Andrea led the way inside and Gloria trailed behind. The sign just inside the door told them to seat themselves, which Andrea promptly did…right in the middle of the area filled with cops.
Other restaurant patrons chose the other side of the restaurant but not Andrea. Of course, that was the whole reason they were there. To see if they could glean any information, eavesdrop on conversations, maybe chat with the waitress.
Gloria quickly studied the faces before taking a seat in the booth across from Andrea. She reached for the menu and opened the front flap as she pretended to peruse the menu items. She had skipped dinner and realized the last time she had eaten was at the fancy seafood restaurant earlier in the day with the girls.
It seemed so long ago now…like an eternity, not a few short hours.
Her stomach grumbled as she read the breakfast items. This was definitely a bacon and eggs kind of night. The waitress arrived with two cups of coffee. She jotted the girls’ orders on her notepad and slipped it inside her apron.
“I’ll get right on this,” she said.
Andrea thanked the girl and then leaned back in an attempt to eavesdrop on the officers seated at the booth directly behind them. She tilted her blonde head.
“…then when I turned around, he was face first in the toilet bowl, gulping yellow water.”
She snapped her head upright and looked at Gloria. “Too gross. Let’s move.” Her eyes scanned the room. She spotted another empty booth, right next to a booth with three officers.
She scrambled out of the seat and Gloria followed behind. The table had been cleared but not cleaned.
Gloria reached inside her purse, pulled out a clean tissue and swiped at the crumbs on the table.
The waitress darted over when she noticed Gloria cleaning. “You moved.”
Andrea scrunched her nose and nodded. “Yeah. Uh, the conversation next to us was not conducive to eating, you could say.”
The waitress leaned forward and took over for Gloria as she wiped the table with a clean, wet rag. “Yeah. They have some doozy conversations. Guess it goes with the territory.”
When she finished wiping, she whirled around and made her way back behind the diner counter.
Andrea picked up the menu and focused her attention on the table behind her. This time, she hit the jackpot.
“…is gunning for his job, anyway. Nice, cushy office and all. Seems like those rumors swirling around for months now were true.”
“You think Diane is gonna try and pull some strings to get this thing buried under the rug?” the cop on the other side asked.
The officer across from him shrugged. “Stone has been after Kennedy for months now. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be willing to scratch her back if she scratches his.”
The officer snickered and then changed the subject as they began to discuss a recent football game.
Andrea prayed Gloria hadn’t overheard the part about the Diane woman but she had.
The muscle in Gloria’s jaw twitched as she fought the urge to jump out of her seat, stomp over to the other booth and demand to know who Diane Stone was. “Who is Diane Stone?” she hissed as she leaned forward.
“This is hearsay,” Andrea attempted to calm Gloria, whose face was a mask of fury. Her poor friend had had to endure every kind emotion. Joy, heartbreak, pain, fury…all in the same day.
Gloria reached for her phone. “Maybe it’s time to find out.”
Andrea reached across the table and put her hand on Gloria’s arm. “I know you’re angry and hurt. Paul may be completely innocent. It sounds like he turned this woman down,” she pointed out.
Gloria let her cell phone drop back inside her purse. “True. It did sound that way.”
Andrea pressed on. “You have had a long day. He has had a long day. Why don’t you sleep on this before you call him up and give him the third degree?”
Andrea’s voice of reason won out. Gloria nodded. “Okay,” she relented.
Their food arrived minutes later. The girls bowed their heads in prayer and Andrea prayed for peace and a quick solving of the mystery before she finished with “Amen.”
Gloria lifted her napkin, placed it in her lap and reached for the shaker of salt. The smell of fried bacon wafted in the air and Gloria’s mouth watered. She was starving.
Andrea kept to the safe subject of the upcoming visit from Gloria’s sons, whom Andrea had never met but felt as if she already knew. “What time are the boys and family coming in?”
Gloria paused, her fork mid-air. Her brow formed a “v” and her mind drew a blank. “I-I don’t remember.” She shook her head to clear the fog. “Early afternoon…I think.”
The officers behind Andrea slid out of the booth, dropped some bills on the table and headed toward the exit.
Andrea glanced around. The diner was almost empty.
The waitress returned with a fresh pot of coffee. “More coffee?”
Gloria covered her cup and shook her head. “No thanks.” Coffee kept her awake, if she drank too much, although she knew she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep tonight, anyway. She glanced at the nametag, Ashley. “Have you worked here long?”
Ashley nodded. “Yeah. Almost a year now.” She balanced the pot of coffee on the edge of the table. “I’m working my way through college.” She shrugged. “The tips are good, especially from the cops. They like to hang out and they drink a ton of coffee.”
Andrea nodded. “I bet they do. You probably know quite a few of them.”
“Yep. Most of ‘em are good guys. There are a couple stinkers, though.” Ashley wrinkled her nose.
Gloria was curious. “Stinkers as in stingy with their tips?” That would be her guess.
Ashley waved a hand. “No. More like rude. Like snappy. Maybe they’re tired of the night shift, like me.”
That could be true. Gloria knew she got cranky when she didn’t get a good night’s rest. “Do you have a favorite?”
“Yep. Officer Kennedy.”
Gloria’s heart leapt in her chest.
Ashley shook her head. “Such a shame he got into trouble. Not that I believe it. He was always full of kind words, encouraging me to hang in there and finish college.”
She went on. “The other cops, they don’t believe it either. Except for Jason Endres. He was in here talking smack earlier. Said he was sure Officer Kennedy was guilty as all get out.”
Ashley placed her hand on her hip. “He’s such a creep…always bragging about single-handedly taking down thugs. He patrolled with Officer Kennedy. Officer Kennedy must have the patience of a saint.”
Gloria knew most of the time Paul patrolled alone, but there were times the officers patrolled in pairs. It depended on whether it was a holiday or special event where they needed more hands on deck.
After Ashley left, Gloria fumbled in her purse for her wallet. She left enough money to pay for both of their meals, over Andrea’s protests. She also left an extra ten because kids could always use extra cash. She admired the young woman for juggling work and school and she prayed a quick prayer Ashley would stick with it until she graduated from college.
The girls exited the diner and climbed back inside the truck. It was after eleven by the time Andrea pulled into Gloria’s drive. She shifted into park and turned to Gloria. “You want me to come in?”
Gloria reached for the handle and shook her head. “No. I’m feeling better now. I guess I was in shock.”
“So if I come back in the morning, you won’t have packed your bags and hit the road for Florida?” Andrea teased.
“Ha! No. What was I thinking?” Gloria twirled her finger in a circular motion near her head. She opened the truck door and stepped onto the ground. “Maybe I’ll wait a couple days ‘til the dust settles before I mention anything about moving or postponing the wedding.”
“Good idea,” Andrea agreed. “A lot can happen in a couple days. Who knows? Maybe by then we will have tracked down the person who set Paul up.”
It was true. The
re was a chance that could happen. A slight chance…
Gloria crept up the steps and shuffled to the door. She fumbled with the keys and finally managed to unlock the door. She stepped inside and waved to Andrea, who waited until she was safely inside.
Gloria closed and locked the door. She leaned against the door and rested the back of her head against the glass pane.
Gloria was never so happy to see a day end.
Chapter 4
Gloria awoke abruptly. Her eyes flew open and she turned her head to peer at the clock on her nightstand. It was still early…and dark. Her eyes squinted as she focused on the blue light. It was 5:45 a.m.
Gloria fell back into bed, pulled the covers over her head and willed the sweet escape of sleep to return. Her body was on board, but her mind had already shifted into overdrive.
Finally, she gave up trying to sleep, flung the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
Mally whined from her doggy bed and shifted as she fell back asleep.
Gloria opened the bedroom door and crept into the living room.
The wind howled loudly and she could hear the screech of the tree branches as they scraped against the large picture window that faced the road.
It looked as if today would match Gloria’s mood…dark and stormy.
Gloria switched on the living room lamp and crossed over into the dining room on her way to the kitchen.
She started a pot of coffee, turned on the porch light, opened the kitchen blinds and settled in at the kitchen table. A layer of snow covered the porch rail. The porch rail was Gloria’s “unofficial” gauge of snowfall and this one looked to be about two inches worth.
The coffee had finished brewing and Gloria stepped over to the cupboard, pulled a coffee mug from the shelf and filled the mug before returning to the table.
She reached for her well-worn Bible and flipped it open to the spot she had marked. She searched in vain for words of comfort but the solace she sought eluded her.
Gloria flipped to the concordance in the back of her Bible and searched for “heartbroken.”
She turned to the book of Proverbs and smiled as she read Proverbs 21, Verse 19:
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.” KJV.
Finally, she stumbled on a verse:
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 KJV
Gloria closed her eyes and bowed her head. “Lord, please help me make it through this.” It was a simple, heartfelt prayer and said it all.
Mally dashed into the kitchen and came to a screeching halt at the back door. Gloria recognized the look on her face. She needed to go out.
She scrambled out of the chair and scooted over to the door. Gloria opened it wide and Mally darted out. Gloria’s beloved pooch paused at the top of the stairs and stared out at the fresh blanket of snow covering the steps and as far as the eye could see. She put one paw on the snowy step and then lifted it back up.
Necessity won out and Mally bounded down the steps and into the yard.
Gloria grabbed her coat, slipped her arms in the sleeves and stepped onto the porch. The wind had died down and the snowfall had turned into light flurries.
The cold winter air nipped at Gloria’s nose and made her feel alive. She was thankful for all of the blessings in her life, including Paul. God had brought the two of them together and yes, it seemed they had hit a bump in the road, but that was to be expected.
Gloria stiffened her back and resolved she…and her friends…would figure out who was trying to pin this extortion mess on Paul!
Gloria cupped her hands to her mouth. “C’mon, Mally! We have work to do!”
The two stepped back inside the warm, cozy kitchen and Gloria shut the door behind them. It was time to get down to business!
***
Gloria briefly remembered Margaret and Lucy telling her they were going to talk to Paul this morning to see if he had any idea who might be setting him up. She had a sneaking suspicion they were going to try to talk some sense into him about possibly postponing the wedding, too.
She was torn. On the one hand, she didn’t want to have to convince someone to marry her. She had her pride, after all.
On the other hand, she thought he was punishing himself for something he had no control over. There was only one way to muddle through this mess and it was time for Gloria to hop back in the saddle, roll up her sleeves and start the investigation.
She popped two slices of bread in the toaster. After they toasted, she spread a layer of creamy peanut butter on one slice and placed it in Mally’s food dish.
She put peanut butter and jelly on top of hers, folded it in half and munched on it as she settled in front of the computer.
Gloria grabbed a pen, a small notepad and jotted down the names of people she considered suspects. There was Alex, or as Gloria had nicknamed him, “Smart Aleck.” He was the rookie who occasionally patrolled with Paul. Next was Jason Endres, another young hotshot cop. He was the one Andrea and she overhead was gunning for Paul’s job.
Then there was Diane Stone. Gloria frowned as she added her name to the list. Was she a spurned woman, intent on punishing Paul? She remembered the saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
She tapped her pen on top of the pad. The woman may have motive, but where was the opportunity to place the cash and notes in Paul’s locker? Gloria had never been inside the employee-only areas of the station but had to guess the women’s locker room and the men’s locker room were in separate areas.
Diane Stone would have to be gutsy to sneak into the men’s locker room, if, in fact, she had even done it. Maybe she had an accomplice.
If only she could find a way to get into the police station to look around…but how? Sneaking into a police station would be like trying to break into Fort Knox. Perhaps she could recruit another officer, plead her case and appeal to his or her sense of justice. Maybe…
Gloria chewed her lower lip. Whom could she ask? The only person she trusted was Paul. There was no way he would allow her to get involved. In fact, she knew he would be upset if he had even an inkling she was nosing around.
Gloria abruptly rose from the chair and grabbed her empty coffee cup. She poured another cup and wandered over to the window. The sun was out and almost all of the pristine snow had melted, leaving behind a muddy mess.
She needed to get the driveway paved. The gravel helped keep the drive from turning into a soup bowl but it had been a couple years since she had more gravel brought in.
Maybe she should move to Florida. Gloria shook her head to clear the irrational thought and sipped her coffee.
Her eyes drifted to the road out front. She watched as Kenny, Belhaven Post Office’s rural route carrier, zipped by in his mail truck. Right behind Kenny was Officer Joe Nelson’s police cruiser.
Gloria’s eyes grew wide. Officer Joe Nelson! Gloria had her mole!
Chapter 5
Officer Joe Nelson was a creature of habit and one of his habits was to stop by Dot’s every morning at 7:30 a.m. on the dot for coffee (black), an egg white omelet, which consisted of two tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese, a handful of onion, bacon and green peppers…and two slices of whole wheat toast, no butter.
Dot had teased him for years that she knew he would either have to be dead or deathly ill to miss his morning ritual.
Gloria rushed to the bathroom, showered so fast the mirror didn’t have time to fog over and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She glanced in the dining room mirror as she darted past. It wasn’t pretty but at least she wasn’t wearing her pajamas.
She slid her feet into her barn boots, grabbed her keys and jacket and raced out the door. The entire process had taken less than 15 minutes and by the time she got to Dot’s, she knew Joe would be finishing his breakfast and working on his last cup of morning coffee before his shift started at 8:00.
&nb
sp; Gloria slid Annabelle into an empty spot in front of Dot’s and made a beeline for the front door. The place was packed and she could’ve sworn all eyes followed her across the room as she headed to Joe and his table for two in the corner.
She was certain Paul…and she…were the main topic of conversation. Gloria was a woman on a mission so she paid them no mind.
Gloria slid into the seat across from Joe, dropped her purse on the floor and leaned forward. “I need your help.” There was no need to beat around the bush. Time was of the essence.
Officer Joe Nelson lifted his slice of whole-wheat toast and eyed her cautiously. He recognized the look in Gloria’s eyes…the look of a desperate woman.
“What kind of help?” He chewed his toast, lifted his cup of coffee and studied her over the rim.
“I’m sure you know Paul is in trouble. I need someone who can get into Montbay County Sheriff’s Station and – uh – look around.”
Joe started to shake his head. “I’m not sure…”
“Look!” Gloria placed an open palm on the table. “Someone is trying to frame Paul. If I thought I could sneak in there myself, I wouldn’t bother asking you, but I can’t.”
Officer Joe Nelson and Gloria locked eyes. He could hear the desperation in Gloria’s voice and started to waffle.
“I dunno about this.” He slowly shook his head. Joe liked Paul. He was a standup guy and Joe figured someone was trying to stick it to him. Still, Joe liked his job. Actually, Joe loved his job and the thought of putting his job in jeopardy for a friend, albeit a good one was not something he was ready to embrace.
Joe glanced around uneasily. It wouldn’t be hard for someone at a table nearby to eavesdrop. The last thing he needed, if he decided to help Gloria, and he knew there was no way he could turn her down, not when she looked at him like that, was for someone to overhear their conversation.
He glanced at the check Holly, the server, had left on the table. He dropped a five and three ones on top of the check and slid his chair back. “Let’s talk outside.”
Gloria popped out of the chair and trailed behind as she followed him out the front door and onto the sidewalk. He stepped out of view of the large front picture window and motioned her off to the side. “Just once, Gloria. I’ll help you this one time,” he caved. “What do you want me to do?”
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