Who’s That Girl

by Carol Cox

  “Jack had everything money could buy, but all the material goods he had at his disposal couldn’t give him a sense of purpose—or the love and attention he needed.

  “He got in with a wild crowd,” Kate continued, “and started using drugs. When his father heard about it, he threatened to cut him off without a cent. But Jack found that he could make his own money by selling drugs, and the cycle of profiting through illicit substances started all over again.”

  Sadness tinged Paul’s eyes. “I know you’re focusing on one family here, but we’ve seen that same kind of pattern repeat itself in families all over this country.”

  “I know,” Kate said softly. “And it’s heartbreaking. When it all came out about Jack’s drug dealing, there was a huge family blowup. Willis, his grandfather, saw selling moonshine as something that was culturally acceptable, but he considered drugs an evil thing. He threatened to turn Jack in to the authorities.

  “Nathan warned his father to stay out of it, and eventually the relationship between the two of them was fractured for good. Nathan cut ties with his father and disowned his son. He and his wife moved away to Florida, where they both passed away a few years ago.”

  Kate finished speaking, and Paul leaned forward. “And? Come on, Katie, you have me hooked. What’s the rest of the story?”

  Kate tapped the last of her notes with her fingertip. “That’s all I know for now. I’m going back to the library tomorrow to do more research. I hope to learn the rest by then.”

  Paul let out a sigh and nodded his head. “You’ve done a lot already, and I’m impressed. Where did you get the idea to do all this?”

  Kate retrieved the genealogy book from the couch and brought it to show him. “I just happened to spot this on my way out of the library, and it felt like one of those cartoon lightbulbs went off over my head.”

  “And that sparked this whole idea? This may be the key that unlocks the whole puzzle.”

  “Let’s hope so. I’m tired of running into roadblocks and having to change course.” A wide yawn caught Kate by surprise. She covered her mouth with her hand. “There are still some unanswered questions, though. I’m hoping I’ll be able to fill in the blanks tomorrow.”

  Paul popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, and a frown creased his forehead. “Don’t you think it might be better if you took a day off? You’ve been working on this mystery nonstop, and I don’t want you running yourself into the ground.”

  The suggestion was more tempting than Kate cared to admit, but she shook her head. “I feel like I’m too close to quit now. I need to keep after it, but I promise I’ll relax after this is over.”

  Paul didn’t look entirely satisfied with her answer, but he went to his study to get his notes for the meeting without any argument. On his way back across the living room, he stopped and looked at the other book that Kate had dropped on the couch.

  He turned to Kate with an expression of disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re going to take up writing mystery novels on top of everything else you’re doing. Aren’t you already an overachiever?”

  Kate sidled over next to him and assumed an innocent expression. “Don’t you think you’d like to have a wife who’s a best-selling author?”

  His stricken look sent her into peals of laughter, and she wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t worry, hon. I’m just using the book for some more research.”

  Paul returned her hug and laid his cheek against the top of her head. “Life is never boring with you around, Katie girl.” He gave her a kiss good-bye and went off to his meeting.

  After eating her sandwich, Kate cleaned up the kitchen. She went back to the table to look over her notes again, then stopped. The effects of the long day were catching up with her in a big way, and her brain was beginning to feel like mush. Setting the rest of her notes aside, she headed for the bedroom instead.

  The most strenuous thing she wanted to do with the rest of her evening was to take a shower, change into her pajamas, and wait for Paul to come home with dinner from the Smokeshack.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kate planned to be at the library the moment it opened the following morning, but life intervened. She had spent so much time working on the mystery lately, she’d fallen behind on some of her routine chores—like doing laundry. If she didn’t get some done soon, Paul wouldn’t have so much as a clean shirt to wear to church on Sunday.

  She gathered up two loads of clothes and popped the first one into the washer. While it sloshed in the sudsy water, Kate walked back into the kitchen. She looked at her recipe box with a doubtful gaze. Her last few efforts at baking had failed miserably. Had she truly lost her touch?

  If at first you don’t succeed...but what about flopping the second and third times as well? Kate squared her shoulders. She refused to be a quitter! If a person fell off a horse, what was the right thing to do? Climb right back in the saddle again. Very well, then. She’d do the same, metaphorically speaking. She thumbed through the cards in the box and pulled out a favorite recipe for gingersnaps.

  By the time the first load of clothes was tumbling in the dryer, Kate had the cookies mixed, shaped, and in the oven. Their spicy aroma filled the house as she folded clothes and got them ready to put away. She set the gingersnaps out to cool while she tended to the second load, then poured a glass of milk and put two cookies on a small plate. She carried them over to the table and sat down to go over her notes so she’d know exactly where she wanted to begin that morning.

  Kate lifted one of the little brown treats and examined it closely. “It looks okay,” she muttered. “But there’s only one way to know for sure.”

  She took a tentative bite and smiled. Was it really as good as she thought it was? She slipped the rest of the cookie into her mouth and chewed. Perfect!

  “Thanks, Lord,” she breathed. “I know it’s a small thing, but it means a lot to me.”

  IT WAS MIDMORNING before Kate finally made it to the library, this time armed with a tote bag that held a notepad, a pen, and the library books she wanted to return.

  Livvy smiled at her when she entered. “Hi there! You look a lot better than the bleary-eyed creature who staggered out of here yesterday.”

  Kate wrinkled her nose. “Thanks for the compliment. I think.”

  Livvy laughed and circled around to the front of the circulation desk. “I kept those microfiche files out. Are you ready to get started on them again?”

  Kate nodded. “Yes, please. And later on, I’ll probably need a couple more.”

  “If you’re going to spend as much time here as you did yesterday, do you want to plan on eating lunch together at the diner?”

  Kate shook her head regretfully. “Not today, I’m afraid. I have a feeling this research is going to consume me until I get it all sorted out.”

  She spent the rest of the morning reading and digging deeper, confirming a number of ideas that had begun to take shape the day before and having to adjust a few others.

  At noon, Kate took time out for a quick lunch break. She picked up her tote bag and walked one block east on Main Street to the Town Green, where she found an unoccupied bench in the shade of a leafy oak tree. She reached into the tote and pulled out a sandwich and a sport bottle of lemonade she’d packed earlier.

  Any other day, she would have enjoyed eating lunch at the Country Diner. But today, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that time was of the essence. Even Livvy’s company, much as Kate loved it, would prove to be a distraction right now.

  While she ate her sandwich and sipped the lemonade, she took out her notepad and flipped through the pages of notes she’d made. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing something important, or worse, creating a conclusion out of thin air. A couple of items caught her eye as she read, and she jotted down a note to check them out via a quick Internet search.

  Finally she pulled out a small plastic bag containing two gingersnaps and savored them one bite at a time. A feeling of triumph swep
t through her. Her baker’s block had been broken! She had gotten her baking groove back at last.

  When she’d finished her picnic for one, Kate placed the sport bottle and the plastic bags back into her tote and retraced her steps to the library.

  Once inside, she trotted up the stairs to the second floor and set her tote down on a nearby table. She pulled out her notepad and pen, then realized she’d forgotten to return the library books she’d checked out earlier. She placed the books on top of the tote, intending to drop them off in the return bin when she left. Then she sat down at one of the computers and did a Google search on the names of other Henshaws she had turned up during her research. She found several promising entries and printed them out.

  Then she typed “Casey Barnes” into the search bar. The search returned a sizable number of hits, but none of them produced any information on the Casey Barnes she was looking for.

  Kate tapped her fingers on the keyboard and wondered if the case she was building was as solid as she hoped or didn’t have any basis in reality.

  Back at the table, she sat down long enough to go over the printouts again and make a few quick notes on her notepad. She was getting ready to stuff the papers into her tote when she looked up to see a familiar figure walk past.

  “Good afternoon, Millie.”

  The secretary jumped and whirled around with one hand pressed to her heaving chest. “You startled me! I didn’t notice you sitting there.” Her face hardened into a glare, then her eyes grew round and her mouth dropped open.

  Kate wondered what it was about her being there that had caused such consternation, then she realized that Millie wasn’t looking at her at all. Kate followed the other woman’s gaze and saw that it was fastened upon one of the books that sat atop the tote.

  Kate reached over and picked up the copy of How to Write a Killer Mystery. Hefting it in her hand, she asked, “Do you have a minute?”

  Millie stood with her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Dark red blotches mottled her cheeks and forehead.

  Kate got to her feet, still holding the book, and touched Millie’s elbow. “We can use one of the meeting rooms. No one will be able to hear what we’re saying in there.”

  Millie looked wildly about the room, then let Kate usher her over to the meeting room with uncharacteristic meekness. Once Kate closed the door of the room, though, she recovered enough to exhibit a bit of her customary bluster.

  “What’s this all about? I just came in here to look for a book. I’m on my lunch break, and I don’t want to be late to work at the SuperMart. I really don’t have time for this.”

  “It won’t take long,” Kate said. “I’ll try to make this as brief as possible.” She set the book on the table and folded her arms. “Paul and I have been very worried about you.”

  The soft reply seemed to puncture Millie’s indignation like a pin pricking a balloon. “Worried? Why? Don’t you think I’ve been doing a good job?”

  Kate shook her head. “That isn’t it at all. You’ve been so secretive lately, as if you’ve been hiding something, and we couldn’t imagine what that might be.” She gave a short laugh. “That isn’t quite the truth. Actually, we imagined quite a lot. I was afraid that fall you took at the campground might have created more of a problem than you were letting on. We were terribly concerned that you might be ill and were trying to deal with that challenge on your own.”

  Millie’s face sagged. “I’ll admit that I was pretty upset with you at first, but I got over it in time. I had no idea the two of you have been so concerned about me. That’s very kind of you.”

  “We care for you very much,” Kate told her. “And we wanted to be there to support you if you needed our help.” A smile played on her lips, and she picked up the book again. “And we would be delighted to support you in a new endeavor, if your interest in this kind of book means what I think it does.”

  The red splotches on Millie’s cheeks darkened. She started to shake her head, then her shoulders drooped. “I’m sure it sounds like a foolish idea, starting out on a project like that as a beginner at my age.”

  “Not at all,” Kate said. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I’ve read that a number of authors didn’t publish their first book until they were...ah...of a more mature age.”

  Millie perked up. “Really? I had no idea.” Then, as if realizing that she had just admitted her literary aspirations, she clamped her lips shut again.

  Kate pretended not to notice. “So you’re interested in mysteries? I must say I’m pleased about that. That’s my favorite genre.”

  Millie relaxed a bit but still maintained an air of caution. “They’re not as easy as you’d think. You have to keep track of so many details and make sure they’re laid out in the right places. Just getting all the pieces to fit is a bigger challenge than I ever expected.”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m going to make it work, though.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Kate paused a moment, then asked, “Are you working on a particular story already?”

  A tiny smile appeared on Millie’s face. “Yes, I am. And I think it really has potential. The character I’m using as my sleuth is a retired minister who’s picked up a lot of knowledge of human nature during the course of his career.”

  The light dawned. “Is that why you’ve been visiting Nehemiah so often?”

  Millie’s eyes lit up with an enthusiasm Kate hadn’t seen in them before. “Yes, he’s agreed to let me interview him and help me with my research. He’s turning out to be an invaluable source of information and ideas. I’ve promised to dedicate the first book to him.”

  “Have you been skipping work at SuperMart to go off and do interviews? Isn’t that a bit—” Kate broke off when she saw the look Millie leveled at her. “Your supervisor was worried when you kept calling in sick,” she admitted. “He called Paul to find out how you were doing.”

  Millie let out an exasperated huff. “I probably shouldn’t have done that, but the ideas were coming together so well. I felt like I was on a roll, and I didn’t want to stop the creative juices while they were flowing.”

  She looked down at the floor and added, “I thought about calling in sick for my job at the church too, but I knew if I did, you and your husband would be over to visit me and would find out what I was really doing.

  “But you figured it out anyway.” Millie’s mouth twisted. “I’ve lived here long enough. It shouldn’t surprise me that it’s hard to keep secrets in a small town for very long.” She looked at Kate again. “Or that you’d be the one to figure out what’s going on.”

  One corner of Millie’s mouth curved upward, and she looked down at the table. In a softer tone, she said, “Actually, watching you at work is what gave me the idea to consider writing mysteries in the first place.”

  Kate’s mouth popped open in surprise. “Oh, my goodness. I never would have imagined that.”

  “Well,” Millie said, “don’t get too excited. I’m not sure if I have any real talent at writing, but it’s been a fun spring project anyway.”

  Kate picked up the book and tucked it under her arm, then walked to the door with Millie. “Either way, I’m glad we had this little conversation. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know that you’re healthy and sound. And I want you to know that I’ll keep on praying for you. But now I’ll know what to be praying about.”

  “Are you going to tell your husband?”

  Kate tilted her head to one side. “Are you asking me not to?”

  Millie paused, then gave her head a little shake. “No, I think it’s time I come clean to him too. I just didn’t know how he’d take it. I really haven’t told anybody else about this yet.”

  “I’m sure he won’t make an issue of it, but I can guarantee that he’ll be every bit as supportive as Nehemiah is.” Kate pulled the door open. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, will you let me know?”

  Millie’s face softened into a broad smile. “Thanks, I
appreciate that. Why don’t you just stop by the church office sometime, and we can talk?”

  BUOYED BY HER TALK with Millie and filled with relief at the certainty that the other woman wasn’t suffering from some dreadful illness, Kate returned to the microfiche reader and went through the remaining spools.

  When she finished, she studied her notes carefully. She had the feeling that she was on the right track, but there were still a couple of connecting links she needed to be certain that all of her facts were correct. Kate gathered up her notepad, pen, and tote bag and went downstairs to thank Livvy for her help.

  “You’re leaving?” Livvy asked, sounding disappointed. “Why, I thought you were planning to take up residence here, seeing that you’ve been spending nearly as much time here as I do. I was getting ready to start charging you rent.”

  Their laughter lightened Kate’s spirits further. “Sorry,” she quipped. “I guess you’ll have to find another way to boost the library’s income.”

  Back outside the building, she checked her watch. She could still get up to Pine Ridge without any problem before business hours were over. She had one more piece of the puzzle to find before she could consider her research complete.

  When she reached the Pine Ridge business district, Kate drove toward the town square, where she parked in front of the antebellum courthouse and walked up the wide steps that led past a row of white Grecian columns to the main entrance.

  Inside, she checked the building directory and found the location of the county clerk’s office. Several people were already waiting when Kate walked into the small room, and she took a place in line to wait her turn. The hands on the large wall clock marked the passing minutes, and Kate began to fidget.

  “May I help you?” Eleanor Sedberry, the severe looking seventy-something clerk said from behind the counter.

  Kate leaned on the counter. “How would I go about accessing a marriage record?”

  “Your own?”

  “No, I’m...doing genealogical research,” Kate said, grateful for the book that had given her the idea to come there in the first place.