Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings Page 6

  “That means from the time you sampled the dumplings around eleven and the first order was served to Mike Foley and his wife, someone dumped poison in the pot,” Gloria theorized.

  Jennifer grabbed a pen from the center of the table and began tapping it on the table top. “Yeah, it had to be while Dot was down at the store.”

  “How long was Dot gone?” Gloria asked.

  Jennifer gazed at the ceiling as she thought about it. “I’d say ten minutes. Fifteen tops.”

  “Which would mean someone was lurking outside the back of the restaurant between 11 and 11:30, saw their opportunity to sneak inside and dump the poison in the pot and then escape out the back door without ever being seen.”

  This was progress. Gloria had the timeframe narrowed down for the poisoning and how the killer gained access to the restaurant.

  Jennifer glanced out the back slider again. Her husband was walking down the path towards the house. “Tony’s coming,” she said.

  Gloria got out of the chair and pushed it back under the table. “Is there anything else that sticks out in your mind?”

  Jennifer shook her head. “The rest is a blur. I was busy waiting other tables when Dot brought the dumplings to the table.”

  Jennifer walked her to the door just in time for Tony to head indoors. He smiled when he saw Gloria standing in the living room.

  Tony was a handsome young man. Well, young to Gloria. He had to be in his mid to late 30’s by now. His sandy brown hair was parted on the side and combed back over his ears. Clean cut. That’s how Gloria would describe him. He reminded her of her own two sons that she never got to see anymore.

  Her oldest son, Eddie, lived in Chicago with his wife. They didn’t have children and to hear them talk, they never would.

  Her middle child, Ben, lived in Houston, Texas with his wife, Kelly and their twins. Ariel and Oliver or Ollie as the called him. The family made an effort to come back for a visit every summer but missed last year. The kids were into almost every kind of sport imaginable and they couldn’t break away, even for a couple days.

  Ben and Kelly offered to pay for Gloria’s plane ticket if she wanted to come visit but Gloria didn’t care to fly too much.

  The last time she talked to Ben, he warned her this summer might be another no-show for them. Gloria already decided she would make a trip to Texas this summer if they couldn’t come home. If not, her grandkids wouldn’t remember who she was!

  Tony brought her back to earth when he leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “What’s the special occasion?” he smiled. “No. Let me guess. You’re investigating the poisoning over at Dot’s place.”

  Gloria grinned. “Guilty as charged.” She turned to glance at Jennifer. “I hoped Jennifer might remember something important from the other morning.”

  Tony turned to his wife. He reached over and squeezed Jennifer’s arm. “The whole thing shook her up. What a tragedy,” he added.

  Jennifer grabbed the handle on the screen door and pushed it open. “I wasn’t much help. About the only thing I remembered is what time I got to the restaurant and how the first thing I did when I got there was try a small bowl of dumplings myself. They were delicious.”

  Gloria and Mally stepped onto the deck.

  Tony and Jennifer followed them outside. “I wish I could remember more. Something that would help,” Jennifer confessed.

  Gloria hugged her. “No, you were a big help. Now I know the timeframe the pot was poisoned and that whoever it was came through the back kitchen door.”

  Jennifer walked to the railing as Gloria made her way down the steps. “You think they’re going to open the restaurant back up anytime soon?”

  “I hope so.” Gloria shrugged. “I know you can use the money and Dot needs to stay busy and not dwell on this.”

  Jennifer and Tony were still standing on the deck as Gloria backed out of the driveway. She gave a small wave before pulling Anabelle onto the main road.

  Her mind was in high gear. The killer knew exactly what he was doing and had the perfect time frame to commit the crime. And killing someone with a common household cleaning product that couldn’t be traced back to a specific person was genius.

  Gloria parked in her drive and made her way out to the mailbox. She pulled a small stack from the box and rifled through it as she made her way towards the house.

  Halfway through the stack, she spied an envelope with her name and address neatly printed on the front. She flipped the envelope over and pried it open. Inside were three sheets of paper. She unfolded the sheets. There was a small yellow sticky stuck on top. The print was too small for Gloria to read without her glasses.

  She and Mally walked onto the back porch. Gloria grabbed the newspaper off the steps before making her way into the kitchen. She dropped the paper on the table and reached for her reading glasses.

  She read the sticky note on top of the papers first. “Gloria, I hope this note finds you in good health. Sandy signed the waiver releasing her rights to the coins. Here are your three originals.” The small note ended. “Keep in touch. I’d love to hear what you all did with your coins.” The note was signed, “David Henderson.”

  Gloria pulled the sticky off the sheet and read the words. She didn’t understand most of the mumbo-jumbo on it. But she did understand the part that said Sandra McGee waived all rights and claims to the gold coins David Henderson, Gloria Rutherford, Margaret Jenkins and Elizabeth Applegate found on the Henderson property.

  Her hand shook as she folded the pieces of paper and stuffed them back inside the envelope. They were one step closer to being able claim a small fortune!

  She picked up the phone and called her sister, Liz, first. “Hello?”

  “Hey Liz, it’s me. Guess what I got in the mail today?” Gloria asked. “Sandra McGee signed off on any claim to the coins!”

  “No way!” Liz let out a shriek and dropped the phone. Gloria pulled the phone from her ear as it clattered to the floor.

  Liz was back. “You still there?”

  “Yep. I have three signed releases in my hot little hands,” Gloria confirmed.

  “That’s great! I’ve been checking out different places where we can sell the coins,” Liz said. “I also did a little research on the coins themselves. I think they’re worth even more than what we originally thought.”

  Gloria’s heart fluttered. “H-how much?” They still weren’t out of the woods as far as the coins were concerned. There was still a chance the government could try to lay claim to the coins like they did to the family in Pennsylvania that the coin appraiser told them about.

  “Millions. As in more than one,” Liz said. “When do you want to get together to go over this stuff?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to work on my part yet,” Gloria admitted. “I’ve been too busy trying to figure out who poisoned a customer at Dot’s restaurant.”

  “I heard!” Liz exclaimed. “That’s just terrible. If anyone can figure out who did such an awful thing, it’ll be you!”

  Gloria grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Well, it is,” Liz said.

  Gloria’s brain switched gears. “Oh, hey. Before I hang up, I was wondering if you’d like to come over here for a cookout. Next weekend.”

  “Just me?” Liz asked.

  “No. It’ll be Lucy and her boyfriend, Margaret and Ray. And Paul so you can finally meet him,” she added. Gloria didn’t mention inviting Al.

  “Sure. I’ll come. Can’t wait to meet your beau,” Liz teased.

  Gloria grinned as she hung up the phone. This was the first conversation in years that she could remember where she and Liz didn’t snip at each other.

  Gloria picked up the phone again. It was time to call Margaret with the good news. No one answered at her place.

  She was on her way to the fridge when she heard a light tap on the porch door. Gloria made her way around the table. It was Margaret. She opened the door and stepped aside. “I just left a mes
sage on your answering machine at home.”

  “Why?” Mally heard Margaret’s voice and padded into the kitchen.

  Margaret reached down and patted her head. “There’s our partner-in-crime!”

  Gloria grabbed the papers off the kitchen table and handed one of them to Margaret. Margaret squinted at the words. “What’s this?”

  “The waiver from Sandra McGee!”

  Margaret’s head shot up. “You’re kidding!” She squealed before she grabbed Gloria’s shoulders and danced around her. “Woo Hoo!”

  She folded her waiver up and shoved it in her purse. “I stopped by to let you know what I found about some of the different investments.”

  “You’re way ahead of me, Margaret,” Gloria warned. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to a lawyer yet. The death at Dot’s has been keeping me busy.”

  Margaret nodded. “I understand. Friends come first.”

  Gloria looked at the clock on the wall. “That’s another reason I called. Do you want to go over to the new restaurant in Lakeville? You know, scope it out.”

  “Hmm…” Margaret was only half-listening. She was staring at the front page of the local paper. “Did you see this?”

  “Uh-uh. What?” Gloria leaned over her shoulder. Smack dab, front and center on the first page was a photo of Dot’s restaurant. The caption underneath read: “Poisoning at Local Restaurant Leads to Man’s Death.”

  The article was a few short paragraphs. It told how Mike Foley from nearby Lakeville was eating lunch with his wife, Darla, at Dot’s when he was poisoned by her lunch special, the Chicken and Dumplings. The story went on to say he died on the way to the hospital. A brief mention at the end said a funeral would be held later that week.

  “What are the chances someone he knew poisoned him?” Margaret wondered.

  “Not likely. No. I think it was someone else. Someone who was trying to harm either Dot or Ray or ruin Dot’s business.” She remembered the owner of Pasta Amore.

  “So do you want to run over to that restaurant in Lakeville with me?” Gloria asked.

  Margaret was still staring at the picture. “Yeah, yeah. Sure. When?”

  “Paul’s coming over for dinner tonight. How ‘bout tomorrow night?”

  Margaret headed for the door. “Sounds good. I think Don’s going fishing with his buddies tomorrow.”

  Gloria watched as Margaret made her way down the steps and to her car. “Oh, hey! What about the investments?” she yelled at Margaret’s back.

  Margaret whirled around. “Oh my gosh! Can you believe I forgot why I was even here?”

  Yes. Gloria could believe it. Stuff like that happened to her all the time. She could walk from the living room to the kitchen and forget why she went there.

  Margaret reached into her oversize handbag and pulled out a packet. “It’s a little confusing, all the different stuff to invest in. I’d have Don take a look at it but even he doesn’t know about the coins yet.” Her husband, Don, recently retired as vice president of a local bank.

  Gloria grabbed the papers and nodded. James always took care of their finances. She had a tidy sum in the bank, along with his pension and social security. She got by just fine.

  The coins weighed heavy on her mind. Sometimes money was more of a burden than anything. And it certainly brought out the worst in some people…

  She watched Margaret drive off before heading back inside. It was time to start on dinner. She pulled some olive oil, garlic and Worcestershire sauce from the cupboard. Gloria liked to cook like she investigated her crimes. With no real follow-by-the-rule-book plans.

  She chopped two cloves of garlic and tossed it into the bottom of a glass baking dish. Then she poured some olive oil and Worcestershire sauce in. She whisked it with a fork before dropping two Ribeye steaks in the bottom. She swirled them around in the dish before flipping them over and popping them in the fridge.

  It was time to head to the root cellar. The root cellar had been a fixture on the farm for as long as Gloria could remember. It was the perfect place to store all her vegetables. This one was dug right out of the ground and there were several steps leading down to it.

  She grabbed a flashlight by the door before heading outdoors in search of some potatoes. There were still a bunch left over from last year’s garden.

  She made her way down the steps to the wooden red doors. She opened the doors, clicked on the flashlight and stepped inside. A cool dampness hung in the air. She shivered as she made her way to the back of the cellar. Not only were there still some potatoes, she had a few onions, some carrots and a couple heads of cabbage.

  She grabbed two nice-sized potatoes and an onion before heading out. Mally was still sniffing around the storage bins. “Sorry girl. I don’t have any corn.”

  Mally dropped her head and followed behind Gloria. Corn on the cob was her favorite.

  Gloria latched the doors shut and headed up the steps. “Don’t worry. I plan on growing at least three rows of yellow corn this summer just for you!” she promised.

  The day was filled with bright sunshine and warming up nicely. Gloria was thankful for the lovely weather. Nothing like trying to grill steaks in the cold - or worse yet - rain.

  Back inside, she scrubbed the potatoes and set them aside. She looked over at Mally and Puddles, who wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack. “I know, I know. We’re all hungry!”

  She fed them both before pulling a bowl of vegetable soup from the freezer. While she waited for the soup to unthaw in the microwave, she picked up the newspaper and glanced at the article again. She prayed Dot hadn’t seen it but chances of that were slim.

  She opened the paper and glanced at the inside. Three pages in, her eyes zeroed in on a restaurant review. She picked up her glasses and started to read:

  “Pasta Amore Makes Me Want Some Moray” the headline read. It was a five-star review for the new restaurant. According to the food critic, who tried a sampler platter of baked Lasagna, Chicken Piccata and Five Cheese Ziti, the food was fabulous.

  The critic ranted and raved about the creamy pasta, fresh spices and crusty, garlic bread. The author even gushed over the salad. How the dressing had the perfect amount of tang. The croutons fresh and made from scratch. Gloria finished the review and then studied the photo of the food critic. It was a young woman with long dark hair. Amy Martola.

  She doesn’t look old enough to be an experienced food critic, Gloria decided. When Margaret and I eat there tomorrow night, I’m going to try that sampler plate myself, she vowed.

  She pulled out the grocery store ad and started a short list as she ate her soup. Her fridge was almost empty. Even though she didn’t mind going to the store, it wasn’t at the top of her list of favorite things to do.

  She carried her dishes to the sink when the phone started to ring. It was her daughter, Jill. “Hi Mom. How did your trip to Tennessee go?”

  Gloria propped the phone on her shoulder and picked up the dishrag and bowl. “It was fine. Margaret and I had a very nice time. Your Aunt Liz was a bit of a stinker but straightened up towards the end,” she added.

  Jill chuckled. Her Aunt Liz was a bit of a handful. But in a good way. “The boys and I thought we’d make a trip to the flea market next Monday. You want to go with us?” she asked.

  Gloria didn’t get to see much of Jill and the boys these days. It would be nice to spend some time together. “Yes, of course. What time?”

  “How does 9 sound? We can eat breakfast at Dot’s and then walk over to the flea market,” Jill said.

  Oh no. Jill didn’t know about Dot’s! “You don’t get the newspaper, do you?” Gloria asked.

  “No. Why?” Jill replied.

  “Because Dot’s is closed right now. Someone died after eating her chicken and dumplings last Wednesday.”

  Jill sucked in her breath. “You’re kidding!”

  “I wish I was. No. The place is shut down until the health department and police department gives them the okay to op
en back up,” Gloria explained.

  Tears filled Jill’s eyes. Her heart went out to poor Dot, who was like a second mother to her. “Poor Dot.”

  “I’m trying to figure out what happened and clear Dot and Ray’s good names,” Gloria said.

  “If anyone can figure out what happened, it’s you,” Jill said confidently.

  Gloria smiled. That was the second compliment she got just today on her sleuthing abilities. But the smile faded when she remembered one of her favorite sayings, “Pride Goeth Before a Fall!”

  Jill yelled into the phone. “Tyler, put that down. Listen, I gotta go. Tyler’s spraying the dog with air freshener!”

  “Okay, see you next week,” Gloria quickly replied. But Jill was already gone.

  Gloria shook her head and offered up a small prayer for Jill and extra patience with her grandsons.

  Gloria glanced at the clock. It was time to start on her secret weapon. Dessert. After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. She remembered him mentioning to her that he loved coconut. With that in mind, she knew what to make. Creamy Coconut Cake.

  She plugged in the radio and turned it to a Christian radio station. Then she pulled the ingredients from the cupboard. The afternoon flew by as she busied herself with the special dinner.

  Her mind wandered to Liz and Al as she worked. Maybe the two of them would hit it off. Al seemed laid back while Liz could be high maintenance. But one never could tell. Opposites do attract. He might be the perfect balance to her personality. She shrugged. It was worth a shot. If nothing else, maybe they could be friends…

  The ringing phone pulled her from deep thought. She wiped her hands on her daisy print apron. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Gloria.” Gloria felt her face flush. It was Paul. She pulled the phone closer. “Don’t tell me you’re calling to cancel dinner,” she said.

  “No, no,” he reassured her. “I’m getting off a little early and thought I’d head over to your place now…” he trailed off.

  Everything was pretty much ready to go. All that was left was freshening up. “Sure. Come on over!”