”  Liz tapped the side of her computer thoughtfully.  “I think her name is Carol something…”

Liz blew air through her lips.  “Whew!  Carol and Frances really got into it not long ago.  Almost a knockdown, drag out fight right there in the parking lot.”

Liz closed the lid on her laptop.  “From what Frances told me, Carol and Milt were getting into his car while Frances was just coming back from the grocery store.  When she saw the two of them together, she freaked out.”

“Do you think Frances is unstable?” Gloria had to ask.  She didn’t want to believe Frances was capable of murder.  Kidnapping, now that was another story…” She narrowed her eyes.  Kidnapping. Any of these women could be off their rocker and capable of…

“I hate to even think about it,” Liz grabbed her keys.  “Ready to go?”

Lucy headed to the door.  “What excuse are we going to use for being in the clubhouse?”

“Got it all figured out,” Liz said. “I tell them I’ll want to check dates to make reservations for a party.”

“Which reminds me.” Gloria reached into her purse and pulled out Liz’s invitation.  “I’m having a fall party the first Saturday in October,” she told her sister.

Liz glanced at the invitation and set it on the counter.  “Sounds like fun.  Can I bring a – uh – date?”

“Al again?” Gloria teased.

Much to Gloria’s surprise, she shook her head.  “Nah.  He wants to get serious and I don’t. We kind of mutually agreed to take a break from going out.”

Gloria lifted a brow.  “Another beau?”

“Just a friend,” Liz replied. She changed the subject. “Better get going.”

The clubhouse was not far from Liz’s place, which was in the front of the Dreamwood complex.  There were several cars parked out front.

Gloria could see a group of women off in one corner as she grabbed the door handle and held it for the girls.

“That’s them,” Liz whispered in a low voice.

Gloria counted four women.  She recognized a few of the faces from the Worldbook profiles.  The women didn’t pay the girls any mind as they talked amongst themselves.

The three of them headed to a small office in the rear.  The gold sign on the door read: manager.

Liz twisted the knob and opened the door.  It was a small space - only large enough to hold a desk and two cheap plastic chairs.  The man behind the counter looked up as the girls stepped inside the cramped quarters.

“Hello Liz,” the man said.  “How can I help you?” He didn’t give her a chance to reply.  He tapped his pen on top of the notepad, lying open on the desk.  “Let me guess, the lawn guys adjusted the sprinklers again and they’re hitting your bedroom window.”

Liz opened her mouth to speak.

“Or did someone dare to park in your favorite spot in the parking lot again?  Wait!”

Liz cut him off.  “You make me sound like a big pain the rear, Ron!”

“Now why would I do that?” He raised a brow and clasped his hands together.  “If you’re not here to voice a grievance, why are you here?”

She cleared her throat.  “I wanted to check availability for the clubhouse the last week in October.”

Ron reached behind him and grabbed a large, black book.  He set it on the desk in front of him and opened the cover. He slipped his glasses on and flipped a few pages.  “Hmm.  Sunday afternoon is free.  Sunday, October 30th.”

“Pencil me in for that date,” she told him.

The girls wandered back out into the main area.  Liz closed the door behind them.

Gloria glanced back at the closed door. “You gonna have a party?” This was the first she’d heard of it…imagine having two parties in one month!

Liz jerked her head at the door.  “Yeah. I’m gonna bring a bunch of my friends over here and trash the place.  Serves the putz right.”

The sound of laughter tinkled in the air.

Liz switched focus.  “C’mon.” She marched over to the women seated at the table in the corner.  Lucy and Gloria trailed behind.

Liz went in for the kill.  Her target?  Trudy Gromalski.

She didn’t bother with pleasantries, although she did pause long enough to nod at a couple of the other ladies.

Liz stuck a hand on her hip.  “Trudy Gromalski.  We have been trying to track you down for days now.”

Gloria finally got a good look at her.  Trudy sported a head of short, blonde hair.  The frosted tips swirled up and shot out.  Gloria liked the look.  She patted her own unruly locks self-consciously.

The woman’s gray eyes narrowed.  She shifted the cards in her hand, pulling them close to her chest.  “Why, whatever for?”

Liz didn’t beat around the bush.  “Milton Tilton is missing, has been for several days now.”

Trudy nodded.  “Yes, such a terrible situation.”

Liz placed her hand on the back of Trudy’s chair.  “Clyde Ward said he saw you talking to Milt the night he disappeared.”

Trudy’s mouth drooped.  She set her cards face down on the table and crossed her arms.  “Are you accusing me of having something to do with Milt’s disappearance?” Her voice rose shrilly.  “Because if you are, I’m going to-to sue you for slander,” she huffed.

Gloria studied the other women’s faces as Liz and Trudy began to argue, which was even more interesting than the catfight that was ensuing.

Vivian Coulter smirked.

Carol Towers lifted her hand to her mouth to hide her laugh.

A woman that Gloria did not recognize looked as if she wished the ground would swallow her up.

Thank goodness the clubhouse was empty except for the bridge ladies and the three of them.

Gloria was so caught up in her observations that she had missed part of what the two women were saying to each other.

Suddenly, Trudy jumped out of her chair so fast, it fell backwards and hit the floor with a loud clatter.  She shoved the sleeves of her blouse to her elbow and bowed up.

Gloria stepped between the two of them in the nick of time.  Liz was making a grab for the front of Trudy’s blouse.

She held her hands out to keep the women separated.  “Now ladies.” She stressed the word “ladies.”

Gloria turned to Trudy first.  “Liz was not accusing you of anything.  We just wondered if perhaps you might be able to tell us if Milt had mentioned leaving town or given you some indication something was amiss,” Gloria soothed.

Trudy softened her stance.  “He did mention something about having to come up with some quick cash,” she sniffed.

Lucy stepped forward.  “Do you know what he needed the cash for?”

Trudy lowered her voice.  “Some kind of gambling debt, I think.  Course Milt was always vague,” she confessed.  “The last couple of weeks he kind of kept to himself.” She shrugged.  “I figured he found himself a new girl.”

Tears filled the back of Trudy’s eyes.  She blinked them away.  Even Liz felt bad.  She held out a hand.  “I’m sorry, Trudy.  I had no idea.”

Trudy lifted the back of her hand and wiped at the corner of her eye.  “It’s okay.  I’ve been sick with worry.”  She turned to Gloria.  “Rumor round here is that you’re trying to help find him.”

Gloria nodded.  “Yes, I promised Liz – and Frances – that I’d look into it.”

“That Frances is a lunatic,” Vivian piped up. “Why, I caught her peeking in the windows at Milt’s place.  We were sitting on the couch, watching TV and I could feel someone stare at me.” Vivian shivered.  “You know, where your skin starts to crawl.”

Vivian went on.  “When I got up to look out the window, I could’ve sworn I saw Frances hightailing it across the lawn towards her apartment.”

“So why are you convinced it was Frances peeking in?” Gloria wondered.

“Because the next morning, she cornered me on the sidewalk and told me to stay away from Milt or else,” she answered.

“Or else what?” Liz prompted.

Vivian shrugged.  “That’s what I asked but she never answered.  She just stomped off.”

Gloria looked around the table.  “Do any of the rest of you have something to add?  Odd conversations, some sort of clue?”

Carol Towers had been silent the entire time.  Up until that very moment.  “Well, I saw a light on at his place night before last.”

Chapter 14

Gloria leaned forward.  “Did you tell anyone?”

Carol shook her head.  “I guess I should have.  I live in the unit next to his and I was coming home from a movie.  It was dark out.”

“What kind of light?” Lucy asked.

Carol shrugged.  “It wasn’t really like, you know, a lamp or anything.” She tapped her finger on the table.  “Now that I think about it, it was more like a bouncy light.  Probably a flashlight if I had to guess.”

No one seemed to be able to add any additional information.  Gloria – and Liz – thanked them for their time and headed out the door and onto the sidewalk.

Lucy looked back.  “What do you think?”

Gloria didn’t know.  It seemed as if one of the ladies knew more than they were letting on.  She didn’t have anything solid.  It was just a hunch – a gut feeling.

“I think Frances needs counseling,” Liz said.

Gloria nodded.  That was true.  The woman had an over-the-top obsession with Milt.  It was a cause for concern that she was a peeping Tom, or in this case, a peeping Frances.

But just because she was peeking in his windows, making up a fake name on Worldbook to spy on him, chaining herself to the restaurant, didn’t mean she was involved in his disappearance.  Of course, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t either…

Gloria wasn’t convinced that this mysterious debt was the reason he disappeared.  Although, he could be hiding out, sneaking back into his apartment in the dead of the night to pick some stuff up.

Back inside Liz’s apartment, Gloria paced the floor.  She still believed the key to Milt’s disappearance was in Dreamwood. “We need to organize a fact-finding mission.” She stopped.  “Liz, I need the addresses of Vivian and Carol.  We already have Trudy.”

She started to pace again.  The last woman at the table had remained strangely silent the entire time.  “Who was the other woman at the table, the one who didn’t talk?”

Liz furrowed her brow.  She shook her head. “I don’t know but I’ll find out,” she promised.

Gloria and Lucy headed back to the car after Liz promised to find out the name of the mystery woman and her address.  The girls decided to meet Sunday evening at dusk and do a little behind-the-scenes investigation of each of the women’s homes.

Although Gloria was initially against it, they agreed a divide and conquer plan would work best.  Each of them scoping out a different home, which meant that Frances would have to participate.  They needed four people.

Gloria passed through downtown Belhaven. Main Street was like a ghost town.

“Do you think Frances will go over the edge if we include her in our spy mission?” Lucy asked the question that Gloria had already asked herself.

“Well, we don’t really have a choice.  Unless, of course, we ask one of the girls to help out.”  Gloria raised a brow.  They could do that.  Maybe Margaret, Dot or Ruth would be willing to help.

Gloria fumbled inside her purse and handed her phone to Lucy.  “Give Liz a call and tell her to hold off asking Frances to be part of the investigation.”

Liz’s line rang and rang. Lucy was about to hang up when a breathless Liz answered.

“Oh, good.  I’m glad I caught you,” Lucy told her.

“Yeah, I was just sitting here talking to Frances.  She’s more than willing to help out with the fact finding operation.”

Lucy frowned and glanced over at Gloria.  “So Frances is with you and she’s agreed to help out with the Sunday evening plan.”

Gloria let out a low groan.  They were stuck now.  There was no way they could talk Frances out of this.

“Okay, well.  We’ll give you a call later.”  Lucy disconnected the line and dropped the phone into Gloria’s open purse.  “Too late.  I could hear Frances in the background talking a mile a minute.”

Gloria pulled in next to Lucy’s jeep, still parked out in front of the restaurant.  “What’re you doing this weekend?”

Lucy grabbed the car door handle.  “Well, I have a little canning to do.  The apples are falling all over out in the backyard and I figured I could can them this year.” She opened the door.  “You need any?”

Gloria nodded.  “Can you set some aside for the party?”

Lucy nodded.  “Sure.  I’ll bring a bunch by Sunday before we head out.  They’ll stay fresh if you store them down in your root cellar.”

“Ryan and Tyler are spending the night and we’re gonna work on the tree fort Saturday.  You’re welcome to come by,” Gloria offered.

She didn’t want to think that poor Lucy was sitting home with nothing to do.

“Yeah, I might.  I got some other stuff to do.  What time do you think?” Lucy asked.

Gloria did some quick calculations.  If the boys came after school, they could run by Dot’s for dinner. She remembered Brian saying he would stop by around 2:00 on Saturday.  “We’ll probably eat dinner at Dot’s Friday night and start on the fort around 2:00 Saturday.  Brian is going to come by and help the boys assemble the fort.”

“What?  You’re not going to crawl up there?” Lucy grinned.

Gloria shook her head.  “No way.  I mean, I suppose I could.” She frowned.  If Brian backed out, of course she’d have to.  Otherwise, the boys would be heartbroken.

Lucy climbed out of the car and leaned back in.  “Yeah, I don’t want to miss this.  Maybe I should stop by the hardware store and tell Brian not to bother coming by Saturday.  That you and I can build the fort ourselves,” she teased.

Gloria shook her finger at Lucy.  “Don’t you dare!”

Lucy smirked and slammed the door shut.  But Lucy didn’t talk to Brian.  Instead, she hopped in the jeep and headed towards home.

Gloria followed her out of town.  She honked and gave a small wave as Lucy turned into her drive.

Gloria spent the rest of the evening puttering around the house.  She pulled a leftover tuna noodle casserole from the freezer and popped in the microwave.  Mally and she wandered out onto the porch to wait for it to cook.

There was a cool breeze in the evening air.  Gloria stepped back inside to grab her sweater before returning to the porch.  She slid into the rocking chair and absentmindedly watched as Mally made her rounds.

Mally had a set pattern for patrolling the perimeter of the farm.  It cracked Gloria up each time she watched her.

Mally would start at the big barn on the other side of the driveway, careful to stay close to the barn since she knew Gloria didn’t like her near the road.

She would disappear behind the barn and pop back out on the other side seconds later.  The crazy dog would mark her territory when she stopped near the edge of the farm field.  Next, she would make a sharp left and race along the backside of the yard, past the garden.

Gloria knew she would make another sharp left, run the perimeter behind the house, eventually taking a shortcut through the front yard, and end her run on the porch.

Gloria watched her pass the garden and waited for her to come around the back.  When she didn’t come back, Gloria scooted out of the chair and headed down the steps.  She rounded the back corner of the house, in the direction that Mally had taken.

“Woof!” Gloria heard her before she saw her.  She recognized that “woof.” It was one that meant Mally had found something – or gotten into something.

Gloria picked up the pace and jogged to the back.

Mally had crouched down on the edge of the field and was barking at something in the tall grass.  Gloria could barely make out a black shape.  Black and white.  Striped.  It was a skunk!

“Mally!  No!” she shouted, but it was too late. The skunk turned around, lifted its tail and sprayed Mally.  Thankfully, Mally had just turned and the spray hit the side of Mally – not her face.

Mally let out a yelp and darted across the backyard– right towards Gloria.  The smell of the skunk reached Gloria before Mally did.  Gloria pinched her nose and took a step back.  “Good grief!” she cried.

Mally shook her body, trying to rid herself of the smell.  Gloria tipped her head back.  “It’s gonna take more than that, girl.”

“C’mon.  We’re gonna have to do something about that smell and fast.”

Mally trotted along beside Gloria as they rounded the front of the house and made their way up the steps.  She stopped Mally at the door. “Stay here.”

Mally obediently sat on the porch while Gloria stepped inside and grabbed her leash from the hook on the wall.  She made her way back outside, snapped the leash to Mally’s collar and then hooked that to one of the spindles on the porch rail.  “You wait here until I figure out how to get rid of that smell!”

Mally sank to the floor, dropped her head on her front paw and looked at Gloria as if she’d been sentenced to some terrible punishment.

Gloria made a beeline for the computer, switched it on and pulled up the search page.  “Get rid of skunk smell.”  The homemade recipes were her best bet: a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap.  Thankfully, they were all common household items Gloria knew she had on hand.

She quickly whipped up a double batch and carried it to the bathroom. She left the container next to the tub before going out to the porch to get Mally.  The smell was even stronger now and hung heavy in the air.  Gloria waved a hand over her face, sucked in a deep breath and reached down to unhook Mally’s leash.

She led her inside, careful to keep a firm grip on her collar.

Puddles was standing inside the door, wondering what in the world was going on.  When his sniffer got a whiff of the skunk, he backed up and darted out of the room.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Gloria burst out laughing.  She wished she could make a run for it, too, but unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a choice.

Gloria and Mally hustled into the bath. “Hop in,” she told her dog.

Mally loved taking a bath and promptly jumped in the tub, which was a bit of a luxury.  Her baths were usually in her own special tub and using the garden hose.

Gloria shoved the plug in the drain and turned the water on warm as Mally patiently waited for the tub to fill.

She leaned over to start scrubbing and noticed she was wearing one of her few nice outfits.  Gloria pushed herself to her feet.  “Stay right there,” she commanded Mally.

In the bedroom, Gloria slipped out of her blouse and peeled off her slacks.  She pulled an old t-shirt over her head and yanked on a pair of garden shorts.

Mally was right where she left her.

Gloria reached up, unlatched the locks on the bathroom window, shoved the pane all the way up and took a deep breath.

Gloria poured a healthy dose of the concoction along Mally’s backside, added some water and began to scrub.  There were a few times Gloria stood up, leaned over the open window and gulped fresh breaths of air.

When the last of the mixture was gone and Gloria had rinsed Mally so many times, her fur gleamed, she emptied the tub and grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet.

Gloria dried her as best she could and then opened the bathroom door to let her out into the dining room.  Puddles was in the far corner, hiding under the computer desk.  His eyes glittered in the dark as he warily watched Mally and Gloria.

Mally did a doggie shake to get rid of the excess water, spraying the hutch and table with droplets of water.  She followed Gloria into the kitchen and promptly crawled into her bed.

Gloria filled her food dish, then filled Puddles’ dish before she reached inside the microwave to check on her casserole.  It had not only unthawed and warmed up, but it was cold again.  She pressed the warmer button to turn it back on and settled into the chair.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall.  It was already 7:30.  So much for a relaxing evening, she thought to herself.

Puddles wandered into the kitchen and slunk along the outer wall, careful to stay as far away from Mally possible as he headed to his food dish.

Mally didn’t move.  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Gloria asked her.

Mally shifted in the bed and closed her eyes, clearly depressed by the turn of events.

Gloria pulled her dinner from the microwave, set it on the table and unfolded the morning paper she hadn’t had time to read.  She grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on.

There, on the front page, was a picture of Milt.  The caption underneath read:

“Have you seen this man?  Police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of Milton Tilton, a longtime resident of Dreamwood Retirement Community in nearby Green Springs, Michigan.

Mr. Tilton was last seen the evening of Friday, September 2nd.  Several key witnesses told authorities that Mr. Tilton had been talking to a man driving a dark blue, four-door sedan, possibly a late model Ford Taurus, near the entrance to Dreamwood.

Police would like to talk to the man driving this sedan.  If you have any information about the whereabouts of Milton Tilton, Montbay County Sheriff’s Department is asking you to contact them at 229-1627.”

Gloria pulled her glasses off and set them on top of the paper.  This might throw a wrench into the investigation now that the police were involved.

Gloria ate her casserole, rinsed the dishes and slid them into the dishwasher.  She wondered what Liz and Frances thought now that police were involved.  She didn’t have to wonder long.

Her home phone started to ring.  It was Liz.  “Did you see this morning’s paper?”

“I just read the front page about Milt and the police opening an investigation.”

Liz let out an exaggerated sigh.  “Someone tipped the police off that Frances had been lurking around Milt’s place just before his disappearance.  She’s down at the police station in Langstone being questioned.”

“Vivian.”

“Bingo,” Liz said.  “Remember when she said Milt and she caught Frances peeking in the windows?  She must’ve told the police.”

Poor Frances.  She wondered if Paul was involved in the investigation since it was at the precinct he worked at in Langstone.

Gloria hung up the phone.  She was tired.  It had been a long day and tomorrow was shaping up to be a repeat of today.  She glanced down at Mally, who looked up at her with sorrowful eyes.  She thrust a hand on her hip.  “I’d love to let you sleep in the bedroom but you’re still wet.”

Mally’s ears sank low, she shifted her body and turned to face the wall.  Gloria felt bad but there wasn’t much she could do.

“I have an idea.” She reached down and tapped Mally.  “Here, you can sleep in the bedroom.  You just won’t be able to jump up on the bed.”

Gloria grabbed Mally’s bed.  Mally followed her into the bedroom.  She settled her into the corner and returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas.

Puddles had already curled up near the pillows. Gloria pulled back the covers and climbed in.

She closed her eyes and prayed.  “Dear Lord, my heart is heavy for poor Frances tonight.  I don’t believe that she is involved in Milt’s disappearance, but if she is, please let her confess and tell the police what she knows.”

She finished her prayers for her family and friends before pulling the covers to her chin.  She was out before she had time to worry about one more thing.

Chapter 15

Gloria’s eyes flew open.  It was still dark outside.  She leaned over and glanced at the clock: 6:48 a.m.  It was a bit early for her.  She settled back under the covers and closed her eyes, hoping for a few more minutes rest.

Her mind had other ideas.  It began a mental checklist of everything that needed to happen before Ryan and Tyler arrived.  Then it wandered over to Frances.  She wondered what had transpired the night before.

Then she thought about her friend, Lucy.  She made a mental note to give her a call before she gave up on trying to go back to sleep.

Gloria threw back the covers and shoved her feet into her slippers.  Her bathrobe was on the end of the bed.  She grabbed that and headed for the door.

Mally was in her doggie bed, curled up in a ball.  She opened one eye and stared at Gloria as if she wondered what in the world she was doing.

Gloria shuffled to the kitchen and over to the coffee pot.  She switched it to on and made her way to the porch door.  The sun was barely peeking up over the back of the yard. She stepped outside and gazed at the glorious sunrise.

Mally had followed Gloria to the kitchen and pawed at the door.  Gloria opened it far enough for Mally to slip out.  “Changed your mind, huh?”

Mally took a tentative step down and looked around.  “Are you looking for the mean old skunk?”

Satisfied there was no black and white menace in the vicinity, Mally trotted out into the yard to water her favorite tree.

Gloria cupped her hands together. “Go get the paper.”

Mally trotted out to the end of the drive, picked the morning paper up with her teeth and headed back to Gloria. She dropped the paper at Gloria’s feet and looked up, her tail wagging.

“Good girl.” She patted her head and reached behind her to open the plastic container she had installed on the wall.  Inside the container were special treats for Mally.  She reached her hand inside and pulled one out.

Mally licked her hand and grabbed the treat.  Gloria stepped inside the kitchen, dropped the paper on the table and reached for her Bible.  She poured a fresh cup of coffee and wandered back out onto the porch.

The stillness of the morning made Gloria appreciate the farm and all her blessings.  Gloria read her Bible each morning and then spent time in prayer before she started her day, something she had done for as long as she could remember.

When James was alive, they would read at the kitchen table together.  After he died, she continued to read by herself.  She opened to her bookmark, slipped on her glasses and pulled the Bible a bit closer.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

Gloria looked up from the Bible.  The sun was out now, warming the air.  She tilted her head back and let the beams of light shine down on her face.

Gloria often wondered about heaven.  After James died, she read all the books she could get her hands on – the ones where people had near death experiences or had actually died and come back to life.

Looking back, if not for the presence of her Lord and Savior, she wasn’t sure how she would have made it through.  There were long days of loneliness, where she shut herself away from her family and friends while she mourned.

During that time, she poured herself into her prayers and studying her Bible.

One night, she had a dream, or a maybe it was a vision, that the Lord had given her.  It was of James.  He was much younger in her dream, closer to the age he had been when they first met and married.  He was smiling.  He was happy.

When she awoke that next morning, she knew that the Lord was telling her to mourn no more.  That James was happy.  That he was in his eternal home.

From that morning on, Gloria forced herself back into the land of the living.  She knew it wasn’t her time to go home.  She would remain on the earth as long as she was supposed to be there and not a moment longer.

A few months after that, she prayed again for purpose in her life.  Not long after, she met her young friend, Andrea Malone, when she solved the murder of Andrea’s husband.  Paul was in charge of Daniel Malone’s investigation and that’s how Gloria met him.

Ever since that time, her life was full.  She had purpose again.  No, God wasn’t done with her yet, but when He was, she would be ready.  Until then, she had stuff to do.

Gloria closed her Bible and headed inside.  It was time to shift her day into high gear.

Gloria was waiting out on the porch when Jill pulled into the drive.  She had called Gloria before she left the house, warning her they were on the way.  Gloria could hear the boys in the background chattering loudly.

“Can you tell they’re excited?” Jill asked.

Gloria didn’t have time to answer.

“Hey Grams, you got everything for the tree fort?”  It was her oldest grandson, Tyler.

“Yes, of course, Tyler.  Ready and waiting for you out in the barn.”

“Okay. We’re on our way.”

The line disconnected.  Gloria grinned and replaced the receiver.  She could just envision the boys driving Jill crazy until they left.  Which was why she was on the porch waiting.  The countdown had begun.  The boys would arrive in 20 minutes or less.

Gloria had it pegged within five minutes.

Jill hadn’t even turned the engine off before both rear doors of the sedan flung open and the boys raced across the yard and up to the porch.

Gloria wrapped an arm around each of them and leaned in for a welcome hug.

Ryan pulled back first.  “Can we start working on the fort?”

She shook her head.  “No.  Brian is coming by tomorrow to help, but you can check out what it will look like.  She pointed to the barn.  “It’s in there.”

Tyler and Ryan raced each other to the barn.  Gloria had unlocked the door before they arrived, certain they would want to see what Brian had built for them.

Jill and Gloria followed the boys.  “Thanks for taking them tonight.”

“Whew,” she added.  “I’m glad I didn’t tell them until they got out of school that they were coming over.  They have been driving me nuts.”

The boys held the corners of the boards together to get a glimpse of how it would look.  “This is cool, Grams.  Way cooler than I even thought it would be,” Tyler said.

If the boys were this excited and it wasn’t together, she wondered how it would be once it was all done.  “Can we stay tomorrow night and sleep in it?” Ryan begged.

The original plan had been for only one night.  Of course, Gloria, didn’t mind.  She turned to her daughter.

Jill studied her boys.  “It’s up to you, Mom.”

“I’m fine with it if you are.”

Jill and Gloria left the boys in the barn and wandered back to the house.  Jill stopped in her tracks.  “Are you going to sleep in it?”

Gloria shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  It’ll be a tight fit for those two.” She glanced out at the front porch.  “No. Mally and I can sleep on the porch and keep an eye out from down below.”

She remembered the stakeout Sunday evening.  “I do have plans for Sunday evening.”

“And I’m sure church on Sunday morning,” Jill added.

“Of course.”

“The boys don’t have church clothes, so how about if I pick them up Sunday morning?”

Gloria nodded.  “It’s a deal.”

Jill dropped the boys’ backpacks on the porch and handed Gloria a shopping bag.  “What’s this?”

“Paint,” Jill replied, “which reminds me.  There’s a set of old play clothes for each of them.  Make sure they put them on before they start on the tree house.”

Gloria gave a mock salute.  “Will do!”

Jill cupped her hands to her mouth. “Boys, I’m leaving now!”

They turned and gave Jill a small wave.

Gloria took a step toward the barn.  “Get over here and tell your mom goodbye!” she hollered across the yard.

The boys obediently dropped what they were doing and walked over to the car.  She gave each of them a hug.  “Both of you!  Behave!”

“We will,” they answered in unison.

After Jill left, Gloria shut the barn door and clicked the lock into place.

Back in the kitchen, she glanced at the row of keys hanging from the hook.  The key to the tractor was hanging right where she had left it.  Now that the boys knew how to drive the tractor, she kept the key inside.  Just in case they were tempted to take it out, say in the middle of the night…while Gloria was asleep.

The boys were wound up like tops so Gloria decided to take them for a walk down by the creek.  They wandered out of the yard and between two of the fields.

Ryan reached down and picked up what he thought was a rock…but it was mushy.  He squished it in his hands.  “What’s this?”

Gloria wrinkled her nose. It had a distinct smell.  “Rotting potato?”

Ryan nodded and tossed it back on top of the dirt.

Tyler picked one up and while his brother wasn’t looking, hit him smack dab between his shoulder blades.

“Ouch!” Ryan swung around.  “Hey!”

In response, Ryan picked another up and returned fire with fire, which was an open invitation to his brother.

Gloria held up her hands.  “Oh no you don’t!  Drop them now or no tree fort!” she threatened.

The boys promptly dropped the potatoes and continued to shuffle along the narrow strip of grass.

When they reached the edge of the woods, they raced ahead with Mally to the creek nearby.  “Don’t get wet,” she hollered.

It was too late.  When she got there, their shoes and the bottoms of their pant legs were soaked.

She gave up.  Instead, she sat down on her favorite log and watched.  They reminded her so much of Ben and Eddie when they were younger.  She smiled as she thought about the upcoming visit.

Ryan waded out of the creek and over to Gloria.  “Mally smells funny.”

Tyler joined him.  “Yeah, like a dead skunk,” he added.

Mally slunk over to the log and sat down.  “She had a run in with a skunk last night, which reminds me, if you see him out in the yard, stay clear.  He has a pretty potent sprayer.”

When they got back to the house, it was close to dinnertime.  She picked up her cell phone and called Lucy.  “The boys are here.  We’re eating at Dot’s tonight.  You wanna come?”

“Nah.  I think I’ll pass,” Lucy told her.  “I just finished building a few explosives and then I’m gonna get my gun out and fire a few rounds.”

“You still doing that?”

“Yeah.  These are a little bit bigger than the ones you saw, though.”

Gloria shook her head.  “What about tomorrow?”

“We’re still on for 2:00?” Lucy asked.

“Yep.  I’ll throw some hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill after the fort is done.”

Gloria hung up the phone and grabbed her purse.  “Let’s head to Dot’s.”

Chapter 16

Gloria and the boys beat the dinner crowd.  They had their pick of tables with the boys deciding on a booth in the rear.

Dot rounded the corner and smiled when she saw the boys.  She headed to the back and returned with two root beer floats. She set one in front of each of them.

Gloria shook her head.  “You’re spoiling them.”

“Not any more than you do!”

Ryan grabbed a spoon and scooped a chunk of ice cream.  “We’re building a tree fort,” he announced.

Dot nodded.  “I heard.”

“And Grams is going to let us sleep in it tomorrow night,” Tyler added.

Dot chuckled.  “Is she going to sleep in it, too?”

Gloria snorted.  “I don’t think so.  I’m going to sleep on the front porch – on the futon.”

“Sounds like fun,” Dot told the boys.

Ray stopped by with a glass of Diet Coke and set it in front of Gloria.  “Well, look who we have here…haven’t seen you two fellas in a while.”

Ryan nodded.  “We’re spending the weekend with Grams.” He eyed his grandmother.  “I wish I could live with her all the time.”

Tyler sipped his float.  “Me, too.  We have the most fun ever at Grams.”

Gloria’s heart melted.  She wished she could freeze this moment in time.  Just for a little while, so she could savor it for a quiet time, when she was all alone.

Instead, she tucked it into her heart, vowing to remember it later, when they were older and Grams wasn’t as much fun.

Dot pulled her notepad and pen from her pocket.  “Do you boys know what you want?”

“A cheeseburger,” Tyler said, “with lots of catsup.”

“We’re having those tomorrow,” Gloria reminded him.

“Okay.  What else you got?”

Dot’s brow furrowed and she tapped her pen against her lower lip.  “How about having liver and onions?”

“Yuck!” Ryan shook his head violently.

“I would throw up,” Tyler predicted.

Dot laughed.  “Maybe you could settle for a couple plates of spaghetti and meatballs.”

“That’s more like it,” Gloria replied.  “We’ll take three.”

Their dinner arrived at the same time Andrea and Brian strolled in the front door.  They headed to Gloria’s booth.  “We still on for tomorrow?” Brian asked.

“Can we do it tonight?” Ryan asked hopefully.

“No, Ryan. We need to wait until daylight.  It’s going to be dark soon,” his grandmother reminded him.

Ryan’s face fell.

Brian smiled.  “I’ll be there before you know it, bud,” he assured him.

“I’m grilling hot dogs and hamburgers after the fort is done.” Gloria turned to Andrea.  “You can come over too, if you like, dear.”

Gloria remembered Alice.  “Bring Alice with you.”

The couple left and headed to a table near the window.

After Gloria and the boys finished their plates of pasta, she paid the tab and the three of them headed down to the corner grocery store.  She let the boys each pick out a candy bar while she grabbed hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, a large container of potato salad and some coleslaw.  Normally, she would make her own but she knew she wouldn’t have time, not with the boys here.

Back at the farm, she let them horse around in the yard with Mally and then finally called them in for the night.

Between the walk in the woods and playing in the yard, she must’ve worn them out.  Neither of them argued when she told them it was time for bed.

She tucked them in and listened to their prayers before slowly closing the bedroom door.  Mally settled on the rug in front of the bed, it was her favorite place to sleep when the boys were over.

Gloria checked the doors, brushed her teeth and pulled on her pajamas.  Puddles was already in the bed. Gloria settled in and turned on the small TV she kept on top of the dresser.

The late night news was on.  She managed to stay awake until the weather was over before she dozed off and woke to an infomercial.

Gloria switched off the TV and rolled over.  There was no need to set the alarm.  The boys would take care of that.

“Grams!  Grams! Come quick!”

Gloria bolted upright in bed.  Her eyes frantically darted around the room.  Tyler was standing in the open doorway.  “What?  What’s wrong?”

He motioned her out.  “We caught it.”

She flung the covers back, grabbed her robe and headed for the door.  Her brain was still half-asleep.  “Caught what?”

“The skunk,” Tyler answered.

She shook her head.  “You caught the skunk?”

“Yeah, come and see.”

Visions of Tyler and Ryan soaking in a tub of peroxide, soap and baking soda filled her head.  Gloria reached forward, grabbed the edge of Tyler’s pajamas and lifted it to her nose.  He didn’t smell like skunk.

The back porch door was wide open.  Ryan and Mally were nowhere in sight.  Nowhere, that is, until she gazed out at the other side of Annabelle where she could see the tippy-top of Ryan’s head.

She pulled her bathrobe tight and shuffled over to the car.

“Peppy is in there,” Ryan pointed at the passenger side window.

She narrowed her eyes.  “Peppy?”

“Yeah, we named the skunk Peppy,” Tyler said.

Her horrified gaze shifted to her car window.  She swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut, praying that Ryan did not mean that the skunk was INSIDE her car!

When she opened them, she leaned forward and peered in the window.  There, wandering around, appearing extremely agitated, was a large skunk.

“Can we keep him?” Tyler asked.

Gloria hadn’t heard a word that he said.  She was too busy calculating how long it would take to get the smell of skunk out of her car and where on earth she’d be able to find new seats to replace the ones that more than likely smelled so very, very bad.

Ryan tugged on her hand.  “Can we keep Peppy?”

Gloria decided to pass the buck on this one.  “If your dad says you can keep Peppy, then by all means, take him home.”

The boys raced up the steps and into the house to phone home.  When Gloria got inside, she could tell by the looks on their faces it was a definite “no.”

“Go turn on the computer and see if you can find an animal or critter control to come pick up Peppy,” she instructed. “Pronto,” she added.

She pulled pancake mix from the pantry and the griddle from the cabinet.  It was going to be a long day.  It was time for a lumberjack breakfast!

The boys found several area critter people and she put Tyler in charge of flipping pancakes while she worked her way down the list.  The first two Gloria called informed her they did not pick up skunks.  The third finally agreed – when she begged him – at a cost of $50.

Gloria glanced out the window at poor Annabelle.  “Really - $50?”

Ryan tugged on her arm.  “Hey Grams!  We can take Peppy out somewhere and let him go and we won’t even charge you,” Ryan whispered.

As much as Gloria would love to save the $50, visions of Ryan, of all of them, getting sprayed and spending the day trying to get rid of the smell, ran through her head. Although it was probably already too late for her poor car…

She covered the receiver.  “We want to work on the fort instead, right?”

Ryan nodded.  “Yeah, you’re right.”

The man on the other end told her he would stop by before noon, which gave Gloria and the boys plenty of time to eat and clean up.

The boys set the table while Gloria put the pancakes, along with some bacon and home fries in the center.  She slid into a chair across from the boys and bowed her head.  “Dear Lord, thank you for this food.  Please bless this food.”

She went on. “Thank you for my grandsons, Tyler and Ryan.  And thank you that they caught the skunk but didn’t get sprayed,” she added. “Please, please, PLEASE save Annabelle from getting sprayed,” she begged.

“Amen!” The three of them ended the prayer in agreement.

The boys ate in record time.  She put them in charge of cleaning the kitchen and loading the dishwasher while she showered and dressed.

When they had finished, Gloria turned the dishwasher on and the boys headed to the porch to wait for the pest control to arrive.  A young man showed up a short time later.

The marked truck, “Montbay County Pest,” pulled in the drive, right behind Gloria’s car.  A young fellow sprung out of the driver’s seat.  Young to Gloria, anyways.  The boys ran out to greet him.  “Peppy is over here,” Ryan pointed.

The man grinned.  “Peppy, huh? You sure you don’t want to keep him for a pet?”

Tyler’s shoulders sagged.  “My dad said no.”

The man stepped to the driver’s side of the car and peered in.  The boys stood on either side of him.  Gloria decided the safest spot was on the porch.  Mally started down the stairs and Gloria grabbed her collar.  “Oh no, you don’t!”

The man returned to his truck.  He pulled a large cage from the bed of the truck, reached in the passenger side and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.  He dropped a few jumbo marshmallows inside the cage and made his way back to the car.

“Step back,” he warned the boys.

The boys took a step back.  The man took a step forward.  He slowly opened the driver’s side door and gently placed the cage against the front seat.  Next, he dropped a marshmallow in front of the cage door.

From her perch on the porch, Gloria could barely make out the skunk as he eyed the man warily.  The tempting marshmallow was too much and the skunk took a small step forward.  He ate the marshmallow and took a step inside the cage, over to the far side where the rest of the marshmallows had rolled.

The man slowly lowered the cage to the ground and dropped the lid, clicking the lock in place.

Gloria was surprised at how close the skunk let him get without spraying him.

He kneeled down and studied Peppy.  “Well you’re pretty lucky,” he observed.

Gloria and Mally stepped onto the sidewalk.  “Why is that?”

“Peppy is a girl and she’s gonna have a litter of babies.”

Tyler’s head swung around. His eyes grew wide.  “Cool!”

The man gingerly carried the cage to the back of his truck.  He set the cage inside the back and turned to Gloria, who had bravely made her way down the sidewalk.

“How did the skunk get inside the car?” the man wondered.

Tyler tapped the tip of his tennis shoe on the ground.  “It was easy.” He made a sweeping motion with his arm.  “Ryan just opened the door and the skunk climbed right inside.”

The man shook his head in awe.  “I never heard of a skunk willingly climbing into a vehicle.”

Gloria and Mally joined the trio near the front of the truck. The man reached inside, grabbed his clipboard and scribbled some notes on the front.  He handed the clipboard and pen to Gloria.  “Sign here, please.”

Gloria didn’t have her glasses on and couldn’t read the board but signed anyways.  She was just relieved to have the skunk and soon-to-be-babies – gone.

She reached into her pocket, pulled out a check, and handed it to the young man.  “That was the best $50 I’ve spent in a long time.”

The man glanced at the check and slipped it under the clip on top of the board.  “Yeah, skunks can be pesky – and hard to get rid of.” He nodded towards Mally.  “You’re lucky your dog didn’t get sprayed.”

Gloria frowned.  “Oh, she did…yesterday!”

The three of them watched as the man climbed into his truck and drove off.

Now that the skunk was gone, Gloria turned her attention to Annabelle. Her steps dragged as she approached the driver’s side door.  She grabbed the door handle, took a deep breath and jerked it open.  She stuck her head inside and took a cautious breath.  It smelled – like a car.

“Thank you, God.” She felt like bursting into tears, knowing that the inside of her car was skunk-free.

Chapter 17

Lucy pulled in the drive at 2:00 p.m. sharp.  Brian pulled in right behind her.  He climbed out, walked over to the passenger side, reached in and grabbed his toolbox.

Ryan hopped up and down on one foot.  “Finally!  We’ve been waiting forever.”

“Or at least a couple hours,” Gloria teased.

Lucy and Gloria headed inside while Brian and the boys headed to the barn.  Gloria watched them go.  Brian was going to make a wonderful father.

Inside the kitchen, Gloria poured a glass of lemonade for Lucy and slid a box of cookies to the side.

Lucy peeked inside. “Oh!  Oatmeal raisin.  One of my favorites.” She lifted a cookie from the box and took a bite.

Gloria told Lucy about the skunk.  Then she told her how the police had taken Frances down to the station for questioning and that someone had reported seeing Frances peeking inside Milt’s windows.

Lucy rolled her eyes.  “That woman.” She made a twirling motion with her finger near her forehead.  “Cuckoo. Cuckoo.”

Gloria couldn’t argue with that.  She wondered how it turned out.  Maybe she’d get a chance to call Paul later to see what happened.

Lucy sipped her lemonade.  “Still on for tomorrow night?”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  We need to crack this case.”

“What do you think of the guy that was talking to Milt the night he disappeared?”

Gloria’s brow formed a “V.” She wondered if the police had tracked the man down and if his name was Vinnie.

The tree fort took up most of the afternoon.  Every once in a while one of the boys would pop in, asking for this or that.

Halfway through, Gloria and Lucy brought them some bottled water and granola bars.  “How’s it going?”

“Great!” Ryan told them.  He looked at Brian, admiration shining in his eyes.  “Brian is the bestest builder ever!” he declared.

Brian sipped his water and winked at Gloria.  “I’m just practicing for someday.”

Gloria picked up the empty water bottles and wrappers and the girls headed back inside.  She threw the trash in the can and the girls wandered out to the porch to enjoy an almost perfect, nearly fall day.

“We need to decide who investigates which house,” Gloria told her friend. She lifted a finger.  “First, there’s Trudy.  Then we have Vivian.  Next is Carol Towers.  Last but not least is the mystery woman.  Hopefully Liz was able to figure out who she was.”

Lucy shrugged her shoulders.  “I guess it doesn’t matter, except for whoever we assign to Frances.  It should be the person she’d be least likely to have a run in with.”

Lucy was right.  They would have to pick carefully – for Frances, anyways.  Maybe even Liz.

Lucy snapped her fingers.  “That reminds me.  I have those walkie-talkies.  You want me to bring them?”

Gloria nodded.  “Great idea!”

Tyler tore around the corner of the house and skidded to a stop in front of the porch.  “It’s done!” he announced.

The girls followed him to the tree in the front yard.  Sure enough, the fort was finished.  Well, all except for paint, which the boys could work on later.

Ryan and Tyler stepped out onto the deck, complete with a nice, large balcony.    “Hi Grams.  Are you gonna come up and see?”

Gloria shook her head.  “I’m afraid not.  I’ll give you my camera, though, so you can take pictures and show me,” she told him.

Lucy rolled up her sleeves.  “Well, I’ll go up,” she declared.

The boys had built a swinging ladder and hooked it to the back side of the deck.  Lucy hoisted herself onto the first step and then quickly scrambled up the rest.  “Pretty cool,” she hollered down.  “You sure you don’t want to come up?”

Gloria was sure.  100%.  She shook her head.  “No thanks.” Brian and Lucy made their way down while the boys started to paint.

It was getting late.  Gloria was getting hungry.  She looked at Brian.  “If you want to go ahead and wash up, I’ll start the grill.”

By the time Brian emerged from the house wearing clean clothes and his damp hair slicked back, the burgers were almost ready.  Gloria emptied a package of hot dogs on the top rack and closed the lid.

Brian settled into a chair at the little patio table.  “Andrea is on her way.  She’s bringing some chips.”

While Gloria grilled, Lucy busied herself, setting the table and pouring drinks.  Brian loaded the meat on a large platter as Andrea pulled in the drive.  He handed the tray to Gloria and made his way out to Andrea’s car to meet her.

Andrea hopped out of the car, popped up on her tippy toes and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

A twinge of jealousy shot through Gloria.  Andrea was a lucky girl.  Even better, Brian was a lucky man.  The two would have a wonderful life together.  Someday, maybe, it would be her turn.

The rest of the afternoon flew by.  Gloria enjoyed spending time with her friends and grandsons.

By the end of the afternoon, Gloria was feeling worn out.  The boys had been hounding her all afternoon about sleeping in the fort.  She had already decided there was no way she could tell them no.

She waved to Lucy, the last to leave, and headed to the front porch.  Gloria had already set a couple sleeping bags and extra pillows on the futon – Gloria’s bed for the night.

She let the boys pull other camping supplies from the cupboard: a couple heavy-duty flashlights, some insect repellant wipes and a canteen that Gloria had no idea where it had come from but the boys declared a necessity for the fort.

By the time they were done, the boys had amassed a small stockpile of treasures to take with them.

Gloria stuck her hand on her hip.  “I’m not sure if all this stuff and the two of you are going to fit.”

“It will, Grams.  Don’t worry.” Tyler was convinced.

Now all they had to do was wait for nighttime.

They headed across the porch towards the dining room.  Ryan stopped. “What’s this Grams?” He patted the top of the old TV console.

Gloria wandered back to the TV.  She leaned down in front of the screen.  Although she hadn’t used the old TV in years, she couldn’t bear the thought of parting with it.  There had been many nights where Gloria, James and the kids had gathered around that TV in the living room to watch TV as a family.

Of course, back then, there was no such thing as cable and if you were real lucky, you could get three stations to come in.  Four was like hitting a jackpot!

“It’s a television set,” she told him.

Tyler grabbed a knob on the front and twisted.  “Does it work?”

“Hm. Let’s see.” Gloria reached behind the back, grabbed the plug and stuck the end in the outlet.  She switched the button to “on” and waited.  The screen was fuzzy at first but then it cleared up enough for Gloria to be able to make out some murky shadows.

There was an old set of rabbit ears perched on top.  “I’ll be right back.”

She wandered into the kitchen and returned with a box of tin foil.  She ripped two strips off and crinkled the first strip around one of the antennas.

“Let me try.” Tyler snatched the other sheet and began wrapping it around the second antenna.

She let Ryan fiddle with the other antenna and took a step back. She directed the boys to move the antennas until the reception was pretty darn good - for a TV that was over forty years old.

A rush of emotion filled Gloria – along with tears she blinked back.  “How ‘bout Grams pops us some popcorn? We can sit out here and watch TV until it’s dark.”

Ryan turned an eager, young face to his beloved Grams.  “Can we?”

The three of them headed to the kitchen.  She popped two bags of popcorn. One for now and one for the boys to take with them, in case they got hungry later.  She poured three glasses of caffeine free pop and they headed back to the porch.

Gloria settled in the center and one boy climbed in on either side.

Ryan shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth.  “Where’s the remote?”

Gloria snorted.  “There is no remote.  This TV is back from the good ole days…before remote.”

“You mean we have to turn it by hand?” Tyler was shocked.

Gloria handed him her popcorn bowl and shuffled over to the TV.  “Just like this.” She grabbed the dial and turned.  Most of the channels were fuzzy.  Only two stations were clear enough to watch and she immediately vetoed one of them.  The other was an old western.  It looked vaguely familiar but it seemed to hold the boys’ interest.

The three of them sat there, munching on popcorn, watching the old western.  The moment took Gloria back decades, when Jill and the boys were young.  She closed her eyes and tried to burn this moment in her heart, so she could pull it back out later.

The movie ended and it was finally dark.  Gloria helped them carry their treasures to the base of the tree.

Tyler had found some old rope.  He tied the end of the rope to a bucket and then scampered up the tree.  He lowered the bucket to Gloria, who was waiting below.  “Throw the stuff in here.”

Gloria loaded the supplies inside.  “How clever, Tyler.”

After everything was up and the boys had settled in, Gloria headed to the porch. “If you need anything. Anything at all, I’ll be right inside on the porch with the windows open.”

The boys’ heads popped out. Ryan nodded.  “We’ll holler just like this.” He let out a loud scream.

“That’ll work!”

Gloria opened the porch door and waited for Mally to go inside first.  She tucked a sheet around the outside of the futon and pulled a couple blankets over the top.  Gloria decided early on that it would be best if she sleep in some old sweat pants and t-shirt.  Just in case she had to run outdoors in a hurry.

She lay down on the futon. Mally curled up on the floor, keeping one eye on the tree and one eye on Gloria.  Gloria patted her head.  “Good girl.  Keep an eye out,” she told her.

Gloria whispered her prayers and closed her eyes.  Much to her surprise, she was out like a light.

Chapter 18

Gloria opened one eye, then the other.  It took a few minutes for the fog to clear and for her to remember she was sleeping on the porch.  She rolled over on the makeshift bed then sat up.  Mally was gone.

The tree fort was quiet.  Gloria was certain the boys were up by now.

She wandered to the kitchen and smiled at the sight that greeted her.  There, sitting at the table, quiet as church mice, were her grandsons.  They had managed to fix two bowls of cereal without waking her.

Ryan turned, his spoonful of cereal midair.  “We fed Mally and Puddles for you, Grams.” Gloria reached down and hugged him.  “Why thank you, Ryan…how sweet.”

“Me too,” Tyler chimed in.

Gloria leaned over and hugged her eldest grandson.  “I have the best boys in the whole world,” she declared.  She glanced up at the clock.  Jill would be there any minute to pick them up.

Tyler slid out of his chair.  “That is the awesomest tree fort in the whole world!” he declared.

“Yeah,” Ryan added.  “Can we come back and sleep in it again?”

Gloria nodded.  “Of course, but for now, your mom is probably on her way.  Can you go run out to the fort and bring everything back down?”

The boys dashed off, with Mally in hot pursuit.

Gloria unloaded the dishwasher from the day before, then loaded the cereal bowls and spoons inside and closed the door.  She could hear the boys chatter through the front windows and she smiled.

It would be quiet – once again – after they left.

Today was going to be a busy one.  After church, the girls would make their rounds to the shut-ins.  Later, she and Lucy would head over to Dreamwood for their fact-finding mission.  She hoped they would finally be able to get closer to solving the mystery of Milt’s disappearance!

Gloria had just enough time to get ready for church after the boys left.  She remembered to close and lock the front porch windows on her way out.

Gloria reached the doorway to the dining room and turned back.  Her eyes wandered to the old TV and futon couch as she remembered the night before.  It had been a wonderful weekend and Gloria thanked the Lord for all her blessings.

The church was packed and Pastor Nate’s message was a powerful one.  It was Jesus’ promise of heaven:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2 King James Bible.

The Garden Girls met in the usual spot, right outside the front door, after the service.  Dot focused on Lucy.  “Any new dates with Max?” she asked.

Lucy reddened.  “Maybe,” she answered noncommittally.

“What’s this about a date?” Ruth demanded.  “You already have a new beau?”

Gloria lifted a hand.  “Now, Ruth.  Lucy and Max have only gone out once.”

“It was not a date,” Lucy gritted through her teeth.  “I mean, not a dinner date.  It was breakfast.”

“A date is a date,” Margaret decided.

Dot could see Lucy was getting flustered.  “Let’s let it be girls.” She gave them a hard look.

Ruth quickly changed the subject.  She didn’t want them starting in on her about Steve Colby.  “How’s the investigation going?”

“We’re meeting Liz this afternoon.  We planned a little fact-finding mission over at Dreamwood.”

“You have a suspect?” Dot asked.

“Several.  We’re doing a simultaneous investigation,” Gloria told them. She turned to Ruth.  “Who’s on the list for visits today?”

Ruth patted down a stray hair.  “Eleanor Whittaker is the only one.”

Gloria frowned at Ruth.  “Oh no!  What happened?”

Dot answered.  “She took a little spill in the kitchen, but she’s going to be okay.”

The last time Gloria had visited with Eleanor was during her investigation into the body Andrea had found in her dumpster.  That was a few weeks ago and at the time she’d vowed to put Eleanor on the list of weekly Garden Girls’ visits.

Although Eleanor seemed to be in good health, she was on the frail side.  Gloria was disappointed in herself for forgetting.  “I meant to add Eleanor to the list for weekly visits but completely forgot,” Gloria said.  “Shame on me.”

Margaret touched Gloria’s arm.  “Don’t be so hard on yourself.  You’ve got your hands full.”

Lucy glanced down at her watch.  “I better go.  I won’t be able to make the rounds today.  I have a few errands to run before we head over to Dreamwood.”  She didn’t wait for a reply and turned on her heel as she headed to the jeep.  The rest of the girls watched her go.

“We need to cut her some slack,” Dot wisely suggested.

Gloria reached in her purse and grabbed her car keys.  “I agree.  I think she’s still trying to sort everything out.”

The girls parked in front of Dot’s Restaurant and Dot headed inside.  The lunch crowd would soon follow.  Most Sundays, Dot wasn’t able to visit the shut-ins with the rest of the girls because she had to work.

Gloria watched her friend disappear in the front door.  “That woman is in serious need of a vacation.”

Ruth, Gloria and Margaret climbed into Ruth’s van and headed across town to Eleanor’s place.  Eleanor answered the front door on the first ring.

She eased the door open and stepped to the side.  “Why!  What a pleasant surprise!” Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.  “I haven’t had company in days now.”

Gloria’s heart sank.  This was all her fault!  She was turning into such a scatterbrain!  “We’d like to start visiting every Sunday after church, if you don’t mind.”

“Mind?” Eleanor’s shaky hand reached out to grasp Gloria’s arm.  “I would love the company!”

The girls followed her into the kitchen and Eleanor insisted on making her specialty tea.  She also insisted that they eat one of the cookies she’d just taken from the oven.

The girls visited for a good hour before Gloria glanced at her watch.  She had some cleaning up around the house to do before heading to Lucy’s to pick her up.

“I’m sorry, Eleanor,” Gloria said, “I have some things to take care of but we’ll be back next Sunday.”

Eleanor’s face drooped but she quickly recovered and a bright smile replaced the sad look.  “Yes!  Of course!  I’ll bake a cake next week,” she promised.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Ruth set a bag of apples and a small box of donuts on the table.  “These are for you.”

Eleanor lifted the bag and peered inside.  “Thank you!  You girls are so thoughtful.”

Back outside, Gloria opened the door on the side of the van and climbed in the back.  She plopped down in the seat and fastened the buckle.  “She is such a sweet little lady.”

Ruth climbed in the driver’s seat and Margaret into the passenger side.  Ruth peered at Gloria through the rearview mirror.  “I hope someday when we’re older and can’t get out, someone will take the time to visit us.”

Back on Main Street, Ruth pulled the van next to Gloria’s car and placed it in park.  “Good luck on your investigation.”

Gloria thanked her before she climbed into Annabelle and headed home.  She called Paul on her cell phone on the way.  “How did it go with Frances Crabtree?”

“How did…?” He paused.  Of course, Liz told her.  “Fine. She was a bit evasive.” He sighed.  “She finally admitted to peeking in Milt’s windows but swears she had nothing to do with his disappearance.”

“Do you know she has the poor man’s entire routine memorized?” he asked.

Gloria did know that.  She had Frances’ notes.

“What about the man that was spotted with Milt the night of his disappearance?”

“Vincent Tolino?” Paul replied. “He’s not a suspect.”

Gloria pulled in front of the farm, careened into the drive and came to an abrupt stop.  “Why not?”

“He has an airtight alibi for most of that evening and for several days after that,” Paul told her.

“And how’s that?”

“He was in jail,” Paul answered.

Well, at least that narrowed the pool of suspects.  There was the man that was going to pound Milt’s pudgy face and the rest were women.  All of them on the list to scope out – or as Gloria preferred to call it – a part of her fact-finding mission.

Gloria swung by Lucy’s on her way out of town.  She didn’t bother getting out of the car.  Instead, she honked the horn and waited and waited.

She finally gave up and reached for the door handle when she spotted Lucy bouncing down the steps, backpack in hand.

Lucy opened the back door and dropped the bag on the seat.  It landed on the cushion with a loud THUD. Lucy climbed into the passenger seat and reached for her seat belt.

Gloria stared at the backpack in the rearview mirror. “What on earth is in there?  That thing sounds like it weighs a ton.”

Lucy fastened the clasp and leaned back in the seat.  “Well, I wasn’t sure what all might come in handy.”  She tapped her finger on the door handle.  “Walkie-talkies.  Luckily I have four.  Binoculars and a monocular.” She looked at Gloria.  “Just like the one I bought you.”

Gloria had remembered to bring hers.  It had been useful during the last stakeout that she and Andrea had done.  “I’ve got mine, too.”

“Good.” Lucy paused.  “Oh! And some snacks…and water.”

Gloria was convinced her friend had a tapeworm that was only happy when Lucy fed it sweets.  Lots and lots of sweets.

Liz and Frances were inside Frances’ place when Gloria and Lucy tapped on the door.  It swung open. Frances peeked her head around the side before grabbing Lucy’s arm and jerking her in.  “Hurry up. I don’t want anyone to see you!”

The girls rushed in.  Frances slammed the door and pulled the shade.

Gloria shook her head. Frances had always acted a bit odd but this took the cake.

Liz rolled her eyes.  “Frances is convinced the police are watching her place.”

Gloria leaned forward, peeking through the edge of the window and shade.  That wouldn’t be too far off, especially if they considered her a prime suspect.

Frances pulled out a chair and plopped down.  “What’s the plan?”

Lucy dropped her backpack on the chair and unloaded the contents onto the table.  It was quite an impressive array.  There were things even Gloria hadn’t thought of.  Night vision goggles, black gloves and caps.  A Ziploc bag loaded with snacks.

Last but not least, Lucy pulled out something Gloria could only describe as a Halloween costume one would wear if you were dressing up as Big Foot.  It was gray-green in color and covered with a combination of fur and feathers.  It reminded her of an ugly brown bush.

Gloria lifted the edge.  “What is this?”

“Camo outfit.  You know, so I can blend in with the landscape.”

“We aren’t in the middle of the woods.” Liz pointed out. She lifted one of the sleeves.  “Now this I gotta see!”

Lucy wrinkled her nose.  “Laugh all you want.  At least I won’t stand out like a sore thumb.”

Frances fingered the sleeve.  “I’ll wear it if you don’t want to,” she told Lucy.

Gloria turned to Liz.  “Did you have any luck finding out who the fourth person at the bridge game was?  The one who was mysteriously silent?”

Gloria’s detective antenna went up when she thought about the woman.  There was something about her…

Liz nodded.  She opened her purse and pulled out a photo.  She pointed at the woman, the same one they had seen the other day.  “Her name is Stella White and she’s 75 years old.  She’s originally from Indianapolis, her husband died two years ago and she lives on Catalina Court.”

Frances opened her mouth. “I’ll…”

Gloria held up a hand.  “Frances, you take Carol Towers, Liz, you take Trudy Gromalski.” She turned to Lucy.  “Lucy takes Vivian Coulter and I’ll take Stella White.”

“How come I have to hang out in the men’s bathroom?” Liz whined.

“You?” Frances screeched.  “I have Carol Towers.  She has a bulldog!”

Gloria crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the floor.  “We don’t have to do this,” she threatened.

Frances clamped her mouth shut.

Liz shook her head.

Lucy laughed.  “That quieted ‘em down!”

Since Liz’s stakeout was in the back of the complex, they agreed she would drop the others off, then park the car out in front of the park. Frances was first.  Liz handed her a pair of binoculars and a walkie-talkie.

Frances reached out to grab the items.  Liz pulled her hand back.  “Under no circumstances are you to approach the suspect.  Got that?”

Frances nodded and exited the car.  She lowered her body and crept across the manicured grass to the edge of the shed.  She gave a thumbs up and Liz drove on.

Lucy was next.  Instead of binoculars, she grabbed her monocular, her snacks and a walkie-talkie.  Lucy had a different strategy.  She bolted across the lawn, slammed her body to the ground when she reached the mulch bed and then slithered behind a bush.

“She’s pretty agile,” Liz observed.

Gloria was in awe.  “Yeah. If I tried that, I’d have busted my behind.”

Catalina Court and Stella White were next.  Gloria patted her pocket to make sure she had her cell phone.  She grabbed her monocular, wrapped the binoculars around her neck, just in case, and picked up the walkie-talkie.

She opened the rear passenger door.  “Good luck,” she whispered as she slunk out of the seat and hurriedly strolled to the side of the fence that divided Stella White’s house from the neighbors next door.

Gloria shook her head as she gazed down the side of the fence that seemed to continue on indefinitely.  These people were really into their fencing!

Liz parked in her spot and headed to the men’s room, praying there was no one inside!

Chapter 19

(Several Days Earlier)

Milton Tilton was sporting a massive headache.  He groggily opened his eyes and lifted his head.  A sharp pain shot through his skull.

The room came into focus and he realized he was in a bathtub. He reached out to grasp the sides of the tub when he noticed a handcuff on his wrist.  Attached to the handcuff was a long length of chain.  At the other end of the chain, fastened to a safety bar inside the shower was another handcuff.

Milt lifted himself from the tub.  The length of the chain allowed him to reach all the way over to the sink but it wasn’t long enough to reach the bathroom door handle.

Milt rubbed his wrist and glanced down at his clothes.  At least he still had his clothes on.  “Is anybody here?”

He waited.  “Hello?”

Silence.  The only sound he could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall.  It was 3:30 in the afternoon.

Milt lowered the lid to the toilet seat and sat down.  The last thing he remembered was eating dinner.  He was eating dinner at someone’s house and he began to feel groggy so he decided to lie down.  That was the last coherent thought he had…until now.

Had someone drugged him and chained him to the bathroom wall?

Milt’s mouth was parched – as if he’d just swallowed an entire bag of cotton balls in the middle of the Sahara desert under the noonday sun.

A small glass cup sat on the counter next to the bathroom sink.  Milt grabbed the cup and filled it with water. He downed the cup and filled it again.  He drank glass after glass until his stomach started to churn.

He wiped the last bit of water from his lips with the back of his hand and realized he was still wearing his watch.  He glanced down at the face. His eyes widened when he noticed the day.  It was Sunday.  He shook the cobwebs from his brain.  It couldn’t be Sunday!  It was Friday.

It all came rushing back.  He’d golfed a few rounds with the guys and then headed home to clean up.  After that, he had a dinner date. His eyes narrowed.

“Milt, my love.  Are you awake yet?”  The door swung open and Milton Tilton faced his abductor.

Gloria took a deep breath, sucked in her stomach and squeezed between the lamppost that stood at the edge of the property and the tall, white vinyl fence.  She stooped over and tip toed the length of the fence before arriving at the back corner of Stella White’s property.

A thick, low hedge ran a straight line across the back yard until it ended at a tall, concrete wall on the other side.

This lady has more perimeter borders than Lowe’s, Gloria decided.  She darted across the back of the property and came to a sudden stop halfway in.  There was a small gap in the hedge.  She vaulted over the low bush and skidded to a halt on the other side.

A dog barked in the distance and Gloria’s eyes widened.  She hadn’t thought about that.  What if Stella had a dog?  A big one that didn’t like strangers in the yard.

Gloria dropped down on all fours and crawled across the back lawn until she reached the side of the house.

“Gloria, do you copy?”

The radio in Gloria’s front pocket squawked.  She fumbled with the button and quickly twisted it between her fingertips.  She had forgotten to turn it down!

She pulled the small radio from her pocket and pressed it to her lips. “I’m here, Lucy,” she mumbled, “what’ve you got?”

“Nothing.  No one’s home,” Lucy answered.  “What about you?”

Gloria stared down the side of the house before she lifted her eyes.  “This place is lit up like the 4th of July,” she whispered.  “Just hang out.  Maybe Vivian will come home soon.”

Gloria shoved the walkie-talkie into her pocket, pressed her back against the wall and inched her way around the corner.  There were two low windows and a smaller, higher one in the middle.  Must be a bath, Gloria thought.

She eased up to the edge of the first window and peeked inside.  The curtains were open, the lights on but no one was around.

Gloria ducked her head and eased past the window.  She could see a faint shadow move back and forth through the glass of the bathroom window but nothing more.  The window was too high and on top of that, the glass was frosted.

She crept past the bathroom window and stopped at the window on the other side.  More curtains and the lights were on.  It was another bedroom.  This one looked to be the master.  She could see a door off to the right.  If her calculations were correct, the door connected the master bedroom with the bath.

“Gloria, do you copy?”

Gloria’s pocket was going off again.  This time it was Liz. She pulled the radio from her pocket and pressed the button.  “Go ahead.”

“I’m in the backyard.  The curtains are drawn and I can’t see a doggone thing,” she complained.

“Circle around the side,” Gloria instructed.  “Don’t call me back until you’ve made it around the entire perimeter,” she barked into the radio. She was beginning to regret having given each of the women a radio.

Gloria moved on to the front and to a large picture window that faced the street.  A semi-sheer curtain obscured the view.  Gloria could see a little of the inside, mainly the table lamps.  She noted that the TV was on.

There were two men duking it out inside a boxing ring.  “Great, hopefully this Stella lady isn’t into boxing,” she mumbled under her breath.

Her eyes scanned the room as she searched for clues.  Something that screamed Milt’s name – or maybe even Milt himself.  Nothing looked even remotely suspicious.

Gloria tiptoed past the front door and over to the other side of the house.  There was another window.  This one higher.  From her vantage point, Gloria could see the tippy top of a refrigerator.  It was the kitchen.  A shadow moved back and forth.

Stella was home!

Gloria leaned around the side of the corner of the house.  There was a long, paved drive leading back to a one-stall garage.  This side of the house was windowless.  There was a door near the back.

She stepped back behind a tall, thin juniper tree that decorated the front corner.

Gloria was torn.  Should she make her way towards the garage or circle back?  She decided to head back to the living room window to try to catch of a glimpse of Stella inside.

Staying close to the wall, she slunk back to the living room window and stood silently staring inside.

Gloria impatiently shifted back and forth on her feet.  The woman was taking forever in the kitchen!

Finally, Stella wandered into the living room with a plate of food.  It looked like pizza.  Gloria’s stomach growled.

Stella paused for a second as she switched the TV channel to a car race before she continued into the bedroom.  She shut the door behind her.

The radio beeped again.  It was Lucy.  “Yeah, I think I’m onto something over here.  There’s a bottle of men’s cologne on the kitchen counter and some sort of men’s hair goop right next to it.”

That sounded promising.  “I’ll be right there.”

Gloria didn’t dare pass by the bedroom window since Stella had gone into the room. Instead, she stuck to the edge of the fence and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Gloria spotted Lucy one block over, crouched down and hidden behind the bushes.

Lucy motioned her over to look in the window.  Sure enough, there was a bottle of men’s cologne and a box of Just for Men.  “See?  Vivian is a widow, too.  What’s she doing with men’s stuff?”

Good point.  “Good eye,” Gloria complimented her friend.

Gloria’s radio squawked again.  It was Liz.  “Gloria, we need to rendezvous stat!”

Gloria rolled her eyes.  She could hardly wait to find out what kind of pickle Liz had gotten herself into now.

“The cops just picked up Frances!”

“Frances had just radioed to say Carol Towers was clean and I was on my way over there to pick her up,” Liz blurted out. “When I rounded the corner, the cops had Frances handcuffed and were putting her in the back of the cop car.”

“Was it a Montbay Sheriff?”  On the one hand, Gloria hoped it was since she could talk to Paul and straighten this whole thing out.

On the other hand, she hoped it wasn’t the Montbay Sheriff for the exact same reason.

Liz nodded.  “Yep.  Sure was.”

“Well, we better get down to the sheriff’s station and try to spring Frances,” Gloria told them.

Chapter 20

Paul’s squad car was in front of the station when Liz pulled up.  The girls climbed out of the car and up the front steps.

Gloria recognized the girl behind the counter but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember her name.  She smiled brightly.  “How are you this evening?”

The girl returned the smile.  “Just fine, Mrs. Rutherford.” She tapped her pen on the counter. “Are you here to see Paul?”

“Yes, dear.  If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I need to speak with him for a moment.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.” The girl turned, headed through the door and into the back.

“I don’t know about the happy part,” Liz muttered under her breath.

Gloria took a deep breath and waited.  Paul rounded the corner and made his way over to where they were standing.  “I’d like to say I’m surprised to see you but I’m not.”

He waved them down the hall and into his office.  “Have a seat.”

Gloria let Liz and Lucy sit closer to the wall.  She sat near the door.

He propped his feet up on his desk.  “Well?  What happened?”

“You see, we-uh,” Gloria tried to form the most reasonable explanation.

Liz went for a total cover up.  “This is clearly a mistake.  Frances was out for a walk with…”

Paul held up a hand to stop her.  “Don’t dig the hole, Liz.  Frances was caught with a set of binoculars and a walkie-talkie, peeping into a resident’s window.”

He pointed to the walkie-talkie sticking out of Gloria’s pocket.  “And it looks just like that one.  Start again.”

Gloria spilled her guts, explaining to him how the girls had decided to do a little investigative work in hopes of either finding Milt or finding some clues.

“And?”

Gloria averted her gaze and studied her hands.

“You have something, don’t you?”

Liz and Lucy leaned back as Paul focused his gaze on his girlfriend.  “Well-uh,” Gloria stuttered.

“We found some men’s toiletry items in Vivian Coulter’s house.” Lucy clarified.  “We saw them through the window. We didn’t break in or anything…” she trailed off.

“Vivian is definitely single,” Liz added.

He clasped his hands together.  “We’ll bring her in for questioning but just because someone has men’s grooming products in their house doesn’t mean they had something to do with Milton Tilton’s disappearance. For all you know, he could be dead.”

Paul was right.  He could be dead.  But why – and who – was in his house the other night?  Gloria had a gut feeling he was alive and well.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to be found,” Paul pointed out.

“I had that same thought,” Gloria admitted.

Paul stood.  “I’ll spring your friend but you have to promise me you’re going to let this go!”

Lucy and Liz nodded.  Gloria didn’t like to make promises she couldn’t keep.  “I’ll try” was all she would say.

Gloria was silent on the ride back to Liz’s place.  Liz could almost see the wheels spinning in Gloria’s mind.  “What?  I know you’re onto something,” she prodded.

Gloria was thinking about the day’s events.  It looked as if Vivian Coulter might be suspect but there was something else.

It was floating around the back of her mind, just out of reach.  A clue.  “I’m missing something.  I know I am.” She climbed out of Liz’s car and reached for her purse.  “I’ll have to think about it.  Mull it over.”

She turned to Frances.  “I’m sorry you ended up in the slammer,” she told her apologetically.

Frances patted Gloria’s arm.  “Don’t worry about it.  I know you’re trying to find Milt and I appreciate it,” Frances reassured her.

Gloria shuffled to the car and unlocked the doors.  Lucy dropped her backpack on the back seat and climbed in next to her friend.  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Lucy sounded more confident than Gloria felt.  “Maybe he is dead or wanted to disappear.”

Lucy frowned.  “True, but what about the lights on in his house?  Someone was in there,” she pointed out.

“I guess I just can’t understand why someone would up and leave without telling anyone.” That’s what stuck in Gloria’s craw.  It didn’t make one bit of sense.

She dropped Lucy off at her house and headed home.  The house was dark.  The porch was dark.  How nice would it be to come home to someone again?

Gloria dropped her purse on the table and hung her keys on the hook while Mally waited patiently for Gloria to finish before she nudged her hand.

Gloria bent down and wrapped her arms around Mally’s neck.  “I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself.  I’m the luckiest person in the world.  I have you!”

The next morning, Gloria rambled around the farm, puttering at this or that, her mind half on her chores and half trying to figure out what clue was just out of reach.

She finally gave up.  Dinner that evening consisted of a leftover burger from the cookout and a bag of potato chips.

Gloria carried her plate into the living room and settled into the recliner.  Mally laid at her feet while Puddles jumped up on her lap.

She turned the TV to the local news just in time to catch a small clip about Milt.  They flashed a quick shot of his face.  It was looking at Milt’s face, his shiny, cue ball head that Gloria had her “aha” moment.

Vivian Coulter was not the suspect in the disappearance of one Milton Tilton.  She scrambled out of the chair and raced to the phone to call Paul.  “I think Stella White, one of Dreamwood’s residents over on Catalina Court, has something to do with Milt’s disappearance and here’s why.”

Paul listened to Gloria’s explanation.  It was a bit of a stretch but worth looking into.  His girl had a nose for sniffing out the clues.  “I’ll bring her in in the morning.”

Gloria could hardly wait for Paul to call her back.  He promised to stop by Stella White’s house early the next morning, catch her off guard and try to get inside.  Inside the house where Gloria believed the woman was keeping Milt against his will.

Gloria scrubbed her house from top to bottom.  She mopped floors, cleaned out the refrigerator, and dusted the inside of all the curio cabinets.

Finally, the call came.  “She confessed.  We found Milt inside her bathroom, handcuffed to the handicap bar in the bathtub.”

“I knew it!” she exclaimed.  After she hung up, the first call she made was to Liz.  “I have some great news.  I’ll be right over.”

She swung by and picked up Lucy on her way.  Lucy tried every which way to wrangle the story out of Gloria, but Gloria clamped her lips shut and shook her head.  “No.  I’ll explain it to everyone at the same time.”

Frances was pacing the sidewalk when the girls pulled up.  “They found Milt!  Alive!”

Gloria nodded.  “I know.  Stella White abducted him.”

The girls headed inside Frances’ house.  They all slid into the kitchen chairs and stared at Gloria, waiting for her to explain.

She told how when the girls confronted the women at the clubhouse during their bridge game, everyone talked.  Everyone that is, except for Stella White, who was strangely silent, something Gloria found interesting.

“That’s why I wanted to check out her place.”

Then she explained how she surveyed the perimeter of Stella’s house.  How she looked in a bedroom window. Nothing. She walked past the frosted bathroom window to the other side and peeked inside the master bedroom, still nothing.

Into the living room where the lights were on but no one was around.  When she got to the kitchen, she saw Stella’s shadow standing there.  How she moved back and forth.  Just like Gloria noticed a shadow moving back and forth through the frosted glass in the bathroom.  Which meant Stella could not be in two places at once:  in the bathroom and in the kitchen.

The final clue was when Stella carried her plate of pizza to the bedroom and closed the door.  “Why would someone who had the living room TV, the lights, everything on, go into the bedroom and close the door?”

Lucy was lost.  “Why?”

“Because Milt was in that bathroom and she was taking food to him!”

“I ruled Vivian out last night,” Gloria added.

“That’s what I don’t understand,” Frances said.  “She had the men’s grooming stuff on her counter.  You saw it yourself.”

Gloria snapped her fingers.  “Right, I saw men’s cologne and a box of JustForMen haircolor.  Milt is bald.  He has no facial hair!”

“Ahhh,” Frances nodded.

Gloria tapped the side of her head.  “Gotta always be thinking.”

“So when Paul got there and asked Stella if he could come in, she slammed the door in his face.”

“And?” Lucy asked.

“He went back to the office and got an expedited probable cause search warrant.  When he showed up on her doorstep a second time, warrant in hand, she had to let him in.  Paul found him handcuffed to the safety bar in the shower.”

Liz shook her head.  “Well, I’ll be.”

Lucy shook her head.  “But why?”

Gloria took a deep breath.  “Believe it or not, she thought she was helping him.  That by keeping him prisoner in her home, the men he owed money to wouldn’t be able to track him down.  The police just found his car in the Meijer grocery store parking lot.”

Liz pushed back her chair.  “I assume he’s going to press charges.”

Gloria slowly shook her head.  “Believe it or not, Milt told Paul he didn’t want to press charges – at least not yet.”

Frances jumped to her feet.  “I hate to rush you all out of here but I just saw Milt’s car pass by and I want to go check on him.”

She rushed out the door and down the sidewalk.  Milt was unlocking his front door when Frances got there.  He opened the door and he and Frances disappeared inside.

Gloria watched until Frances was out of sight.  “That lady is gaga over him.”

Liz groaned.  “A little too much, I suspect.”

Chapter 21

The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind for Gloria, between working on the fall party and finishing her around-the-house projects.  Eddie and his wife, Karen, would be there for a visit soon and Gloria was thrilled to spend time with them.

The day of the party, Gloria was nervous as a tic.  She wondered how Andrea would react when Brian proposed and if she’d be upset that he’d done it in front of all of their friends.

Gloria had worked hard making sure everything was just right for the big day.  She had consulted with Brian several times asking him what he thought and such.  He seemed content to let Gloria plan it all but she figured that was just a guy thing.  Leave all the party planning to the girls.  Although she was anxious that she might mess something up for them.

The fire pit was clean and the wagon loaded down with bales of hay that Lucy had so generously donated.  Each of the girls had called during the day to make sure Gloria didn’t need anything else.

Her grandsons, Ryan and Tyler, had gone on a hayride years ago when James was still alive.  They were so young at the time, they didn’t remember.  Jill had called earlier to say they were bouncing off the walls and couldn’t wait.

Gloria’s son-in-law, Greg, offered to drive the tractor and Gloria gratefully accepted. Paul had offered, too, but when he found out Greg had asked first, he seemed relieved.

Storm clouds had threatened early in the day but when evening rolled around, the sky was clear and the air was cool and crisp.

After all of the guests had arrived, Ryan and Tyler insisted that everyone check out their new tree fort.  Gloria and Paul found a ladder in the garage and carried it to the front yard.  Paul propped the ladder against the side of the fancy new deck and he and Gloria watched as several of the guests made their way up the ladder to admire the fort.

The last one to tour the fort was Paul.  He and the boys were up there for several long moments.  Finally, Tyler, then Ryan emerged and scrambled down the swinging ladder, not bothering to use the sturdier one.  Last, but not least, Paul eased his way back down the ladder.

Ryan darted over to Gloria and tugged on her hand.  “Grams!  Paul is gonna take us fishing next time we come over!”

Gloria looked down at the eager young face and ruffled his hair.  “He is?”

“We’re gonna catch a fish this big!” Tyler added, holding his hands a good three feet apart.

Gloria put her arm around his shoulder.  “Then you can bring him home and we’ll fry him up in the pan and eat him for supper!”

The boys darted off to tell their parents they were going fishing.

Paul came up behind her.  He wiped his hands on his pants.  “Why didn’t you ask me to help build the tree fort?”

Gloria turned to look at Paul.  His expression was somber and Gloria’s heart plummeted.

“Well.  I-I just figured you were busy with work and all…” her voice trailed off.

“Next time, I’d like a chance to help,” he said quietly. “At least ask.”

Gloria wished the ground would open up and swallow her.  She never asked because she didn’t want to bother him.  Looking back, she should have.  “I’m sorry.  Next time the boys have a project, I’ll check with you first,” she promised.

Paul nodded, a sly smile turning the corners of his mouth.  “Just for that, you have to go fishing with us.”

Gloria hadn’t been fishing in years.  It looked like she was “on the hook” for this one.  Maybe it wouldn’t be as boring as she remembered…

“It’s a deal.” Gloria slipped her hand into Paul’s and they wandered over to the wagon.  Paul lifted Mally first, then helped Gloria hop on.

Andrea was the straggler and the last one on as she stood back and took several pictures of the wagon and the riders.

“All clear,” Gloria hollered to Greg.  The tractor and wagon lurched forward and Greg headed through the field to the dirt road on the other side.

Paul and Gloria settled in against the backboard and watched as the boys shoved hay down each other’s shirts.  Brian decided that looked like fun as he lifted Andrea’s hat and filled it with straw.

“What a great idea,” Paul told Gloria.

She snuggled closer.  “We should do this more often.”

The tractor chugged along.  Dusk had set and the stars began to shine.  Too soon, the wagon turned around and they headed back to the farm.

Gloria kept glancing at Brian, wondering when he was going to pop the question.  Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She crawled over to him and whispered in his ear.  “Did you chicken out?”

Brian chuckled.  “No, I didn’t get cold feet. I decided to wait until everyone gathers around the campfire.”

Gloria raised a brow.  Smart thinking.  That way, everyone could watch.  “Good idea.” She nodded and crawled back under the blanket with Paul.

Greg unhooked the wagon and backed the tractor into the barn then closed the door.  By the time the girls brought out the hotdogs and s’mores, the bonfire was burning nicely, and everyone circled the fire.

Paul let go of Gloria’s hand and cupped his hands to his mouth.  “Can I have everyone’s attention?”  Everyone grew quiet.  Everyone that is, except for the boys.  Jill tapped Tyler’s arm.  “Shush.”

The boys quieted.

Paul took a step forward. “Today is a special day and I want to thank each of you for being here.”

He turned to Gloria, bent down on one knee and pulled a box from his pocket.  A very familiar jewelry box.  He opened the cover and the beautiful princess diamond that Gloria had admired so much was twinkling up at her.  “Gloria Rutherford, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears streamed down Gloria’s cheeks as she stared at the ring, then at Paul’s face, then back at the ring.  “I…”

Paul lifted the ring from the box.  “I’m taking that as a yes.” He slipped the ring on her finger and rose to his feet.

Gloria blinked back the tears as Paul wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her slowly at first and then it deepened, promising her so much more.

Breathless, they finally took a step back to catcalls and whistles.

The rest of the evening was a blur as everyone hugged Gloria and shook Paul’s hand.  She was in a daze.  It was a wonderful moment of pure happiness.

Lucy was the only one to ask the question that was nagging every one of the Garden Girls’ minds: Dot, Margaret, Ruth and Lucy.

Lucy hugged Gloria and turned to Paul, a serious look on her face.  “This doesn’t mean you’re going to take Gloria from us, are you?”

Paul gazed lovingly at his bride-to-be and turned a solemn face to answer Lucy’s serious question.  “Absolutely not and I doubt there is any way on this earth that Gloria would allow that to happen.”

A slow smile spread across his face.  “No, I’m afraid that all of you will now be stuck with me.”

Ray overhead the exchange.  He slapped Paul on the back and grabbed his hand.  “Welcome to the family, my friend.”

The group began cleaning up around the campfire when Gloria spied Brian setting out some of the lawn chairs.  She pulled him aside. “You tricked me,” she said.

Brian grinned.  “Paul wanted everything to be perfect so we hatched a plan to let you plan your own engagement party.  He was so nervous, that he had me show you the ring to make sure you were going to like it.”

Andrea spoke up.  “I swear, I knew nothing about this,” she promised.

Gloria hugged Brian and then Andrea.  “I have to keep an eye on you two!”

Finally, after the hotdogs and s’mores were all gone and the last guest headed home, Paul turned to his bride-to-be.  “I hope this night meant as much to you as it has to me.”

Gloria looked down at the beautiful diamond ring and back up at Paul.  Her throat closed and the tears began to flow. She was at a loss for words.

Paul wrapped his arms around the woman that he loved and let the tears of joy flow.

They sat on the porch for a long time after everyone had left as they talked about the future.  They made some very important decisions. One decision they made was to keep both farms, at least for now, and split their time between the two.

Paul would keep working, maybe for another year…maybe less.

Last but not least, they set the wedding date.  They would marry when all of Gloria’s children would be home for the holidays.

Home for the holidays.  Home for a wedding.

Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, Paul got to his feet.  “I should go.”  He kissed Gloria one more time and stepped off the porch and to his car.

Gloria quietly stood by the back door and watched as his taillights disappeared from the drive.  She stepped inside, turned off the porch light and locked the door.

Today.  This day had been the best day ever.

The end.

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Layered Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

Baked pie crust OR graham cracker crust

For cream cheese, white chocolate layer:

¾ - 1 Cup white chocolate chips

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp heavy cream

For no bake pumpkin layer:

1/3 Cup light brown sugar

4 Tbsp corn starch

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 Cups milk (whole milk works best)

½ Cup pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 Teaspoon pumpkin spice

¼ Teaspoon salt

To prepare white chocolate cream cheese layer:

-Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium/high speed until light and fluffy.

-In medium bowl, mix chocolate chips and heavy cream.  Microwave on 50% power until chocolate has melted. Be careful not to let it get too hot or it will clump. (If that happens, add a little more cream and whisk until smooth.)

-With the mixer running, add the melted white chocolate a spoonful at a time to the cream cheese and beat until fluffy. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble pie.

To prepare pumpkin layer:

-Using a heavy-duty saucepan, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch together. Add 1/3 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the milk.

-Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Let cook for another minute.  Continue whisking.

-Remove from heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Blend until smooth.

-Place in large glass bowl.  Press plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Let the pudding cool completely.

To assemble:

-Spread the white chocolate-cream cheese mixture evenly over the baked piecrust (or graham cracker crust). Spoon the chilled pudding over the cream layer.

-Chill for 3 hours.  Serve with whipped cream or white chocolate shavings – or both!

Table of Contents

About The Author

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Layered Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie