The Root of All Evil (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 4) (11 page)

The phone rang.

She groaned and considered allowing the call to go to voice mail. Why couldn’t she have one moment to herself?
Might be something important,
she told herself wearily as she rose to answer. When she said, “Hello,” she didn’t bother to hide her fatigue.

It was Nathan. “Everything all right? Is this a bad time?”

Cooper tried to soften her tone, if only a little. “Everything’s okay. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”

“That’s an understatement. I was wondering if you’d like to go out and relax for a while. There’s a new frozen yogurt place over by the car wash. You interested?”

Cooper looked herself over in the mirror. Her eyes were red and had dark bags beneath them. Her shoulders were stooped in the not-so-subtle hunch of exhaustion. And even though she’d only gotten to lie down for a minute, her hair was now doing wild and crazy things. She sighed. “If you don’t mind being seen in public with Medusa.”

He laughed. “So long as you don’t turn me to stone.”

“I make no guarantees.”

Forty-five minutes later, Cooper heard Nathan’s car pull into the driveway. She descended from her apartment, having traded her work clothes for fitted jeans and a red racerback top. She may have been tired, but at least she felt cute. That had to count for something.

Cooper’s feet fought against every step, but she willed them to Nathan’s car with the promise they could rest once she was seated. She got inside, fastened her seat belt, dropped her head back against the headrest and sighed.

Nathan took her hand and kissed it. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“No, but I’m determined to do it anyway.”

“We can do this another night.”

It was a tempting offer, but Cooper shook her head. “I’ve been stressed all week. I want an evening of fun.”

Nathan smiled. “Then an evening of fun you shall have. Just lean back and rest, and I’ll wake you up when we get to the yogurt place.”

But her mind was uneasy, and instead of sleep, Cooper leaned her seat back and launched into a tirade about work. She gave Nathan all the highlights of the theft situation and her own reluctance to question her employees. When he pulled into the parking lot, she’d just finished talking.

“Sounds like you’re doing the right thing,” Nathan said as he parked the car. “It won’t be easy to talk to your guys, but think about it this way. Instead of trying to establish guilt, you’re just establishing their innocence.”

Cooper smiled. “I needed to hear that.”

“Now, what do you say we relax and stuff ourselves with frozen yogurt?”

“I’d say let’s get the fun started.”

The shop was new enough that it was in pristine condition, but not so new that customers were flocking to the doors to get a glimpse of the shiny new toy. When Cooper and Nathan arrived, there were only a few other patrons: another couple and a mother with two young children who begged for more yogurt and more toppings.

One side of the shop was seating—a long bench that ran the length of the wall, tables and chairs opposite the bench. Four or five more tables were set up apart from this. The back wall was lined with ten self-serve yogurt spouts and a toppings station that wrapped around to the checkout counter, where the shop employee weighed yogurt and toppings to calculate the final price.

Feeling moderately invigorated after venting, Cooper went to the self-serve area, her feet no longer dragging.

“Get whatever you want,” Nathan said. “It’s my treat.”

Cooper grinned, grabbed a medium-sized bowl and studied the choices. The usual flavors came first—vanilla, chocolate, mint and various berries. After these were the more interesting selections, including green tea and taro, honey and jasmine, and coconut cappuccino.

“I’m in a mood today,” Cooper commented, eyeing the atypical flavors. “Normally I’d go with chocolate or strawberry. But I’ve got my eye on that coconut cappuccino.”

Nathan nodded approvingly. “You know what I bet would be really tasty . . . You could mix chocolate yogurt in with the coconut cappuccino yogurt.”

Cooper put her arms around Nathan and squeezed him tight. “That is just what I needed, Nathan.”

Cooper filled the left side of her bowl with chocolate and the right with coconut cappuccino, while Nathan mixed chocolate and mint. The topping station was a more difficult matter: fruits, candies, crumbled cookies, marshmallows, cereals, candy bar pieces, nuts and a greater variety of sprinkles than Cooper knew existed.

“Grammy would love this place,” she said, reaching for the cinnamon sugar sprinkles. “She’d probably get a whole bowl of toppings.” She added some chopped macadamia nuts and Nilla Wafer crumble. Nathan topped his chocolate mint with raspberries and white chocolate chips. While he paid, Cooper found them seats away from the other patrons at the end of the long bench. Nathan sat in the chair opposite her.

“Thanks for this,” Cooper said. She dug into the dessert and took a big bite, making sure to get a little of everything on her spoon. It was absolutely delicious.

Nathan waited until she took a bite and sunk into her seat in delight. He smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

For a few minutes they just sat and ate, and Cooper felt a peace she hadn’t had all week. Even though the yogurt was cold, she felt warm inside, like her soul was wrapped in a thick, fuzzy blanket. When she was growing up, desserts were always her mama’s way of turning a bad day around and allowing Cooper to loosen up. Apparently that approach still worked.

Nathan broke the silence. “So we’ve got a thief in the churches of Richmond and a thief at Make It Work!”

“I’m still hoping the Make It Work! theft is really a fluke. Mr. Farmer assumes whoever stole from him had a good reason for doing it.”

Nathan laughed. “That sounds like him.” He paused and grew serious. “Since we’re talking about good reasons for doing things, I have a confession to make.”

Cooper looked up from her yogurt nervously. What kind of confession was he planning on making here in the middle of the yogurt shop? “All right . . .”

“I brought you here for a reason, and I hope you’re okay with it.”

He reached into his pocket. Cooper gulped as everything slowed down. Was he going to reveal a little ring box? She pictured him dropping down on one knee, right here in the middle of the frozen yogurt shop. She could see herself throwing her arms around him, sobbing and accepting the ring, while the other patrons broke out into a round of applause for the happy couple.

But as Cooper held her breath, Nathan pulled out a book of coupons.

“This place is my newest client,” he explained, pushing the coupon book across the table so she could take a look. “They liked the site so much they sent my name out to all their small business contacts.
And
they gave me a special coupon book, usually reserved for employees.”

Cooper smiled and tried to be excited in spite of her disappointment. Would he ever pop the question? “That’s great! But why is that a confession?”

“Well, I brought you
here
instead of someplace else because I have coupons for free dessert. It seems a little cheap on my part.”

“Let’s call it
frugal.”

“I like that.” Nathan grinned and stuffed a spoonful of yogurt in his mouth. “Did you hear about the celebration tomorrow?”

Cooper shook her head, trying to move past the coupon book letdown. After the week they’d had, the last thing she wanted was to ruin their evening with a “define the relationship” conversation.

Nathan went on. “Did you get the email from Pastor Matthews?”

“I haven’t really checked my personal emails this week.”

“Well, tomorrow night at Hope Street there’s gonna be a—well, they’re calling it a celebration. I think it’s kind of like a wake. Anyway, it’s to celebrate Sylvia Cassel’s life, her contribution to the school, her love of art. Everyone from the church is invited. I figured we’d probably go, since you met Sylvia and we both know Pastor Matthews pretty well, and he could definitely use the support.”

“Hmm. I guess so.”

“That is to say, I’m definitely going, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll probably be running late, anyway.”

“Oh. Okay.”

In the past five minutes Cooper’s mood had gone from relaxed to excited to disappointed and now to sullen. She was no longer in the mood for frozen yogurt. She thought of Sylvia, of the life that was cut short in such a horrible way. That reminded Cooper of her own life, of the living she still intended to do and of what she really desired in this life, and it wasn’t a coupon book.

She poked at her dessert with her spoon, any hope of relaxation and fun gone. She thought about what she wanted to say to Nathan.
I want more than this,
she thought.
I want more than date night and hanging out. Something is wrong with us, and I don’t know what it is, but I’m afraid that you’re just not committed. I want a real commitment. Why don’t you?

It sounded so good in her head.

Nathan looked at her with concern on his face. “Are you feeling all right? Should I take you home?”

She cleared her throat. “Um, Nathan?”

“Yeah?”

“I just, uh . . . Well, thanks for the yogurt.”

“Sure! Anything for my girl!”

If you want me to stay “your girl” you’d better do something about it!
She cleared her throat again, uncomfortable in her own skin. “About that. I, uh . . . I think we should talk . . .”

Her phone began to ring in her purse, startling her. She jumped in her seat. “I’d better get that,” she said, relieved to have been interrupted. “With everything that’s going on, who knows . . .”

It was Ashley’s cell. “Hey, Ash, what’s going on?”

“Cooper! Oh, Coop, thank goodness you answered! Lincoln’s at work still, trying to hammer out a contract, and I couldn’t get a hold of him. And I didn’t want to call Mama and Daddy and make Grammy worry. I don’t want to be by myself! I mean, the nurse is here, but that hardly counts!”

Cooper stood, purse in hand, ready to leave. “Ash, what’s wrong?”

There was a pause, followed by some quick breathing. “Cooper, I think I’m in labor!”

7

Cooper and Nathan left their yogurt on the table, ran to the car and sped to the Love house. Cooper hopped out before Nathan had come to a complete stop in the driveway and jogged to the front door, which she found unlocked. She went straight up to the master suite, skidding to a stop at the door. She peered inside, not sure what to do. Ashley lay on the bed, with Rhonda on one side and an elderly gentleman clad in a suit and tie on the other. The older man held a stethoscope to Ashley’s stomach, listening intently.

Rhonda was the first to notice Cooper. She put her finger to her lips as a signal to be quiet, and then waved Cooper into the room. Nathan was only a few steps behind. Cooper pulled him inside and held his hand.

He put his lips near Cooper’s ear and very quietly asked, “Who are these people?”

Cooper motioned to Rhonda. “That’s the nurse Lincoln hired to watch Ashley during the day, while he’s gone. I’m guessing the older man is her obstetrician.”

The doctor lowered the stethoscope from his ears and turned to them. “You must be her sister.”

“Yes. I’m Cooper, and this is Nathan.” Cooper hurried to the bed and took Ashley’s hand. “Is she okay?”

“She’s all right, and so is the baby,” the doctor replied.

Ashley squeezed her sister’s hand. She looked so tired. “Sorry to worry you, Coop. I guess it was a false alarm.”

Cooper shook her head. “Don’t you dare apologize! That’s what I’m here for . . . Now, what happened? On the phone you said you thought you were in labor.”

Ashley shrugged. “I guess I was wrong. I was sure I was in labor, Coop. I was having contractions and everything. Rhonda called Dr. Birnbaum, and he came right over to confirm it really was labor before making me move to the hospital.” Ashley offered the nurse a smile. “Thanks for calling him.”

Rhonda patted Ashley’s shoulder. “That’s what
I’m
here for. Can I get you anything?”

“Some answers,” Cooper interjected. “If she wasn’t in labor, what was going on?”

Dr. Birnbaum explained. “Mrs. Love, you were experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions.”

“Are they dangerous?” Cooper asked anxiously. “Are they dangerous for the baby?”

“They’re very common and normal,” Dr. Birnbaum replied. “And the baby is just fine. A lot of women have Braxton Hicks. However, because of the other complications, I will be coming by tomorrow to check on you. In the meantime, get some rest.”

Ashley groaned. “Rest? That’s all I’ve been getting for weeks!”

“Nevertheless, you need to get more of it now. Nurse, a word? I’d like to discuss Mrs. Love’s care for the next few days.”

Rhonda followed Dr. Birnbaum into the hallway.

As soon as they were out the door, Ashley burst into tears. Cooper held her hand. “It’s okay, Ashley. You’re safe. The baby’s safe . . .”

“I just want it to be over, Coop!” Ashley sobbed. “I mean, I want the baby born healthy, and I want to be healthy, too, but I’m so tired of being stuck in this room, in this bed, watching that stupid TV!” She threw a pillow at the massive flat-screen TV on the wall, but it fell short by a couple feet. Another wave of tears came over her. Her voice was pinched and muffled by sobs. “I can’t even throw a pillow far enough to hit that thing! And it’s a forty-three-inch screen!”

Don’t let that upset you,
Cooper wanted to say.
You never were great with hand-eye coordination.
But she resisted as Ashley continued to cry.

“Cooper, I need this to be over!”

Cooper searched for the right words to calm her sister. “I know it’s hard, Ashley, but . . .”

“Oh, you
know,
do you?” The sobs halted suddenly, to Cooper’s surprise. In an instant, the sadness had transformed into anger. “How exactly do you
know
that, Cooper? Huh? Did you get some kind of divine revelation about pregnancy? Did you? Were you magically endowed with all the wisdom of pregnant women everywhere?”