Bully in the Burbs (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 8)

by Hope Callaghan

  They rode back to Belhaven in silence. Gloria mulled over the clues they had. Why would someone intentionally sabotage a neighbor’s home sale – unless it was an enemy? From what the other neighbors had said, they had all been amicable, if not friends.

  Back at the farm, she waited on the porch while Mally did her customary inspection of the yard and barns. Her eyes fell on the house across the street. It was a buzz of activity. Construction vans, electrical vans. It reminded her of Andrea’s place.

  When Mally finished, Gloria and she went inside. Her stomach grumbled. She opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. She had everything needed to make a sandwich but it seemed like she had been eating a lot of those lately.

  She pulled out a small plastic grocery bag and untied the top. Inside was Alice’s firehouse fajita. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered under her breath.

  She placed the fajita on a glass plate and then stuck the plate inside the microwave. Mally sat and watched the microwave intently. Gloria glanced down. “You will not like that,” she told her.

  Mally let out a low whine and flopped down onto the linoleum. “Alright,” Gloria caved, “I’ll give you a treat.”

  She pulled the packet of deli meat from the fridge and placed two slices on a paper plate. She tore a third piece into small bits and put those in Puddles’ food dish. “I know you’re not sick of ham,” she said.

  Mally and Puddles gulped their treats. After those were gone, they continued to watch Gloria’s food cook. After the microwave turned off, she slid the plate from the oven and placed it on the table.

  The scent of cilantro and Chile peppers drifted up, taunting Gloria. She eyed the piping hot fajita then headed back to the fridge where she grabbed a half gallon of milk. She poured a tall glass before she settled in at the table. “Maybe this will help offset the heat,” she muttered under her breath.

  The food was delicious and Gloria ate every single bite. She placed the dirty plate in the dishwasher and closed the door. The only plan she had for the rest of the evening was to go over what the drone had captured on camera earlier.

  She made her way over to the computer and settled into the chair. Puddles waited for Gloria to settle in before he jumped onto her lap for a catnap.

  Gloria fumbled around for several moments as she tried to remember where the small disk went. Finally, after she put her reading glasses on, she figured it out.

  The file popped on the screen and Gloria clicked the tab. The first seconds of footage made Gloria dizzy as Ruth attempted to smooth out the drone’s flight. There was no sound, just the recording.

  When the video zoomed in then abruptly dropped close to the ground Gloria closed her eyes. She began to feel nauseous.

  Gloria opened her eyes. The video had smoothed out. She was able to make out the suspect’s backyard quite clearly. The drone zoomed haphazardly across the space before it plunked onto the grass when it ran out of battery power.

  Mere seconds before it plunked to the ground and the screen went blank; Gloria caught a glimpse of something…something important.

  She rewound the footage and played it again. She paused when she got to what she had noticed before. There it was. In plain sight…the link between Mr. Hendricks’ house and the house across the street!

  She darted to the kitchen for her cell phone. Gloria dialed her daughter’s number, praying that she would answer and that she was with the home inspector.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Jill. Are you still at the new house?” Gloria blurted out.

  “Yeah.” Jill covered the mouthpiece.

  “Hello?”

  Jill was back. “The inspector said he should be done in about 45 minutes,” she explained. “You’ll never guess who I ran into.”

  Gloria had no idea. “Who?”

  “Sue Camp! She was showing another couple this house! Can you believe it?”

  Somehow, Gloria could believe it. “Stay there! I think I have a break in the case.” Before Jill could respond, Gloria disconnected the line and dialed Paul.

  “I can link the intruder at 726 Pine Place to the neighbor across the street,” Gloria told Paul. “Can you meet me at the house?”

  “I’ll call you right back.”

  Gloria paced the kitchen floor and waited. She needed Paul to be onboard, to show him the evidence. Otherwise, the suspect might get away and Jill would have a new neighbor who had no qualms about breaking into neighbors’ homes.

  The phone chirped. “So can you?” Gloria skipped the pleasantries.

  “I’ll be there in 30 minutes,” he told her.

  Gloria was halfway to the car when she remembered her laptop and the small disk. She placed both on the passenger seat, started the car and roared off down the road.

  Paul was there when Gloria pulled in the drive. Jill’s car was parked out front, along with another vehicle Gloria didn’t recognize.

  She grabbed her computer bag, slid out of the car and hurried up the steps. Paul met her at the front door. “I just got here.”

  He held the door while Gloria stepped inside. She could hear Jill’s voice from somewhere in the back.

  Gloria waved him to the dining room. “Take a look at this first.”

  She led him to the kitchen where she showed him the smashed cabinets and pointed to the gaping holes where the doors were missing.

  Gloria placed her laptop bag on the kitchen counter, unzipped the cover and pulled it out. She switched it on and clicked the icon for the video recording. “Watch the very end,” she told him.

  Paul leaned in and studied the video closely. At the end of the video footage, he noticed several cabinet doors, propped up against a wall inside a small storage area. The doors looked similar to the ones that were missing from 726 Pine Place. He hit the pause button. “I see them.”

  From where they were standing, they could look out the front picture window and had an unobstructed view of the house across the street. “I’ll go have a chat with the neighbor.” He looked at Gloria. “What’s his name?”

  “Ron Hendricks.”

  Paul nodded and then walked out the front door and across the street.

  Gloria closed the lid on the computer and slid it into the bag as her daughter, Jill, and the inspector appeared from the hall.

  She walked into the kitchen and hugged her mom. “I thought I heard your voice. What’s up? Where did Paul go?”

  Gloria nodded through the window. “He’s having a chat with the neighbor.”

  The inspector interrupted. “I’ll be in the basement checking mechanicals.” He disappeared down the stairs.

  “You’re onto something,” Jill said. “Please tell me you found something.”

  “We shall see,” Gloria’s eyes twinkled. The spark disappeared as she gazed at the gaping holes where cabinet doors were either missing or the intruder had smashed them.

  Jill followed her mother into the kitchen. “Sue Camp said the owner’s insurance is going to have all new kitchen cabinets installed before we move in and I get to pick them out!”

  “So you get a new kitchen?”

  Jill clasped her hands together and spun around. “I know, right?”

  Gloria shifted the computer bag on her shoulder. “You mentioned Sue Camp was here showing the house to buyers?”

  Jill crossed her arms. “Yes, and when I asked her what she was doing, she blew it off and said that if we backed out of the contract, she had several other backup offers.”

  “What a lovely woman,” Gloria muttered.

  Gloria caught a movement through the front window out of the corner of her eye. She stepped into the living room and watched as Paul lifted his radio to his lips. He stood in the drive across the street for several moments before he escorted Ron Hendricks down the drive and placed him in the back of his squad car.

  Gloria and Jill waited at the door for Paul to return. “I’m taking Mr. Hendricks to the station for questioning. I need that disc,” he told his fiancé.
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br />   Gloria pulled the small disk from the computer bag and dropped it into his hand.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Thanks for being my knight in shining armor and coming to my rescue.”

  He grinned and winked. “Anything for my damsel in distress,” he teased.

  Jill rolled her eyes. “Oh brother!”

  She turned to her mom. “That video…it has something to do with the guy across the street?”

  “It’s a long story, but Ruth was able to spy on the neighbor’s backyard. The video she taped showed a stack of cabinet doors, identical to the ones missing from this kitchen, propped up in an open storage area behind his garage.”

  “On top of that, the footage of the break-in that Ruth’s spy equipment recorded, tipped us off that the intruder had a limp, similar to Mr. Hendricks’ limp.”

  Jill placed a hand on each side of her head. “But why? Why this house?”

  Gloria tapped her foot on the floor. “That, my dear, is the million dollar question.”

  Chapter 25

  Gloria was on pins and needles the rest of the day as she waited for Paul to let her know how Ron Hendricks’ questioning had gone.

  Gloria’s number one priority was that Jill and her family move forward on the purchase of a new home.

  Gloria was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that the perpetrator had been uncovered and her daughter could safely move into the new home without worrying about someone breaking in.

  She even offered to help Jill do a little painting before they moved although, in Gloria’s book, painting was right up there with moving.

  On her drive back to Belhaven, she noticed that Margaret had sent her a text message. When she got into town, she pulled off to the side of the road to read it.

  “Stop by my place. Stat.”

  Gloria groaned inwardly. “Please, Lord. No more excitement, at least for a couple of days,” she pleaded.

  Instead of turning right at the stop sign on Main Street, she drove straight through town and up the hill toward Lake Terrace and Margaret’s place.

  Margaret’s SUV was the only car in the drive and Gloria pulled Annabelle in behind it.

  Margaret met her at the door. “It’s here. It’s all here!”

  Gloria frowned as Margaret grabbed her hand and dragged her into the garage.

  She flipped the light on. There, in the center of Margaret’s garage, were several large boxes.

  Gloria stepped forward. “What is all this?”

  “Our surprises for the girls,” Margaret exclaimed. “Remember? We decided to buy something special for each of them with our windfall?”

  Gloria had been so wrapped up in Jill’s house and the puppy mill; she had forgotten they were going to buy each of their close friends a special gift. Margaret hadn’t forgotten.

  “Bless your heart.” Gloria impulsively reached over and hugged her friend. “You are the best!” she gushed.

  Margaret blushed. “I tried. I know you have your hands full.” She brightened. “So when do we get to surprise them?”

  Now that Gloria had Jill’s fiasco behind her, her mind began to clear. “The sooner the better.” She snapped her fingers. “How about an afternoon tea at Magnolia Mansion? We can have Andrea and Alice put on our first shindig.”

  “Brilliant!” Margaret agreed. “I’m so excited.” She rubbed her hands together.

  “Remind me what we picked out again,” Gloria said.

  Margaret ticked off each of the surprises and it all came back to Gloria.

  They had picked out the perfect gifts. There was only one problem. “What about Andrea?”

  Margaret’s mouth formed an “O” as she realized that they hadn’t purchased anything for their young friend.

  Andrea didn’t “need” anything. When Andrea’s husband, Daniel, had died, she collected a large amount of money from a hefty life insurance policy. On top of that, she had recently sold the insurance agency so that she could focus on the Magnolia Mansion Tearoom.

  Their young friend had also started dabbling in interior design, which Gloria decided was the perfect fit for Andrea.

  If Andrea wanted something, she could just go out and buy it.

  Gloria stared at the tower of gifts in Margaret’s garage. There were special gifts for each of the Garden Girls. It suddenly dawned on Gloria – the perfect gift for Andrea. “I’ve got it!”

  She explained her idea to Margaret, who nodded eagerly. “That’s perfect. Hers will be the best gift of all,” Margaret predicted.

  Gloria promptly called Andrea. “Yes, dear. I’m here with Margaret and we would like to plan a special afternoon at the tea room…a private party for the Garden Girls.”

  After she hung up the phone, she grinned at Margaret. “All set for this Sunday afternoon. All we need now is to get everyone rounded up at the same time.”

  Margaret interrupted. “You work on Andrea’s gift and I’ll take care of the other.”

  Paul called just as Gloria was getting back into her car. “What happened?” She couldn’t wait to find out.

  “Ron Hendricks confessed,” Paul told her. “With a little strong arm,” he added.

  “But why? Why target that house?” That was the big question.

  Paul went on to explain that Ron Hendricks and Marco Acosta had had a falling out. It all started when Mr. Hendricks purchased a puppy – a purebred Labrador retriever – from Acosta. When the dog became ill and Hendricks had to spend hundreds of dollars, only to have the dog die, hard feelings surfaced.

  One day, not long after the dog died, Hendricks chased one of his other dogs across the street and into Acosta’s yard where he fell into a deep hole. His ankle broke in several spots and after numerous painful surgeries, the doctors told him he would never walk again without a noticeable limp.

  Paul switched the phone to his other ear. “He believed that Acosta had intentionally booby-trapped his backyard so that Hendricks would get hurt. The Acosta family moved shortly after the accident and that was when Hendricks hatched a plan for revenge.”

  “Wow, talk about bad blood,” Gloria said.

  “Yes. It’s up to Marco Acosta if he wants to pursue legal action,” Paul told her.

  After Gloria hung up the phone, she backed Annabelle out of Margaret’s drive and headed through town, in the opposite direction of the farm and home.

  She had two stops to make for Andrea’s special gift. The first one was Trinkets and Treasures, the oddities shop in nearby Green Springs. She was certain they would have just what she was looking for!

  Chapter 26

  The rest of the week flew by and before Gloria knew it, Sunday morning had arrived. She woke up early, anxious to hear Pastor Nate’s message, a continuation of a series he had recently started on the Book of Revelation and the tribulation. Today was also the day that Margaret and she planned to surprise the girls with their gifts.

  Gloria stepped inside the sanctuary and started down the center aisle. She stopped to hug her friend, Ruth, who had been instrumental in solving the intruder mystery.

  Then she stopped to hug Dot, who said she had some good news from the doctors and would share it later when they all met at Andrea’s for the party.

  Andrea and Alice scooched across the bench seat to make room for Gloria. She had just settled into her seat when the choir began to sing and she stood back up.

  Some Sunday mornings the music was upbeat and cheerful. Other Sundays, it was more solemn worship music. Today was the slower, more reverent hymns of praise.

  Gloria blinked back sudden tears as the music touched her heart. Andrea must have felt the same. She reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand.

  Pastor Nate’s message was both stirring and thought provoking. Gloria made a mental note to study the key scripture from Revelation:

  “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven a
nd earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

  But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Mark 13: 30 – 33. NIV

  After the service ended, the girls wandered outdoors to their usual meeting spot. Gloria shivered as a brisk November wind tugged at the collar of her shirt and gave her a taste of what was to come.

  Andrea felt it too, as she stomped her shiny, black designer shoe on the cement. “Brr!”

  The meeting was brief since the girls would be gathering at Andrea’s place in a few short hours. Gloria caught Margaret’s eye and winked.

  Lucy and Ruth offered to visit the shut-ins since Andrea had to prep for the party, Dot had to cover at the restaurant for a few hours before the girls met, and Gloria and Margaret had to gather all their goodies and take them to Andrea’s place.

  Andrea had a hunch the girls were up to something but she wasn’t about to spoil the fun so she kept mum about what little she did know.

  Gloria and Margaret met at Andrea’s place right after lunch.

  When they stepped inside the sunroom, Gloria gasped. Tiny twinkling lights illuminated the large, towering trees Andrea had strategically placed about the room.

  Several small bistro tables, covered with an array of pastel-colored cloths, sat clustered together in one section. Andrea had put them together so that all of the girls could sit next to one another.

  Margaret and Gloria carried the boxes of goodies into the room and set them off in the corner. Andrea raised a brow when she saw the huge stack.

  Alice slid in front of Andrea and clucked. “What is this? Christmas?”

  Margaret rubbed her hands together. Not wanting to leave Alice out, Margaret had managed to find a special gift for her, too.

  After the girls finished unloading the boxes, they wandered into the kitchen. Lined up on the counter were several rows of mouth-watering, tempting morsels.

  “Try one,” Andrea urged.

  Gloria plucked one from the plate and nibbled the edge. Tangy Dijon mustard tickled her tongue. She pulled it back to inspect the contents. It was a slice of French bread and on top of the bread was a piece of salty ham and brie cheese.