by Toni Leland
She angrily whisked a tear from her cheek. As she reached out to shut down the computer, an e-mail from Garrett popped up.
Hi. Thanks for the pics.
I have a meeting at headquarters in Cleveland tomorrow. Would you mind going up to Coleville and snooping around? Wheeler works for a large church there, the Glory Church of God’s Mission. See if you can find out anything about her from neighbors and such.
Let me know. Q
Kim replied, then sat back and grinned. Snooping was her favorite pastime. A minute later, she peered out the deck doors at Dixie’s cruiser. Kim dialed as she walked back toward the kitchen.
“Hey, doll. You workin’ tomorrow?”
“Nope, we have the day off. What do you have in mind?”
“Road trip – unless you have other plans.”
“Unfortunately, Dana is not off tomorrow, so Saskie and I are at loose ends. Where are we going?”
“Coleville, to snoop.”
“Hah! I had an uncle who lived there once. I haven’t been back in a million years. Yeah, I’m up for it.”
~ ~
Quaid quickly scanned the photographs of the dead foal, then printed them out on a contact sheet to include in the file jacket. As the printer whirred and spit out each page, he thought about the object of his investigation. Vivica Wheeler was one of those people who didn’t appear on any radar. She didn’t have social media accounts, she wasn’t in the local news, she apparently lived with some guy named Clarence Zummo who owned a fitness club and, according to the church’s website, she’d been the secretary for eighteen years.
Quaid sat back and squinted at the screen. Living two lives? Mousy, humble church employee during the week – glittering Arabian horse superstar on the weekends? No way would a church secretary’s salary support Wheeler’s hobby, or even an occasional insurance claim settlement – there had to be an inheritance in the mix. With any luck, Kovak would be able to get some personal details and observations from the folks who lived around Vivica Wheeler.
Stuffing the folder into his briefcase, Quaid yawned. Long day, and tomorrow in Cleveland would be even longer. He turned out the light and left his study, wondering what was afoot at United Equine that warranted a compulsory meeting of all employees and contractors.
Chapter 14
Quaid stepped into the large meeting room, balancing a coffee and his portfolio as he closed the door. Several people called out greetings and he felt a brief stab of gloom. He missed the hustle and bustle of the corporate offices, missed these nice folks he’d worked alongside for the past five years. His own new office still smelled of fresh paint, was lightly staffed, and never quite felt like a place he enjoyed being. He pushed away the negative thoughts. He’d just have to give it some more time.
The division director, Harriet Post, came over and laid a hand on his arm. “Garrett, we’ve missed you. Come on in and sit down. We’re about to start.”
Quaid took a seat and watched her walk toward the head of the room. She was soft-spoken and could be taken lightly by someone who didn’t know her, but the livestock division of the huge insurance company had weathered many storms under her guidance, and had grown to be the largest insurer of horses in the country. He smiled to himself, remembering the non-choice she’d given him about the move to Columbus. Though she’d never said as much, it had been clear that if he didn’t take the transfer, his income would suffer greatly.
Harriett stood before the employees and waited a moment until she had everyone’s attention.
“Good morning, United Equine. I’m not going to take too much of your time.” She grinned. “I know you all have work to do.”
An amused murmur ran through the room.
She gazed around the audience for moment. “I am stepping down as your director, effective the end of this month.” She held up a hand as gasps and mutters filled the air. “The Board has accepted my resignation and I’m pleased to introduce your new director.” She turned toward a middle-aged man sitting off to the side. “Fred Anderson.”
He stood up and nodded to the group, then sat down again. His smile seemed forced.
Harriett continued, “Fred has been in the insurance industry for thirty years, and comes to us from Connecticut, where he managed an independent insurer office. I’ll be working closely with him to assure a smooth transition, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to talk to each and every one of you.”
Quaid watched Harriett’s body language, sensing that the task she’d just undertaken was extremely difficult for her. Why was she leaving? Did it have anything to do with the economy and business problems? As far as Quaid knew, the company had experienced a good fourth quarter, despite the doom and gloom predictions of the economists. He glanced at the new guy, wondering if he had any experience with livestock insurance. He’d have to do some research on this guy. And why would United Equine’s board of directors bring in someone from the outside? Surely there were others within the company that were more suited to the job.
Fred Anderson moved to the front of the room to stand next to Harriett.
His voice was thin and unpleasant. “I’m happy to be here and, as Mrs. Post mentioned, I’ll be talking to all of you over the next few weeks.”
Mrs. Post? Oh, great – a stuffy Yank.
Meeting over, several people moved to the front of the room to meet Anderson, but Quaid just wanted to get out of there. At the elevator, the young man who’d formerly been his assistant caught up to him.
“So, what do you think of the new director?”
“I think a lot of things are going to change. How about you?”
“It seems kinda unplanned, almost like they had to just choose someone immediately because of Harriett’s health.” The man shook his head slowly. “I heard she has pancreatic cancer.”
Quaid glanced back toward the meeting room. He couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. From what little he knew about that particular form of cancer, this might be his last opportunity.
~ ~
Kim cruised slowly along the main drag in Coleville, Ohio – a typical small old Midwestern town with brick buildings and narrow streets. The usual businesses lined up along each side – dry cleaner, hardware store, beauty parlor, bank.
She grinned at Dixie. “This look like you remember it?”
“Oh, yeah. These places never change. My uncle lived in a little house at the end of Main Street.” She peered out the windshield. “Probably right down there somewhere, although I’m seeing some buildings I don’t remember.” At the last light on Main, she pointed to a Family Dollar store.
“Uh oh. I think the house is gone.”
“Aw, that’s too bad.”
The light changed and Kim pulled into the store parking lot. “We need to find a church called the Glory Church of God’s Mission.”
Dixie looked at her. “Seriously? That’s the name of it?”
“Yup. It’s on Twilight Street off Charter, and I have no idea where that might be.”
Dixie pulled out her smart phone and fiddled a minute, than looked up. “Go past this light, turn left, then turn right.”
As Kim turned onto Twilight Street, she sucked in a breath. The church building took up a full block and, across the street, paved parking filled a half block – empty on this weekday morning. Four cars were parked next to the church entrance. Vivica Wheeler’s faded red Bronco was not among them.
Kim parked and turned off the ignition. “Shall we?”
Dixie grinned and opened the car door. “What’s our cover story?”
“Just moved to town, we’re looking for a church.”
Chapter 15
Kim stared at the huge building as they walked toward the entrance. Modern, but not ostentatious. A bronze plaque next to the glass double doors read, “Glory Church of God’s Mission. Erected in 1988.”
Dixie shook her head. “I don’t remember this building at all. I think the church that used to be on this site was much smaller. But it was a long
time ago, maybe I’m wrong.”
Inside the vestibule, a literature rack held leaflets and brochures, and a small table against the wall held a basket filled with assorted canned food. A sign above it read, “Give with your heart.”
A woman came around the corner and stopped quickly, then beamed. “Hello! May I help you?”
Kim smiled her best. “I hope so. We’ve just moved to town and thought we’d visit some churches.”
Dixie stepped closer, slipping her arm through Kim’s. “We’ve only been here a couple of weeks, but so far, we love it.”
The woman’s smile faltered a little and she glanced away. “Be sure to pick up some of the information over there. We do a lot of great work here, and in our missions.”
Kim widened her eyes and brightened her smile. “Oh? You do missionary work? Could I find out more about that?”
“I don’t know much about it, I’m just a volunteer in the kitchen. But our church secretary handles all the mission work and can tell you anything you need to know.”
“Oh, good. Where is her office?”
The woman shook her head. “Unfortunately, Vivi has already left for the weekend. She has a horse and takes it to some shows and rides. I guess she wins prizes or something. I don’t know much about that. But she’s the one you should talk to about mission work and donations and fund raising. She’s been our secretary for over eighteen years. I don’t know what we would do without her.”
“You’ve been mighty helpful, and this is a lovely church,” said Dixie. “Maybe we’ll see you on Sunday.”
The woman managed a thin smile. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Dixie hugged closer to Kim as they walked toward the door
“Not,” she muttered.
Kim extracted her arm from Dixie’s grasp and whispered, “You are really bad, you know that?”
“Yeah ...So, did we find out anything of value?”
Kim gathered a handful of brochures from the rack. “You bet we did.”
A couple of minutes later, Dixie climbed into the car. “What’s next?”
Kim looked through the brochures briefly. “Wow, this church is really into the missionary stuff. They support at least seven missions in other countries, plus several local charities, and they even have a weekly television show.” She glanced out the window at the building. “They must take in an extraordinary amount of money to do that.”
“That’s good, right?”
“One would think so.” She handed the brochures to Dixie and started the car. “Let’s go find the Body Works Club. Wheeler’s boyfriend owns it.”
“You’re not planning to talk to him, are you?”
“No, I just want to see the place, get a feel for Wheeler’s financial situation. I don’t believe for a minute that Vivica Wheeler’s church secretary job pays enough to fund the horse operation I witnessed yesterday. Maybe the boyfriend is bankrolling her.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled into a strip mall containing two vacant storefronts, a carry-out Chinese restaurant, a liquor store, and the Body Works Club. Trash littered the sidewalks, and dead brown grass poked up between the cracks in the parking lot that contained two lone cars.
“This doesn’t strike me as a lucrative business area,” said Dixie.
Kim gazed at the exercise club, wondering how it could even stay in business in such a small town, especially in a region with a large Amish population.
“Look up Clarence Zummo on your phone. There can’t be many.”
Dixie tapped and scrolled. “One hit. Lives on Thresher Lane.” She tapped and scrolled again. “Other end of town, where we came in.”
Kim drove out of the parking lot. “We’ll drive by, then find some lunch.”
“There was a little cafe in town where my uncle used to take me for ice cream. Let’s see if it’s still there. That would be fun.”
Kim drove slowly along Main Street while Dixie scanned both sides looking for the cafe. As they reached the end of town, she sighed.
“Must be gone. I didn’t see anything familiar.”
“I know. Sometimes it’s difficult to return to the places of our childhood.”
Kim’s memory of the last visit to her childhood home in Marietta brought a lump to her throat. The only saving grace had been that her grandfather’s farm was still standing and looked as though someone who cared lived there. She didn’t think she could have taken it if she’d found it abandoned, or destroyed.
“There’s Thresher Street,” said Dixie.
Kim turned and followed it to the end. Old faded trailer houses lined both sides of the street, some with window boxes, or garden decorations mounded with snow, others with nothing in the tiny yards.
“Which one is Zummo’s?”
“Four-two-five, right over there.” Dixie pointed to Kim’s side of the street. “The one with the purple shutters.”
The mobile home was in better shape than most. A vintage Harley motorcycle sat in the driveway.
Kim chewed her lip as she drove back out to the main road. This was not the face of someone with money to spend on fancy horses. The insurance fraud idea was gaining credibility.
~ ~
Quaid left the city and found himself on the road to Chagrin Falls. Probably just habit, but maybe he needed some time to adjust to the changes at United Equine. Harriett Post had been cordial when he went back to say goodbye, but he’d seen the strain, and something else. Her skin held a pallor he’d not noticed before, and her heavy dark hair was noticeably thinner. Chemotherapy? Radiation? He shook his head. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer was seldom good, and what these patients went through to prolong their lives for even a couple of years just didn’t seem worth it. Would he do it, under the same circumstances? At that moment, he thought not – but who knew what change of mind he might have if he were faced with his own imminent death? Would he want that chance to live a while longer?
He shook off the somber thoughts and turned onto the street where he’d lived since leaving the Army. The realtor’s sign was gone from the yard in front of the house, and yellow curtains adorned the windows. A white Audi sat in the driveway. He drove past and out the other end of the street, feeling just a little empty. A chapter closed. What was next?
He picked up his phone and dialed. Kim’s husky voice came on the line and he smiled.
“Hey, how about you let me buy you dinner tomorrow night?”
Chapter 16
Dixie took a sip of ice water, set the glass down slowly, then looked up at Kim. “What are you going to wear?”
“Huh? When?”
“For your date tomorrow night.”
Kim frowned. “It’s not a date. It’s a working dinner.”
Dixie leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “Did he say that? Specifically?”
“No, but –”
“Then don’t assume anything. Dress up and enjoy his company. Let him see the real you.” Dixie reached across the table and touched Kim’s hand. “You are both lonely, and you said yourself that the attraction is there. Don’t let this opportunity pass.”
Kim’s thoughts raced as she reconstructed the brief phone conversation with Garrett. He’d asked her about dinner, she’d accepted, they’d set a time, and he’d said goodbye. Dixie was right – if Garrett wanted details of the visit to Coleville, he could have asked her on the phone. A little wiggle of pleasure moved through her chest. Would she and Garrett be able to pick up where they’d left off in Chicago? A dinner date might be a good place to start.
Dixie blew on her soup. “Tell me more about this church secretary and her horses. You said her farm was amazing.”
“You have no idea. She has a gorgeous custom barn and arena, with at least twenty stalls and several outdoor work rings. She has a motor home that had to cost around three hundred grand, and not one, but two fancy horse trailers, luxury vehicles – you name it. And her horses! They are some of the finest Arabians I’ve ever seen.” Kim leaned forward and lowered her voic
e. “I can’t imagine why she would stay in this town, so far from her farm. And live in a trailer with a boyfriend. You should see the house that goes with the farm. It’s like something out of an architecture magazine.”
“Maybe she grew up here. Roots are strong things, as you well know. I have fond memories of visits here with my uncle. Maybe Wheeler just doesn’t want to leave it behind.”
The waitress came up to the table and smiled. “Anything else I can get for you girls? Some dessert, maybe? We have fresh lemon meringue pie today.”
Kim shook her head. “Not for me, thanks.”
Dixie said, “No, but let me ask you something. Has this restaurant been here a long time?”
The woman, who looked to be in her sixties, shook her head. “No, just about five years. The owner used to only do catering out of her home, but her food is so popular, she decided to open this place. Good thing, too, because the old-time café in town went out of business about ten years ago. Scotty’s. I worked there from the time I left high school until they closed.”
“That’s it, Scotty’s! Now I remember.” Dixie beamed. “My uncle used to take me there for ice cream.”
“Who was your uncle?”
“Walter Davis, did you know him?”
The woman’s face flushed a deep red. “Oh, my, Wally was a regular, and we were ...really good friends for many years.” Her voice cracked. “We miss him.”
Dixie smiled sadly. “Me too. And what a small world.”
The woman laid the check on the table. “You have a nice day and come back to see us again.”
As she walked away, Dixie pursed her lips. “You know, I’ll bet that woman could tell you everything you want to know about Vivica Wheeler.”