“What is it?” Renee asked. “Do you two know something I don’t?”
Grinning, Kate said, “I think Megan has made a grand discovery.”
Whirling away from the table, Megan raced back to the bedroom. She returned with a blue denim bag tied around the top with an old, frayed rope.
“That’s mine!” Beck reached across the table.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here.” Taking the bag from Megan, Kate opened it and slid the contents on a forest green linen napkin she’d spread out on the table.
Dozens of sparkling diamonds spilled out, sized from tiny baguettes to multicarat stones, each worth a small fortune.
Beck frowned and looked disappointed. “Those aren’t my marbles.”
Stunned, Megan sat down heavily in her chair. “They’re diamonds, aren’t they?”
“Yes, I believe they are, honey.”
“Oh dear, oh dear.” Renee fluttered her fingers in the air. “You’re going to have to charge more than sixty dollars for your doll, dear. Much more.”
Kate laughed. “Megan may want to switch the diamonds for some of my stained glass. She’ll still be able to ask quite a bit for the doll.”
Continuing to stare at the diamonds, Megan said, “How did those get in with my cornhusks?”
“And in my marble bag?” Beck added.
Kate thought she knew the answer. “After the car crash, the police searched the car. The only unusual thing they found was a bag of marbles.”
“Mine?”
“Probably,” Kate said. “I’m guessing your mother knew the diamonds were stolen. Hank wanted to take them with him to Nashville, possibly to fence them to a dealer. Maybe he’d hidden them in the bottom of your cornhusk box all along. But your mother knew that Hank’s brother was after him to get the diamonds. She switched the diamonds for the marbles and went off with Hank, hoping that you three children would be safe and that Hank’s brother would chase after them to Nashville and not bother you.”
“But her plan went wrong when the police tried to stop Hank for speeding, and he crashed the car,” Renee concluded.
Tears filmed Gwen’s eyes. “Ma tried to save us, didn’t she?”
Sympathy filled Kate’s heart. “Yes, I think she did. She obviously loved you very much.”
“Could the mayor give Ma an award for being brave too?” Gwen asked.
Barely able to speak, Kate said, “I think your mother’s biggest reward, the only one she really wanted, was to know that her children were safe.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
By Monday morning, everyone had heard about Kate’s adventures with the diamond thieves. Based on several congratulatory phone calls she’d received, the story had reached epic proportions, the details exaggerated until Kate had single-handedly captured a ring of international diamond thieves that even Interpol had failed to track down.
She simply wanted her life to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Although she had to admit, her “normal” life in Copper Mill always seemed to involve mysteries she felt compelled to solve.
After Paul left for his morning run, Kate dressed in a pair of slacks and a blouse, then drove to Jenkins Nursery. She intended to convince Floyd Jenkins to hire Wyn when he was released from prison.
A young woman in her twenties was working the cash register, assisting a woman whose shopping cart was loaded with bedding plants. The Help Wanted sign still hung on the wall behind the register.
Kate wandered past the display of indoor plants and then went outside in search of Floyd. She found him moving newly arrived pots of azaleas and colorful buddleia butterfly from a cart to a display bench. In his fifties, Floyd wore Bermuda-length khaki shorts and a forest green shirt with the nursery logo on the pocket. His legs were deeply tanned, as was his face.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hanlon. Can I help you find something today?” His pleasant smile emphasized permanent squint lines radiating from the corners of his brown eyes.
“Actually, I’m hoping you’re still looking to hire more workers for the nursery.” At his stunned expression, she hastened to add, “I have a friend who would be interested.”
Embarrassed, he grinned. “I thought for a minute you were applying for the job. Though I’d be happy to hire you, nursery work means a lot of heavy lifting.”
“Thanks anyway. I think I’ll stick with being a minister’s wife. My friend, however, is more than strong enough for the job and experienced in landscaping.”
“Oh?” Floyd removed his heavy work gloves and set them on the cart. “Well, send him around. I’ll talk to him.”
“That’s a bit of a problem. He’s currently in prison and has his first parole hearing this Thursday. In order to be released, he needs to have a job lined up as well as a place to live.”
Concern furrowed Floyd’s forehead. “I don’t know, Mrs. Hanlon. A couple of times I’ve taken a chance on an ex-con, and it hasn’t worked out real well. They’re not happy with the money I pay them, which is the going wage around here, and they stop showing up.”
“Wyn Carew is highly motivated. He has three children whom he’s never really had a chance to get to know. They just lost their mother in a car accident.” Kate didn’t feel it necessary to go into the details of the police chase or the diamond theft. None of that was Wyn’s fault or the children’s. “If he doesn’t get parole, the children will probably be put into foster care and will very likely be separated. They’re wonderful kids. I don’t want to see that happen to them.”
“A man who’s been in prison a long time may not be an ideal parent for young children.”
“It’s a legitimate concern. But the prison chaplain vouches for Wyn. I’ve met and talked with him. I think he’s worth taking a chance on. I know the children are.”
Floyd sat down on the edge of his cart and scratched his head. “You say he has landscaping experience?”
Kate knew she had him now. All she’d have to do was get a notarized statement from Floyd that a job would be waiting for Wyn when he was released from prison. She’d even checked to find the closest notary in Pine Ridge.
BY LUNCHTIME, she had a letter on Jenkins Nursery letterhead, confirming that Floyd would hire Wyn Carew at a suitable hourly rate of pay. She’d then cajoled the notary to come to the nursery to witness Floyd’s signature, since Floyd couldn’t leave his place of business until after closing that evening.
With one hurdle met and overcome, she made a quick stop to see Sheriff Roberts. He agreed to talk to the county probation department about Wyn and the plan Kate was putting together for his release from prison. After that, she headed back to Copper Mill.
Although Wyn and the children could possibly move into the old trailer, the thieves had thoroughly trashed it. She wanted the family to be able to start fresh.
She’d have to ask the sheriff to notify the owner of the trailer that it was now vacant. She had other plans for the Maddock family.
THE PLATE-GLASS WINDOW of Cumberland Realty featured flyers for a dozen current listings, with photos of the properties and brief descriptions. Gail Carson was the primary listing agent for almost all of the properties.
The bell over the office door tinkled as Kate stepped inside.
Tracy, a young receptionist with bleached-blonde hair, greeted Kate from behind a desk piled high with file folders and photos of houses.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hanlon. I hear you rounded up an international diamond smuggling ring from South Africa!”
Kate winced. “Not quite. The two thieves who were arrested were very much homegrown and completely ordinary crooks.”
The young woman’s eager expression collapsed into disappointment.
“I’d like to see Gail for a few minutes, if she’s free,” Kate said.
She glanced toward the plate-glass wall that separated Gail Carson’s office from the reception area. The plucked and polished Realtor was on the phone, her mouth moving, but no sound escaped through the heavy plate glass.
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br /> Tracy checked the phone on her desk, where a red light indicated that someone was on the line. “Mrs. Carson will be right out.”
When she got off the phone, Gail immediately stepped out of her office. The picture of professionalism in her pastel blue suit and perfectly coifed hair, Gail extended her hand. She had a grip that communicated she was in charge.
Kate explained what she had in mind. Within moments, Gail had described a cabin that was available for a modest rental. Kate eagerly agreed to take a look at the property.
Gail’s shiny black Lexus was parked behind Cumberland Realty. The interior was warm, the leather seats hot from the car sitting in the sun.
Gail turned off the main road, taking a route that wound up the hillside. At a break in the trees, she turned right and pulled up in front of a log cabin that looked as though it had come right out of the Daniel Boone era. Matching windows framed the doorway, and a chimney made of river rock rose above the sloped roof. Off to the side, a rope swing with a tire hung from a high branch of an oak tree.
“There’s running water and electricity,” Gail announced. “Only one bath, though. The owners added that about ten years ago. Used to be just an outhouse.”
Just as the Realtor unlocked the cabin door, her cell phone chimed. She took the call while standing outside, which gave Kate a chance to wander through the cabin on her own.
The great room was sparsely furnished, but a dramatic rock fireplace made up for other amenities that were lacking. The bedrooms were small, closet space minimal. But what Kate saw in the kitchen gave her hope that Wyn and his children could build their new lives in the cabin. Hanging above the stove was a framed cross-stitched scene of Jesus surrounded by children. As basic as the cabin was, the small piece of art told Kate that the building could become a home.
Gail strolled into the living room, making little effort to hide her dismay. “Not exactly five stars, I’m afraid.”
“With a few personal touches and lots of love, I think this will be a perfect home for Mr. Carew and his children.”
By Tuesday, on behalf of Wyn Carew, Kate had a signed and notarized rental agreement with the special notation that the contract would be confirmed by Wyn at the time of his release from prison. Some of the church ladies had volunteered to spruce up the cabin with fresh linens and new curtains. Faith Freezer would stock the pantry with enough food to get the family started.
Kate had also arranged with Bernie at the local body shop to let Wyn borrow an old car until he could buy one of his own.
Now, if only the hearing officer and the parole board would cooperate when they heard Wyn’s case on Thursday.
She returned home from her errands at about four o’clock to find Paul supervising the kids’ kite-building project. He had arranged for Renee to drop them off at the Hanlons’, and he promised to bring them home when they’d completed their kites.
Megan, Gwen, and Beck were seated around the dining table putting the finishing touches on kites they’d decorated with crayons or acrylic paints.
“Hey, MizHanlon.” Interrupting her effort to fasten the kite spine and spar together at right angles, Megan looked up and smiled. She’d drawn a bright yellow stylized sun in the center of her kite. “We’re gonna try out the kites when they’re finished.”
“Bet mine goes the highest.” Beck had a forest scene on his kite, all browns and shades of green, with a touch of blue for the sky.
Paul tousled the boy’s hair, then turned to Kate. “You got a letter at the church today,” he said. “I put it on the dresser in our bedroom.”
“Oh?” It was unusual for her to get mail in care of Faith Briar Church. Usually letters addressed to her arrived at the house.
“I thought you might want to open it privately. The return address is Turney Center Industrial Prison.”
“Oh!” Understanding dawned, and she glanced at the children. The letter was from either their father or the prison chaplain. “I’ll go take a look.”
With the children thoroughly engaged in their kite project, Kate slipped away to the bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Kate finished reading Wyn’s letter, she carried the envelope into the living room. Now she’d have to tell the children that she’d located their father. To withhold all the love he conveyed in the letter for even one day would be a crime against Wyn as well as his children. The knowledge that their father loved them far outweighed the possibility that they might be disappointed later.
“I need to interrupt your kite building for a minute or two,” she said.
They all looked up from their work. Megan must have caught the tremor in Kate’s voice because she frowned. She was a very intuitive young lady.
“Is something wrong?” Megan asked.
“Not exactly, but I do have something important to share with you.” She had all their attention now.
“Something about Ma?” Gwen asked.
“No, your father. I finally located him. I met and talked to him last week.”
“Is he all right?” Megan asked.
“Is he gonna come get us?” Beck looked torn between wanting to know the answer and fearing what that answer would be.
“He’s in Turney Center Industrial Prison near Nashville. He’s written you all a letter. I hope you don’t mind that I read it first. I wanted to be sure...” Letting the thought trail off, she held up the envelope for them to see. “I think it would work best if you sit together on the couch and Megan reads the letter out loud.”
Hesitantly, Megan stood and took the envelope from Kate. She removed the three sheets of lined paper, unfolded them, and glanced at the message carefully printed in a bold hand.
“Come on, guys. Let’s see what Pa has to say.”
Her siblings followed her to the couch, plopping down on each side of Megan as though she was planning to read them a bedtime story.
As Megan smoothed the paper flat, Kate joined Paul and slipped her arm around his waist. He hooked his arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring hug.
Megan began to read out loud. “Dear Megan, Gwen, and Beck. I know you probably can’t remember me, but there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t thought of you and missed you and wished that I could be with you.
“I’m sorry that your Ma died. I know you must miss her a lot. I’m sure she always tried to do right by you and raise you as best she could. She loved you very much.”
As she listened to the letter, Kate rested her head on Paul’s shoulder. The children were riveted by their father’s words, particularly when he spoke of his feelings when each of them had been born and how he’d held them and counted their little fingers and toes.
Tears streamed down Kate’s cheeks, and she noticed Beck wiping away his own tears with the back of his hand. How dear these children had become in Kate’s life. How much she hoped they would soon be reunited with their father.
Megan turned to the last page of the letter. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you, but I hope it will be soon. Until then, know that I love each of you with all my heart. Love, Pa.”
Only the sound of Megan folding the letter and returning it to the envelope broke the emotion-laden silence in the room.
Megan lifted her head. “Can kids visit their dads in prison?”
Kate had to force air past the constriction in her throat in order to speak. “Yes. They have visiting hours on weekends. It might take a while to make the arrangements to visit him.”
The guard at the gate had said it could take as much as thirty days to get the warden’s approval. Kate prayed that wouldn’t be necessary and that Wyn would be released before then. Unfortunately, the parole board making an exception to give Wyn a compassionate early release seemed like a long shot.
“I could take him my kite and show him how good it flies,” Beck said.
Megan elbowed her brother. “They won’t let you fly a kite in prison.”
The boy thrust out his chin. “Pa
could ask.”
In spite of herself, Kate laughed. “Why don’t we take pictures of all of you flying your kites on Saturday? We can send the snapshots to your father. I think he’d like that.”
That seemed to mollify Beck for the moment.
After a few more questions, Paul lured the children back to the dining table and their kites, and Kate went into her studio. She hadn’t produced much in the way of stained-glass pieces for Steve Smith’s craft booth at the Old Timer’s Day affair.
Pulling her chair up to her drawing table, she contemplated the design she wanted to create for one of the sun catchers. She closed her eyes, picturing a column of sunlight illuminating a log cabin in the woods, smoke drifting up from a rock chimney, and a sense that the Lord was looking down on those who lived there.
Yes, that would do nicely.
She started sketching the design and had been at it for only a few minutes when the house phone rang. She let Paul answer it in the kitchen.
A moment later he appeared at her studio door. “Renee’s on the phone. She’s pretty hysterical. You’d better take it in the bedroom.”
His worried expression and the tone of his voice propelled Kate to her feet. She hurried into the master bedroom and picked up the portable phone.
“What’s wrong, Renee?”
“That horrible woman is going to take the children away,” Renee wailed. “You have to stop her, Kate. You have to find some way to stop her!”
Kate didn’t understand what she was talking about. “What woman?”
“That social worker lady, Valerie Hyland, that’s who.”
“Tell me exactly what happened. What did Ms. Hyland say?”
“She came over shortly after I got home from dropping off those sweet little children with Paul. She told me that because of those awful kidnappers, the children were no longer safe living in Copper Mill.”
“That’s ridiculous.” The social worker’s statement outraged Kate. “The kidnappers are in jail. The children aren’t at any risk now.”
“I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s going to send Megan to a group home in Chattanooga. The others will be moved to a home in Pine Ridge.”
For the Least of These Page 18