Cozy Mysteries Women Sleuths Series: Box Set III: Books 9-12 Read online

  Based on the quotes a local contractor had given her and after he walked the property with Loretta, they determined they would have enough room to add five trailer pads.

  She watched Uncle Ichabod from the window as he climbed into the golf cart and drove off. It was time for her to check in on Hannah.

  Chapter 6

  Loretta found the young girl in the laundry room, folding a pair of khaki shorts. There were several neatly folded items stacked on top of the dryer. When Hannah saw Loretta, she quickly placed the items inside her bag.

  “Hi Hannah. I thought I would stop by to check on you,” Loretta said as she stepped closer.

  Hannah swiped a stray strand of hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “I-I cleaned the clubhouse in the back and was going to start cleaning the kitchen as soon as I finished my laundry.”

  She slid the bottle of laundry soap across the washer. “Thank you for letting me borrow the laundry soap.”

  Loretta nodded. “You’re welcome Hannah. Do you have any questions?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “The other reason I stopped by was to invite you to dinner. We’re eating around six.”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “I…”

  “We’re having fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.”

  Hannah still hadn’t replied so Loretta took it as a “yes.”

  “We’ll see you at six, then? You can come in through the back door. The kitchen is beyond the laundry room,” Loretta explained.

  Hannah nodded.

  Loretta smiled and stepped out of the laundry area. She stopped by the small office on her way back to the house.

  Lacy had returned to work and was sitting at her desk. She glanced up when Loretta walked through the door. “Where’s your sidekick?”

  Loretta stepped behind her desk, set the laundry detergent on the corner and slid into her chair. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re jealous, Lacy Sweet.”

  “I’m not jealous,” Lacy insisted. “I just don’t trust her.”

  Uncle Ichabod passed by the front door and parked the golf cart in front of the window. He peeked in the window and when he spotted Loretta, made his way inside.

  “Someone has been messing around in my surveillance room,” he announced.

  Uncle Ichabod had built a surveillance room in the back of the clubhouse. The room was tucked away in the corner and no one knew of its existence except for a handful of people – Loretta, Lacy and Savannah Dogwood, one of the Breezy Point residents, who was also Loretta’s friend.

  Loretta knew her uncle was careful to keep the door locked. “How do you know?” she asked.

  “The cameras facing the front of the property were turned off,” he said.

  Uncle Ichabod had an expansive set of cameras, which recorded every angle of the property…the house, the entire trailer park, the clubhouse, the office and last but not least, the teepees and common areas in the front.

  “That’s odd,” Loretta remarked. “No one has ever gotten in there and messed with anything before. Are you sure the door was locked?”

  Uncle Ichabod shook his head. “I can’t be one hundred percent certain. I thought I locked it.”

  “It’s probably your new employee, Hannah,” Lacy said.

  Loretta frowned, hoping Lacy was wrong. Hannah had told her she’d cleaned the clubhouse. Had she gone into the room and tampered with the surveillance equipment? If so, why?

  Lacy jumped out of her chair. “I’ll go ask her right now,” she said.

  Loretta beat her to the door and blocked the exit. “Stay out of it, Lacy,” she warned. “I’ll handle it.”

  “Fine!” Lacy shouted as she pushed past Loretta and swung the door open. “I hope we don’t all end up dead!”

  Loretta watched Lacy cross the parking lot, march down the sidewalk and disappear inside the house. She hoped by the time her sister returned she would have cooled off.

  “I hope she’s not right, Loretta,” Uncle Ichabod said. “We don’t need to be inviting trouble into our home.” He quietly walked out the door and climbed into the golf cart.

  Loretta watched him leave. What possible reason could Hannah have for tampering with Uncle Ichabod’s equipment? If she had tampered with his equipment, she hadn’t turned off all the cameras, just the ones in the front…the ones used to keep an eye on the office, the house…and the teepees.

  She sucked in a deep breath and settled in behind her desk. Loretta needed to figure out Hannah’s story before Lacy and Uncle Ichabod forced the girl to leave.

  Chapter 7

  Hannah arrived at exactly 5:58 p.m. Loretta had been keeping an eye out for her as she mashed the potatoes and cooked the ears of corn. She had spent the afternoon mulling over how she could talk to Hannah without causing her to clam up.

  Loretta opened the door and waved Hannah inside. “Dinner is just about ready,” she said.

  “Can I help?” Hannah asked.

  “Sure.” Loretta pointed to a kitchen drawer. “You’ll find silverware in that drawer, and glasses and plates in the cabinet directly above it.”

  She turned her attention back to the potato mashing but kept one eye on Hannah. The girl seemed calm. She wasn’t pocketing silverware or stealing glasses.

  Without asking, Hannah placed napkins on the table, filled several glasses with ice water and placed them around the table.

  Lacy stalked into the room right after Loretta finished warming the chicken and placing the food on the table. She gave the young girl a dark look.

  Loretta narrowed her eyes and glared at her sister, who chose to ignore the look, and eased into a chair on the end.

  Uncle Ichabod emerged from the living room. “Something smells good.” He turned to Hannah. “Hello young lady.”

  Hannah smiled shyly. “Hello.”

  “I hope you’re hungry. Have a seat.”

  Hannah cautiously eased into the closest chair and lowered her gaze, her long hair falling across her face as she fiddled with the fork next to her plate.

  Loretta took the seat to the left of Hannah while Uncle Ichabod sat opposite Loretta.

  “Let’s pray,” he said.

  They clasped their hands and bowed their heads. “Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for this food. We pray you bless it to our bodies to keep us strong. Thank you for bringing Hannah to us, Lord, and we ask for blessings in her life. Amen.”

  “Amen.” Loretta lifted her head and gazed at the girl.

  Hannah’s expression grew somber and a small tear trickled down her cheek. She quickly swiped it away and reached for her water glass.

  The look wasn’t lost on Uncle Ichabod or Loretta, who exchanged a quick glance across the table.

  Lacy either didn’t see or didn’t care as she leveled her gaze on the young girl. “So Hannah. Where are you from?”

  Loretta kicked her sister under the table.

  “Ouch!” Lacy gave her sister a death look.

  “The fried chicken is delicious,” Uncle Ichabod blurted out to which Loretta smiled. “The chicken is the only thing I didn’t make.”

  “True.” He frowned and turned to Hannah. “I was back in the clubhouse earlier. You did a real fine job of cleaning it up,” he complimented her.

  There was no mention of the cameras being turned off and Loretta was thankful he didn’t mention it. She didn’t want the girl to think they were ganging up on her.

  Loretta bit into her drumstick, the crispy coating and salty goodness almost melting in her mouth. “If you want, Hannah, you’re more than welcome to go to church with us Sunday morning. We attend the First Baptist Church of Misery, which is just down the street. Services start at 9:30.”

  Hannah fiddled with her mashed potatoes, picked up a small forkful and put them in her mouth. “That would be nice,” she finally answered in a small voice. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  Lacy leaned forward. “You’re not…”

  “No need
to worry about it,” Loretta cut her sister off. “Why don’t you and I run over to the local thrift store tomorrow and look for a dress?” She smiled and quickly turned the conversation to the food, and then the weather.

  The others finished eating but Hannah left most of her food on her plate. “I’m not that hungry. Do you mind if I wrap this up and take it with me for later?”

  Loretta couldn’t imagine not being hungry. The girl had eaten early that morning but as far as she knew, she hadn’t eaten anything else, unless she had finished off the hamburger from the Corner Café.

  “Of course not!” Loretta popped out of her chair, made her way over to the cupboard and brought back a paper plate and roll of plastic wrap. “Would you like to take an extra piece or two in case you’re hungry later tonight or in the morning?”

  Hannah nodded. “I-yes. That would be great.” She shifted her leftovers from the dinner plate to the paper plate while Loretta pulled a chicken breast and drumstick from the box and placed them on the edge. She added an extra scoop of mashed potatoes and then covered the entire plate with plastic wrap.

  There was still almost an entire box of chicken left and Loretta placed the box inside the fridge. She dropped two dinner rolls in a plastic bag and placed everything in an empty grocery sack. “Would you like a Coke or bottled water to wash it down later?”

  Hannah shifted nervously. “I don’t…”

  “Of course you do,” Loretta said. “Here.” She reached inside the refrigerator, grabbed a bottled water and Coke, and put them in another plastic grocery bag before handing both bags to Hannah.

  “Thank you Ms. Sweet.”

  “Loretta,” Loretta said. She walked her to the door. “If you need anything else before we turn in for the night, just knock on the door.”

  Hannah nodded and silently slipped out into the evening air. Loretta watched until she disappeared around the side of the office building as she made her way to her teepee.

  Lacy stood next to her. “She’ll never want to leave if you keep feeding her and giving her a free place to live, not to mention buying her clothes.” She planted her fist on her hip. “We’re not running a shelter.”

  Loretta stared at her sister and quoted one of her favorite Bible verses.

  “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,” Matthew 25:35 NIV

  “God commands us to help others, Lacy. If you were Hannah, I would do the same thing for you, even with your crappy attitude.”

  Loretta turned on her heel and headed upstairs before she said something to Lacy she might regret.

  Chapter 8

  Early the next morning, Loretta flung her second story bedroom window open and stuck her head out, her daily ritual to gauge the day’s weather. Hot, humid air warmed her face while the aroma of blooming magnolias wafted up.

  She had spent a restless night worrying if Lacy, and perhaps even Uncle Ichabod, had been right and she had invited a criminal to live on the property.

  Loretta had hoped Hannah would open up about herself the previous evening during dinner, but she had been less than forthcoming.

  Perhaps if she could get her one-on-one and kind of segue into a conversation about Hannah’s life. The least she could do was to try.

  First, Loretta had several errands to run. At the top of the list was to drop by Misery’s small library to return several books she had checked out. Although the library was small, Loretta loved to hang out there. She was even tossing around the idea of volunteering her time to sort books and perhaps work at the information desk.

  Iris Huggins, the full-time librarian, was behind the desk when Loretta stepped inside. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

  Loretta stepped over to the desk and dropped the books in the return slot. “I’ve had my hands full.

  Iris nodded. “Heard you’re thinkin’ about addin’ on to the back of Breezy Point. Tess always talked about it, too. Never got around to it.”

  “Tess,” was Tess McCoy, Lacy and Loretta’s aunt who had passed away and willed her home, Breezy Point, the trailer park, along with the teepee rentals, to the girls, not to mention Uncle Ichabod. He wasn’t “willed” to the girls but rather part of the package deal.

  Loretta leaned an elbow on the counter. “I was thinking about creating a memorial garden for Aunt Tess. I could plant her favorite flowers and bushes, and maybe put in a small fountain.”

  Iris smiled. “Tess would love that. Why, I do believe she’s smiling down on you. She sees how well you’re taking care of not only her investment, but also her beloved Ichabod.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. I guess I’ll check out the new books before I head back home.” Loretta made her way over to the “New Arrivals” section and perused the selection.

  There were several mysteries she’d been waiting for and quickly snatched them from the shelves before making her way back to the checkout desk.

  “This book is a good one.” Iris pointed at the newly released hardcover mystery on top of the pile. “Don’t read it right before going to bed or it’ll keep you up all night.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Loretta said. “Say, I was wondering if you were still looking for a little part-time help around here.”

  Iris brightened. “Yes ma’am. We’re coming into our busy summer season now. I can use an extra hand, especially on Saturdays. Are you looking to volunteer? I need help now.”

  “Yes and I can start right away. Would Saturday be soon enough?”

  “Perfect!” Iris stamped the date inside the book and shut the cover. “How does nine o’clock sound? That way I can show you around before it gets busy.”

  Loretta promised to arrive at nine Saturday so that Iris could show her the ropes, grabbed her new books and headed for the exit.

  When she got home, she spent an hour working on the business’s books and then headed to the front porch swing to read.

  Lacy still hadn’t emerged from her room by noon for her usual morning nagging and Loretta grew concerned. She placed her book on the porch chair and headed inside.

  Uncle Ichabod was in the living room watching television. “Have you seen Lacy?”

  Uncle Ichabod placed the remote on his lap and shook his head. “No. I haven’t seen her. Now that you mention it, it has been pleasant and peaceful all morning.”

  Loretta cast a wary glance toward the stairs. “I better go check on her.” She walked across the living room and made her way upstairs and into the hall.

  Lacy’s bedroom door was closed. She lightly tapped and waited. Nothing.

  She knocked a little hard. “Lacy, are you in there?” Loretta heard a small noise so she grasped the handle and slowly opened the door.

  Lacy was still in bed, curled up in a ball. The room was dark and the shades drawn tight. The soft whir of the floor fan was the only sound.

  A clump of brown hair swirled around on the pillow. “I’m sick,” Lacy moaned as she lowered the covers and peeked at her sister. “One minute I’m sweating and the next I’m freezing.” She rolled over. “I hurt all over.”

  Loretta took a step forward but not too close. “It sounds like you have the flu. I’ll bring you some water and if you’re hungry, some soup.”

  “Just the water,” Lacy whispered. “I’m not hungry.”

  Loretta couldn’t recall the last time Lacy had been ill. Loretta was always the sickly one and Lacy the one with an impenetrable immune system.

  Loretta quietly closed the door and tiptoed down the hall.

  The last thing she needed was for her…or worse yet, Uncle Ichabod, to catch the flu.

  Uncle Ichabod looked up when Loretta descended the stairs. “Is Lacy okay?”

  “I think she has the flu so stay away.” Loretta walked toward the kitchen. “I’m going to get her some water and maybe some aspirin.”

  She reached into the cupboard for a wa
ter glass and aspirin and then headed to the fridge for some ice. After filling the glass with water and ice, she headed back upstairs.

  Lacy didn’t move when Loretta quietly made her way inside. She could hear soft snores coming from the bed so she set the water and the aspirin on the nightstand next to the bed and made her way out. “Lord, please heal Lacy. I hate to see her sick.”

  When she returned to the living room, it was empty. Loretta found Uncle Ichabod in the kitchen. “Would you like a sandwich? I’m fixing a BLT with a small salad for a side.”

  “What about the leftover fried chicken instead?” Loretta opened the refrigerator door and reached inside. The box of chicken was gone. In its place was a baggie and inside the baggie were two small chicken wings. “Oh. I thought we had almost a full box of chicken leftover from dinner last night. Did you get hungry and raid the fridge in the middle of the night?”

  Her uncle shook his head as he spread a thick layer of mayo on the toasted bread. “No. I thought you ate it. The dinner rolls are gone too.”

  “That’s odd.” Loretta picked up the clear baggie and stared at the chicken wings. “I doubt Lacy ate the food.” Lacy wasn’t a midnight muncher, not only that, she was sick and hadn’t been hungry.

  Loretta shrugged her shoulders. Maybe they were imagining there was extra food left. “I guess I’ll have a BLT, too.” She helped her uncle assemble the sandwiches before mixing two small bowls of salad and carrying them to the table.

  She eased into the seat next to Uncle Ichabod and watched as he placed his napkin in his lap and clasped his hand. They bowed their heads. “Dear Lord, thank you for this food and bless it to our bodies. We pray that you heal Lacy and protect Uncle Ichabod and me from getting sick. We pray for young Hannah and ask for help in locating her family. Amen.”

  “Amen.” Uncle Ichabod lifted his head and reached for his sandwich. “I saw her head to the clubhouse bright and early this morning,” he commented. Uncle Ichabod was an early riser. More often than not, Loretta would find him sitting on the front porch, sipping his coffee and watching the sun come up.