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

  “They’re just here for the day,” Gloria said.

  Tyler reached for a tortilla chip. “Mally threw up.”

  Dot lifted a brow. “Oh no! I hope she’s okay.”

  “Grams made her throw up,” Ryan added.

  Dot shifted the grocery sack and grinned. “You don’t say.”

  Gloria rolled her eyes and reached for her water glass. “It’s a long story,” she mumbled.

  “I’m sure it is.” Dot patted her friend’s arm. “Let me drop this off in the back. Do you know what you want to eat?”

  “Three chili dogs, pizza, French fries and a chocolate shake,” Ryan rattled off.

  Tyler dipped his chip in the salsa and shoved the entire piece in his mouth. “I’ll have the thame.”

  “Let’s start with two chili dogs each and two orders of fries,” Gloria said. “I’ll take an order of the goulash.” She rubbed her hands together. “I’ve been dying to try it.”

  Paul leaned back in his chair. “I’ll have the goulash, too. It sounds delicious.”

  “Will do.” Dot headed to the back to start working on the orders.

  “I wonder if Lucy, Ruth and Margaret will show up.” They had told Gloria earlier in the week they were anxious to try Dot’s new dish, too, but Gloria hadn’t heard what time they planned to stop by.

  She didn’t have to wonder long as she spied Lucy’s red head near the front door. Ruth was right behind her.

  Gloria caught Ruth’s eye and waved them over. “We should’ve taken the big table in the middle and sat together.”

  Paul, Gloria and the boys picked up their stuff and shifted it to the larger center table. There was still ample room for a couple more, just in case Margaret and her husband, Don, made an appearance.

  Dot returned moments later with glasses of water for Ruth and Lucy and two large chocolate milkshakes for Ryan and Tyler.

  Dot shifted the frosty glasses from the tray to the table.

  “You’re going to spoil those boys rotten,” Gloria said.

  Dot chuckled. “I think you’ve already taken care of that.” She set the tray on the table, pulled out a chair and plopped down. “Margaret called earlier. She said Eleanor was willing to try the hypnosis.”

  Paul, who had just taken a sip of his water, swallowed wrong and began choking. “Hypnosis!” He turned to his wife. “You’re going to try to hypnotize someone?”

  Chapter 9

  Tyler gulped his chocolate shake and wiped his mouth with the back of his shirtsleeve. “I wanna be hymnotized!”

  “Hypnotized,” Gloria corrected. “And I’m not the one doing it. Margaret is.”

  Paul rubbed his temple with his index and middle fingers. “Has she ever hypnotized anyone before?”

  “Not that I know of,” Dot answered. “But she’s all jazzed up about it. Said she has been studying it online and thinks she can do it.”

  Ruth rested her elbows on the table. “This I gotta see.”

  “You can tomorrow,” Gloria assured her. “She’s going to Eleanor’s house around ten tomorrow morning to try it.”

  “That’s not fair,” Ryan whined. “I wanna be hymnotized.” He turned to his brother. “Let’s try to hymnotize Mally when we get back to Grams.”

  “Yeah. You can sing hymns to Mally and put her to sleep,” Gloria teased.

  The group discussed the upcoming event in detail. Gloria couldn’t see what it could possibly hurt. She’d started listening to a hypnotist’s video earlier that day and it hadn’t fazed her in the least. Of course, others might be more susceptible to the power of a hypnotist.

  Honestly, Gloria didn’t feel she knew enough about the subject…and neither did Margaret for that matter.

  Their food…all-you-care-to-eat goulash for the adults, along with chili dogs and French fries for the boys, arrived a short time later.

  Dot hovered nearby as the group tried their first spoonful of the thick, hearty stick-to-your-ribs-dish. “Well?”

  Gloria tore a piece of crusty French bread from the end of her loaf, carved a small hole in the center and then scooped a heaping spoon full of goulash in the center. She popped the piece in her mouth.

  The tangy sauce, mixed with large pieces of meat and seasonings Gloria couldn’t quite put her finger on, exploded in a burst of flavor inside her mouth. “Delicious,” she mumbled between chews. “Perfect.” She swallowed her food. “There’s something in the goulash that gives it a wonderful, savory flavor.”

  Dot rattled off the ingredients. “Sautéed onion, green pepper, garlic, along with tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and meat with a sprinkle or two of Italian herb seasoning. That’s about it.”

  “It’s the combination of the garlic and green pepper, along with the onion,” Gloria decided.

  “I agree.” Lucy scooped a spoonful in her mouth. “It’s filling though. I’m not sure I’ll have room for seconds.”

  Paul had already devoured half his bowl. “I’ll make up for it,” he promised.

  The girls and Paul all agreed Dot had another hit on her hands.

  The restaurant soon filled and Dot disappeared in the back as the orders poured in.

  Gloria noted most of the diners ordered the goulash and many had seconds.

  The conversation at the table shifted to Ed Mueller’s death. “Did you hear Ed Mueller’s wife, Sheryl, was here earlier today?” Ruth asked.

  Gloria hadn’t heard. She’d been too busy taking Mally to the vet, digging up the grate in the barn, which reminded her… She patted her front pants pocket and the small bulge. She had forgotten all about the button and coins the boys had found in the milking parlor drain.

  “I heard Officer Joe Nelson was seen arguing with Ed Mueller out in front of the Quik Stop the other night.” Gloria said.

  “Judith Arnett told us that,” Ruth reminded her.

  “Right. Has anyone talked to Sally Keane yet?” Sally worked at the Quik Stop. Not only that, she had been dating Officer Joe Nelson on and off for the past year. The last Gloria had heard it was “off” again.

  Lucy shook her head. “I haven’t. Maybe Dot has.” Sally ate at Dot’s Restaurant once a week, like clockwork, on chicken ‘n dumplings day.

  Dot had just returned from the Quik Stop. Gloria wondered if Sally had been working.

  “Well? Any seconds or thirds?” Dot returned to their table.

  Paul leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “It was delicious, Dot, but I have to admit I am full.”

  She reached for his empty dish. “No dessert?”

  “I’m afraid not,” he said.

  The boys had finished their dinner, too, leaving not a single scrap of food on their plates or a sip of chocolate shake in the bottom of the glasses.

  Gloria, on the other hand, had a hard time finishing her bowl of goulash so Dot dropped off two to-go boxes – one of which was full of goulash.

  Gloria scooped her leftovers in the empty container and snapped the lid shut. “Are you going to Eleanor’s in the morning?”

  “Ten you said?” Ruth reached for her purse, which was sitting next to her on the floor.

  “Yep.” Gloria nodded.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lucy said.

  Gloria rose from her chair while Paul made his way to the back to pay the bill. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  She hugged Lucy, and then Ruth and watched them leave.

  When Paul returned, the four of them headed to the car. During the ride home, the boys discussed how exactly they planned to hypnotize Mally.

  When they reached the farm, the boys darted into the kitchen in search of their volunteer…err…guinea pig, Mally.

  “C’mon Mally. Let’s go in the living room,” Ryan tugged on her collar. The boys and Mally disappeared into the living room.

  Paul hung the car keys on the rack near the door and shrugged out of his jacket. “You’re not concerned about Mally?”

  “Nah!” Gloria waved a hand. “
It’ll be a miracle if they can get her to sit still long enough to wave anything in front of her eyes.

  The boys found an old mood ring in the dining room hutch and they tied the ring to the end of a piece of string.

  Gloria flipped a coin for who would try first. Tyler won the first round.

  She quietly made her way to the living room doorway and peeked around the corner to watch.

  Mally was sprawled out on the living room floor. Ryan and Tyler were sitting Indian style with their legs crossed, in front of her.

  Tyler held the end of the string and slowly swung the mood ring back and forth. “You’re getting very sleepy,” he told Mally in a sing-song voice.

  “Very sleepy,” Ryan whispered.

  “Shh,” Tyler said and held his finger to his lips. “We can’t both do this!”

  Ryan clamped his mouth shut, crossed his arms and frowned.

  Gloria pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.

  Paul, who had crept up behind Gloria, peered over her shoulder and shook his head.

  Mally tried to chomp down on the ring hanging from the string and then flopped back down on the carpeted floor, rolled over on her back and lifted her paws in the air.

  Ryan rubbed her belly and shook her front paw.

  Tyler threw the string and the ring on the floor. “You ruined it, Ryan. She was almost hymnotized.”

  “My turn.” Ryan grabbed the string and held it up. As if on command, Mally rolled over and sat up. “Watch the ring Mally. Watch the ring swing back and forth, back and forth.”

  Mally, bored with the entire exercise, yawned and then shook herself before turning tail and heading into the dining room. She stopped next to Paul and Gloria for a quick greeting and then headed to the kitchen.

  “I’m here.” Gloria heard her daughter’s cheery voice call out from the kitchen.

  Tyler picked up the ring and handed it to his grandmother before Ryan and he raced to the kitchen and over to their mother who stood near the door. “We found some old money and a button in the barn,” Ryan announced as he hugged his mother.

  “And a spiddune,” Tyler added.

  “A spittoon that must have belonged to your grandparents or great grandparents,” Gloria said.

  Jill kissed the top of Ryan’s head. “You did? Are the coins valuable?”

  Once again, Gloria had forgotten about the coins and the button. She reached in her front pocket and pulled them out.

  She plucked the button from the small pile in the palm of her hand and handed it to her daughter. “This is an old button from a pair of overalls that once belonged to your dad or grandfather.”

  Jill narrowed her eyes and studied the button. “You don’t say.” She turned it over in her hand. “Oh my gosh! I remember Grandpa Rutherford wearing those old bib overalls.” She looked up. “They were blue denim with a large pocket in the front.” She pointed to the top of her chest. “Right here.”

  Jill smiled. “He used to roll the pant legs up and wear a button down shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. I always wondered if he had only one outfit since he seemed to be wearing the same thing every time I saw him.”

  “Remember the goofy hat?” Gloria asked. The hat was an old denim hat - part beanie and part train conductor. He wore it pushed back on his forehead and Gloria wondered why he even bothered since it never protected his face from the blistering summer sun.

  Gloria took the button from her daughter and placed it near the center of the kitchen table, out of Mally’s reach. She handed Jill the coins. “I haven’t had a chance to clean these up and take a good look at them.”

  She shifted her gaze to her grandsons. “If they’re worth any money, I’ll let you know,” she promised them.

  Ryan hopped up and down. “I hope they’re worth a bazillion dollars and I can buy all kinds of video games.”

  “Mally threw up,” Tyler told his mom.

  Jill frowned. “Is Mally sick?”

  “No. The boys ran their metal detector over Mally and it went off. We were missing a leather key ring. Long story short, we paid a visit to the vet today. He took an x-ray and found she had swallowed the key ring.”

  Tyler picked up the story. “So we stopped at the store and picked up some gross stuff for Mally to eat. Then she threw up and I found the key ring.”

  “Me too,” Ryan insisted.

  “She’s fine,” Gloria said.

  The boys slipped their feet into their boots and pulled their coats on.

  Jill leaned over and hugged her mother. “Thanks for watching them, Mom. No wonder they beg to come over here all the time. Your house is much more exciting than ours.”

  Mally darted into the yard for an evening patrol and Gloria, Jill and the boys followed her out.

  “Grams is the best,” Ryan said. He reached over and wrapped his arms around Gloria’s waist, nearly knocking her off balance.

  “Careful,” Jill warned.

  Tyler hugged his grandmother a little more gently and Paul followed them out, carrying their metal detectors.

  The boys promised Gloria they would take care of the detectors and would bring them back when they next visited so they could thoroughly search the rest of the farm.

  Paul and Gloria waited until Jill backed the car out of the drive and turned onto the road before closing the porch door and locking it.

  Gloria leaned against the door and gazed at her husband. “Whew! It feels as if I just escaped a whirlwind.”

  Chapter 10

  Gloria jerked as the alarm clock jarred her awake. She reached out and fumbled with the clock to shut it off.

  She had tossed and turned all night, mulling over poor Ed Mueller’s death, worrying that the longer she waited to start poking around for clues and talking to the suspects, the colder the trail grew.

  Paul would be busy working his security detail for the next couple of days, which would give Gloria plenty of time to ramp up the investigation.

  The first thing she planned to do was stop by the Quik Stop before heading to Eleanor’s place. She hoped Sally Keane was working. Plus, she needed to stock up on chips and sliced cheddar cheese, not to mention pop. The boys had wiped out Paul and Gloria’s snack shelf.

  She wondered how much her daughter, Jill, spent on groceries feeding the growing boys. A lot more than Paul and she spent.

  After she stopped by the store, it would be time to head to Eleanor’s house for Margaret’s hypnosis experiment. Gloria secretly thought it a waste of time, but Margaret seemed confident it would work.

  Perhaps Margaret would prove her wrong and the exercise would jog Eleanor’s memory. Either way, it would be entertaining.

  Dot had called the night before to tell her Ray promised to hold down the fort at the restaurant so she could come, too. She offered to bring an array of tasty treats and Gloria told her she would bring plates and napkins.

  She wondered if the police had finished searching the Mueller’s cottage and then remembered she had unlocked one of the cottage’s bedroom windows, just in case she needed to get back inside.

  Gloria shifted on the mattress and adjusted her broken leg. If she decided to “take a look around,” she would have to take someone with her. There was no way she could climb through the bedroom window.

  Paul crawled out of bed first. “I’ll go get ready.”

  Gloria threw back the covers and swung her legs off the bed.

  Mally was waiting at the end of the bed for someone to let her outside. “Might as well get this day under way.”

  She hobbled to the kitchen and opened the door to let Mally out before shuffling over to the coffee pot.

  Gloria dumped a heaping mound of coffee in the filter, filled the reservoir with water and turned the machine on.

  While the coffee brewed, Gloria scrambled a few eggs, fried several slices of bacon, adding a few extra pieces for Mally and Puddles, her cat, who watched her every move.

  Mally, who had returned from a trip outside, settled
in next to Puddles and both were patiently waiting for tasty treats.

  Paul made his way into the kitchen, grabbed a plate and filled it with food. He made a second one for Gloria and then carried both to the table.

  “Meow.” Puddles circled the legs of Gloria’s chair.

  “I’m working on it,” she told her beloved pets as she placed a small pile of eggs in the center of two paper plates, added a small amount of bacon to each and then set both plates on the floor.

  Paul watched in silence. “Those are two lucky pets, right there,” he commented as he reached for his fork. “Which reminds me, how is At Your Service doing?”

  Gloria told him that Alice had asked her to stop by At Your Service when she had a chance. They had just matched one of their dogs with a young boy who had lost his hearing at a young age and they had videotaped the meeting.

  “Maybe we should run by there this weekend,” Paul suggested.

  “I may go today, but if not, we can go together,” Gloria said.

  “Speaking of plans, what are you up to today?”

  “I’m going to run to the Quik Stop to pick up a few things and then head to Eleanor’s for Margaret’s hypnosis session.”

  “Huh.” Paul wasn’t convinced that was all Gloria was up to, but decided not to press the issue.

  He chewed his last bite of toast, wiped his mouth and dropped the dirty napkin on top. Paul cleared the table while Gloria filled a travel thermos with coffee.

  She followed him to the door and waited for him to slip into his jacket and grab his truck keys.

  “I have my suspicions you’re up to something else.” Paul wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her close. “Try to stay out of trouble today.”

  Gloria lifted her face and Paul kissed his wife. “I’ll do my best.”

  She held the door open and watched as he stepped off the porch, walked down the sidewalk and climbed into his truck. She waited for him to pull onto the road before closing the door.

  “Time to get this show on the road!”

  ***

  Gloria had just enough time to make a stop by the Quik Stop to pick up a few items before heading to Eleanor’s house.