by Diane Noble
When the phone rang at eight o’clock the morning after the vigil, Kate was sitting by the fire, thinking over the happenings of the night before. She made a flying attempt to get to the kitchen before the call clicked over to the answering machine. Ruffles catapulted across the room with an indignant yowl as Kate ran to the kitchen.
She grabbed the phone.
“Missus Hanlon?”
She knew his voice by now. “Hello, Skip. Did you find anything out?”
“We surely did. Ran a database search and found out who they are. Also found the lumber. The sheriff said you all did fine work.”
“But you didn’t catch the men?” Kate fell into a chair at the kitchen table.
“Nah. They unhooked the cab from the trailer and skedaddled.”
“Can we connect them to the fire?”
“Too early to tell, but the prospects look good.” He paused. “You were right—what you said about them being relatives of that CEO, the one that started that whole thing with the hotel.”
“How’d you find that out?” Ruffles jumped into her lap, curled, and purred. She rubbed his ears, making fur fly. Then she sneezed, which scared the cat. He jumped off her lap as if he’d been shot and raced into the living room.
“Are you all right?” Skip wanted to know.
She laughed. “I’m babysitting Enid Philpott’s cat and just scared the wits out of the big guy.”
“Ruffles? I know that cat.”
It was one thing for everyone in town to know each other, but they knew everyone’s pets too? “You do?”
“I had to get him off Enid’s roof last summer. Ruffles got out—you do know, don’t you, that he’s an indoor cat?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, someone left the door open. Enid thinks it was LeRoy, who can be absentminded at times. They didn’t even know he was missing until the middle of the night when they heard his cry coming through the fireplace.”
“He got stuck in the chimney?”
“Oh no. He was just looking over the top and felt like meowing, I guess. The funny thing was, Enid and her boys looked all over the house because the sound didn’t seem to be coming from anyplace in particular.
“Enid said later she thought God was calling out to her in the middle of the night. Nearly scared her to death.”
“She thought God might sound like a cat?”
“Oh no. She knew better than that. She’d gone to bed exhausted and didn’t say her prayers. She was worried he was upset with her.
“To make a long story even longer...”—he chuckled at his own joke—“I came into the house to search for Ruffles and found him right off the bat.”
“How’d you do it?”
“Rattled his bag of cat food. That’ll bring any cat running in no time. If he ever gets away from you, that’s all you’ve got to do.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“I rattled it in every room. And if you can believe it, when I rattled it by the fireplace, he yowled something fierce. We knew right away where to find him. There was only one thing wrong with my plan.”
“He came down the chimney?”
“Yep, slick as a whistle and twice as fast. Though he got stuck partway down.”
“How’d you get him out?”
“I didn’t. We had to call the fire department. And when Ruffles finally got out, he was no longer a tabby. He was as black as midnight. And his voice was so hoarse, he couldn’t meow for a week. Enid was fit to be tied.” Skip let out a long sigh. “That was another of those reasons the sheriff put me on a desk job. The first one was when I arrested Renee Lambert for pickpocketing.”
“I heard about that.”
“I think I’m destined to sit behind a desk.”
“You’re a good deputy, Skip. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Now, back to how you connected the thugs to the CEO.”
“That part was easy. The truck is registered to some-one with the same last name, though without the triple toothpicks.”
“The what? Oh yes, Charles Brandsmyth III.”
“This one’s just Clarence Brandsmyth.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” Kate said. “But I still can’t rest easy.” She hesitated, then added, “You’re not going to stop looking for them, are you?”
“Not on your life, Missus Hanlon. We’ll find ’em in no time. Then you can rest easy.”
Kate didn’t put the receiver back in its cradle but held it in her hand, staring at it, weighing whether to call Renee to see how she was after spending the night out in the drizzly cold. But the woman could be so prickly if people tried to show her they cared.
She finally punched in Renee’s number. She let the phone ring ten times before disconnecting. She tried not to worry, but as she went about her morning chores, her thoughts kept going back to the woman.
An hour later, she tried again. Still no answer.
Again, she tried to dismiss it. Renee could be getting her nails done or her roots bleached, or having a massage.
At noon, Paul came home from a meeting with Eli. He had a spring in his step, and when he saw her in the kitchen, he pulled her into his arms and did a jig around the kitchen.
“Things must be going well,” she said, grinning up at him as he twirled, then dipped her.
Laughing, they headed to the living room. “We’re cookin’ now,” he said. “Eli’s the wonder kid. He’s found people all over the state in the construction industry who want to help us. He told them about the fire, the insurance fiasco, and our dire financial straits.” He shook his head slowly. “In some cases, they’re donating their materials or skills; in others, they’re giving us a discount. That young man has worked tirelessly. Today, for the first time, I can see that we may actually get a church built.”
“Which reminds me. Skip called and said they found the lumber.”
He frowned. “What about the two men?”
“Not yet.” She told him about the family connection to the former CEO. “At least we know their identities,” she said.
She didn’t tell him how nervous she was driving around town. Every time she drove out of the garage, she checked the street to make sure no one was waiting.
She checked her rearview mirror constantly to see if someone was tailing her. Every stop at the grocery store, every trip to visit Livvy or LuAnne, she was hypervigilant. She had hoped it would all be over after last night. Apparently, it wasn’t.
Paul reached for her hand. “It was still a great success. Now we know their identities. They may be the ones who started the fire on behalf of WDR—and lead us to whoever was behind the plan.” He smiled. “Thanks to you, we’re halfway there.”
“And Renee. I’ll never forget how she just marched right up to the thugs and demanded they give her a ride.”
Ruffles wandered around the corner, sat down by the fireplace, licked his paw, then fixed a green-eyed stare on Paul.
“I ran into Bobby Evans this morning. Enid Philpott is a member of his church.”
“That’s odd. Her sons come to Faith Briar.”
Paul nodded. “Bobby said Enid isn’t doing well. She’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few more days.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am too.” He hesitated, then added, “Ruffles may be here for some time.”
Ruffles had now flipped over on his back with his eyes closed. Kate stood and ruffled his tummy, then went in to call Renee again.
Still no answer.
“I’m going to run over to Renee’s with some soup,” she told Paul, “and make sure she’s okay.”
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, she was driving down Smoky Mountain Road. There had been no cars on her street when she pulled out of the garage, but now, suddenly, a dark SUV was behind her.
She turned right onto Ashland and checked her mirror. The SUV was still there. The windshield was tinted, and she couldn’t see any
faces, which made her shiver.
She told her heart to quit hammering her ribs, then felt foolish when she turned onto Renee’s street and the SUV kept going straight.
Her knees were weak when she climbed out of the Honda, and her fingers ached from clutching the steering wheel so hard.
Kate had to laugh at herself as she reached for the container of chicken soup. She was letting her imagination work overtime.
She rang Renee’s doorbell. There was no sound inside, which worried her. She rang it again, and this time she heard barking.
Then Kisses scritch-scratched on the back of the door as if trying to get out.
Kate tried the elegant brass handle, but it was locked. She rang the doorbell again, then lifted her hand to knock.
The door slowly opened, and Renee stood in front of her. She wore slim black slacks, a leopard-skin-print silk blouse, and high heels with jeweled buckles. Her makeup and hair were perfect, but there was something about her expression that squeezed Kate’s heart.
“Oh,” Kate said. “I’ve been phoning, and just now when you didn’t come to the door, I thought...well, I got worried.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Renee said.
“I brought you some soup.”
Her sigh came out in a “hmmph,” but she took the container anyway and headed to the kitchen. Kate followed.
She put the soup container on the gleaming black-granite counter. A recipe box sat to one side, and a small note card with a handwritten recipe was propped up against it. Renee quickly flipped the card over. Then she turned back to Kate. “Life might be taking an unexpected turn right now, but let me tell you, I don’t need your help or pity or anything else.” She set her mouth in a straight line and turned away.
Kate thought she saw Renee’s chin quiver. “What is it, Renee? Are you ill? Is that what all your appointments have been about?”
“Ha, now that’s a stretch.” Renee waved her away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m expecting a...ah...guest.” She hurried Kate toward the front door, but as Kate stepped through the entry hall, she glanced into the room where she’d had coffee with Renee the previous month.
Most of the furniture had been moved out, and in its place was a hospital bed. The pillow end was propped up so that it faced the window and the garden outside, bright with mums and chrysanthemums.
Kate stopped midstep and took in the room. “You have friends. There are people at Faith Briar who care about you. Whatever it is, let us help.”
Renee stared at her, eyed the bed, then looked back to Kate. “Friends?” Her voice was unexpectedly soft. She walked closer to the bed and laid one hand across the mattress. Even from a few feet away, Kate noticed the sheets smelled fresh, and the blankets looked soft and new. A teddy bear was propped up against the pillow. Fresh-cut flowers cascaded from a vase on a bedside lamp table.
Renee noticed Kate’s confused look. “This is for my best friend. Probably the only true friend I’ve ever had.” She smiled. She walked to the window and looked out. “She’ll be here any minute.”
Kate took a deep breath, wanting to leave but feeling called to stay. “I brought enough soup for you both tonight. I would have brought more, enough for tomorrow night if I had known...”
Renee stared at her, blinked rapidly as if something was in her eye, then said, “Thank you.”
An ambulance pulled to the curb outside Renee’s house. She drew back the curtain and said, “She’s here.”
Kate followed her to the front door and stood to one side as two uniformed men carried a small bundle of an elderly woman with white hair into the house on a mobile hospital cot. They turned into the room with the bed.
After the men left, Renee went into the room. Kate stepped to the doorway to say good-bye, but Renee surprised her by signaling her in. “There’s someone I want you to meet,” she said to Kate.
Kate moved to the side of the bed and looked down. She almost gasped. It could have been Renee herself in that bed, only this woman was twenty-some years older. The woman had the same perfect makeup and coiffed hair, which Kate suspected was a wig, and wore an animal-print silky nightgown.
“Kate, this is my mother, Caroline Beauregard Johnston, granddaughter of the greatest Civil War hero in Tennessee, J.P.Beauregard...and my best friend,” Renee said. “Mama, meet Mrs. Hanlon, the new minister’s wife I told you about.”
“Did you ask her yet?” The old woman fixed a piercing gaze on her daughter.
Renee let out a sarcastic “hmmph.” “Just give me a chance, Mama. What do you think this is, a five-star hotel with a concierge?”
“You know what I told you, Missy. I cannot abide little yipping dogs. We cannot stay in the same house. If need be, I’ll hitchhike back to Green Acres where I should’ve stayed in the first place.” She continued staring hard at Renee.
Kate broke in. “The question please?” Though she had a good inkling of what it was. All she could think of was how Ruffles might eat little umpkins for a midnight snack.
“I was planning to ask if you could take Kisses for a few days.”
“Few days!” Mama almost shouted. “I’m not going to the big beyond that fast, Missy. All I’ve got is a broken hip, not terminal cancer.”
“What will you do without your little dog?” Kate asked Renee.
“I can visit.”
“Hmmph” rose from the bed. “Little umpkins this, little umpkins that.”
“I’ll be happy to take care of him for you,” Kate said. “Really.”
“My mother’s allergic...”
There was a choking cough behind them. “No, I just don’t like little yipping Chihuahuas.”
“Now, you listen up,” Renee said. “If I say you’re allergic, you’re allergic. I still have my marbles. I remember what the doctor said on my last visit. You’re asthmatic.”
“Maybe I’d better go,” Kate said, sidling toward the door. “If you’ll get Kisses’ things...”
Renee’s eyes brimmed with tears as she held the dog close.
“Come visit anytime,” Kate said when they were outside.
She put Kisses on the ground and handed the leash to Kate. “Some things in life just can’t be helped.”
She straightened her shoulders, glanced one more time at Kisses, then with a sigh, returned to the house. Now Kate understood the sad expression she had seen in Renee’s eyes earlier.
“Anytime,” Kate called after her. She was surprised that she meant it.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was a rainy and cold Friday evening when Kate flipped on the porch light, locked the house, and headed to the garage. Paulwas in Chattanooga, visiting Nehemiah, and wasn’t expected home until later.
The forecast called for a light snow by morning. She worried about Paul, though he promised to stay with Nehemiah if the weather worsened.
She backed out of the garage with the wipers swishing across the windshield. The ping of ice pellets on the glass told her the rain was already turning to sleet. She wore a heavy coat, and the car’s heater was on high, but she was still shivering.
Ten minutes later, she parked at the Country Diner, grabbed her handbag, eased herself out of the car, and opened her umbrella.
The lights in the diner were inviting, and she hurried to the front door, being careful of the slick pavement.
She stepped inside, waved to a couple of women who had come to her tea, then spotted Livvy waiting at what was becoming their favorite booth. LuAnne was serving two men at a separate booth on the opposite side.
“Hey, Mrs. Hanlon!” a voice called from behind the counter. She looked up to see Jed grinning at her.
She toodled her fingers to Livvy, then walked over to say hello to him.
“I’ve got a new job. Short-order cook on the late shift. I can fry up some mean hamburgers and fries.”
“Then that’s what I’ll have tonight.”
Jed’s transformation was astounding. His hair was trimmed and neat, he
wore new clothes, and there was a confident bounce to his step. “You look great,” she said.
“I’m feelin’ good,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.” As she turned to walk away, he added, “And you were right, Mrs. Hanlon.”
“Hmm,” she said, though with a smile. She had almost reached the booth where Livvy waited when she figured out what he was talking about.
She turned again. Jed was still watching her, his eyes bright.
She had told him about God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace, and he was telling her he now understood.
She met his eyes across the room and nodded. Only then did he return to the short-order grill.
IT WAS DINNERTIME, and the diner was filling fast with customers, so LuAnne could only sit with Livvy and Kate for a few minutes at a time. She popped up and down, waiting on people as they came in, then returning.
“Two things I’ve gotta tell you first, girlfriends,” she said, her cheeks pink. “You see who’s over in that corner. No, don’t look right at him, if you know what I mean. Just sort of glance sideways.”
“It’s Lester Philpott,” Livvy said.
LuAnne leaned in, whispering. “Check out the booth in the opposite corner from where Lester is sitting.”
“Okay, I’m looking,” Livvy said.
“So am I,” Kate said as she turned. But LuAnne was standing in the way, and Kate couldn’t see anything. “What is it?” Kate whispered. “Who’s there?”
“It’s the same guys who were in here a few weeks ago. The guys from WDR.” LuAnne shook her head. “You’d think they’d be too ashamed to raise their heads after we caught their thugs in action.”
“There’s no proof the thugs are connected to them,” Kate said. “And until they’re found, we can’t connect them to the fire. It’s the missing piece of the puzzle.”
“They just upped and disappeared.” LuAnne pulled a heavy pad out of her pocket and handed it to Kate. “You two go over my list...See if I’ve forgotten anything and write it down. Maybe we can meet again next week—see if we’re gettin’ our quail in a clutch.”
“Covey, I think you mean,” Livvy said, grinning.
“Well, then, quail in a covey,” LuAnne amended. “Now, gettin’ down to real business—what can I get you two to eat?”