Tea and Sympathy

by Carol Cox

  Camille’s voice cracked, and her face became a mask of fury. “Evan and I love Copper Mill. All we wanted to do was make it a better place, and now we have to give it up...because of you and your meddling.”

  Kate’s show of fear wasn’t pretense anymore. The foreboding that gripped her was all too real. Sending up a prayer for strength and protection, she stumbled back against the headboard and reached for the nylon cord that hung along the edge of the nearby window.

  Camille took another step, and Kate yanked on the cord. An oblong shape arced down from the ceiling, catching Camille squarely behind her shoulders. A cloud of white powder filled the room.

  Staggering forward, Camille dropped the glass and began coughing violently. Holding her breath, Kate sprang forward. Grabbing Camille by the upper arms, she shoved the gagging woman into the closet and slammed the door. Then she snatched up the chair and jammed it under the closet doorknob, effectively locking Camille inside.

  Kate clamped her hand across her nose and mouth and fled the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She jerked open the front door and leaned outside, taking in a lungful of rain-washed spring air. When the buzzing in her head stopped, she made her way to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

  “KATIE, GIRL, you’ve gotten yourself into some tight spots since we’ve lived in Copper Mill, but this one was a little too close for comfort.”

  Kate leaned against the kitchen counter and nestled into the circle of Paul’s arm. “I can’t believe you got here as quickly as you did. You were only a couple of minutes behind Skip.”

  “Let’s just say I’m glad Skip was on his way here instead of manning a speed trap out on the highway. I was halfway home already, but I think I set a record time covering the rest of the distance back into town.”

  Kate snuggled closer to him. “Was Ruby still under suspicion when you left her place, or had you already decided she was in the clear?”

  Paul gave a short laugh. “I don’t know quite what I expected, but that family of hers is decent and hardworking. Salt of the earth, to my way of thinking. I’m glad I didn’t go barreling in there spouting accusations. I plan to go back, and I’ll take you with me. I think we’ll enjoy getting to know them better. Oh, by the way...” He fished in his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  Paul’s mouth curved in a crooked grin. “Dried cowslip and skullcap leaves. Ruby says they make a great tea for soothing the nerves.”

  Kate leaned her head on Paul’s chest. “Goodness knows, we could both use some of that now.”

  A commotion at the bedroom door drew their attention. One of the Harrington County deputies emerged, followed by Camille, covered in flour and with her hands cuffed behind her back. Skip Spencer brought up the rear, holding Camille firmly above her elbow. Kate felt Paul’s arm tighten protectively around her shoulder.

  The deputies halted, both of them now maintaining a tight grip on Camille. “I’m going to need your statement on all of this, Miz Hanlon,” Skip said.

  Paul straightened. “I’ll bring her down to the office in a day or two, after she’s had a chance to recover from all of this. Will that be okay?”

  “That’ll be fine.” Skip turned to Kate, and his eyes lit with admiration. “Pretty ingenious, the way you rigged that bag of flour to come swinging down from the ceiling and knock her loopy.”

  Camille glared at Kate, her lips drawn back in a snarl. “I should have listened to Evan and caught that flight last night instead of trying to finish things up myself.” She shook her head, sending a fine spray of the white powder into the air. “We’d be sitting on a beach in the Caribbean right now if it wasn’t for you.”

  Skip and the other deputy ushered Camille out the door to the waiting police SUV.

  Kate sagged against the counter, hardly able to believe that the tumult of the past week was finally over. She looked up at Paul and managed a weak grin.

  Paul gazed at the white footprints leading out the door. “Let me get the vacuum and clean up those tracks,” he said. “How are you feeling? Do you need to get back in bed for a while?”

  Kate burst into laughter. “Wait’ll you see our bedroom. It’s going to take hours to get all that flour cleaned up.”

  “I don’t mind. It’ll be time well spent.” Paul drew her into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. “The important thing is you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The following day, Kate sat at the wrought-iron table in the backyard, with Livvy and Renee on either side. The clouds had blown away during the night, and the sky overhead was a canopy of brilliant blue.

  Livvy smiled at Kate. “You’re looking more like yourself today.”

  Kate grinned back at her. “I’m feeling stronger practically every minute.”

  The relief she felt since Skip had taken Camille away told her that the strain of her most recent case had been weighing on her even more than she’d realized. Now that the load had been lifted off her shoulders, she felt sure her recovery would be swift.

  Paul came out of the house bearing an armload of plates. He set one in front of each of the women and added another at the place opposite Kate.

  Livvy smiled up at him. “I really wish you’d let me help.”

  Kate patted her friend’s arm. “No way! You’re one of the guests of honor today. This is just a small way of saying thanks to both of you for all your help.”

  Renee’s eyes lit up. “And to celebrate the successful resolution of yet another mystery in Copper Mill.” She raised her glass of iced tea as though making a toast.

  After taking a sip, she set the glass down. “I should have spotted Evan as a likely suspect. I’ve watched enough cop shows to know it’s always the quiet ones you ought to watch out for.”

  Kate took a bite of her chicken-salad sandwich. “How many people knew about Evan’s political aspirations?”

  Livvy spread her napkin on her lap and shook her head. “It came as a total surprise to me.”

  “A political career is out of the question for him now.” Paul wore a somber look at he sat down across from Kate. “I talked to Skip. They picked Evan up at his house while he was finishing their packing. They were getting ready to head to the airport and leave the country, just as Camille told Kate.”

  “I’ll bet he was shocked when he saw the sheriff’s vehicle pull up,” Renee said.

  “I’m sure he must have known the jig was up at that point,” Paul said. “But even then he tried to bluster his way out. Then when he realized they weren’t buying it, he took a swing at Skip and bolted for his car.”

  Kate gasped. “Oh my goodness!”

  “He didn’t get very far,” Paul went on. “He only made it halfway across their yard before the deputies tackled him. And when he saw he wasn’t going to get away, he broke down and gave them a full confession. He even told them where to find the mask and gloves he wore when he sneaked into our house.”

  Renee nodded with a knowing expression. “Criminals often welcome the opportunity to confess once they’re caught. The guilt eats them alive, whether or not they want to admit it to themselves.”

  “Although apparently, Evan still refuses to admit that any of it was a crime,” Paul told her. “Even after all that, he kept insisting that everything he and Camille had done was for the good of Copper Mill.”

  Livvy shuddered and washed down a bite of sandwich with her iced tea. “What I don’t understand is why they didn’t get out of town long before now. They should have realized their plans had been ruined.”

  Paul ran his finger along the edge of the table. “From what Skip said, it sounds like that’s what Evan wanted to do, but Camille had other ideas. Camille was right; Evan was the thinker, but she was a woman of action. She hoped they could keep Kate out of commission long enough to get Lawton out of office and cover their tracks.”

  “It’s hard to understand that type of mentality.” Renee
cuddled Kisses close to her and popped a tidbit of chicken into his mouth. “Subterfuge is one thing, but dosing someone with poison is far more serious.”

  “We still don’t know what was in that glass,” Kate said.

  Despite the warmth of the day, a shiver ran through her. Even though Camille claimed she only wanted to inhibit Kate’s investigation, Kate couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if the effects of the drink had been more extreme than Camille had expected.

  “However everything turns out,” she went on, “Camille is a very unhappy woman. Maybe her stay in jail will give her time to think about what she’s done and realize her need for the Lord.”

  “That will take a miracle,” Renee retorted.

  Kate smiled. “Then that’s what we need to pray for.”

  Livvy turned to Paul. “Did you find out why Ruby went to Clayton Miller’s house? That certainly looked suspicious.”

  Paul shifted in his chair. “I ought to know better than to judge someone on circumstantial evidence. Her young niece had a nasty asthma attack, and Ruby wanted to ask if Clayton had some passionflower leaves he’d be willing to share.”

  Livvy drew her head back. “Ruby and Clayton know each other? That seems like an odd combination.”

  Kate grinned. “Ruby knows just about everything that goes on around here, remember?” They all laughed.

  The phone rang, and Paul went inside to answer it. He came back with the cordless phone and held it out to Kate. “It’s LuAnne.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Loretta is supposed to be back by now. With all the excitement, I haven’t had the time to check with LuAnne and see how things went.”

  Kate took the phone, feeling a sudden sense of apprehension. “Hey, LuAnne. How are you doing?”

  “Right as rain.” Enthusiasm vibrated in LuAnne’s voice. “Things couldn’t be better.”

  Kate held the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Were things really okay, or was LuAnne just trying to put on a brave front? Putting the receiver back to her ear, she asked, “Did Loretta get back okay?”

  “She didn’t get home until the wee hours this morning, but she was down here at the diner before sunup, gettin’ things ready for breakfast. Business has been boomin’ ever since we opened.”

  “Really?” Kate’s voice came out in a squeak. “So you got everything straightened out?”

  LuAnne chuckled. “Remember when we prayed the other night, and you asked for some ideas on how to fix things? I was feelin’ lower than a snake’s belly when I left, but on my way home, a plan came to me right out of the blue. I called the Chronicle first thing the next morning and got them to put in an ad. Didn’t you see it?”

  Kate smiled to herself. With all the flurry surrounding Camille’s capture and arrest, reading the weekly paper had been the last thing on her mind.

  “Things have been a little busy around here. We haven’t had a chance to look at the paper yet.”

  “I gave them the basic idea, and they did me proud. At the top, it said, ‘LORETTA’S BACK!’ in great big letters, and then it told folks we’d be ready to serve a full menu and more of her home-baked pies on Friday. And it worked!”

  The joy in LuAnne’s voice was unmistakable. “Loretta’s thrilled about the folks who’ve turned out to welcome her home, and I’m so relieved to go back to waitressin’ that I could just dance.”

  Kate congratulated LuAnne and told her she and Paul would visit the diner again soon. As she handed the phone back to Paul, they heard a car pull up in the driveway.

  Paul stepped around to the front of the house to see who it was and returned a moment later with the Briddles. Lucy Mae hurried across the lawn and threw her arms around Kate. “Bless you, my dear. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us.”

  Lawton held his hand out to Kate. “Good job. I was sure the truth would come out eventually, but I appreciate your part in bringing it to light when you did.”

  Kate knew that was the most effusive thanks she would be likely to get from the mayor. She smiled up at him. “I’m glad it turned out the way it did. By the way”—she looked around, taking in the rest of the group—“what’s going to happen to all the money that was collected?”

  Lucy Mae simpered and dug her elbow into her husband’s side. “Tell them.”

  Lawton lifted his chin. “I called that fellow Wilkerson once we got the news about what the Sheppards had done. I wanted to be sure he understood the truth of the matter.”

  He swiped his hand across his mouth and cleared his throat. “He’s really a decent fellow. Called me back a couple of hours later to tell me he’d contacted his friends who made the other donations, and they’re all agreed. That money is going to be transferred to a new account—a legitimate one this time—and it’s all going to help build a clinic in Chacotepec.”

  Paul got to his feet and thumped Lawton on the shoulder. “That’s great news!”

  Livvy applauded, and all three women offered their congratulations.

  Lawton’s face turned brick red, in the same way Kate had often seen just before his temper erupted. But the shimmer of moisture in his eyes told her that this time it was due to an emotion other than anger.

  Kate blinked back a tear. Bringing a blessing from the darkest moments...Wasn’t that just like the Lord?

  After the Briddles took their leave, Livvy got up from the table. “I need to be getting back to work. Thanks for inviting me over for lunch. This was a lovely victory celebration.” She cocked her head and looked at Kate. “Now that you’re feeling better, what’s next?”

  Paul answered before Kate opened her mouth. “She’s going to take it easy over the weekend. I want to make sure she’s really and truly back on her feet this time. And get her in to see the doctor, now that we know exactly what she was given. I want to make sure there won’t be any lasting damage.”

  Kate shrugged and grinned at Livvy. “It sounds like I won’t be doing much of anything for the next couple of days. But I expect to be in church on Sunday morning. And after that...”

  She paused and looked at her garden. “It may sound crazy after all the things I’ve learned lately, but I can’t wait to work with my flowers again.”

  About the Author

  CAROL COX is the author of more than twenty novels and novellas. Her nonwriting time is devoted to being a pastor’s wife, a homeschool mom and, recently, a grandmother. Carol makes her home with her husband and young daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play—often within view of the family’s front porch. To learn more about Carol and her books, visit www.CarolCoxBooks.com.

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