by S F Bose
“You’re asking a lot of questions, Sam.” I watched as his face reddened. He reached up to pull his Irish cap forward on his head.
He shrugged. “Just filling in the blanks. I might know some people who are hiring. What kind of work are you looking for?”
I sat back. “Oh! Well I’m not sure. I don’t want to teach or work in an office. I’d like to do something interesting, you know?”
Sam nodded. “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”
“Say what?” I replied in surprise. When he didn’t repeat the question, I said, “No! I’ve never been convicted of anything.”
“That’s good. Okay, I know you carry a gun. Have you had formal weapons training?” I had qualified in a wide variety of military grade weapons at Worldhead, but couldn’t tell him that.
“Yes,” I replied cautiously.
“Can you shoot accurately?” he asked.
I sipped more coffee and thought before I answered. Sam’s questions were making me nervous.
“Sam, I grew up on a farm and have been shooting forever. I’m probably a better shot than you are,” I replied. He laughed.
“Come on, Sam. Why all the questions?”
He sat back and gave me a long look. “I don’t know if this would appeal to you, but I do have a job opening.”
“You do? Really?” I was surprised and my heartbeat accelerated. “What kind of job?”
“It’s for a Private Investigator Intern position. My business has grown a lot and I’ve had to farm out work to some other PIs that I know. I want to bring someone in and teach them everything they need to know about the business. Then I can keep some of the new work in-house. I think you’d be a good fit for the position.”
I shook my hand. “Sam, I totally blew it with Josh. I thought that he, Dan, and Nick were up to no good. And finding Marie’s ring was a fluke. I can do a lot of things, but I’m not sure being a PI is one of them.”
Sam leaned forward and looked at me. “You’ll have to trust me on this, Liz. You have good instincts. You ask good questions and relate well to people. If you take this job, I’ll train you on the technical side of being a PI. But you already have all the important skills.”
He smiled and despite myself, I smiled back. Liz Bean, Private Investigator, did have a nice ring to it.
“Would I get paid an actual salary?” I asked.
Sam laughed. “Yes, I’d pay you a salary, and you’d get healthcare benefits too. We can discuss all of that later. But I’m curious if you’d even be interested.”
I thought about it. “It does sound interesting,” I agreed.
Sam smiled. “If the internship worked out, then I’d sponsor you for a permanent position. You’d apply for your PI license, take the state exam, and if you passed, I’d hire you as a full-time PI. You’d get a salary bump and even more benefits.”
I nodded and then had an alarming thought. “Wait a minute. Did Grandma Addie talk you into offering me a job?”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open. “No! She doesn’t even know I have a job opening.”
“Really?” I pressed.
“I swear,” he replied. I stared him in the eyes and decided he was telling the truth.
“Okay, let’s talk about the salary,” I suggested. Sam gave me the starting salary for an intern and listed all the benefits. I know my face must have dropped because the intern salary was significantly lower than what Worldhead had paid me. However, the jobs were very different.
“What would the salary be if you decide to sponsor me and I get my PI license?” I asked.
Sam said that if he sponsored me, the annual salary would increase by fifty percent, and there’d be other benefits like a 401(k), more insurance options, and paid vacation time. I nodded. That was more in the ballpark of what I was looking for. Also, my expenses in Mystic Grove were much lower than in Virginia, which would help.
I thought about it. Being a PI didn’t sound like it would be boring. It would be like solving human puzzles for a living. Moreover, if I passed the internship phase, the salary was reasonable. “Tell me more about the job. What exactly would I be doing?”
Sam reviewed the day-to-day responsibilities including interview techniques, case tracking, stakeouts, background checks, and more. The dress code was casual for the most part. He also said there was a lot of variety.
“However, when we’re busy it’s not a nine-to-five job,” he cautioned. “Would that be a problem?”
“No, not at all,” I replied.
He gave me a long look and tapped the table with his pen. Finally, he nodded.
“Okay, I’m offering you the position, Liz. If you need some time to think about it, let me know.”
Laughing, I replied, “‘Sam, this is a pretty unorthodox way to hire an employee.”
Sam smiled. “I liked what I saw in your approach to the two cases we looked into here. Sometimes I just go with my gut. I think it would be a good fit for you,” he said, studying me. “And I need the help.”
I quickly ran through the pros and cons in my mind. The pros were easy. The job definitely sounded like a good fit to me too. The work itself would be interesting and varied. After working with Sam on the Wescott and DeMarco cases, I thought he would be a good boss. Being a PI would also be a challenging job that could turn into a career. Maybe someday I could even open my own agency. Best of all, I could stay in Mystic Grove.
The cons were more elusive. I was used to being a member of larger teams, so working with just one other person would be an adjustment. I wouldn’t be doing any interpreting or translating, which would be a big change. I had studied foreign languages for most of my life and had mastered quite a few. But in my heart, I knew I was tired of that part of my life. I scoured my mind for more cons and couldn’t find any.
I thought about it a bit more. Was this my new beginning? Could I finally close the door on my work at Worldhead Global Security and build a new career here in Mystic Grove? Then I felt a tingling on the back of my neck and swore I heard a female voice whisper, “Take the job, Liz.” I sat up straight and looked around. Aside from Sam and me, the dining room was empty. I must be overtired. Or maybe my intuition or spidey sense had spoken. I smiled at that possibility.
Sam cleared this throat. “Maybe it’s not what you were looking for,” he said, looking a little glum. My delay in responding must have made him think I wasn’t interested.
“No, it sounds perfect! Thanks for the opportunity, Sam. I accept. What do I do next?”
Sam smiled. “Really? That’s great,” he said quietly. He fished out a business card and jotted something on the back. When he handed it to me, I saw a telephone number and an email address.
“That’s my cellphone number and private email. Email me a copy of your resume and references. When I get that, I’ll send a link to the job application. It’s short and you can fill it out online. I’ll verify your employment next week. Plan to start on…” He paused to check his cellphone calendar. “Let’s go with Monday, December 8th. How’s that sound?”
I blinked. “Sounds good. Sounds fast. You’re definitely not a procrastinator.”
Sam laughed aloud at that.
I knew that Worldhead would verify my employment and wouldn’t mention my real job responsibilities there. I would list Raven, my former boss, as my main reference. While using Raven made me a little nervous, I was confident that an employee who was on an unpaid leave of absence was free to find other employment. I had been very clear with Raven that I was never returning to Virginia, so I was optimistic he wouldn’t stand between me and a new beginning.
“Thanks for the job offer, Sam. You don’t know what it means to me,” I said sincerely. He smiled and extended his hand across the table. We shook hands on it. Then I smiled like it was Christmas. What a gift! I felt so relieved. Working for Sam would allow me to stay in Mystic Grove. I would never ever have to go back to Worldhead Global Security.
***
I wished that Sam could come to Thanksgiving dinner at the B&B tomorrow, but he planned to drive down to Illinois in the morning to be with his parents, brothers, and sister.
Thinking about Sam’s selective eating habits, I asked, “Out of curiosity, what do you eat at Thanksgiving? Turkey?”
“Me? No turkey. I usually have dressing, candied sweet potatoes with butter, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie without any whipped cream. Also bread and butter. Sometimes some other veggies.”
“That’s not a bad meal,” I said.
We chatted for a bit about holidays. Then I went into the kitchen to get more coffee and stopped to talk with Grace. Minutes later, I waved Sam into the kitchen and we sat at the farmhouse table.
Then Grace brought us heaping platters with two different types of dressing, candied sweet potatoes, sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, and bread and butter. She added some roasted turkey and cranberry sauce to my platter. She also brought hot water for Sam and lemon lime soda for me.
“Wow!” Sam said quietly. He took off his Irish cap and tossed it on the next chair. “Grace, this looks delicious.”
“You’re my taste testers. Let me know if anything is off,” she replied and winked.
“Will do, but it looks delicious, Aunt Grace,” I replied.
“Sam, we make dressing that we bake separately. We don’t stuff it in the turkey,” Grace cautioned. “I gave you our traditional bread dressing and our sausage, apple, and cranberry dressing.”
“That’s perfect. Mom bakes her dressing too,” he replied and smiled.
One of Sam’s great qualities was that he didn’t talk during meals. We dug into our food and the only thing you heard were “Mmms” and the occasional clinking of silverware. The roasted turkey almost melted in my mouth. I loved both dressings and the candied sweet potatoes were perfect.
“That was so delicious,” Sam said and sat back with a slightly dazed look on his face. Grace hurried over. Sam grinned at her and gave her two thumbs up. “Don’t ever repeat this, but I think both dressings are better than my mom’s.”
“Oh, sweetie, really? Thank you. But please don’t tell your mother that,” Grace replied.
“Oh no worries there. I’d never hurt her like that. Besides, she’d kill me,” Sam said and we laughed.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Sam,” Grace said and gave him a warm smile.
“Happy Thanksgiving to you both,” Sam replied.
I lifted my glass of soda to him and said, “Same to you, Sam.”
Chapter 25
Thanksgiving Day was a blur of activity. All hands were on deck, including Chloe and Olivia, my cousins and roommates. Their brother, Ryan, was also on the crew. Millie and Tillie arrived early to help with prep work and salads. Then they helped in the kitchen and with serving.
Margo Becker, Dad’s lady friend, greeted and seated guests. Chloe, Olivia, Dad, and I took orders and served. Ryan was in charge of setting, bussing, and cleaning tables. In the kitchen, Grace, Millie, Tillie, Grandma, and Nana Anna handled all heating and plating.
The rise and fall of different conversations filled the dining room. Frequent laughter erupted at the DeMarco table. Dan sat next to Susan and they chatted and laughed. I was happy to see that the sadness was completely gone from Susan’s eyes. Josh, Nick, and Megan bantered back and forth, laughing loudly at times. Tony beamed at his family.
Ray and Marie had invited Dante, Shelly, Holly, and Jade to celebrate Thanksgiving together. The Cloutiers happily accepted, so we set up a large table for them. The little girls gravitated to Marie, but also enjoyed Ray’s attempts at magic tricks. When he made a silver dollar appear and disappear after declaring “Abracadabra,” they laughed and clapped their hands in delight. When I arrived at their table, I overheard Shelly talking about a show where she would be displaying her fabric art. Ray and Marie smiled as they listened to her. Dante looked proud.
We had a steady flow of diners from Mystic Grove who had made reservations. The Blackwells stopped to talk to Josh and Nick. Martin and Cecille Fletcher, white-haired and well-dressed, also came for dinner. They were both old and dear friends of Grandma and Nana Anna. Will Thatcher, the Pastor of the Mystic Grove Community Church, enjoyed dinner with his wife, two children, and his parents. There were so many more families from Mystic Grove that I lost count.
We also had guests from Madison, Black Earth, Mt. Horeb, Fitchburg, and other small towns in the area. Everyone was cheerful and relaxed which made the day easier.
However, some other people were missing. My mother, Lilly, would be serving Thanksgiving dinner in the farmhouse she shared with her boyfriend, Ben Katz, in Cross Plaines. My older brother, Brian, would come to dinner with his latest girlfriend. He loved to debate world events with Ben. Becky, my older sister, would come with her husband, Adam, and their three-year-old twins, Ethan and Emma. My younger sister, Katie, would call Mom and Dad separately from wherever she was down South. Because I was working late, I’d drive over tomorrow to spend part of the day with Mom and Ben. It wasn’t like the Thanksgiving of my childhood where we all gathered together on the same day, but I’d take it.
Tomorrow, Grandma Addie and Nana Anna would drive to their brother Cormac’s nearby farm. They’d visit with Cormac and his wife, Kathie. Many of Cormac’s adult children, grandchildren, and younger great-grandchildren would also spend the day and have a second Thanksgiving feast.
Grandma and Nana Anna would also spend time with their mother, Bridey Shaw, who lived on the farm with their brother. Chloe and Olivia planned to open their herb shop late so that they could drive over to Uncle Cormac’s for a visit too.
***
By 8:00 p.m., the B&B guests had scattered, and all the diners from Mystic Grove and elsewhere had also left.
We pushed together several long tables and had our own Thanksgiving dinner. The only people missing from our crew were Millie and Tillie, who had left at 4:00 p.m. to go home to their families. Dad and Ryan brought out platters of turkey and ham. The rest of us helped carry serving dishes of dressing, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, several casseroles, and a variety of salads and breads to the table.
We attacked the food like we hadn’t eaten in a month. Most of my family likes to talk during dinner, a trait I don’t share. Olivia and Chloe batted ideas around for their Mystic Grove store, THE Herb Shop. Margo, a fairly well-known artist, described her latest art project for Nana Anna. Dad and Ryan talked about some plans for the horse barn. Grace ate and beamed at her three children, all adults who were employed and had never been in jail, two of her benchmarks for success.
Grandma sat across from me enjoying her dinner. Sometimes a fragment of a conversation floated down the table and caught her attention. Her head would pop up and she’d shout out a loud and often humorous contribution. Then the family’s laughter would roll up and down the dinner table in response. Grandma always looked very pleased with herself when she could make people laugh.
After Dad toasted everyone at the table, it was time for dessert. Nana Anna rolled out a large cart with desserts she had made. There were tortes, caramel apple cake, Meyer lemon-cranberry Bundt cake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cookies.
I brought a slice of the chocolate raspberry torte to the table for Grandma and a slice of caramel apple cake for me. After the first bite, Grandma leaned forward and looked past Grace to her sister.
She declared loudly, “Anna, I swear you are the best baker in the state, if not the entire Midwest, bar none! It’s no wonder you’ve won so many blue ribbons for baking at state and county fairs!” We all cheered, and Nana Anna’s face turned as red as her hair.
“Thank you, Addie. But we all know you’ve won many more blue ribbons for your delicious stuffing recipe,” Anna replied. We cheered again, and Grandma smiled. The two sisters were often competitive, even when it came to giving compliments.
Then Grandma looked at me and said, “And you did good too, Liz Bean. You solved two mysteries and
saved the B&B from some bad reviews and maybe something even worse. Thank you.” Her smile warmed me to my toes and the rest of the family cheered again.
“You’re welcome, Grandma. Sam was a huge help,” I replied.
Grandma pinned me with her baby blues. Then she nodded. “He’s a good man. A bit strange, but strange is often interesting. You two make a good team. It’s too bad you couldn’t work together more often.”
I looked at her and narrowed my eyes. She looked back with her innocent gaze and sweet smile. I had planned to tell her about the job offer tomorrow. Had Sam already told her about the PI position? No, I had been with Sam after his job offer and my acceptance. We’d eaten, chatted, and then he left the B&B. He’d never been alone with Grandma. Was she a mind reader or something?
“Sometimes you really scare me, Grandma,” I said. Sitting next to her, Grace erupted in laughter.
“Mama’s scared the heck out of us for years!” Grace observed. Everyone at the table laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. Grandma laughed with everyone else and then smiled at me.
“Oh heck Liz, I usually scare myself half to death at least once a day!” Then she winked at me and I smiled.
I still wondered if she somehow knew about the job offer that Sam had extended. Then I shook it off. It didn’t matter. The bottom line was that I was really lucky.
A lost ring and a missing B&B guest had led me to Sam Nolan by way of Grandma Addie. Now I had a job offer from Sam that would allow me to stay in Mystic Grove with all the people I loved. I did feel a tickle of apprehension over the change I was about to make. Okay, it was more like a buzzing electric current of uncertainty. I don’t always embrace change. But looking around the table at all the smiling faces of my family, I shook off any misgivings. Instead, I enjoyed the surge of happiness I felt and was grateful for the new beginning Sam had offered me.
**********
THANK YOU for reading Missing in Mystic Grove. I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.