Chapter Twenty-Five

Kate set aside her concerns and focused on driving the winding road into Pine Ridge. Besides meeting with Rosie, she needed to make a grocery run there, since she planned on picking a large quantity of bulk staples for herself and the Faith Freezer Program.

As she passed the road leading to the Brainerds’ place, Kate shuddered. Once things settled down, she’d ask Livvy to connect with Cat and ask her to meet with them in town. She hoped she’d never run into Joe again.

“But, Lord, if I do meet up with him, help me see him as your child and not the rude, cruel miscreant he seems to be.”

Kate didn’t want to think about Joe Brainerd or his family and tried to put them out of her mind, but she met with no success. People acted the way they did for a reason. What had happened in Joe’s life to make him so unpleasant? He probably hadn’t always been that way, and there had to be some redeeming quality about him.

“Lord, I’m sorry for sounding so flippant. Please help me to see him as you do. Protect his wife and children.”

Kate pulled into the Valley Trust and Mortgage parking lot. Rosie met her just inside.

“Hi, Rosie. Thanks for meeting me.”

“Hi.” Rosie smiled but seemed nervous. She looked even younger than thirteen. Thin and twiggy in a pencil dress, with long loops of matching beads and stiletto heels, she looked like a little girl playing dress-up.

“Where would you like to eat?” Kate asked, wishing she’d gone back home to change.

“Um...we can eat here.” She waved her hand to the back of the atrium. “The Thai Orchid has good food, and it’s pretty nice.”

Rosie led the way past a central water feature into a garden atrium that housed the Asian restaurant. Kate was impressed with the decor and atmosphere.

“This is lovely. I didn’t even know it existed.”

“The entire complex is only a year old.”

Once they were seated and had ordered, Rosie leaned forward. “Mrs. Hanlon, I don’t know what I can tell you about Charlie. We’re not supposed to talk to anyone about any of the stuff happening around here.”

Kate took a sip of strawberry lemonade. “You don’t need to say anything about the theft itself. What I really want to know is how Charlie got along with everyone. Charlie gave me some names of people I should talk to. Like the CFO.”

Rosie rolled her eyes. “Mr. Bennett did not like Charlie at all. I think he was jealous.”

“Really?” Kate leaned back as the waitress came with their drinks.

Rosie looked around and lowered her voice. “I think he’s the one that took the money.” She bit her lip. “Of course, it could have been Sheila. She thinks she’s Miss Congeniality, but I know better. Before she found out that my dad was on the board, she totally blew me off. Now she’s like all nice and sweet.”

Kate puzzled over Rosie’s comment and tucked it away. “And Mr. Woods?”

Rosie frowned. “He’s okay. He feels terrible about Charlie and even offered to let him stay if Charlie gave the money back. But how could he when he didn’t take it in the first place?”

Kate took a sip of her strawberry lemonade. “I have photos of all the employees who work here, but none of the board members. Do you know why?”

A shade came over Rosie’s eyes, and Kate suspected she’d gone too far.

“Privacy issues.”

Their meals came, and Kate backed off, falling into chitchat. “I’m curious...You look very young.”

Rosie smiled. “Everyone says that because I’m so little. My mom is too. I’m a sophomore in college.”

“What are you studying?”

“Business and art. Dad says I should study art but have a backup in case the art thing doesn’t work out.”

“He sounds like a wise man. Is he an artist?”

“Sort of.”

Rosie clearly didn’t want to discuss her father or any of the other board members, so Kate stayed with safer topics.

By the time they finished lunch, she had a working knowledge of what went on at Valley Trust. Kate decided she’d hold off on interviewing Gerald Woods and William Bennett, the CFO, for now. She had no real excuse for talking with either of them. Sheila, however, was a different matter. Would Sheila be more willing to share inside information?

Castile presented another problem. Maybe if she could find him, she could solve the case. Had he gone away on his own, or had he met with foul play?

She accompanied Rosie up to the third floor, hoping to catch Sheila, but her friend was with a customer. She left a message with Rosie to have Sheila call her.

At one thirty, Kate drove into the SuperMart parking lot. She pulled out her notebook and perused her list, then, grabbing her purse, hurried inside.

An hour later, Kate wheeled her overloaded cart to the car and stashed the groceries in the trunk. She’d gotten some great buys and had bought a number of staples in bulk.

Kate headed for Copper Mill and, on the way, thought about some of the local gardeners. When Floyd Jenkins came to mind, she made a detour and headed back toward Pine Ridge. Floyd was the owner of Jenkins Nursery and if anyone knew about gardening, he did. She put in a quick call to Livvy.

“Floyd would be perfect,” Livvy said. “He’s on my list of people to call.”

“Great. I’ll talk to him about it and let you know.” Kate flipped her phone shut and slid it into her handbag.

It was only three when she turned into the parking lot of the beautifully landscaped nursery. Already Floyd had put out large hanging planters filled with impatiens and geraniums along with ferns and other spring foliage. Floyd’s twenty-one-year-old daughter Bethany had a ready smile for Kate as she stepped into the large air-conditioned building. “Hi, Mrs. Hanlon. How can I help you today?” Bethany had inherited her father’s wiry frame. She wore what Kate learned was the nursery uniform, Bermuda khaki shorts and a forest green shirt with the nursery logo on the pocket. Her face and long tanned arms and legs were a testimony to long hours in the sun. “Hi Bethany. I’m looking for your dad.”

“Sure. You’ll find him out in the greenhouse. He’s planting begonias.”

Kate stepped out into the huge greenhouse and spotted Floyd just past trays and trays of seedlings.

“Hey, Floyd,” Kate announced as she drew nearer.

“Kate Hanlon. Looking for some more plants for your garden?” His pleasant smile emphasized the permanent squint lines radiating from the corners of his brown eyes.

“Actually, I do need to replace a few plants. I’d like to try some begonias. Those are gorgeous.”

“Just came in. I’ll give you a 30 percent discount.”

“An offer I can’t refuse.” Kate picked out a dozen that were already sporting colorful blooms. “How are you?”

“Doin’ well, thank you. I heard about your work with the homeless. Sounds like you have some good plans underway. If you need help let me know.”

Kate smiled. She couldn’t have asked for a better opening. “That’s great, because I have something I’d like to talk with you about.”

She filled Floyd in on her thoughts about community gardens. Floyd was as excited about the idea as Kate thought he’d be. “Would you be interested in heading up a program like this?”

He grinned. “I’m honored. Give me a few days to come up with a plan. It’s not as easy as planting a garden. We have to figure out which plants we want and where they’ll grow best. We’ll also need to check out the soil. We might need to bring in some topsoil. Seeds and seedlings don’t come cheap.” He placed the plants Kate selected on a cart. “Any idea where the seed money’s going to come from?”

Kate offered a sheepish smile. “Not yet, but I’m sure it’ll be there when we need it.”

“I agree and that’s all good and well,” Floyd said, “but the Good Book also tells us to think ahead. It’s a foolish man—or woman—who doesn’t count the cost before starting a project.”

Kate nodded. “Then the Lord will provide the funds before we start. So far things are going well.” Her smile faded. “Of course, not everyone wants to help, but we’ll have enough. I really believe that.”

“Then I’ll work out a plan and give you an idea of what we’ll need to get started.”

“Wonderful. Call me when you have something for me to look at.”

Kate paid for her begonias and headed for the car, eager to get home before supper. The day had flown by, and her watch reminded her that it was already four thirty. She smiled and sang along with the radio as she drove. This is what Copper Mill is all about, she thought. People like Floyd, Livvy and Danny, Sam and Eli, and LuAnne and Loretta, who were willing to help others at a moment’s notice.

True, there were plenty of naysayers, but she wouldn’t let them thwart their plans. Not for a minute.

Once home, she deposited the groceries where they belonged, thankful she hadn’t purchased anything that would thaw or spoil. By the time she’d taken her plants from the trunk and set them where she wanted to plant them, she was ready for a nap. Unfortunately that would have to wait. Kate cleaned up for dinner and enjoyed a nice tuna casserole, salad, and bread with Paul, Aleeda, and the boys.

After dinner, having gotten a second wind, Kate managed to get in two hours of quality time in her studio. The stained-glass window was coming along well. Her supplies had arrived, and Kate, feeling like a kid at Christmas, filed everything away.