Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy (2 page)

“Poor Ruth.  You should’ve seen the look on her face,” Gloria said.  Her heart went out to her friend.  Something bad had happened and it looked like Ruth was right in the thick of it.

Holly, Dot’s part-time employee, popped her head through the pass-thru.  “You all talking about what’s going on across the street?”

Gloria nodded.  Holly came up beside them.  “Yeah, that’s what everyone else is talking about.  Wondering what’s going on…”

Gloria glanced at her watch.  “I have to run down to the hardware store.  My washer flooded the kitchen this morning and I’m going to see if Brian can help.”

Brian Sellers was the owner of Nails and Knobs, the town’s hardware store.  He was a friend of Gloria’s.  He was also dating Andrea Malone, the young woman that Gloria had taken under her wing after her husband was murdered and Gloria helped track down his killer.  “I’ll stop back before heading home.”

Gloria smiled at a few familiar faces as she made her way out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk to the hardware store. 

The bell tinkled as Gloria stepped inside.  Brian was focused on something in front of him on the counter.  When he finally notice Gloria, a bright smile beamed across his handsome face.  “Today’s my lucky day.  Seeing one of my favorite Belhaven residents first thing in the morning!”

Gloria hopped up on a bar stool in front of the counter and set her purse beside her.  “I wish I was here for a friendly visit but I’m not.”

Brian leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table.  “Let me guess.  You’ve already started on the post office investigation!”

She shook her head.  Then it dawned on her.  Brian, at one time, had been a circuit court judge.  He probably had a pretty good idea who the men inside the post office were.

“Now that you mention it, what do you think’s going on inside the post office?”

Brian drummed his fingers on the wooden top and stared at the ceiling tiles.  “Well…it’s not local or county detectives, I can tell you that much.”

He cupped his chin in his hand and glanced over at a customer shopping in the front of the store.  The man was digging through a bin of bolts.  “I’d have to guess maybe the DEA or FBI,” he said in a low voice.

Gloria sucked in a breath and leaned back.  “Hmm.” 

The customer was headed to the counter.  Gloria sat quietly on the stool while Brian rang up his purchase. 

She waited for the man to leave before asking another question.  “What about the FBI?  What kind of stuff do you think they’d be here for?”

“Now that could be just about anything!  But for investigating a post office, I’d have to say maybe some kind of theft.  Like internet or retail theft,” he speculated.  “Of course, it could also be drug trafficking.  You know, through the mail…”

Brian reached behind him and poured a cup of coffee from the pot.  He slid it in Gloria’s direction.  She lifted the cup and took a sip.  It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet, which reminded her of her real reason for being there.

“How handy are you?” she asked.

Brian grinned.  “Handy as in ‘fix-it’ handy?”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  My washing machine flooded the kitchen floor this morning.  That’s the real reason I’m here.”

“Sounds like a broken line,” he guessed.  “I can come by after work tonight and take a look at it.”

Gloria’s shoulders sagged in relief.  “I would be forever grateful if you could.  I’ll pay you,” she said.

“No way!”  He shook his head and then he had an idea.  “How ‘bout fixing me one of your famous home-cooked dinners?”  He was teasing her.  He didn’t really mean it.

Gloria slapped an open palm on the counter.  “Great idea!  You like pasta?”

“One of my favorites,” he replied.  “But I was just kidding about dinner.”

Gloria stuck a hand on her hip.  “Well, I’m not!  She studied him for a minute.  “You look like you could use a home-cooked meal!” she declared.

Brian’s face reddened.  He really hadn’t meant to have her make him dinner.  “But what if I can’t fix your washer?” 

“Then you don’t eat,” Gloria teased.  “I’m kidding!  If you can’t, that’s okay.  Six-thirty sound good?” She eased off the barstool and pulled her purse from the countertop.

“Six-thirty,” he confirmed.  “Oh, and what model is your washer?  I’ll need to bring some hoses with me.”

He jotted down the information before Gloria headed out the door.  She’d just seen Paul the night before and she knew she wouldn’t see him now for a couple days.  She didn’t want to bother him with something as minor as her washer. 

Maybe she should invite Andrea over for dinner, too…

Gloria wandered over to her car.  The post office parking lot was empty now.  There was just one unmarked vehicle still parked next to hers.  She decided to check the door one more time before heading home. 

She walked to the front and twisted the knob.  She was surprised that it opened.  Ruth was behind the counter.  Her eyes were red and her face swollen.  Gloria’s heart ached for her friend.  It was obvious she’d been crying.

Behind Ruth, sitting at a small counter, was a dark-haired man.  He had his head down and he was staring at the laptop in front of him.  He didn’t look up as Gloria approached the counter.  “Everything okay?”  It was the first thing that popped into Gloria’s head. 
Of course everything wasn’t okay!

Ruth shook her head and mumbled under her breath.  “Can I come by your house later?”

Gloria reached out and squeezed her hand.  “Of course.  Whenever you want.  I’ll be home.”

Tears welled up in Ruth’s eyes.  She nodded, not trusting herself to say another word in case she burst into tears again.  Gloria gave Ruth a small, reassuring smile and then headed back outside.

Gloria started to climb into Anabelle when she remembered her promise to stop by Dot’s before she left. She headed back across the street and inside. The breakfast crowd was gone now.  She could see Dot’s dark head bobbing up and down in the back in the kitchen.

Dot looked up from the cutting board when Gloria walked through the doorway.  “The post office was unlocked.  I had a chance to talk to Ruth for just a minute.”

Dot wiped her hands on her apron.  “And?”

“She’s coming by my place later.  There was a guy sitting in the back and she couldn’t talk.”

“Poor thing,” Dot clucked. “I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

“I’ll let you know what I find out.” Gloria glanced at the clock on the wall.  It was just about lunchtime.  Her stomach was grumbling.  She remembered Mally and Puddles.  They were probably ready for some lunch, too.  “I better get going.”

Back at the farm, Gloria pulled a packet of pasta from the cupboard.  She decided to make Brian one of her favorite dishes, spaghetti pie.  She peered inside the fridge, checking to make sure she had the right cheeses.  She let out a sigh of relief when she saw all the ingredients were on hand.

That reminded Gloria.  She needed to call Andrea to see if she wanted to come over for dinner.  Gloria reached out to pick up the phone when it started to ring. 

She lifted it up and held it against her ear.  “Hello?”

At first, all she could hear was the sound of someone blowing their nose, which was followed by loud sniffles.  Gloria would recognize those sniffles anywhere.  They belonged to Ruth. 

“Ruth?”

“Gloria!  You’re not going to believe this!  I’ve been replaced!” Ruth wailed.  “They have someone here to take my place until an investigation has been done and they cleared me of any wrongdoing!”

Ruth didn’t give Gloria a chance to answer.  “Can I come over to your place?”

Gloria nodded into the phone.  “I’m home.  You can come by now if you want.”

“No.  I mean - can I
stay
at your place?  This thing has me freaked out!  I don’t want to be alone and you’re the first person I thought of.”

Gloria swallowed the lump in her throat.  She loved Ruth dearly.  But she loved her from a distance.  As in, the distance between Ruth’s house and her own.  Images of Ruth rummaging through her medicine cabinets, through her file cabinets, through her everything - filled Gloria’s head.

But how could she tell her friend “no” in her time of need?  Gloria took a deep breath and blurted out, “Of course you can!”  She squeezed her eyes shut and uttered a quick prayer in her head. 
Please, Lord.  Help me survive Ruth!
 

The spaghetti pie was bubbling away.  The loaf of garlic bread was ready for the oven. Gloria lifted the baking sheet, opened the door and popped the tray inside. 

She shut the oven door and glanced out the window.  It was 6:25 and Brian Sellers was pulling into Gloria’s drive.  She watched as he opened the back door of his SUV and reached in to grab a tool box.  Gloria prayed he would be able to fix her washer. Now that she had Ruth coming to stay, the last thing she needed was a busted washer. The nearest laundromat was miles away – in Green Springs.

She was going to have her hands full the next few days with Ruth moving into her place until, well…until who knew when.

Andrea texted that she was on her way.  Ruth had stopped at her house to pack her bags.  The dinner for two had turned into dinner for a few.  But Gloria had more than enough to go around.  Plus, she just loved the spaghetti pie recipe.  It was one of her favorites and one she didn’t get to make often since it was only her at the house, and who wanted to cook a big meal for a party of one?

She wiped her hands on her apron before she lifted it over her head and hung it on the hook by the door.  She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch at the same time Brian stuck his foot on the sidewalk.  “Thank you for coming by, Brian.  You have no idea how grateful I am.”

He smiled warmly.  “Anything for one of my girls,” he teased.

She gave him a quick hug and ushered him into the kitchen.  She pointed to the washer and watched as he pulled it out of the closet and into the middle of the kitchen floor. 

There was a light tap on the door.  Gloria spun around to see who it was.  Andrea’s pretty blonde head was peeking in through the window.  Gloria waved her in.  She hugged her tight.  “You don’t have to knock, dear.  You know you can just come on in.”

Brian looked up from the back of the washer.  “Hello beautiful.”  Andrea blushed and focused her gaze to her ten perfectly-manicured red toes that were peeking out through the cutest pair of wedge sandals Gloria had ever laid eyes on.  “Oh my.  I love those shoes!”

Andrea twisted her foot for a side view.  “Thanks!” Andrea gushed. “I love them.  I loved them so much I bought them in every color.  Pink, blue, yellow, green…”

Before she could answer, there was another tap on the porch door.  This time it was Ruth.  The last guest to arrive and the one who looked positively panic-stricken.

Gloria opened the door.  Ruth crossed the threshold dragging a suitcase behind her.  A very
large
suitcase.  Gloria swallowed the lump in her throat.  She racked her brain as she tried to remember how long Ruth told her she planned on staying.  Judging by the size of the suitcase, it was longer than Gloria had anticipated. 

She pushed her fears of invasion aside and hugged her friend in a warm embrace.  Ruth released her death grip on the suitcase long enough to hug Gloria back.  “Thank you for letting me stay here, Gloria.  I can’t be alone right now.”

Gloria turned to lead Ruth to the back.  To the spare bedroom.  She caught Andrea’s raised eyebrows, as if to say, “Ruth is staying here?”

Gloria gave her a dark look and kept moving.  She could’ve sworn she heard a faint chuckle escape Andrea’s lips as she led Ruth out of the kitchen.

Ruth set her suitcase on the bed, unzipped the top and began putting her things away.  As in – inside the drawers.  Gloria’s heart sank.  Just a little.  It was apparent that Ruth was here for the long haul.

Gloria left her in the room to unpack and headed back to the kitchen.  Andrea pulled Gloria to the other side of the room and out of earshot.  “She’s staying
here
?”

“I didn’t know how to tell her no,” Gloria confessed.

A muffled voice came from behind the washer.  “I think I got it fixed.”  Brian slid out from behind the machine and pulled himself to his feet.  He grabbed the cord that was draped over the knobs on the front of the machine. 

He pushed the washer to the edge of the closet and plugged it into the wall. He reset the dial to “wash.”  It had seemed like eons ago, not just earlier that day, the washer had flooded her floor.   Gloria was pretty sure she still had a load of laundry inside. 

The sound of the machine filling with water was music to Gloria’s ears.  Even better than that, once it was full, the floor stayed dry.

Brian placed his tools back inside his toolbox and closed the lid.  “Looks like I earned my dinner,” he teased.

Gloria reached up and hugged him tight.  “You’re my hero!”

He grinned sheepishly.  “At least someone thinks so.” He darted a glance in Andrea’s direction.

Andrea stomped over to where the two of them were standing.  She crossed her arms.  “Brian Sellers, you’re just fishing for a compliment.”

He raised his hands.  “Guilty as charged!”  He was still grinning as he and Andrea walked to his SUV to put the tool box away.

Ruth came back into the kitchen.  “Can I help with anything?”  Gloria’s heart went out to her friend.  Ruth, the one who was always so full of energy, so full of life, looked beaten down.  Defeated. 

“Have you eaten anything today?” Gloria asked.

“No.”  Ruth shook her head.  “I’m not even hungry.”

Gloria stuck an arm around her shoulders.  “Well, you’re going to take one bite of my spaghetti pie and your appetite will be back,” she promised.

“I know mine is.” Brian sniffed the air.  “It smells heavenly in here.  I’m starving.”

Andrea and Brian set the table while Ruth and Gloria pulled the dishes from the oven.  Soon, the table was set and the small group was sitting around Gloria’s kitchen table.

“Let’s pray,” Andrea said.  She looked across the table at Ruth.  “We don’t know what’s going on yet, but still, the Lord will hear our prayer for Ruth.”

Ruth’s eyes shined bright with unshed tears.  She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Gloria let Andrea lead them in prayer.  “Dear Lord, bless this food we are about to receive.  We ask for comfort for Ruth.  Lord, we don’t know yet what she’s going through but we pray you give her peace in her time of need.”

Gloria started to raise her head, thinking the prayer was over, but Andrea wasn’t done yet. 

Andrea continued. “And Lord, we ask that you help Gloria solve this new mystery.  Amen.”

Gloria added a silent “and quickly” to the end of her prayer.

Gloria passed the dish to Ruth first, who picked the smallest wedge and passed it on to Andrea.  Andrea had tasted Gloria’s spaghetti pie once before and knew they were all in for a real treat.  Her mouth watered as she laid a thick slice of the cheesy pasta on her plate. 

Brian passed the plate to Gloria before taking a piece.  “Ladies first.”

Ruth plucked a slice of garlic bread from the pan and set it next to the pasta.  “You’ve got a keeper, there, Andrea,” she told her.

Andrea gave Brian a sly glance out of the corner of her eye.  He turned his gaze, his eyebrows raised.  “Well, aren’t you going to agree?” he demanded.

Andrea took two pieces of garlic bread and set them on the edge of her plate.  “Hmm.  I’ll have to get back to you on that!”

After dinner was over, Gloria cleared the table and pulled out the dessert.  Fresh strawberry pie!  Ruth lifted a piece onto her dessert plate.  “I’m sure you’re all wondering what in the world went on at the post office today.”

Ruth passed the dish and then speared a strawberry with her fork.  “Well, the day began like any other day.  Sorting the mail, filling the mail slots.  Kenny was in the back sorting out the big boxes, getting ready to load his truck.” 

Kenny was the mail carrier.  He worked in the post office each morning and as soon as the rural mail was sorted, he started his route around the countryside.  Rain or Shine.  That was Kenny.  He prided himself on getting the mail delivered no matter what kind of weather Mother Nature threw his way.

There was also one more person that worked at the post office.  Jess and Patti Palmer’s son, Seth.  Gloria’s neighbors down the road – the ones with the chicken coop. 

Seth was enrolled in college full-time and worked most afternoons at the post office.  He helped load the trucks that came in to pick up packages and bulk mail that were headed to Grand Rapids and the airport.

Ruth slipped a piece of pie into her mouth and chewed.  Gloria could see she was trying to gather her thoughts together.  “All of a sudden, the front door opened and in swarmed half a dozen strangers.  People I’d never seen in the post office before.”  She set her fork on the edge of the plate and leaned forward.  “Except for one person.”

Ruth had mentioned a while back to the girls that a stranger had started coming into the post office.  A real Nosy Nellie.  The woman asked a lot of questions but never shared any information about herself.  The only thing Ruth knew about the woman was her first name.  “You mean Sharon?” Gloria asked.

Ruth picked up her fork and pointed the tip of the tines at Gloria.  “Exactly!”  Ruth’s eyes narrowed.  “You wanna know
why
she never talked about herself?  Because she’s an undercover cop!”

Andrea sucked in a breath.  “She was investigating the post office?”

“And me!” Ruth added.

Gloria had to wonder what on earth the FBI uncovered that would bring them to their little town of Belhaven.  She didn’t have to wonder long. 

Ruth continued.  “It seems that there’s some sort of fraud,” she said.

Brian had already finished his pie.  He got up from the table and rinsed his plate.  He opened the front of the dishwasher and set the dish on the top rack.  “Did they tell you what kind of fraud they were investigating?”

Ruth shook her head.  “Nope.  Not yet.  The detective - the Sharon lady is going to be working in the post office until the investigation is complete.  They told me they’d let me know when I could come back to work!”

“You don’t think they suspect you, do you?” Gloria asked.

Ruth’s eyes teared up.  “I asked that same question and all she would say was, “
We can’t rule anyone out.”
Ruth mimicked the woman’s voice. 

Gloria had seen her in the post office a couple times.  Ruth had her voice down pretty good.  She sounded just like her.

Gloria hadn’t formed an opinion of the woman one way or the other, but Ruth had.  Ruth loved to talk.  She loved people and she loved to talk with and about people.  And anyone who was secretive or tight-lipped was suspect in her mind.  For very good reason in this case. 

“I hope they wrap the investigation up quick,” Gloria said.  Not only for Ruth’s sake, but for her own.  The fact that Ruth planned to stay with Gloria until she went back to work was cause for a bit of anxiety on Gloria’s end. 

Gloria was accustomed to having her own space. Her own freedom.  She hadn’t had anyone living with her for a few years now.  Not since her husband, James, had died of a sudden heart attack a few years back.

It was as if Ruth could read her mind.  “I appreciate you letting me stay with you until this is over,” she said.

Gloria caught Brian’s grin out of the corner of her eye.  He raised his drink glass to hide the grin but not before Gloria saw it.  She made a fist under the table and punched him in the leg which, in turn, made him choke on his drink.  He sputtered and pounded his chest.

Gloria raised her eyebrows. “Are you okay, Brian?” she asked innocently.

“Ahem!  I’m sure I’ll be fine.  Just swallowed wrong,” he added.

Andrea looked at the kitchen clock above the sink.  “I really should get going.  I have to be up early tomorrow morning.”  She plucked her purse from the chair by the door.  “Just a few more days and the construction crew will wrap things up at the house, thank goodness.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Gloria said.

Brian rose to his feet. “I better head out, too.”  He hugged Gloria when he got to the door.  “Dinner was delicious.”

She hugged him back.  “Thank you for coming by on such short notice.  You’re a real life-saver.”

She watched the two of them leave before she shut the door.  Ruth stood at the sink, her back to Gloria.  Her hand trembled as she stuck her drink glass in the dishwasher.

Gloria took the plate from her hand. “Here, you can leave that.  I’ll take care of it later.”

Ruth rinsed her hands and dried them on the hand towel hanging on the stove handle.  She wandered over to the table and plopped down in the chair.  She laid her head in her hands. 

Gloria walked over and patted her back.  “Don’t you worry, Ruth.  They’ll get this all sorted out and you’ll be back to work before you know it,” she reassured her.

She didn’t wait for her to reply.  “I have an idea.  Let’s take Mally and head out to the porch for some fresh air.” 

Mally heard her name.  She wandered into the kitchen and over to Ruth.  Ruth leaned down and patted her head. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog.  It’d be nice to have some company since I live all alone.”

Ruth’s little white ranch home was situated on the edge of town, right near the village limits sign.   She’d lived there for as long as Gloria could remember.