Secret Sisters

by Tristi Pinkston

  “So what did you find out?” Tansy asked. Ren hadn’t said anything yet. If Ida Mae had to describe the look on his face, she would say he glowered.

  “Nothing much, really. James has worked for the company for about two years, moved here from New York, likes the area, and he enjoys salmon.”

  “That’s it?” Tansy sounded disappointed.

  “Well, his Jaguar’s about a year old. He had it shipped out from New York.”

  “Why New York?” Tansy asked. “Couldn’t he find one a little closer to home?”

  “I guess he has a friend who owns a dealership and gave him a special price,” Eden said. “He’s very proud of that car. He even gave it a name—Elvira.”

  “Elvira?” Ida Mae asked. “What kind of name is that?”

  “I named my first car,” Eden said. “It had problems with the shocks and every time it went over a bump, it bounced, so I named it Tigger.”

  Everyone nodded their approval of her choice.

  “What about you, Ida Mae?” Arlette asked. “What did you find out when you went to eavesdrop?”

  Ida Mae leaned forward a little, eager to share as she recounted what she’d overheard.

  “That sounds very promising,” Arlette said. “Definitely suspicious.”

  “I thought so too,” Ida Mae said. She pulled out her pad and made notes on everything they’d said. “Now, Eden, are you going to keep dating James?”

  “I don’t know. He said he had a good time and he’d like to call me, so I guess we’ll see.”

  “Whatever happens, be sure to tell us whenever you go somewhere with him,” Ida Mae said. “We’ll want to be on hand at all times.”

  “I will,” Eden replied.

  And Ren continued to glower.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  With all the excitement of the Friday night date, plus her long list of Saturday chores behind her, Ida Mae thought she’d go right to sleep Saturday night. But she was too tired to relax. She had gone to bed early, feeling tired down to the marrow of her bones, but her brain wouldn’t settle down and let her drift off. She tightened the sash of her robe and went downstairs, thinking a mug of chamomile tea might do the trick. While waiting for the water to heat, she flipped on the small TV she kept on the counter. No, she didn’t want a talk show. No, not an old sitcom. No, she wasn’t in the mood to buy a bracelet that was perfect to wear while grocery shopping. She settled on the news, and watched while her tea bag bobbed in the water.

  “And that’s it for sports,” said the plastic-haired anchorman. “In local news, we have just learned that a black Jaguar drove off the road and into the river near Parley’s Pass just outside of Omni. The driver was killed. It’s too soon for more information, but join us at six for our morning broadcast, and we’ll see what we can find out.”

  Ida Mae gasped. There couldn’t be another black Jaguar in the area, not out here in Omni.

  When Ren came in from his late work shift, he agreed with her. “It has to be the same car,” he said. “Parley’s Pass is just ten miles from here. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  “So, what do we do?” Ida Mae asked, feeling for the first time in her life like she wasn’t in control.

  “I guess we wait and see what Eden finds out at the warehouse on Monday,” he said, raking his hand through his hair. As he did, Ida Mae noticed something—or rather, didn’t notice something.

  “Ren, where’s your earring?”

  He smiled and ducked his head. “Eden said she wondered what I’d look like without it, so I took it out.”

  “And did she like what she saw?” Ida Mae asked, suppressing a smile.

  “I guess. She kissed my cheek.”

  His face was now the color of a raspberry.

  Ida Mae figured she’d better not add to his embarrassment, but she couldn’t help but say, “I like you better without it too.” But she didn’t kiss his cheek—she might smudge Eden’s.

  Ren glanced at the clock. “I’m going out to the Dunns’ to check on the camera,” he said. “I haven’t been there since the other night with the cat.”

  “It’s ten thirty,” Ida Mae told him. “And I’ve got church in the morning.”

  “I won’t be long,” he said. “I just want to see what’s been going on.”

  “What about the dog?”

  He held up a silver cylinder. The boy had gotten his hands on a dog whistle. She didn’t even want to think about it.

  Ida Mae dumped her tea down the sink after he left—there was no point in trying to sleep now. She wouldn’t be able to relax until she heard what Ren had discovered. She pulled her Relief Society lesson manual from her church bag and settled in to study, trying to keep her mind on the topic at hand, but found herself startling every time she heard a sound.

  A half hour later, Ren came in the house.

  “What did you find?” she asked, setting the book off to the side.

  “Several pictures were taken,” he said. “I’ll need to download them in order to find out what’s going on.”

  “But it’s almost midnight. It’s bad enough that we’re skulking around like thieves—we probably shouldn’t worry about it until Monday morning.”

  Ren scuffed the carpet with his toe, looking for all the world like a little boy who’s been told he can’t go out on the playground.

  “On the other hand,” she said, “if we discover something that could help the police . . .”

  Ren brightened instantly. “I’ll hurry as fast as I can.”

  Now I’ve done it, Ida Mae thought as she settled back in her chair. First I’m a criminal, and now I’m aiding and abetting Sabbath breaking. Don’t ask me how I’m going to explain any of this to Bishop Sylvester. And him with his new babies and all.

  The triplets had been born and were doing well, with very few complications. They would be coming home from the hospital in a few days, and she had spent an hour coordinating meals.

  She thought she was too wired to rest, but she must have dozed off. The next thing she knew, Ren was coming out of the bathroom, holding some pictures in his hands. The clock struck midnight and she almost congratulated him on getting the work done before the Sabbath hit, but a look at his face told her he’d discovered something important.

  “This is very interesting,” Ren said. “I could tell that the camera had taken several shots, but I thought it must have been birds or something setting off the shutter. But look.” He spread the prints out on the coffee table.

  Ida Mae rose from her chair and studied the prints. The first was of Nick, facing right. The next was of Nick, facing left. Then right, then left.

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  “Look at the timestamps.”

  The pictures were all from that night. The first was taken at 20:55:05, the second at 20:55:10, and the third at 20:55:15. “They’re all five seconds apart,” she said.

  “Right.”

  “So, he’s . . . pacing?”

  “Exactly.” Ren pointed to Nick’s face. “He’s looking around, and see in this one—he looks upset. He’s pacing.”

  “So he’s outside, and he’s upset and pacing.” Ida Mae suddenly realized the implications. “He was waiting for the Jaguar, which didn’t come because it drove into the river instead.”

  “Score one for the blue-haired lady,” Ren said, patting her shoulder. “I think we have proof positive that our man in the river is the man who’s been meeting Nick out back of their house.”

  “Proof enough for us,” Ida Mae said. She picked up the picture that showed Nick’s face most clearly and sat down, studying it. “The police will never believe us.”

  “Then we’ll keep digging until we make them believe us,” Ren said. “But we’ve got an even bigger problem now.”

  “What’s that?”

  Ren’s usually cheerful face was solemn. “We don’t know if the accident was really an accident, or if the man in the Jaguar was murdered. And if he was murdered, there’s someon
e else behind this, someone even more powerful. And if that someone catches wind of what Eden’s doing there, she could be in danger too.”

  *

  “I’m not quitting.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “No, I’m not.” Eden reached out and grabbed a cookie off the plate in the center of the table, either unaware or not caring that every set of eyes in the room was firmly fixed on her. Ida Mae had promised to keep her mouth shut and let Ren do all the talking, but it was proving very difficult.

  “Eden, there’s been a murder,” Ren said. “We’re talking about lives here.”

  “Maybe James had a little too much Kool-Aid and misjudged the turn,” Eden replied.

  “But what are the odds of that happening? We’ve got a car that’s been making deliveries of pretty substantial amounts of money. We’re investigating shady dealings at the company where this car spends a lot of time in the parking lot, and now that car’s been fished out of the river and the driver is dead. What are the odds, Eden?”

  “But who’s the murderer? We don’t even have reason to be suspicious of anyone else.”

  “Which brings me back to the point of this whole discussion,” Ren said. He caught Eden’s hand as she reached for another cookie and held her fingers in his own. “Eden, we don’t know who’s behind all this, and we’re worried about you. Please, quit your job.”

  “Listen, I know you’re worried. But how would it look if I quit right after James goes into the river? Sure, it might look like I was just worried or maybe grief-stricken, I don’t know, but if the person behind all this were to get suspicious, I’d lead him right back to you. Besides, we haven’t done what we set out to do. We still don’t know what Nick is doing. Don’t we want to get to the bottom of this?”

  “Shouldn’t we at least consider the idea that it wasn’t a murder?” Ida Mae said. “Cars do go off roads, you know.”

  “We weren’t born yesterday,” Arlette told her.

  “I know,” Ida Mae said. “I’m just trying to think like the sheriff, what objections he’d pose.”

  “Ida Mae, you know we’re supposed to let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly,” Arlette told her, shaking a knitting needle. “You get your thoughts away from the sheriff’s brain right this instant.”

  “There’s one more thing,” Ida Mae said. “James was Nick’s contact. Is Nick next on the list?”

  “That clinches it for me,” Eden said, pulling her hand from Ren’s grasp. “I can’t quit yet. Nick’s life might be in danger. You started this to keep his children from going hungry—let’s finish it to keep them from going fatherless.”

  “I told you she was going to be a writer,” Arlette said, pride evident on her face.

  Ida Mae had to admit, the girl could turn a phrase. She nearly expected Arlette to pull out a flag and start singing the national anthem, but she didn’t.

  “Very well,” Ida Mae said at last. “But we’ll have to get much more careful. Eden will need backup at all times. She could be going to work every day with a murderer.”

  “No could be about it, Aunt Ida Mae,” Ren said. “We have to assume that’s exactly what’s happening. Remember the phone call you overheard James take? He does answer to someone else.”

  Everyone in the room nodded.

  “I’m going to request a leave of absence from work,” he continued. “I’m the only one here in a position to stake out the warehouse. I can sit in my car across the street. There’s a parking lot there that would be perfect.”

  Ida Mae opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. The boy had a point. She had her responsibilities, as did the other ladies, and she couldn’t be hustling off to Salt Lake at the crack of dawn every day. She wanted Ren to keep his job, but this was so much more important. If they were dealing with murderers, something had to be done, and they still didn’t have enough evidence to take to the police. She still smarted from how Ricky Shelton teased her over the Wendy’s wrapper—she could just imagine the ridicule she’d get if she showed him the pictures of Nick pacing.

  “My boss is really cool,” Ren said, and Ida Mae realized she hadn’t been listening. “If I tell him I need some personal time, I think he’ll understand.”

  “That’s good of you, Ren,” Tansy said, patting his shoulder. “I pledge to supply you with lots of food to eat in the car.”

  “And I’ll throw in the brownies,” Arlette said.

  The moment was broken when Hannah slipped into the room. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “We had a checkup for Joey, and I just got back.”

  “How is he?” Ida Mae asked.

  “Much, much better,” she replied. “What did I miss?”

  Tansy quickly filled her in, and Hannah nodded. “We’ve definitely got to keep investigating,” she said. “Something really bad could happen if we don’t.”

  “And at the first real evidence we get, we’re heading straight for the police, right?” Arlette said.

  “Yes. And you can be the one to call them,” Ida Mae promised. No way was she putting herself through that again.

  “Oh, no!” Tansy cried out a moment later. “I bet the money got all wet!”

  “The money?” Ida Mae asked.

  “The money James was bringing to Nick. It went into the river with the car, didn’t it? I bet it’s all wet and soggy and ruined. What will they do at the bank?”

  “I’m sure they have a way to take care of it,” Ida Mae reassured her. She nearly made a comment about money laundering, but kept it to herself.

  “You don’t think they’ll have to iron it, do you?” Tansy asked. “I bet they’d use the wrong setting.”

  *

  “Aunt Ida Mae, help me test this,” Ren said, walking into the kitchen with a small object in his hand. He held it up, and Ida Mae gasped. It was a beautiful brooch in the shape of a cat, with sparkling crystals embedded in it.

  “Do you think Eden will like it?” he asked.

  Ida Mae’s heart melted. Her dear boy was preparing to give a gift to his lady friend—it was so sweet.

  “I think she’ll love it, dear,” she said, patting his cheek.

  “Good, because she’s going to wear it every day.”

  Ida Mae blinked. “What?” Surely he didn’t think he could dictate how often Eden wore it. It was a gift, after all.

  “It’s a communicator. I call it a commlink. You push these buttons and it activates an alarm on the watch I’m wearing. I’m very proud of myself.”

  “As well you should be.” Ida Mae tried to squelch her disappointment. Was it wrong for her to want Ren to find happiness in his life? And Eden was such a nice girl, although she wasn’t terribly pleased with the idea of having Arlette as an in-law.

  “I’m going to stand outside. You push the buttons, okay? First, push the cat’s left eye, then his right, then his nose, then his stomach. Got that?”

  “Left, right, nose, stomach. Why so many buttons?”

  “Well, if the alarm triggered with just one button, she could set it off accidentally. If it was two buttons, she could still set it off if she pushed them within a few minutes of each other. But with four, the odds are significantly lower. Now, what was that order again?”

  “Left, right, nose, stomach.”

  “Very good. Give me about two minutes.”

  Ren slipped out the door and Ida Mae counted out two minutes. Then she pushed the tiny buttons, which were placed behind the crystals. It was ingenious.

  “It worked!” Ren dashed in, leaping around in a victory dance.

  “Arlette and Eden are coming over tonight for dinner,” she said, watching Ren carefully to gauge his reaction.

  “Good. I can give her the pin then,” he replied, not having the decency to blush or stammer or even look embarrassed. Ida Mae turned away in frustration. There had to be a way to make him admit his feelings. That is, if he had feelings, which she was sure he did. How could he not?

  *

  “Now, you only activate th
is if it’s the most dire emergency,” Ren said. “If my watch alarm goes off, I’m going to assume you’re either dead or dying, and I’ll act accordingly.”

  “By making funeral potatoes?” Eden asked with a smirk.

  “Yeah. Just joke about life and death like that, young lady. Now, what’s the sequence again?”

  “Left eye, then the right eye, then the stomach—”

  “No, the nose,” Ren said.

  “Left eye, right eye, nose, and stomach,” Eden recited. He made her say it five more times before he was satisfied.

  “What if she gets the order wrong?” Ida Mae asked.

  “She won’t,” Arlette interjected. “She’s as smart as a whip.”

  “Theoretically, what if she pushes the wrong sequence?”

  “Nothing. It just won’t set off the alarm.”

  “Left eye, right eye, nose, and stomach.” Eden pinned the cat on her sweater just below her left collarbone. “This is an awfully pretty pin, Ren. I’m glad you didn’t use something dreadful, like a skull.”

  “Well, I know how much you like cats,” he said, looking at Ida Mae over Arlette’s head. They had all agreed not to tell Arlette about their adventure with her cat, but it was very hard to maintain a straight face in that lady’s presence. Eden’s lips twitched dangerously, and Ida Mae leaped to the rescue.

  “Does anyone want dessert?”

  “I do!” Eden said, jumping out of her chair a little too eagerly. “I’ll help serve.”

  Ida Mae set Eden to cutting the brownies while she pulled out the ice cream. “We’re very worried about you, Eden. Are you sure you want to keep working at the warehouse?”

  “You couldn’t pay me to stop,” Eden said. “I’m having so much fun sleuthing on the sly. And I haven’t found anything yet, so it’s not like they have to kill me to keep me from blabbing.”

  “Seriously, dear, I’m concerned.”

  Eden placed her hand on Ida Mae’s shoulder. “Thank you for worrying about me. It means a lot. I admit, James’s death did shake me up a little, but I promise you, I’m going to be fine.”