Chapter 4
“That’s ridiculous,” Gloria said.
“What happened?” Lucy asked.
“Start from the beginning,” Dot said.
Margaret’s hand trembled as she reached for the glass of water Rose had set in front of her. “After Brian and Andrea’s reception, I stopped by the drugstore to pick up one of Don’s prescriptions which had almost run out.”
She pursed her lips tightly together and blinked rapidly. Gloria reached over and patted her back. “It’s okay. Take your time.”
Margaret nodded. “So I picked up the prescription and also stopped at the Quik Stop to grab a carton of cookies and cream ice cream. It’s Don’s favorite and I promised to bring some home.”
Tears filled Margaret’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks.
Lucy reached inside her purse, pulled out a packet of Kleenex and handed them to Margaret.
“Thanks Lucy.” Margaret blew her nose before continuing. “When I got home, at first, I thought Don had gone to bed since he wasn’t in the living room so I put away the purchases and stuck the containers of leftovers from the reception in the fridge so he could eat them when he woke up. I ran down to the lake to feed the duck family. When I came back inside, I decided to wake Don. I didn’t want him to sleep too long and then have him wide awake all night.”
Ruth, who sat on the other side of Margaret began to sniffle and then started to cry. Soon, all of the girls were crying. Ray ran over with a large box of tissues and handed them to Dot, who passed the box around the table.
Margaret wiped her eyes and continued. “When I discovered Don wasn’t in the bedroom I started searching the house. When I got to the garage to see if his car was still there, that’s when I found him.”
She grabbed another tissue and wiped her eyes.
The women glanced at each other helplessly. There was nothing that could…or would help. “I’m sorry Margaret. What can we do?”
“I…” Margaret’s voice trailed off. “Detective Givens said he would call me tomorrow. I think he felt bad he had me come in for questioning.”
“He’s just doing his job,” Gloria said.
“I know.” Margaret sipped her water and set the glass down. “I can’t believe Don would…take his own life. Of course, we’d been arguing a lot lately since he was constantly underfoot and we were tripping over each other but he didn’t seem depressed or despondent.”
“Maybe he had a heart attack while he was getting in the car,” Gloria said.
“I already thought about that but I won’t know anything until the autopsy results are complete.”
“I hate to see you home alone,” Gloria said. “Tyler and Ryan are spending the night but I’m sure Paul won’t mind if I stay with you.”
“I can stay over,” Lucy offered. “I’ll have to bring Jasper with me.”
“Ray will cut me loose for the night, too,” Dot said.
“And I’m sure Johnnie would be thrilled to get me out of the house,” Rose added.
“I’ll go.” Ruth held up her hand. “You all have spouses.” She eyed Lucy. “And pets. I’m a free agent.” She stood. “All I need to do is throw some clothes in an overnight bag. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t wait for an answer as she headed out of the restaurant and climbed into her van.
Margaret watched Ruth back her van out of the parking spot and zip off down the road. “She doesn’t have to do that.”
“Ruth wants to help. We all want to help,” Gloria said. “We’re here for you Margaret.”
“You can also stay at our place,” Andrea offered. “We have plenty of room and Alice would love the company.”
Margaret shifted her gaze to Andrea. “This is your wedding night. I didn’t mean to ruin your special day.”
Andrea hopped out of her chair and circled the table to hug Margaret. “You didn’t ruin my day. Brian and I were already married. This was a celebration for all of us.” She waved her hand around the table.
Dot replenished the empty coffee cups while Rose refilled water glasses as they waited for Ruth to return, which she did in record time. “I tried to hurry.”
“I think you set some sort of record,” Dot said. “Hopefully you didn’t forget anything.”
Margaret sipped a little more water and stood. “I think I’d like to go home now. I feel ill.”
The girls accompanied Margaret and Ruth out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk. “Are you okay to drive?” Gloria asked as she pointed at Margaret’s SUV.
“Yeah.” Margaret nodded. “I made it this far and it’s only a couple blocks to the house. The police towed Don’s car to have it examined for possible evidence.” She held onto the hood of her car as she walked to the driver’s side before climbing in.
Ruth hurried to her van as the others watched. “I’ll call Gloria later if something comes up tonight.”
“Thanks Ruth.”
The group of women waited until Ruth and Margaret drove out of sight before stepping back inside the restaurant.
“We can take turns staying with Margaret,” Gloria said.
“I think it makes the most sense for her to stay with me,” Andrea insisted. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I agree,” Lucy said. “I have plenty of room at my place, too.”
“After Tyler and Ryan leave, I’ll have an extra room,” Gloria added.
Rose, who had been quiet for most of the meeting, spoke. “My first husband, Fred, committed suicide.”
Dot shifted in her chair. “I didn’t know you were married before.”
“I don’t share it with too many people, what with the circumstances.” Rose clasped her hands and set them on the table in front of her. “We was young. Right out of high school. Fred was an angry man. We did fight but he never abused me. One night we got into a huge argument. He stomped out of the house and headed to the shed out back. I thought he was goin’ out to you know, blow off some steam. Then I heard this loud popping noise so I took off runnin’ to the shed and that’s when I found him.”
“Oh my gosh.” Lucy reached over and grasped Rose’s hand. “I’m sorry Rose. I had no idea.”
Rose took a deep breath. “Like I said, I don’t share it too much but the reason I’m tellin’ you now is, if Don killed himself, you should let Margaret take the lead.”
Gloria nodded. Rose spoke words of wisdom and although Gloria and her friends meant well, she could see where they might unintentionally overwhelm Margaret. “You’re saying we should let her decide how much help she wants or needs.”
“Yep. That would be my suggestion,” Rose said.
“You’re a good woman, Rose,” Andrea said. “I don’t care what Alice says about you.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Gloria smiled. Alice, Andrea’s former housekeeper and now housemate and Rose had gotten off on the wrong foot. The women’s relationship had been touch and go for some time. It was during their recent trip to Nantucket where the friends attempted to rescue Andrea the two finally started to bond.
Rose had helped Alice “dodge a bullet” literally and the women were becoming fast friends. Alice was sharing her Mexican recipes with Rose and Rose was sharing her southern style home cooking, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food with Alice.
Although the women were polar opposites in almost every way, their friendship had blossomed.
Andrea sipped her coffee and stood. “I better get home.” She glanced at Gloria. “Please let me know if you hear anything.”
“I will.” Gloria slid out of her seat. “I better get home too. Paul is probably wondering what happened.”
During the drive home, Gloria again prayed for Margaret, for Don, for Don’s family. She also prayed for Rose as she thought about the guilt a young Rose had felt at her husband’s death.
Gloria couldn’t imagine Don killing himself. Of course, Gloria didn’t live with Don and only knew what Margaret had told her and what she’d observed over the years.
Sh
e was certain the investigator would quickly clear Margaret of any wrongdoing and she could begin the mourning process without a cloud of suspicion hanging over her head.
Paul was in the living room watching television when Gloria arrived. She briefly explained what Margaret had told them and Paul agreed Don didn’t seem the type to become so despondent he would take his own life.
“Remember, we only know what we hear and see for ourselves,” Paul said. “You never really know someone…”
Gloria finished her husband’s sentence. “Until you live with them.” She headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Tomorrow would be a busy one, between Sunday morning church, lunch and entertaining her grandsons. She remembered her promise to Ryan and Tyler that she would take them to the circus.
Somewhere in between, she needed to reach out to Margaret, to remind her she was there if she needed anything.
Paul was already in bed by the time Gloria got there. She climbed under the covers and snuggled close to her husband. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Paul tilted his head and kissed the top of his wife’s head as he pulled her closer. “We’re never guaranteed a tomorrow.”
“That is so true,” Gloria said. “Which is why we need to appreciate every day, take the time to stop and enjoy all we have.”
“Agreed.” Paul led them in prayer. He thanked the Lord for all of their blessings, for their families, their children and grandchildren. He prayed for Margaret, for peace during this difficult time. He prayed for Andrea and Brian’s marriage, that God would guide them through the trials and tribulations of their new life together.
“Thank you most of all for Your gift of Salvation,” Paul finished.
“Amen,” they said in unison.
Gloria hugged Paul. “Thank you so much for loving me and putting up with all my crazy antics.”
Paul chuckled as he nuzzled her hair. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter 5
Gloria tossed and turned all night, her concern over Margaret playing in the back of her mind, even while she was asleep.
She woke early, in a mental fog as she slipped out from under the covers, stuck her feet in her slippers and reached for her bathrobe when she remembered the boys were in the house.
Paul’s soft snores assured Gloria he was still asleep so she tiptoed across the room, shooed Mally out first and then quietly closed the door behind her.
It was still dark but Gloria knew the layout of her farmhouse like the back of her hand. Mally led the way as the two headed to the kitchen. The first order of business was to let Mally outside so she opened the door and followed her onto the back porch.
The morning air was damp and Gloria shivered as she tightened the belt of her robe. Her eyes wandered to the small farm across the road. The property and farm had belonged to James’ family for decades, until James’ brother had run off with a woman he met on the internet and the place sat empty for years.
James eventually tired of taking care of the house and adjoining property and sold it to a local farmer who only wanted it for the land. The farmhouse sat empty for many years until the property was sold again, this time to a young family, Melody and Chris Fowler. Gloria knew Chris worked for an auto die shop in Green Springs while Melody worked as a designer at a floral shop in Rapid Creek.
Mally finished her perimeter patrol of the farm and returned to the porch. “Are you ready for breakfast?” she asked her pooch as she opened the door.
After feeding Mally and Puddles, who snuck out of the bedroom while Gloria was fixing the food dishes, she started a pot of coffee and headed back outside to grab the Sunday morning paper from the press box out front.
She unfolded the paper and glanced at the morning headline:
“Local retired businessman and bank executive, Donald Hansen, found dead in his home.”
“Oh no,” Gloria whispered as she hurried back to the house. She grabbed her cell phone, which was on the counter charging, scrolled through her contacts and pressed the text button under Ruth’s name. Don’t let Margaret see the Sunday paper. Don’s death is front-page news. She pressed the “send” button and set the phone on the table.
Although the headline was huge, the article was short, probably because the newspaper didn’t have much to go on yet.
“Donald Hansen, a lifelong resident of Belhaven, Michigan and fixture in the local banking community was found dead at his home yesterday evening. Authorities are not saying what caused Mr. Hansen’s death but, according to an anonymous source, officials are questioning his wife, Margaret Hansen, as well as neighbors.”
Gloria’s heart pounded in her chest and she began to feel lightheaded. “Oh no. Who on earth would print such a thing?”
The article ended with the writer promising to post an update as soon as they had further information.
Gloria’s cell phone beeped and she reached for her phone. Lucy had texted a message, asking if she’d seen the morning paper.
She quickly typed a reply. Yes and I texted Ruth to hide it from Margaret.
“What time is it?” Tyler wandered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.
“Time for breakfast.” Gloria folded the paper and stuck it on an empty chair. She pulled out the portable griddle. “Let’s make some pancakes.”
While her grandsons made pancakes, Gloria began frying bacon and scrambling a dozen eggs. Paul strolled into the kitchen as she placed the last slice of cooked bacon onto a dish.
“You’re just in time,” Gloria said as she handed Paul a stack of plates to set the table. Paul arranged the plates, reached for the Sunday paper and paused as he read the headline. “I gather you’ve already seen this.” He placed the paper on top of the junk pile.
“Yes. I sent Ruth a text to tell her to hide it from Margaret.” She set a pitcher of orange juice in the center of the table and slid into her chair.
“Are we still going to Sunday School?” Tyler asked as he poured a glass of juice.
“Yes, of course.”
After praying over their food, they passed around the platter of pancakes, eggs and bacon and Gloria reminded her grandsons they would come home after church, change, grab a quick bite to eat and head to the circus.
“I don’t want to go,” Ryan whined. “I dreamed an elephant trampled me last night.”
“It was probably Puddles walking over the top of you,” Gloria said. Puddles loved to cuddle and sleeping next to Gloria’s head was his favorite nighttime activity.
Ryan placed the palm of his hand on his forehead and frowned. “Do I have to go?”
“Yes,” Gloria said. “You need to at least give it a chance. If, after we get there, you don’t like it, I’ll have Grandpa Paul pick you up and bring you back here.”
“Okay,” Ryan said. “But if I get trampled, it’s all your fault.”
“Agreed.” Gloria smiled.
Her mind drifted to Margaret as Paul and the boys discussed fishing the next time they spent the night. After they finished eating, Paul insisted she get ready for church while he and the boys cleaned up since she’d done the cooking.
It was a revolving bathroom door after Gloria finished and the boys and Paul got ready for Sunday church.
The parking lot was packed when they arrived and the only spot they were able to find was on a side street, forcing them to walk half a block to the church.
The Sunday morning church services were always crowded in the summer and fall. Attendance fell during the winter months when a number of local residents headed south to Florida or west to Arizona to escape the snow and cold.
Dot and Ray were already seated in the sanctuary when Gloria and Paul, who had dropped the boys off in the youth building, arrived. Dot slid down the bench to make room for the couple. “Did you see the Sunday paper?”
“Yes,” Gloria whispered. “I texted Ruth and told her to hide it from Margaret.”
“I did the same thing,” Dot said.
The music began
to play and they all stood for the morning worship. The service was thought provoking. Pastor Nate’s message, titled, “Weathering Life’s Storms,” was the perfect sermon. It was as if it had been written for Margaret. The only problem was Margaret wasn’t there.
Gloria jotted down the key verse:
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 (KJV)
After the service ended, Gloria and the others met in the usual spot, just outside the front entrance.
“I’ll go track down Ryan and Tyler.” Paul headed toward the youth building.
“Has anyone heard from Margaret or Ruth?” Dot asked.
“I haven’t,” Gloria said.
“Me either,” Lucy added. “I can call Ruth after I get home.”
“Rose and Johnnie are covering at the restaurant this morning. They have the afternoon off so Ray and I are working.”
“I’m taking the boys to the circus,” Gloria said. “Jill will be picking them up later this afternoon or early evening.”
They agreed to let Lucy make the call and she promised she would update them after she talked to Ruth, right before she started the shut-in visits.
Back at the farm, Gloria tried again to convince Paul to join them for the trip to the circus but he told his wife he had some projects to wrap up in his woodshop and to go enjoy themselves.
Gloria, who had brought some leftovers home from Andrea and Brian’s wedding reception, warmed up a dish of sweet and sour meatballs while she placed a platter of dinner rolls and sliced deli meat on the table.
The boys quickly changed and the four of them sat down to eat. After saying their blessing, Gloria handed the platter of meat to Tyler. “How was Sunday School?”
Greed with Envy (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 15) Page 3