Looking for Miracles (13 page)

At first Lori thought she was just a chaperon at the Town Hall. Why else would the sheriff and Gloria Martin want her around, complete with the baby, in the middle of a crowded lunch rush? With the presence of the two of them, not even the
worst busybodies in Friedens could assume that their meeting was a date of any kind.

Lori wasn’t sure why Hank and Gloria had to be that careful anyway. If they wanted to see each other socially, what would stop them? They had both been alone for years; Gloria, she knew, for decades. And although Mike didn’t notice it, his mother was still young at heart and an active woman who probably missed having male companionship.

Still, he would have blown a gasket at the thought of his mother going out on a date with the sheriff. Lori could have predicted that, so she ordered her chicken salad on toast, with a glass of milk to go with it and sat back to rock Mikayla in her seat and pretend she wasn’t listening to the conversation at the table.

It surprised her when after the small talk was made for a few minutes, Hank turned to her. “I guess you know why you’re in on this.” Lori nearly choked on the milk she was drinking.

“Well, I thought I did,” she said once she recovered. “I just figured I was the, uh, cover here. Sort of like a chaperon, not that you two need one or anything but…”

Hank and Gloria were both laughing. Lori thought Gloria looked great this way, away from the office and smiling in the company of a handsome
man. She ought to do it more often. The skin around Hank’s eyes crinkled when he laughed, making him seem years younger than he usually did, sitting somber in his uniform. He shook his head, denying her statement. But Lori noticed that even as he denied it, one hand slipped softly over Gloria’s.

“You young people have one-track minds, I swear.” The sheriff still sounded tickled. “If I wanted to date Mike’s mom, I’d do it in less public places than the Town Hall. Even with a chaperon. There are restaurants in Washington, you know, and it’s only twelve miles away. No, we’re getting you away from the office this time. You see, Ms. Harper, I’ve got a little proposition for you.”

“A proposition that would make my son even more aggravated than the thought of my dating Hank,” Gloria said, still smiling. She hadn’t moved her hand out from under the sheriff’s larger one, Lori noticed. She wasn’t sure which was more interesting—the two of them holding hands, or the unspecified proposition that they were talking about.

The waitress came with their lunch, and the sheriff and Gloria stopped holding hands. When the waitress was gone with her tray, Lori took a couple of bites of her chicken salad sandwich, wondering
how long she should delay asking them what they had in mind. She didn’t want to look too eager.

Her reticence seemed to be bothering Gloria. She picked at her hamburger, rearranging lettuce and tomatoes and thin slivers of red onion. “Aren’t you even going to ask?” she finally blurted.

“I suppose so. But I think I’ve already figured part of it out. The only thing you two have in common that would drive Mike this crazy has to do with Clyde Hughes.” It was fun watching the surprise spread over both their faces. “You know I don’t trust the man, either, so it must be something to catch him in whatever he’s doing. And I’ve got no doubt he’s doing something that isn’t quite right.”

Hank broke into a grin. “See, Gloria, I told you she was smart.”

Gloria’s answering grin was even wider. “No, Hank, I told you first. And my son’s every bit as smart, so if we’re going to do this without him knowing about it, we better be quick. Tell Lori what we had in mind.”

Lori leaned over the table, hoping Mikayla wouldn’t pick this moment to wake up. Not now when things were getting interesting. She slept like the angel baby she was. And Hank leaned in to the middle of the table, as well.

“You see, it’s like this,” he began. “Gloria’s
right. We’re pretty sure ol’ Clyde is up to something illegal. Something involving drugs. Probably the meth labs that have been popping up around here. But there’s nothing to prove it. Still, when he got so interested in you a few weeks ago, and you living out in his trailer and all that, it got me to thinking.”

Hank leaned back, brow furrowed. “I don’t know quite how to ask this part. Did your husband know about the baby?” He gestured toward Mikayla’s infant seat. “Did he seem worried about having another mouth to feed?”

Lori looked down at the table. Hank was getting very close to an issue she’d dismissed from her own mind several times. “He did seem worried at first. But then he stopped talking about it. And he told me everything was going to be okay.”

“Did he say why? Was he getting a raise at work? Taking on another job?” Hank’s gaze was piercing. Lori searched her memory for the answers that she wasn’t sure she could find.

“No, he just stopped worrying. He didn’t say much, but then, Gary didn’t always say much. He was sure that getting rich quick was always around the corner.” She stopped, half of her sandwich suspended in one hand. “No, wait. He did say something. Something a little odd. He asked if I knew
where his old notebooks from school were, if I’d be able to find them if he needed them.”

“And you said?” Hank leaned even farther in.

“That they were probably in the storage space we rented over in Union. And he made sure that I had the key on my key ring, not just lying around someplace.”

Gloria looked at Hank. “Sounds like we have a trip to make. And then some calls.” She looked at Lori, and Lori felt as if she was being measured for a task. “How are you at cards? Specifically poker?”

For the first time since they sat down at the Town Hall, Lori felt a little uneasy. “I’ve never played. But why do I get the feeling you’re asking about something else?”

Gloria nodded. “You’re right. I am. It’s pretty obvious that Clyde is up to no good. And I can tell from what he hasn’t said that Hank suspects he may have had plenty to do with your husband’s death.”

Hank grimaced. “And I still can’t say anything, Gloria. Not for certain.”

“But it’s possible,” Lori said, feeling herself start to shake.

Hank nodded. “And there’s one way to find out for sure. That’s where those poker-playing skills would come in. We could set a trap for Hughes.”

It was becoming clearer. “With me as bait?” When Hank nodded again, Lori wondered if she was really up to what these two had in mind.

Chapter Twelve

M
ike looked at her suspiciously when she went back to the office. Lori was sure of it. She tried to act as nonchalant as possible when Gloria dropped her off in the nearest parking lot and she walked back the four doors to the office. But Mike’s normally friendly gaze looked less friendly than usual this time.

“Have a good time?” He wanted more than a simple yes or no for an answer, Lori was sure.

“Fine.” Lori busied herself settling the baby in her crib.

“What are you up to with those two, anyway?” Mike crossed the room, and Lori’s temper flared.

She didn’t have to answer his questions. There was no reason that anything that went on in the
Town Hall was Mike’s business. “Nothing. We just had lunch. Why do you ask?”

Mike stopped, his lifted eyebrows telling her he seemed to be taken aback by her quick, sharp response. “Sorry I asked. It’s just that this isn’t a normal occurrence. You going out to lunch, I mean, especially with Hank and my mom.”

“Well, I did go today. And I might even do it again.” She changed the baby while she spoke, unwilling to look into Mike’s face. She could hide their plans from him if she was looking down at Mikayla instead, but probably not if she looked at his handsome, honest face.

Did this pang of guilt mean she was wrong for concealing their plans from him? Lori made sure Mikayla was put back together well, socks snug enough that she couldn’t pull them off for a few minutes and gently turned her over on her tummy to play and rock in the crib.

“Why are you so concerned about who I have lunch with, anyway?” she asked.

Mike’s expression went from curious to stubborn. “I’m not concerned. Not that much. It’s not like I’m jealous of Hank Collins or anything. With either of you, I might add.”

Why didn’t his words convince her? His expression didn’t do much more to make her feel at ease.
Brow furrowed, hands jammed in his pockets, Mike looked like a man trying not to argue.

“You sure about all that?” She tried to keep her tone of voice light. It was aggravating that she almost wanted him to admit that he was just a bit jealous. Or worried about what she might be doing having lunch with Hank and Gloria. Instead, he just seemed curious and perhaps a bit anxious about his mother.

“Positive.” Mike rocked back on his heels. “Where’d the two of them get to? I didn’t expect you back alone.”

“Well, that’s what you got.” Mike felt very near now, and challenging. “They went their own ways. Hank had to go back to the office, and your mom went to pick up some documents at the courthouse. She said you’d remember that part.”

Mike sighed. “Trust me to forget. Sorry for giving you the third degree, Lori. It’s just that I’m not used to worrying about my mom and what she’s doing. Or you, either, for that matter. I’m usually the one who goes out for lunch. Did you know there were seven phone calls while you were gone?”

Lori shrugged. “That’s about normal.” It felt like a letdown, knowing he wasn’t really concerned. For a moment she considered telling him
about their planned meeting tomorrow at the storage facility. That might concern him.

She decided against it. This was an exercise to clear Gary’s name of any suspicion, and to see if they could lay any blame at Clyde Hughes’s door instead. It was something she needed to do without Mike. Something she needed to do for the sake of her children so that someday when they asked about their father, she could tell them the truth.

She hoped they’d find what Hank expected in that storage facility. Or find nothing that incriminated Gary, at least. She wanted to believe everything he’d told her in the year before his death. That his one arrest for drug-related behavior had been a terrible mistake on his part. That he would never dream of getting involved with anything like that again.

Still, what other way would he have had to make big money quick when he went off that last morning, confident that their finances were suddenly going to be straightened out? Lori’s head ached contemplating that.

“You all right?” Mike was a step closer. He truly looked concerned by now. “Are you dizzy or something?”

Lori shook her head, then wished she hadn’t. “Not dizzy. Just a little headache. I’ll be fine, really.
Now tell me about those phone calls. Anything I can do to ease the workload?”

Mike cupped her elbow in his hand and steered her to her office chair. Instead of feeling manhandled, Lori felt taken care of. “I’d still be happier if you sat down. You look a little pale. And I’ve seen enough people pass out during fire-and-rescue missions to know the signs. I don’t want to have to catch you. Although it might be fun.” His grin had a touch of wolf or coyote to it. But friendly.

Lori couldn’t help but grin back. “I’m sure it might be. For you. Now, the phone calls, Michael?”

Settling her in her chair, he grimaced a bit. “Michael? Oh, joy. Now I really
am
on your bad side. I have got to stop letting you hang out with my mother.”

“Try and stop me.” Lori was sure her smile was as sweet as possible. Mike rolled his eyes and reached for the stack of sticky notes with their phone messages.

Mike had been watching Lori for days. There was definitely something going on with her. Mike watched her across the office. She seemed a little off her normal hectic pace. Tyler was done with school and sat at an empty desk, happily coloring while his mother worked and Mikayla slept. Usually
she only stayed a short time once Tyler came from school, and then she was done. Today, and for the last couple of days, ever since she’d had lunch with Hank and his mother, she had been staying longer and looking a little flustered.

Maybe
flustered
wasn’t quite the right word. Mike watched her for a while longer, trying to find the correct description. Lori seemed as well put together as usual. But she wasn’t smiling as often as she normally did. And she seemed to hold Mikayla much more tightly when she rocked her. They were little things, but put together, they worried Mike.

How had he let this woman and her family get close enough to worry him in such a short time? Because she did worry him, at every opportunity. If it wasn’t concern for what was going on with Lori, it was the anticipation of seeing her again or trying to figure out how she’d stretch her limited wardrobe yet another way to come up with another flattering outfit.

She was constantly in his thoughts when she wasn’t right there in front of him. Surely this had to stop. Even when he was out on his rare fire-and-rescue calls, he was anxious to get back to the office, or the house, where he could catch a glimpse of Lori. And nothing had ever taken his attention from fire-and-rescue work before.

Even Dogg seemed to notice the change. Often
when Mike was ready to take him for his evening walk around the property, he found the big shepherd staring out the glass patio doors in the kitchen facing Lori’s house. “We’ll stop there last,” Mike always told him, and he was good to his word. Dogg got a biscuit from Tyler and attention from Lori, and he got a last good-night. He wondered who enjoyed those meetings more. It probably wasn’t Dogg.

The phone rang and Lori actually jumped. That did it. Mike stood up from his desk to see what was going on. Before he could cross the room, Lori was talking on the phone, and seemed to have gotten over being startled. He could tell from her end of the conversation that it was some kind of inquiry on a vacant store near the edge of town.

Whatever Lori had expected, this wasn’t it. She put the phone back in the cradle and smiled at him. Was it his imagination, or did her smile slightly waver? “Did you want something?”

“Definitely. But I don’t think I can get it here in the office.” Oh, how incredibly stale. Mike winced internally. Was that really the best answer he could come up with? She must be sure by now that he was a total cretin. “Let’s start over. That didn’t come out the way I’d planned it.”