by Carol Cox
“It doesn’t matter what that bunch of old gossips is sayin’. They’ve got way too much time on their hands and don’t have anything better to do than stick their noses in other people’s business.”
“But it does matter.” Kate choked on the words, dangerously close to tears. “If they really believe that...”
LuAnne tightened her grip. “Listen to me, darlin’. The people who know you don’t believe this is anything more than a lot of hooey. Loretta doesn’t, and neither do I. None of your friends, or anybody with a lick of sense, would ever think that. Knowin’ you, you’ll use the skill God gave you to find out what really went on, and this whole thing will blow over in no time.
“Plus, you have friends in this town, and we’re gonna do anything we can to shut down these rumors and let people know you didn’t have anything to do with that accident. If we weren’t out sleuthin’ this afternoon, I’d be on the phone right now. But don’t you fret. We’re gonna figure this out.”
I hope she’s right, Kate mused after she dropped LuAnne off at her home. But at least some folks believed in her and her ability to find the answers to the puzzle.
She knew she had better find them soon if she hoped to clear her name.
KATE PULLED INTO a parking space in front of Smith Street Gifts and sat for a moment to collect her thoughts.
At the other end of the block stood what was left of the Country Diner, the favorite gathering place for so many local residents. Its absence had left a hole in the community as gaping as the one in the front of the diner.
Walt’s question pushed its way into the forefront of her mind. When was Loretta planning to reopen? She should have asked LuAnne while they were together instead of letting herself get sidetracked.
Kate looked for any sign of reconstruction, but with the heavy black tarps blanketing the storefront, the building looked just as dismal as it had the night she and Paul came to offer help...and walked straight into a nightmare instead.
Misgivings stirred within her. What if the diner didn’t reopen? Or worse, what if Bernie was right and an upscale French restaurant opened in its place?
Was that the reason for the tarps covering the windows—so Loretta could clear the place out and prepare for the transfer of ownership in secret?
A lump formed in Kate’s throat as she tried to imagine Copper Mill without the Country Diner. What a loss it would be!
And she would be held responsible, if the truth wasn’t found.
But the truth would come to light. It had to.
Shaking off her gloomy thoughts, Kate reached for the cardboard box she had placed on the backseat before leaving home.
She carried the box inside the store, relaxing in its familiar clutter of souvenirs and trinkets. The rest of the world might be going crazy, but here, at least, she felt in her element.
Steve Smith, the gift shop’s owner, whistled admiringly as he held the sun catchers up to the light one by one. “You have a rare ability, Kate. Even in a piece this small, your talent shines through.” He grinned and winked. “No pun intended.”
Kate chuckled. “I enjoy doing these small items for a change of pace, but I have to admit I’m itching to sink my teeth into something a little more complex.”
Steve rubbed his hands together. “I’m glad to hear it. A fella from Cincinnati came through yesterday on his way to Atlanta. He saw some of your work and wondered if you’d be willing to do a fanlight to put over the front door of the new home he’s building.”
Kate gasped in delight. “Any special design? When does he want it? Did he specify a color scheme?”
Steve laughed and held up his hand to stave off the barrage of questions. “I told him I thought you’d say yes, so he gave me the dimensions he needs and said he’d leave the design to you. After looking at your other work, he felt sure he’ll be pleased with anything you come up with.”
A water scene, perhaps. Or maybe an abstract design? Kate’s mind reeled with possibilities.
Steve’s voice called her back to the present. “He’s supposed to be back this way in another month or so, but he left his business card.”
Steve produced a card from behind the counter and handed it to her. “He said you can call him on his cell phone if you have any questions.”
Kate beamed. Finally something positive to focus on! She thanked Steve and tucked the card in her purse, already planning the things she would ask her new customer when she called him.
The freedom to develop her own design was all well and good, but the details he could provide about his home and interests would help her create a piece that would bring him joy for years.
What kind of theme was he looking for? Scenic? Geometric? What shades did he plan to use in the color scheme of his new home, and what direction would the fanlight face?
She left Steve hanging the new offerings where they would best catch the light in the front window of his store and hummed as she returned to her car, her steps lighter than they had been for days.
Her thumb was poised to press the Unlock button on her key remote when she paused, thoughts about the errant Mustang intruding on her happy plans. Making a quick decision, she pivoted and walked across the green to the town hall.
She trotted up the concrete steps and through the glass doors, then turned right into the section of the building that housed the sheriff’s office.
Skip looked up from his desk when she entered, and a wary look crossed his face. “What can I do for you, Missus Hanlon?”
Frustration billowed up in Kate when she saw the reserve in his gaze. “I’ve been wondering something. Who reported the crash?” She held her breath while she waited for him to answer.
Skip twirled a pencil in his fingers, turning it end over end. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I didn’t take the call myself, but I know it was a woman. She hung up before the other deputy could get her name.”
His eyes narrowed, and he looked straight at Kate. “It wasn’t—”
“No, it wasn’t.” Immediately she regretted her snappish tone. “I’m sorry, Skip. This whole thing has just gotten beyond frustrating.”
The redheaded deputy’s cheeks rounded as he blew out a puff of air. “You can say that again.” Then he drew himself up and resumed his official demeanor. “But we’re working on it. We’ll turn up a lead sooner or later.”
“Later is what I’m afraid of.” Kate left Skip to his paperwork and exited the building through the glass doors.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. They don’t seem to have made any progress at all.” Kate pulled the empty flour canister from the cupboard and closed the door with more force than was necessary.
“To tell you the truth, Paul, I don’t think they’re even trying hard to find out who did it.” She reached for a fresh bag of flour and plunked it down beside the canister. A puff of white dust floated into the air, then the tiny motes drifted down again, coating the counter’s surface with a fine powder.
Paul dampened a dish cloth and swabbed it over the mess. “You have to admit, it isn’t exactly a major crime wave.” Amusement tinged his voice. “I’m sure they have more pressing matters to worry about at the moment. They’ll get to it—or not—in good time.”
Kate took the cloth from him and rinsed it out under the kitchen faucet. “I’m concerned about how this could impact our ministry here.”
“I can’t see how a missing wallet would have any effect on what happens at Faith Briar.”
Kate wrung out the cloth and spread it across the sink divider. “That missing wallet of mine wound up in a stolen car, hon. I don’t want people thinking I was somehow involved.”
Paul burst out laughing. “Not involved? Who’s the one who’s always poking her nose into things and trying to solve every mystery that comes along?”
Kate poured the flour from the bag into the canister, careful not to repeat her earlier dusting. “But that’s usually because I want to help someone else. It’s a whole different feeling when it come
s to solving a mystery on my own behalf.”
And that was the problem, she thought as she rolled out the dough to make the crust for chocolate pecan pie.
It was one thing to try to sort out someone else’s dilemma, using her God-given gifts to put the pieces of the puzzle together. But it was quite another to go through the day-to-day stress of knowing she would have to live with the repercussions of a tainted reputation if she didn’t succeed.
KATE TRIED TO EXPLAIN that to Paul while they ate.
He listened until she had run out of words, then he covered her hand with his own. “Kate, you believe God is in control, don’t you?”
She blinked at the question. “Of course.”
“Then I think you need to just let go and let him take care of this. It isn’t going to go away any faster with you stressing over it.”
“I am trusting God.” The corners of her lips tipped upward. “I just want to help clear things up.”
Paul squeezed her fingers. “Honey, we have a fine sheriff in Alan Roberts. I’m sure he’s giving the case all the attention it deserves. Just leave it to him and let him find the culprit.”
He kissed her fingertips, then settled back in his chair. “Let’s look at the worst-case scenario. Suppose they never do find who was behind this. What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?”
Kate stared into the distance, unwilling to put her deepest concerns into words.
Paul spread his hands. “In that case, it becomes an unsolved mystery. Those happen all the time. They make television shows about them, although this one probably wouldn’t even make prime time.”
He grinned and folded his arms, apparently satisfied with this flow of logic. “My point is, life goes on. God will deal with whoever did this in his good time, even if that person is never brought to earthly justice.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Kate speared a green bean with her fork and pushed it around her plate. What if Paul’s worst-case scenario came true and this went down in the annals of unsolved mysteries? Could she do what Paul suggested and just let it go?
She thought about the faces she’d seen around town since the accident, the faces of people she’d worked so hard to win over, now filled with suspicion. If she didn’t find out what her wallet was doing in that stolen car, she might never regain their trust.
They would continue to look at her as though she were flaky at best, if not an outright criminal.
Worse, despite Paul’s assurances to the contrary, the germs of distrust could spread to infect his ministry as well. How could people continue to trust him as a spiritual leader if he couldn’t keep his deranged wife out of trouble?
Her thoughts tumbled over one another while she cleared their plates and dished up slices of the chocolate pecan pie.
After the first bite, Paul closed his eyes and sighed. “No doubt about it, that’s a blue-ribbon recipe.”
When he had savored the last bite and dabbed up the crumbs, he pushed the plate away and reached for her hand. “All joking aside, it was a fabulous meal. You do so many things well, Katie. You’re a wonderful cook and a gifted artist. And you’ve been my main supporter and head cheerleader for all these years. Plus, you’ve already solved more than your share of mysteries since we’ve been in Copper Mill. God has given you a gift in that area as well.”
He reached over and stroked her cheek. “To put it in sports vernacular, nobody bats a thousand. Even if the identity of the car thief is never discovered, don’t let one miss make you feel like a failure.”
Kate nodded and smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
She thought about what he said while she cleaned up the kitchen. Paul was right. She had to trust God. If this mystery remained unsolved, it wouldn’t make her a failure.
But that didn’t mean she was going to quit trying.
Chapter Ten
You’re driving over to the game with me, aren’t you?” Paul dropped his basketball shoes into his sports bag, then zipped it shut.
“Actually, I have a few errands I need to run.”
When the expectant look on his face dimmed, Kate wrapped her arms around his waist and hastened to add, “But I’ll be there, hon, never fear. I wouldn’t miss the chance to watch you lead the Faith Briar team to victory.”
Paul’s grin returned as quickly as it had faded. “Confidence. A man likes to hear that from his wife.” He picked up the bag and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be watching for you.”
Kate waved good-bye as he pulled out of their driveway, then she gathered her things and climbed into her Honda.
Paul always liked to get to the gym early, before the others gathered to start warming up. She would only wind up standing around tapping her toes if she went with him. She would do better to put the extra time to good use.
She felt a twinge of guilt when she spotted his pickup in the high-school parking lot, and she eased off the gas.
How his face would light up if she postponed her errands and walked into the gym right then. None of her errands were crucial. It wouldn’t hurt a bit to let them go until the following day.
But her hesitation lasted only an instant, then she pressed on the accelerator once more and continued toward town.
Her errands provided an excuse for going into town, but they weren’t the real reason for her trip. She wanted—no, needed—to put her mind at rest, and as quickly as possible.
BETTY ANDERSON LOOKED UP when Kate walked into the beauty parlor.
“Hey, there. I’m getting ready to give Lucy Mae a perm.”
Betty gestured with the gray plastic perm rod in her hand to indicate the mayor’s wife, seated in the salmon-colored chair in front of her.
“I’ve talked her into trying a curlier look. But I can work you in after that, if you don’t mind sitting a bit. We can all visit while you wait.”
“That’s okay.” Kate pulled her purse strap farther up on her shoulder and perched on the edge of one of the benches at the front of the shop. “I just wanted to ask you a quick question.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Do you have any idea who made the call to report the crash at the diner to the sheriff’s office?”
Kate held her breath. Most of the gossip in Copper Mill funneled through the beauty shop at some point. If there had been any talk, surely Betty would know about it.
Betty paused in the act of sliding end papers along a length of Lucy Mae’s hair and looked at Kate oddly.
Kate squirmed. Okay, so maybe it was a dumb question. Aloud, she said, “Sorry, I just thought you might have heard something.”
Betty kept staring at Kate. The end papers slipped from her fingers and fluttered downward, coming to rest on Lucy Mae’s nose.
Lucy Mae sniffed and swatted them away, then she twisted in her seat to glare up at Betty.
Without shifting her gaze, Betty pulled out two more papers and positioned them around the section of hair again.
“I’ve heard plenty, but why would you be asking me? You should know all about it, seeing as how you were the one...”
Her voice trailed off, and she raised her carefully groomed eyebrows. “Weren’t you?”
Kate clamped her teeth together and counted to ten. “I didn’t make that call. I don’t know how I lost my wallet, and I have no idea how it got into that car. I didn’t know a thing about the crash until LuAnne called to tell me what happened.”
Betty and Lucy Mae stared at her, their eyes wide.
Kate took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady. “Would you do me a favor? Next time someone comes in spreading that story, you can set them straight.”
“Sure, Kate.” Betty set the perm rod under the end papers and wound Lucy Mae’s hair around it, looking thoughtful.
Kate stood, ready to leave, then paused at the door. “One more thing. Do either of you know a skinny boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen? He has sandy hair that keeps falling in his eyes, and he wears a brown leather jacket.”
B
etty and Lucy Mae exchanged glances, then they both looked back at Kate and shrugged.
“Just thought I’d check.” She attempted a laugh that didn’t quite come off. “I bumped into him the other day and wondered who he was.”
KATE GLANCED AT HER WATCH and winced. She hadn’t meant to take so long at Betty’s. If she didn’t hurry, she’d never make it to the bank before it closed.
Knowing the parking spaces nearby would probably be taken up at this point on a Friday afternoon, she left her Honda in front of the beauty parlor and cut across the Town Green.
By the time she reached the bank, she was puffing. That would teach her to speed walk like someone trying out for the Olympics. She leaned against the brick facade long enough to catch her breath and massage her arthritic knee.
Maybe she needed to start working out more. She wasn’t in nearly the condition Paul was. Healthy eating wouldn’t do her much good if her body wasn’t in shape.
Due to the prolonged cold snap, it had been a while since she and Livvy had taken one of their midday walks. Too long, obviously. Kate made a mental note to give Livvy a call about starting up again.
A quick look at the clock tower at the southwest corner of the green jolted her into action again.
The plate-glass door of the Mid-Cumberland Bank and Trust opened before she could reach for the brass handle, and two men came out.
Kate drew to one side when she recognized one of them as Roland Myers. Myers, however, appeared lost in his own thoughts and didn’t seem to notice Kate.
“No, McKinney turned me down again,” he told his companion in a peevish voice. “I can’t figure it. Haven’t I lived in these parts all my life? How does he figure that makes me a poor credit risk?”
His voice trailed off as the two men walked away, and Kate hurried inside the bank. She took a moment to savor the fragrant aroma of the coffee Melvin McKinney, the bank manager, kept perking for his customers. If she weren’t in such a hurry, she would have lingered long enough to help herself to a cup.
At the moment, though, she had more pressing matters to attend to. With a wistful sigh, she turned toward the tellers’ counter on her left and waited in line until Georgia—or was it Evelyn?—Cline was free to help her. It was almost impossible to tell the elderly twins apart. They not only dressed alike, but they even wore their Easter-egg blue hair in the same style.