Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 03 - Smoky Mountain Mystery (10 page)

Margaret swallowed hard and stepped through the doorway.  Liz seemed frozen in terror, as if her feet refused to move. 

Ethel took a menacing step down.  She jabbed Liz with the butt of the gun.  “You’d rather have me shoot ya?”

Liz shook her head frantically.  The touch of the gun helped prod her forward.  She quickly joined the others in the center of the cellar.

Ethel eyed them with new interest.  “Didja find anythin’ down here?” 

Gloria shook her head.  “We just started looking.”

Ethel leveled the gun on Gloria.  “Well don’t let me stop ya!”

Gloria sensed a hesitation in Ethel.  She was curious about something…. “Have you ever looked down here?”

Ethel shook her head.  “Nope.  In fact, I can’t remember ever stepping foot in this here cellar.”

Gloria stared at the old woman expectantly. 

“Pa always told us kids it was haunted.” She shrank back even further from the doorway as she spoke.  “That somebody died down here and their bones was still in the ground.”

“What about your mom?  Did she ever come down here?”

Ethel shook her head.  “Nope.  None of us did.”

Gloria could see a light bulb go on in her head.  “The only one that ever did was Daddy.”  Which would make it the perfect spot to hide something. 

Ethel’s mouth dropped open.  Her eyes grew round as saucers.  “Daddy hid the stash down here,” she whispered.

Gloria would bet her Mally on it.  If there was some sort of treasure, it was here.  In this very cellar.

Remembering she had a gun in her hands and three able-bodied women to search. She jerked the gun at them.  “Start to lookin’,” she ordered.

The women split up, each taking a different section of the room.  Liz began lifting the glass jars as Margaret worked to unstack the tower of crates.

Gloria spied an old oil burning stove tucked away in a dark corner.  She wandered over to the stove and grabbed the round metal knob on the front.  She tugged hard.  At first, it didn’t want to budge. 

Her eyes darted around the room as she looked for something sharp to pry it open.  She spied an old metal crowbar propped against the wall directly under the window. 

She picked it up and headed back to the round metal contraption.  With a bit of elbow grease, the door finally swung open. 

She peered down into the dark recesses of the tank.  No way was she going to stick her hand in there without being able to see what she was reaching for.  “I need a flashlight,” she announced.

Liz pulled a small rectangular light from her back pocket.  She walked over and stuck it in Gloria’s outstretched hand.  Gloria stared down at the small light.  “Why didn’t I think of that?” She quickly turned her attention back to the stove. 

She flashed the beam of light inside the square opening before beaming it down.  In the bottom of the stove was a small brown leather satchel.  Gloria reached inside and slowly pulled it out. 

The surface was covered with a thick layer of soot.  Gloria grabbed an old rag off the edge of a nearby shelf and wiped the worst of the grime off.

She glanced over at Ethel.  The woman was itching to get her hands on the bag.  She took a step forward and suddenly stopped.  Her fear wouldn’t allow her to step inside the cellar.  “Bring it to me,” she demanded.

Gloria ignored her.  If she truly was afraid of the cellar, Gloria was fairly safe in taking her sweet old time finding out what was inside.

By now, Liz and Margaret were leaning over her shoulder for a peek at the contents.  Gloria unfastened the small buckle on the front and flipped it up.  She pulled the bag open and peered inside.  Shiny gold coins gleamed up at them. 

She reached in and pulled one out.  She held it up to the light.  On one side of the coin was an eagle.  On the other, the Statue of Liberty. 

“Those are mine!” Ethel screamed hysterically.  “Give them to me now!”

Gloria gave her a quick look.  “Hold your horses.”

Liz picked two up and handed one to Margaret.  “You think these are worth some money?”

Gloria opened the bag and pulled two more out.  “I’d bet they’re worth a pretty penny.”

She strolled over to Ethel and stood just out of reach.  She thrust the satchel forward.  “Five for you and five for us.”

The old woman leveled the shotgun at Gloria’s head.  “Ten for me and ZERO for you.  Those belong to me!”

To show the girls she was serious, Ethel aimed the barrel of the gun at Gloria’s feet and pulled the trigger.  A shot rang out and a cloud of dirt filled the air.  “I ain’t kiddin’.  I told you to give me them coins,” she warned.

Gloria reluctantly dropped the coins in the bag.  Margaret reached over and put hers in, too.  Liz couldn’t bear the thought of handing them all over to Ethel.  “Can’t we keep just one?” she pleaded.

Ethel glared at Liz and raised the gun to her head. Liz reluctantly dropped the final coin in the bag and took a step back.

Ethel backed all the way up the cement steps, her gun still trained on the girls.  “Let’s go!”

Mally and the girls made their way up the steps.  “We’re gonna go inside ‘til I figure out what to do with your bodies,” Ethel decided.

The three froze in their tracks.  Gloria was certain she wasn’t making idle threats.  The woman was definitely deranged enough to follow through.

She needed to buy them some time.  They headed up the kitchen steps and settled in at the kitchen table.  “We left word where we were going,” Gloria warned.  “If we don’t come back, they’re going to come here looking for us.”

The old woman cackled in glee.  “By then I’ll be long gone.” She glanced around the room.  “You think I’m gonna stay in this dump now that I’m rich?” 

She had a point.  Yeah, she could quite possibly get away with murder…

“Let’s just pretend this never happened and go our separate ways,” Liz suggested.

“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Ethel argued.  “After all, who’s to say you won’t decide to hire yourself some fancy lawyer and try to take my money?”

Hmm.  She had a point.  It seemed settled in Ethel’s mind she needed to get rid of the women. 

Gloria glanced guiltily at her sister and Margaret.  “I’m sorry I ever suggested coming back here…”

Liz reached over and squeezed her hand.  “Don’t worry about it, Gloria.  I wanted to come, too,” she reminded her.

“Yeah, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Margaret chimed in nervously.

“Ooohh, how sweet!” Ethel observed sarcastically.

She was really starting to tick Gloria off.  “Why don’t you put a lid on it, you old bat?”

Ethel’s mouth dropped open at the insult.  “You can’t talk to me like that!” she said.

Gloria got to her feet and took a step towards the old hag.  There were three of them and only one of her.  Chance are one of them would get shot but the other two could overpower her in the meantime.  And since Gloria felt solely responsible for the mess they were now in, she decided it was up to her to take the bullet. 

She lunged for the gun.  A panicked Ethel pulled the trigger and the gun went off.  Gloria grabbed hold of the barrel and yanked hard but Ethel was stronger than Gloria realized as she desperately tried to keep a firm hold on the gun.

Seizing their opportunity, Liz and Margaret rushed to Gloria’s aid and began pulling on the old woman’s arms.  The three of them were too much for her to fight off.  They quickly wrestled the gun from her grip and backed her into the corner of the kitchen. 

Gloria had never shot a gun before but Ethel didn’t know that.  She took a step back and pointed the barrel at her.  “Quick, look for some rope or cord.  Anything you can find so we can tie her up!”

Liz pulled the nearest drawer open and began poking around inside.  She moved on to the next where she found a ball of knitting yarn.  “This might work!”

With great pleasure, she strolled over to Ethel who was still cowering in the corner.  “Turn around and put your arms behind your back!” she demanded.

Ethel reluctantly did as she was told.  Liz wrapped the yarn around her wrists several times before tying the ends into tight knots. 

Ethel winced. “Ouch.”

“Oohh.  I’m so
not
sorry about that,” Liz taunted.

Margaret led her over to a kitchen chair and pushed her down in it. 

In all the excitement, Gloria lost sight of Mally.  She glanced around the room.  “Where’s Mally?”

She could hear faint whimpering coming from under the table.  The gunshot must’ve scared her half to death.  Gloria set the gun aside and dropped to her knees.  It was then she saw the blood.  Mally’s blood.  Her dog had been shot. 

The color drained from Gloria’s face as she shouted.  “Mally’s been shot!” 

Gloria coaxed her out from under the table.  “C’mon, girl.  Let me have a look.” 

Mally painfully limped out from under the table, her front paw dangling in the air as she tried to keep it up.  “I need to wrap the wound and get her to the hospital.”

“Ain’t no hospital or vet ‘round these parts,” Ethel muttered.  “Serves you right if the dang dog dies!”

Blood rushed to Gloria’s head as she jumped to her feet and furiously stomped over to the old woman. 

Liz recognized the look instantly.  She reached out for her sister’s arm.  “She’s not worth it Gloria.” She glanced down at Mally.  “Besides, you need to get Mally help right away.”

Gloria remembered seeing a small hospital on the way through town.  Hopefully, they would be willing to take a look at her poor Mally.  She gently lifted the dog into her arms.  Liz held the door as she stepped outside. 

The car was parked too far away.  Ethel’s beat up truck was nearby and the keys were in the ignition!  Margaret carefully opened the passenger door while Gloria gingerly placed Mally on the seat.  A pitiful whine escaped her lips as she looked at Gloria with pain-filled eyes. 

Tears sprung up in Gloria’s own eyes at the thought of Mally in pain.  She quickly shut the door and dashed over to the driver’s side.  The truck fired on the first try.  She drove as fast as she dared, knowing that each bump she hit would hurt Mally even more.

When they reached the main road, she stomped the gas pedal to the floor and didn’t let up until they reached the edge of town.  She careened into the parking lot and came to a screeching halt in front of the ER doors.  By now, Mally’s paw was soaked in blood along with the passenger seat.  Gloria scrambled out of the truck and raced around to the passenger side.  Mally whimpered painfully as Gloria tried to gingerly lift her from the seat.

The sliding glass doors silently opened and Gloria rushed over to the check in counter.  A trail of blood followed them from the truck to the counter. 

Gloria was near tears as she stood before the young woman behind the desk.  “My dog,” she whispered hoarsely.  “She’s been shot.”

The woman jumped from her chair and raced around to the lobby.  “Let’s get her looked at right away.”

She turned on her heel and motioned Gloria to follow.  Gloria prayed as she walked.  “Thank you, Jesus.  Please let someone here help Mally.”

Gloria and the young woman gently set her on an empty gurney just inside the door. 

“I’ll be right back.” The young woman disappeared out the door.  Gloria could hear her feet hit the cold tile floor as she raced to find help. 

Gloria patted Mally’s head as she tried to comfort her.  “It’s gonna be okay.  We’ll get you fixed up like new,” she promised.

Mally let out a low moan as she stared at Gloria, her eyes filled with pain and pleading for help.

Seconds later, the young woman returned, a young man with a white doctor’s coat was right on her heels.

Gloria stepped back as the doctor moved to the side of the gurney.  He patted Mally’s head gently and spoke to her in a soft, soothing voice.  “I need to take a look at your paw,” he explained.

Mally let out a low whimper as he gently lifted her paw and examined both sides.  He turned to Gloria.  “Someone shot her?”

Gloria let out a heavy sigh.  “It’s a long story but to answer your question, yes, someone shot her.”

He turned back to study Mally’s paw.  “The bullets still in there.  We need to get it out.”

Gloria could only nod as her throat closed shut and tears filled her eyes.  She opened her mouth to speak but no words would form.  She swallowed hard before squeaking out, “Whatever you need to do.”

Gloria didn’t notice the nurse who suddenly materialized and was now standing beside the young doctor. 

“We need a local anesthesia,” he told her quietly.

He turned to Gloria.  We won’t need to knock her out, just take the edge off the pain.

Gloria nodded again. 

“You might want to wait outside, though,” he suggested.

Gloria was torn.  On the one hand, she didn’t want to leave Mally’s side but on the other, the thought of watching them try to dig the shell from her paw would probably make her pass out.  They needed to focus on fixing Mally, not dealing with an owner who was coming unglued.