A Suspicion of Strawberries (Scents of Murder Book 1)

by Lynette Sowell

  The trouble about living in a town like Greenburg is, like I said before, church is something you do. It’s easy to get involved in the whole flurry of activities and warm fuzzies, but when the bottom drops out of your world, all the going-through-the-motions won’t hold you up.

  Maybe that’s what I realized again once I’d finished praying. All I knew is that by 4:00 a.m., I was ready to crash. That, and I knew I had to call Melinda as soon as it was good manners to call someone.

  That time didn’t arrive until nine in the morning. My cell phone’s battery was dead, so I looked up the number for the Thacker residence and called from my house phone for Melinda. I couldn’t leave for the store until I’d spoken to her. Not after my fitful night’s sleep and only one cup of coffee. In fact, I decided to drop by Higher Grounds and splurge on a high-octane mocha.

  “Oh, I’m sorry but she’s not here,” came a woman’s voice. “Melinda hasn’t lived here for quite some time. She lives with Emily and Ch…with Emily.”

  This was news to me, since I didn’t run in the same circles as the Thackers. I ran in circles enough trying to operate a business and still make sure my parents knew I loved them.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry for disturbing you, ma’am. I’ll try Emily’s then.”

  Of course this meant I needed to go to the store and go through the records from Charla’s party to find Emily’s phone number, so I headed out before I got distracted.

  I frowned when I passed Higher Grounds and saw the Closed sign. Poor Trudy. She was probably cleaning up the damage from the breakin.

  Which made me think of my own encounter with the thieves. Nothing had been disturbed in my store. If anything, this confirmed to me that the breakin couldn’t have been linked to the others. Why trash some stores and leave mine intact? It didn’t make sense.

  Once I arrived at the store, I opened for business. Maybe a tour bus would take a scenic route to Nashville, pass through Greenburg, and happen upon Tennessee River Soaps. A girl can dream.

  I found the file from Charla’s party and looked up Charla’s home number. When Melinda answered, her tone sounded guarded.

  “Melinda, it’s Andi Clark. Um, I was calling to see how you were.”

  “I’m doing well, thanks. For a while I was pretty tired, but I’m back to work.”

  “That’s good to hear.” How could I ask without prying or playing dumb? I didn’t want to stoop to out-and-out subterfuge by asking a question I already knew the answer to. “I have to admit, it was pretty scary seeing that happen to you.”

  “I–I’m so glad you were there. You don’t know me very well, but you even showed up at the hospital, and that was very kind of you.”

  “You were in trouble, and I wanted to help.”

  “Thanks.” The line hummed.

  “I still mean that, Melinda. I know you’ve been through a lot and—”

  “Like I said, thanks. But I’m fine now. Life goes on, you know. I’ve just got to figure out what that means for me.”

  “So do we all. Well, I’ll let you go.” At the risk of sounding pushy, I ventured another probe. “If you need anything, I’m here.”

  “Thanks.” The line went dead.

  Right, she was fine, just like my quarterly sales had gone through the roof after a great second half of the month of June.

  The rest of the morning crawled. For some reason that tour bus I hoped would drive by never stopped, so I downloaded some Internet orders and breathed a prayer of thanks.

  A hunch niggled at me. What about Robert? Did he know about the baby? Ben would tell me just to leave it alone, but I had to know. I wasn’t sure if it made any difference in motivation for murder, but perhaps I could learn something more about Melinda and Emily and where they stood with Robert.

  I packed up my Internet orders to ship and headed to the post office. A side trip by Robert’s law office wouldn’t take long. Once I had my customers’ orders safely on their way, I drove to Robert’s office. The guy probably already thought I was loony after my last meeting with him, when Di tagged along, but I really didn’t care.

  His receptionist greeted me with the same flat tone she’d used before. “He happens to have a few minutes, if you must speak with him.”

  “Yes, I must.”

  She disappeared behind the walnut door and emerged a moment later. “Mr. Robertson can see you now.”

  I smiled my thanks and entered Robert’s office. “Good morning, and thanks for seeing me again on short notice.”

  “How can I help you, Ms. Clark?” Today he wore a periwinkle button-down shirt, its long sleeves rolled up on his forearms. Great color. Brought out the shade of blue of his eyes. So very Brad Pitt. So not my type.

  “I have some family law questions I was hoping you could help me with.”

  “Go right ahead.” That charming smile emerged again, the same one he’d used with Emily the night before. Maybe he just smiled like that at all women. I was glad Ben didn’t. I’d probably want to bop him on the head if he did.

  “Well, what if an unmarried couple were to, um…” Oh, this was going badly. My face flamed. “If a woman were to get pregnant out of wedlock, is she under any obligation to tell the father of the child?”

  “No, not to my understanding. There are some who would insist she must, but there’s no legal obligation.”

  “Even though she could in turn serve him with a paternity suit if she so chose.”

  Robert nodded. “It doesn’t sound quite fair, does it?”

  “I imagine that would be a tough situation to be in, a man fathering a child he knows nothing about and still being legally obligated if the mother so chose.” I met his gaze evenly, and he returned my stare without blinking.

  “I agree. Which is why couples shouldn’t enter into relationships lightly.” He wore a quizzical expression.

  “So she could go after him if she wanted to, even get a DNA test if need be?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Well…” I tried to choose my words carefully. “What if she miscarried a child? Would she have to tell her, um, the father of the child?”

  “As I said before, she’s under no obligation to tell him.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know if you’d fathered a child?”

  The expression he gave confirmed the suspicion I had: The man thought I was bonkers.

  “Ms. Clark.” He shook his head. “Is this for your own personal information, or someone else’s?”

  My throat tightened and my face must have been as red as the sunburn on my nose. Surely he didn’t think—

  “No, no, no. Not for me.” I coughed. “I’m asking on behalf of a friend.” This sounded worse and worse. “It’s not for me; it’s for a friend,” a mocking voice whispered in my ear.

  “Of course, of course.” He smiled at me again, and I tried not to look him in the eye, but instead at his perfect nose. “If you’ll excuse me…”

  “Thanks for your time.” I fled the office. What a pointless errand. Embarrassment didn’t begin to cover what I felt. My last glance back at Robert showed he’d already dismissed me from his world.

  Once in the security of my Jeep, I took some deep breaths and realized that even if I tried to go back and explain the reasons behind my questions, I’d be betraying Melinda’s private business. I realized I should explain to Ben just in case anyone around town looked at him askance. People who knew us, though, knew our standards.

  And from Robert’s reaction, I didn’t worry about him mentioning my babbling questions to anyone. After all, there was such a thing as attorney-client confidentiality. Of course I wasn’t exactly his client, but he surely thought I was a little…off.

  I leaned my head against the steering wheel and stifled a scream. It was then I noticed a buzzing coming from my purse. My phone! I’d forgotten I’d set it to Vibrate. I scrounged until I found it.

  “Andi, it’s Pastor Tim. I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”

  My heart
dropped into my feet. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s about one of your Sunday school students.”

  “What happened?”

  “Seth Mitchell has been arrested with several of his friends. An anonymous tipster placed them at the site of the latest breakin. In fact, it sounds like there’s multiple charges against them.”

  “Oh, no. I’ve been worried about him. I was hoping we could help him somehow.”

  “I know you have. I guess they also found some evidence linking him and his buddies to the crime.”

  “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be praying for Seth. And for his family.”

  “Thanks, Andi.”

  I flipped my phone shut and tried not to cry. Lord, I feel so inadequate. I didn’t do enough.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As best I knew, Seth remained in jail the next few days. Come Sunday morning, my high school Sunday school class was abuzz. Evidently he and his friends had several charges against them and their families couldn’t afford bail. Either that or they wanted to teach their kids a lesson.

  One student blared aloud about the three young men being transferred to the county jail as of Friday. “They’re all eighteen. That means they’re adults.”

  I tried to whistle through my fingers to grab their attention. A few of the students swiveled in my direction, and the others followed suit. “Y’all, I know you like to help the Greenburg Dispatch spread news, but let’s not start their trial here.” Although I had several questions of my own I’d like answered.

  Once the class settled down, we lost no time in taking prayer requests. Seth was at the top of the list. A few somber-faced kids wondered aloud if they could have helped him.

  Sadie spoke up. “But what if some people don’t want help? I mean, we all hear the same lesson every week and can read the same Bible. So why doesn’t it stick, if you know what I mean?”

  “I do know what you mean, Sadie.” I opened our study book. Trust Sadie to come up with the most insightful questions I’d ever heard from an eighteen-year-old. “Maybe some people don’t know how to ask for help, or if they do ask, we miss it.”

  The thought struck me like lightning as we sat in our circle. Maybe that’s why Seth had dropped by the store. Asking for help, silently, and I hadn’t a clue. Of course, Melinda had shown up, so it wasn’t like I’d had a chance to talk to him before he ran off.

  I continued, “So maybe that’s why it’s okay to not be shy to ask each other the hard questions. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Can I pray for you?’ ‘Do you need something?’ Because lots of times, maybe people don’t know what they need. And if we’re Christians, shouldn’t we have some answers? We ought to watch out for each other— without smothering each other, of course. Those New Testament Christians were told over and over again to love each other deeply.”

  Oops. A few blank expressions and the sound of imaginary crickets chirping met my ears. Maybe I’d gotten a little too serious for them. But a few faces, deep in thought, told me I might have said something that made sense.

  I also realized I’d done what I could to help Melinda. I would back off and pray for her now, pray that someone would enter her life whom she would listen to and trust. She’d certainly had her trust broken, if in fact Robert had already moved on.

  So we prayed for Seth and the other requests and continued our lesson. After class, the students said their good-byes, and I entered the hall of churchgoers. Where was Ben?

  I hadn’t seen him since the Fourth, which was strange. In all the years he’d been on the road, we usually spoke every day, even if we didn’t get to see each other. And two days without a phone call and Ben still in town—well, something just didn’t feel right.

  Our relationship (when I wasn’t freaking out over commitment) felt like cozy relaxation on the front porch. He never chased me. I never chased him. Some couples seemed to thrive on drama, but not us. Yet today, for some reason, I knew I had to talk to him.

  I saw him standing at the end of the corridor with Jerry. He stood in his best jeans and pressed shirt, his Bible tucked under his arm. The light from the side entryway caught the blue in his eyes that I could see from a distance. When he looked in my direction, I gave a half wave. There went his dimple.

  When I reached the end of the hall, Ben slid his arm around my waist, then released me. “Hi, pretty lady.”

  “Hi yourself. So what have you been up to?”

  Jerry cleared his throat and excused himself.

  Ben blinked. “Er, not much. I had to go up to Jackson.”

  “Jackson?”

  “Yeah, some stuff for the trucking company. Exit interview. They helped me with a résumé.

  “That’s nice. You didn’t mention they helped employees with that—or about-to-be-former employees.”

  “They do.” He tugged at his shirt collar, although he didn’t wear a tie. “Oh, I think that’s the music starting.”

  We walked into the sanctuary, and I’d never felt so far from him while standing so close. Ben had evaded me. Sure, he was normally on the quiet side, but even Ben was good for more conversation than what we’d just held in the hallway. Maybe it was just my imagination.

  His gaze remained fixed straight ahead during the service. I quieted myself. He didn’t have to spill his guts if he didn’t want to. If he was in a quieter mood than normal, so be it.

  After the service, we entered the parking lot, and Ben stopped me before I headed to my Jeep. “I’m leaving tonight.”

  “Oh. I didn’t think you were going until Tuesday.”

  “Someone else canceled, and this is a good trip. I’d be foolish not to take it. I’ll get a little more money in the account.” He gave me a quick hug and a kiss. “See you when I get back.”

  “Okay.” I nodded absently. He walked off just like that, leaving me standing and staring after him. I wanted to run after him, but I didn’t want confirmation that a wall had risen between us, even an imaginary one. Ben usually told me when he expected to be home.

  I called Momma, hoping she and Daddy were already home from church.

  “Hey, Momma.” I did my best to sound cheerful. “You and Daddy going to be home?”

  “You come right out, hon.” Her warmth wrapped itself around me. “Diana and Steve aren’t coming today. One of the boys upchucked in the church parking lot, so they’re going straight home. And me and your daddy have all this food waitin’ for someone to eat it.”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “I am so glad I’m not spending my time cleaning the bathroom, sheets, or little boys’ pajamas,” Di said as she breezed into Tennessee River Soaps on Monday morning. “I think if I had to stay home today, I’d go stark raving mad.”

  “So, um, who’s taking care of my nephews?” I pointed at Di. “Surely you didn’t just leave them.”

  “Of course not. Steve took a personal day off from work today and told me to get out of the house for a while.” She grabbed a bar of Glorious Gardenia soap and inhaled, smiling.

  “That was sweet of him.”

  “He does things like that.” Di grinned at me. “I think Ben would, too.”

  I nodded and went to restock the displays. While I didn’t have any new product yet, I wanted to make shoppers think there was plenty of merchandise when they walked into the store.

  “What is it? Spit it out.”

  Nope, no fooling Di either. “Ben’s been acting strange ever since the Fourth. And we had a great time with y’all. I don’t get it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He hasn’t called me. I got his voice mail every time I called between the Fourth and yesterday. He barely said ten words to me at church yesterday, and then he left, just like that, last night.” I snapped my fingers and restocked the strawberry soaps, but not without a shudder.

  “Well…maybe he’s got a lot on his mind.”

  “I know. He probably does. He’s leaving a relatively secure job and coming home to who knows what.�
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  “God knows.”

  “Yes, He does.” I moved to the other end of the store to check the floral soaps. “Which is why I’m trying not to sound too lovelorn, like I’m waiting for him to call after a first date. We’re so beyond that now, after seven years.”

  “Like I said, he’s probably got a lot going on. He knows you’re there for him.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Enough about me. I need your help.” We both cracked up at my statement.

  “So what else do you need?”

  “Fall’s coming. I need some new soap scents.” I grabbed my notepad and pen from the counter. What I really wanted to do was find a way to help Seth, but there was nothing I could do. Not right now, anyway. “Summer’s halfway over, and I need to look ahead to fall. So help me brainstorm.”

  “Pumpkin,” Di blurted.

  “Who’d like pumpkin-scented soap?”

  “Lots of people.”

  “Well, I’ll keep it in mind. Maybe something with spice in it.” I jotted down “pumpkin,” put a question mark next to it, and moved on. “What about something cool and brisk, that would remind someone of a fall night?”

  “Peppermint?”

  “That’s it—how about a nice refreshing foot soap? I hadn’t thought of that before. A foot scrub. Good going, Di. Maybe I could make that one for November.”

  “Thanks.” She pulled a plastic sandwich bag out of her purse and opened it. “Want some dried bananas?”

  “Sure.” I popped a handful into my mouth and crunched on them. She’d finally switched from making beef jerky to drying fruit. “Okay, more fall products. I’m thinking of doing three to start with. Pumpkin—with reservation. Peppermint—definitely. And… ?”

  Di went into my office, dragged out my desk chair, and plunked herself onto it next to my stool. “I’m thinking…maybe something with apple? Or cloves…Autumn Night…”

  I rested my head on my hand and sighed. Along with Ben’s behavior and Seth’s trouble, summertime and strawberries refused to leave my head. “Not to change the subject, but I’ve been thinking about my cherry scrub. Maybe whoever tampered with it didn’t think the strawberry seeds would be discovered.”