Fall Girl (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 9)

by Hope Callaghan

  She let Mally out for a brief run and then quickly brought her back in. She would need to be on alert until police apprehended the murderer.

  Gloria dropped her purse on the chair and pulled her cell phone out. She dialed Paul’s cell phone number and he picked up on the first ring. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to call,” he said.

  Gloria stepped over to the kitchen window, lifted the blind and peeked out. “I guess you heard.”

  Gloria could envision Paul rubbing his temples as he talked to his fiancé, who had a penchant for getting caught smack dab in the middle of some doozy investigations. “Fred Burnett, Kensington County’s lead investigator, called a short time ago. Somehow, he found out that my soon-to-be bride lives right across the street from a crime scene.”

  “And?” Gloria asked.

  “He was snooping around, asking vague questions about you.”

  Gloria’s heart sank. She knew that there was now a bullseye on her back, and that someone was trying to frame her. She thought about Lucy. “You know that the deceased was Bill Volk, Lucy’s ex-boyfriend.”

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “No. I heard the name but didn’t put the two together.” Long sigh. “This doesn’t look good,” he said.

  After they hung up, Gloria made her way into the dining room. Puddles, Gloria’s cat, was napping on the chair. She gently picked him up, settled into the chair and lowered him onto her lap. Puddles opened one eye, purred contentedly and then promptly fell back asleep.

  Gloria checked her emails, replied to messages from her two sons, who would be coming for a visit next month and then opened a new screen. Lucy had mentioned the name of Bill’s sporting goods store. All Weather, All Purpose…

  Gloria reached for her cell phone that was on the desk next to the computer. She dialed Lucy’s home phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Lucy. Gloria here. What was the name of Bill’s sporting goods store? It was “All” something…”

  “Seasons.” Lucy lowered her voice. “I can’t talk right now. The police are here.”

  Chapter 3

  Gloria tightened her grip on the phone. “Call me when they’re gone.” She disconnected the line and set the phone down. She wondered if they would be on her doorstep next.

  Her fingers flew over the keyboards as she typed in All Seasons Sporting Goods, Green Springs, Michigan.” The image of a long gray building with large plate glass windows popped up on the screen. In the corner of the screen was a picture of Bill.

  She clicked through the tabs at the top of the page. The store sold a variety of weapons, including rifles and handguns, along with duck calls and just about any other outdoors item under the sun.

  The last tab she opened was the “about us.” Gloria reached for her reading glasses and slipped them on. Front and center was a picture of Bill, surrounded by his employees.

  None of the names meant anything to her, except for one – an employee by the name of Randy Volk. She wondered if perhaps Randy wasn’t related to Bill.

  Her eyes squinted as she studied his face. There were similar facial features and Gloria would bet money the two were somehow related.

  Her eyes drifted to the woman standing on the other side of Bill. A little too close in Gloria’s opinion.

  Gloria squinted her eyes and leaned in. It almost looked as if Bill had his arm around the woman’s waist.

  She glanced down at the corner clock. It was getting late…too late to make a trip to All Seasons tonight.

  Gloria jumped when her cell phone began to ring. She lifted the phone and stared at the screen. It was Lucy.

  “Are they gone?

  “Yes, but I think they’ll be back…to arrest me!”

  Gloria ran her fingers lightly over the computer keys. “What makes you think that?”

  “Because they searched my shed and found a gun that matches the one that was used in Bill’s shooting.”

  The blood drained from Gloria’s face and she began to feel lightheaded.

  “They said something about a knife had been used, too.” Lucy went on. “I think they’re headed to your place next. They kept asking how close…”

  Gloria jumped. Someone was banging on her porch door.

  She pushed the chair away from the desk and set Puddles on the floor. “I think they’re here. I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone and headed to the back door.

  Gloria peeked out the side window and caught a glimpse of a man in uniform. She closed her eyes. “Dear Lord, please help Lucy and me!” was all she had time to say.

  She calmly unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.

  The uniformed officer that stood in the doorway looked familiar. He was the same one she had met earlier.

  He tipped his hat. “Good evening, Mrs. Rutherford. I’m sorry to bother you this late in the day, but wondered if you had a few minutes to spare. I would like to ask you some questions about the house across the street.”

  Gloria swung the door open and stepped to the side. “Please. Come in.” She motioned him in. “Have a seat. Coffee?”

  She knew she was jabbering at the jaws but she was nervous. She had never been on the receiving end of a police investigation. Well…maybe once, but that had been a huge misunderstanding.

  Officer Burnett eased his tall frame into a chair near the door and removed his hat. “I just spoke with your friend, Lucy Carlson. It seems that Mr. Volk, the man whose body was found in the empty house across the street, was well-acquainted with Ms. Carlson.”

  Gloria nodded. “Yes. They knew each other.” Gloria silently told herself to keep the answers as brief as possible so as not to incriminate Lucy or herself.

  Burnett propped an elbow on the table. “Were you acquainted with Mr. Volk?”

  “Yes. I met Mr. Volk some time ago.”

  “So you were aware that Ms. Carlson and Mr. Volk had dated?” he asked.

  Gloria felt as if Fred Burnett were trying to trap her, to get her to say something to throw poor Lucy under the bus. She wondered if she should tell him that she wanted a lawyer present. Of course, that would make her appear guilty as all get out.

  Gloria remembered hearing one time that if you didn’t want to answer a question, to ask one of your own. “Is Lucy a suspect?”

  Burnett shifted in his chair. “We are in the beginning stages of the investigation. No one has been ruled out as a suspect…including you.”

  Beads of perspiration formed on Gloria’s brow. She met Burnett’s gaze. She would not let this man intimidate her! She hadn’t done anything wrong and neither had Lucy.

  The tone of Burnett’s voice and his obvious attempt at intimidation ruffled Gloria’s feathers. She replied in a cool, even tone. “It seems to me that you’re trying to insinuate that Lucy and I are somehow involved in Mr. Volk’s demise and I can assure you that we had nothing to do with his death!”

  She calmly walked over to the door and yanked it open. “Now! If you don’t mind, I have had a very long day.”

  Burnett pushed the chair back and slowly rose. He stepped onto the porch and turned back. “I had hoped to end this visit on a different note but you leave me no choice.”

  He shifted his gaze and stared across the street in the direction of the farm across the road, although it was pitch black. “I intend to solve this murder case, with or without your cooperation.”

  Gloria’s eyes narrowed. That sounded like a threat to her. She waited until Burnett reached the sidewalk before she slammed the door shut. She clicked the deadbolt in place and reached for her cell phone to call Lucy.

  Lucy picked up on the first ring. “He’s gone.”

  “W-what did he say?”

  Gloria repeated the questions Burnett had asked and then told her friend how she’d gotten angry and showed him the door.

  Despite the gravity of the situation, Lucy giggled. “You didn’t!”

  “I did,” Gloria said. “But I’m not sure how much
that will help our case. He’ll be back. Mark my words.”

  Lucy said what Gloria already suspected. “He thinks that we’re…or at least that I’m involved.”

  Gloria ran her hand through her hair. “Yes, Lucy. I’m afraid he does. That’s why we have to get over to Bill’s store first thing tomorrow morning.” Before they arrest one of us for Bill’s murder, she silently added.

  ***

  Gloria tossed and turned all night. Visions of Lucy locked up behind bars filled her mind. Gloria had been behind bars once before, although it was only for one night and had been a huge misunderstanding. Lucy, on the other hand, had never been arrested.

  Jail was not a pleasant experience and Gloria vowed to avoid a repeat, if possible.

  She crawled out of bed early the next morning, wiggled her feet into her slippers and headed for the door.

  Mally, who lay curled up in her doggie bed on the other side of the dresser, let out a low moan and rolled over to face the wall.

  Gloria glanced in the dining room mirror on her way to the kitchen. Tufts of gray hair stood straight up and she patted them down as she walked.

  When the coffee pot began to brew, Gloria reached for the well-worn Bible she kept on the corner curio cabinet. Bill’s death lay heavy on her heart, not only for the predicament that the two women were now in, but also for Bill and his family.

  She turned to 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV:

  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

  Gloria closed her eyes and prayed for Bill’s salvation, for her own salvation and her friends and family. She knew that she could be gone in the blink of an eye and vowed to take the time to tell her children and loved ones how much she loved them.

  Gloria slid out of the chair and made her way over to the kitchen cupboard. She reached inside for a clean coffee cup and watched as Mally padded into the kitchen.

  She filled her cup with piping hot coffee and then the two of them stepped outside and onto the porch.

  A light frost covered the ground and wisps of mist escaped Gloria’s mouth as she yawned. Her eyes drifted to the house across the street. Someone had intentionally left Bill’s body in that house for the sole purpose of framing either Lucy or Gloria…or both of them. Someone who knew them well enough to know that the police would link the two together.

  After Mally finished patrolling the perimeter of the farm and marking her favorite tree, the two of them headed back inside. Today was going to be a busy day and her first order of business was to visit All Seasons Sporting Goods.

  Chapter 4

  Gloria reached for the phone to call Lucy when she spied Andrea’s truck as it pulled into the drive.

  Gloria groaned. She had completely forgotten her promise to visit the puppy mill with Andrea and Alice that morning!

  She quickly dialed Lucy’s number. “I forgot I promised to visit the puppy mill this morning. Do you want to ride with me and then afterwards we can head over to Bill’s store?”

  Lucy paused. Gloria could hear her pup, Jasper, barking in the background. “I don’t know…I’m not company material today.”

  “Neither am I,” Gloria argued, “which is a perfect reason why the two of us need to get out of the house.”

  Lucy finally caved and agreed to hurry up and head over so that she could ride with Gloria.

  Gloria met Andrea and Alice on the porch. The morning sun had popped up on the horizon and beamed brightly in her eyes. She shaded her eyes against the bright light. “Lucy is on her way.”

  While the trio waited for Lucy, Gloria explained how the police had questioned Lucy and her the night before.

  Andrea frowned. “They think that you have something to do with Bill’s murder?”

  Gloria shrugged. She didn’t have time to answer as she watched Lucy pulled into the drive and parked off to the side.

  She could tell by the way that Lucy trudged across the drive that her friend was down in the dumps.

  Lucy lowered her sunglasses as she headed to the steps. Gloria had a hunch that Lucy had been crying and her heart sank.

  She stepped off the porch and met Lucy on the sidewalk. “I explained to Andrea and Alice that we would follow them to the Acosta’s farm.”

  Lucy nodded.

  Andrea stepped close. “I’m sorry Lucy. If there’s anything I can do to help…” her voice trailed off.

  “I-It’s okay.”

  It was bad enough that someone Lucy had at one time cared deeply for had been murdered but it was even worse to be questioned by the police as a possible suspect!

  Gloria vowed to get to the bottom of it. She glanced down at her watch. “It’s time to get this show on the road.”

  With a purposeful stride, she made her way over to the garage and lifted the garage door. Lucy trailed behind and climbed into the passenger seat while Gloria started the car.

  The ride to the Acosta farm was silent. Gloria wasn’t even sure where to start to try to help her friend with the sudden turn of events.

  Andrea and Alice were already on the porch talking to Mr. Acosta when Gloria pulled her car into the rutted drive.

  “We talk inside.” He motioned the women inside the house and over to the kitchen table.

  Two young children hovered in the doorway. “These are my children, Robert and Emeline. I have a teenage daughter, too, but she is with her mother.” The children smiled shyly and then darted into the other room.

  “They are beautiful children,” Gloria told him. “Is your wife here?” She looked around.

  “No. My wife, Maria, she moved back to New York. She did not want to live in the country,” Marco Acosta explained.

  Open mouth. Insert foot! Gloria had a sudden urge to have the floor open up and swallow her. “I am so sorry.”

  She quickly changed the subject. “I’m sure that helping others will make this all worthwhile.”

  Gloria turned the meeting over to Alice, who had done a great deal of research on rescue dogs and their training.

  Gloria listened with interest and almost, not quite, but almost forgot about the dark cloud looming over her head…namely Bill’s recent demise.

  Alice explained that start-up costs for the training center would be high unless they combined it with a dog sitting service. “We need a website,” she told them.

  Gloria raised both hands. “Not me. My internet skills are basic at best.”

  The group turned expectant eyes to Andrea, the youngest person sitting at the table. She shook her head. “I’m sorry folks, but I am no expert.” She had a sudden thought. “But Brian is handy at creating websites.”

  Gloria lifted a brow. It was true. Brian owned several small businesses in the Town of Belhaven. Maybe they could recruit him.

  Alice pulled several sheets of paper from a manila folder she had brought with her. “We visited a few of the local animal kennels and a larger training facility in Grand Rapids.”

  She outlined the general plan and Gloria was impressed with Alice’s knowledge of kennels and the research she had done.

  With a plan in place and Gloria’s commitment to help with the first six months of expenses, the meeting ended.

  Gloria got a good feel for Marco Acosta. She felt bad about his wife, Maria, leaving him.

  Before they left, Gloria and the girls stopped out back to check on the pups. The conditions were as deplorable as Gloria remembered and Alice vowed to come back first thing in the morning to start working on the living conditions.

  Gloria scribbled out a check for the first month’s expenses, handed the check to Alice and then climbed into the car.

  Lucy climbed in next to her. She reached for her seatbelt. “You have the most generous heart out of anyone I know,” Lucy told her.

  “I-…” Gloria was about to disagree but quickly chang
ed her mind. She did try.

  Gloria was no saint and could be just as selfish and judgmental as the next person could. Still, it was nice to be on the receiving end of a compliment. “Thanks, Lucy,” she simply said.

  The girls stayed on the safe subject of the puppy project they had dubbed, “At Your Service Dogs,” with Lucy volunteering a few hours each week to help the girls get the business up and running.

  Lucy directed Gloria to Four Seasons Sporting Goods in Green Springs. The first thing Gloria noticed when she pulled in the parking lot was that it was empty. “Is this place even open?” She shifted the car in park and turned the engine off.

  Lucy grabbed the door handle. “Maybe they closed shop.”

  The women slid out of the car and wandered to the front door. The lights were on and when they pushed on the door, it swung open.

  Gloria followed Lucy down the center aisle to the counter located in the back of the store. She glanced from side to side as she noted the wide variety of outdoor enthusiast items.

  Behind the counter stood a man that Gloria recognized from the photo she had seen online. He was the man that resembled Bill.

  Standing next to him was a younger man she guessed to be in his early twenties. The last person behind the counter was a woman. Gloria recognized her as the woman in the picture that appeared to cozy up to Bill.

  When they got close, Gloria could read the man’s nametag: Randy. She hung back and let Lucy take the lead.

  Randy eyed the women with interest. His gaze turned to Lucy. “Hello Lucy.”

  Lucy tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. “Hello Randy. I…we…stopped by to offer our condolences.”

  Randy’s gaze turned to Gloria. “Thank you. We’re still in shock.”

  Lucy nodded. “I’m sure. I still can’t believe Bill is gone…” her voice trailed off.

  “Police were by here earlier asking questions about Bill. They told us his body had been found in a vacant farmhouse not far from your place.” Gloria could’ve sworn she noted a flicker of accusation cross his face.

  Gloria didn’t dare mention that the place he’d been found was directly across the street from her. “You’re Bill’s brother. Who do you think had it in for him?”