Chapter Sixteen

Kate pulled up in front of Renee’s house at 8:15 Monday morning. She had called earlier to ask if she could stop by. Renee had sounded hesitant but finally said yes, albeit with an annoyed sigh.

Renee was waiting for her at the front door with the Chihuahua in her arms. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and rather than her usual morning designer warm-ups, she had on a worn duster and house shoes.

“Thank you for seeing me,” Kate said. “I think it’s important.”

Renee stood back so she could enter, fluttering her fingers as if Kate’s visit meant nothing.

Renee led Kate into the small, beautifully designed living room that Kate had seen from the entry hall on the night she came to choir practice. Now that she got a closer look, she was taken by the decor. The colors were mostly mauve, ivory, and pale green. If Renee designed it herself, she did a magnificent job. She told Renee so.

Renee sat down heavily without responding. Kisses hopped into her lap, circled around until he was comfortable, and began to snore. “It’s awfully early for a social visit,” Renee said.

“I want to talk to you about Saturday.”

Renee gave her a sharp look. “About what?”

“About what you said when I was out of the room...”

“I suppose someone told you. I should have known. And I’m sure they embellished—”

“I heard what you said. Every word. I was standing in the hall.”

“About your china and silver?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t mean for you to overhear,” she said quietly and let her gaze drift away from Kate’s face.

“I do wish you hadn’t said what you did to my guests,” Kate said. “It wasn’t the time or the place.”

Renee jumped to her feet. The Chihuahua snorted and landed by her ankle, blinking his eyes. “I should have known you came here to chew me out. You should have warned me. I’m just not up to this today. I wouldn’t have agreed.”

Kate stood and said, “Let me finish. I didn’t come here because I’m angry with you.”

Renee picked up the little dog and let out a sigh. “Okay, let’s hear it. You may not be angry, but I’m sure you’ve got something unpleasant on your agenda.”

“I wanted to apologize to you, Renee. That’s why I’m here.”

“Apologize?”

“You were wrong about the china and silver and the implication that I spent too much money on them. They were gifts from my family—inherited. I enjoy using them because Paul and I never would have been able to afford anything that nice.”

“I’m sorry,” Renee mumbled, embarrassed. “I didn’t know.”

“But what you said about putting on airs...”

Renee let her gaze drift again, and her cheeks turned pink. “I don’t know what got into me...”

“No. Let me finish. You were right about that.”

“What?” she almost croaked.

“For a long time, I’ve been praying that God would help me simplify my life. When Paul and I decided to move here, I prayed even harder that God would show me exactly what that means.” She paused. “There’s nothing wrong in putting on a fancy tea for the people you love. But if you’re trying to impress them with your finery or cooking skills, well, that’s not right.”

Renee was gaping at her as if unable to believe her eyes...and ears.

“You told the women I was putting on airs.”

Renee swallowed hard. “I-I shouldn’t have done that. I was mad about the arsonist. I’d had a call the night before from my neighbor Lola. She heard it from her sister Maude, who heard it from Skip Spencer, who said you’d been to the jail, advising Jed to renege on his confession. I was spitting mad, if you know what I mean. Remember what I said about justice being done? Well, I haven’t changed my mind. He’s as guilty as dirt.”

“I don’t think he did it,” Kate said gently. “And the sooner the sheriff and everyone else understand that, the sooner we can find the real arsonist.”

“Sit down.” Renee fluttered her fingers toward the chairs they had just vacated, then added, “Please.”

Kate sat, and this time Kisses hopped onto her lap, circled a couple of times, then settled down to sleep.

“Tell me, who’s the perp if it isn’t the guy who’s in the pokey.”

Pokey? Kate stifled a smile, then she told Renee about everything, including the ominous e-mail threat.

“A death threat?” Renee sounded impressed. “Really?”

“Whoever sent it must believe I’m onto something, or they wouldn’t have bothered. That gives me hope that I’m getting close to discovering who did it.”

Renee bit her lip and nodded slowly. “Aren’t you worried?”

“A little. But I plan to be careful.”

“You’ll need to BOLO.”

Kate frowned. “BOLO?”

“That’s police lingo for ‘be on the lookout.’”

“Of course, I didn’t know.”

“You need someone to watch your back.” The look on her face said she wanted to sign up for the job.

Kate studied the little woman sitting in front of her. Whether she was wearing a worn housedress and slippers, a faux leopard-skin coat and spike heels, or a straw hat covered with roses, Kate couldn’t imagine for a moment that she could watch someone’s back. But the image did make her smile. Again. Maybe all those prayers for grace were beginning to be answered.

“You want a job?”

Renee’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“I need someone to, well, go over details with and...ah...get input on ideas I have for...um...finding the arsonist.” She was making it up as she went along, but the look on Renee’s face was worth it.

“I watch Law and Order reruns every night, so I know the drill. I know how to nail those perps.”

“Hmm,” Kate said. “That’s great.”

“I’m sorry I got so mad,” Renee said, her raspy voice almost a whisper. “I don’t know what got into me. And I shouldn’t have said those things at the party. Can you forgive me?” She blinked rapidly as if to keep tears from puddling.

“You didn’t even need to ask,” Kate said. “It was done before I got here.”

“Would you like some...ah...coffee?”

“You have some in the house?”

Renee gave her a half smile. “I keep some in the freezer in case a friend stops by.”

“I would love some. Just black, please.”

While Renee was in the kitchen, Kate picked up a stack of three magazines from the coffee table. Two were put out by the American Kennel Club, and the third was called TEACUP, specifically for owners of miniature dogs. On its cover was a fancy teapot, circled by a half-dozen teacups, each with a miniature Chihuahua sitting inside, looking out at the world with big soulful eyes.

Kisses still snoring in her lap, Kate thumbed to the cover article: “Ten Ways to Build Self-esteem in Teacup Chihuahuas.” She read the first two tips:

  1.  Give your pet a dignified name. Don’t be tempted to be cutesy just because your dog is small. His or her ego is at stake. Your intonation when you speak your pet’s name can make or break his or her self-image. Suggested names for teacups are Gerard for a male or Genevieve for a female.

  2.  Don’t use baby talk when speaking to your pet. Your intonation as you speak these cutesy endearments can make a little dog feel even smaller...

Renee bustled back into the room, carrying a mug of coffee for Kate. She looked down at the magazine in Kate’s hands.

“It will be hard to give up calling him little umpkins,” she sighed. “And I adore dressing him in pink, but I may have to give that up too.”

She went back to the kitchen and returned a minute later with a cup of Earl Grey and three cubes of natural sugar for herself and a plateful of cookies for them both. She sat down opposite Kate and glanced down at the magazine, now back in place on the coffee table.

“I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about. Little um ... ah...Kisses seems to have quite a nice ego. You can tell by how he wags his tail and perks up his ears.”

“I would agree with you, except that after Eli Weston stepped on him, he slunk around here on his belly for days. It really scared him. I don’t think Kisses knew how small he was until then.”

“He seems to have recovered. You’re not thinking of changing his name, are you?”

Renee fluttered her fingers. “Oh goodness, no. Talk about an identity crisis.” She took a sip of tea. “Speaking of Eli—he’s found a crane operator to deliver the bell. It will arrive tomorrow.”

Kate’s sip of coffee went down her windpipe. “Tomorrow?” she sputtered.

“Bright and early. I plan to come over and take pictures of the crane lifting it in.”

Kate told herself not to think about the bell swinging over their house and what might happen if a cable slipped.

“It’s broken my heart to see it covered with mud and ashes and broken pieces of charred steeple.” Renee had tears in her eyes. “It’s the one thing in that little church that remains solid and sure. If that bell could talk, think about the tales it could tell.” She paused for a moment. “My own wed—” She caught herself and stopped abruptly. “I mean, the weddings, the funerals, the births...the bell tolled for each.” She blinked rapidly, then took another sip of tea. “My goodness, the stories...”

“No one else thought to do anything about it,” Kate said quietly. “It will mean a lot to everyone once they see what you’ve done.”

“Plus, it’s one more way to keep Eli busy,” she said with another flutter of her fingers. “We’ve all been so glad to see him finally getting back to living again. He dragged around town something awful for months after his fiancée was diagnosed with cancer. Then after she died, he seemed, well, so distracted by his grief, and he was driving the rest of the town nuts.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Several have mentioned his recent troubles, but not anything specific.”

“He’s been so sad, he wouldn’t leave his quarters above the shop. And he kept the shop closed for weeks on end. And then, as I mentioned, the—”

“Yes, distraction. Now I know why everyone is so pleased to see him working on rebuilding the church. It’s given him a new lease on life.” Kate took a final sip of her coffee, gently placed Kisses on the floor, and stood. “I really need to be on my way, Renee. Thank you for the coffee—and for the visit.”

“Don’t forget about the bell,” Renee called after Kate as Kate headed to her car. “And maybe you ought to think about cleaning it up before services on Sunday. You could probably pick up some special metal polish at the hardware store.”

Kate counted to ten, then turned back around with a smile. “How about if we work on it together?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have a nail appointment right after I stop by to see if the bell arrives safely.”

RENEE OCCUPIED KATE’S THOUGHTS as she drove home. She was a proud woman. Kate had already noticed that she attempted to shave years off her age, dressed like someone at least two decades younger, and sent a not-so-subtle message with the ever-present Youth-Dew.

Kate turned the Honda from Ashland onto Smoky Mountain Road, pulled over, and bowed her head.

How easy it is to misjudge others, Father. Forgive me. Even if I’m wrong about this, I have no right to judge her. She took a deep breath. And Lord? Thanks for being patient with me. This refining business isn’t easy. Will I ever learn?

AFTER AN AFTERNOON of running errands—a trip to the grocery store and the cleaners, and a quick stop at the library to visit with Livvy—Kate had just pulled into the garage when Eli drove up and parked in front of the house.

She greeted him with a wave as he trotted up the sidewalk toward her.

He smiled. “Greetings, Mrs. Hanlon. Is the pastor home?”

“His car is in the garage, so I think he is.”

“That Lexus is sure a beauty,” he said as they walked toward the door. “I can see why he takes such good care of it.”

Kate laughed. “Sometimes I think he loves it as much as one of our kids.”

Eli looked shocked.

“I’m kidding, of course.”

He gave her another of his shy smiles. “I knew that.”

They entered the house, and Eli went with Paul into the living room while Kate headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

She dumped chopped onions and garlic into a gleaming copper frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. The scent drew the men like a magnet, just as Kate knew it would. There wasn’t room for all three in the small kitchen so Paul and Eli plopped down at the table.

“We’re having spaghetti tonight,” she said to Eli. “How about joining us?” She opened a package of spicy pork sausage and broke it apart into the pan. The browning crumbles sizzled and danced in the skillet as she chased them around with a fork.

“Hey, cool. I’d love to.”

She opened two cans of tomatoes and a can of tomato paste, dumped them into a separate pot at the back of the stove, then reached for some dried oregano.

“Can I set the table?” Eli looked happier than she’d seen him since the day they arrived.

“Absolutely.” She stepped out of his way and pointed him in the direction of the flatware and everyday dishes. “And the napkins are in the pantry closet.”

“You’ve got a pantry?”

She laughed. “It’s makeshift. Try the little cupboard over the fridge.”

Paul grabbed the lettuce and tomatoes from the refrigerator, snatched the colander, and turned on the faucet.

“Hey, this is really cool,” Eli said. “It reminds me of being with my grandparents when I was a kid. I was there more than I was at home.”

He must have noticed something in Kate’s expression, because he quickly added, “I don’t mean you look like them. They were pretty old. I don’t know how old, but they seemed old...I mean they weren’t really old, just—”

Paul jumped in to ease the young man’s discomfort. “Katie, did you know that Eli and I both attended East Tennessee State?”

Eli shot him an appreciative grin. “That almost makes me family, right?”

It melted her heart. Having Eli around was like having one of the kids home again.

They had just finished dinner when the phone rang.

Kate picked it up at the same time Eli and Paul got up to clear the table.

“Missus Hanlon?”

“Yes?”

“This is Skip Spencer, down at the station?”

“Hello, Skip.”

“I’ve got big news I thought you’d want to know...”

Behind her, the clink of dishes being rinsed and the whoosh of running water made it difficult to hear. She signaled Paul, who turned off the faucet.

“Tell me again, Skip. I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”

“I was saying that the sheriff says he doesn’t have enough evidence to keep J.B. Packer, especially because of that death threat you got. He thinks there’s somethin’ else going on here. Plans to release Packer Wednesday morning. I just thought you’d want to know.”

“That’s great news. I appreciate you telling me.”

“And Missus Hanlon? There’s something else.”

Kate drew in a deep breath. Sometimes it took Skip forever to get to the point. “What is it?”

“The prisoner, J.B. Packer? Well, he remembered something else about the fire. He says it’s important.”

“Did he tell you what it is?”

“No. He says he needs to talk to you. He asked if you could come to the town hall Wednesday when he’s released. He’ll tell you then.”

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

“He’s getting out at ten.”

Kate hung up and punched the air with her fist. “Yes!” She laughed. “Hallelujah and amen!” She felt like dancing around the kitchen, arthritic knee and all.

Paul looked over from the sink, soapy plate in hand. “What’s going on?”

“Jed Packer is being released. The sheriff decided there wasn’t enough evidence to tie him to the crime. Can you believe it?”

Paul’s smile was as wide as Kate’s. “Thanks to you, Katie, an innocent man will not be prosecuted.” He crossed the room and gave her a hug. She loved how he smelled of lemony dish soap.

Over her husband’s shoulder, Kate smiled at Eli. The young man looked uncomfortable and let his gaze drift away from hers.

Her heart went out to him. Their open show of affection couldn’t help but bring back the acute memory of his loss.