Look Into My Ice (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 12) Read online

  Ryan sucked in a breath and pulled. His fingers popped out of the grate.

  He held his fingers up for a closer inspection. “I think they’re broken,” he sniffed.

  Gloria gently lifted his hand and studied the angry red slash that marked the spot where the fingers had been stuck. She gently bent both fingers. “No. They just got pinched.”

  Tyler placed a hand on his hip and gazed down at his younger brother. “You shouldn’t have stuck your fingers so far down.”

  “You did the same thing,” Ryan insisted.

  “Boys!” Gloria refereed. “Let’s see if we can get this grate off.”

  The boys, their argument quickly forgotten, leaned close as Paul made his way to the corner. He placed the flat end of the crowbar under the edge of the grate and leveraged his weight against the long end.

  The grate wouldn’t budge.

  Paul reached for the hammer. He began to tap on the end of the crowbar. “It’s starting to give.”

  Gloria, still sitting on the floor, inched forward.

  Paul removed the crowbar and shifted to the other side. “We better loosen this corner, too.”

  Once again, he placed the flat end of the crowbar under the edge of the grate and tapped on the long end with the hammer.

  The grate visibly shifted.

  “I think we’re making some progress.” Paul shifted back to the other side and repeated the process until the ends broke free.

  He carefully lifted the grate and set it off to the side.

  They all leaned forward and gazed into the drain. Inside the drain were several coins, along with a metal object.

  Gloria plucked the metal object from the drain and rolled it over in the palm of her hand. It was a button. “Well, I’ll be. It says ‘Rutherford and Sons,’” she whispered.

  Sudden tears burned the back of Gloria’s eyes. The button was from a pair of farm overalls that not only had her first husband, James, worn, but also James’s father and grandfather. It had been years since she’d seen one of the buttons, let alone the overalls.

  Gloria tucked the tiny treasure in her pants pocket and blinked back sudden tears.

  The boys had already gathered up the coins and began inspecting them. “These are just some dirty old pennies,” Tyler scoffed.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Gloria warned. “We should take them inside and clean them up.”

  Tyler and Ryan handed the dirty coins to Gloria, who dropped them in her pocket next to the treasured button.

  Tyler reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a round, tarnished metal object. “We found this over in the corner.”

  Chapter 6

  They all turned their attention to the metal trinket. It reminded Gloria of a vase. She reached out and took the object from Tyler, holding it up for closer examination.

  A thick layer of gray dirt coated the exterior. Gloria ran her finger around the outer rim and then blew on the top.

  “It looks like an old spittoon,” Paul remarked.

  Gloria wrinkled her nose as she twisted it between her fingers. “You’re right. Now that I think about it, James’s father chewed tobacco.”

  “What’s a spuddune?” Tyler asked.

  “It’s a spittoon,” Gloria corrected. “Years ago, instead of smoking tobacco – or cigarettes – it was popular to chew tobacco. People used these spittoons to spit the chewed tobacco in.”

  Ryan wrinkled his brows and stared at the spittoon. “Gross. That’s disgusting!”

  Paul took the spittoon from Gloria. “Back in the day, folks didn’t know how dangerous it was to chew or smoke tobacco.”

  “My grandmother and grandfather used to chew tobacco,” Gloria told her grandsons.

  Tyler’s eyes widened in horror. “You didn’t chew tobacco, did you Grams?”

  Gloria grinned and shook her head. “No, Tyler. I did not.”

  The boys finished inspecting the drain. When they were certain there were no more “treasures” to be found, Paul replaced the grate and hammered the corners down.

  After ensuring the grate was in place, he stood and brushed off the front of his slacks. “Any more hits on the metal detectors?”

  Tyler’s shoulders slumped. “No. We checked the whole barn.”

  Ryan lightly tapped the tip of the metal detector on the cement floor. “Uh-uh. What about Mally? She was beeping.”

  Mally, who had been sniffing the perimeter of the barn’s interior, heard her name and trotted over.

  Ryan switched his metal detector on and ran the wand over Mally. The detector began beeping and increased in beeps as Ryan placed the end against her abdomen.

  Gloria frowned and then turned to Paul. “You don’t think she ate the key ring?”

  Paul had placed a leather key ring on the corner cabinet near the kitchen table earlier that morning. Fortunately, there were no keys on the ring, but the leather ring was missing.

  “Mally, did you swallow the key ring?” Gloria shifted on her crutches.

  Mally whined and thumped her tail.

  Gloria reached down and patted her head. “We better go inside and call the vet to see what he thinks.”

  Paul waited for Ryan, Tyler, Gloria and Mally to step out of the barn before pulling the barn doors closed and placing the padlock on the door.

  Paul headed to the workshop and Gloria and the boys headed to the house. When they got inside the kitchen, Gloria made a beeline for the home phone. Ken Bailey, Mally’s vet, was on Gloria’s speed dial.

  The call went directly to voice mail. Gloria briefly explained the situation and asked the vet to call her back as soon as possible.

  “We’re hungry,” Ryan announced, when they reached the house.

  Gloria had thawed two plastic baggies filled with pulled pork barbeque she’d made in her crockpot a few days earlier.

  She put Ryan and Tyler in charge of setting the table while she kept one eye on Mally, looking for signs that she had eaten something she wasn’t supposed to.

  Mally, meanwhile, kept a close eye on the boys, hoping one of them would give her a treat.

  Gloria made her way over to the freezer, opened the door and peered inside. She grabbed an unopened bag of tater tots. Balancing the tater tots bag in one hand, she hobbled across the room.

  She turned the oven on, dumped the tater tots on a cookie sheet and spread them out.

  The kitchen phone began ringing.

  Tyler reached for the phone. “You want me to answer the phone Grams?”

  Gloria nodded. “It’s probably Dr. Bailey.”

  “Hello? Just a second.” Tyler covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Yep. It’s Dr. Bailey.” He walked over to his grandmother and handed her the phone.

  “Hello Doctor Bailey. Thank you for calling me back.” Gloria briefly explained for a second time her concern that Mally had swallowed not only the leather part of the key chain but also the metal ring.

  She told the vet how the boys had gotten a ping from a metal detector when they placed it near her stomach.

  Dr. Bailey spoke. “Is she acting unusual? Does she seem to be in pain?”

  Gloria gazed at her beloved pooch, who was standing next to Ryan with her mouth open, begging for a treat. “No. She acts peppy. Her appetite seems good.”

  “You can bring her in for an x-ray if you’re concerned. We’re open until five.”

  “I-I think I will. We will be there around one.” She could take the boys with her. She hung up the phone and turned her attention to the task at hand, anxious to finish lunch and get to the vet.

  Paul stepped into the kitchen just as she was getting ready to call him inside for lunch.

  “Your timing is impeccable,” Gloria remarked. “I talked to the vet and told him I would feel better if he took an x-ray of Mally, just to make sure she hadn’t swallowed the key ring.”

  Paul hung his jacket on the hook near the door, plopped down in the chair and pulled his boots off. “Do you want me to go with you?”
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  Paul had committed to security detail for the rest of the week. Today was his only day off. “The boys can go with me,” she said.

  Paul made his way to the kitchen sink, washed his hands and reached for a paper towel. “I don’t mind.”

  Ryan pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. “We can go with Grams.”

  Paul gazed at Ryan thoughtfully. “I’ll let you three go, then,” he said. “As long as you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure,” Gloria said.

  They settled into the chairs around the table and Paul eyed the large bowl of pulled pork. “Looks delicious,” he said before they all bowed their heads to pray.

  Paul prayed over the food and Gloria added the ending. “Please watch over Mally until we can get to the vet.”

  “Amen!”

  Gloria reached inside the bread bag, grabbed a hamburger bun and passed the package to Ryan, who took two buns and handed the package to his brother.

  It was a good thing she’d thawed two packages of leftover pulled pork. She had forgotten how much the boys could eat!

  Gloria kept her attention focused on Mally the entire time she ate. When she finished eating, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it on top of her empty plate.

  Paul, noting her concerned expression, reached over and squeezed her hand. “You go on ahead to the vet. I’ll stay here and clean up.”

  “You’re sure?” she asked.

  “Yep. I’m positive.” Paul nodded.

  “Okay. Thanks.” She made a quick trip to the bathroom. The boys and Mally were waiting by the door when she returned.

  Paul had pulled the car out of the garage and parked it next to the steps.

  Gloria gave her husband a quick kiss. “Thanks. We’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  Although the veterinarian was in Green Springs, which was only about a twenty-minute drive from the farm, the trip seemed to take forever.

  Forecasters had predicted the winter storm would start early the next morning and Gloria was relieved the roads were still clear.

  The vet’s parking lot was nearly empty and when they got inside, there was only one person seated in the lobby.

  Gloria hobbled to the desk. “Hi. I’m Gloria Ru-Kennedy. I spoke with Dr. Bailey a short time ago on the phone. He said I could bring my dog, Mally, in for an emergency visit. We think she may have swallowed something.”

  The dark-haired woman nodded. “He’s in the middle of an exam but shouldn’t be long.”

  Gloria settled into the chair closest to the front. Mally flopped down on top of Gloria’s feet and she leaned over to study her pooch.

  Mally didn’t appear to be in pain but Gloria knew she wouldn’t be able to rest or focus on anything else until she was certain Mally wasn’t in any danger.

  “Mally?”

  Dr. Bailey appeared from around the corner. Mally scrambled to her feet and began wagging her tail as she trotted to him.

  When she got close to the vet, he reached down and patted her head. “Don’t you know that the only thing you’re supposed to eat is dog food?”

  Gloria glanced at her grandsons. “You stay here.”

  Mally and Gloria followed the vet down the hall and into an examination room.

  “What did you do to your leg, young lady?” The doctor asked Gloria as they made their way into the room.

  Gloria rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story.”

  “Another investigation?” he teased. Gloria had met Dr. Bailey some time ago, after her friend, Margaret, and she had taken a trip to the Smoky Mountains to chase after Gloria’s sister, Liz.

  During the trip, which included a visit to their long lost relative, Aunt Ethel, Mally had been shot and Gloria had taken her to an area hospital emergency room for treatment.

  When she returned to Belhaven, Mally and she visited Dr. Bailey so he could check on her wound.

  “You could say that,” Gloria admitted.

  The doctor set the clipboard he was holding on the counter nearby, rested both hands on top of his legs and bent down to Mally’s level. “Well? What have you got to say about all of this?”

  Mally licked the side of his face. He laughed and patted the top of the examining table. “Hop up here so we can take a picture of you,” he told the dog.

  Gloria’s beloved pooch tilted her head and stared at the vet but didn’t budge. Dr. Bailey reached inside his lab coat and pulled out a doggie treat. He held the treat so that it dangled over the top of the examining table.

  That was all the persuasion needed as Mally promptly jumped up on the examining table and took the treat from the vet’s hand.

  Dr. Bailey turned to Gloria as he reached for a lead apron hanging on a hook nearby and slipped it over his head.

  “I’m going to take the x-ray now. Wait just outside and I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

  Gloria nodded and then hobbled into the hall.

  The vet closed the door behind her.

  Gloria leaned her back against the hall wall, closed her eyes and prayed. “Please God. Protect Mally.”

  The door popped open and Dr. Bailey stuck his head around the corner. “You can come back in now.”

  Gloria limped into the room, her gaze shifting to her beloved dog, who looked quite comfortable lying on the table. She lifted her head and thumped her tail when she saw Gloria.

  “I’ll be back shortly with the x-rays,” the doctor said as he exited the room.

  Gloria paced, or more like limped, back and forth across the small examination room, anxious for the results.

  The doctor stepped back into the room a short time later holding a set of x-rays. “I have some good news and some bad news.”

  Chapter 7

  Dr. Bailey held one of the x-rays up to the ceiling light and pointed at the center. “See the small, round object?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that the size of the key ring?”

  Gloria narrowed her eyes and studied the object. “Yes. Yes, I think it is.”

  Dr. Bailey held the second x-ray to the light. “This is a different angle but you can see the round object there.”

  Gloria nodded. “Now what?”

  “The good news is the ring is still inside her stomach. Mally hasn’t started trying to digest it…yet. The bad news is that it has to come out.”

  Gloria’s heart began to thump loudly and her stomach churned. “H-how?”

  Dr. Bailey set the x-rays on the counter, grabbed a notepad and pen near the back of the counter and began scribbling on the notepad. “This is the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of the ring. It works like a charm…99.9% of the time.”

  “Will we have to wait for her to pass it?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. She’s going to have to throw it up.”

  Gloria pulled on the bottom of her sweater and gazed at her dog.

  Dr. Bailey continued to scribble on the piece of paper. When he finished, he ripped the sheet from the pad and handed it to Gloria. “Mix these ingredients together but don’t add the hydrogen peroxide until the very end.”

  He went on. “This should work but if it doesn’t, call me.”

  “If it doesn’t work…” Gloria’s voice trailed off.

  “Then we’ll have to surgically remove the ring.”

  Gloria glanced at the paper, folded it in half and tucked it in her purse.

  “Like I said, it works almost all the time,” Dr. Bailey said. “Just make sure you’re outside because when she throws up, there won’t be any warning.”

  Dr. Bailey signaled for Mally to hop off the examining table. “C’mon girl. Time to go home.”

  Mally and Gloria followed Dr. Bailey to the waiting room. “If she won’t eat the squash, flax seed and meat, a simpler recipe is one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide for every ten pounds Mally weighs. Mix it with a little vanilla ice cream.” He set Mally’s chart on the counter. “Either way, give me a call.” He reached down and patted Mally’s head.

 
“Will do.” Gloria placed her purse on the counter and waited while the receptionist finished the paperwork.

  “Today’s office visit will be fifty dollars,” the woman said.

  Gloria reached inside her purse, pulled out her wallet and handed the woman her debit card.

  The woman scanned the card and then handed it and a receipt to Gloria.

  “What did he say Grams?” Ryan came up beside Gloria and tugged on her elbow.

  “The vet found a ring in Mally’s tummy. We have to make her a special concoction to eat so that she’ll throw it up.”

  Gloria glanced at her beloved pooch. Poor Mally. She didn’t look like she was in pain… Of course, she wasn’t trying to digest the ring - yet.

  When they reached the car, the boys and Mally hopped in the back seat.

  Gloria started the car and glanced in the rearview mirror. “We’ll have to stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple things.”

  She decided to purchase the items on the list at the large supermarket in Green Springs. The Quik Stop in Belhaven might not have what she needed.

  Gloria pulled the car into an empty parking spot, shifted into park and shut the engine off. She pulled the doctor’s handwritten recipe from her purse. “Squash, flax seed, a small amount of liver or fish and hydrogen peroxide. As a backup plan, we’ll get some vanilla ice cream.”

  “I hope they have flax seed,” Gloria muttered as she reached for the door handle. “Mally, you’ll have to stay here.”

  The boys climbed out of the backseat and the three of them made their way inside. Luckily, Gloria was able to find a small packet of flax seed. She grabbed the other ingredients, and then they stopped in the frozen food section for a quart of vanilla ice cream.

  Tyler watched as his grandmother set the ice cream in the shopping cart. “Can we get some chocolate syrup to squirt on top?”

  “And M&M’s?” Ryan asked.

  Gloria let the boys each pick out one topping for the ice cream before they headed to the checkout lane.

  After the clerk bagged the groceries, Ryan picked up the bag with the squash and flax seed while Tyler grabbed the ice cream and toppings.