Gloria awoke to the annoying sound of her phone ringing. She opened one eye and squinted at the clock. Both eyes popped open. It was ten o’clock in the morning!
She hopped out of bed and raced to the phone. “Hello?” she answered, still half asleep.
“Is this Gloria Rutherford?” a male voice asked.
“Yes. Speaking.”
“This is Officer Paul Kennedy from Montbay County Sheriff’s Department.” He paused. “You were here yesterday.”
Gloria’s eyes widened. She was awake now.
“I just called to let you know we made an arrest in the Daniel Malone murder.”
Gloria plopped down on the edge of the bed. He had her full, undivided attention.
“It’s a bit of a long story,” he added.
When he finished telling her what had happened, Gloria sat there in stunned silence. She actually solved a murder. All by herself.
“Thanks to you, an innocent woman is now free and the killer is behind bars,” he said. We may need to have you testify as a witness,” he warned.
That was thrilling news to Gloria. A real murder trial. And she was going to be part of it! Wait’ll the girls hear about this one!
She didn’t have long to wait. As soon as she hung up with Officer Kennedy, her phone started ringing again. It was Ruth. “Did you hear they charged Daniel Malone’s partner with his murder?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Who told you?” Ruth demanded. “It’s not even in the paper yet.”
“No one told me. The clues I found helped catch Malone’s killer!” Gloria was pretty pleased with herself.
“You’re kidding.” Ruth was almost – but not quite - speechless.
“No, I’m not,” Gloria reassured her friend.
Ruth was itching to hear the story. “Look, I gotta get back to work but I’m dying to hear all about it.”
“We need a Garden Girls Club meeting. Pronto!” she added.
By the time Gloria was out of the shower, a hastily planned meeting had been arranged.
As they sat around a table at Dot’s restaurant later that afternoon, the group was in awe as Gloria told her tale of detective work and sleuthing.
Margaret, ever the trouble maker, had a question of her own. “So what’s up with this Officer Kennedy?”
That was the second time someone mentioned him and Gloria was getting more than a little irritated.
“Absolutely nothing,” Gloria snapped.
But the girls just smiled. Gloria was definitely interested in Officer Kennedy, even if she didn’t know it yet!
Gloria was still glowing on the drive home from the restaurant. She hadn’t felt this alive since James died. Finally, she’d done something with purpose instead of just rattling around the big ole farmhouse day in and day out.
She almost felt deflated now that it was all over.
When she pulled into her driveway she noticed a shiny black Mercedes sedan parked next to the garage.
Annabelle rolled to a stop as Gloria peeked out her windows to see who it was.
Well, I’ll be darned.
A pretty, blonde lady stepped out of the Mercedes and slowly made her way over to where Gloria was now standing.
“Are you Gloria Rutherford?” she asked.
Gloria nodded.
“We’ve never met before.” The petite woman held out a slender hand and introduced herself. “I’m Andrea Malone.”
Gloria shook her hand in stunned silence as the woman went on. “I just wanted to thank you. I heard you were the one responsible for finding out who really killed my husband.”
“How did you find out?”
The petite blonde shook her head. “It’s a small town.”
Gloria nodded. It sure was.
“Anyways, I just wanted to thank you in person.”
The two women were only a couple feet apart now. Gloria could see she looked worn out. Like she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a real long time.
“I’m sorry about your husband,” Gloria said.
Tears sprang up in the soulful blue eyes. “Thank you. I-I should get going…” She turned to go.
“Wait a minute!” Gloria reached out and touched the woman’s arm. “Would you like to come inside for a cup of coffee?”
Andrea paused. “I-I don’t want to impose…”
“Oh, you’re not imposing at all dear,” Gloria reassured her.
Andrea looked down at the ground as she considered the unexpected offer. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
Gloria led the way up the porch steps and in through the back door. She started to apologize for the old farmhouse. “Nothing fancy in this old house. I’m sure it’s a lot different than what you’re used to…” She stared at the 1950’s kitchen cupboards and worn Formica countertop.
Andrea set her purse on the table and slid out a chair. “Oh, I think it’s cool! Growing up, I always wanted to live in a house just like this.”
Her expression gave a faraway look. “My father is a stock broker and my mother a doctor. We lived in Manhattan. In a high rise apartment,” she added.
She laughed as she looked over at Gloria. “I don’t think I ever saw real grass until I went away to college.”
Gloria studied her face. The poor thing looked so forlorn. Someone needs to take her under their wing and that someone should be me.
Gloria set the hot cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of the delicate blonde. “If you’re ever in the mood for a little fresh country air, I would love the company.” She looked around her kitchen, as if seeing it through new eyes. “It gets kinda lonely out here by myself. My kids are all grown and gone now,” she explained.
“I would like that.” Andrea smiled wistfully. “I would like that a lot.”
Gloria pulled out a chair as she sat across from the young woman. “Do you have any family nearby?”
She shook her blonde head. “No. My parents are still in New York. I was an only child. Daniel and I never had children of our own. I have two step children.” She stared down at her hands. “But they never did care for me too much. And now, they like me even less.”
Andrea hesitated before continuing. “My parents weren’t able to make it for the funeral. They’re pressuring me to move back to New York but I really don’t want to,” she confessed.
Gloria uncovered a plate of cookies that were sitting on the table and pushed them in Andrea’s direction. “Would you like a chocolate chip cookie? I made them yesterday.”
Andrea started to shake her head “no” but suddenly changed her mind. “Yes, thank you. I can’t remember the last time I had a homemade cookie.” She reached for the cookie and paused for just a fraction of a second before taking a bite. “This is delicious.”
Gloria felt God nudge her. “If you decide you’re going sticking around the area, I’d love for you to try our church here in Belhaven.”
Sad, soulful eyes looked met Gloria’s. “I haven’t been to church since I was a young girl.” She picked up the cup of coffee and took a small sip. “My grandmother used to take me every Sunday.” She paused. “Right up until she passed away.”
Gloria swallowed hard. Sitting in front of her was a lonely young woman. Perhaps God put her in her path for a reason…
“I would love for you to come.” The pieces were all starting to come together. Gloria was getting excited. God sure moved in mysterious ways. “If you’re free, why don’t you spend Saturday night here at the house? I’ll make you a big old farmhouse dinner and we can get up Sunday morning and go to church.”
That sounded wonderful to Andrea. She was all alone now. The few people she did know were avoiding her like she was still the killer. She really had no one.
She glanced back at Gloria. But she didn’t know this woman at all…
Gloria could see the teeniest shred of doubt in her young mind. “I think Officer Kennedy would vouch for me.” She waved a hand. “Almost everyone in this town has known me for decades.”
Andrea was sure she was as good as gold. Still, she did need to do a little checking around. Just to be safe. But for now, “Yes, I would like that very much.”
She took a last sip of coffee and stood. “I really should get going, though.”
Gloria scribbled her phone number on a piece of paper and then walked her out to her sleek black car. “I’ll just plan on you coming by – say around 5 Saturday?”
Andrea nodded. It was hard to believe there were still genuinely nice people in the world. She opened her car door and started to slide in.
“Thanks again, Mrs. Rutherford…”
“Gloria. Please, call me Gloria. I’ll plan on seeing you Saturday.” She turned back toward the house. “Oh, and church is very informal. You can wear slacks or even jeans. Some of the younger crowd dress very casually.”