Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings (11 page)

Dot wandered into the back.  “She almost got into a serious accident. Drove right through the stop sign here on Main Street.”

Dot stuck the mustard and ketchup containers on a large serving tray and headed back out front.  “Good thing no one was coming from the other direction.  Otherwise, she could’ve gotten killed.”

Gloria remembered Gus’s shop.  “That’s right.  I saw your car out at Gus’s place.”

Gloria stopped to hug Jennifer’s shoulder as she rounded the corner of the prep area and headed to the dining room.  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Gloria found Dot bouncing from table-to-table, arranging the condiments as if it were some sort of culinary contest.  “You think anyone’s going to show up for dinner?” she fretted.

“All the girls are coming.  That makes at least half a dozen of us.”

Dot grabbed the edge of her plain brown apron and began twisting it in her hands.  Gloria’s heart went out to her.  Poor thing was nervous as a tick. 

She needed to stay busy and stop worrying. Gloria grabbed her arm and tugged.  “Let’s go to the back and help Jennifer.”

Gloria cleared the pass thru window on her way to the kitchen.  She glanced at the paper on top of the pile.  It looked like some sort of contract.  “I hate to be nosy, Dot.” Gloria pulled it close to her face.  “What’s this?”

“You mean that legal-looking thingy?”

Gloria grabbed her glasses from her purse and slipped them on.  She scanned the sheet.   “This is an offer to buy the restaurant?” She looked at Dot.  “Are you thinking about selling?”

Ray rounded the corner right then.  “Brian Sellers keeps sending us offers to buy the place,” he explained. 

Brian Sellers owned the small grocery store on the corner.  He also owned the drug store and hardware store.  If he bought Dot’s place, he’d own almost everything on Main Street.

Dot grabbed the stack from Gloria’s hand.  “He sends us an offer about every month now.  Each time, he ups the price a little more.  I think he’s getting desperate,” she decided.

“Do you think he’s desperate enough to poison someone and drive you out of business?”

Dot and Ray looked at each other uneasily.  The thought hadn’t occurred to them. 

Brian Sellers was a bit of a mystery around town.  He moved to Belhaven less than a year ago.  Into one of the larger homes on Lake Terrace.  But before he moved in, he gutted it.  All the way down to the studs.  Gloria had never been inside but rumor had it, he spent a small fortune turning it into a state-of-the-art bachelor pad, complete with bowling alley and indoor pool. 

Gloria heard at one time, he had some business dealings with Andrea’s dead husband, Daniel and his illegal gambling business.  The gambling business shut down when Daniel died and his partner, Barry Hicks, went to prison for his murder. 

Andrea kept the insurance agency side of the business running and was doing quite well with it. 

“You don’t think he’s going to try to start a gambling business here in town?” Gloria voice trailed off.

She thought of something else.  “Was Sellers in here the morning of the poisoning?”

Jennifer shook her head.  “Nope. I didn’t see him.  But his car is always parked at the far end of the alley.  Close to hardware shop.  I think he hangs out there a lot,” she added.

Dot swallowed hard and glanced at the clock.  “Time to open up.”

Ray squeezed her arm before heading to the front to turn the sign over.  “We can do this,” he told his wife.

Dot cleared her throat as she eyed the front entrance. 

Ray turned the sign and unlocked the front door.  Half a dozen town folk followed him through the door. 

Dot breathed a sigh of relief.  People were coming back! 

Soon, the entire restaurant was packed and a line of diners waited for tables to empty out so they could be seated. 

Gloria’s chest swelled with pride!  This is what it meant to live in a small town.  Where everyone looked out for one another.  Supported them and loved them.

The rest of the evening was a blur.  Gloria worked behind the scenes helping Dot and Ray.  She bussed tables, ran the cash register and even delivered glasses of water to the tables. 

Halfway through dinner service, Gloria noticed Brian Sellers and another man walked in the front door.  They made their way over to a small booth in the corner.  Gloria grabbed two waters, a couple menus and headed in their direction.  She didn’t recognize the man with him.  He was older.  Closer to Gloria’s own age.

When she got to the table, she got a good look at his face.  He looked a bit familiar but she couldn’t quite pinpoint how. 

She set a glass in front of each of them and laid the menus on the table.  “Your server will be right with you.”  The men nodded.  Gloria started toward the back.  It was then she had an idea.  For the next hour, she kept a sharp eye on the table and the two men. 

As soon as they paid and walked out, she made a beeline for the cluttered table.  She pulled a clean napkin from her pocket and carefully picked up Brian Sellers’ fork by the tines.  She dropped it into a plastic to-go container.  Next, she picked up his water glass and holding onto it by the very bottom, carried that and the to-go container to the back.

Dot was at the sink rinsing dishes.  She reached for the dirty glass.  “Here, I’ll take that,” she offered.

“No!”  Gloria didn’t mean to sound so stern.  “I mean.  No.  This is Brian Sellers’ water glass. I’m taking it to Paul to have him check for fingerprints.”

Dot’s eyebrows shot up.  Ray wandered in just then. 

Gloria showed them the to-go container with the fork inside.  “I’m going to see if Paul can check for a match with the toilet bowl cleaner,” she explained.

Ray snapped his fingers.  “Brilliant idea!  Too bad we can’t track down the prints for any of the other suspects.”

“Joe Toscani, the owner of Pasta Amore, has a criminal record,” she reminded them.  “His prints are on file and Paul’s already checking to see if it’s a match.” 

Gloria slipped the glass and fork into a plastic bag and set them off to the side, right next to her purse.  “Now we need to get Judith’s prints.  Somehow.”

“I bet Ruth could get it,” Dot said.

Gloria slapped her forehead in an “aha” moment.  “That’s a great idea!”  She headed straight for the dining room and the Garden’s Girls’ table.  Lucy and Ruth were sharing a piece of cheesecake.  Gloria pulled out a chair and plopped down next to them.  “I need a favor, Ruth.”

Ruth could tell by the look on Gloria’s face it was something good.  She leaned forward.  “What?”

Gloria glanced around.  “I need Judith Arnett’s fingerprints,” Gloria whispered.

Ruth leaned back in the chair.  “That’s all?  I can have them for you tomorrow,” she boasted.  “Judith comes in every morning around 9.”

“I’ll be there before noon to pick them up,” Gloria promised. “And remember.  Keep ‘em clean, as in don’t contaminate it with your own prints.”

Ruth looked deeply offended.  “Of course.  I know better than that!”

Lucy leaned in.  “You really think Judith is capable of murder?”

“I’m not ruling her out.  Yet.”

Gloria caught a glimpse of Dot pacing back and forth in the waitress station.  “Look, I gotta get back there.” She jumped to her feet and headed to the rear.

“What’s wrong Dot?” Gloria asked.

“I lost my glasses.” Dot stopped in her tracks.  She stuck her hand on her hip.  “I had them just a minute ago!”

Gloria grinned.  She reached up and tapped Dot’s forehead.  The glasses fell down and landed on Dot’s nose.

The two women burst out laughing.  “Oh my!  I’m so glad this night’s almost over,” Dot declared.

Gloria was, too.  It had been a huge success and she was happy that the place was packed the entire evening.  Half an hour later, Ray turned the sign in the front window to
Closed
and locked the door after the last customer left. 

The four of them – Dot, Ray, Gloria and Jennifer wandered into the kitchen.  Everything was neat and tidy.  They were ready to start a new day in the morning. 

Dot grabbed some clean plates from an overhead shelf.  She carved out four pieces of leftover lasagna from the last pan.  She plucked a piece of garlic bread from the warming tray and stuck it on the plate beside the lasagna and handed it to Jennifer.  Next, she handed a plate to Gloria.  She finished two more plates and the foursome made their way to an empty table out front.

As they ate dinner, they discussed the resounding success of the re-opening of Dot’s. 

Tears filled Dot’s eyes.  “I-I can’t believe how many people turned out tonight.” 

Gloria cut off a piece of lasagna.  She paused before popping the delicious cheesy pasta into her mouth.  “I’m not the least bit surprised.  This town loves you.  And we can’t live without you.”

The subject turned to the investigation.  Gloria told the group that Ruth was going to get a set of Judith’s fingerprints in the morning and then she was going to take those and Brian Sellers prints in to be tested.

The group carried their empty plates back to the kitchen and washed them up. Dot and Ray locked the back door before they all headed to their vehicles. Gloria turned to Jennifer.  “I can give you a ride home,” she offered.

Jennifer nodded.  “That would be great.  Otherwise, I can just call Tony.”

Gloria shook her head.  “No problem.”  They waved good-night to Ray and Dot and climbed into Anabelle. 

“I can’t wait to get my car back,” Jennifer confessed.  “This is such a pain having to hitch rides or wait for Tony to come get me.”

Gloria didn’t get out of the car at Jennifer’s place.  Instead, she waited ‘til Jennifer was safe inside her house before she backed out of the driveway. 

Mally was waiting just inside the door when Gloria opened it up. She patted her head as Puddles wandered over and wound herself around Gloria’s legs.  She was exhausted.  More than anything, she wanted to sit down and relax.  Gloria grabbed a bag of potato chips, poured a tall glass of cold lemonade and headed for the living room. 

It was still early and she had plenty of time to watch a couple episodes of her favorite whodunit series, “Detective on the Side.”

She slid into the recliner and popped the footrest out before turning the TV on.  It was good to kick back and relax for a change.  The days had been so hectic, there were times she wasn’t sure if she was coming or going. 

Tomorrow would be another busy one in between dropping off the fingerprints for testing, visiting the attorneys to discuss possible wills and stopping at the grocery to pick up supplies for her upcoming cookout Saturday night. 

She munched on the salty potato chips as she watched her show.  She’d never seen this episode before.  Joyce Jameson, the female detective, was tracking down a killer who stalked women at rest areas off busy highways.  They used Joyce herself as a decoy.  She barely made it out alive after her backup got stuck in an accident on the freeway and she had to fight off the killer by herself. 

Gloria jotted down her grocery list during commercials and by the time the show was over, she’d eaten half a bag of chips - but at least her list was done. 

She struggled to keep her eyes open for the 11:00 news but gave up just as it was airing.  She wandered into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, pulled on her pajamas and headed to bed. 

Gloria started a pot of coffee and wandered out onto the porch to grab the newspaper that was in her driveway.  She settled into the porch rocker as Mally galloped around the yard and stretched her legs. 

There was nothing too exciting in the headlines.  The topic of the month, other than the death at Dot’s place, was that their small town was getting a stop light to replace the current stop sign.  Gloria thought the whole thing a waste of money.  The stop sign worked just fine.  A stop light was major overkill.  Plus, she thought it took away from the charm of Belhaven.  Of course, no one could stand in the way of progress so she might as well just accept the fact that change, however small, was headed to Belhaven.

She opened the paper and scanned the pages.  She spied a picture of the now-familiar food critic.  What was her name?  Gloria squinted but the whole thing was a blur.  She opened the porch door, reached inside and grabbed her glasses off the table.  She popped them back on and opened the paper back up. 

She almost wished she hadn’t.  Her heart sank when she caught the critic’s headline.  “Disappointment at Dot’s.”  The write up was short, just three or four paragraphs – but the damage couldn’t have been any worse.  Amy Martola described how she ate at Dot’s the night the restaurant reopened.  She made it a point to mention the food poisoning and how the case was still being investigated.

Gloria felt her blood begin to boil as the woman wrote about mediocre lasagna and stale garlic bread.  She even mentioned her Diet Coke was flat and alluded to the fact that they must not clean the soda machines often. 

Gloria slapped the paper down on her lap.  She had a good mind to call this woman’s boss and tell them how she was related to the owner of Pasta Amore and was targeting Dot’s restaurant, Pasta Amore’s only real competition for miles around.

She stormed into the house and slammed the door.  It was then she remembered Mally was still outside.  She opened the door, stuck her head outside and hollered.  “C’mon girl.  Time to come in.”

Still seething, she grabbed the phone and started to dial the number on the “contact us” portion of the paper.  She hung up just as the line started to ring.  It wasn’t her place to fight Dot’s battle.  After all, what if Dot didn’t want her to do that?  And ratting out the reviewer might put an even bigger target on the restaurant’s back.

No. The best thing she could do for Dot was find the killer or killers and bring them to justice. 

Gloria was chomping at the bit to get the fingerprints in for testing.  She held off until 10:30 before she hopped in the car and headed to the post office.  The parking lot was packed.  She eased into a spot on the end and made her way inside. 

Ruth was busy at the counter.  She waved her to the side.  Gloria waited for Ruth to wrap up her conversation before making her way to the counter.  “Did you get it?” she whispered loudly.

Ruth rolled her eyes back and pounded her fist on the counter.  “No!  She didn’t touch a stinkin’ thing!” Ruth said.  “I tried, Gloria.  I tried.  I even asked her to check out our new book of stamps,” she said.  “You know.  The one with the picture of the Great Lakes.” 

“But the harder I tried, the more determined she was not to.  It’s almost as if she knew what I was trying to do.”

Gloria’s heart sank.  She needed a print!  “Don’t worry about it, Ruth.  Like my mother used to say,
there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
”

She headed back to her car.  There was only one way to get a print.  From Judith’s own house.

Judith and Carl lived a block back from Main Street in a tidy, one-story ranch.  The house had a decent size yard but neighbors were near enough to keep an eye on the coming and goings of one another. 

Gloria rolled past the house and white picket fence that framed the front yard.  She spied Judith’s Ford Taurus parked in front of the garage.  The door of the small metal shed out back was wide open.

A sudden movement caught her eye.  Judith was on the side of the house pruning her prize rose bushes.  Yes, Judith had a green thumb.  She entered her pink Heirloom roses in Montbay County Fair every year and almost every single time.  The only reason Gloria knew this was because Judith made a point of bringing her ribbons into Dot’s after she won.  She loved to rub it in the faces of others who entered the contest and never even placed. 

Gloria backed Anabelle into the house catty-corner to Judith’s.  The place was for sale and had been vacant through the winter.  She pulled far enough back so her car was blocked from Judith’s line of vision.  She eased out of the car and tip-toed around the side, still hidden from view. 

The lawn was overgrown and weeds ruled the neglected property.  Gloria prayed no critters were lurking nearby as she peeked around the edge.  Judith had moved.  She was working on some flowers in front of her picture window.  Gloria was close enough to hear her humming to herself as she snipped and clipped.

A thought popped into Gloria’s head. 
Didn’t someone tell her Judith was on crutches and sprained her ankle? 

Judith’s head snapped up.  She stared right at Gloria. 

Gloria yanked her head back.  Her heart started to pound.  She was certain that Judith saw her.  She stood motionless for a full minute, convinced Judith was on her way over. 

She never materialized so Gloria eased her head forward for another glance.  Judith was nowhere in sight.  The shed doors were closed.  She stood up and leaned flat against the rear of the house. 
If only she could get her hands on those pruning shears,
she thought.

A car door slammed. The sound of a car engine drifted over to Gloria. 

Could she get this lucky?
  She whipped her head around, just in time to see Judith back her sedan out of the driveway and pull out onto the road. 

Her golden opportunity to snatch the shears was at hand.  She pulled a clean tissue from her purse and bolted down the driveway.  With a quick step, she crossed the street and followed the fence line along the back of Judith’s property.  She prayed none of the neighbors were watching her through their curtains. 

Her heart thumped in her chest and her brow began to sweat.  Her hand trembled as she twisted the knob on the metal shed and pulled the creaky door open. 

There, hanging on a hook near the door, were the pruning shears.  Gloria grabbed the edge of the metal tip and slid them off.  She eased the metal door shut and headed for the fence.  She was almost to the street when she spied Carl’s truck coming from the opposite direction. 

She did an about face and prayed Carl didn’t notice her.  She darted behind the neighbor’s house and out of sight.  She waited for Carl to get out of his truck and go inside the house before she sprinted through the yard and across the street to her car. 

She yanked the back door open and laid the clippers on the seat, careful not to touch anything but the tip of the shear.  She slid in the front seat, started the car and stepped on the gas as she tore out of the driveway.  On the way to the corner, she passed Judith. 

Mission accomplished, she headed out of town towards Montbay Police Department. 

Paul stared at the pruning shears, fork and water glass.  “Who did you say these belong to?”

“The pruning shears are Judith Arnett’s.  The lady who tried to steal from Dot’s restaurant just days before the murder,” she reminded him.

She pointed at the fork and glass.  “Those two belong to Brian Sellers,” Gloria said.

“He’s my latest suspect,” she confided.  “I found out he’s buying up all the real estate on Belhaven’s main street and now he wants to buy Dot’s place.  He keeps sending her offers.”

Paul leaned on his desktop and propped his head in his fist.  “That doesn’t mean he’s a killer.”

“Dot isn’t going to sell.  He’s hounded her for months now.  Maybe he hoped she’d change her mind if business dropped off after someone died eating the food,” she theorized.

A light tap on the door interrupted the conversation.  A woman poked her head inside.  “Detective Osborne is here to see you.”

Gloria slid out of the chair.  “I’ll decide on him one way or the other after tonight,” she said.

Great, Paul thought. 
This is what he hoped wouldn’t happen.  “Let me guess.  You’re going to stake out his place.”

She shook her head.  “No.  I’m going to take a more direct approach this time.  I’m going to walk right up to his front door and ask him point blank.”

“Ask him what?”

“If he poisoned Mike Foley in the restaurant,” she explained.  “You know.  The element of surprise.  Maybe I can catch him off guard.”

Paul rubbed the back of his neck.  “That’s a different strategy,” he acknowledged.  He walked her to the front lobby.  “Give me a call after you get home.  Just so I know you’re safe.”

After a quick peck on the cheek, he held the door open and she stepped outside.  It was that precise moment, he dropped a bomb. “We have a suspect.”

Gloria spun around.  “You do?  Who is it?”

He shook his head.  “I can’t say yet.”

“Can you tell me if it’s someone I already mentioned?”

“It’s not.”

Gloria clenched her fists and shook them in the air.  “Ohhh.  This is going to drive me crazy,” she said.  “Do I know the suspect?”

Paul nodded.  “Yes and for everyone’s sake, I hope we’re wrong.”

Gloria grabbed the handrail and took a step down.  Her head was spinning. 
Someone she hadn’t considered yet?  Someone she knew? 

She reached the bottom step before coming to an abrupt halt.  What if they suspected Dot’s husband Ray?  She shook her head and dismissed the thought.  No way was it Ray.  He had opportunity - but what about motive? 

Why would the police suspect him?  Were his prints on the empty toilet bowl cleaner?  Gloria’s hand flew to her mouth.  That was it!  They had his prints on the empty container! 

She wandered into the road and the path of an oncoming car.  The horn blared.  Gloria clutched her chest as she jumped out of the way.  She mouthed the words “sorry” and scooted the rest of the way across the street. 

A stop at the first of three attorneys was next on her list.  More of what she considered to be an interview process. 

After the first meeting, Gloria had a greater appreciation for putting things in a will so someday down the road – after she was gone – what she intended to leave for her children and grandchildren wouldn’t end up tied up in the courts for years. 

She made it to the other two attorney appointments, careful to jot down notes and ask questions.

After the final meeting, Gloria decided, at least for herself, to go with the first attorney.  The woman, Patricia Caldwell.  Not that they all didn’t come across as competent and knowledgeable.  She felt she related best to her.  Maybe because she seemed more personable.  The fact that she had several pictures of her grandchildren displayed on her desk and her credenza gave Gloria a good feeling.  And Gloria almost always went with her gut. 

She had one more stop to make.  Brian Seller’s house. She hit the edge of town when Nails and Knobs, the hardware store on the corner, caught her attention.  She pulled into a spot out front and got out.  She needed propane for her gas grill and the cookout was only a couple days away.  She could kill two birds with one stone if the owner, Brian Sellers, was inside. 

She climbed the single step and pushed open the antique glass door.  The inside of the place hadn’t changed in over 30 years.  If anything, it was more charming than ever. 

The original hardwood floors creaked lightly as Gloria made her way down the center aisle.  To Gloria, the best thing about the store were the odds and ends, bits and pieces.  A little of everything.  Stuff the newer big box stores never carried.  At least the new owner, Mr. Sellers, kept the store close to its original charm.  And why wouldn’t he?  They did a very brisk business, even in a town as small as Belhaven.

She spied her target straight ahead.  He was behind a long wooden counter, ringing up a roll of porch screen. 

Gloria glanced from side to side as she made her way to the back.  There were buckets of bolts, bins of door hinges.  A sign above the cash register said, “We cut glass.”