Home for the Holidays (12 page)

Mitzi stared thoughtfully out the window.  “You think either someone attending the gala or working the gala is the blackmailer?”

Gloria followed Mitzi’s gaze.  “That’s exactly what I think!”

Andrea could see the wheels spinning in Gloria’s mind.  “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

December 22
^nd
.  It was only a couple days before Gloria’s children were scheduled to arrive.  Gloria would have her house full…and her hands full then.  Still, she could probably squeeze in a little hands-on sting now. 

She turned to Mitzi.  “How much do you want to catch the person who is blackmailing you?”

Mitzi clenched her fists.  “Why I’d give anything to wring their sorry neck!”

“I think I can help you get to the bottom of this,” Gloria said.  “You’ll need to invite me and a few of my friends to your party.”

Mitzi marched over to a desk in the corner, reached inside one of the drawers and pulled out a manila folder.  She flipped the folder open and several invitations fell out and onto the desk.  “How many do you need?”

Gloria silently counted:  Andrea, Dot, Ruth, Lucy, Margaret and Gloria.  “Six.”

Mitzi counted out six invitations and carried those and the envelopes to the bar area.  She quickly addressed the invitations, popped each into an individual envelope and sealed them shut. 

Mitzi slid the small stack of invitations across the counter.  “The party starts at five on the dot,” she said.

Gloria reached for the invitations.  “We’ll be here by 4:30.  What should we wear?”

“The theme is black and white.  Cocktail dress or long formal for the ladies,” Mitzi said.

Mitzi extended her hand.  “If you can find out who is doing this, I will forever be in your debt.”

Gloria took Mitzi’s hand.  “I’m doing this for both of us, Mitzi,” she reminded her.

“True,” Mitzi replied.  “We should exchange cell phone numbers.”

Gloria reached for her purse and pulled out her cell phone.  She entered Mitzi’s number in her phone and gave Mitzi hers to do the same.

Gloria and Andrea slid off the barstools and headed for the back door.  They passed the small desk and Andrea had a sudden thought.  “Do you have a copy of the guest list?”

Gloria frowned.  Why hadn’t she thought of that? 

“Yes, of course.  Good idea.” Mitzi held up a finger and darted out of the room.  She returned a few minutes later, list in hand.  She handed it to Gloria.  “My son, Kenneth, you won’t…”

Gloria made a zipping motion across her lips.  “Our lips are sealed.  We won’t breathe a word.”

Andrea nodded.  “Mums the word.”

Mitzi walked them out to the truck and waited until they were safely inside.

Andrea rolled down the driver’s side window.  “I’ll bet your son turned out to be a great guy.”

Mitzi stared thoughtfully at Andrea and glanced over at Gloria.  “I loved Kenneth with all my heart.” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.  “I didn’t want to give him up.  I was young…”

Andrea reached out and touched her arm.  “I’m sure he understands, Mitzi.”

Mitzi nodded but Gloria wasn’t sure the woman was convinced.  She had no idea what she would have done if she had been in the same situation.  Back in those days, it was rare for children to be born out of wedlock.  They married, married young or gave the babies up. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Mitzi,” Gloria said.  “You made a wise decision and the right one for Kenneth and you.”

Mitzi nodded.  “I know.”  Her shoulders slumped as she walked away.  It was obvious the woman was burdened with decades of guilt over her decision.  Gloria prayed someday Mitzi would find it somewhere inside to forgive herself.  Sometimes that was the hardest thing to do.  Forgive yourself.

***

On the drive back to Belhaven, Andrea and Gloria chatted about the party.  Gloria had never been to a gala event.  Andrea vaguely remembered going to one as a child when she lived in New York City with her parents.  The things she remembered the most were the beautiful gowns and sparkling lights…it almost seemed like a magical world and she felt like Cinderella.

As she got older, Andrea avoided parties and social events like the plague.  She felt they were pretentious and the people who threw the parties just wanted to show off.

Now that she was older, she realized some of the events could be useful and actually help a cause…a good cause, like ‘At Your Service.’

Andrea approached the stop sign and glanced in both directions.  “Maybe I should hold a fundraiser at my place for ‘At Your Service.’  I could invite the whole town, serve scrumptious little finger foods and champagne. Charge like $50 a pop.” She was throwing numbers out there, not certain what it would take to pull off a profitable event.

Gloria nodded.  “Great idea.  We can get some ideas from Mitzi’s party.  We could hold a raffle and have people donate services or gift cards.”

Andrea turned the corner and pulled onto the main road.  “Dot could give away a dinner for two, Lucy could throw in some shooting lessons.”

“Ruth could offer 24-hour surveillance,” Gloria kidded.

All joking aside, it was a brilliant idea.  “Let’s get through Paul’s crisis, the wedding, my kids’ upcoming visit and the holidays and then we’ll talk about it.”

“Sounds good.” Andrea slowed the truck as they passed the city limit sign.  “We should call a meeting with the girls so we can give them their party invitations and go over a plan.”

Gloria reached for her cell phone and sent text messages to each one to set up a meeting at Dot’s at five o’clock, right after Ruth closed up shop at the post office. 

Each of the girls texted back, asking how the meeting with Mitzi Verona had gone.  Gloria told them she would give them the details when they met. 

Gloria slipped the phone inside her purse and set her purse on the floor of the truck.  “I don’t have a thing to wear to this party,” she said.

“Neither do I,” Andrea replied. “I have an idea!  Why don’t we head over to the antique store, Trinkets and Treasures in Green Springs?  They have some cool vintage clothes!”

Gloria was game.  She had no other plans, except to ramble around the farm and feel sorry for herself.  She thought about Paul and wondered if he was still in Lansing.

Later, when she was alone, she would go over the guest list Mitzi had given her.  When her mind had cleared and there were no distractions. 

Andrea drove straight through Belhaven and headed toward Green Springs.

Chapter 13

Downtown Green Springs was busy.  Gloria correctly guessed it was bustling with holiday shoppers. 

Andrea turned the truck on a side street and parked in the alley behind the Main Street shops.  There were two vintage, antique shops on the main thoroughfare.

The girls made a beeline for the closest one,
A Moment in Time
.

Gloria hadn’t been in the store in a long time.  In fact, the last time she had been in the shop was when she had been investigating Daniel Malone’s murder, Andrea’s husband.  She didn’t mention it to Andrea as they made their way to the entrance.  There was no reason to bring up painful memories, especially around the holidays.

Gloria glanced down at Andrea’s ring finger and made a mental note to ask Brian when he planned to ask Andrea to marry him.  The last time Gloria and Brian had chatted, he’d shown her the engagement ring he had purchased for Andrea.

Gloria frowned.  She hoped he wasn’t getting cold feet, like someone else she knew.

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside.  The interior of the quaint store was crammed floor-to-ceiling with oddities and antiquities.

Andrea knew where she was going and headed for the back of the store. Gloria followed behind.

In the rear of the shop were racks of clothes.  Hanging against the far wall were dresses and long gowns.  The girls sifted through the racks and studied each of the outfits.  The theme was black and white.  Gloria thought she remembered the invitation ‘suggested’ black and white attire but she didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. 

She opened her purse and pulled out her invitation.  On the front was the silhouette of a man in a black and white tuxedo. 

“
Black Tie and Tails

Gala Event.”

Gloria flipped the card open:

“When: Tuesday, December 22
^nd
at 5:00 p.m.

Where: Sunshine Stables & Estate, Rapid Creek, Michigan

At the very bottom, in very small print:
Black and white attire suggested.

There was also an email address to RSVP but Mitzi already knew Gloria and her friends would be there.

She placed the invitation inside the envelope and shoved the envelope back inside her bag. 

Andrea pulled a shimmering cocktail dress from the fray.  The top half of the dress was white and the bottom half a solid black. Sewn into the neckline and around the hem of the dress were sparkly glass beads. 

She darted into the one and only fitting room and popped out a short time later.  She twirled around in a circle while Gloria studied the dress.  It fit her perfectly and the price was right…only twenty-five bucks. 

Gloria, on the other hand, had no such luck.  “Maybe I should buy a black jacket and wear my wedding dress since it doesn’t look like I’m getting married now,” she grumbled.

Andrea popped her on the arm.  “Bite your tongue.  Of course you’re getting married, even if I have to drive to Lansing, bring Paul back home and drag him to the altar.”

The thought of dainty little Andrea dragging anyone, anywhere, especially someone as big as Paul, made her smile.  It made Andrea smile too.

She grabbed Gloria’s arm.  “C’mon.  Let’s head over to Trinkets and Treasures.  Maybe we’ll find something over there.”

Andrea paid for her dress. The girls stopped by the truck and Andrea dropped it onto the seat.  The girls wandered back down Main Street to Trinkets and Treasures. 

The inside of the shop was crammed full of treasures and a lot of the items looked like the same stuff they had for sale inside
A Moment in Time
. 

Gloria stopped in front of a gold and brown Barbie
®
camper and peeked inside.  Her daughter, Jill, had an identical camper growing up.  It brought back sudden memories of the many times she had played Barbie
®
with her young daughter.

Next to the camper was a TinkerToy
®
construction set.  The set reminded Gloria of her sons.

She followed Andrea to the side of the shop where there were racks of clothes.  This shop had a bigger selection and soon, Andrea found several dresses and gowns she insisted Gloria try on.

Gloria tried several and grew discouraged until she reached the bottom of the heap.  The last one she tried was a perfect fit.  It was a cream-colored dress, strapless with a fitted top and flowing bottom.  The dress came to just below Gloria’s knees.  A silky black bolero jacket fit snugly over the top.

The pieces were separate but it was if they had been made for one another.  Gloria turned to one side and then the other.  She examined the garments for rips, tears and other defects but there were none.  She stepped from behind the curtain and twirled ‘round so Andrea could critique.

Andrea clapped her hands.  “Perfect!  I love it.”

Gloria had to admit she did, too.  The girls had found it in the discount section for the bargain price of thirty dollars.  It was something Gloria could see herself wearing more than once, perhaps even on her honeymoon. She draped the dress over her arm, grabbed the jacket and carried her purchases to the cash register.

The clerk rang up the dress and jacket and carefully slid them into a plastic shopping bag.  She handed the bag to Gloria.  The shopping trip had been a huge success!

By the time they rolled into Belhaven, it was already four o’clock.  There was just enough time to stop by Gloria’s place to drop off the dress and let Mally out for a run. 

Gloria noticed a moving truck in front of the farmhouse across the road when they pulled in the drive.

Andrea shut off the engine and hopped out of the driver’s seat.  She glanced across the road.  “The new neighbors are finally moving in.”

The construction crews had been working almost ‘round the clock the past few days and Gloria had stopped over to talk to the young couple who had bought the place.  They told Gloria their plan was to move in in time to celebrate Christmas in their new home.  It looked as if they barely made it under the wire.

“I’ll have to whip up a housewarming gift and take it over once they get settled.” Gloria closed the passenger door and shuffled to the porch.  She could see Mally’s head peeking out through the window. 

Gloria opened the door and Mally darted out onto the porch and down the steps.  She raced around the front of the barn and disappeared, reappearing a short time later on the other side.

She galloped past the garden and rounded the corner of the house. 

It took a few moments for her to come barreling around the front yard and Gloria could only guess she stopped to harass the birds or the squirrels that were out front near the bird feeder.

Andrea kept an eye on Mally while Gloria carried the dress inside and hung it in her bedroom closet.  She placed it next to her wedding dress and a sob caught in her throat when she touched her wedding dress. 

Gloria forced the dress, and her wedding, from her mind. For now, she had to focus on the task at hand – clearing Paul’s name!

Gloria stepped out onto the porch and Mally darted inside.  She wasn’t keen on the cold yet and she didn’t dilly dally out in the yard like she did during the summer months.

Gloria fed Mally and Puddles and then headed back out.  “I’ll drive my car so you don’t have to come back here,” Gloria told Andrea.

“Okie doke.” Andrea hopped into the truck and Gloria climbed into her car.  They passed Lucy on the way as she was pulling out of her drive to head to Dot’s.

The caravan of three pulled into town and parked alongside each other.  The Garden Girls had officially invaded Dot’s Restaurant!