After finishing my survey, I headed back to the office to meet with Nate. Once in the building, I strolled down the hall and tapped on his open door.
He looked up, glad to see me. “Donna. I was hoping you’d drop by.”
I slouched down in the wooden chair across from his gray metal desk. He pushed aside his open briefcase with its piles of papers stacked neatly inside. I said, “Regarding my mother’s case, I feel we’ve missed something.”
Nate smirked. “Now I’ve done my best to prove Evangeline’s innocence being that she’s a member of your family and all. But if she looks guilty, that may be more her fault than mine.”
I stretched my feet in front of me and crossed my ankles just under the desk. “But what if she’s not guilty?”
Nate chuckled. “Look, I know this must be painful for you, but we’ve got her. There’s just too much evidence putting her at the scene with a motive.”
“I’m curious, what motive are you referring to, exactly?”
“Well, it’s no secret that she hated that Doreen had been married to your father.”
I shook my head. “So? That doesn’t mean she killed my mother.”
Nate looked sympathetic. “Cases like this are hard. I’d say Evangeline’s gotten to you, hasn’t she?”
“No. It’s not that, it’s just that I have a hunch that there’s a piece missing.”
Nate shrugged and looked at his watch, then gave me a bright smile. “Unless you can bring me another theory, say, over lunch, then I think my work here is done.”
“No can do on lunch.”
Nate looked disappointed. “Going out with one of your TV boyfriends?”
I sat up straight. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, just still playing detective, though I don’t see what either of those two guys have over me.”
I laughed. “Over you? Well, Nate, for one thing, you just arrested my mother-in-law for murder. I’m afraid I’ll have to take that into consideration regarding any plans for our future.”
Nate gave me a grin. “Then prove me wrong so I can show you a better side of me.”
I rolled my eyes and glanced at my watch. I stood with my jacket. “We’ll have to hold off on lunch, but I’ll call you if I dig up anything.”
Nate grinned. “I hope to hear from you, I honestly do . . .”
Five minutes later I walked into the Higher Grounds Café and looked around for David. When I saw he hadn’t yet arrived, I found a corner table and sat down near where Clay had spread out his laptop and a pad of notes. He looked up and gave me a bit of a wave.
“So, where did you find Vonnie last night?” I asked.
He arched his furry brows. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“No.”
“She was at the tavern.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s crazy talk.”
“I’m serious. I found her having a little powwow with your sister.”
“Velvet? I bet that was interesting. Did she tell you what they talked about?”
“Your mother, I presume.”
I checked my watch again as Sally handed me a menu. “Dining alone today?” she asked.
“I’m waiting for someone.”
I took a drink of the ice water Sally poured into my glass. David was late. I picked up my cell phone to check if I had missed a message. When I saw that I hadn’t, I looked up to see Wade making a beeline for me. “Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked.
“Well, I’m waiting—”
“Just for a minute? It’s about that day your mother died.”
I pointed to the chair, and he sat. “What about it?” I asked.
“I don’t think Evie went into Dee Dee’s trailer. Evie was leaving while your mother stood on her porch.”
“Did you see Evangeline leave?”
“No, I was distracted by the phone when Evie was talking to Doreen.”
“Then you’re another person who was at the scene without an alibi. I wonder why Nate doesn’t suspect you?”
“Well, Louie, the manager of the Hotel Summit View, you know him, he was with me before and after I ran over to my trailer. I was only gone for a few minutes and there’s a telephone log of me on the phone with Louie that whole time I was gone. So, Louie would have heard me if I’d been involved in any kind of commotion.” He paused, looking to see if I believed him. I did. He continued, “Plus there’s the fact I’ve got no motive.”
I studied Wade’s intense blue eyes. “Do you remember anything else from that afternoon? A detail you maybe didn’t mention to Nate?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you: there was this cyclist.”
“Someone on a bike?”
“Yeah, I didn’t tell Nate this, but I left my tool belt in my trailer, and after I’d driven about five minutes, I realized my mistake. I turned around and went back to the park. That’s when a man on a bike came shooting down the sidewalk, cutting in front of me.”
“Why didn’t you tell Nate?”
“The cyclist seemed unimportant at first, and well, I didn’t want to be on his list of suspects as I may have been in the area when Dee Dee died.”
“Did you recognize the guy?”
“Can’t say that I did, but there was something about him that struck me as strange. The dude was wearing street clothes—jeans, a black tee, and tennis shoes, instead of the usual high country biker’s gear—spandex and cleats.”
“Was he wearing a helmet?”
“Nope.”
I nodded. “That is a bit strange, at least for up here in the high country.”
“Yeah, most of the cyclists wear black shorts and bike jerseys.”
“Did you get a good look at the guy?”
“I didn’t see his face, but he was wearing a black baseball cap with a yellow logo of some kind.”
“Did you see which way he went?”
“He just turned west and up the sidewalk. I didn’t see where he went after that.”
By now I had my clipboard out and was taking notes. I looked up. “So I have to ask. Do you think Evie killed my mother?”
“No. Of course not.”
As I wrote down a few more notes, Wade stared. “Is it true that you and David broke up when he spent the night with his old girlfriend?”
I looked up abruptly. “What?”
“I mean, ’cause if you did break up, I’d love to take you out again.”
“I’m going to ignore your question to say this: you and your mother make a fine couple, and three’s a crowd.”
Wade looked genuinely hurt. “Donna, that’s not fair. My mother does not factor into who I date.”
“Really? Then when we were dating, why didn’t you take me over to her house and let her know I was your girlfriend?”
“Well, I didn’t want to put you through that.”
I slammed the notebook on my clipboard shut. “Since when do men around here think I’m too fragile to take care of myself?”
“I never said—”
“I won’t play second fiddle to your mother, especially if you won’t defend me to her.”
Wade suddenly gave me a lopsided grin. “So, in other words, you are available.”
I took another sip of ice water. “I never said that.”
Wade grabbed my hand. “So, if I were to stand up to my mom, then you and I could get back together? Is that what I’m hearing?”
Before I could respond, the café door burst open and David rushed into the room. He froze when he saw me holding hands with Wade. I retrieved my hand and stood as David walked toward us.
“Sorry I’m late, Donna. Is everything okay here?”
“Wade and I were just talking about my mother’s murder,” I said.
David shot a look at Clay, realizing he’d been near enough to hear my and Wade’s conversation. “Is that so?” David said, seemingly to Clay as much as to me.
“Hello, David,” Clay said.
I punched David in the a
rm with my balled fist so he would face me. “Don’t you believe me?”
As if in response to my question, David’s pager beeped. He checked it and said, “Big accident out on the freeway. Multiple injuries.” With that he turned and disappeared out the door.
My beeper was next to respond. I called over to Sally, who was watching from behind the cash register, “I’ll come back later for lunch.”
As I grabbed my jacket, Wade said, “What about us?”
“What us?” I growled. “Like I said, you already have the woman of your dreams—your mother.” I followed David out the door and into the afternoon sun, my Bronco keeping pace with his ambulance all the way to the accident scene.
———
The three-car pileup kept David and me so busy that we barely spoke as we worked the accident scene. While he ran the crash victims to the hospital, I directed traffic and tow trucks. But even despite all the trauma of the afternoon, I’d managed to make it to the store and then home to blend my pumpkin soup into a warm, creamy treat for the girls.
I arrived with my crock-pot just in time to place it in the buffet. “Donna,” Evie said as she lifted the lid, “this looks wonderful. Is it pumpkin?”
“It is. It’s my mother’s recipe,” I said quietly. Evie looked up at me with a start. To my surprise she replaced the lid then wrapped me in her arms. “Oh Donna, I’m so, so sorry you lost Doreen.” When she pulled away, I could see tears in her eyes as she held me with a hand on each shoulder. Her chin tilted down as she made eye contact. “But you know—you have to know it wasn’t me. Right, Donna?”
I sighed. “If I could prove that, Evangeline, it would make things around here a lot simpler.”
Vonnie, who was placing a pitcher of Goldie’s sweet tea onto the table, said, “You can say that again.”
Soon the potluckers and I had filled our bowls with soup and covered our plates with salad. Lisa Leann, who was holding her grandson on her lap, said, “Do you mind if I say grace?” We all mumbled agreements as we bowed our heads. Lisa Leann prayed, “Lord, we got a heap of trouble on our hands: a lost mother, a lost husband, a missing daughter, my son-in-law in the hospital, and Evie facing charges for a crime she didn’t commit. Plus a cherished pet’s simply vanished.”
There was a murmur of “Yes, Lord” from the women around me.
“So, Lord, since we don’t know what to pray, we ask for miracles. We agree together that it’s your turn, Lord.”
“Amen,” we said, practically in unison.
As we dined, we quizzed each other about the various dilemmas we were facing.
“Have you heard from Henry?” Lizzie asked Lisa Leann, who was spooning my warm soup between her lips.
Lisa Leann, still holding Kyle in one arm as she bounced him with her thigh, managed a peek at her watch. “Not yet. Though I’m expecting his call any minute.”
Vonnie finished a long sip of sweet tea. “What about Mandy? Have you heard anything from her?”
Lisa Leann responded by shaking her head then braving a smile at the baby. “We’ll hear from Mommy soon, won’t we?” she said in baby talk.
Goldie, who was holding a piece of my still warm garlic bread, asked, “Any word about Chucky, Vonnie?”
When Vonnie didn’t answer, I looked up from my soup, alarmed. “Is something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, no. I haven’t heard anything.”
I narrowed my eyes, my suspicions alerted. Is Vonnie keeping a secret from me?
Vonnie changed the subject. “Any more clues regarding your mother, Donna?”
“Not much to speak of, but I’m hoping for a break in the case.”
Evie replied under her breath, “You’re not the only one.”
With that, Lisa Leann stood and handed Vonnie the baby. “Would you mind?” She turned to face us. “I think I may have something of interest that might even relate to the case.” She stood and walked back to her room, retrieving a large pink purse. She cleared a spot at the table and set the purse down. She opened it and pulled out an antique leather satchel.
“After I dropped Henry off at the airport yesterday, I swung by my boutique. While I was there, I looked around for hidden cubbyholes inside the house.”
“Looks like you found one,” Lizzie said.
“I did, down in the basement beneath the bottom landing.” She untied a fragile string that held the satchel closed.
“For goodness sakes, what is it?” Vonnie asked as she suddenly stood with Kyle on one hip.
“Patience, everyone,” Lisa Leann said as she pulled out an old revolver. Goldie screamed, and I jumped to my feet.
I ran around the table, reaching for the gun. “What do you have there, Lisa Leann?”
“Don’t worry. It’s an old Colt, gold rush era. It’s not loaded and the firing pen is frozen shut. I checked.” She handed me the gun while I inspected it. She said, “But there’s more.”
She pulled out both a yellowed envelope and a tiny brown leather pouch with a drawstring. She held up the pouch. “For the record, this is a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of gold dust, as valued on today’s market.”
We all gasped as one while Lisa Leann continued. “There’s a note.” She placed the smaller pouch on the table, and Goldie picked it up, carefully opening the pouch to peek inside. She pulled out tiny gold nuggets the size of sand and held them up between two fingers. “That’s gold, all right,” she said with the first grin I’d seen on her face since Jack’s death.
Lizzie was on her feet walking toward Lisa Leann. “Is there a name on that envelope?”
Lisa Leann nodded and read it aloud: “To Father John Dyer.”
I’d already opened the Colt and was checking the cylinders when I gasped. “The minister who founded our church? What does the letter say?”
Lisa Leann carefully unfolded the aged paper and began to read: Padray, u mite not here frum me no more but no the + is my trezur. Zeke Hannah
Lizzie reached for the letter. “Do you mind if I have a look?”
Lisa Leann nodded as Evie chimed in, “Old Zeke. My daddy used to tell me stories about him. And, you know, if I’m not mistaken, the Hannahs in town are his relations.” Her eyes sparkled. “And wasn’t old Mrs. Hirvela, the one who used to own Lisa Leann’s Victorian, a Hannah before she married?”
Lizzie nodded. “That’s right, and to maybe shed some more light on this, I just read that Zeke was married to one of the Martin girls when he disappeared. According to the records I uncovered, his wife’s parents built a home on Main Street.”
“My wedding boutique,” Lisa Leann stated, guessing the truth.
Lizzie nodded, looking rather proud of herself. “You got it. Old Mrs. Hirvela is a relative of Zeke’s, a great-great-niece or even a descendant, I’d bet.”
Evie said, “Isn’t Mrs. Hirvela living still—in that nursing home with your mom, Lizzie?”
Lizzie snapped her fingers. “That’s right! In fact, I saw her not too long ago. She’s still sharp as a tack.” Lizzie paused, then added, “Though she couldn’t have possibly been alive when this letter was written, being that she’s only in her nineties.” She held the letter up to the light and squinted at it. “This letter has to be over 130 years old.”
Lisa Leann’s phone rang. She grabbed for it. “Hello, Henry?” We all held our breaths until she said, “How’s Ray?” She nodded. “Have you found Mandy?”
We waited until Lisa Leann gasped. “Oh, Henry, no, no!”
“Oh dear, what’s happened now?” Vonnie cried.
Goldie
31
Condensed Meeting
As soon as Lisa Leann disconnected her phone call with Henry, she gave us the frightening news: Mandy seemed to have vanished in Egypt. Between gulps of hysteria, she told us only bits and pieces of information, then promptly passed out cold on the living room floor.
Vonnie, still holding Kyle, sprang into action. “I’ll get her a wet washcloth,” she said, then started fo
r the hallway.
Lizzie grabbed one of Lisa Leann’s hands and began to pat it. “Lisa Leann, do you hear me?” As Lisa Leann’s eyes blinked, Lizzie looked up and added, “We need to organize a prayer vigil. This is huge.”
“I’ll call Pastor Kevin,” I said, then dug around in my purse for my cell phone and stepped into the kitchen for privacy.
Pastor Kevin answered about the same time as Evangeline stepped up behind me. “Did you get him?” she asked.
I nodded and held up my index finger. “Pastor Kevin, this is Goldie,” I said.
“Goldie! I understand from Lisa Leann that a meeting is in full force. Do you have a question for me?”
“Uh—no. We have—”
“What’s he saying?” Evangeline asked.
I turned to face her. “Wait a second, Evie.” I gathered my bearings. “Pastor Kevin, Lisa Leann just got news from Henry—who’s in Egypt, if you didn’t know that already—that Mandy is missing over there.”
“Whoa. Hold on. I knew Henry had left to go . . . what do you mean, exactly, that she’s missing?”
“To be honest, that’s all we know.”
Evie put her hands on her hips. “Tell him Ray is in the hospital.”
“He knows that, Evie.”
Pastor Kevin interrupted. “Yes, I know that. Okay, Goldie. I’m going to call Esther Hopkins. She’ll get prayers started for Mandy. And for Ray.” For as long as I could remember, Esther Hopkins had been in charge of the church’s prayer chain.
“Is he calling Esther?” Evie asked as I disconnected the call.
I sighed. “Yes! My goodness, you are being a pest.”
She looked hurt, and I instantly regretted my words.
“I’m just trying to help,” she said.
I patted her arm. “I know you are.” I looked toward Vonnie’s living room. “Let’s get back in there and see what’s going on, shall we?”
Evangeline was the first to announce that “we’d” called Pastor Kevin and that Esther Hopkins was organizing the prayer chain, which was nothing but speculation. Or, faith in action. By this time, Donna had taken Lisa Leann and Kyle back to her house to pick up some papers on Mandy, and Lizzie was collecting plates and discarded napkins.
Bake Until Golden: A Novel (The Potluck Catering Club) Page 24