Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 07 - Missing Milt by Hope Callaghan Read Free Book Online

C-R-A-Z-Y,” she said.  “They have an in-service teacher day and the boys are off this Friday.  I’m trying to figure out what to do with them.”
    Gloria nodded into the phone.  “Good. That’s why I’m calling.  The tree fort is ready to put together.  Brian dropped the pieces off earlier and I was wondering if they could come spend the night.”
    “Yes!  A thousand times yes!” Jill groaned.  “You are a lifesaver, Mom!  I don’t even have to ask the boys.  I know the answer already.  In fact, I think I’ll wait to tell them until Thursday night.  Otherwise, they’ll drive me even crazier than they already do.”
    Gloria talked to her daughter for a few more minutes then hung up the phone.  She couldn’t wait to see how the tree fort looked when it was done.  They would need more nails and maybe even some cans of paint so the boys could customize it.  Visions of painted walls and painted hair filled her mind.
    Gloria wandered out to the front, screened-in porch, which she rarely used anymore.  The porch was large and it ran the entire length of the front of the house.  On one end was a deep freezer where Gloria kept all the frozen stuff that she harvested from the garden each summer:  strawberries, corn, broccoli and green beans. 
    She headed to the opposite end – to the metal storage cabinet that had been a fixture on the porch for as long as Gloria could remember.  She lowered the lever and opened the cabinet. Inside was everything the boys would possibly need for camping out.  Sleeping bags, flashlights, bug spray…
    She closed the door and watched through the front porch window as Lucy’s yellow jeep pulled in the drive.    Gloria and Mally met her at the back door. 
    After placing an order for pizza, they headed to Gloria’s small walk-in closet in the corner of her bedroom. The last time she’d cleaned the closet was after her husband, James’ death. 
    Those had been some dark days and Lucy had come to her friend’s rescue.  The two women had painstakingly gone through all of his belongings. 
    Gloria donated most of it to charity.  She kept a few items that had sentimental value to pass down to her kids and grandkids. 
    Gloria switched on the light and stepped to the side. 
    Lucy eased around her and stood in the center. “Good grief, Gloria!” She plucked a shirt from the hanger and studied it.  “This has to be from the 70’s!”
    “I told you I needed help,” Gloria pointed out.
    Lucy shook her head.  “Help?  You need an intervention.”
    Lucy began pulling shirts from the hangers left and right, tossing them in the center of the floor.  Soon, there was a small mountain. 
    Gloria grabbed Lucy’s arm. “If you toss much more, I’ll be walking around naked.”
    Lucy stopped her cleaning frenzy and glanced at the empty racks.  “True.” She looked at the pile on the floor.  “I’ll stop right here but we need to go shopping.”
    Gloria trotted to the kitchen and brought back a brand new box of heavy-duty lawn bags.  The girls filled the bags – three in all – and carried them out to the kitchen.  “I’m going to Green Springs tomorrow.  I’ll drop them off if you want,” Lucy offered.
    She changed the subject.  “Where do we go from here on this missing Milt case?”
    Gloria told her all that she knew so far.  How Milt had commented he thought someone was lurking around outside his apartment and shortly after, he disappeared.  How Frances was convinced he was somewhere in the vicinity.
    “What do you think?” Lucy wondered.
    Gloria wrinkled her nose.  “Well, my next stop is Del’s Diner in Green Springs.  Milt and his cronies ate breakfast there every morning.  I thought maybe I could head over there, do a little investigating and get his friends’ take on his disappearance.”
    The pizza had arrived.  Gloria paid for the pizza since Lucy had so generously offered to help de-clutter her closet. 
    Lucy cleared the table