Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 03 - Smoky Mountain Mystery (2 page)

Frances shoved her chair back from the table and scrambled to her feet.  “Milt!  Wait!  Were you going to stop by later?” She hollered across the room at the top of her lungs. 

Whether he heard her or not, Gloria wasn’t certain.  But it was too late.  He was already long gone.  In fact, a woman at another table near the door stopped him just before he had a chance to clear the cafeteria doors.  Frances was none too happy.  She crossed her arms and scowled.  “Humph.”

After casting one last longing glance at the vanishing Milt, Frances grabbed her metal walker parked near the edge of the table and began shuffling out.  Gloria was completely forgotten. 

It didn’t take much of an effort for Gloria and Mally to keep up with Frances and her walker.  “So you haven’t heard from Liz in a while?” 

Frances stopped in her tracks, as if she was surprised to see Gloria following her.  Gloria was convinced the poor woman was more than a bit forgetful.  Frances shook her head firmly.  “Nope.  She said she was getting mysterious notes in the mail for the last few weeks.  Something about a train trip,” she explained. 

“One of the last notes she got had some train tickets inside.  Liz asked if I wanted to go.”  The walker thumped along as Frances continued her snail’s pace.  “No way are you going to get me on a stinky, old train.”  Frances clamped her mouth shut and started shuffling along again.  It was apparent she had nothing left to add.

Gloria held the door open and waited for Frances to cross the threshold. Milt was standing on the sidewalk not far from the doorway.  He was holding the hand of one of the other female residents. 

Frances spied him right away and somehow found a sudden burst of energy.  “Hey Milt!” She shoved Gloria aside and darn near sprinted down the sidewalk in hot pursuit of her Milt. 

Gloria stood back and watched as Milt took one frantic look at Frances in hot pursuit.  He made a fast dash across the well-kept lawn towards the nursing home parking lot.

Frances saw her prey slip away.  Her shoulders slumped and she slowed back down. 

Gloria stifled a giggle as she watched Frances suddenly give poor Milt’s retreating back the middle finger as she mumbled something about “skirt chaser” before she continued on down the sidewalk towards her apartment. 

Certain that France had nothing else to add, Gloria made her way back to Liz’s apartment one more time.  She took another quick look around before heading to her car.

On the drive home, she made a last minute decision to stop by Dot’s restaurant, the unofficial meeting place of the Garden Girls and the only eating establishment in the small town of Belhaven. 

Both Lucy and Margaret’s cars were parked out front.  Maybe one of them had heard from Liz, she thought. 

She gave Mally a warning look as she unbuckled her belt.  “You better be on your best behavior in here or else Dot won’t let you come back.”  Gloria could’ve sworn the dog nodded as she followed Gloria out of the car and onto the sidewalk. 

Gloria stepped inside and immediately spotted her two friends sitting in a back booth.  She waved to a few diners she recognized as she made her way to the rear of the restaurant. 

She dropped her purse on the table and slid in next to Margaret.  Dot, saw Gloria coming and quickly made her way over to the booth.  She patted Mally on the head and then set a coffee cup on the table.  She poured a fresh cup before asking, “What’s up with the glum face?”

Gloria sighed as she poured creamer into her cup and began to stir.  “Liz is MIA.” None of the others at the table seemed particularly concerned with the news and with good reason.  Every once in a blue moon Liz would get a wild hair about something and just up and take off, leaving everyone in an uproar.  Eventually she would return from wherever she had wandered off to and wonder what all the fuss was about.

“I’m sure Liz is just fine.  Don’t you worry.”  Lucy patted her hand.  “Remember the time she took up with that dork Mario and disappeared for almost a week?”

How could Gloria forget?  The slick salesman was going door-to-door at the retirement home, selling Florida timeshares. He struck gold when he got to Liz and tried to sell her one.  The two of them instantly hit it off.  Next thing Gloria knew, they were taking a road trip to Miami, shacking up together in some sleazy, cockroach infested motel a couple blocks from the ocean. 

Liz finally came to her senses almost a week later and a couple thousand dollars poorer.  She actually ran out of money and had the nerve to call Gloria up and ask her to bail her out.  Gloria ended up wiring her $500 bucks just so she could take the Greyhound bus back home.  Lord only knew how many other pinches Liz managed to get herself into that Gloria never heard about. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Gloria agreed. “I just have a funny feeling about this one…”

Just then Ruth strolled in to the restaurant.  “No one told me we were having a Garden Girls meeting today,” Ruth grumbled loudly.

Lucy grabbed a Cheese Danish before sliding down the bench seat to make room for Ruth.  “We’re not,” she explained.  “Gloria’s worried about Liz.  Seems she’s once again missing in action.”

Ruth dropped her purse on the seat next to her before sliding in.  “I saw her just yesterday morning.” She opened her purse and pulled out a small envelope. 

She laid it on the table and slid it in Gloria’s direction.  “Liz told me to give this to you but made me promise I would hang onto it until tomorrow.” She shrugged her shoulders before going on.  “Close enough for me.”

Gloria snatched the envelope from the table and ripped the seal open.  Two slips of paper fell out.  They were tickets.  She picked them up and squinted at the small print. The writing was too small.  She slipped her reading glasses on for a closer inspection.  “These are train tickets.” She handed one to Lucy. 

“For a train ride in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!”  Lucy took a quick glance and passed it on.  “Did you notice the date on them?  They’re only good for a couple more days.”

Gloria shook her head.  No, she hadn’t noticed. 

Margaret studied it before dropping it into Gloria’s outstretched hand.  She turned to Ruth.  “Is that where she went?”

Ruth shook her head.  “I have no idea.” Liz had been somewhat mysterious about the envelope but she never mentioned anything about taking off and going to Tennessee.  But that wasn’t particularly unusual for Liz.  If she got a bee in her bonnet, it was hard telling what that woman would do.

“Well, I could use a little vacation.”  Gloria glanced around the table.  “Who wants to go with me?”

Ruth was out.  “I can’t get off work on that short of notice.”

“Me either,” Dot chimed in.  “Who would run the restaurant?”

It was down to Lucy and Margaret. 

Lucy shook her head sadly.  She loved a good adventure but she already committed to her boyfriend Bill that they would head north this weekend to do some spring cleaning at his cabin and get it ready for the season.  “I’m going up north.”

That left only one person.  Margaret.  Gloria slowly turned to Margaret, who was definitely not Gloria’s first choice.  In fact, Margaret and Gloria tended to rub each other the wrong way at times, but beggars can’t be choosers and she didn’t want to make the trip alone.  “How ‘bout it Margaret?”

A slow smile crept across Margaret’s face.  Margaret liked the idea.  A lot.  Gloria was good at getting into some real adventures.  Seemed like she and Lucy were always the ones having all the fun. 
Heck yeah, she’d go!
  She quickly nodded.  “When do we leave?”

With a hastily thrown together plan to head out first thing in the morning, the girls went their separate ways.  Gloria and Mally jumped in the car and pulled out onto the main road.  She glanced over at Mally and suddenly realized she had another problem.  Who was going to take care of her and Puddles?

“What do you mean you’re heading out of town tomorrow?”  Paul asked.

Gloria sighed.  She knew she shouldn’t have asked her beau, Paul, if he had time to stop by and feed Puddles for a couple days while she was gone. 

Paul was a bit apprehensive for Gloria and she couldn’t really blame him.  She had a knack for getting herself in a bind.  That’s how Gloria and Paul met.  Officer Paul Kennedy, that was.  He was the officer in charge of Gloria’s first official murder mystery that she helped solve. 

At first she annoyed him, until he got to know her.  Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her.  She always seemed to be caught up in some kind of mystery.  Murder mysteries at that.  He had a funny feeling this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment, I-think-I-need-a-vacation decision. 

Gloria groaned inwardly.  She hoped she wouldn’t have to explain the whole story but she didn’t want Paul to worry.  She briefly told him Liz was missing and how she left her two train tickets.  “Margaret’s going with me,” she added, hoping that would ease his mind just a tad.

“What about Mally?”

Gloria glanced down at her dog.  At first, she thought about leaving Mally behind, too, but she didn’t want to burden anyone with the responsibility.  Plus, Mally was such a good dog and she loved riding.  She had convinced herself Mally wouldn’t be a problem to take along.  After all, people took their pets on road trips all the time.  “She’s going with me.”

Secretly, if truth be told, she would just plain miss the crazy mutt.

She was going to miss her cat, Puddles, too. But Puddles hated riding.  Gloria could hardly get him to the vet.  He howled and cried the entire time he was in the car.  No - taking Puddles was out of the question.

“When are you coming back?” 

Gloria rubbed her bare foot across Mally’s soft fur.  The dog rolled over and stretched out, loving every second of the attention.  “As soon as I find Liz and strangle her.”

Paul chuckled.  He knew all about the rivalry between the two sisters.  He hadn’t met Gloria’s sister Liz yet, but from everything he’d heard, she sounded like a real stinker.  “Okay. I’ll stop by and check on Puddles every day.”

“Make sure you pet him.  You know, show him some attention,” Gloria fretted.

“I will. I promise,” Paul assured her.  “If you promise to check in every day so I know you’re safe.”

Gloria was relieved.  Paul wasn’t mad and Puddles was in good hands.  Still, she’d have to bring Puddles back some special treats to make up for leaving him home alone for a couple days.

After she hung up the phone, she looked down at Mally.  “Wait’ll Margaret finds out you’re going with us!”

Gloria pulled into Margaret’s driveway in the wee hours of the morning.  She tapped out a couple quick beeps of the car horn, hoping she wouldn’t wake up the neighbors.  Seconds later, Margaret popped out the breezeway door, two large suitcases in tow.  She struggled as she dragged them down the paved driveway.  Gloria met her at the rear of the car.  “We’re only going to be gone a couple days!”

Margaret hoisted the larger of the two bags into the trunk before grabbing the other.  “Gotta be prepared for anything!” she declared.

She wiggled the second one in beside the first as Gloria watched in disbelief.  Those two ginormous bags took up the entire trunk! 

Margaret finished adjusting the bags, dusted off her hands and headed to the passenger side of the car. 

Gloria slid back into the driver’s seat and buckled up.  Margaret slid in beside her and shoved the belt buckle into the holder.  She carefully set her designer handbag safely on the floor beside her.  As she straightened back up, Mally decided to say “Hello” to Margaret when she stuck her head over the front seat and slurped the side of Margaret’s face.

“Yuck!”  Margaret whirled around and came face-to-snout with Mally.  “What’s
she
doing here?”

Gloria clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.  “I figured we could use a good guard dog.”

“Guard dog my foot!” Margaret snorted as she pushed Mally’s snout away from her face.  “Thanks for the warning!”

Mally’s face sunk as she backed away from Margaret.  Her feelings were hurt.  Gloria reached back and patted her head.  “Don’t worry, Mally.  She’ll warm up to you soon enough.”

The drive to the main highway was uneventful and Gloria was relieved they were finally on their way.  She glanced over at Margaret who was sitting quietly, staring out the window. Gloria felt a pang of guilt about Margaret being her last choice for the road trip.  She silently vowed to make a sincere effort to be extra nice to her.  After all, Margaret had been kind enough to agree to come along at the last minute. 

Margaret had many redeeming qualities and this trip would give them a chance to get away and maybe have a little fun.  Just the two of them.  She glanced at Mally sitting in the back seat.  Well, the three of them.

Margaret finally shook off her melancholy mood and started to chat with Gloria.  The miles flew by as the two women talked about their beloved town of Belhaven, their small group of close friends and the weird things that were happening to their bodies and minds as they grew older. 

“I’ve always been a little jealous of how close you and Lucy are,” Margaret confessed out-of-the-blue.  Gloria glanced over at her friend in surprise.  The admission had to be hard for her to make.  Out of the five women, she was the proudest, the most critical of others and the hardest to get close to.

Gloria chose her words carefully.  After all, this was a big admission for Margaret and she didn’t want to make it seem like a trivial confession.  “I’m sorry you feel that way, Margaret.  It’s just that when Lucy’s husband and my James died within months of each other, we kind of went through the mourning process together,” she explained.

Margaret nodded.  “Yeah, I know.” She avoided Gloria’s eyes as she stared out the window.  “Don gets so wrapped up in his golfing buddies.  Seems like he doesn’t have time for me anymore.” 

Gloria never was very close to Margaret’s husband.  He always seemed a bit aloof.  But the two of them seemed a good match.  After all, they’d been together for a very long time.  The only thing that bothered Gloria was Don never seemed to make an effort to spend time with his wife or do any of the things she wanted to do. 

Margaret just put the whole thing in a brand new light for Gloria.  One just never knew what kind of battles others were fighting and how they might need a shoulder to cry on or a friend they could turn to every once in awhile. 

Gloria silently resolved that from now on she would make a point to include Margaret more and be a better friend.  “Maybe you could sit down and have an honest conversation with him.  Let him know how you feel left out…”

Margaret glanced across the seat, tears filling her hazel blue eyes.  “I’ve tried several times.  The harder I try, the more he shuts me out.”  The next confession tore at Gloria’s heart.  “I think he might be running around with another woman.”

The thought never occurred to Gloria but Margaret knew her husband much better than anyone else.  “But Belhaven is so small.  Nothing is a secret…”

Margaret shook her head.  “No.  I think she may be from Lakeville.” She looked down at the worn, wrinkled hands in her lap.  “I hired an investigator,” she confessed.  “He’s going to get back with me next week.  After we get back from this trip.”

“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” Gloria reasoned. “Don would be a fool to take up with someone else!”

And it was true.  Margaret was an attractive woman.  Her figure was a tad on the plump side but weren’t they all?  Her short gray hair was cut in a flattering style.  To Gloria, she always looked stylish and put together.  Gloria saw no reason the man would go chasing after someone else.

Still, one never could tell what goes on in someone else’s mind.  “Well, that would be a good time to check up on him while we’re gone.” Without thinking, she blurted out.  “The mice will play while the cat’s away.”  Instantly regretting her words, she quickly added.  “But I think you’re going to find out he’s completely innocent.” 

Whether she herself believed the words, Gloria wasn’t sure.  She just hoped she sounded halfway convincing for her friend’s sake.

Gloria quickly changed the subject and began talking about her grandsons and all the predicaments they always seemed to get into.  They made good time without any major traffic back-ups and were finally on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  With only a few quick turns, they easily found the train station. 

The train was scheduled to depart at 3 p.m. sharp and it was only 2:30.  Gloria could see a few people milling about outside.  She unfastened her seatbelt and grabbed the door handle.  “I hope we’re not too early.”

She opened the back door to let Mally out to stretch her legs and check out some nearby shrubbery.  She quickly finished her business and obediently trotted over to where the women were waiting near Gloria’s car, Anabelle. 

Gloria snapped the familiar leash in place and headed through the parking lot as they made their way over to the massive steam locomotive.  Puffs of gray smoke billowed from the tall smokestack.  Gloria leaned slightly forward and peered to the left.  The train was long.  So long that she couldn’t even see the last car from where they were standing.

Directly in front of them was a small, square ticket booth.  A lone attendant was standing behind the counter. Gloria narrowed his eyes as she tried to read the small print on his name tag.  “Jonathan.” She pulled the tickets from her purse and held them out.  Jonathan glanced down and then nodded, “You’re in the right place.” 

He shook his head sadly as he motioned at Mally.  “I’m sorry. Dogs aren’t allowed.” He came out from around the booth and bent down to stroke Mally’s head. He glanced from one to the other uncertainly.  “Unless she’s a service dog. You know, for the disabled.”

Margaret knew Gloria wouldn’t leave Mally behind.  They might not actually make it on the train and the entire trip would be for nothing.  She stepped forward.  “You mean if someone were visually impaired, the dog could come with us?”

Jonathan slowly nodded. 

Margaret was blinder than a bat without her glasses.  Almost legally blind according to her eye doctor.  She whipped off her glasses and fumbled with the clasp on her purse as she attempted to shove them inside.  “We’re all set then.  I’m legally blind without my glasses.”  Which wasn’t a lie.  The young man’s face was now nothing but a round blob of blur. 

A slow grin spread across his face as he stuck the leash in Margaret’s outstretched hand.  “I’m not supposed to allow animals to board without the special harness, but…” He waved a hand in the direction of the stairs.  “Feel free to board whenever you’re ready.”

Gloria grasped Margaret’s hand and led her towards the steps.  “Sheer genius Margaret.” She squeezed her hand tightly.  “I could hug you right now.”

Margaret slipped her glasses back on as she climbed the steps.  “I’ll take a rain check on that hug.  Instead, you can hang onto your dog.” She thrust the leash in Gloria’s hand and finished boarding the train.

Gloria followed her up the steep steps.  The first one was a doozy. She grasped the handrail and pulled herself up the three narrow steps and into the Pullman train car. The interior of the train was a step back in time.  The round wooden ceiling was a deep mahogany color.  Intricate carvings ran along the edges of the ceiling.  Plush parlour chairs lined both sides of the narrow car. 

A booming voice echoed loudly across the long, narrow space.  “Good afternoon ladies.” 

Gloria whirled around to face the deep voice.  A distinguished gentleman wearing a white shirt along with a silky black fitted vest and a pair of tailored black slacks appeared out of nowhere.  Large, brass buttons ran down the center of his vest and a gold chain hung from his right side pocket.  On his head was a stiff black hat with a small visor.  Across the front in bold silver letters was the word “Conductor.”

From where Gloria was standing, she could tell he was rather tall.  His giant strides brought him directly in front of the girls who were still standing uncertainly near the car entrance.  He swept a long arm to the left.  “Welcome aboard!  You may be seated anywhere you choose,” he added with flourish.  He leaned over and patted Mally’s head.  “Well, hello there my furry friend.”

Gloria clutched her handbag as she looked around.  “I hope we’re not the only ones travelling today.”

The man shook his head and straightened his back.  A brilliant white smile beamed across his face.  “No.  Today’s trip is completely sold out,” he told them.

Margaret slid into the nearest seat and promptly propped her feet on a round velvet ottoman centered directly in front of it.  “Looks like we’ll be riding in style.”

Before Gloria could answer, the conductor stuck his hand in his small front pockets and chuckled.  “You are in for a real treat today, ladies.”  He turned on his heel and called out as he exited the car.  “Enjoy the ride!” 

Gloria watched the tall, imposing figure disappear through the door before plopping down in the chair next to Margaret.  Mally settled in beside Gloria’s chair. 

Under normal circumstance, Gloria would’ve been thrilled to be onboard a real train, riding through the majestic mountains and enjoying the magnificent scenery around her.

Instead, she had to wonder why on earth Liz sent her train tickets.  Maybe Liz would be onboard?  The minutes dragged by as Gloria waited impatiently for the ride to begin.  She passed the time by studying every passenger that boarded their car.  None of them was Liz.  Finally, the train slowly pulled out of the station and began its journey through the countryside. 

Gloria grabbed her purse and jumped to her feet.  “I’ll be right back.  Watch Mally for me,” she added.  She handed Margaret the leash and stepped into the aisle.

“Alrighty.”  Margaret was more than happy to just sit near the window and watch the world go by.  The lull of the train chugging down the tracks was making her sleepy anyways.  She wrapped her hand around the leash before leaning her head back on the overstuffed headrest and closing her eyes.  Seconds later she was sound asleep.

Gloria shook her head as she watched her friend sleep. 
Must be nice to be able to fall asleep just about anywhere,
she thought.

Gloria made her way towards the back of the car.  There was another car right behind theirs and it was full of passengers.  With one last quick glimpse at Margaret who was still resting peacefully and Mally curled up on the floor nearby, she stepped into the other car.  

The conductor was right.  The train was full of people. And none of them were Liz.  By the time she made it to the fourth and final passenger car, her shoulders slumped in resignation.  She had no idea what she was supposed to do now.  Liz wasn’t here but obviously wanted her on the train for whatever reason. 

Gloria was smart enough to bring along a snapshot of Liz and herself.  A photo that was taken a few months earlier.  She pulled the picture from her purse and headed for the first employee she saw - the bartender.  Gloria hopped up on an empty barstool and slid the photo across the gleaming Mahogany bar top.  “I’m looking for my sister.  I thought she was going to meet me on the train today but it doesn’t look like she’s onboard.”

The man wiped his hands on his apron and plucked the picture from the countertop.  He studied it for a brief moment before shaking his head.  “Never seen her before.”  He handed it back.

Gloria stuck the picture in her purse and slid down off the barstool. “Okay, thanks.” It was time to move on to the next employee.  She turned to go.

“Wait a minute!” he suddenly called out.

Gloria whirled around, her eyebrows raised.  Maybe he remembered something after all.

The bartender pointed to a waitress working nearby.  “Sandy is one of our servers.  She works almost every day the train runs.  You should check with her,” he suggested.