“Take a deep breath,” Gloria said. “Just remember, the people here…they’re your tribe.”
“Not all of them. I hate to admit it, but some of them are out there, as in outer space out there.” Ruth twirled a finger next to her forehead.
Gloria thought about the woman with the squirt gun. “I don’t disagree with you there.”
Ruth grabbed a file folder and hurried to the office door. “I better get going.”
It was a quick trek past the pavilion to the makeshift stage located behind the auction barn where a crowd had gathered. Leonard, who was standing nearby, motioned for Ruth to join him.
“This is it.” The color drained from Ruth’s face.
“You can do this.” Dot patted Ruth’s back. “As they say in show biz, ‘Break a leg.’”
“Or pass out and make a fool of myself,” Ruth muttered under her breath.
The friends stood off to the side, watching Ruth trudge to the stage.
“Poor Ruth,” Rose said.
“She’s a wreck,” Margaret sighed.
“It’s starting,” Lucy made a shushing noise.
The group grew quiet as Leonard grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd, giving them a brief history of NASCA, their mission – to improve and advance surveillance techniques.
Leonard wrapped up his speech by thanking everyone for coming, and then handed the microphone to Ruth.
“As Leonard said, I would like to thank you for joining us for our first annual Area M Great Lakes Surveillance Assembly. NASCA is thrilled to welcome our partner group, SPEC, our space exploration enthusiasts. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ruth Carpenter, the newly-appointed director of this NASCA region.” Ruth touched on the highlights of the convention.
“Starting tomorrow morning, our team members will be out in full force, wearing one of these.” She held up a hot pink long-sleeved t-shirt with a pair of binoculars on the front. “These gals…and guy – will be on hand to answer questions, to assist you in the event of an emergency and to address any issues you may have.”
Paul nudged Gloria. “Is that you?”
“I…this is the first I’ve heard of a hot pink shirt, but who knows?”
“What have you gotten yourself into?” Paul chuckled.
“I’m beginning to wonder.”
Ruth droned on about the swap meet and the vendor booths before segueing into a spiel about the latest and greatest surveillance equipment. “There are several top-notch companies that are offering special discounts this week. If you’re interested, you can grab a flyer from the office.”
She set the shirt down and picked up what looked like a walkie-talkie. “Last, but not least, I’m excited to show you the latest in reverse surveillance technology. This is the Bug Blaster. The Bug Blaster alerts users to unauthorized transmissions and has the capability to disrupt potential listening devices.”
“How much is it?” someone shouted.
“Five hundred bucks. If you purchase one during the convention, there’s a ten percent discount.”
She wrapped up the presentation by telling the attendees there would be a laser light show starting shortly. There was a round of polite applause as Ruth exited the stage and joined Leonard. She had a brief word with him, and then they made their way over to her group of friends.
“Leonard, these are the rest of my friends.” Ruth introduced Dot, Ray, Rose, Johnnie and Paul. “Since you’re all here, I’ll hand out the volunteers’ shirts.”
Ruth ran back to the podium and returned carrying a large bag. She handed Gloria, Margaret and Lucy each a shirt. “I have a couple of extra for Dot and Rose in case you’re interested in helping out.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll be busy working at the restaurant,” Dot said.
“I would like to pitch in, but between the restaurant and my vendor booth, I’m gonna be swamped,” Rose said. “The shirts are awesome though.”
Ruth shoved the extra shirts back inside the bag. “I wonder if Officer Nelson and his men have finished searching the vans.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
The group made their way to the office, where they found Nelson and his men standing near their patrol cars. “We’re almost done.” He shifted uncomfortably. “We have one more vehicle matching the description the boy gave us.”
“So?” Ruth shrugged. “I already told you I’m not stopping you from searching.”
Nelson held out his hand. “Then you won’t have a problem handing over the keys to your van.”
Chapter 6
“Are you insinuating I’m a suspect?” Ruth gasped.
“Every vehicle matching the boy’s description is being searched. Your vehicle matches.”
“I am not a child abductor.” Ruth pulled the keys from her jacket pocket. “You aren’t going to mess with any of the equipment inside, are you?”
“I’m going to search it for clues.”
“Don’t touch the paint. I paid fifty bucks to have my van hand waxed the other day.”
“We’ll handle it with kid gloves.”
“I better go with you.” Ruth hurried after them.
Nelson unlocked the doors and slid the side door open. He crawled inside while the other officers headed toward the front.
Ruth rubbed her knuckles, her eyes darting from one man to the next. “You’re not going to find anything. This is a waste of time.”
Officer Nelson ignored the comment. He pressed a red button on an interior side panel. “What’s this?”
“Don’t…” Ruth lunged forward to stop him.
Floodlights illuminated the exterior of the van and the parking area, blinding Gloria and the others.
“…touch that button.” Ruth finished her sentence.
“Sorry.” Nelson fumbled with the panel of buttons, pressing several in his haste to turn the lights off.
Whomp. A flat-screen television popped out of the ceiling.
Nelson caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. He ducked, but his reflexes weren’t fast enough. The monitor smacked him in the back of the head with a loud whack. “What the…”
“Great. You activated the antenna on top.” Ruth crawled inside the van and nudged him out of the way. The floodlights went off. The monitor returned to its original position.
“Don’t forget the antenna,” Gloria reminded her.
“Right.” Ruth flipped the last switch, and the roof’s antenna slowly lowered.
Nelson gingerly touched the back of his head. “This van is booby-trapped.”
“It’s not booby-trapped. It’s designed for high-tech surveillance.”
“And it’s bulletproof,” Margaret chimed in.
“Which has come in handy,” Dot added.
“The only thing Ruth’s spymobile can’t do is fly or float,” Rose said.
“Why on earth would you need a vehicle like this?” Nelson waved dismissively. “Never mind. I forgot I was talking to the Garden Girls. We’ll finish our search. Hopefully, nothing explodes.”
“I don’t have explosives.” Ruth slid out of the van. “But that is an excellent idea. Stop sticks or minor explosives would come in handy for diversion purposes.”
“She can’t be serious,” Paul whispered in his wife’s ear.
“Nelson shouldn’t have planted that bug. I wouldn’t put it past her to install a mini rocket launcher,” Gloria whispered back.
The officers finished searching the front. “The front is clean.”
Nelson inspected the center row of seats before exiting the van. He opened the rear cargo doors and then turned the overhead light on.
Several shopping bags were in the back. He opened the first one, rummaged through the contents and then put it back. He grabbed a second bag, this one smaller than the first and opened it, pulling out two small t-shirts.
Nelson held them at arm’s length. One was dark blue and the other green. Emblazoned on the front was the phrase, Pure Michigan. “
Are these yours?”
Ruth shook her head. “No. I’ve never seen them before.”
The officer inspected the tags. “These are children’s shirts.” He shot Ruth a questioning look.
Leonard, who had joined them during the van’s search, stepped forward. “They belong to me. Ruth let me borrow her van. I picked those up for a friend’s son.”
“Huh.” Nelson eyed him suspiciously. “And when did you purchase these items?”
“There’s a receipt inside the bag,” Leonard said. “I bought them this afternoon from a small downtown store.”
The officer placed the shirts back inside and continued digging through the items.
“I also purchased some snacks from the same store and supplies at the hardware store,” Leonard said.
“What kind of supplies?” Officer Nelson removed a large shopping bag. Gloria recognized it as one from Nails and Knobs, Brian and Andrea’s hardware store.
A flashlight, a pack of batteries, rope and a roll of duct tape were inside the bag. “Did you purchase these too?”
Leonard made a grunting sound. “You can’t be serious.”
Nelson leveled his gaze, his eyes meeting Leonard’s. “I’m dead serious.”
“Half of our group is hosting an Alien Invitation tomorrow night. We’re roping off a section for those who want to participate,” Ruth said.
“An Alien Invitation?” Nelson lifted a brow.
“For the SPEC members. Space Exploration Community. Those who believe we’re not alone.” Ruth waved dismissively. “None of this is evidence.”
He finished searching the back and then slowly closed the doors before shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’ve stepped up patrols in the area and will be keeping an eye on this convention.” He turned his attention to Leonard again, giving him the once over. “You bear a resemblance to the description the boy gave.”
“I saw the picture,” Leonard said, “and have to disagree with your assessment.”
“Huh.” The officer gave him one more hard look. He nodded to his men, and they began making their way to the patrol cars.
Ruth trailed behind. “I want to make it clear I’ll help in any way I can.”
“I know you will, Ruth.” Nelson cracked his first smile since arriving. “I’m not here to rain on your parade or to cause you grief. I’m here to keep the streets of Belhaven safe and to protect our residents.”
“And we appreciate it.” Dot waited until the officers exited the parking area. “On a brighter note, your speech was great, Ruth.”
“Very interesting and informative,” Lucy chimed in.
“Half the people didn’t even bother listening to her speech,” Margaret grunted.
“Margaret,” Gloria chided.
“Well, they didn’t.”
“I thought it was polished and professional,” Gloria said. “It made me want to check out the Bug Blaster.”
“It did?” Ruth brightened. “It’s high tech all the way. I can’t wait to use it during our next investigation.”
Rose consulted her watch. “Johnnie and I are gonna head out. I want to sort through the rest of my potions to see if there’s anything else I have in stock that the space enthusiasts might want to try.”
“You need to put a warning label on the Alien Allure,” Gloria said. “Something along the lines of toxic fumes and hard to remove. I can still smell it.”
“I can’t do that. Then no one will want to buy it. Besides, the scent grows on you after a while.”
Rose, Johnnie, Dot and Ray were the first to leave. Margaret and Lucy weren’t far behind, leaving Gloria and Paul. “We should head home too. Ryan and Tyler will be with me tomorrow if you don’t mind.”
“The more, the merrier. Had I known they were coming, I would’ve picked up a couple of extra shirts for the boys.”
“I’m not sure hot pink is their color.”
“They had neon green too.”
“Maybe next time.” Gloria and Paul told her good-bye and began making their way out of the office, passing by a man and woman who were on their way in.
“Wait.” Ruth stopped them. “Have you met Cliff and Bernadette…Bernie?”
“No.”
“Cliff and Bernadette are my event coordinators,” Ruth said. “Cliff is a member of NASCA, and Bernie is a member of SPEC.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Gloria smiled politely as they shook hands.
“We saw the police cars and were wondering what was going on,” Cliff said.
Ruth briefly filled them in on the attempted abduction and that the child claimed the vehicle was a van. “The police searched the vehicles matching the boy’s description.”
“Was he able to give the police a description of the person?” Cliff asked.
“He was,” Ruth nodded. “They’re still investigating.”
“Scary stuff,” Bernie shivered. “Maybe you should give a heads up to the attendees so they can keep an eye out.”
“I’m sure the authorities don’t need our help,” Cliff said. “The other reason we stopped by was to let you know the bonfire for roasting marshmallows and the lawn bowling competition are ready to go.”
“That’s our cue.” Gloria gave them a quick smile and told Ruth she would see her around nine.
During the drive home, Gloria and Paul discussed the convention and then the attempted abduction.
“Do you think it’s possible Leonard could have been involved?” Gloria asked.
“I don’t know. He seemed to have a legitimate reason for purchasing the items.” Paul turned in to the driveway. “Besides, if Leonard was the attempted abductor, he was using a borrowed van – Ruth’s van.”
“Which doesn’t make sense.” Gloria let Mally out while Paul checked to make sure he had everything ready to roll in the morning.
By the time he finished and locked up, Gloria was ready for bed. She promptly fell asleep and woke early the next morning. She slipped out of bed and followed Mally to the kitchen to start breakfast.
Paul wasn’t far behind. “It’s gonna be a beautiful fall day,” he predicted.
“I believe you’re right.” After breakfast, Gloria helped him slide the deer stand onto the wagon. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“Nope. I have it all planned out.” Paul knotted the last section of rope and then circled the wagon, checking to make sure it was secure while Gloria trailed behind. “Jill should be dropping the boys off anytime now. I promised Ruth I would be there around nine. Do you want me to check on you before we leave?”
“You worry too much.” Paul gave his wife a quick kiss. “I would be more worried about you being snatched up during an alien invasion,” he joked.
“Which reminds me.” Gloria sniffed the back of her hand and curled her lip. “I can still smell Rose’s potion.”
“I rest my case.” He gave his wife’s hand a squeeze and then climbed into the cab of the tractor. “Maybe you and the boys can check out the deer stand later.”
“We will.” Gloria stepped back as Paul fired up the tractor. He steered it between the rose bushes, through the backyard and into the open field. The tractor crested a small hill and then chugged out of sight.
Gloria had barely finished getting ready when she spied Jill’s car pull into the driveway. Ryan, the younger of her two grandsons, flung the door open and scrambled out of the car. Tyler, now a teen, followed behind.
Jill joined them moments later and gave her mother a hug. “The boys are raring to go.”
“I can see that.” Gloria ruffled Ryan’s hair. “If we’re lucky, we’ll have an alien encounter.”
“Aliens aren’t real,” Tyler said.
“Yes, they are,” Ryan insisted. “I’m gonna take a picture of one.”
“At the very least, the boys will be entertained,” Gloria chuckled.
“When do you want me to pick them up?” Jill asked.
“How does noon tomorrow sound?”
“I’
ll be here.” Jill glanced around. “Where’s Paul?”
“He’s in the field out back, putting up his deer stand.”
Tyler’s eyes lit. “Can I go deer hunting this year?”
“You’ll have to talk to your parents and Grandpa Paul,” Gloria said.
“Why can’t I help with the deer stand instead of going to some dumb alien convention?” Tyler grumbled.
“You aren’t interested in the convention?” Gloria asked.
“No.”
“I am,” Ryan piped up. “I can’t wait.”
“I’m sure Paul would love some help today,” Gloria turned to her daughter. “You go on and enjoy some time off. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The boys ran inside while Gloria walked her daughter to the car.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Positive,” Gloria nodded firmly. She waited for her daughter to drive off before following the boys. Tyler was seated at the kitchen table, fiddling with his cell phone. “You don’t want to go to the convention?”
Tyler shrugged.
“I’m not going to make you.” Gloria eyed his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt critically. “You’ll need a jacket and a pair of barn boots if you’re going to be mucking around in the woods. I think I have spares around here somewhere.”
Tyler dropped his backpack off in the spare bedroom. By the time he returned to the kitchen, Gloria had found a pair of old hunting boots and a camo-colored jacket for him to wear.
“C’mon, Ryan. We’re heading to the woods.” Mally beat Ryan to the kitchen door.
Tyler and Ryan ran ahead, chasing after Mally, while Gloria carefully picked her way through the field, careful to avoid the soft mud. She was almost to the tree line when she heard one of her grandsons scream.
Chapter 7
Gloria took off at a dead run, forgetting all about the mud, her feet flying across the open field. The only thing she could think was one of them had run into a bear, something Paul had mentioned recently when he spotted tracks in the woods while scoping out the spot for his stand.
A bolt of terror ran through her when she caught up. The boys were huddled next to the wagon and Paul, whose leg was bent at an odd angle, a pained expression on his face.
Alien Allure: A Garden Girls Cozy Mystery (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 23) Page 5