Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 07 - Missing Milt (7 page)

Paul was right on time.  She watched as he eased his tall, athletic frame from the driver’s side of his pickup.  Gloria smiled at the sight of his truck.  The truck meant he wasn’t scheduled to work early the next morning!

Gloria noticed he was carrying a crimson-colored box as he stepped onto the porch.  She looked down at the package in his hand.  It was a box of her favorite Belgian chocolates.

He handed the box to her when he reached the top of the steps.

Gloria shook her head. “You are spoiling me rotten.”

“Yep.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips.  “Just the way I like you – spoiled.”

She led him inside, set the chocolates on the table and placed her hand on his arm.  “Would you like to sit down?”

He jerked his head toward the door.  “What about the porch?”  The late afternoon was crisp and clear.  Gloria nodded.  She reached for her sweater hanging on the hook and followed behind as he headed back out to the porch. 

Paul settled into the rocker and Gloria took the seat next to him.  He reached for her hand. “How is the fall cleaning going?”

Gloria tapped her foot on the porch board and gave a gentle push.  “Lucy came by to help.  I don’t have many clothes left,” she groaned. “If I hadn’t stopped her, I’d be running around in my birthday suit.”

Paul raised his brows.  “Now that I wouldn’t mind seeing,” he teased.

Gloria’s face reddened.  “You’d probably laugh your head off.”

“Hm.  I don’t think so.”

Mally wandered up to the porch and settled in on top of Paul’s feet.  He leaned down and patted her head.  “You behaving yourself?”

Mally let out a low moan and closed her eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” he answered.

Gloria rubbed her hands together.  “Where did you say you were taking me?”

“I didn’t,” Paul chuckled.  “It’s a surprise.”

The two of them talked a few more minutes about kids, grandkids, the upcoming holidays and Lucy’s date.

Paul frowned.  “What happened to…Bill?”

Gloria explained the situation while Paul listened quietly, nodding once or twice.  “I know you never cared for him that much.”

“Yeah,” Gloria admitted, “he wasn’t my favorite.” 

Gloria went on to tell him about Frances and her missing boyfriend, Milt, and admitted she had agreed to look into his disappearance.

“Another mystery,” he surmised.

She nodded.  “What do you think?”

Paul clasped his hands together and placed them behind his head.  He leaned back in the chair and stared thoughtfully at the barn across the street.  “If this is out of character, there would be cause for concern.  Has his family reported him missing?”

“That’s something I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’m not sure if he even has family.”

Paul rose to his feet.  “I would start there.”

Mally lifted herself from Paul’s feet and waited by the back door.  Gloria let her in, grabbed her keys and met Paul back out on the porch. 

They rode in silence, each of them deep in their own thoughts. 

Paul turned and headed toward the larger town of Rapid Creek, which was on the other side of Green Springs.  Rapid Creek was halfway between Belhaven and Grand Rapids. 

He made a few more turns and Gloria finally figured out they were heading toward Lake Harmony. 

He parked the truck in the parking lot across the street from the lake.  Gloria knew better than to try to climb out herself.  She obediently waited for Paul to come around to the passenger door and open it. 

She slipped her hand into his and stepped out of the truck. 

“Where…”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Paul assured her.

They walked down the small gravel path toward the boat launch.  When they cleared the trees, Gloria saw the surprise.  A long, wooden dock ran along the launch.  Jutting out into the water was a large, two-story passenger boat.  The bottom section was enclosed.  An upper level sported an open, airy deck. 

Paul and Gloria joined the line of people that were boarding.  The man near the entrance took the tickets from Paul and they stepped inside. 

A rich mahogany wood covered the interior walls.  Antique lighting fixtures dotted the ceiling and intimate tables for two and four spread out around the cozy dining room.  In the center of each table was a black taper candelabrum with three lit candles. At the base of the candelabra were pink and red roses, adorned with sprigs of baby’s breath.  

A waiter escorted them to their table. A placard with their names engraved in gold lettering sat off to the side of the gorgeous centerpiece.  “You may be seated now but I suggest heading up one floor to order a cocktail and enjoy the breathtaking view during sail away.”

Paul led Gloria to the stairs in the back and stepped to the side while she climbed the stairs ahead of him. 

In the center of the upper deck was a large bar, built of the same magnificent mahogany as the lower level.  Scattered across the deck were bistro tables.  Several other guests were already standing at the edge of the railings, enjoying the view. 

They made their way over to the bar where Paul ordered two glasses of chardonnay.  He handed one to Gloria and raised his glass.  “A toast.”

She raised her glass. 

“A toast to dinner with the most beautiful woman in the world.”

They tapped their glasses and Gloria lowered hers to hide the tinge of pink that colored her cheeks. 

“Shall we?” Paul held out his arm.

Gloria slipped her arm through his as they made their way over to the side rail and watched as more passengers wandered down the dock. 

Finally, the ship set sail.  Gloria felt her tension slip away as the ship drifted from the shoreline. 

Romantic music softly floated in the air as the boat circled the outer edges of Lake Harmony.  They finished their glass of wine just in time to hear the captain announce dinner was about to be served. The two placed their empty glasses on the edge of the bar and descended the stairs.  

Paul pulled out Gloria’s chair and waited for her to slide in before taking the seat across from her.  Water glasses sat nearby.  A basket of bread and tin of butter were off to one side.  Next to the basket of bread were two covered dishes.  Gloria eyed them curiously.

Paul plucked a piece of crusty bread from the basket and set it on his plate.  “You’re dying to find out what’s under there.”

Gloria nodded.  “I am,” she confessed.

She gingerly reached over, lifted the lid and peeked underneath.  She lifted it high enough to see herself but not for Paul to see.  She set the lid back down and smiled.

He scooped a pat of butter on his knife and spread it across the bread.  “Well?”

“Well what?” she asked innocently.

“What’s underneath?”

Gloria sniffed.  “Hm.  Curiosity killed the cat.”

Paul shrugged and smiled.  “Touché.”

The waiter arrived at their table.  “What?  Your salads – they no good?”

Paul reached for another piece of bread.  “Salad.  Huh.”

“Have you looked at the menu?” The waiter turned to Gloria.

Gloria hadn’t.  She had been too busy trying to irritate Paul to notice them sitting on the edge of the table.  “Not yet,” she admitted.

“Take your time.” He lowered into a small bow.  “I’ll be back.”

Gloria settled on the salmon filet with new potatoes and a side of parmesan garlic green beans while Paul decided to try the prime rib, baked potato and steamed asparagus.

Their table sat facing a window.  They gazed out the large, glass pane and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. The twinkle of lights from the houses that dotted the shore cast a romantic glimmer across the water. 

Their conversation flowed easily and bounced from missing Milt, to Lucy’s hot date, to the holidays. 

The waiter finally returned with their food.  Gloria stabbed a bean with her fork and then nibbled the edge.  “The food is delicious.”

The interior lights had dimmed, giving off a warm glow.  Soft violin music drifted in the air. 

Paul sliced a piece of meat.  “I hoped you would like it,” he confessed. 

Gloria set her fork on her plate.  “Like it?  This is one of the most romantic dinners I’ve ever had,” she assured him.

They spent the rest of the meal chatting about Paul’s job and his flip-flopping on retirement. 

The waiter cleared their empty dinner plates and returned with two cups of coffee and two huge pieces of chocolate cake. 

Gloria frowned at the large slice of cake.  There was no way she could eat it.  The waiter, noting her look of dismay, offered to box it up.

Finally, the romantic evening and cruise ended when the boat docked in the same spot where it had departed.  

Paul held Gloria’s sweater as she slipped her arms in the sleeves.

They wandered out of the dining room and onto the dock.

Gloria glanced back one more time and let out a wistful breath.  “That was lovely.” She grabbed Paul’s hand and pulled him to her for a kiss.

A tingle ran down her spine when their lips met. The tingle started at the top of her head and raced all the way to the tip of her toes.  Finally, they took a step back and Gloria worked to catch her breath.

Gloria sat quietly in the truck on the ride back.  Paul was so thoughtful and loving.  He was her perfect mate.  A small sigh escaped her lips…maybe someday.

Her mind switched gears as she mulled over Milt’s disappearance.  She needed to call Frances and find out if any of Milt’s family had reported him missing.

Then her thoughts wandered to Brian and the upcoming proposal.  She felt a sliver of jealousy but quickly pushed it away.  She was happy for them.  Andrea was young and so was Brian.  It would be fun to watch them have children and raise their family in Belhaven.

Paul pulled into the drive, shut off the truck and walked around to open Gloria’s door. She slipped out of the seat and the two of them walked hand in hand up the steps.

Thankfully, she had remembered to leave the porch light on.  She handed Paul her keys and waited while he unlocked the side door.

Gloria let Mally out and the two of them stood on the porch.  They watched as she raced out to the barn, around the back of the shed and past the garden.  She watered the tree and then patrolled the perimeter of the yard before she trotted up the steps and stopped on the porch.

Gloria tightened her sweater around her.  “I love fall.  I was thinking about having a little fall get-together this year.  Maybe hook up the old wagon, throw a few bales of hay on it and have an old-fashioned wagon ride.”

She gazed up at him and asked,  “What do you think?”

Paul shoved his hands in his pockets.  “I think it’s a great idea.  The kids would love it.”

She went on. “We could have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows after it’s over.  Invite all our friends and the kids – even yours.”

He wrapped his arms around Gloria and pulled her close.  “Sounds like a lot of fun.  When were you thinking?”

She furrowed her brow.  “Not this weekend.” The boys were coming to finish the tree fort.  Trying to do that plus organize a fall party would be too much.  On top of that, she had the investigation.   “I think the first weekend in October would be perfect.”

That would give her time to do a little planning.  She hoped Brian could wait that long!

“Frances said Milt doesn’t really have any family,” Liz told her sister when Gloria called her the next morning.  “I think there was a nephew he hadn’t seen in several years that lives somewhere out west.”

“So no one contacted the police to report him missing?”

Liz grunted.  “No one, if you don’t count Frances.  I think she calls them every single day.”

Gloria hung up the phone and headed to the washing machine. 

She pulled her clothes from the washer, dumped them in the laundry basket and headed for the door.  “C’mon Mally.  Let’s go hang some clothes out on the line.”

Mally popped out of her doggy bed and waited for Gloria to open the door. 

They stepped out onto the porch. It was shaping up to be a beautiful fall day.  It was the perfect kind of day for hanging clothes on the line. 

Gloria loved the smell of the fresh air and sunshine on clean clothes.  It was something a dryer couldn’t duplicate, no matter how many dryer sheet companies claimed their product smelled like fresh air. 

It was sheet day and Gloria had already hung those to dry.  She started on the next row, clipping clothespins to the edges of her slacks and watching them blow in the breeze.  She had just finished hanging her last blouse when Lucy pulled in the drive. 

Lucy wandered across the lawn. She stopped at the end of the clothesline pole.  “You still hang your clothes out?”

Gloria’s head whipped around.  She shaded her eyes and stared at her friend. “You don’t?”

Lucy shook her head.  “Nope but maybe I should.”

Gloria picked up the empty laundry basket and headed for the house.  The laundry was the last chore on her list and she was ready to get the investigation under way.

She set the basket near the door, pulled her keys from the hook and grabbed her purse.  “I’ll drive since you drove yesterday.”

Lucy waited until Gloria had pulled Annabelle from the garage before she climbed in the passenger side.  They drove in silence for several long moments. 

Gloria could see Lucy was a million miles away.  “Are you alright?”

There was no answer. 

“Earth to Lucy,” Gloria teased. 

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were alright.”

Lucy nodded.  “Yeah.  Just thinking about…”

“Bill?”

Lucy nodded again.  “Yeah.  Not that I want him back or anything.  Just wondering how he’s doing.”

“Why don’t you give him a call?” Gloria suggested.  She couldn’t see the harm in that.  They were both adults, after all.

Lucy tugged on the side of her seatbelt absentmindedly.  “I might do that.”

The town of Lakeville was larger than Belhaven and Gloria had a bit of trouble finding the quickie loan shop.  They drove up and down the strip several times before Lucy finally spotted it.  “I think it’s right there,” she pointed.

Gloria swung into an open spot and shifted the car into park. 

The building was narrow and set back from the rest of the buildings that lined Main Street. Small, gold letters on the front of the glass window read: 
Integrity Loans.
  Below that in even smaller letters were the words:
Money in minutes.

The girls got out of the car and walked to the door. Gloria grabbed the knob and pushed the door open.  A small bell chimed. 

The inside was even smaller than the outside.  Two cheap, plastic chairs sat against one wall.  Off to the other side was a dingy, artificial plant that obscured a small plywood desk. 

An old, white ceiling fan hung above the entrance door.  It was almost gray in color, whether from age or dirt, Gloria couldn’t tell.

“Can I help you lovely ladies?”

A young man wearing several gold chains around his neck, sporting a large insignia ring and slicked back blonde hair leaned an elbow on the cheap counter and eyed them with interest. 

Gloria shifted her purse on her arm and stepped to the counter.  “Yes, we have a friend that appears to have come up missing.  I.” She looked at Lucy.  “We think that you may have loaned him some money recently and wondered if maybe you could help us out.”

His eyes narrowed.  “What’s his name?”

“Milton Tilton.”

The man,
Johnny,
according to the tag on his shirt, drummed his fingers on the counter.  “Lemme see…what does he look like?”

Gloria pulled her phone from her purse. She opened her Worldbook account and typed in Milton Tilton in the search bar.  Milt’s profile and picture popped up.  Gloria turned the screen and tipped it so the man could see.

He studied the screen.  “Yeah. Yeah.  He was in here a few weeks ago lookin’ for some real quick cash. I remember him cuz he seemed real desperate.  So desperate that he used his fancy Caddy for collateral.”

Gloria switched the phone off and shoved it back in her purse.  “Did he mention who he might have owed the money to that he so desperately needed?”

“Yeah.  He did mention a name.” He snapped his fingers.  “I know! It was Vinnie somebody.” He nodded.  “Yeah! I’m sure the guy’s name was Vinnie.  The only reason I remember is cuz I have a cousin named Vinnie.”

Gloria leaned in.  “Do you remember anything else?”

Johnny paused and stared up at the ceiling.  “I asked him what Vinnie looked like.  You never know.  It mighta been my cousin, Vinnie.” 

“What did he say?” Lucy asked.

“That he had never met this Vinnie person and only dealt with a middle man.”

Gloria lowered her purse. “Can I leave my number and if you remember anything else let me know?”

“Yeah.  Sure.”

The man scribbled Gloria’s number on a piece of paper, shoved it in the drawer and pushed it shut.  “Yeah. He was real nervous, that one.”

“He’s still on the hook for the $5k I loaned him.” Johnny glanced at the calendar on the wall.  “He has a couple of weeks left before the loan comes due.  Otherwise…” The man leaned back and grinned.  “I’m gonna have me a new ride.”

The girls wandered out of the store and stopped out front.  Lucy looked back. “Good luck finding Milt’s car.”

Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  Hey.  What do you think about me getting some business cards made and putting a company name on them?  You know, something along the lines of Silver Sleuth Detective Agency or such.”

Lucy nodded.  That would be cool.  It would make Gloria’s investigative work more legit and it would save Gloria from having to scribble her name on scraps of paper.

“Are you gonna start charging a fee?”

Gloria blinked rapidly. It was a thought.  She had built a reputation for her sleuthing.  Perhaps there were people out there willing to pay for her services.  At the very least, she could cover some of her expenses.  Write them off:  gas, dining out when under cover and maybe even buy some detective supplies.

“I need to track down my cousin, Millie.  You know, the one that works on the cruise ship.  She and her husband had a detective agency.  Maybe she could give me some pointers on how to set up shop. I can ask her about booking a cruise at the same time.”

She made a mental note to fire off an email to Millie.

“Do you have time to make a run by Dreamwood with me and see if Frances is around?” Gloria backed out of the parking space and headed out of town.  “I have a few questions now that we’re delving into this mystery.”

Lucy buckled her belt and nodded.  “Sure.  I haven’t seen your sister, Liz, in a while.  Maybe we can all meet up and go over what we have so far.”

Gloria stepped on the gas and they sped off down the road.  “Say, I was thinking of having a fall party: a hayride, apple cider, bonfire, kind of thing the first weekend in October.”

Lucy smiled.  “That would be fun.  Why, its been years since we had one.  Not since the kids were all home.”

The more Gloria thought about it, the more excited she became.  It would be fun.  She’d invite all the girls and their spouses. She gave Lucy a sideways glance.  Maybe by then Lucy wouldn’t be alone. 

Not only that, but this would give Brian the perfect opportunity to pop the question to Andrea. 

Gloria pulled into an empty visitor parking spot not far from Liz’s place.  Her car and Frances’ car were both in the lot.

“Let’s try Liz first.” Gloria made her way across the manicured lawn to the back door.  She peered in the window and tapped on the glass.  Liz didn’t answer.  “She’s not home.”

The girls wandered across the grassy strip that separated Liz’s building from the one that Frances lived in.  She made her way under the small covered porch and lifted her hand to knock.

She could see Frances – and Liz – inside.  They were sitting at the kitchen table.

Liz caught a glimpse of Gloria out of the corner of her eye.  She waved her in.

Gloria opened the door and held it for Lucy.

“Were your ears burning?” Liz hopped out of her seat.  “We were just talking about you.”

Gloria plopped her purse on the table and pulled out a chair.  “Good, I hope.”

Frances eyed Lucy suspiciously.  Her eyes narrowed. “You look familiar.”

“This is my friend, Lucy.  I think you’ve met her before,” Gloria said.

Frances frowned.  “Say, you weren’t one of those loose women that Milt was running around with right before he disappeared…”

Gloria rolled her eyes.  “Good heavens, Frances!  Lucy’s never even met Milt,” she snapped. 

She immediately regretted her sharp reply when Frances’ eyes filled with tears. 

Frances stared down at her hands.  “I-I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that.  Of course you don’t know Milt.”

Lucy patted Frances’ arm.  “It’s okay.  I have one of those faces that look familiar.  People get me confused all the time.”

Gloria pulled a small pad of paper from her purse and slipped her reading glasses on.  “Do you ever remember Milt mentioning a man named Vinnie?”

Both Liz and Frances shook their head “no.”

“What about a guy named Johnny that owned a fast cash place called Integrity Loans?”

Again, they both shook their heads. 

It was Frances’ turn to ask questions.  “Did you ever talk to Clyde Ward or Trudy over on Wisteria Way?”

Gloria tapped the end of her pen on the top of the table.  “I talked to Clyde but Trudy wasn’t home.”

Frances slammed her fist on the table in frustration.  “That woman is never, ever home! She’s some sort of apparition!”

“Maybe she’s a vampire.” Lucy muttered under her breath. “We could stakeout her place,” she added.

Gloria’s wheels were turning.  Yeah, they could, but how could they do it without anyone seeing them? 

Liz answered the question before Gloria had a chance to ask.  “There is a small park that sits catty corner to her back yard.  It has a small playground for the grandkids.”

Gloria was intrigued. “How do we stay out of sight?”

Liz shrugged. “Simple. There’s a small, cinder block bathroom.  You could hide out in there.”

Frances sprang to her feet.  “We could go now.  You know, four sets of eyes are better than one…or two.”

Liz waved her down.  “Frances, I know you’re anxious but we need to leave this to the professionals,” she advised.

Frances’ face fell but she didn’t press the matter. 

Gloria didn’t want to give Frances a chance to insist on tagging along.  She grabbed Lucy’s hand and they headed to the door.  “I’ll leave my purse here if that’s alright.”

Frances’ chair scraped against the hard linoleum as she pushed the chair back and stood.  “Wait!  You’ll need these!”

She reached into the kitchen cabinet, pulled out a pair of large binoculars and handed them to Gloria.