Secret Sisters

by Tristi Pinkston

  “I’m sorry—I wasn’t thinking. Please, come in.”

  The ladies redistributed themselves in the Gimbles’ living room. “The police say they’ll send some cars around tonight to see what they can find, and tomorrow, if she hasn’t shown up, they’ll launch a full-scale investigation,” Anne said. “I know she’s old enough to take care of herself, but she’s still my baby, you know?”

  “We do know,” Tansy said, patting Anne’s hand.

  The phone rang a moment later, and Anne jumped for it. “Hello?” she said. “Is that you, Darcy?”

  She listened for a moment and her face fell. “No. Really?” She pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Me either. Well, okay, and you do the same.”

  She resumed her seat. “That was Grant Markham, Paul’s father. Paul is Darcy’s boyfriend. Apparently, he’s missing too.”

  *

  Ida Mae opened her eyes. She’d only meant to close them for a minute, but now sunlight streamed into the Gimbles’ living room and she had a crook in her neck from slumping down in the sofa. A glance around told her that Arlette and Tansy were in much the same state. Anne stood at the window, her fist clenching a panel of curtain.

  “I’m sorry,” she said without turning. “I shouldn’t have kept you so late. It was selfish of me.”

  “You needed us here,” Ida Mae said, remembering Anne’s violent sobs of the night before after receiving Grant Markham’s phone call. “It wasn’t selfish at all.”

  “I’d hoped she was over at his house,” Anne said. “At least then I’d know where she was.”

  Arlette and Tansy began to stir at the sound of voices. “What time is it?” Arlette asked.

  “It’s seven o’clock,” Anne told her.

  “I have to say, for an antique, this couch is pretty comfortable,” Arlette said, coming to her feet. She stretched, reminding Ida Mae of a cat. “I don’t suppose there’s been any word?”

  “No, not yet,” Anne said.

  “Has anyone told the sheriff that the children are probably together?” Tansy asked.

  “Grant Markham said he’d call them right after he got off the phone with me.” Anne turned from the window. “I owe you ladies a nice breakfast.”

  “Oh, we couldn’t put you out,” Tansy said, but Anne held up a hand.

  “I insist. And you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted my waffles.”

  The front door opened and Bob Gimble stepped into the house, his overcoat askew and his hair rumpled. He looked just like Columbo.

  “Anything?” Anne asked, and Bob shook his head.

  “I went to her friends’ houses, to all the spots where I know she likes to go. I even drove into Salt Lake and Provo and went to some of the places she’s mentioned in the past. Most of them were closed, and she wasn’t hanging around outside. But it’s so cold out there, I didn’t really expect to find her outside anyway.”

  “I’m about to make breakfast,” Anne said. “Come in by the heater where it’s warm.”

  Bob took off his coat and seemed to notice the ladies for the first time. “Good morning,” he said, nodding.

  “Were you out all night, Bob?” Tansy asked.

  “Ever since I found out,” he said.

  They gathered around the table and sipped orange juice until Anne set a steaming platter of waffles down in front of them, complete with three different flavors of syrup. Ida Mae had to admit, the waffles were even better than her own.

  “You need to eat something, Anne,” Tansy said, motioning toward Anne’s untouched plate. “What good will you be to Darcy if you get sick?”

  Anne mechanically cut a couple of squares from her waffle and shoved them in her mouth. She had just swallowed when the doorbell rang and she jumped, dropping her fork.

  “I’ll get it,” she and Bob both said, but Bob beat her to the door by a couple of feet. They opened the door standing side-by-side.

  Sheriff Ricky Shelton stood on the porch, his hat in his hands.

  “It’s not what you think,” he said before Bob or Anne could ask the question. “She’s fine. But let’s sit down and talk.”

  Anne led the way into the living room. Ida Mae, Tansy, and Arlette stayed in the dining room, but they could still hear every word.

  “Now, Bob, Anne, just let me assure you that Darcy is fine,” Ricky said again. “You may not like what I have to say, but let’s keep everything in perspective.”

  “You’re leading up to something,” Bob said. “Please, just tell us what it is.”

  “Darcy and Paul drove in to Salt Lake yesterday morning, bought bus tickets, and went down to Las Vegas. They arrived there around ten o’clock last night, found an all-night wedding chapel, and were married.”

  “But she’s just a child,” Anne said, her voice strangled.

  “You told me she turned eighteen a short time ago,” Ricky said. “She’s legally old enough to get married.”

  Ida Mae heard the shifting of a chair. She wished she could see facial expressions, but even she had limits when it came to spying, so she stayed put.

  “So, they’re in Las Vegas,” Bob reiterated.

  “That’s right.”

  “Thanks for looking into it, Ricky.”

  “Not a problem. I wasn’t going to start the investigation until a little later today, but I needed to go to the bus station anyway and thought I’d ask. It all came out from there.”

  “What was the name of the wedding chapel?” Anne asked.

  Ida Mae heard the rustling of paper. “Maxie’s Heavenly Chapel on the Strip.”

  “That’s horrid.”

  “Yes, it is.” Ida Mae heard the paper rustle again, and the sheriff continued. “Best thing you folks can do now is to wait for Darcy to call. She’s an adult, she’s married now, and it’s up to her to make the next move.”

  A few minutes later, Bob and Anne rejoined the ladies in the dining room. “I guess you heard,” Anne said.

  “We did,” Ida Mae told her.

  “But if you want us to pretend we didn’t, we can do that too,” Tansy added.

  “Ricky’s right, Anne. Be grateful Darcy’s safe,” Arlette said.

  “Maxie’s Heavenly Chapel on the Strip.” Anne pushed her waffle around on her plate. “That’s sure a far cry from the temple.”

  “But you know what—I bet they’ll head for the temple on their first anniversary,” Tansy said. “They’re good kids, Anne. They made a mistake, but this isn’t the end.”

  “I know a lot of kids who’ve gotten married civilly and then were sealed later,” Bob added. “If I know Darcy, and I believe I do, she’s trying to make things right. She’ll come around.”

  “I wish she’d call,” Anne said.

  Ida Mae rose. “Anne, now that Bob’s home, I think we’ll get going. You’ve got a lot to discuss, and I’m sure you both want a long nap.”

  “Thank you for coming, Ida Mae, ladies. I never meant for you to spend the night on my couch.”

  “Don’t think anything of it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next day was Sunday, and Ida Mae was having a hard time concentrating on her duties. Eden wouldn’t be able to check the computer until Monday morning and couldn’t report until Monday night, so there was no news on that front. What really distressed Ida Mae was the fact that she kept catching whispers about Darcy in the hallway, and she hated the idea that the sisters in her ward were gossiping. Anne was nowhere to be seen during sacrament meeting, and Ida Mae figured she was laying low. But as the prelude music came to an end in Relief Society, she saw Anne slip in and take a seat halfway up on the left.

  “Welcome to Relief Society, sisters,” Ida Mae said, smoothing down her skirt. “I have a few brief announcements. Lacey Duvall had her baby, a little girl. They’re both home and doing well, but we have a sign-up sheet for meals going around.” She glanced at Anne, who seemed to be holding herself together well. So far, so good.

  “Next Wednesday is our excursion to the
temple. We’re meeting at Sister Browning’s house at five thirty to carpool.”

  “In the morning?” asked a shocked voice in the back of the room.

  “No, in the evening.”

  The sigh of relief would have started a hurricane if properly channeled.

  “Now it’s time for our Good News Minute. Does anyone have some good news?”

  Anne’s hand flew up in the air. Ida Mae felt her eyebrows go up just about as fast, but she nodded. “Anne?”

  “I got a call from Darcy this morning. She got married on Friday night, and they’re going to be looking for an apartment in Springville, where her new husband just got a job.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Ida Mae said, giving Anne a smile of support. She admired the woman’s guts—Anne had to know she’d been the talk of the town, and to take the bull by the horns like that—Arlette would be proud.

  And in fact, she was. As soon as Ida Mae sat down, Arlette whispered in her ear, “Good for Anne. She tackled that head-on.”

  “Yes, she did,” Ida Mae murmured. “And I’m so glad.”

  After the lesson, she noticed several women come up to Anne and offer their congratulations. The announcement had been a gutsy move, but it was definitely the right thing to do.

  *

  Monday evening finally arrived and Eden perched on the edge of the sofa, looking much like a raven with her dark hair and black jacket. “Check this out,” she said, pointing to a sheet of paper she’d pulled out of her bag. “That order was processed at nine o’clock in the morning. The only time an order should be put through by someone other than me is when I’m not there. I was there at nine o’clock. I knew I was, but I double-checked. Look—here’s another order, put through by me, fifteen seconds later. I was very much there. So someone else put this order for Tulsa into one of the networked computers in the building, even though it’s my job to do it.”

  “So they were trying to sneak it in without you knowing about it,” Arlette said. “Do you think they suspect you?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say they were trying to keep it from me, specifically—I’d say they were keeping it from everyone,” Eden said. “And if they hadn’t forgotten the zip code, I never would have even noticed the package. I don’t think they suspect anything.”

  “So you say it was a case of formula,” Ida Mae said, taking notes.

  “Yes, one case, which is odd all by itself. Most places order more.”

  Ida Mae tapped her pencil on her notepad. “This is the only suspicious thing you’ve noticed so far, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Well, we might as well start looking into it.”

  “How long has this Tulsa customer been ordering?” Ren asked. “Are they a long-standing customer, or are they new?”

  “I didn’t check,” Eden said. “But I will tomorrow. That’s a very good idea.”

  He held up a hand in mock protest. “Do not flatter me, m’lady.”

  “Okay, so we have our assignments. Eden will check into the records and see if this customer is new. Ren is going to the Dunns’ to check the camera tonight, and that’s all we need to do. Until Eden uncovers something else, we’re pretty much at loose ends.” Ida Mae flipped her notebook closed. “Any questions?”

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Okay. We’ll see you at tomorrow’s presidency meeting.”

  As the women filtered out, Ida Mae caught sight of Eden giving Ren a gentle slug on the shoulder. She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.

  *

  Ren’s car pulled into the driveway, but he didn’t open the garage door. Ida Mae looked up from the book she was reading as he came into the house.

  “I need your help,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair. “The Dunns got a dog.”

  “Oh, no,” Ida Mae said. She stuck a bookmark in her novel and stood up. “What happened?”

  “Well, the dog was inside the house, so it didn’t chase me or anything. But it barked something fierce as I went past, and Nick kept sticking his head out the back door to see what was going on.”

  “You don’t think they know we’ve been out there, do you?” Ida Mae asked.

  “I have no idea. I couldn’t even check to see if the camera had been tampered with.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Well, that’s the problem,” Ren said. “I’m not really sure. You don’t own a high-frequency dog whistle or anything, do you?”

  “Of course not. And wouldn’t that drive the dog even more nuts?”

  “Well, I thought you could blow it on the other side of the house. You know, create a diversion.”

  “I’ve never thought to buy a dog whistle. Sorry.”

  Ren pulled his hair back into an elastic. “Maybe you could go up to the house and talk to the Dunns about something, and they’ll think the dog is barking at you.”

  Ida Mae looked at the clock. It was only eight—she could probably justify a visit. “Okay,” she said. “Let me change my clothes.” Pajamas probably weren’t the best idea for this little jaunt.

  *

  “Oh, no,” Ren said. “The dog’s outside.”

  The animal was cute and looked friendly enough, but he was sniffing around the side of the house where Ren needed to be.

  “I can’t go up to the house and ask them to bring the dog inside,” Ida Mae said. “That would just be weird.”

  They climbed back in the car and started to brainstorm. Ren suggested a tranquilizer inserted into a steak, but Ida Mae argued that they didn’t have a tranquilizer, and no, she wouldn’t risk trying to get the dog drunk. Someone would see them buying beer.

  After ten minutes of useless bantering, Ren started the engine. “I think I know what to do,” he said, and put the car in reverse.

  *

  Eden squatted down on the ground outside the Dunns’, her hand resting on top of a large cat carrier. Arlette was out for the evening and didn’t know they’d catnapped her pet, and with any luck, she never would know. Besides, as Ren justified, they’d brought Eden along too, so Eden could be responsible for the animal. She thanked him profusely.

  Ren put four fresh Ds into the battery-operated fan and positioned it behind the cat.

  “And this is going to do what again?” Ida Mae asked, questioning her nephew’s sanity and not for the first time.

  “Well, in theory, the fan will blow the scent of cat to the dog, who will wander over here,” Ren said. “If I figured it out right, the dog’s chain is a fifty-footer and he’ll only be able to come as far as that stump, so we’ll be safe.”

  “What if Nick comes out to investigate?” Ida Mae asked.

  “Then we’ll think of something. But this is the best I could do on short notice. So, you stand here and wait about five minutes, then push the on button. I’ll go round the other side and start making my way toward the house. When I see the dog head the other direction, I’ll get to the camera as fast as I can.”

  Ida Mae shook her head. This scheme was getting crazier by the second.

  She waited about five minutes after Ren’s shadowy figure disappeared into the night, then pushed the button. Eden held up her fingers.

  “Testing the direction of the air,” she whispered, and scooted the cat over a couple of inches.

  Ida Mae could hear the dog’s chain dragging against the ground, but there was no indication that he was coming closer. She squinted into the darkness, trying to see Ren, but couldn’t make out anything.

  “Hurry,” she whispered, even though he couldn’t hear her.

  The sound of furious barking jolted her thoughts, and she looked up to see the dog charging toward them. It was a basset hound, and his ears dragged the ground with every step. He was awfully adorable—that is, he would have been if not for the long, slobber-covered teeth that lined his jaws and flashed white in the moonlight with every bark.

  “Ren said the dog was on a fifty-foot chain, right?” Eden said.

 
“Yes . . .”

  “He was wrong. Run!”

  Eden grabbed the cat carrier, Ida Mae snatched up the fan, and they ran as fast as they could. Behind them, they heard a yip as the dog’s chain hit its full length and jerked him back. They turned to see the dog fully twenty-five feet beyond where they had been standing.

  “Now what?” Ida Mae whispered.

  “We have to keep the dog entertained for a few minutes. Here, boy! Here, boy!” Eden snapped her fingers. The dog stood up and tried to come, but was yanked back by the chain again.

  Up at the house, the front door opened. Nick stepped out onto the porch and looked around, then shook his head as he went back inside.

  Ida Mae took a deep breath. Thankfully, Nick hadn’t noticed anything out of place. The dog, however, didn’t seem to know what to do. He looked back at the house, then at Eden, who was still holding her hand out to him. He settled by sitting down, looking at them, and whimpering.

  Moments later, Ren’s dark form materialized in the trees behind them, his sudden appearance giving Ida Mae a start.

  “I changed the film in the camera,” he said. “Let’s go.” He picked up the cat carrier and the fan effortlessly. Ida Mae bit back a retort. She and Eden had really struggled with those two items.

  “How did it go?” he asked once they were all in the car.

  “The chain was a seventy-five footer,” Ida Mae told him.

  “Really? I could have sworn fifty,” he said, sounding unconcerned.

  “Your dear old auntie was almost made into a chew toy tonight!” she continued, trying to raise any kind of guilt in him at all.

  “You did great,” he said instead, looking very unremorseful.

  “And we could have lost Arlette’s cat,” she added.

  “That would indeed have been a shame.”

  Eden reached out and slugged his shoulder. “Why are you being so smug? And what took you so long?”

  Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out the film. “While I was changing the film in the camera, the black Jaguar pulled into the drive. I hadn’t taken the old film out yet and I snapped a picture of the car as it went past. If I’m right, I just took a picture of the driver.”