Bully in the Burbs (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 8) Read online

  The five of them climbed into Greg and Jill’s car. Gloria squeezed in the backseat, smack dab in the middle of her grandsons. The drive to town was short and she didn’t mind being squished between two of her favorite people.

  It was just shy of 5 o’clock and the dinner onslaught had not yet begun. The five of them wandered in the front entrance and made their way to the back.

  Dot spied the group and after a quick stop in the kitchen, made a beeline for the booth, water glasses in hand. She also had two chocolate milkshakes – one for Tyler and one for Ryan.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins,” Tyler said.

  “Yeah, thanks!” Ryan reached for his milkshake, grabbed the straw and then took a big sip. “We’re rich,” he informed Dot.

  Dot chuckled. She tucked the empty tray under her arm. “You’re rich? Can I borrow some money?” she teased.

  Ryan nodded. “Yep. You can borrow some from Grams, too.”

  Dot winked at Gloria. She knew all about the money. The whole town of Belhaven was talking about the girls’ newfound wealth. Heck, all of Montbay County was abuzz!

  Dot was happy for her friends. If anyone deserved to have fortune smile down on them, it was Gloria!

  “We’re gonna buy a new house,” Tyler said.

  Gloria raised a brow. She didn’t think the boys had listened to their conversation. She remembered a saying her mom liked to quote, “Little pitchers have big ears.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Dot said.

  “I’m starving,” Tyler stuck the bottom of the menu in his mouth and chewed the corner.

  “Stop that!” Jill grabbed the menu and yanked it out of his hands.

  Dot covered her mouth to hide her grin. “Our special today is all-you-can-eat-tacos.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Gloria hadn’t bothered looking at the menu. She knew the entire menu by heart.

  “I’ll have tacos, too,” Ryan piped up. “I can eat at least seventeen,” he predicted.

  Gloria tapped the tabletop with her fingernails. “Are you sure that’s all? You said you were starving.”

  Ryan ran his hand over his cropped locks. “Yeah…make that twenty.”

  “Got it,” Dot nodded solemnly and winked at Gloria. “Tacos for everyone?”

  Gloria wondered if Dot was using Alice’s spicy recipe that she had shared with her not long ago.

  Alice was her friend, Andrea’s, former housekeeper and new roommate. She made some mean Mexican dishes that Gloria adored but that didn’t adore Gloria quite as much.

  She decided to splurge and try them anyway. After all, they were tacos. How deadly could lettuce, tomato, cheese and a little meat be?

  Dot jotted down their order and headed to the back. Gloria turned to Jill. “Will you stay in Green Springs?” Jill had mentioned several times that they would like to move to the larger town of nearby Rapid Creek.

  Greg and Jill exchanged a glance

  “I’m sure you need to talk it over,” Gloria said.

  “I don’t wanna move,” Ryan whined as he kicked the bottom of the booth.

  Tyler lifted his shake and took a big gulp that left a chocolate moustache on his upper lip. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “Me either. I want to live in our house forever!”

  “We’ll discuss this later.” Jill gave the boys one of those “don’t-mess-with-mom” looks and the boys grew silent.

  Gloria frowned. She had hoped the money would be a blessing, not divide their family!

  Thankfully, the food arrived and they got off the subject of a new house and onto Paul and Gloria’s upcoming wedding. She had already decided that her youngest grandson, Ryan, would be ring bearer while her two older grandsons, Tyler and Oliver, would be ushers.

  Ariel, Gloria’s only granddaughter, would be the flower girl.

  Although she didn’t plan to have a large wedding – just family and friends – she wanted her grandchildren to be part of it and feel important.

  Jill spooned hot sauce on her taco and lifted it to her mouth. “Have you decided on a location?”

  Gloria frowned. She hadn’t gotten that far in the planning stage. She could have Pastor Nate marry them at her church, the Church of God in Belhaven. They had planned a winter wedding, over the holidays, when all of Gloria’s children would be in town.

  She had two months to work out the details and in the meantime, make room for Paul to move in. They had decided to divide their time between Paul’s farm a few miles away and Gloria’s farm, just outside the small town of Belhaven.

  With the money from the sale of the coins, she had decided to take care of some much-needed repairs on her old place, including a fresh coat of paint and new flooring. The farmhouse’s electrical and wiring had never been updated. James, Gloria’s first husband, had said years ago that he was concerned that the old wiring was a fire hazard.

  Paul’s family farm was in similar condition and she had offered to do some updates on his place, as well.

  Other than that and a nice honeymoon, she wasn’t sure how to spend the rest of the money. Maybe she could set it aside for a rainy day or an emergency.

  “I’m not sure where the wedding will take place,” Gloria confessed, “I guess we should decide soon.”

  Jill waved a hand. “Oh, you’ve got plenty of time, Mom. You have a whole ten weeks or so,” she teased.

  Beads of sweat formed on Gloria’s brow. Ten weeks? That was it?

  Jill recognized the look on her mother’s face. She reached over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll help out.”

  Dot was back and had overhead the tail end of the conversation. “We’ll all help, Gloria. Don’t stress yourself out over this.”

  They were right. Gloria’s close-knit group of friends would give her a hand.

  Dot lifted the dirty plates and piled them on her tray. “Why don’t you have it at Andrea’s place?”

  Gloria’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Andrea had a lovely tearoom inside her newly remodeled home. It would be perfect for a winter wedding!

  After dinner, the five of them wandered to the car and Greg drove back to the farm. During the short drive home, the boys begged Gloria to let them spend the night but Jill was firm. Tomorrow was a school day and they needed to be in their own beds.

  “How about a week from Saturday night? I need someone to help rake all those leaves in the yard. I’ll even pay you.”

  Tyler shot as far forward in his seat as his seatbelt would allow and grabbed his mom’s shoulder. “Can we, Mom? Can we stay at Grams?”

  Jill glanced at her mother. “If she wants you to.”

  The matter was settled. The boys would spend the night and help rake the yard, burn leaves and still have plenty of time to play in the tree fort. It would work out perfectly since it might be the last chance Gloria had time to spend with them before the holidays and life got too hectic.

  Gloria hugged each of her grandsons before she climbed out of the car. She watched the car disappear from sight before she headed to the back porch.

  It was still early evening but already dark. The days were growing shorter and although she welcomed the changing season and looked forward to the months ahead, she wished the daylight hours lasted a little longer.

  Gloria prayed for her children as she locked the porch door behind her. She prayed that God would find them the perfect house.

  Change was hard, particularly for young boys who would have to move away from friends and everything familiar.

  Chapter 3

  The days flew by as Gloria arranged for electricians to inspect both Paul’s farm and her farm. She brought in several local companies to give her quotes to replace the worn linoleum in the kitchen and bath and to put down new wood floors in the dining room.

  Greg and Jill had previewed several homes in Rapid Creek and her daughter had called her mother the day before yesterday to let Gloria know that the offer on the home they had fallen in love with had been accepted.
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  Jill was excited to have her mom look at the home and Gloria couldn’t wait to see it. Even the boys started to get excited after they saw the place. They would each have their own room instead of sharing a room.

  Gloria pulled Annabelle into Jill’s drive and parked off to the side. It was the middle of the week and the boys were in school. The plan was for Gloria and her daughter to look at the house then have lunch together to discuss the upcoming move.

  The closing date on the house was exactly one week before Thanksgiving. A lot needed to happen in a short amount of time and Gloria had offered to do whatever it took to help her family.

  A harried Jill met Gloria at the door.

  Gloria peeked over her shoulder. The house was in shambles. Boxes filled every inch of available space, leaving only a small path from the door, through the kitchen and beyond.

  “You don’t want to go in there,” Jill warned.

  Gloria believed her. She herself hadn’t moved in years but she had helped plenty of friends and moving was one of Gloria’s least favorite things to do. That and paint.

  Her plan was to live on the farm until she breathed her last. The kids would have to worry about the rest.

  Jill grabbed her car keys and she followed her mother to the car. Green Springs, where Jill currently lived, was a short ten-minute drive to the new house in Rapid Creek.

  The town of Rapid Creek was both charming and historical. Many of the town’s original structures remained. A small, touristy area lined the side of the creek and at the end of the shops was an old flourmill a local had turned into a popular restaurant and bakery, The Old Mill.

  In the summer, a small livery rented canoes, kayaks and inner tubes to area residents who were brave enough to plunge into the icy waters of the clear, cool creek.

  When Gloria was young, such a place didn’t exist. Instead, they made do with old tire tubes that they would drag to the edge of the water and then hop in from the banks of the river.

  They drove past Main Street, crossed over the river and headed up the hill to the other side of town where several small neighborhoods had sprouted up in recent years.

  Jill steered the car to the right and into one of the neighborhoods, “Highland Park.”

  “I still can’t believe the deal we got on this place,” Jill chattered excitedly, “four bedrooms, two full baths and even a half bath, plus a two car garage. The lot is almost a quarter acre and the house is less than ten years old.”

  Jill turned down a side street, “Pine Place.”

  “It even has a stone fireplace in the living room!”

  They pulled into a drive near the end of the cul-de-sac. “Here it is!”

  The front of the house was brick.

  The first thing Gloria noticed was the large picture window in front, covered by an expansive porch, perfect for a pair of rocking chairs.

  Jill reached for the door handle. “I can’t wait to show you the inside!”

  Gloria was that they were spending the money wisely. “How much did you say this house cost?”

  “Only $125,000. Can you believe it? Houses in this neighborhood are selling for closer to $200,000.”

  Gloria had prayed about finding the right place. It appeared as if God had answered her prayers.

  The real estate agent had given Jill the code to unlock the lockbox that hung on the front door knob. She punched in the code, pulled out the key and unlocked the front door.

  A small foyer opened up into a large living room with vaulted ceilings. Tall, cherry-stained bookshelves flanked a large, stone fireplace.

  Light oak covered the floors and continued into the kitchen and dining room, all open and within view of the living room. It was a popular, modern floor plan and a good fit for Jill and the boys. Her daughter could keep a close eye on them from the main living area.

  On the other side of the kitchen was a small hall that led out to the garage. A laundry room was off to the left of the kitchen and a small half bath to the right.

  Jill pointed to the bath. “This will be perfect to keep the boys from running through the house with dirty shoes.”

  Gloria nodded to the laundry room. “You can strip ‘em down at the door.”

  They wandered back into the kitchen. Gloria ran her hand lightly across the dark granite counters. They were beautiful. The kitchen was an ample size and sported a large center island with enough room for several barstools.

  The kitchen appliances were all stainless steel and looked almost new.

  Gloria spun around. “I love this kitchen.” She touched the counters again, “especially these countertops.”

  “You should put them in your kitchen,” Jill told her.

  It was a thought. The granite was beautiful. The counters she had now worked just fine but James had put them in back in the 70’s and they were apricot orange. Through the years and the kids, they had accumulated several chips and scuffs, and many memories along the way… “Perhaps I don’t need new ones after all,” she decided.

  They started to pass by the kitchen on their way to the bedrooms in the back when something on the back counter caught Gloria’s eye. It was a sheet of paper, folded in half. “What’s that?”

  Jill shook her head. “I don’t know. What is it?”

  Jill stepped to the counter and picked up the paper. She opened it up. Gloria peeked over her shoulder.

  “Beware! This house is cursed. Death awaits.”

  Jill released her grip on the note and it fluttered to the floor. “What in the world?”

  Gloria slipped her reading glasses on, bent down and picked up the note. “Someone is trying to scare you.”

  “Someone that has been in this house.” Jill glanced around nervously.

  Gloria didn’t reply. She walked over to the service door that connected the garage to the kitchen and twisted the knob. The door was locked.

  Next, she stepped into the laundry room and pushed up on the window sash. Locked.

  She moved from room-to-room, checking each window and door. The entire upper floor was secure; the girls descended the center staircase to the lower level, and stepped into the walkout basement.

  Gloria flicked the lights on and gazed around the room. It was an enormous, open area, perfect for her grandsons to play and roughhouse without breaking anything.

  Gloria’s ears burned at the thought that someone was trying to scare her family from buying the house! She marched across the room and down a long hall. At the end of the hall was a large bedroom. She stomped over to the window, grabbed the sash and yanked. The window easily lifted. Cool, fall air rushed in.

  Jill shuffled in behind her.

  Gloria turned. “See? Someone snuck in and left that note, hoping to frighten you.”

  Jill shivered and rubbed her upper arms. “They did a good job.”

  Gloria pulled the window closed and clicked the lock in place. They checked the rest of the windows then headed back up the stairs.

  Jill led her mom through the garage and service door into the back yard. Two large, oak trees sat near the back. Off to one side were the remnants of a garden. A tiered wooden deck that looked brand new covered the back of the house.

  They wandered back through the garage and into the kitchen. “Do not let this scare you, Jill.”

  Jill frowned at the note, still on the counter. “I’m going to call the real estate agent as soon as I get home. Maybe she knows something about this house or neighborhood.”

  She folded the note and shoved it into her purse. “I knew it was too good to be true!”

  The girls stopped at The Old Mill to grab a bite to eat. Jill picked at her food. Gloria knew the note bothered her daughter. She tried to reason with her but once Jill got something in her head that was it. She would agree or go along with what you said, but all the time her plan was to do the complete opposite.

  The entire trip back to Jill’s place, Gloria tried to convince her daughter it was nothing.

  Gloria followed Ji
ll into the house. “Call the agent so you can clear this up and quit worrying.”

  Jill dialed the number and put the phone on speaker. Luckily, the agent was in the office and it was a short time before her agent, Sue Camp, picked up the line. “Hello Jill,” a cheery voice greeted them.

  “Hi Sue. I have you on speaker. My mom and I just came back from the house.”

  “Oh good! I’m sure your mother approves of the lovely home.”

  “She does,” Jill agreed, “but now I’m not sure anymore.”

  The cheer turned to alarm. “You’re kidding. Why not?”

  Jill explained how they found the note on the counter. She told the real estate agent what the note said and that they discovered an unlocked window on the lower level.

  Gloria jumped in. “Gloria, here. This house has been on the market for a long time. At that price and as nice as it is, someone should have snatched it up long ago. Is there something we should know?”

  There was a long pause on the other end, so long that Gloria thought the line had disconnected.

  “Hello? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I’m still here. There has been an issue with this particular home,” Sue Camp admitted.

  Chapter 4

  Jill tugged on a loose strand of hair. “Wh-what kind of issue?”

  “Several other buyers have gone to contract on this house, only to back out days later.”

  “Because?” Gloria asked. Getting this woman to talk was like pulling teeth!

  “Oh, threatening notes and other small nitpicky things.”

  “Such as?” Gloria prompted – again!

  “Desumbap.” Unintelligible reply.

  “What did you say?”

  There was a heavy sigh on the other end. “I said some dead, rotting animals keep popping up on the porch.”

  There was more - Gloria just knew it. “Anywhere else?”

  “The deck out back and in the garage.”

  Gloria had never met Sue Camp, but the woman was starting to get on Gloria’s last nerve. “Surely a couple dead animals and threatening notes have not scared buyers to the point that they cancelled.” Gloria had another thought. “How many buyers have walked?”