The Perils of Peaches (Scents of Murder Book 3) (22 page)

“Well, I started to say something myself,” I said. “Jerry, you put it well. Plus that got the class back on track to what Roger was talking about.”

“Yes, you did, Jerry.” Barkha placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

“Um, well.” They stared at each other, and I had the sensation that I had just become invisible. “If we don’t see you after church, we’ll see you when we get back from Atlanta.”

“Oh. Yes.” Barkha glanced at me. “That’s right. You’re driving out this afternoon. Have a safe trip.”

We hit the road around one and pointed the Jeep in the direction of Atlanta. Six hours, one way. Our first real road trip as a family and as a couple. The only thing that went wrong was that a fast food restaurant shorted us an order of fries at the drive-through window, but Ben and I agreed we could just split the one order of fries. I knew my hips would thank me later.

We checked into our hotel a little after seven, and spread out all of Hannah’s gear. I looked at the two-piece skirt suit I’d just hung up in the closet. “I’m so nervous, Ben. I can’t believe we’re meeting with a skin care company about my soap. What if they change their minds and say they don’t want to carry it?”

Ben joined me at the closet. “Barkha’s cousin wouldn’t have asked to meet with us if they didn’t like your product.”

“What if I say something stupid? I’m not a marketing person. I just like to cook up soapy things. And I’m certainly not a public speaker, not counting the time I taught Sunday school for the teenagers.”

“Hey.” Ben grasped me by my shoulders. “We prayed about this whole trip. All we have to do is show up. And they asked us to bring Hannah. That doesn’t sound like they’re not approachable.”

“I know. You’re right.” I touched the navy blue fabric. The jacket was comfy, even if a bit heavy for the hazy humid weather of Atlanta. “Maybe I’ll wear my other skirt, the gypsy print one and that blouse Trudy got me for my birthday. It feels more like me than the suit. I haven’t worn this thing in eons.”

“Do you mean you’ll wear that white blouse with the stitching on it? That’s pretty on you.” He always knew what to say.

I gave Ben a quick kiss. “I’m so glad we did this together. You’re here, and Hannah’s here. And right now even though I’m battlin’ butterflies, everything’s perfect.”

Hannah started to whimper. She wanted to be held after all that time in the Jeep, and here I was hoping she’d take a nap. But our appointment wasn’t until ten the next morning.

Ben picked up a light supper from the hotel restaurant while I gave Hannah a bath. Some mothers didn’t like to give their babies baths because of all the tears and drama. For me, it was one of those moments when the world stopped and it was just me and my little girl. She played with toys, and I gave her a baby shampoo soap crown.

“I’m back. They had some burgers on the menu, so I got that plus something chicken for you, and a cheese sandwich for Hannah.” Bags rustled outside the bathroom.

“Will you please get out her baby food?” My voice echoed off the tile walls. I’d have to try the jets on the tub later and have a bubble bath.

“Sure, honey.” Ben entered the bathroom and sat on the toilet lid. “I’m ready to eat when you are.”

“We’re almost done here, aren’t we, Hannah-B?” I picked up a plastic cup and poured away her shampoo crown. She’d have beautiful golden curls one day, just like her daddy.

“I’m glad we got away. From the restaurant, from your store, from the whole investigation.” Ben reached for a thick white towel hanging from a chrome bar, and handed it to me.

Hannah sneezed, and we both froze. A yellow booger dripped from her nose. I snatched a tissue and wiped it away. “There you go. Now for the towel.” I tossed the tissue away and wrapped Hannah in the towel.

“Where’d that ugly thing come from?” Ben took Hannah from me and snatched another tissue from the counter.

“From the last bit of her cold.” I pushed the button for the drain. “Barkha said her chest was pretty clear the other day, so not to worry.”

I could barely sleep that night, as if the following day was an exam or a job interview or something else equally terrifying. But we made it on time at ten a.m. and only got lost once on the way to the Purely Skin Care corporate offices.

As instructed, we brought Hannah, too, who was on her most angelic behavior except for her runny nose. Once we’d been escorted to the marketing and product development director’s office, I realized we were on our last tissue.

“I’ll just get some from the receptionist,” Ben said. “You go ahead in to the meeting and if they need us, we can come in later.”

“Okay.” I’d worn my comfortable skirt and the blouse Trudy had given me. I felt like myself and not a suited-up version. I clutched my case of samples.

The door to the inner sanctum swung open. “Please, come in.” A dark-skinned man in his late forties smiled at me. “I apologize for the short notice. I gather you found the offices without difficulty?”

“We only got lost once, so I can’t complain. First time in Atlanta too.”

“That can happen. It’s a large city.”

Here goes. I smiled back and crossed the threshold.

Windows overlooked the Atlanta skyline. A faint hint of smog touched the air. And the radio said today was a pretty clear day.

“I’m Gourab Bhaduri, and it’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mrs. Hartley. Barkha has told me about you and your products.” He offered his hand, and we shook. “What have you brought me today?”

“Well.” I opened the case and arranged the bars on the table. “Here’s the Peachy Keen, which you’ve sampled already. I’ve also brought Cherries Jubilee, and Mandarin Spice. Plus my newest scent, Vanilla Chai.”

“That’s what I like about your business. We also use natural products from local distributors. It’s one way we can help the economy.”

I nodded. “That’s what I thought too. My operation is local and small, but with the Internet, I get more business than foot traffic, usually.”

“What if we were to set you up with your own lab, so to speak, and hire workers for you, and you sold your soap exclusively under the label of Purely Skin Care?”

I must have looked skeptical, so he continued.

“We own thirty stores in Georgia and Tennessee, and are branching into Florida.”

“So do I need to interview or send you a résumé?”

“I brought your product to our committee on Friday, and they unanimously agreed to get you here and make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

“Wow.”

“I’ve told them we’ll be meeting in about five minutes in the boardroom, just to give them a chance to meet you before we have legal send the paperwork.” Mr. Bhaduri picked up the telephone.

Forty minutes later, we left the office. My knees shook and I wanted to throw up, but the figure that Mr. Bhaduri quoted made me feel like we’d just won the lottery.

Hannah had quieted down, the angel. Ben touched her face as we headed to the parking garage. “Babe, Hannah’s burning up.”

Chapter Nineteen

We stopped at the restroom in the lobby, and I took her inside to wipe her nose. Hannah’s runny nose gook had turned a dark green now. She whimpered softly, then coughed. The sound made me think there was more gook she needed to cough up.

She needed a doctor. I had Barkha’s pager number, so dialed it and hoped she’d call back. I grabbed a few tissues and took Hannah back to the lobby where Ben waited on a cushioned chair.

“I need to get her a doctor appointment. With this fever, I don’t want to wait until we get home.” I sat down next to him, with Hannah on my lap. My little wriggly bug definitely didn’t feel well if she didn’t try to scramble from my arms.

“Did you call Barkha?”

“I paged her.” I frowned at the phone. “I wonder if we should have even come. I shouldn’t have brought her. I should have left her with Momma and Daddy.”

“You had no way of knowing. Relax, honey.”

I opened my mouth, and my phone rang. Barkha.

“Yes? How did it go? I knew they would love your products.” The warmth in her voice crossed the phone line.

“It went super, but Hannah’s sick. I’m sure she has a fever. And she has a really congested sounded cough. I can’t tell if she’s wheezing or if it’s just congestion in her nose.”

“I’ll call Tushar for you,” Barkha said. “ He’s back in Atlanta, and I know he’ll see Hannah. This is urgent. And if for some reason he can’t work you in, I’m sure he can recommend someone.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it. I’d go to the drug store and buy something for her, but I don’t know where anything is around here and I’m afraid we’d get lost.”

“I’ll give him your number and have him call you.”

Barkha hung up, and I told Ben about the plan. Then I stared at the phone. We’d been through colic and teething and a bad diaper rash from giving her too much apple juice one time, but nothing like this.

“It’s going to be fine. Isn’t it, sweetie?” Ben took Hannah from my arms and held her so she draped herself on his strong shoulder. “We’ll take you to the doctor who can check you out, and I promise, no shots today.”

After what seemed too long, the phone rang again, an Atlanta number.

“Mrs. Hartley, Barkha told me about Hannah. I have an engagement at one, but if you meet me at my office in forty minutes, I can see her. I understand your worry.”

“Thank you, thank you so much. I brought our insurance cards with us, if you need a copy.”

Can he see her? Ben mouthed. I nodded.

“No need for the insurance card. Here’s the address. Do you have a good map?”

I wrote down the address and assured Dr. Gupta we had a map, and would see him soon.

We found our Jeep in the parking garage, strapped Hannah in the back, and were off. I tried to follow the GPS and navigate while Ben drove. Somehow, we made it to the brick building on a busy street. A black Mercedes I recognized was in the parking lot. A red scrape of paint marred one fender.

I gripped Ben’s arm so tightly that he stopped and stared at me. “Look. Paint on the fender. No wonder Tushar beat it back to Atlanta, if he ran Franklin off the road.”

Ben took Hannah off my hip. “Honey, that makes no sense. Franklin is offering him a position at the practice in Greenburg. Why would Dr. Gupta do that?”

“You’re right.” I bit my lip. I sure sounded like I was ready to pin the murder and Bradley’s attack on the first suspicious-looking person I could find. “No news from Jerry about the investigation lately, either.” He’d been locked up tight about offering any information over the weekend.

Tushar met us at the door. “Hello, please come in. I’m sorry your visit took a turn like this. And this is Hannah?”

“Yes, it is,” I said. “Thank you again for agreeing to see us.”

“Not a problem at all. Anything for a friend, and anything for a little child. She is your only child?” He led us through a waiting room and into an exam room decorated in soothing shades of blue. He placed Hannah on a paper-covered cushioned table.

“Yes.” Hannah coughed, and I even heard a faint wheeze from where I stood.

“When did she start having these symptoms?” His dark gaze flicked from me, then to Ben.

“She’s had a bit of a runny nose off and on,” I said. “But she’s gotten more and more congested the longer we’ve been here. And Ben noticed after our meeting this morning that she felt warm. I didn’t like the sound of her congestion, so I called Barkha.”

Hannah’s lower lip quivered as she lay on the table. Her arms flailed. “Muh-muh-muh-muh!”

“It’s all right, little one.” Dr. Gupta made soothing noises as he took his stethoscope. “Let’s see what’s going on here, and then I can give you back to your mother.”

I squeezed Ben’s hand as we waited. The expression on Dr. Gupta’s face told me little. Then, he removed the stethoscope from her chest.

“I’d like to give her a breathing treatment just to break up some of this congestion.” He pushed a button the wall that lit up, and a nurse came to the room.

“Helen, please set up a nebulizer and bring a nebule of albuterol. With a mask, please.”

She nodded. “Your twelve-thirty is in room two.” Then she disappeared back into the hallway. She returned with a small plastic box, and plugged its cord into the wall outlet. Then she opened a package of tubing and a little mask.

“This will only take a few moments,” said Dr. Gupta. “Thank, you Stacie. Now, I’ll just put this in . . . here”—he opened the vial and poured it into a little container attached to the tubing—“and we’ll be all set.”

Hannah frowned when he placed the mask on her face as if she were a china doll.

“Now, we wait.”

The machine did its work, and Dr. Gupta found a clipboard somewhere and started writing some notes. I stood by Hannah and stroked her forehead.

“So,” I said. “Are you nearly ready for your move to Greenburg?”

“Almost. I asked Mr. Bradley if I could have another week or so. But I’ll be there for the health fair this coming weekend. Too bad Dr. Bradley couldn’t see the fruit of his labors. But I’m looking forward to meeting the community.”