Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings (7 page)

The article was a few short paragraphs.  It told how Mike Foley from nearby Lakeville was eating lunch with his wife, Darla, at Dot’s when he was poisoned by her lunch special, the Chicken and Dumplings.  The story went on to say he died on the way to the hospital.  A brief mention at the end said a funeral would be held later that week. 

“What are the chances someone he knew poisoned him?” Margaret wondered.

“Not likely.  No.  I think it was someone else.  Someone who was trying to harm either Dot or Ray or ruin Dot’s business.”  She remembered the owner of Pasta Amore.

“So do you want to run over to that restaurant in Lakeville with me?” Gloria asked.

Margaret was still staring at the picture.  “Yeah, yeah.  Sure.  When?”

“Paul’s coming over for dinner tonight.  How ‘bout tomorrow night?”

Margaret headed for the door.  “Sounds good.  I think Don’s going fishing with his buddies tomorrow.”

Gloria watched as Margaret made her way down the steps and to her car. “Oh, hey!  What about the investments?”  she yelled at Margaret’s back.

Margaret whirled around.  “Oh my gosh!  Can you believe I forgot why I was even here?”

Yes.  Gloria could believe it.  Stuff like that happened to her all the time.  She could walk from the living room to the kitchen and forget why she went there.

Margaret reached into her oversize handbag and pulled out a packet.  “It’s a little confusing, all the different stuff to invest in.  I’d have Don take a look at it but even he doesn’t know about the coins yet.”  Her husband, Don, recently retired as vice president of a local bank. 

Gloria grabbed the papers and nodded.  James always took care of their finances.  She had a tidy sum in the bank, along with his pension and social security.  She got by just fine. 

The coins weighed heavy on her mind.  Sometimes money was more of a burden than anything.  And it certainly brought out the worst in some people…

She watched Margaret drive off before heading back inside.  It was time to start on dinner.  She pulled some olive oil, garlic and Worcestershire sauce from the cupboard.  Gloria liked to cook like she investigated her crimes.  With no real follow-by-the-rule-book plans. 

She chopped two cloves of garlic and tossed it into the bottom of a glass baking dish.  Then she poured some olive oil and Worcestershire sauce in.  She whisked it with a fork before dropping two Ribeye steaks in the bottom.  She swirled them around in the dish before flipping them over and popping them in the fridge. 

It was time to head to the root cellar.  The root cellar had been a fixture on the farm for as long as Gloria could remember. It was the perfect place to store all her vegetables.  This one was dug right out of the ground and there were several steps leading down to it. 

She grabbed a flashlight by the door before heading outdoors in search of some potatoes.  There were still a bunch left over from last year’s garden.

She made her way down the steps to the wooden red doors.  She opened the doors, clicked on the flashlight and stepped inside.  A cool dampness hung in the air.  She shivered as she made her way to the back of the cellar.  Not only were there still some potatoes, she had a few onions, some carrots and a couple heads of cabbage.

She grabbed two nice-sized potatoes and an onion before heading out.  Mally was still sniffing around the storage bins.  “Sorry girl.  I don’t have any corn.”

Mally dropped her head and followed behind Gloria.  Corn on the cob was her favorite. 

Gloria latched the doors shut and headed up the steps.  “Don’t worry. I plan on growing at least three rows of yellow corn this summer just for you!” she promised.

The day was filled with bright sunshine and warming up nicely.  Gloria was thankful for the lovely weather.  Nothing like trying to grill steaks in the cold - or worse yet - rain.

Back inside, she scrubbed the potatoes and set them aside.  She looked over at Mally and Puddles, who wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack.  “I know, I know.  We’re all hungry!”

She fed them both before pulling a bowl of vegetable soup from the freezer.  While she waited for the soup to unthaw in the microwave, she picked up the newspaper and glanced at the article again.  She prayed Dot hadn’t seen it but chances of that were slim. 

She opened the paper and glanced at the inside.  Three pages in, her eyes zeroed in on a restaurant review.  She picked up her glasses and started to read: 

“Pasta Amore Makes Me Want Some Moray” the headline read.  It was a five-star review for the new restaurant.  According to the food critic, who tried a sampler platter of baked Lasagna, Chicken Piccata and Five Cheese Ziti, the food was fabulous. 

The critic ranted and raved about the creamy pasta, fresh spices and crusty, garlic bread.  The author even gushed over the salad. How the dressing had the perfect amount of tang.  The croutons fresh and made from scratch.  Gloria finished the review and then studied the photo of the food critic.  It was a young woman with long dark hair. 
Amy Martola. 

She doesn’t look old enough to be an experienced food critic
, Gloria decided.  When Margaret and I eat there tomorrow night, I’m going to try that sampler plate myself, she vowed. 

She pulled out the grocery store ad and started a short list as she ate her soup.  Her fridge was almost empty. Even though she didn’t mind going to the store, it wasn’t at the top of her list of favorite things to do.

She carried her dishes to the sink when the phone started to ring.  It was her daughter, Jill.  “Hi Mom.  How did your trip to Tennessee go?” 

Gloria propped the phone on her shoulder and picked up the dishrag and bowl.  “It was fine.  Margaret and I had a very nice time.  Your Aunt Liz was a bit of a stinker but straightened up towards the end,” she added.

Jill chuckled.  Her Aunt Liz was a bit of a handful.  But in a good way.  “The boys and I thought we’d make a trip to the flea market next Monday.  You want to go with us?” she asked.

Gloria didn’t get to see much of Jill and the boys these days.  It would be nice to spend some time together.  “Yes, of course.  What time?”

“How does 9 sound?  We can eat breakfast at Dot’s and then walk over to the flea market,” Jill said.

Oh no.  Jill didn’t know about Dot’s
!  “You don’t get the newspaper, do you?” Gloria asked.

“No.  Why?” Jill replied.

“Because Dot’s is closed right now.  Someone died after eating her chicken and dumplings last Wednesday.”

Jill sucked in her breath.  “You’re kidding!”

“I wish I was.  No.  The place is shut down until the health department and police department gives them the okay to open back up,” Gloria explained.

Tears filled Jill’s eyes.  Her heart went out to poor Dot, who was like a second mother to her.  “Poor Dot.”

“I’m trying to figure out what happened and clear Dot and Ray’s good names,” Gloria said.

“If anyone can figure out what happened, it’s you,” Jill said confidently.

Gloria smiled.  That was the second compliment she got just today on her sleuthing abilities.  But the smile faded when she remembered one of her favorite sayings,
“Pride Goeth Before a Fall!”

Jill yelled into the phone.  “Tyler, put that down.  Listen, I gotta go.  Tyler’s spraying the dog with air freshener!”

“Okay, see you next week,” Gloria quickly replied.  But Jill was already gone.

Gloria shook her head and offered up a small prayer for Jill and extra patience with her grandsons.

Gloria glanced at the clock.  It was time to start on her secret weapon.  Dessert.  After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  She remembered him mentioning to her that he loved coconut.  With that in mind, she knew what to make.  Creamy Coconut Cake. 

She plugged in the radio and turned it to a Christian radio station. Then she pulled the ingredients from the cupboard.  The afternoon flew by as she busied herself with the special dinner. 

Her mind wandered to Liz and Al as she worked.  Maybe the two of them would hit it off.  Al seemed laid back while Liz could be high maintenance.  But one never could tell.  Opposites do attract.  He might be the perfect balance to her personality.  She shrugged.  It was worth a shot.  If nothing else, maybe they could be friends…

The ringing phone pulled her from deep thought.  She wiped her hands on her daisy print apron.  “Hello?”

“Hello, Gloria.” Gloria felt her face flush.  It was Paul.  She pulled the phone closer.  “Don’t tell me you’re calling to cancel dinner,” she said.

“No, no,” he reassured her.  “I’m getting off a little early and thought I’d head over to your place now…” he trailed off.

Everything was pretty much ready to go.  All that was left was freshening up.  “Sure. Come on over!”

After they hung up, she made a beeline for the bathroom.  He was only half an hour ahead of schedule so it wasn’t a big deal. 

Gloria freshened her make-up and checked her outfit one last time.  She decided on a pair of dark blue capris and baby blue silk blouse.  On her feet were a pair of black flats.  She popped a pair of pearl earrings in her ears and spritzed some of her favorite perfume on before she wandered back into the kitchen. 

She got there just in time to see his police car pull into the drive.  Her heart sunk.  This meant just one thing.
He had to work early the next morning
, she thought.

She swung the door open and stepped out onto the porch.  Her pulse raced as she watched his tall, broad-shouldered figure emerge from the driver’s seat.  He reached back in and pulled a hanging basket of flowers from the passenger seat.

“Flowers again?” she said.

“Of course,” he replied.  “But these are for the porch.”

He leaned close and sniffed the air.  “You smell pretty.”

Gloria smiled brightly.  “Thanks.” She turned and waved him up the steps.  “C’mon inside.”

She hung the colorful arrangement from a hook on the porch before they headed indoors.

  She pulled a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge along with the steaks still marinating in the dish.  He grabbed the steaks while she poured the lemonade.

“We can sit out on the porch while these are grilling?” she suggested. 

She settled in the rocker and watched as he fired up the grill. 

The sun began to set in the sky.  For a moment, it reminded Gloria of several months back when she sat in the exact same rocker and faced the sunset.  But it was much different back then than it was right now. 

She was alone.  And lonely.  As she reflected back on it, it was a season in her life where she felt as if she had no purpose. She remembered praying to God to help her become useful again.  It wasn’t long after that Daniel Malone’s body was found in the woods behind the old elementary school. 

Gloria dove head first into detective-mode, something she’d always thought was right up her alley.  Things changed after that.  She helped solve Daniel Malone’s murder – Andrea’s husband. 

She glanced at Paul out of the corner of her eye.  That’s how she met him.  He was the detective handling the Malone murder case.  Gloria visited the police station more than once to turn in clues she uncovered. 

She remembered that day, too.  How nervous she was sitting across from him in his office.  Was she nervous because she’d never been inside a police station before or perhaps maybe, just maybe, she was the teensiest bit attracted to him?  You know what they say – love at first sight.  Maybe her heart knew something that hadn’t registered in her brain yet.  Either way, she was thankful God brought her to the station that day.

Paul reached over and grabbed Gloria’s hand.  “You’re a million miles away…”

She smiled.  “Just remembering how we met.”

Paul slid into the rocker next to her.  “Did you think I was cute back then?” he teased.

Gloria blushed.  “I guess I did.” 

They chatted easily about life on the farm and how peaceful it was. 

Paul pulled the steaks from the grill and set them on the plate next to it.  Gloria held the door as he made his way inside.  She glanced back out.  The sunset was spectacular.  Her eyes settled on the small bistro table in the corner.  “What if I throw a tablecloth on the porch table and we eat out here?” she suggested.

His eyebrows raised.  “Hmm.  That sounds romantic…”

“You’re right!”  She opened a kitchen drawer and grabbed the first tablecloth she found.  She unfolded it and inspected the front.  It was dotted with bowls of fruit and edged in lime green Gingham print. 

Romantic, it was not, but at least it was something.  She shoved the drawer closed and made her way back to the porch.  She slid the table away from the railing before draping the plastic cloth over the top. 

She picked up an old dishcloth and wiped the metal chairs before heading back inside.  Paul pulled the garlic bread from the oven while Gloria grabbed butter and sour cream from the fridge and carried them outside. 

After the table was set, Paul followed behind with the steaks.

She scooted in while he grabbed the second chair and slid it close to hers.  The angle of the chairs gave them a front row view of the setting sun.