The Root of All Evil (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 4) (7 page)

Cooper sighed, set the hose aside and wandered to the garage, where she’d left her birdhouse materials. If she could really concentrate on building something, maybe she could get her mind off of Nathan.

“Okay,” Cooper said aloud. “Let’s get this birdhouse built.”

4

Cooper woke up twenty minutes earlier than she needed to on Sunday morning, just to make sure she got to Bible study on time. She’d slept hard after working on the birdhouse all afternoon the day before, and now she felt relaxed and rejuvenated. As long as she kept her thoughts away from her relationship woes, she felt happy, too.

She was the first to arrive at church—the first of the Sunrise Bible Study Group, at least—so she set up the coffeemaker and the disposable cups and snack plates from the storage closet and put chairs around in a circle. By the time Savannah arrived, with Jake at her side, the busywork was done and Cooper was sitting quietly, reading her Bible.

“Well, well, look who’s an early bird today!” Jake jested, helping Savannah to find her chair. He gently held her hand as she sat and then squeezed her shoulder. Savannah’s white cane was tucked up under her arm in disuse. Cooper wondered if she needed it very often anymore or if Jake had taken its place.

“I didn’t want a repeat of last week,” Cooper replied. “I got up early.”

Jake set a bakery box and a bag of coffee on the table beside the coffeemaker. “You went and did all my chores! I guess I’ll be
forced
to sit and relax for a few before the crowd shows up.” He went back to his seat and slumped down. It might have been a believable fit were it not for the smile on his face.

“Poor dear,” Savannah said, playing along and gently touching Jake’s face with her fingertips. “You’ll have to keep me company.”

Jake took the hand and kissed it, right on a paint stain. “My pleasure.”

Cooper turned away, slightly embarrassed, feeling as if she were intruding on a private moment. Jake and Savannah weren’t much for public displays of affection: he held her elbow to help her around, but that was the extent of it. In fact, Cooper had begun to wonder if they were actually dating or if they were just friends enjoying some harmless flirtation.

Now she felt she had her answer. They were serious, but they were private.

Realizing that her continued averted gaze was awkward, Cooper rose and went to the table to see what Jake had brought. He was no cook, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. He usually brought something from the bakery or, if he was in a hurry, the gas station display case. Cooper opened the bakery box to find an assortment of donuts—glazed, powdered-sugar-coated, maple, chocolate and jelly—all cut in half and ready to share. They were still warm, the sweet smell wafting out of the open box and directly to Cooper’s nose. She drew in a deep breath.

“That’s a nice way to wake up,” she mumbled. Jake had also brought chocolate Kona coffee, and Cooper spooned it into the coffeemaker and started the brewing process. While she waited, she snuck a jelly donut half.

“Do I smell powdered donuts over there?” Savannah asked.

Cooper looked over her shoulder and smiled at the two of them, a glob of jelly at the corner of her mouth, her lips covered in white powdered sugar.

Jake slapped his knee and laughed. “Coop, you may want a napkin to go with that jelly donut. Would you like a powdered one, Savannah?”

“Please! And coffee, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Wouldn’t mind at all, pretty lady.”

Cooper returned to her seat with a cup of coffee and a napkin, and as she finished her snack, more Bible study members arrived, first Quinton, then Trish—on the arm of her husband, Phillip, who hurried off to an elder meeting. Bryant came next, and finally Nathan. As they were about to begin, in sauntered an unexpected guest. It was Edward Crosby, in jeans and his leather jacket.

“Edward!” Cooper exclaimed as she rose to meet him. “You came!”

“Well, I told you I’d think about it.”

“I thought that was a polite way of shutting me up.”

“It was. Kind of.” Edward smiled. “But I did think about it, and, well, if I want to keep my nose clean, what better place to be?”

Nathan stood and shook his hand. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Donuts are on the table over there,” Jake said, sans introduction. He and Quinton had both met Edward during a previous “investigation,” when Edward and Cooper were trying to find a drug kingpin by winning a pool contest. Jake and Quinton were backup. Jake continued, “Good to see you again!”

“Yeah, nice to see you, too. I think I’ll check out those donuts.” Edward went to the snack table and nonchalantly gestured for Cooper to join him as everyone continued to chat. He looked back at all the people and spoke in a low voice. “I know I’ve met that guy . . .”

“He’s Jake,” Cooper replied. “And the portly gentleman is Quinton. You’ve met him, too. But don’t worry about it, Edward. I’ll introduce you to everyone else. I’m just glad you came!”

“I hope I’ll be as glad as you are.”

“Aren’t you happy you came?”

“I’ll let you know when it’s over.”

When Edward had a plate and coffee and had taken a seat beside Nathan, the Sunrise members went around the circle, each introducing himself or herself to the newcomer. Halfway through their introductions, a woman in her fifties appeared in the doorway.

“Dear me, I’m late!” she said, putting her hands to her cheeks and shaking her head in dismay. She wore a pale blue dress and a broad-brimmed white hat with a matching pale blue ribbon around it. Her orthopedic shoes squeaked against the tile floor. Her hair was perfectly white, surrounding her face with lose curls and giving her the look of someone much older. Her arms and hands, though, were strong and her smile was vivid.

Savannah turned to the door, squinting. “Ms. Donna, is that you?”

The woman in question grinned, went to Savannah and squeezed her hand. She had a limp that favored her right leg and a hunch to her shoulders. “You guessed right, sweetie.”

“No guessing needed,” Savannah replied. “You smell like rosemary, same as last week. Everyone, this is Donna Linley . . .”

“But everyone calls me Ms. Donna,” the woman interjected.

Savannah continued. “Last week was her first week at Hope Street Church, and I invited her to give our little group a try.” She turned to look up into Ms. Donna’s beaming face. “I’m so pleased to see you again.”

“I’m the one who’s pleased, sweetie,” Ms. Donna said, sitting in the empty seat beside Savannah. “Been far too long since I opened the Good Book and had some good fellowship. But I see I’ve gone and interrupted. Please, please, continue!”

“We were just introducing ourselves for the sake of another visitor,” Cooper explained. “This is Edward’s first visit, too.”

“How nice that I’m not the only one!” Ms. Donna exclaimed.

Edward nodded toward her coolly, his expression unreadable.

“Is it the limp, sweetie?” she asked, trying to determine the source of his discomfort. “I was in a car accident years ago. Instead of going to a physical therapist, I was stubborn and decided I’d be fine on my own. Now I’m stuck with a limp and a hunch for the rest of my life.”

Edward replied with a disinterested, “Oh.”

Ms. Donna went on. “Maybe you all could just go back to the beginning again, for my sake. If that’s not too much trouble . . .”

“Not at all,” Quinton assured her. “I’ll start.”

Again, they went around the circle, each saying his or her name and a hobby or interesting fact. Edward was impassive, but Ms. Donna nodded kindly at every comment. Her eyes moved over each person, as if she were trying to drink it all in. When Edward had his turn, he simply said his name and refused to elaborate. He studied Ms. Donna with a calculated stare, but she just smiled back until it was finally her turn.

“You all seem like such
lov-e-ly
people. As Savannah here said, I’m Ms. Donna Linley. I recently moved to Richmond from Dubuque, Iowa.”

“That’s a long way from home,” Trish commented. “What brought you out here?”

“Family. But there’s a funny story! I made quick plans when my daughter told me her husband was laid off. I was coming to Richmond to help watch the grandkids, so she could look for work at the same time he did to make sure the family was in a good place financially.”

“Awfully kind of you,” Jake said. “Not a lot of mothers would pick up and leave everything for the sake of their adult children.”

“My daughter and my grandkids are my life,” Ms. Donna replied. “It didn’t seem like a burden to me. It was an . . . opportunity. Yes, that’s the word. I gave my landlord notice, packed everything and prepared to move. Then, two weeks ago, when I was just about to start my travels, my daughter called. Jenny—my daughter—said that her husband found a new job, and she wasn’t going to have to look for work.”

“Wonderful!” Bryant exclaimed. “Glad to hear it all worked out so well!”

Cooper nodded. “Not many people can find a job so quickly.”

Ms. Donna hesitated. “Don’t rejoice just yet. You see, as it turned out, the new job’s in Jacksonville. Jacksonville, Florida. The company wanted Bob—my son-in-law—right away, so off they went to Florida. I’d already made all the arrangements, so I went ahead and came to Richmond. Seemed like time for a change of scenery, anyway. By the time I got here, Jenny, Bob and the kids were already on their way.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Cooper wasn’t sure what to say. It was a heartbreaking story, and the look in Ms. Donna’s eyes nearly brought tears to her own. Savannah reached over and took Ms. Donna’s hand. “We’ll help you work through this, Ms. Donna.”

Ms. Donna smiled gratefully. “I appreciate that. And don’t think I’m not happy for them. I certainly wouldn’t have taken that job from my son-in-law for the world. Once I got here, though, I found myself wishing I’d stayed in Dubuque. I had a home I loved, friends I enjoyed, a whole life. I don’t rightly know anyone in Richmond, since Jenny’s not here anymore.”

Cooper leaned forward. “So what happens now? Will you stay in Richmond? Or will you move to Jacksonville?”

“For the time being I’ll stay here. Jenny told me she’d let me know when they’ve settled into their new house. If they find a place big enough, I might even be able to go live with them. That’s the future, though, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. I’ve just got to get through the days one at a time!”

“That’s not a bad idea, Ms. Donna,” Savannah said. “Matthew chapter six, verse thirty-four. ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’”

“And don’t I know it!” Ms. Donna laughed. “More and more trouble every day! Sometimes I swear I feel more like ninety-six than fifty-six. If it ain’t my back, it’s my knees. And if it ain’t my knees, it’s my hip. There are days when I think my whole body is gonna fall to pieces!”

Everyone laughed.

“I know about aches and pains!” Trish added. “But my little ones are so young, I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to have grandchildren.”

Ms. Donna grinned. “They’re a handful, but they make you feel younger. They help with some of the aches and pains. They’d just love this church you all have. Or is this a school?”

“Both,” Jake answered. “Hope Street Church and Hope Street Christian Academy.”

“It’s a wonderful setup,” Ms. Donna observed. “All this space to work with.”

Savannah laughed. “For us, it’s a great space. For the school, it became almost too much. Children would go hide in the chapel instead of going to class, so the school had to install a set of double doors that remains locked except on Sundays and during school functions and extracurricular activities. While we have Bible study in a classroom—and other groups meet in other rooms—the worship band practices before the service.”

“Well, I’m glad to have found you!” Ms. Donna beamed. “Now then, what are you studying?”

They dove right into Bible study, picking up where they’d left off the week before. Today, Savannah led the group in discussing how people in a church are supposed to support and encourage one another. Both Ms. Donna and Edward remained silent throughout, and when the first notes of music signaled the end of study time and Savannah prayed, Edward was out the door like a shot. Before he disappeared, he turned back to Ms. Donna, his eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare.

Cooper hurried out after him, pulling him aside and waiting until the others passed. She whispered, “What was that about?”

Edward looked her straight in the eye, his jaw set stubbornly. “What was what about?”

“That!” she said, motioning toward the room. “You looked at Ms. Donna like you wanted to punch her in the face! And I never took you for the sort that would assault a woman.”

Edward glanced both directions. They were alone. “I don’t trust her.”

“Why not?”

“I just . . . I just don’t trust her.”

Cooper responded with an exasperated sigh, to which Edward shrugged.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked.

“Something rational.”

With that, he spun on his heels while shaking his head and disappeared around the corner. Cooper was about to walk after him, when she heard his voice again. He was talking to someone else. Then, she heard Pastor Matthews’s voice.

“If anyone can get through that thick skull,” Cooper muttered, heading back into the classroom, “Pastor Matthews has my vote.”

She was expecting the science room to be empty, but she entered to find Nathan still sitting in his seat.

“You left your stuff,” he said. “I figured I’d wait for you. Is everything okay?”

Cooper forced a smile.

“You still look upset.”

“It’s just that Edward somehow gets under my skin, and even though I shouldn’t, I let him irritate me.”

Nathan laughed, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her gently on top of her head. “Just relax,” he said softly. Cooper let herself do just that in his warm, strong arms. Nathan continued. “He wants to get under your skin. It’s what he does. It’s his area of expertise.”

“That’s for certain.” Cooper forced herself to separate from Nathan, and she scooped up her belongings. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite so aggravating.”