Chapter 30
“Now’s our chance to sneak away for a quick chat.” Liz grabbed the end of her glittery gown and held it up, guiding her sister and friends away from the party and into the office at the end of the hall. “I thought you might like to know I have an update on the federal investigation.”
“Darren was picked up and is in jail,” Gloria guessed.
“There’s a twist. Remember when we found out he was in the military and some of his records were sealed?” Liz didn’t wait for a reply. “Ruth was onto something. After a heart-to-heart talk with Christi, she confided that those sealed records were medical records. It turns out he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his time in the Middle East while in the military.”
Dot’s hand flew to her mouth. “Darren heard Keller’s plane. He saw the tomatoes hitting their property and had a flashback.”
Ruth picked up. “He thought they were being attacked and shot at the plane.”
“It all makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?” Liz asked.
“Another case solved.” Gloria dusted her hands.
“Not quite.” Liz pointed to Lucy.
“What does this have to do with Lucy?”
“The shell casing. The one Lucy found in the field and gave to me to turn over to Agent Simpkins. It was from a gun belonging to Ivan Gregware, and a perfect match to the bullet that struck Keller’s plane. Darren wasn’t behind the shooting.”
“But…” Dot blinked rapidly. “All the clues pointed to Darren. How Christi lied and told you he wasn’t home when the plane went down, yet you saw on the surveillance he was home and in his yard at the time of the shooting.”
“Looking back, I think Christi wasn’t sure if her husband was behind it and was covering for him,” Liz said. “When the FAA showed Gregware they had a perfect match for the shell casing Lucy found in his field, he confessed. My thought is that morning we ran into him, he’d gone back to try to find it.”
“But by then, it was in Lucy’s pocket,” Margaret said.
Ruth let out a low whistle. “Wow. Timing is everything. Half an hour later and Ivan Gregware might have found the casing.”
“And Darren would be in jail for a crime he didn’t commit,” Dot said. “What about the tomatoes? You said they smelled funny.”
“They were tested and investigators couldn’t find anything in them,” Liz said.
“I hope Keller’s not off the hook,” Ruth said.
“No, he’s not. In fact, he’s facing charges of aggravated stalking with the plane as a weapon. Floyd seems to think he’s going to be forking over some big bucks for a fine and will be required to do community service.”
“Community service like picking up trash?” Gloria joked.
“How appropriate. He was out trashing people’s property and now he’s going to have to pick it up,” Margaret said. “I hope they throw the book at him.”
Liz snapped her fingers. “There’s one more thing. They’re pulling his pilot’s license. He’s no longer allowed to fly.”
“Yay!” Dot clapped her hands. “It looks as if the Garden Girls have one more mystery for the books.”
“Our home is once again quiet and peaceful,” Liz said. “Thank you for everything, for getting the ball rolling by skydiving with Vlad, for Ruth bringing her high-tech drone over to monitor Christi’s place while Lucy and Gloria sneaked into her shed, even though the gun you found wasn’t the one that fired the shot.”
“Not to mention Ruth’s metal detector,” Lucy reminded them.
“And you finding the shell casing. It was a team effort.” Gloria lifted her hand. “High five. The Garden Girls get their guy.”
The women slapped palms.
“I’m only sorry I wasn’t a part of this one.” Andrea rubbed the sides of her arms. “Those twins keep me hopping. There are days I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
“Enjoy every second.” Gloria patted her arm. “They’ll be grown up in the blink of an eye and you’ll wonder where those years went.”
“Absolutely,” Lucy agreed. “Daisy Marie and Trace will be starting school soon and then the time will really fly by.”
“Brian and I are making memories,” Andrea said. “But maybe next time, I can help in some other way.”
“You know it.” Gloria glanced at her watch. “I’m sure Paul is wondering where we sneaked off to. We should get back to the party.”
“Not yet.” Liz limped behind the desk and removed a large gift bag. She set the bag on the desk and pulled out a small stack of envelopes, handing one to each of the women. “This is a token of our appreciation for helping us.”
“What is it?” Rose asked.
“You’ll have to open it to find out.”
Gloria flipped the flap and removed a Majestic Cruise Lines gift card. “A gift card?”
“For a cruise on board Millie’s ship. I think it would be fun to hit the high seas. What better way to celebrate than on a vacation?”
“What about spouses and significant others?” Ruth asked. “I’ll be cruising solo.”
“Floyd and I talked about it. He thinks we should book another one sometime down the road. This one would be just us women.”
“Count me in,” Dot said. “It’s going to take some planning.”
“The gift card doesn’t expire, so we have plenty of time to figure out when,” Liz said. “There is something else…something equally important. After all these years, I figured each of you deserved some official recognition.”
“Recognition?” Gloria echoed.
“There’s no denying you gals know your stuff. I can’t think of a single crime you’ve come across you haven’t been able to solve,” Liz said. “Which makes you not only senior sleuths but also catapults you to the top of your field.”
“Well.” Lucy's eyes twinkled mischievously. “We are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.”
“Which is why I have these.” Liz reached into the bag and removed a shiny black box with a bright red ribbon tied around the outside. “There’s one for each of you. Don’t open them until everyone has theirs.”
She handed one to Gloria, Dot, Lucy, Margaret, Ruth, Rose and Andrea. “It’s a small token of Floyd’s and my appreciation.”
“You didn’t have to give me one,” Andrea said.
“You deserve it as much as the others,” Liz said. “You’ve been up to your eyeballs in more than your share of mysteries, thanks to my sister.”
“She’s right. You’ve been in the trenches with the rest of us.” Gloria playfully shook the box. “What is it? A Cartier bracelet?”
“No. Nothing that fancy. I can’t picture Lucy or Ruth wearing an expensive piece of jewelry.”
“I would much rather add accessories to the spymobile. It would be money better spent.”
“This isn’t for the spymobile, but it will look impressive sitting on your desk.” Beaming, Liz tucked her hands behind her back. “Go ahead and open them.”
Gloria untied the ribbon and removed the box’s lid. Inside was a pink-handled spyglass, sitting at an angle and resting on a black granite base. She squinted her eyes, struggling to read the inscription etched on it:
The GOATS Award. Greatest of all Time Sleuth. Presented to Gloria Kennedy for her outstanding senior sleuthing skills, keeping Montbay County and the Town of Belhaven safe.
“Goats,” Lucy laughed.
“You know the saying. Greatest of all time,” Liz said. “You are all GOATS.”
“I love it.” Dot carefully removed her spyglass and held it up to the light. “It’s perfect. Finally, after all these years, we’ve been recognized for our contribution in keeping the streets safe.”
“You know it.” Lucy held hers up.
Liz waved her cell phone in the air. “Gather around by the bookcase. I want to take a group photo so I can run off copies and frame one for each of you.”
The Garden Girls gathered in front of Liz’s bookcase, all beaming and holding up their special award, smiles on their faces as they drew close to one another.
Gloria could feel tears burn the back of her eyes…surrounded by the best friends she could have ever asked for. The Garden Girls in their Golden Years living their best lives. Who could ask for more?
The end.