Fit To Be Tied

by Elizabeth Craig

  Beatrice glanced up from the diaper bag to look at Joan with surprise. “I didn’t realize that the business was going to be sold.”

  Joan said, “It wasn’t a done deal, by any means. And, if you’d asked Dad, he’d have said that the business would be sold over his dead body.” She stopped and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Then she gave a nervous laugh. “What an awful thing to say. What I meant to say is that Dad would never have willingly sold his business. It was like his baby. He built it from nothing into a really successful company and it was never his intention to ever sell it.”

  Beatrice said slowly, “But other people thought it might be a good idea to sell the business?”

  “Yes. Mark was one of them. There was a reputable firm that was interested in buying the company and he wasn’t sure that we’d get another great offer. He thought it was a good time to sell. Laura agreed with him,” said Joan.

  “And you?” asked Beatrice gently.

  Joan threw up her hands. “I never really liked the business to begin with, considering all the time my father spent working. I figured if Mark thought it was a good time to sell, then maybe we should consider it. He was the business major, after all.”

  Beatrice said, “Did everyone share their thoughts with your father?”

  Joan snorted. “That’s phrasing it nicely. Mark was rather pushy, which I knew was going to be a bad approach with Dad. If you push anything at Dad, he’s going to push right back, no matter what it is. Laura did her passive-aggressive thing with Dad about the sale and he absolutely hated that. And I suppose I probably whined about it.” She sighed. “We sound like quite a group. No wonder Dad wasn’t very receptive.”

  “He did consider it, though?” asked Beatrice.

  “Only on the surface. Mark had already set up one or two meetings and asked if Dad would at least hear them out. And they were important men from important companies, so he did. But he didn’t really listen. I guess now that Dad is gone, Mark will be free to do what he likes with the company.”

  Beatrice nodded, but looked troubled.

  “I suppose that gives him a motive,” added Joan slowly. “But Mark wouldn’t hurt a fly. Violence wouldn’t fit into his business plan. And, believe me, Mark is a planner.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of planning, I should get out of here. We’re supposed to meet up with Laura and make some preliminary plans for the funeral service before we meet with Wyatt later. Thanks so much for being an ear, Beatrice.”

  She gave Beatrice a warm smile, gave Noo-noo another absent rub, and left.

  Beatrice quietly hand-stitched for a few minutes while Posy helped the customer to check out her materials. Then Posy came over to join her.

  “Everything all right with Joan?” she asked with concern. “I feel so bad for her.”

  Beatrice said, “I think so, although I know she’s shocked about her father’s death. She said he just seemed so impervious to everything.” She kept Joan’s feelings of guilt to herself since she knew Joan was speaking to her in private.

  The bell on the door rang again and they glanced up. It was Edgenora, one of the Village Quilters and the administrative assistant for Wyatt at the church. Beatrice glanced at her watch, having the feeling that it was later in the day than she’d realized. Sure enough, the church office would have closed for the day ten minutes ago and Posy would be closing in about an hour. Edgenora waved and joined them. “Thought I’d run by here and pick up some more fabric. I’ve been so distracted lately that somehow I miscalculated the amount I needed and then ran out right in the middle of piecing the quilt top.”

  Posy wrinkled her brow. “You’re working on the Album Cross pattern, right?”

  Edgenora said, “That’s right. I don’t know how you always remember. I hope you have some more left—I didn’t even consider that you might have run out.”

  Posy said quickly, “Don’t you worry, I have plenty of it.”

  They walked over to a display that had the fabric and Posy measured it out. After Edgenora made her purchase, she walked back over to see Beatrice.

  “I’m almost scared to ask how the kitchen renovation is going,” she said with a wince. “Wyatt seemed so worried about it when I talked to him about it earlier.”

  Beatrice smiled at her. She was a huge fan of Edgenora’s because she did a fantastic job as a church secretary. Before Edgenora came on board, Beatrice had found herself fielding a lot of church-related phone calls: everything from questions about whether the church league soccer game would be cancelled for rain to what time the yoga class was. Now Edgenora not only fielded those calls herself, she also kept up with an online church calendar that everyone could refer to. Plus, she’d become a good friend and was always a very rational person to talk to . . . something Beatrice appreciated.

  “Fingers crossed, we’re in better shape now than we were in yesterday! The project completely stalled out because Dale had to stop work, but his cousin is on the job now and is supposed to be working now. Noo-noo isn’t crazy about the loud noises of construction, so we’re here giving her a break,” said Beatrice.

  Edgenora said, “Well, that’s good news! I know you’re tired of eating sandwiches and yogurts.”

  Edgenora asked how Piper was doing. They chatted for a few minutes and then Edgenora said, “I actually wanted to ask you about this morning. I heard about Gerald Carpenter.”

  “Isn’t it awful?” asked Beatrice.

  “Yes, what an awful morning. Gerald was a good man and was certainly organized. Whenever he’d call the church office to update us on bids for the HVAC work, he never wasted a second, but gave us all the information clearly and succinctly. I went with Wyatt for one meeting with Gerald over in Gerald’s office. He had the most amazingly-organized file system I think I’ve ever seen.” There was a wistful note in Edgenora’s voice. If there was one thing she appreciated, it was good organization. “Unfortunately, we don’t have his latest report on the bids, but it can definitely wait.”

  “Did you have any impressions of Gerald at all, personally?” Beatrice asked. “I feel as if I didn’t really know him very well.”

  Edgenora said, “You and I are both new to town compared to most people. I don’t think Gerald was one of those people that one got to know unless they’ve been here most of their lives. He seemed private to me.”

  Or secretive, Beatrice thought.

  Edgenora continued, “And I suppose was a bit gruff with his staff. He definitely had a no-nonsense air about him. He was not the sort of person who joked around with employees or who was a company favorite. No, he seemed like he was all business all the time. Although that’s probably how he became so successful. He was driven.”

  “Do you know his family well?” asked Beatrice.

  “No. His son, to a certain degree. Gerald acted rather gruff around him, too, as I recall. Mark came into his office while we were there and Gerald snapped his head off. Then he snapped his assistant’s head off later, too. He’d apparently directed her that he was not to be disturbed while he was in a meeting with us and she’d thought his son might be excluded from that directive. But he wasn’t.”

  Beatrice nodded and said apologetically, “I know I’m asking a lot of questions today.”

  Edgenora gave her a smile. “You are, but why wouldn’t you be? You had a very confusing morning and you’re trying to work it all out in your head.”

  “This next question may seem unrelated. I was just wondering if you knew or had any impressions of a woman who is planning on having a wedding at our church. Or, rather, planning her daughter’s wedding.”

  Edgenora pursed her lips. “You must be speaking of Colleen Roberts.”

  Chapter Eight

  BEATRICE LAUGHED. “AND you know everyone, short time in town or not.”

  “Colleen is one of those I’d know, no matter what, I’m afraid.” Edgenora kept her voice low. “She seems like trouble to me, Beatrice. She is so pushy and she wants everything done her way
. The times that she’s called into the church, she didn’t even want to leave messages—she wanted to be connected to Wyatt right away.”

  Beatrice nodded. “I thought the same thing. Listening to her talk to Wyatt about plans, I wondered if her daughter cared about or even knew all the plans that her mother had for her wedding.”

  “Exactly. She seemed like the kind of mother-of-the-bride who just takes the planning over completely. Actually, she seems like the kind of person who’d do that even if there wasn’t a wedding—she’s simply not good at group work,” said Edgenora. “I was just concerned that, from her entitled attitude, that she was going to make some unreasonable demands of the church.”

  “She already has,” said Beatrice wryly. “But don’t worry—Wyatt shot down all of her ideas in his very gentle way.”

  Edgenora knit her brow. “Although she might say one thing and do another.”

  Beatrice smiled. “You have a very astute reading of people. I thought exactly the same thing. I told Wyatt that it would be a good idea if he drew up a contract and said that it was a new required document for the church. That might make things more official . . . laying out exactly what the rules are.”

  Edgenora took out a notepad from her voluminous purse. “An excellent suggestion. And I know a way to make it even more official—we have an attorney who’s also a member. He asked me recently if we’d like him to look over wording for permission forms for youth activities and so forth. I bet he wouldn’t mind if we asked him to glance over the form.”

  “That would be perfect,” said Beatrice, beaming at her. “You’re a jewel.” She paused for a second and then said, “I know you hear a lot as a church admin assistant. Have you heard anything else regarding Colleen? Has anyone mentioned if she’s in a relationship of any kind?”

  Edgenora lifted a brow. “I only know what Colleen herself demonstrated in the parking lot of the church. I was on my way home at the end of the day and saw her jogging up to a man and laying quite a kiss on him. I pretended that I didn’t see and hurried on my way,” she added with a sniff.

  “And the man?” Beatrice asked, holding her breath.

  Edgenora said slowly, “Well, ordinarily I wouldn’t want to mention it, but considering it’s you, Beatrice, I will. It was Gerald Carpenter.”

  Beatrice nodded. “Thank you. I was just trying to confirm something that I’d heard. I knew that if anybody knew, it would probably be you.”

  Edgenora said, “It was certainly the wrong place and the wrong time for such a display. And I have to say that Gerald Carpenter looked quite put out about it. He was very stern and jerked away from her quickly. He even looked as if he was brushing himself off after the contact with Colleen.”

  Beatrice frowned. “So Colleen was already planning the ceremony before getting in touch with Wyatt?”

  Edgenora gave her a wry look. “That’s correct. She was scouting out locations just like someone in the film industry. She called me twice about it. The first time, she called to let me know that she wanted to walk around the church campus. But it started raining, so she was only able to see the interior buildings that day. She had me unlock everything and took pictures and notes of the bride’s dressing room and the sanctuary. Then she called another time to say that she was going to be walking around outside the church, once the weather was good. It might have been that day that she saw Gerald in the parking lot.”

  “What was Colleen’s reaction when Gerald pulled away from her?” asked Beatrice curiously.

  Edgenora said, “It didn’t seem to bother her much because she burst out in these gales of laughter and told him to loosen up.” She made a face. “And she does seem like the kind of person who’s loosened up. I know that she’s not very particular about paying her bills on time. We have a deposit for reserving the church for a wedding and it has gone unpaid. And it’s an important fee. We’ll have to run the air conditioning and the lights during the ceremony, engage the organist to play, and Wyatt will officiate. The custodian will need to clean afterwards. These are expenses that must be addressed.”

  Beatrice said, “With any luck, she’ll send in a check soon. Perhaps it’s just slipped her mind with all the other planning she’s doing. I know Piper and I have been very absentminded and we’re only planning for a baby’s arrival, not a whole wedding.”

  Edgenora glanced at her watch. It was a big watch and one that kept her on track all day long at the church. She’d also purchased for the church office a large clock with big numbers that she put directly in front of her desk. If there was one thing that Edgenora was good at, it was running on time. “I should leave within five minutes, I’m afraid. I’m meeting Savannah for a quick bite to eat and a movie.”

  Beatrice quickly felt a slight guilty feeling when Edgenora mentioned Savannah. Life had been very busy lately between attending activities at the church and volunteering there and helping Piper get ready for the new baby. Savannah was one of her quilt guild friends that she’d been meaning to catch up with. Although she’d seen her at the baby shower, it wasn’t the kind of event where you could really talk with someone for a long period of uninterrupted time. “How is Savannah doing?”

  Edgenora gave a fond smile. “She’s doing much better! You know how I was fussing that she wasn’t eating really well? She’s actually added a couple of healthy recipes to her cooking repertoire.”

  Beatrice smiled. “So she’s stepping away from mac and cheese and canned soups?” Savannah’s sister, Georgia, had been the cook of the two sisters. But Georgia had married and Savannah had fallen into bad habits when she was no longer cooking for them.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that she’s stepping away from them. No. Nor the Pop Tarts. But she’s added some easy healthy snacks and meals into her rotation,” said Edgenora with a smile.

  Edgenora stood up and reached down to give Noo-noo a goodbye pat. “I’ll see you soon, Beatrice. Have Wyatt shoot over that form we talked about and I’ll have the lawyer take a look.”

  “Perfect. Will do,” said Beatrice.

  Beatrice and Posy visited for a few minutes after Edgenora left and then Beatrice decided that it was time to set off for home. She put Noo-noo back on her leash and they set off for home.

  Len’s work truck was gone when she arrived and Beatrice entered the house with some degree of trepidation. Had anything been done at all?

  Walking in, she saw that progress had been made. Wyatt lifted his head and grinned at her. “Well, it’s not finished, but Len did manage to get some work done before he left again.”

  “That’s great! At least we’re better off and further along than we were this morning.” Beatrice took Noo-noo’s leash off and the little dog walked around on a sniffing expedition.

  “He says he’ll be able to come out tomorrow around lunch, too,” said Wyatt.

  “Fingers crossed that’s actually the case,” said Beatrice.

  “It will give me time to meet with Laura Carpenter, Gerald’s widow. She called and arranged for us to meet around ten tomorrow morning to go over arrangement for Gerald’s funeral. His children will be there, too,” said Wyatt.

  Beatrice said thoughtfully, “I probably should run some food by, too.”

  Wyatt snapped his fingers. “I’m glad you mentioned that. Meadow called and is planning on bringing food, too. She wanted to go over there with you since she didn’t know Laura as well as she knew Gerald.”

  “Maybe we can get there before you come by to meet with the family regarding the arrangements,” said Beatrice. “Did Meadow say what she was bringing?” Beatrice knew that whatever it was, it would be good. Meadow was a master of home cooking and everything she made was delicious. Unfortunately, it was now evening and Beatrice had no kitchen and no ideas of what to bring a grieving widow.

  Wyatt said, “She was providing a fried chicken dinner with all the fixings, apparently. But she suggested that you pick up breakfast and then most of the day’s food would be provided for.”

 
Beatrice felt relieved. “That’s perfect, actually. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull off even making a side dish for the meal with the kitchen the way it is. When I get up tomorrow, I can pick up muffins and homemade doughnuts from June Bug’s.”

  With everything on her mind, Beatrice’s sleep was unfortunately spotty. She gave up early in the morning and got up. First, she made a list of all the things that she could think of that she needed to do. That way, her mind wouldn’t be spinning with all the uncompleted tasks. Then she picked up her book to do a little reading. She and Wyatt were reading the same book and Beatrice found that she’d gotten behind while Wyatt had been overseeing the construction in the kitchen while reading. They’d chosen All the Light We Cannot See. Beatrice had been looking forward to a return to novel reading after she’d read a nonfiction selection that Wyatt had chosen over the last few books. She really needed to put the finishing touches on that diaper bag, but figured that she could work that in over the next couple of days.

  Wyatt joined her in the living room at seven. “Everything all right?” he asked, rubbing his eyes as he adjusted to the light in the room.

  “I just couldn’t sleep well and didn’t want to disturb you. Now that you’re up, I think I’ll get ready to head over to June Bug’s. Want me to pick up some breakfast for us, while I’m there?”

  “That would be great. Otherwise, we’ll probably be eating more yogurt,” said Wyatt with a wry smile.

  So Beatrice set off for the bakery while Wyatt took Noo-noo for a short walk and then fed her. It was early enough that Beatrice figured June Bug might still be in the process of baking, but when she walked into the shop, the little wide-eyed woman seemed to be already finished.

  June Bug gave her a shy smile as Beatrice greeted her. The shop, as always, smelled delicious. She saw that there were already cakes out, too, as well as the morning pastries.