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ABIGAIL WAS AT THE Delicious Circle visiting with Kate, sipping coffee and eating a crème horn. She’d already consumed a chicken salad on a sesame bun sandwich. It’d been delicious as all the sandwiches were that Kate made. As far as Abigail was concerned, the new lunch menu was a hit. It was nice to be able to eat something substantial before she began gobbling down pastries.
After Kate had had the surgery for her melanoma, a small but growing spot found on her back, a medical problem she said Glinda had warned her of when she’d read her cards, she’d moved quickly to return to work and expand her menu. Abigail was just happy her friend was okay. They’d caught the melanoma early and Kate’s chances of survival were high.
“I’m okay thanks to Glinda,” Kate avowed. “She advised me to see my doctor. That it was important and she was right on the money. That girl is a marvel.”
“Isn’t she, though?” Abigail had replied with a knowing smile.
Frank had telephoned her earlier that morning and said after he and Glinda made a stop at the Chicago Police Station for a final wrap-up they’d be heading home to Spookie. She was happy the abducted college girls’ case was solved and over, the culprits now behind bars, for many reasons. Her husband and friend were coming home–and Laura, and all the other young women at the art school, were now safe. She said she was proud of him and Glinda for helping to apprehend the two serial killers and get them off the streets forever. Because of her husband and Glinda now many women would not be terrorized, tortured and lose their lives. They were heroes. But there’d been danger and she’d worried, it was over, and she wanted them home. She wanted their lives back to normal. Well, as normal as living in the same town with Myrtle and Glinda could be.
Peering out through the glass windows Abigail observed the curtain of rain outside, the fog swirling around the streets and buildings. The fog had been exceptionally thick all morning, though the temperature had risen to sixty-three degrees. Safe and dry in the donut shop Abigail continued gossiping with her friend, Kate.
“I hear Norman popped the question,” Abigail grilled her. “Did you say yes?”
Kate laughed. “He did pop the question...the night before my surgery.”
“That was a while ago. What answer did you give him?”
“At the time I told him to ask me again next month. After the surgery.”
“Has he?”
“He did yesterday.”
Abigail stared at her. “And?”
“I said I would marry him in June. June twentieth. It’s my late mother’s birthday. A perfect day for our wedding. You and your family are of course invited. I think we’ll have a small wedding at St. Paul’s with a party here afterwards.”
Abigail exhaled and the joy on her face was genuine. “Congratulations. What are your plans for after the wedding? I sure hope you’re going to stay here in Spookie and keep this shop open. I’ve become addicted to your donuts. Please don’t leave.”
“Of course. I’d never give up this shop. It’s my life and Norman knows it. Truth is, he’s offered to quit his job at the flour mill and help me run and expand it. I’d have a working partner which would give me more time to bake and more free time for us to enjoy life. Last night Norman and I also discussed living arrangements. In the beginning he’ll move in upstairs with me and then we’ll start looking for a house in town nearby, purchase it and move in. He says his mother, who he lives with and helps, understands and is happy for him, for us. Of course, he’ll continue helping her, we both will, but he’ll be living somewhere else with me.”
Kate had a blissful contentment about her Abigail had never seen before. “I’m so happy for both of you. Frank and I will have to give a party for you two real soon so we can meet him.”
“Any time. We’ll be there. Norman loves barbeque by the way and I know how Frank loves to grill steaks.”
“I’ll remember that and with warm weather coming it might be an option.”
“So...has Samantha had her baby yet?” Kate was swiping off the counter with a wet washcloth. She couldn’t tolerate crumbs on it.
“No, not until the end of May. She has about three more weeks to go. But she keeps saying the baby could come early because the women in her family, her mother and grandmother, all had early deliveries.”
“She get that nursery done yet?”
“Almost. Crib’s ready. They figured out how to put it together. I think they only have to complete the finishing touches like pictures on the wall and put in a supply of baby necessities, onesies, diapers and such. I know Samantha and Kent are eager for the baby to arrive.”
Kate hung the washcloth on a hook behind the counter. “Is Samantha really going to run for mayor in November?”
“Oh, she’s in a hundred and ten percent. I’m getting ready to start producing her campaign brochures, posters and online ads. I never thought I’d work at a newspaper again creating and uploading ads, in this case political ads, but for Samantha I will. She’ll make an excellent mayor.”
“You think she’s got any chance to win?”
“I know she will. She’s got the smarts, the ambition and the plans. She wants to keep the small town ambience in Spookie but still make it more convenient, modern, for its people. And she’s got so many excellent ideas on how to do it.”
“I’d vote for her,” Kate declared. “It’s time we get new blood in the old town’s politics. Out with the old, in with the new, I say. A woman mayor. And it’s about time.
“Switching subjects, friend. How’s the treasure hunt going?”
“Uh, what treasure hunt?” Abigail was more than surprised Kate knew about it.
“Oh, the secret Masterson’s treasure hunt Myrtle traded me information about for a bag of free donuts last week and I told her, and later Glinda when I was having a reading done, that my family had an old friend when I was a child who was Masterson’s personal housekeeper for a short while at the very end of his wretched life and she swore he confessed one day in a fever there was never any treasure left, he’d spent it all, and he only started the rumors about burying the last of it to spite the townspeople; so they’d go crazy after his demise searching for something which didn’t exist. He was an unhappy human being our family friend always said. He had had a miserable life and despised everyone. Lying about a non-existent treasure was his revenge on the townspeople. It worked real well, too, I’d say. It did drive the townspeople bonkers searching for it.”
Abigail couldn’t help it, she laughed out loud. “And you told this to Myrtle?”
“I did. But I don’t think she believed me.”
“Nope.” Abigail sighed. “She did not. Don’t spread any of this around, besides the ones who already know, which are Frank, Glinda, Myrtle and myself, but Myrtle has been searching for that buried treasure for days now out at Glinda’s with a very expensive metal detector. She swears she’s going to find it.”
Now it was Kate’s turn to laugh. “Well, good luck to her then. She’s going to need it. I believed what my old family friend told us. There is no treasure. Nada. Zippo.”
As if talking about the old woman suddenly materialized her, Myrtle came barging into the shop, closing her umbrella as she came through the door.
“Hi Kate. Hi Abigail.” Myrtle found a stool beside Abigail and plopped herself down. “Give me a cup of your coffee, Kate, and one of those crème horns like Abigail here has. Please.”
“Coming up,” Kate told her.
And aside to Abigail Myrtle whispered, “Hunting for buried treasure all morning sure makes a person hungry, but I can’t do any more searching today because of the rain. Darn it.”
“Any luck?” Abigail whispered in response, playing along, trying not to show her amusement since she knew they were whispering for no reason. Kate knew all about the treasure because Myrtle had told her.
“Not yet. But I’m working hard. You should see the muscles I’ve grown. Woo wee. I almost have the whole cemetery sectioned off and combed.”
Kate put the pastry and the coffee in front of Myrtle and Myrtle gave her a crinkled well-worn dollar bill.
Myrtle continued speaking to her in a low voice. “But that’s not the reason I came looking for you, Abby. I’ve been in most of the shops in town and tracked you down. Claudia said she saw you come in here so here I am.” Myrtle took a bite of the crème horn and made the happy face she always made when she was eating something she loved. When she was eating anything really.
“Why are you looking for me?”
“I wanted to know how Frank and Glinda are doing in Chicago. I didn’t want to call and pester them if they were on the job, you know, corralling bad guys and slapping handcuffs on them, but I am anxious as to what’s happened. I been having these weird feelings all day. Something has happened.”
“Actually they should be on their way home right now. With Glinda’s help they caught the kidnappers and saved two of the girls.”
“Two? Ah, one of them didn’t make it?”
“Alice Wood. But they saved the girl who was scheduled to die last night if they wouldn’t have found them. And Odette, Laura’s friend, was one of them rescued.”
“That’s good. Except for the one dead girl. I’m glad the whole mess is over and Frank and Glinda are coming home. A shame the third girl died, though. That’s awful. Awful.” Myrtle let a sad look settle on her face for a second and then rattled on. “No need to go into details, I expect Glinda will tell me everything when she gets home. She always does. It gives us something to yak about.”
Myrtle was staring at the rain through the glass when she said, “The other reason I was looking for you is I want you to help me find someone who most likely lives around town somewhere. Rally our forces so to speak. Maybe we could get Samantha to help us, too, or some of the other shop owners. Maybe even Frank.”
Kate had been listening to their conversation. “Who are you looking for?”
“I never found out his name. I asked enough times but he’d never tell me. Wily old fox. I’ve seen him around town for years, though. He’s a tall, skinny old timer, married, not in the best of health and he wears this beat up black fedora–”
“Silas Smith,” Kate supplied the name.
“That’s his name? Hmm, that was my late husband’s name, too. God rest his soul.”
“Yep. He comes in here every so often for donuts.” Kate sent a glance at Abigail. “Ask Frank about him. He knows him. It wasn’t but about a week ago Silas was in here and so was Frank. Frank bought him a coffee and donuts because Silas was short of money. I think he’s often short of money. Silas and his wife have fallen on real hard times from what I can piece together with bits of conversation I’ve overheard. I don’t know their entire story but from what other people who know of him have said he’s real sick. Cancer, I think. His wife has been ill, too. Really bad luck. Why are you looking for him?”
“I’ve talked to him on the street before and last time something in his manner touched my heart.” Myrtle placed her hand on her chest. “I felt he was a lost person. He needed help but he wouldn’t take any from me when I offered it. Not comfort or even a penny. Too prideful, I’d say. Lately, for some reason I don’t understand, I can’t get him off my mind. He’s kinda haunting me. Today, while I was busy,” she tossed Abigail a conspiratorial look, “doing something I couldn’t get him off my mind. I think he’s in deep trouble somehow. So, since I always listen to that little voice in my head, I’ve decided I need to find out where he and his wife live and pay them a visit. See for myself. Sooner than later. Could be I can discover why he’s haunting me.”
“Why that is so kind of you, Myrtle.” Kate reached into the glass case and brought out another crème horn and put it in front of her. “On the house.”
Myrtle smiled like a child and lifted the sweet to her mouth. “Oh boy, thanks.”
“And,” Kate announced, “I also know about where Silas and his wife live. After he came in last week and I overheard what Frank said to him, I was curious. I began asking people if they knew him. Another old timer, Barnaby Evans, who lives on the edge of town told me Silas lives at the very end of Cherry Street out in the woods about five miles from here in a rundown wreck of a house. I don’t know the address but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”
“Hot dog!” Myrtle slapped her hand on the counter. “Now I know where they live. I think I even know the house.
“Abby?”
Abigail knew before Myrtle asked her what the request would be but played dumb. “Uh huh?”
“Could I get a ride with you out there? I have this really strong feeling these people need us. Now. They need someone to help them. And Pastor Dan always says we should help people who need help.”
Kate was watching them, an eyebrow gently lifting. She grinned at Abigail. “Tell you what, if you take Myrtle to their house I’ll throw in a box of donuts to take to them. I know which ones Silas likes. It’ll get you in the door, I’m sure.”
“Of course, Myrtle, I’ll take you,” Abigail conceded. “You want to go now?” She knew Frank and Glinda wouldn’t be home until later so she had the time. She’d finished Miguel’s mural and was taking a short break before starting Samantha’s political campaign advertising. She had time to do a good deed.
“I do. I want that old man to stop haunting me. I have important work I need to get back to. So drink your coffee, Abby, and we’ll take a ride out there.”
Abigail finished her drink, accepted the box of donuts from Kate and she and Myrtle left. The rain had increased into a downpour, so she was glad she’d brought her umbrella. She shared it with Myrtle, even though Myrtle had brought her own.
In the car she turned to her passenger. “Send me in the right direction.”
And Myrtle did.