Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings (14 page)

Ruth shook her head.  No.  Believe it or not, everyone seems to be out and about.  “Must be the nice weather,” she said.

“How’s the house shaping up?” Margaret asked Andrea.  Margaret didn’t live far from Andrea’s new place.  She passed it every day on her way to town, taking note of the transformation. 

“Another few weeks and I’ll be ready for a housewarming party,” Andrea told the girls.  “Say, you want to come by and see the progress?”

The girls agreed today was a perfect day to check out the old Johnson mansion.  “I’ll bring leftovers for lunch,” Gloria offered.

They all parted ways with a plan to meet up at Andrea’s at noon. 

Gloria pulled in the drive right on time.  She was surprised at how much the construction crew accomplished in the past few days since her last visit. 

The outside was done.  A fresh coat of yellow paint covered the boards and bright blue shutters greeted guests as they meandered up the drive. Andrea made the right choice in colors, Gloria decided. 

The front deck was replaced with smooth, new boards and the wrought iron railing had been power washed and painted a shiny black.  This majestic plantation-style home would fit in perfect in the South.

The girls wandered indoors to check the progress.  Drop cloths covered every inch of floor in the dining and living room. 

“I’m going for a more neutral gray in the living room with a deep red for the dining room,” Andrea explained.  “Red is good for digestion.  At least that’s what I read.”

They followed Andrea into the kitchen.  It looked the same as the last time Gloria was there.  Retro yet modern. 

Andrea walked over to the wall separating the kitchen from the small hall, directly across from the cozy wood-paneled library.  “I’m thinking of knocking this wall down and opening it up with a wide, granite bar area.  What do you think?”

Dot nodded her approval.

“I think you should become an interior designer,” Lucy said.

“I told her the exact same thing,” Gloria said.

The group wandered onto the rear patio while Gloria headed to her car to grab the food.  The girls settled at the picnic table as the leftovers were passed around and the girls filled their plates. 

Ruth was the first to bring up the subject of Andrea and Brian Sellers.  “That Brian Sellers seemed to have taken a liking to you,” she commented.

Andrea blushed.  “You think so?”

Margaret agreed. “Oh yeah! He was giving you the googly-eyes.” She lowered her eyelids and winked seductively for emphasis.

“Well, he did ask me if I was free for lunch one day next week,” Andrea admitted.

“And?” Lucy prompted.

Andrea nibbled on the end of her hot dog. “I gave him my number,” she said.

The group went on to discuss his past career as a judge, how ambitious and stable he appeared.

“And cute,” Lucy pointed out.

Gloria wiped her mouth and laid the napkin on her empty plate.  “And he has a great sense of humor.”

Lucy turned to her friend.  “What made you decide to invite him?  Did you just pop in to his hardware store and say, “Come to my cookout Saturday night?” 

“Kind of.  I needed a propane tank for the grill.” That part was true.  Gloria just didn’t add that she was there to interrogate him about the murder.

But Dot knew Gloria all too well.  “Gloria!  You went there to question him about the murder!”

“Well, I did ask him a few questions…” her voice trailed off.

Andrea set her hot dog down on the plate.  “Why would he be a suspect?”

Dot explained about his offers to buy her place and how he wasn’t giving up.  “That doesn’t make him a suspect, though.”

Gloria was reminded of the imminent arrest.  She pounded her fist on the table.  “We have to find the killer.  And fast!”

The group jumped back in surprise.  A burst of anger out of Gloria was a rare occurrence.

She told them how she got Judith and Brian’s prints and turned them in for testing to see if they matched the print they found on the toilet bowl cleaner.  She didn’t mention that Paul kept a cup from the party the night before for testing. 

She abruptly got up from the table.  The whole thing upset her every time she dwelled on it.  The clock was ticking and she had no clear suspect!

Lucy had more important things to worry about at the moment than finding a killer.  “What – no dessert?”

“I swear, Lucy.  I’ve never seen anyone with a sweet tooth like yours!” Ruth said.

“When you die, we’re going to have a chocolate fountain at your wake in your honor,” Margaret teased.

Gloria was the last to leave the small get-together.  Andrea walked her to her car.  “Do you think there’s a chance Brian did it?”

Gloria slowly shook her head as she remembered Paul’s words when he said he hoped it wasn’t who they suspected.  “My gut says no.” She sighed.  “Tomorrow.  We should hear something tomorrow.”

Andrea could see Gloria was visibly upset.  She wasn’t sure why since Gloria barely knew Brian. 

Andrea pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and rubbed her brow.  “I just wish someone caught a glimpse of the killer out behind the restaurant that day.”

Gloria was in her car and halfway down the drive when Andrea remembered something.  She did see someone familiar that morning in the vicinity of the restaurant.  She recognized the person from the party last night.

She waved her hands frantically at Gloria to stop. 

Andrea rushed to the driver’s side window.  “I do remember seeing someone else that morning!  Except I didn’t know who that person was until last night at your party. The only reason I remember is their truck almost ran me over as they drove like a demon out of you-know-what coming from the alley behind Dot’s that morning.”

Gloria’s eyes widened, her heart thumped in her chest.  She reached out and grabbed Andrea’s arm.  “Who was it?”

The color drained from her face when Andrea told her the name. Gloria thought she was going to faint. 

But now it all made perfect sense.  In a horrible way.  And there was one person Gloria was certain could confirm her suspicions.

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone what you just told me,” Gloria said.

Andrea nodded.  “I promise.”

Gloria’s mind bounced back and forth like a ping pong ball.  The one thing lacking was motive.

Gloria pulled into Gus’s garage, relieved to see the lights were on.  She hurried from the car and walked to the front door.  It was locked.  Of course they weren’t open on a Sunday evening!  She stuck her head against the overhead door window and peered inside.  Gus’s head was buried deep under the hood of a car.  She tapped lightly on the glass pane.

He poked his head around the corner and waved when he spotted her.  He motioned her to the front door.

He unlocked the door and opened it wide.  “Hi Gloria.  What’s up?  Anabelle giving you some problems?” he asked.

She shook her head.  “No, Gus.  Anabelle’s fine.”

“I’m sorry to bother you.  I’ll make this quick.” She paused. “Jennifer.  Jennifer Barrett’s car.  She had it in here not long ago.”

Gus nodded.  “Yeah a couple times now.” He tapped the wrench in his hand against his other palm.  “The first time for a tire blowout then not long after that she was having trouble with her brakes.  They went out on her,” he explained.

Gloria took a breath.  She had another question, but Gus answered it without her even asking.

“Suspicious, too.  I’d almost bet money someone cut her brake lines.”

“You think it was intentional?” she asked. “They were cut on purpose?”

He nodded.  “Without a doubt.” He made a cutting motion with his fingers.  “A clean cut straight across.”

“I appreciate your time, Gus. You’ve been very helpful. ” She turned to go.

Gus started to shut the door and stopped.  “Yeah, the police were in here a couple days ago asking about the car, too.  You don’t think someone was trying to hurt Jennifer?”

“I hope not, Gus.  I hope not.”

When Gloria got home, she dialed Dot’s number.  Dot picked up right away. Gloria got right to the point.  “The day of the poisoning - did Jennifer have her car or did Tony drop her off?”

“Oh gosh, Gloria.  That day is such a blur. Let me think.” There was a long pause on the other end.  “No.  I think her car was in the shop that day.  She had a tire blowout.”

“So Tony dropped her off that morning?”

“Hmm.  Yes, I believe he did,” Dot answered.

Gloria’s mind was spinning. 
What if it was Tony?  If it was Tony, what was the motive?  Money?  No, they certainly didn’t have a lot of money, especially since Tony’s hours at his job had been cut. 

“Thanks, Dot.  I gotta run.” Before Dot could ask too many questions, Gloria hung up the phone.

Gloria paced the kitchen floor. 
Where was the motive?  Unless… unless there was a life insurance policy.  But how could she find out?

She couldn’t.  But she knew someone else who maybe could.

She dialed Andrea’s number.  “Hi Gloria.”

“Hi Andrea.  Say, I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure.  Anything.”

“Since you own an insurance agency, is there any way to find out if someone recently took out a life insurance policy on – say – their spouse?”

“You mean if that Tony guy took a policy out on his wife?”

“Exactly.”

Andrea paused.  “There’s no national database that I know of - but there are other ways to find out.  I’ll need Tony and his wife’s full names and their address.  Their date of birth would be helpful, too.”

Gloria was doubtful she could get their birth dates without raising a lot of questions but she could easily figure out their address.  “I’ll call you back in five minutes.”

She raced to her computer, typed in Anthony Barrett, Belhaven, Michigan. Tony and Jennifer’s address popped up on the screen.  She jotted it down before heading back to the phone.  She thought about calling Dot, to ask what Jennifer’s birth date was but she didn’t want to send up any red flags.  At least not yet.

She called Andrea back and gave her the address. 

“I’ll call you back within the hour,” Andrea promised.

Gloria hung up the phone and started to pace again.  Maybe it wasn’t about money.  Maybe he was seeing someone else and wanted to get Jennifer out of the way.  Either way, the whole situation was tragic.  

She was still pacing when the phone jarred her back to reality.  “What did you find out?”

“What do you mean, “What did you find out?” It was Paul.

Her phone beeped.  Another call was coming in.  “I’ll call you right back!”

She disconnected and answered the ringing line.  “Hello?”

“You were right!  Someone took out a life insurance policy.  A
large
life insurance policy on Jennifer Barrett – to the tune of 850 grand not more than two months ago!” 

“I need to tell Paul,” Gloria blurted out.

“Let me know if I can help in any other way,” Andrea replied before the line went dead.

Gloria’s fingers trembled as she dialed Paul’s number.  “What was that all about?”  He sounded annoyed.

“It was Jennifer’s husband, Tony.  He cut her brake line right after he slashed her tires.  When that didn’t work, he snuck in the back door of the restaurant and dropped poison in Dot’s pot of dumplings, thinking that Jennifer would be the first to try them.  The only problem was, by the time he grabbed the cleaner and made it into the kitchen, Jennifer already tried a sample and was in the front waiting tables.”

Paul confirmed her theory.  “We’re working on his warrant now.  As soon as the lab confirms the fingerprints first thing tomorrow morning, we’ll be on his doorstep.”

Gloria wasn’t sure if she was relieved it wasn’t Ray or heartbroken that it was Tony.  He seemed like such a nice guy.  What a shame.  Jennifer’s life was about to crumble around her…

Gloria spent the rest of the evening in a state of distraction.  She couldn’t even focus on her favorite detective show. 

She crawled into bed early but spent the night tossing and turning.  Visions of Tony sneaking in Dot’s place played out in her mind over and over like a b-rated movie. 

She gave up trying to sleep and climbed out of bed just as the sun was coming up.  She glanced in the bedroom mirror on the way to the kitchen.  Her hair was pointing straight out at various angles.  It reminded her of those models that get the crazy haircuts and everyone raves about it being cutting-edge fashion. 

She grinned at her reflection in spite of herself. 
I wonder what people would think if I left it like this all day,
she wondered.
 

Mally and Puddles met her in the kitchen.  She fed them and then followed Mally onto the porch.  Dark, ominous clouds filled the sky.  Thunder rumbled in the distance. It was going to be a gloomy day.  Fitting for Gloria’s mood and the events that were about to take place.  And the lives that would soon be changed forever. 

She started a pot of coffee and headed to the bathroom.  She paused in front of the bathroom mirror as she studied her reflection again.  She turned her head this way and that.  She reached up and raked her bangs forward with her fingers before she fluffed the back up.  She nodded in satisfaction and decided she would leave her hair just like that. 

She turned the shower handle on high.  The cool water brought her to life.  It was amazing something so simple could improve her state-of-mind. 

With the shower over and her brand new hair-do in place, she poured a cup of coffee and reached for the morning paper.  She set her coffee cup in the sink and turned around just in time to watch a car pull into her drive. 

It was Dot.  She glanced up at the clock.  Odd that Dot would be here this time of the morning. The breakfast crowd would be in full swing at the restaurant.

Gloria waited at the door as Dot headed up the porch.  From the look on her face, Gloria knew that Tony was already in custody.

She flung the door open and stepped to the side to let Dot in.  “You’ll never guess what,” Dot said.

“They have a suspect in Mike Foley’s murder,” Gloria replied.

Dot set her purse on the table and plopped down in a kitchen chair.  “How did you know?”

Gloria poured a cup of coffee for Dot and set it in front of her.  “Paul told me he thought there would be an arrest this morning.”  She wasn’t sure how much she should tell Dot she already knew. 

“Did you know it was Tony?” Dot asked. “Is that why you called last night to ask if Tony dropped Jennifer off the morning of the poisoning?”

“I didn’t put the pieces together until last night,” Gloria confessed.   “After I stopped by Gus’s shop and he told me Jennifer’s brake lines were intentionally cut.”

Gloria wasn’t sure what else to say so she took a sip of her coffee instead.  “You want a donut?”  Without waiting for an answer, she pulled the box from the corner pantry and set them on the table.  Chocolate made everything better.

She opened the lid and picked out a chocolate éclair before sliding the box towards Dot.

Dot plucked a glazed donut from the box and closed the lid. She absentmindedly nibbled on the edge.

Gloria broke her éclair in two pieces and licked the creamy filling before continuing.  “When Andrea told me she saw Tony the morning of the killing.  That he tore out of the alley behind the restaurant so fast, he almost hit her.”

“She just remembered that?” Dot asked.

“Well, she didn’t know who Tony was until the cookout the other night.”

Dot’s eyebrows furrowed. “So he snuck in the back door of the restaurant and dumped the cleaner in my dumplings…”

“Yep.  Thinking that his wife would be the first to try them like she always does…”

Dot shook her head, as if to clear it.  “Unbelievable.”  She squinted down at the watch on her wrist.  “I better get going.  Ray’s holding down the fort by himself.”

Dot was out the door and across the porch before she stopped.  She whirled around.  “By the way, I’m not sure what you did to your hair but I love it.  It looks so…”

“Trendy?” Gloria suggested.

Dot slowly nodded.  “Like something one of those fashion models in a magazine would wear.”

Gloria grinned.  “Thanks.  I like to call it bed head.”

“Ha!” Dot snorted.  “Well, whatever it is, it’s working for you!”

Gloria watched as Dot pulled out of the driveway and headed back into town. 

She eased the porch door shut.  There was still something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  It was nagging at the back of her brain and it was just out of reach. 

Gardening always cleared her head.  She pulled on an old pair of work shorts and t-shirt before she slid into her garden boots.  “C’mon Mally.”

Mally trotted over to the door and waited for Gloria to open it up.  They headed to the barn first.  Gloria grabbed packets of radishes, cauliflower and carrot seeds from the wooden shelf on the back wall.  She pulled a metal trowel from a hook by the door on her way back out. 

The garden was already tilled.  Something she had done a few days ago.  She shoved the trowel in the black soil and tossed a clump aside.  She dropped radish seeds in first, careful to sprinkle the seeds in a straight line.  She covered them back up with a scoop of dirt and then finished her task with a gentle pat.  She started on a row of carrots next, following the same methodical system.  Dig. Drop. Scoop. Pat. 

Mally came over to investigate just as Gloria started on the cauliflower.  She tromped right over the top of the freshly-planted radishes. 

Gloria stopped what she was doing and guided her off to the side.  “Sorry girl.  The garden is off limits from now until everything’s out in the fall.”

She went back to work on the cauliflower while Mally sat on the grass at the edge of the garden staring at her.  Her eyes begged to be allowed back in the garden. 

Gloria eased off her aching knees and pushed herself to her feet.  She tiptoed past the tidy rows as she made her way over to Mally.  “Good girl.  No more garden until fall,” she reminded her.

The gardening cleared her head but it didn’t help with the itty bitty nudge that was ping-ponging around in her brain.  She was missing something. Something very important.

The house phone started to ring as she leaned over the kitchen sink and scrubbed the dirt from her hands.  She grabbed the nearest towel and wiped them dry.  “Hello?”

It was Paul. “We arrested Tony a couple hours ago.”

“I heard.” Gloria hung the towel on the stove handle.  “Dot stopped by a little while ago.”

They talked for several long minutes.  She didn’t mention the fog in her brain and the small something that was driving her crazy.  It seemed like in every investigation so far, there was some little detail.  Some small clue right under her nose that she was staring straight at, yet couldn’t put her finger on until the very last moment.  Until it was almost too late. 

Maybe there wasn’t anything more this time.  It just seemed so cut and dried.  So open and shut.  Perhaps, for once, she was making something out of nothing.  At least that’s what she tried to convince herself.

Her stomach protested in hunger.  She walked over to the fridge and opened the door.  One thing she was certain of.  She was sick of cooking.  A trip to Dot’s for lunch was in order.