Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy Read online

  Eye Spy

  Garden Girls

  Cozy Mystery Series Book 5

  Hope Callaghan

  http://hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2015

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

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  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: http://hopecallaghan.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Spaghetti Pie

  About The Author

  Chapter 1

  Gloria Rutherford couldn’t believe the day she was having! She woke up, threw a load of laundry in the washer and then turned it on before heading outdoors with her dog, Mally. When she came back in a short time later, her floor was covered in a half-inch of water. Something she at first, didn’t notice.

  Mally, of course, went into the kitchen before Gloria. As soon as her paws hit the linoleum, her legs went out from underneath her and she ended up in a wet heap in the middle of the kitchen floor. Gloria tried to rescue her poor mutt as she stepped onto the floor and reached out to upright her. It didn’t take long for her to go sailing along the kitchen floor herself. She ended up on the floor, right next to her beloved dog.

  Thankfully, neither one of them were hurt. All that was injured was their pride. Gloria could just imagine how ridiculous the two of them looked, sprawled out on the floor, covered in warm, sudsy water.

  Gloria had two choices. She could laugh or she could cry. As she looked down at her sopping-wet clothes, she started to giggle, which quickly dissolved into fits of laughter.

  Her cat, Puddles, peered around the corner to see what all the commotion was about. He stuck one paw on the wet floor and quickly jerked it back. He licked his wet paw and slunk off. There was no way he was going anywhere near the mess!

  Mally pulled herself up onto all fours and proceeded to do the heavy-duty doggy shake to rid herself of some of the sudsy water. She did a pretty good job. Gloria’s kitchen cupboards, fridge and stove became coated with the same soapy mess.

  Gloria dropped down onto her hands and knees and crawled over to a kitchen chair. She grabbed hold of the chair and then lifted herself up. She was halfway up when she felt her feet start to give out. She dropped back down to her knees and headed to the porch door. “C’mon, Mally.”

  With one hand on Mally’s collar and the other on the doorknob, she was able to pull herself to her feet and wriggle out onto the porch. “You stay out here ‘til I get this mess cleaned up,” Gloria told her.

  She turned to walk back inside the disaster zone when she realized the bottom of her shoes were something akin to ice skates. Ones with nice, sharp blades. So she slid out of her squishy shoes, peeled off her soaked socks and waded through the kitchen to her washer and dryer, which were tucked neatly away inside a large closet on the far wall.

  She pushed the knob in to shut the power off. She unplugged both appliances from the wall before gliding across the kitchen floor to the dining room. The water had made it just to the edge of the floor and only the teeniest bit of carpet in the dining room was wet, much to Gloria’s relief.

  In her bedroom, Gloria peeled off her wet clothes and pulled on an old pair of shorts and t-shirt she wore when she puttered around the house.

  Back in the kitchen, she pressed up against the wall, then the counters as she made her way across the kitchen in search of her mop and bucket.

  Clean-up was tedious and tiring as she tossed bucket after bucket of sudsy water off the side of her porch and into the grass below.

  The task was nearing completion when Gloria’s kitchen phone rang. She almost didn’t answer it but changed her mind at the last minute. And it’s a good thing she did. It was her neighbor, Patti Palmer. Patti and her husband, Jess, had a large farm just down the road.

  “Hi, Gloria. I’m sorry to bother you,” Patti apologized. “I thought you would want to know that Mally is down here at our place.”

  Gloria glanced out the window to where she’d tied Mally earlier when she started her kitchen clean-up. Sure enough, there was no sign of her naughty dog.

  Patti went on. “Anyways, she’s dragging her leash behind her so I figured you didn’t know she was loose.”

  “I had no idea, Patti!” Gloria set the mop aside and reached for her keys. “I’m on my way!”

  “That’s great,” Patti replied. “She’s chasing the chickens around the chicken yard right now.”

  Gloria’s face turned red. “Oh my gosh, Patti! I’m so sorry. I’ll be right there!” Gloria hung up before Patti had a chance to reply.

  Gloria hopped in the car and roared off down the road. Gloria offered up a small prayer of thanks that Mally hadn’t been hit! The road was one of the main roads that led into their small town of Belhaven and Gloria knew some of the drivers that flew by were not even close to obeying the speed limit!

  Patti was waiting on the porch when Gloria pulled in. Off to the left of the house was the chicken coop, which caught Gloria’s attention right away. Mainly because tufts of feathers were swirling around in the air. As soon as she opened the car door, she could hear the chickens squawking and a dog barking.

  In the midst of all the chaos was Mally. She was having a grand old time chasing the birds around the pen.

  Gloria marched over to the pen, opened the latch and stepped inside. Mally was so caught up in her fun, she didn’t see Gloria coming.

  Mally raced right by Gloria as she made another dash for one of the terrified birds. Gloria reached out and grabbed hold of Mally’s leash. Mally ran until the leash ended. She came to an abrupt stop, then looked behind her.

  When Mally saw Gloria standing there with one hand on her hip and the other holding the leash, she dropped her head and slunk over to where Gloria was standing by the gate. She let out a low whine and dropped down on all fours. “You are in big trouble, sister!” Gloria told her.

  Much to the chicken’s relief, the two of them exited the fenced-in area and walked over to the porch where Patti was watching. Patti covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin.

  “Apologize to Patti right this minute,” Gloria told her errant pooch.

  Mally dropped down on all fours and buried her head in her paws. She let out a tiny “ruff.”

  Gloria looked from Mally to her neighbor. “I am so sorry. I hope their feathers didn’t get too ruffled out there.”

  Patti made her way down the steps and walked over to where Mally was still crouched on the ground. “It’s okay. I’m glad she didn’t get hit by a car!”

  She started to pat Mally’s head when she realized the dog was covered in a thick coating of dirt. “Wow! I didn’t realize the inside of our chicken yard was that dirty!”

  Gloria shook her head. “It’s not. Mally was wet from earlier.”

  Patti looked up as Gloria sighed. “It’s a long story. My kitchen floor got flooded when my washer spru
ng a leak. I was finishing the clean-up when you called.”

  Gloria’s eyebrows furrowed as she surveyed her filthy dog. “And now I can add one more thing to my to-do list.”

  She apologized to Patti one more time before she headed to the back of her car. She pulled an old blanket from the trunk and made her way over to the passenger side of the car. She opened the door and spread the blanket on the seat. Mally settled on the blanket as Gloria slid into the driver’s seat. The smell of ripe barnyard manure filled the small space. Gloria rolled down the window and covered her nose with her free hand. “My goodness you smell awful!”

  Apparently Mally didn’t seem to think so. She thought all was forgiven as she leaned over and swiped the side of Gloria’s face with her wet tongue. “Mercy, you stink!”

  As soon as they got back to the farm, Gloria tied her dog to the porch railing and headed to the garage to find Mally’s bathtub.

  She added picking up a heavy-duty leash to her to-do list as she dragged the tub across the lawn and over to the porch.

  The morning skies were bright and blue. It was the beginning of a beautiful summer day. A perfect day to give Mally a bath.

  As soon as Gloria untied Mally, she sprinted to her tub and jumped inside. Mally loved taking a bath. Gloria made quick work of scrubbing her down and hosing her off.

  Mally tried to hop out of the tub as soon as Gloria turned off the hose. Gloria could tell from the look on her face she was headed straight to the garden – and the dirt.

  “Whoa!! Oh no you don’t!” She led Mally into the house before heading back outdoors. She put Mally’s tub back in the garage and hung the hose on the hook attached to the side of the house.

  Gloria brushed her hands off and headed up the steps. It was time to look on the bright side of things. Her kitchen floor was sparkling clean and so was Mally.

  She grabbed the door knob and started to open the door when she heard the “toot” of a car horn. She whirled around and watched as Lucy’s bright yellow jeep pulled into the drive, which struck Gloria as a bit odd. Lucy wasn’t one to show up unannounced.

  Lucy stepped out of the jeep. She shoved her bright red sunglasses on top of her head and wandered over to the porch. Lucy wrinkled her nose as she gazed at her best friend’s state of disrepair. “What on earth did you get into?”

  Gloria glanced down at her shirt. Clumps of mud from Mally’s romp in the chicken coop clung to the front of her shirt.

  Gloria leaned over the porch rail and flicked the stinky stuff off. “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through this morning!”

  Lucy pinched her nose. “Whew! Whatever it was, it smells to high heaven!”

  She unplugged her nose and took a step back, out of the smell zone. “Have you been into town yet?”

  “Town” was the small town of Belhaven where Gloria lived. Gloria shook her head. “No, but I’m headed that way once I get cleaned up. I need to stop at the hardware store to see if Brian can help me out with my washer. I think the hose broke.”

  “Something’s going on at the post office.” Lucy settled back against the side of her jeep. “I can’t be 100% positive, but it looks like undercover cops are inside. At least they look like undercover cops.”

  Lucy went on. “I tried to go in but the door was locked. I caught a glimpse of Ruth behind the counter. She had her back to the door and was talking to some guy I didn’t recognize.”

  “Ruth” was Ruth Carpenter, one of the girls’ closest friends and head postmaster at their small post office in Belhaven. She had worked there for as long as Gloria could remember. Ruth loved her job. She was the unofficial gossip of the group and her job was the perfect fit to keep tabs on all the town folk.

  Gloria frowned at Lucy. That didn’t sound good. Not good at all. “I better get down there and see what’s going on,” she said.

  Lucy climbed back into her jeep. “Keep me posted if you find anything out,” she said. She wrinkled her nose again. “I’d change out of those clothes first, if I were you,” she advised.

  Gloria pulled her shirt forward and surveyed the damage. It was even worse than she thought. “Ugh! I think it’s time to throw these things out.”

  And Gloria did just that. Right after she got out of the shower, she shoved them into a plastic grocery bag and promptly dumped them in the trash can. The one she kept outside.

  Mally eyed Gloria from her doggie bed that was tucked back in the corner of the kitchen. “You’re on probation,” she warned Mally.

  Gloria grabbed her keys from the hook, her purse from the kitchen chair and opened the porch door. Mally thumped her tail and let out a low whine. “Not today,” she explained. “You’re still damp from the bath and I don’t want you getting into any more dirt.”

  Gloria locked the porch door before climbing into her car.

  The drive to town didn’t take long. Gloria’s farm was in the country but still close to everything. Perfect for her to enjoy her small piece of serenity yet still be close to her friends.

  Gloria veered into the post office parking lot. She slid the car into an empty spot out front. Lucy was right. There were at least four unmarked police cars parked off to the side. Gloria slid out of Anabelle and made her way to the door.

  Through the window, she could see several people milling about inside. One of them was behind the counter, talking to Ruth. Gloria could tell by the look on Ruth’s face something was wrong. Her face was pinched and drawn. Her usual happy-go-lucky smile was replaced with a somber frown.

  She must’ve heard Gloria try the knob – which was still locked. She gave Gloria a slight shake of her head before she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.

  Gloria left her car in the parking lot and walked across the street to Dot’s. Dot Jenkins was another of her close friends. Dot and her husband, Ray, owned Dot’s Restaurant, the only sit-down restaurant in Belhaven.

  She stepped inside. The restaurant was buzzing. Gloria could almost guarantee everyone inside was wondering what in the world was going on across the street at the post office.

  Dot saw Gloria as soon as she stepped through the door. She crooked her finger and motioned her to the back of the restaurant.

  Gloria followed Dot into the kitchen, out of earshot of the restaurant patrons. “Something is going on over there at the post office!” she whispered in a loud voice.

  Gloria nodded and glanced back over her shoulder, through the large picture window, which had a perfect front and center view of the post office. “I know. I tried to go in but the doors are locked.”

  Dot peeked around the side of Gloria’s head. “Yeah, it’s been like that all morning!”

  “Poor Ruth. You should’ve seen the look on her face,” Gloria said. Her heart went out to her friend. Something bad had happened and it looked like Ruth was right in the thick of it.

  Holly, Dot’s part-time employee, popped her head through the pass-thru. “You all talking about what’s going on across the street?”

  Gloria nodded. Holly came up beside them. “Yeah, that’s what everyone else is talking about. Wondering what’s going on…”

  Gloria glanced at her watch. “I have to run down to the hardware store. My washer flooded the kitchen this morning and I’m going to see if Brian can help.”

  Brian Sellers was the owner of Nails and Knobs, the town’s hardware store. He was a friend of Gloria’s. He was also dating Andrea Malone, the young woman that Gloria had taken under her wing after her husband was murdered and Gloria helped track down his killer. “I’ll stop back before heading home.”

  Gloria smiled at a few familiar faces as she made her way out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk to the hardware store.

  The bell tinkled as Gloria stepped inside. Brian was focused on something in front of him on the counter. When he finally notice Gloria, a bright smile beamed across his handsome face. “Today’s my lucky day. Seeing one of my favorite Belhaven residents first thing in the morning!”

>   Gloria hopped up on a bar stool in front of the counter and set her purse beside her. “I wish I was here for a friendly visit but I’m not.”

  Brian leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table. “Let me guess. You’ve already started on the post office investigation!”

  She shook her head. Then it dawned on her. Brian, at one time, had been a circuit court judge. He probably had a pretty good idea who the men inside the post office were.

  “Now that you mention it, what do you think’s going on inside the post office?”

  Brian drummed his fingers on the wooden top and stared at the ceiling tiles. “Well…it’s not local or county detectives, I can tell you that much.”

  He cupped his chin in his hand and glanced over at a customer shopping in the front of the store. The man was digging through a bin of bolts. “I’d have to guess maybe the DEA or FBI,” he said in a low voice.

  Gloria sucked in a breath and leaned back. “Hmm.”

  The customer was headed to the counter. Gloria sat quietly on the stool while Brian rang up his purchase.

  She waited for the man to leave before asking another question. “What about the FBI? What kind of stuff do you think they’d be here for?”

  “Now that could be just about anything! But for investigating a post office, I’d have to say maybe some kind of theft. Like internet or retail theft,” he speculated. “Of course, it could also be drug trafficking. You know, through the mail…”

  Brian reached behind him and poured a cup of coffee from the pot. He slid it in Gloria’s direction. She lifted the cup and took a sip. It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet, which reminded her of her real reason for being there.

  “How handy are you?” she asked.

  Brian grinned. “Handy as in ‘fix-it’ handy?”

  Gloria nodded. “Yeah. My washing machine flooded the kitchen floor this morning. That’s the real reason I’m here.”

  “Sounds like a broken line,” he guessed. “I can come by after work tonight and take a look at it.”