Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy (8 page)

“Paul’s taking me to dinner,” Gloria announced.  She wasn’t sure that Ruth had heard her.  The earbuds were back in place.

But Ruth had heard.  She nodded.  Gloria made a mental note that Ruth’s hearing was pretty sharp.

Ruth kept one eye on the monitor and looked up at Gloria with the other.  “Steve Colby called a little while ago and asked me to dinner.”

Gloria raised her eyebrows and took a bite of sandwich.  So Slick Steve was interested in Ruth.  Gloria did a mental scolding.  She really needed to stop calling him Slick Steve.  He was a nice guy and the nickname was a bad habit.  “That’s nice. Where’s he taking you?” 

The other eyeball was off the screen and both were focused on Gloria.  Color crept into Ruth’s cheeks.  “I don’t know.  He said it was a surprise.  He told me he thought I could use a little cheering up.”

Gloria nodded her approval.  The more she got to know Steve Colby, the more she liked him.  She pushed aside the small voice that told her he wanted to add Ruth as another notch on his belt…

Gloria spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs sorting through more stuff.  She had finished sorting clothes and was now sifting through boxes of paperback books.  She finished just in time to get ready for her date with Paul.  She nodded her head in approval as she did a final walk-thru of the upstairs bedrooms.  This was a project that had needed to be done years ago.  No - decades ago. 

She was proud of her accomplishment as she shut off the lights and headed downstairs.  Her heart fluttered as she thought about seeing Paul.  It had been days now.  It seemed even longer. 

Gloria soaked her sore muscles in the tub.  She’d sprinkled the water with rose scented bath oils.  The smell of lilac was her favorite but roses came in a close second.

She fussed with her hair and makeup, then headed to her closet to pick out an outfit.  She settled on a pair of black dress slacks and a pink blouse.  She slipped a heart-shaped locket around her neck - the one that had all her children’s birthstones framing the front.  A quick splash of her favorite perfume on her wrists and neck and she was ready to go.

It was 5:30 now.  She wandered into the kitchen.  Ruth was in the exact same spot, staring at the computer screen.  “You’re going to burn your retina staring at that screen,” Gloria kidded.

“Huh?”  Ruth’s head craned around. 

“What time is Steve picking you up?” Gloria asked.

“Oh, around six,” Ruth answered.

“It’s already 5:30,” Gloria pointed out.

Ruth’s eyes shot up to the clock.  “Oh my gosh!” She jumped out of the chair and ran from the room.  Seconds later, Gloria could hear water running in the bathroom. 

Gloria bent down and stared at the computer screen.  She slipped into Ruth’s chair and scooched it forward.  The post office had been closed for half an hour now.  What could Ruth possibly be looking at?

A movement in the right hand corner of the screen caught her eye.  Someone was inside the post office.  She squinted and leaned in for a closer look.  The person’s back was to the screen.  Gloria couldn’t make out who it was.  Her eyes never left the monitor as she groped the kitchen table in search of her glasses.  Her fingertips touched the frames and she slipped them on. 

Whoever it was, was wearing dark clothes.  The figure disappeared from view.   She sat quiet as a mouse and watched.  The figure reappeared from behind the mail slots then walked over to the monitor and stared directly into the camera.

Gloria gasped.  Her hand shot up and she covered her mouth.  It was Kenny!  He looked right into the camera.  Then he lifted his thumb and gave the camera the thumbs up!

Ruth knew Kenny was in the post office.  Kenny knew about the camera!

The bathroom door handle rattled.  Gloria jumped from the chair and ran out onto the porch.  She didn’t dare let on to Ruth that she had seen Kenny in front of the camera.

Gloria’s heart began to pound.  What did this mean?  That Kenny and Ruth were working together?  Were they the middle men in the drug ring?  What other explanation could there be?

She paced the porch floor and watched as Mally raced across the gravel drive in hot pursuit of a squirrel.  This was unbelievable!  They say you never really know someone.  But Ruth??

“Oh, there you are.” Ruth poked her head out the porch door.

Gloria spun around to face her, a smile pasted on her face.  “Just letting Mally run for a bit before Paul gets here,” she said.

“Can I borrow some of your perfume?” Ruth asked.

Gloria nodded.  “It’s in on my bedroom dresser,” she told her.

Ruth disappeared inside and Gloria turned back around.   Just in time to see Paul pull in. 

Gloria could barely wait for him to get out of the car.  She met him at the car door and held out her arms.  He slid out of the driver’s seat, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  “You are a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured into her hair.

Gloria blinked back tears.  The week had been a rough one. And it was getting rougher by the minute.  She breathed in.  The scent of his cologne lingered on his shirt.  It was one of her favorites.  You smell nice and you feel even better,” she told him.

He pulled back, just far enough to gaze into her eyes.  “I was about to say the exact same thing.”  Paul looked up at the house.  “Ruth here?”

She nodded.  “Steve Colby asked her out to dinner.  She’s inside getting ready,” she explained.

They wandered back to the porch and reached the top step at the same time Steve Colby’s car pulled in the drive.  He parked on the other side, opposite Paul’s vehicle. 

They watched as he climbed from the car and headed over to where they were waiting.  Steve had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

Paul glanced down at Gloria and frowned.  “I forgot to bring you flowers.”

She squeezed his hand.  “Really, you don’t need to bring them every time.”

Steve was all spiffed up in dark brown dress slacks and button-down shirt.  His hair was slicked back and he was wearing cowboy boots. 

Gloria smiled brightly.  “How are you this evening, Steve?”

Steve grinned.  “Doing great.  And yourself?” He nodded at Paul.

“Just fine.” She nodded towards the house.  “I think Ruth’s almost ready. Let me go check on her.” She excused herself and walked back inside.

The first thing Gloria noticed when she stepped inside was that the laptop was gone.  Ruth had put it away!  Which was a bit odd.  The thing had sat in the exact same spot since the moment Ruth brought it into the house! 

She was convinced it was because she didn’t want Gloria to see Kenny inside the post office!  Gloria pushed the thought aside as Ruth stepped into the kitchen.  She’d just have to deal with this later.

“You look nice,” Gloria complimented her.  And she did look nice.  She had on a lovely pair of gray slacks and beaded black blouse.  Her dangling earrings matched her shirt.  She smelled nice, too.

“Thanks for letting me use your perfume,” Ruth said.  Her eyes darted to the porch door.  “Is he here yet?”

Gloria nodded.  “He’s out on the porch talking to Paul.”

Ruth bit her lower lip and tugged on the edge of her blouse. 

Gloria could see she was nervous as a tic.  “Here, we’ll go out together,” she told her.  She grabbed Ruth’s hand and pulled her across the kitchen and out to the porch.  Poor Ruth’s hand was cold and clammy. 

Gloria whispered words of encouragement.  “You’ll have fun.  Don’t worry!”

Ruth nodded nervously and sucked in a breath before following Gloria outside. 

Steve looked almost as nervous as Ruth!  When he saw his date, he reached up and smoothed both sides of his hair back, then cleared his throat.  He thrust the flowers in Ruth’s direction.  “These are for you.”

At first, Ruth just stared at them.  Then she stared at Steve.  Then she stared back at the flowers.  “For me?”

Gloria was uncomfortable for them both.  “Let me go get a vase.”

“They’re beautiful!” Ruth took the flowers and pulled the bouquet to her face.  “They smell wonderful.”  There was of mix of yellow roses, pink carnations and sprigs of lavender. 

Paul and Gloria waited for Steve and Ruth to head out before Gloria locked the door and followed Paul to his car.  “Ruth has a key?”  Gloria nodded.  She’d given her one the first night she got there.  She trusted her friend implicitly.  Or she had.  Until just a few minutes ago…

“How are your houseguests?” Gloria remembered Paul’s son, Jeff, and his wife, Tina.

Paul rubbed his forehead.  “I don’t know what’s going to happen with those two.  They don’t seem to be in any hurry to move out.”

“Maybe you’re making them too comfortable?” she guessed.

He nodded.  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” He glanced at Gloria in the passenger seat. “I’m trying to encourage them to start saving some money and look for a place of their own.” He sighed heavily.  “It’s like talking to a brick wall.”

Paul’s plan was to one day leave the farm and everything he had to his son and daughter.  But not yet. Not when he was still alive and living there!  Plus, if Jeff and Tina stayed on, what would his daughter, Allie, think?  The farm was part of her inheritance, too.  What was that saying? 
Possession is 9/10ths of the law. 

“How’s it going with Ruth and the investigation?”  He knew Gloria well enough to know she was doing her own detective work.  He couldn’t blame her on this one.  He was sure Gloria didn’t mind having her friend stay with her, but if she was anything like him, she was ready for her life to return to normal.

“Okay.  So far, so good,” she said.  “Of course, it’s only been a few days.”

She stared out the window and watched the farm fields go by.  “I heard that they’re close to making an arrest.”

Paul nodded.  He wasn’t involved in this investigation.  The FBI was thorough, though.  If they were close to an arrest, their homework was almost done.  Which meant soon Gloria’s house guest would be gone.

Paul turned onto the road that led into Green Springs.  “Where are you taking me?” she wondered.

He smiled.  “A surprise.  It’s a new restaurant I discovered the other day when I was answering a call.”

That was one perk to Paul’s job.  He found some nifty, out-of-the way places on his patrols.  Places others didn’t even know existed.

He drove through town and turned onto a small, two-lane road on the outskirts.  The road twisted and turned for a few miles before a clearing came into view.  Straight ahead of them was a small lake.  Off to the left, a small chalet-style restaurant. 

He pulled the car into the paved parking lot.  She grabbed the door handle to climb out. 

He reached out and touched her arm.  “Uh-uh! Let me be a gentlemen.”

Gloria took her hand off the handle and waited while he came around to open her door.  She put her hand in his and he helped her out.  On impulse, he bent down and kissed her.  “I’ve been waiting to do that for days now!”

Instead of walking in the front door, he led her down a path that ran along the side of the building and to the back.  A long, wooden walkway opened out onto a larger, more expansive deck that overlooked the lake. 

A tropical tiki bar filled up one side of the balcony area.  Beside the bar area, a lone musician strummed his guitar.

The patio wasn’t even half-full yet.  They settled into a table for two near the railing, which had a spectacular view of the lake.  The lake was like a sheet of glass. 

The waitress took their drink order and left them to stare out at the calm waters.  It was nice to be together.  It was nice to be alone.  The irony that both of them were there not only to be together but to get a break from their houseguests didn’t escape either of them. 

Paul dragged his eyes from the serene view and gazed across the table at Gloria.  “What’s your take on the investigation down at the post office?”

Gloria had to wait to answer.  The waitress had returned with their drinks and a bowl of chips and salsa.

“Not only has Ruth been put on leave, Kenny, the route carrier, was put on leave, too.”

Paul plucked a chip from the bowl and dipped it in the salsa.  “Didn’t you say they thought it was an inside job?”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  The only one still working is the part-timer, Seth.”

Paul raised his eyebrows. “Oh?  What does he do?”

Gloria explained how his job was to load the boxes on the trucks that were headed for the airport.  “He’s in college and works three or four afternoons during the week,” she explained. 

She didn’t mention the fact that Ruth had installed surveillance equipment and how Gloria had seen Kenny on the monitor, signaling to Ruth just a few hours earlier.  Gloria wanted time to mull that piece of information over first. 

Kenny – and Ruth – could get into a whole heap of trouble if they were caught inside the post office after being banned.  And what was Kenny doing?  Obviously, Ruth knew Kenny was in there.  The fact that he stood right in front of the camera and signaled her was a dead giveaway. Should she confront Ruth?  Or maybe Kenny?

“Earth to Gloria…” Paul snapped his fingers in front of her face.