I nodded. Now was my chance to ask her more pointed questions, but somehow, it didn't seem like the right time. She had been pouring her heart out to us, and I didn't want her to feel like she was being interrogated.
“So where are you living now?” I hated that I hadn't thought to ask until now.
“Um...in my car. Just for now. That's why I really need a job. But now that I’m working for you...if I still am?” She looked suddenly weary, older than twenty-some years. “I didn't think, Callie. All I thought of was looking around to see if I could find something that…that, I don’t know. You must have thought that I broke in here. I'm so stupid.” She put her hands in her head.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I thought, at least.” Todd didn’t look convinced otherwise.
“But I didn’t break in. And I didn’t steal anything.” She raised her head. “I know I can't prove that to you, but you can look through my purse and everything.”
I shook my head. “Tell me again why you were digging through the boxes in the back room.”
“I don't know. I feel that weird feeling again ... almost like I'd been in that room before. A long time ago.”
“But that's not very likely, is it?” I was talking to Sharlene, but I looked at Todd while I spoke.
Todd shrugged.
Could she be a Janosic and not know it? If so, then she had surely spent many hours in this very building when it was her parents’ dry cleaners. Or maybe she knew full well and was trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
She jammed her hands into the pockets of her ragged hoodie. “I don't know. I'm a mess.”
I was thinking about her living in her car. I wasn't quite comfortable with asking her to come home with me. Lord? I felt like I should do something...
“I don't think it's a good thing for you to stay in your car at night, Sharlene. I know Short Creek seems like a pretty safe area, but we've had some not great things happen here. How about if we get you a hotel room tonight in Temple and then we can talk more tomorrow when you come into work.”
She stared at me. “I still can't believe y'all are being so nice to me. I'll make it up to you, I promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
I woke the next morning puzzling over Sharlene. I thought I had been on to something when I asked her about Jim Janosic, but she hadn’t shown even a flicker of recognition. I guess it wasn’t too far-fetched for someone to return to a place filled with childhood memories. I sighed. The more I knew her, the less I suspected that she was involved in Erma’s death. And I needed to stop viewing every happening and every person as potentially suspect.
But still. God had brought Sharlene into my life for a purpose. If it wasn’t to nab her for killing Erma, then it was for some other reason, right?
I’m willing, Lord. Please help me to be sensitive to your leading. Maybe I could introduce her to a few of the younger women from church. It would be good for her to have friends who would support her as she rebuilt her life. She needed community. Exactly like we were planning to provide for the young women who would be living at Hope House—if we ever got off the ground.
My thoughts strayed to June. Why was the woman so upset over Hope House? I lay on my back, praying. Was this a ploy of the enemy to hinder us in our plans for Hope House? The need is so great in our area for something like this. Lord, I pray that our plans would prosper and go forward. I pray that Your will prevail…
The property deed.
The idea dropped into my brain with such clarity, I knew the Holy Spirit had spoken to me. The property deed? For what?
Hmm. I knew the land we were hoping to purchase for Hope House was bank-owned, but I never stopped to think why the bank might have acquired it. I sat up. Wait a minute. What if June had something to do with the property prior to the sale? She was a real estate agent, after all. And what if she didn’t want us to find out what that was?
How did one investigate such things?
I texted Lonnie, whose sister sold real estate.
She texted back a few minutes later. Sharon says to call the title company and they can research the history of the property deed.
Ok, thanks. Hugs.
I called a local title company. Certainly, they could run the history of the deed. For a small fee, of course. “Let’s do it. How long will it take?”
Next, I called Mona. She must have had something to tell me, but with all the drama with Sharlene last night, I hadn’t had a chance to call. Now my call went to voicemail. I tried Karen’s number next. No answer there, either. I sighed and headed for the bathroom.
An hour later, I sat next to Aunt Dot's bed, digging through the shoeboxes of old photos. I decided not to tell her yet about June’s outburst at the Hope House meeting. Aunt Dot was happily planning Harry’s surprise party, and I didn’t want to ruin that for her.
She had determined that she was going to make a scrapbook for Harry for his birthday...another surprise. But it was proving to be quite difficult, since she didn't know many of the folks in the photos.
“I didn't know Harry's family at all, since they moved to Cameron when I was in third or fourth grade. He thinks I’m finding photos for his class reunion that’s coming up.” She shook her head over a bent-eared photo. “Look at this one, Callie. He sure was a cute little bugger.”
I smiled at the blurry black and white. I'd know him anywhere, even with that eight-year-old gap-toothed smile. “He had a special glint in his eye even then, didn't he?”
Dot leaned back in her wheelchair. “You know, I never thought I'd love another man after your Uncle Garth. But Harry has worked his way into my heart somehow.”
“It must have been the cowboy hat,” I teased her gently. “Or maybe that twinkle in his eye.”
She giggled. “I never imagined I’d want to be with someone in that way again. But still... It’s strange thinking about it. I wonder what Garth would say?”
“I think he'd be thrilled that you were happy, Auntie.” I rummaged through the photos. “Here’s a more recent one. Well, not exactly recent, but at least it’s in color. Looks like a family reunion or something.”
She took it from me and examined it with her magnifying glass. “My word. That’s got to be Jim Janosic.”
My ears perked up. “As in the guy who disappeared twenty years ago?”
“Has it been that long?” She studied the photo again. “Yes, I’m sure that’s Jim. He was married to that sweet Marianne. Such a shame.”
“Harry told me the other day that Jim Janosic is his cousin.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I guess I knew that. And you think...?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t ever seen a picture of Jim.” I squinted at the picture again, staring at the man's face. He had the same wide forehead, the same winning smile as Harry. The same smile as...I grabbed Aunt Dot's magnifying glass. “Wait a minute.” I trained the glass on the kids piling around the man. “This girl...”
My suspicions about Sharlene were not as silly as I’d thought. It seemed too crazy to be true…but not crazy. “We need to show this to Harry. This little girl almost looks like she could be Sharlene.”
She took off her glasses and stared at me. “That seems like it would be too much of a coincidence, Callie. Maybe you're thinking that since she told you about not knowing her family and all.”
“But look at her! The one with the pink bow in her hair. Standing right next to Jim.” I thrust the picture and the magnifying glass into her hand. “It’s got to be Sharlene. Or someone related to her.”
Auntie looked at it and sucked in her breath. “I only met her that one time she brought Erma to visit me a few weeks ago, but I think you’re right, Callie. She has that same white-blond hair and heart-shaped face her mother had.” She sat back in her chair. “I'm astonished. Do you think Sharlene could be one of the Janosics come back to Short Creek after all of these years?”
“I don't know. But if it is her, how likely is it that she just ‘happened’ to end up
here in Short Creek and doesn't remember anything?”
“She would be about the right age...looks like she’s about four or five in this picture.” She rubbed her ring finger. “You think she made all of that up about not remembering her childhood and everything?”
“I don't know. She sounded super sincere, but I might be a sucker. Todd wasn't totally buying her story, I don't think.”
“Hmm. But if she was lying about that, then why?”
“And if not, then why? Why would she end up here?”
“Maybe an answer to Harry's prayer?”
I sighed. “I know God could work that way, but it seems so...far-fetched. And she was working for Erma when Erma died.”
“Yes.” Dot seemed troubled. “And with Sherm when your yard was vandalized.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Of course, if he was with her when your yard was vandalized, then she didn't do it.”
“True, but she could be working with someone.”
“Oh, dear. This is too complicated.” Dot stared at the picture in her hand. “We may be far out in left field anyway. Maybe these aren’t even Jim’s kids.”
“Still. It is Jim, and clearly the little girl in the picture was at least acquainted with him. Or at least she was when she was a little kid.”
“I’m going to text Harry right now.” She slipped her glasses on and snatched up her phone.
“You’re texting now, too?” I grinned, watching her laboriously peck out the letters on her phone. I still got a kick out of my aunt “learning technology,” as she called it. When she first took a computer class last year, she was so proud of herself for learning how to email. She still hadn’t quite got the hang of social media, but at least she was trying.
She tossed her head, and once again I caught a glimpse of the feisty spirit that lay behind her placid features. “Of course, I can. I just don’t like to.”
“Oh, okay.” I looked down to hide a smile. “Is he coming over now?”
She consulted her screen. “He’s still on the golf course but says he’s two under par and will be here in half an hour.”
“I’ll wait. I’ve been meaning to ask you about Kenny anyway. Is he okay after his run-in with June?”
“He’s okay. He seemed a little shook up for a couple of days afterward, and then it didn’t help that his daughter, Maple, passed away.”
“So that was her. Mona and I saw the obit, and she thought maybe she was the same girl she had gone to high school with.”
Dot sighed. “Yes, it was a real shame. I don’t know the whole story, but I guess she was found dead. Way too young.”
I frowned. “Was it a crime? Like, did someone kill her?”
“Oh, no, I don’t think so. Sounded like she had a heart attack or something.”
I guess that could happen, but still. Images of Sister Erma rose up, and I gave myself a mental shake. Just because there were questions surrounding Erma’s death didn’t mean a murder suspect lurked behind every rock. “Wasn’t Maple in her fifties?”
She nodded. “Yes, it was a real shock. Kenny’s been so sad.”
“How long had it been since he saw her? Did they ever make up and forgive each other?”
“No. That’s partly why it’s so hard for him. I’ve been talking to him a lot. He and I have known each other for a long time, Callie. Longer than you’ve been alive. Of course, we haven’t been very involved in each other’s lives all that time, but still.”
I nodded. “Once you’ve lived in the same town for all of those years—”
“Yes. And he never was one to go to church or have much use for God. And as you know, your Uncle Garth and I were always so involved in the church and doing what we could to serve the Lord. Kenny chose a different lifestyle, so our paths didn’t cross very often.”
I stood, wandering over to her fridge. “Did he have a wife?”
“Oh, yes. She was a kind-hearted lady. Died young, and that set him to drinking all the more. But since he’s been here, I think he’s been doing a lot of hard thinking. When he is lucid, that is. Some days are better than others.”
“I can vouch for that.” I rummaged around for a treat. “You don’t have much in this fridge, Auntie. Need me to take you to the store? Or write me a list of what you want, and I’ll get it next time I go to HEB.”
“I eat in the dining room out there with the others more than I used to.” She picked up her knitting. “But back to Kenny. Would you help me pray for him? He’s had more lucid days lately and has been way more open to talking to me about God than ever before, especially since Maple passed. Some days I think he’s ready to surrender, but then something holds him back.”
I settled down in my chair empty-handed. “It seems it’s that way with some people, doesn’t it? I wonder what it is.”
She held up her work to the light and peered at it, then pulled out a couple of stitches, grumbling under her breath. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I think it makes him very sad. I’ve tried to explain to him that he doesn’t have to fix things in his life before he comes to God. That’s the good Lord’s work.”
“Yes, but I guess that can be hard to swallow. Especially if you’ve really messed up big-time. What did he do for a living?”
“Oh, he owned that donut shop down there on Main Street for years.”
“The Donut Hut?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t called that then. Something like M and P or something.”
So that’s why I recognized the guy in the photo at the donut shop. It was Kenny when he was younger. Would Sharlene and her family have visited the donut shop years ago?
Aunt Dot held her work up again. “I’m having trouble seeing this dark yarn these days. Growing old is for the birds.”
I laughed. “I’m sure it is. I’ll be praying for Kenny. Does anyone come visit him?”
“No, he’s pretty lonely. I think that’s why he’s willing to come over here and listen to me go on and on. But he and Harry have hit it off pretty well.”
I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t hit it off with Harry. “Harry’s a good man, Auntie. What are y’all waiting for?”
Her face flushed pink. “Now, Callie. I can’t just throw myself at the man.”
I snickered. “He might like it.”
She looked horrified. “That might be the way you young folks work things, but I will wait until he makes the move.”
“What move is that, darlin’?” Harry’s voice preceded him into the room. “Hey, there, Calendula. How’s my favorite florist?” He bent to give my aunt a peck on the cheek with an exaggerated smacking sound, then planted one on mine, too. “Are y’all still digging through those old pictures?”
I glanced at Dot. “Auntie’s wondering when you’re going to pop the question.”
He chuckled and rested his thumb in his belt loop. “Well, I’d have done that in second grade now, if she’d a had me.”
Aunt Dot fanned herself. “Y’all are talking nonsense. Show Harry that photo, Callie.”
Harry winked at me, then patted her arm. “It’s all right, darlin’. We’re only teasing a little bit.”
She harrumphed and pointed toward the picture. “We found a picture of your cousin Jim.”
“Really.” His voice sobered as I handed him the photo. “I’ll be. That’s Jim, all right.” He cleared his throat. “I think this was taken at our last family reunion. This would have been a few months before their disappearance.”
Aunt Dot and I locked gazes. “That’s what Auntie guessed. But are those his kids in the picture with him?”
He stared at the picture again. “Not all of them. The littlest one is Benji. Benji was his youngest son. The other two boys in the back there are cousins. Ray’s kids, I think. But the girl…”
Chapter Nineteen
I watched as his eyes widened. Just as I thought.
“My word.” He glanced up at me, then back at the picture. “The little girl…her name was Shelb
y. She almost looks like that gal you hired. I thought she reminded me of someone…Sharlene, is it?”
“Uh huh.” I jumped up to study the picture again from behind him. “That’s what I thought. Do you think—?”
He cleared his throat repeatedly, and Aunt Dot and I waited.
After all of this time. How could it be? Suddenly I remembered Sharlene’s face last night. That dude Harry reminds me of my dad…and I don’t even remember what my dad looks like.
I sucked in my breath, staring at the back of Harry’s head.
Aunt Dot clutched my hand and squeezed it tight.
Harry reached for a tissue and wiped his eyes, then sank down in the chair I had vacated. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve been praying so long, and to think that maybe Sharlene could be Jim’s daughter….” He ran a hand down the side of his face, flexing his jaw.
I handed him Aunt Dot’s magnifying glass and turned on the kitchen light.
He laid the photo on the table and bent over it, studying it from every angle, then sat back and stared at Aunt Dot and me. “That’s got to be her. When I saw her in your store that first time, I did a double-take because she reminded me so much of her mother, Marianne. But people remind me of other people all of the time.”
“What happens if it is her?”
Harry looked at me.
“I mean, why is she here?”
“To find her family? It makes sense that her parents changed their name, but wouldn’t she know about that? Or at least think of it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But Todd and I had a long conversation with her last night. In fact, after I heard part of her story, I started to suspect she might be a Janosic. But when I mentioned the name, she acted like she’d never heard it before.”
I started from the beginning and gave him the run-down of what she had related to Todd and me.
“Whew.” He stood up to pace. “What did Todd think?”
“We haven't had much time to debrief, because Luke is here this weekend.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I don't know. But I do have to tell you this. She told me that you remind her of her dad.”
Where There's a Will Page 13