Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I woke before the kids, so I took advantage of the quiet time to work on some designs in the sunroom off our bedroom. It had been my own baby nursery for those two short months before my birth mother's death, but I'd turned it into a home office. I loved working there in the mornings with my coffee while watching the sun come up. It gave me a great view of the barn and the horse pens, which had been vacant for a few years. If I started working part time, maybe we could house rescued horses again.

I wanted to get as much work done as I could before going into the office because I knew Neely Kate and I would be searching for the owner of the box, which was still in the back of my Suburban. There was a chance the box would belong to the next homeowner on the list, but I had to admit to myself that I hoped the search would take longer. The idea of working a case had grown on me, and Neely Kate and I were pretty good at it. Plus, it was something exciting to work on, even though the stakes were low.

My mind drifted to my dream. It had mostly faded, but I still heard screams in my head and remembered the sight and smell of blood. I tried to shake it off and focus on my work.

Liam began to fuss in his room a good half-hour before everyone else was supposed to get up. Joe stirred, so I told him I had it and headed for Liam's room.

He was standing in his crib and broke into a broad smile when he saw me.

I shut the door behind me and picked him up, giving him a hug. "Don't you know it's still sleepy time?" I asked. But he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night, so I called it a win.

After I changed his diaper, I took him and my laptop downstairs. Muffy, who always slept with Hope, heard us and hopped off her bed, following us downstairs.

It was chilly outside, but Liam loved the outdoors, so I put on his jacket and shoes over his pajamas, and we went outside with Muffy, roaming over to the barn. I showed him where the horses used to be and then pointed across the field and told him that once upon a time, Daddy had lived on the other side.

Goodness, that seemed like so long ago.

My gaze landed on the barn, and I once again marveled at everything that had taken place there. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago too, and while I didn't miss the danger—especially now that I had children—I had to admit part of me craved the excitement.

I hoped the mystery box would help curb that yearning, but I feared it would only feed it.

I wasn't sure how long we'd been out there when Joe appeared at the back door, telling me he was cooking us breakfast. So I scooped Liam into my arms and carried him to the house, Muffy beating us to the door.

We started the morning chaos, but I was already dressed, which made things easier. Joe and Ashley left before I did so they'd have time to chat at breakfast. She'd seemed thrilled by the special attention, and I hoped she'd tell him about everything that was going on so he didn't have to hear about it secondhand.

I fed everyone the scrambled eggs and toast Joe had made. Thankfully, everyone ate and cooperated when I said it was time to go. Without Ashley to boss the little kids around, Mikey filled her role to some extent, beaming when I told him he was a good big brother.

Soon, I had three kids in my car, and we were on our way into town.

I said goodbye to Mikey in the carpool lane at the elementary school, then headed to the daycare to drop off Hope and Liam. On my way out, I ran into Jonah.

"Hey, Rose," he said, smiling from ear to ear. "I haven't seen you in a few weeks."

"Liam had a cold last week, so we kept everyone home from church," I said with a grimace.

He waved his hand. "You don't need a sanctuary to spend time with God."

"True enough." I started to walk past him, then stopped. "Say, Jonah, I know you don't officially have your counselor's license in Arkansas, but did you ever work with kids?"

His smile fell. "Is everything okay?"

I pulled him to the side of the hall and leaned in, keeping my voice low as I gave him a short recap of what was going on with Ashley.

"I think it might help her to talk to someone who isn't me or Joe." I shrugged. "Joe took her out to breakfast, so he might get through to her, but I think this is just the beginning of things." I drew in a breath. "I mean, there's no denying where her father is, but she's such a rule follower. I think she'll really feel the stigma of it."

"How about I pull her out of after-school care today for a chat?" he asked. "I can't officially be her counselor, but I can tell you if I think she needs to see someone."

"Thank you," I said, already feeling relieved.

"Kids can be so cruel."

I shook my head, my own memories flooding back. "Isn't that the truth?"

"How are you doing?" he asked, his gaze holding mine.

"Honestly, I've been feeling a bit frazzled since Joe's gone back to the sheriff's department, but we'll work it out." I rolled my eyes. "I mean, we aren't the only family with two working parents."

"If any two people can make it work, it's you two," he said. "But that doesn't mean you're not entitled to feel tired and frustrated. Just remember, there's no shame in asking for help."

My heart filled with warmth. "Thanks, Jonah." He'd always had a knack for helping me feel better about things.

As I drove to the office, my dream hung at the back of my mind like a tiny splinter stuck under my skin. It was still coming in fractured bits, and I was hopelessly trying to piece them together. It felt important.

I arrived at work before Neely Kate, so before I went in, I headed to the coffee shop a few doors down. I ordered my usual latte but told the cashier, "I can't remember Neely Kate's latest order."

"Got it here," the barista said, holding up a laminated paper square that had black marker drawn through words and new things added. "She makes changes all the time, but we try to keep her most current iteration. Right now, she's into a white chocolate mocha with three pumps of white mocha syrup and a pump of caramel made with almond milk.

I nodded. "Okay. I'll take one of those. Only make it a decaf."

"Neely Kate's giving up caffeine?" the barista said, shaking her head. "Won't she just fold up like a house of cards? She's like the Energizer Bunny, and I have a bet with Sebastian that she's fueled by caffeine and sugar."

"You're probably right," I said with a laugh. I should have realized they'd notice. "That's why I'm not telling her it's decaf."

He laughed and made the drinks, which I then carried to the office. Luck had it that Neely Kate had just arrived and was about to unlock the front door.

"Good morning," she said with a bright smile.

"Did you make up with Jed?" I asked as she inserted the key and turned the knob.

"We've reached a truce," she said with a smug expression, which I took to mean she'd told him how things were going to be, and he'd agreed to go along with it.

"I got a bit of design work done this morning before Liam woke up," I said. "In anticipation of using part of the day to track down homeowners."

"Good thinkin'," she said as she pushed the door open before grabbing the coffee cup I offered. Her brow lifted.

"Decaf," I said.

"How'd you explain that?"

"I told them you had too much energy, and I was trying to slow you down."

She laughed, and I was thankful she was in a better mood today. "I hope you don't mind, but last night, after we got Daisy to bed, I located the next homeowner on the list."

"That's great," I said. "What did you find out?"

"Lauren Abernathy was wrong. They weren't the Elgers. They were the Fredricksons. They currently live in a smaller home here in Henryetta. Bill works for the post office, and Margaret works at Walmart."

"I could always use more diapers," I said with a conspiratorial look.

"And I need more toilet paper. I've been peeing like every few hours."

"We don't know if she's working," I said. "Do you want to go by her house first?"

"Works for me."

"Okay, it's still early, so maybe we work for an hour or two, then we try to track down Margaret Fredrickson?"

"Deal."

I didn't realize Neely Kate had set a timer until it went off an hour and a half later. At least I'd finished the design I'd been working on that morning and started a new one.

By the time I got moving, Neely Kate had already shut down her computer and was grabbing her purse out of her desk drawer.

"I'm driving today," she said. "No offense, but I suspect your car's gonna smell like a locker room."

"No offense taken," I said, grabbing my purse and cell phone. "Because I can confirm it does, but I suspect it's likely more from the box than Mikey's soccer pads and cleats."

"We can put the box in the trunk of my car."

I grabbed it out of my SUV as she locked up the office. We got into her Lexus and headed to the address she'd preprogramed into the map app on her phone. She parked at the curb and got out, heading to the front door of a house smaller than the Thatcher's. They must have downsized.

Neely Kate knocked on the door, but other than a barking dog inside, there was no sign of anyone home.

"I really do need diapers," I said.

"And I need toilet paper."

We headed to Walmart next, and when we walked through the entrance, I grabbed a cart. "Do you know what Margaret looks like?"

She pulled up her photos on her phone and showed me. "From what I can gather, she's in her forties, but she doesn't post her own photos much. One of her friends tagged her in this photo."

I leaned in closer to see a slightly overweight blond. "Okay. I guess we can just wander the store, and if we don't find her, we can ask someone."

"Sounds good."

I headed to the baby section. After I grabbed a large package of diapers, I checked out the little boy's clothes. It was getting warmer, and Liam needed a whole new wardrobe for when it got hot—which, knowing Arkansas weather, wouldn't be far off. I grabbed several pairs of shorts and T-shirts, while Neely Kate let her fingers run over some tiny baby clothes.

"Do you want to get something?" I asked. "I know you don't know if it's a boy or girl, but they have gender-neutral clothes."

She slowly pulled her hand back. "No. I don't want to jinx it." Her gaze shifted to the side, and her eyes lit up. "I think that's her."

I turned to where she was staring, and sure enough, a blond woman was stocking children's socks at a display.

Neely Kate left me in the dust as she hurried over, calling out, "Margaret? Margaret Fredrickson?"

The woman looked half-scared as Neely Kate charged toward her. "Yeah," she said hesitantly, then looked around her as though wanting witnesses if Neely Kate attacked her.

"Hi," Neely Kate said with a huge smile. "I'm Neely Kate Carlisle, and this here is Rose Gardner." She gestured to me. "We both work for RBW Landscaping." Then she added, "Rose is an owner."

"Oh," the woman said as recognition lit up her face. "I've heard of y'all, but I don't need any landscaping."

"Actually," Neely Kate said, "your bushes are overgrown, and your flower beds need to be redone."

I elbowed her in the side as a look of horror filled Margaret's eyes.

"What Neely Kate is trying to say," I said forcefully, "is that we're doing a job at your previous residence on Olive Street, and we dug up a box that doesn't belong to the homeowner. She's asked us to find out who buried it."

She gave me a blank look. "Why?"

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why are you trying to find them? If they buried it, then they obviously didn't want it anymore."

"Are you saying it's yours, and you don't want it?" Neely Kate asked. I couldn't tell if she was disappointed that we'd potentially crashed and burned or excited that we could finally open it ourselves.

"No, it's not mine. I'm just saying if the person buried it, they obviously didn't want it to be found." She made a face. "What if there's a dog buried inside it? People bury pets, you know."

I turned to Neely Kate in horror. I hadn't even considered it could contain a dead animal, but I quickly dismissed the idea.

"The box is too small for a dog," I said.

"Not a really tiny dog," Neely Kate said, holding up her hands and bringing them closer together. "They have like three-pound dogs now. Or maybe even dog ashes."

Margaret nodded and gave me an I-told-you-so look.

"Did you or your husband bury an animal while you lived there?" I asked.

She shook her head. "We didn't have any pets."

"Is there any way your husband could have buried something?"

She pursed her lips. "You say it's in a box?"

"A fancy carved box," Neely Kate said.

Margaret shook her head. "No. Bill's too cheap to bury something fancy. If he'd wanted to get rid of it, he would have sold it in a garage sale."

"What about your children?" Neely Kate asked. "Could they have buried something?"

"My kids were toddlers when we lived there. I think I would've remembered owning a fancy box, let alone one of them burying it."

"What about your neighbors?" I asked. I could tell she was getting annoyed with our questions, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask one more.

She snorted. "When we lived there, a feeble old man lived next door. I heard he died a few months after we moved out. There's no way he would have been outside, burying a box in the dirt."

"Well, thank you for your time," I said, then handed her one of my business cards. "If you think of something that might help us find the owner, feel free to call or text me at this number."

She took the card and looked it over. I knew she wouldn't be calling. In fact, I suspected she'd be dumping the card into the nearest trash can as soon as we left, but it felt like the right thing to do.

We walked away, and once we were out of earshot, Neely Kate said, "What do you think?"

"I think she's telling the truth. I don't think the Fredricksons buried the box."

"No, I meant, do you think there's an animal inside?"

I stopped and turned to her. "It's not big enough, Neely Kate."

"So maybe it's not a dog," she conceded. "What if it's a hamster or a gerbil? One of those would definitely fit into that box."

Unfortunately, she was right.

"I mean, maybe we should take a moment to think this through," she said. "How would you feel if someone showed up at the office with a box that held the bones of your momma?"

"No one's showing up with the box holding my mother's remains. She's in a six-foot-long casket."

"You know what I mean. For all we know, it could hold the ashes of a person ."

Crappy doodles. She did have a point.

I narrowed my eyes. "You just want to open the box."

She shrugged, trying to look innocent. "Given this new train of thought, it seems like the right thing to do."

I stabbed her shoulder with my finger. "If you want to call Jill Thatcher and ask her if she wants us to open the box to make sure there's not a dead animal inside, go ahead, but I won't be making that call."

She stuck her lip out and crossed her arms, then let out a sigh. "I guess you're right."

"So now we move on to the next person on the list. Did you look them up?"

"Not yet."

"So how about we finish shopping, then go to a restaurant and have a working brunch? Afterward, we can go to my consult at one, then talk to whoever we find next before your consult at three."

"Sounds good."

We headed to the checkout, and I cringed when I saw my total. I wasn't sure I could afford to go part time with four kids to clothe and feed, but I'd worry about that later.