Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy

by Hope Callaghan

Lucy nodded. “Okay. I’m certainly not one to question your hunches.”

  “There’s only one thing,” Gloria went on. “You need to stay out of sight. You know, so no one knows you’re in here.”

  She grabbed Lucy’s arm and pulled her to her bedroom. “You can hang out in here.”

  After she settled Lucy in the room and showed her how the camera worked, she headed back outside.

  Thank goodness no one seemed to notice Lucy was MIA. They were all too busy helping customers with their purchases. Gloria recognized a lot of the faces in the crowd. But there were quite a few she didn’t recognize.

  Dot dropped by at noon. There was a small lull in the crowds. She brought a tray of sandwiches and salads. Gloria headed indoors to grab Lucy, hoping no one would notice she hadn’t been around.

  She ducked her head around the bedroom door to find Lucy reclining on her bed. “See anything yet?”

  Lucy sprang up. She shook her head. “Nope. Not a thing.”

  Gloria stuck her hand on her hip. “I hope my hunch wasn’t wrong.”

  They wandered out to the others and gathered around an empty card table. The tables were clearing out fast.

  Dot glanced around. “Wow, a lot of stuff is already gone! Any idea how much money we’ve made?”

  Ruth was in charge of sales. She stuck her hand in the metal box they were using as a cash register. She pulled out a wad of bills. “I haven’t had a chance to count, but look at all of this!”

  The group had decided at the last minute, for the sake of convenience, to split the money evenly. They decided that, other than Dot, they’d all contributed about the same amount of stuff. Dot didn’t seem to mind. She was just happy to have her house cleaned out.

  They finished their food and got back to work. Lucy gave Gloria a dark look and headed back inside to finish her stakeout. Gloria was itching to do it herself but knew that if she stayed inside someone would notice.

  Gloria’s heart sank when she saw Sharon McIntyre, the post office detective, pull into the drive. Ruth had also noticed her pull up. The color drained from her face and she clutched at her throat.

  Gloria met her at her car. “This is a surprise, Detective McIntyre.” The woman reminded Gloria of a younger version of Joyce Jameson, the female detective on her favorite series, Detective on the Side. She was tall and thin. Her shoulder length blonde hair was parted off to one side. She wore little makeup and every time Gloria saw her, she had the same frown on her face, as if she hated her job and made sure everyone knew it.

  The woman straightened her frame and peered down at Gloria. “This isn’t a social call, Mrs. Rutherford,” she said. “I’m here to see Ruth Carpenter.”

  Several of the customers stopped to stare. Margaret came to stand near Ruth. She put a protective hand on her shoulder.

  The detective spied Ruth and walked over to her. She bent forward and began to talk in a low voice. “I need to bring you down to the post office to meet with one of the other of the detectives.”

  Ruth gulped. “Right now?”

  The woman nodded and looked at the gathering crowd. “Yes, now.”

  Gloria stepped in. “Surely you can see that we need Ruth. We can come down in a few hours when we close the sale,” she bargained.

  But Detective McIntyre was having none of that. She shook her head.

  Ruth reluctantly stood and shuffled along behind the detective as she headed to the unmarked police car.

  Gloria was torn. She wanted to go. To support Ruth, but she couldn’t leave now! The timing couldn’t have been worse! She stomped her foot. That stupid detective knew exactly what she was doing!

  Maybe Andrea could run up there and show a little moral support. Or even Dot! She turned on her heel and headed towards the house. She was halfway across the drive when Lucy ran out the front door. She waved frantically at Gloria.

  “You’re never gonna believe…” Gloria said.

  Lucy cut her off. “No! You’re never gonna believe what I just saw!” She tapped the front of the phone. Then she looked over Gloria’s head and made a weird statement. “Good. She’s gone!”

  Gloria was confused. “You’re glad they took Ruth away?” She must’ve heard Lucy wrong!

  “Huh?” Now it was Lucy’s turn to be confused. She waved her inside.

  She pulled out a kitchen chair for Gloria. “Grab your glasses and have a seat!”

  Gloria pulled her reading glasses from the center of the table and slipped them on.

  Lucy pulled out the chair next to her and dropped down. “I was bored earlier so I started playing with this camera-thingy and I figured out how to record stuff.”

  “That’s good.” So that was what Lucy was excited about?

  “Right after I figured out how to do that, you’ll never guess what happened!” Lucy shoved the phone into Gloria’s hand and pushed a button on the screen.

  Gloria watched in silence as a figure crept into Ruth’s room. At first, Gloria couldn’t make out of a face. Only that it was the more petite figure of a female. The person tip-toed over to Ruth’s purse and opened it up, then slipped something inside before turning back around. When the figure turned around, the camera got a clear shot of the face.

  Gloria’s hand flew to her mouth. “You know who that is!”

  Lucy nodded. “After she left, I went right into Ruth’s room and opened her purse.”

  Gloria’s head shot up. She stared into Lucy’s eyes. “What was it?”

  Lucy sprang from the chair. “C’mon. I’ll show you!”

  Gloria followed Lucy into Ruth’s room and over to the chair. The purse was still there and it was open. She leaned over and looked inside. She lifted her eyes and stared at Lucy. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “It has to be cocaine. I mean, I’ve only seen it on TV but that’s what it looks like to me,” she theorized.

  Gloria stood straight up. “We need to get down to the post office right away,” she said. “Maybe they haven’t arrested Ruth yet.”

  It was Lucy’s turn. “Arrested Ruth? Why Ruth’s still outside…”

  Gloria shook her head. “Detective McIntyre just took her away in her car.” She looked down at the purse. “Don’t touch that. It’s evidence.” She hugged Lucy. “Thank you, Lord, that you showed Lucy how to record on that crazy phone.”

  Gloria looked around the room. Propped up in the corner was a wooden dowel she used to hold the bedroom window open in the summer months. She plucked it out of the corner and used the end to lift the purse up. She carried it outside.

  Jill and Margaret were huddled together near the money table. Margaret’s eyes were red and puffy. She wiped at a tear with the back of her hand. “I can’t believe they took Ruth away!”

  “Not for long,” Gloria insisted. “Not after they see the evidence Lucy and I have.”

  Lucy stepped around the side of Gloria. “We have to get down to the post office right away.”

  Tyler wandered over to the table. “We can take care of things here, Grams.”

  She smiled down at Tyler. Well, not really smiled down. He was getting tall now, almost as tall as Gloria herself. “Thank you, Tyler.”

  There was no time to lose. “We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  Gloria climbed into Lucy’s jeep. They started to back out when a vehicle pulled in behind them, blocking their path. Gloria glanced in the rearview mirror. Judging by the outfit the man had on, it was another detective. He was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and his expression was grim.

  He walked right by the jeep and headed to the porch door. Gloria climbed back out of the jeep and followed him up the steps. “Can I help you?”

  The man turned around. “I’m looking for Gloria Rutherford,” he said.

  “That would be me,” she answered.

  “I’m here to pick up Ruth Carpenter’s purse.”

  Gloria pointed to Lucy’s jeep. It’s in the jeep. We were headed to the post office with it when you pulled in behind us and
blocked our vehicle.”

  The stone-faced man looked at the jeep. “I’ll take it.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he side-stepped Gloria and headed to the vehicle. He walked straight over to the passenger side, reached inside and grabbed the purse.

  Gloria furrowed her brows. Great detective he is, contaminating evidence with his prints! she thought.

  Without uttering a single word, he walked back to this car, climbed inside and backed out of the driveway.

  “What was that all about?” Lucy wondered.

  Gloria shook her head in disgust. “Terrible detective work, that’s what.”

  They turned the jeep around and headed to town. Gloria prayed for Ruth on the way, that they hadn’t taken her to jail yet.

  Gloria’s stomach twisted in a tight knot when they pulled up in front of the post office and saw half a dozen unmarked vehicles parked out front. The girls could see straight inside the large plate glass window.

  Ruth was in view, her back to them as several people stood around her in a small circle. Gloria stepped forward and tapped on the glass window. One of the men in the group looked up at them then shook his head.

  But Gloria was NOT about to give up. They had evidence and these detectives needed to see it! She tapped again, but this time harder.

  They all looked up now. One of them signaled Gloria and Lucy around to the rear. A man was outside waiting for them. “The post office isn’t open,” he said as they approached.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “We know that! We have evidence in this case.”

  “What kind of evidence?” he asked.

  Gloria switched the “on” button on her phone and hit the play button for the recording Lucy had made a short time ago. “This! Ruth Carpenter is being framed!”

  The man watched the video in silence. “Where did you get this?” he asked after the video ended.

  “A small spy camera was installed in the corner of the room where Ruth’s purse was. The video recorded this woman planting drugs in her purse.”

  He nodded. “That package of cocaine was found in her bag.”

  “Who’s the woman in the video?” he asked.

  Instead of answer his question, Gloria pushed aside and opened the screen door. “Sharon McIntyre knows exactly who this is. Let’s ask her!”

  She barged into the rear of the post office. All the heads swung around as they heard the commotion. Gloria and Ruth’s eyes met. Gloria’s heart sank when she saw her friend’s swollen, red face.

  She walked up to Detective McIntyre and thrust the phone into her hand. “Watch this video,” she said.

  The group of detectives clustered around the small screen and watched the video. The only one who couldn’t see it was Ruth. “Ruth’s been set up,” she said.

  Sharon shook her head in disbelief. “Where did you get this?”

  Once again, Gloria explained how she had set up the camera in Ruth’s room and Lucy had monitored it during the sale on a hunch that something was going to happen.

  “Well, this changes everything,” Sharon McIntyre announced.

  Lucy took a step closer. “That means that Ruth is free to go?”

  Sharon slowly nodded. “Turns out my informant is the real culprit.”

  Ruth abruptly burst into tears when it sank in she was free to go. That she was no longer a suspect and that she wasn’t going to be arrested. She flung her arms around Gloria’s neck and sobbed. Gloria held her friend in a tight grip. Lucy circled the two and all three of them hugged for a long moment.

  When they took a step back, the detective stepped forward. She touched Ruth’s arm. “I’m sorry for the grief and aggravation we’ve caused you these last few days but I might have to ask for your help.”

  Ruth sniffled and eyed the detective warily.

  She went on. “We’d like to set up a sting. You know, catch the true criminal in the act and I think you can be of assistance.”

  Gloria’s heart skipped a beat. That would be right up her alley. Maybe she could play a small part!

  Ruth grabbed Gloria’s hand in a death grip. “Only if Gloria can be a part of it,” she bargained.

  Sharon gazed at Gloria. “I suppose.” She turned back to Ruth. “We’ll need to set a trap of sorts. Something to draw her. Catch her in the act, so to speak.”

  She tapped the side of her head. “The only thing is, I want to catch her red-handed and she thinks you’re on your way to jail.”

  Gloria’s mind was spinning. “What if you tell her that you’re trying to catch RUTH in the act? That will force her to act rashly … to try to plant more drugs.”

  She went on. “We make it convenient for her to do that. All the while, someone is watching with a camera and Voila! Busted.”

  Sharon nodded. “That might work. We tell Tammy Dillon that we’re keeping her at this post office to keep an eye on Ruth. You know, to try and catch her in the act.”

  Ruth’s face got red. “I have a better idea.” Ruth made a squeezing motion with her hands. “I’ll just wrap my hands around her chicken neck and strangle her to death!”

  Lucy patted her arm. “Now, Ruth. You have to play it cool. Like you have no idea that she framed you and tried to send you up river!”

  Gloria cleared her throat. “Ahem.”

  Lucy shrugged. “Well, she did.”

  Ruth dropped her hands to her side. “I can do it. I know I can,” she vowed.

  The other detectives headed out the door. Sharon was the last to leave. “I’ll have Tammy here Monday morning at 8 sharp for work.”

  She gave Ruth a hard look. “Are you sure you can do this?”

  Ruth nodded firmly. “Yes. One hundred percent.” She pounded her fist on her palm. “We’re gonna take her down!”

  Chapter 8

  Ruth was up early for church the next morning. The bounce was back in her step, a light in her eyes. Gloria was up early, too. She was thrilled for Ruth but more than that, Gloria loved Sundays. It was her day to be in the Lord’s house and no matter how rough her week had been, she was filled with God’s presence and peace on Sunday.

  Gloria poured a cup of coffee and sat in the seat next to Ruth, who had just opened the Sunday paper.

  Ruth lifted her head and studied Gloria’s face. “That was my little spy camera you used to catch Tammy,” she said.

  Gloria grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Sure came in handy.”

  Ruth folded the paper up and set it to the side. “How did you know to do that?”

  Gloria eyed her friend. She shrugged and reached for an apple from the basket of fruit in the center of the table. “Just a hunch.”

  “Did you think it was me?” Ruth asked.

  Gloria shook her head. The truth was, in her heart, she knew it could never be Ruth. Not after knowing her friend all these years…

  “No.” But Gloria did have a question. “I did wonder what was in the tackle box, though,” she admitted.

  Ruth didn’t answer. She jumped out of the chair and headed to the bedroom. She came back with the tackle box in hand. The lid was unlatched. She set it on the table and pushed it over to Gloria. “Go ahead. Look inside.”

  Gloria lifted the lid. The box was full of stamps. She picked a pile up and sifted through them. Each was unique. Many of them looked old. “I had to send Kenny into the post office one night to get these for me,” Ruth explained.

  “I kept them in a locked drawer. It’s a collection I started years ago when I first started working at the post office.” Ruth picked one up and studied the front. “It was a hobby at first but now I think some of them are valuable.” She dropped the stamp back on top. “I thought if the detectives found these, they’d think that I stole them.”

  Gloria nodded. That would explain why she saw Kenny staring into the camera that night he was in the post office. Ruth had sent him on a mission to retrieve the stamp collection.

  That must have been what Ruth picked up at Kenny’s that morning at his house.

  Still, if it was
an inside job, was Kenny in on it with Tammy? she wondered. She didn’t dare tell Ruth she’d followed her to Kenny’s the other morning.

  She looked at the clock. It was time to go. “I’m ready to move back home,” Ruth announced.

  Gloria glanced at her. “Okay,” she said.

  Ruth went on. “Right after church I’ll grab my things. That way I can spend the afternoon getting the house in order to be back at work in the morning.”

  Ruth scraped the chair across the linoleum floor and stood. “Detective Sharon told me she’d stop by later today to go over our sting operation.”

  Gloria felt a twinge of envy. She wished she was in on the sting operation. But maybe it was best that she wasn’t. Tammy was Ruth’s nemesis – not hers.

  The church was packed. She and Ruth wandered in just before the choir started to sing. Lucy and Margaret had saved them a spot and the girls squeezed in beside them with Ruth on the end of the pew.

  Margaret leaned forward. “I heard that you’re going back to work tomorrow,” she said. Ruth nodded and Margaret gave her the thumbs up. The congregation stood for the singing and that was the end of the talk.

  Pastor Nate’s message was thought-provoking. It was about angels in disguise and how when we help others less fortunate we may be helping angels in disguise. The key verse was:

  “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2 KJV

  The service ended and the girls met outside in their usual spot underneath the big oak tree, at the edge of the parking lot. “Any new shut-ins this week we need to visit?” Gloria asked. There hadn’t been too many lately. Everyone seemed to be out and about with the nice weather.

  Margaret hesitated. “There is one.” Everyone looked at her. “It’s Judith Arnett. She twisted her back swatting at some squirrels that were digging holes around her rose bushes.”

  Dot looked away. Lucy cleared her throat. Ruth spoke up. “I’d go but I have to get back home and do some work around the house to get ready for work tomorrow,” she explained.

  “I’ll go visit her,” Gloria announced. All heads spun around and stared at Gloria. She took a deep breath. It would be hard to explain how she’d had a change of heart about Judith after Judith tried to help Ruth. Even though Judith was still a petty thief and gossiper, she could change. Plus, it wasn’t her place to judge. “I have some extras from the garden to take her and now that Ruth’s moving out, I don’t have plans for the afternoon.”