A Pour Way to Dye (Book 2 in the Soapmaking Mysteries) Page 4

  Bingo! Paulus’s car was parked in the driveway of the house on Sunbeam Lane. I didn’t have a clue what he was doing there, but I was starting to feel much better about him being missing in action. The small house was in need of a coat of paint and the front yard hadn’t been mowed in a month. I walked up and knocked on the front door after searching in vain for a doorbell.

  An older woman dressed in a bathrobe with her hair in rollers answered the door. “Yes?”

  “I’m looking for Paulus Perkins,” I said.

  She studied me through a single misplaced false eyelash. “There’s nobody here by that name,” she said as she tried to close the door in my face.

  I put my foot inside, willing to take the chance that she wouldn’t try to break it. “That’s his car in the driveway, and I found your telephone number on the night table of his room. I’d like to speak to him, please. There’s no use denying you know him.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t know him,” she snapped. “I just said he wasn’t here. He’s not, either.” She glanced at Paulus’s car, then looked back at me. “Did you drive that thing back here? I thought he took it with him.”

  “I’m in my Miata,” I said as I gestured to my car parked on the street. “If he’s not here, then where is he?”

  She looked me up and down, then said, “You’re a persistent fellow, aren’t you?”

  “When it comes to family I am. Now are you going to go get him, or do I have to come back with a cop?” Hey, I didn’t say it would be a police officer in Sassafras Ridge, though I’d probably have better luck with one here in town than anybody in Molly’s office at the moment.

  “He’s at the diner down the block,” she admitted reluctantly. “It’s called the Lazy Spoon.”

  I didn’t believe her, though. “Then why is his car in your driveway?”

  “How should I know? Maybe he felt like a walk. Who knows what that man gets into his head. Now excuse me, but I’m not nearly ready yet, and I’m late for work as it is.”

  I hastily pulled my foot out of the door before she could slam it. What in the world was my grandfather doing with this woman? It seemed like every time I found an answer to one of my questions, it just confused me more than ever. I’d seen a diner on the drive in, but I wasn’t about to walk there. Paulus might have all the time in the world, but I was working under a deadline.

  Sure enough, I found him having a cup of coffee when I walked into the Lazy Spoon. It wasn’t the most glamorous of names, but then I wasn’t planning on eating anything there, so what did I care?

  I slid onto the bench seat beside him and said, “You’re a hard man to track down.”

  He nearly choked on his coffee when he saw me. I was about to call the paramedics when he waved a hand in the air. “I’m all right. You just caught me off guard. Don’t you know any better than to sneak up on an old man like that?”

  I shook my head. “If you’d let one of us know where you were, I wouldn’t have to.”

  He shook his head in clear disgust. “I figured it was too much of a coincidence having you walk in here like that. I can’t believe Kate ratted me out. I never would have believed it.”

  “Don’t blame her. I practically had to force it out of her, and she still wouldn’t have told me anything if there hadn’t been an emergency.”

  That certainly got his attention. “What happened? Is something wrong with your mother?”

  “There’s something wrong with all of us,” I said. “But before we get into that, I want to know what you think you’re doing.”

  He started to get up. “I won’t sit here and listen to your scolding. I changed your diapers, or have you forgotten that?”

  Leave it to Paulus to bring that up. I sincerely doubted he’d ever gotten within half a mile of a dirty diaper in his life, but there was no one willing to dispute his claim that he’d changed me and each of my siblings once and only once. Knowing him, it was probably true. Paulus was the kind of man to do something like that just so he could bring it up twenty or thirty years later.

  It was time to smack him right back. In a piercing voice, I said, “You’re still a part of our family and our business, or have you forgotten that?”

  That got him. For just a second, Paulus looked every bit of his seventy-plus years. After a few moments, he settled back into his seat and said sadly, “If that’s true, then why don’t I feel like I am?”

  I couldn’t believe he’d have the nerve to say that. “Remember, I argued with you not to leave when Dad died until I ran out of breath. I needed you, Paulus, and you just dumped Dad’s job right on me. It was just about more than I could take.”

  Was that a tear forming in his left eye? Whatever it was, he brushed it away before it had the chance to hit his cheek. “When James died, a part of me died with him. I couldn’t stand being around the shop anymore.” He looked steadily at me as he added, “Besides, it was your place to step in, not mine. You’re the future of Where There’s Soap, Ben. I’m the past.”

  That explained a lot. I’d always thought my grandfather had downsized his role to advertising as a way to retire without officially quitting. Instead, it appeared that he’d mostly left our business because he’d had to get away from the memories it held for him.

  “We’re both the present, Grandpa,” I said. I almost always called him Paulus, and the use of that honorific got his attention. He stared down into his coffee for a few seconds, then said, “Maybe I was a little hasty then, but you’re doing a fine job now.”

  I hadn’t come looking for praise, no matter how welcome it was. “So what are you doing on Sunbeam Lane? Is that your new girlfriend?”

  I wasn’t sure what reaction I’d been expecting, but I certainly hadn’t thought what I said was all that amusing. After he managed to get his breath back from laughing so hard, he said, “Boy, you know me better than that. Lois and I have been friends for donkey years, but I wouldn’t date her if she was a piece of carbon.”

  That still didn’t answer my question. “So why did you leave the Beverly Inn three days ago and move in with her?”

  His voice rose. “Blast it all, I’m not cohabitating with that woman, I just dropped in to say hello. I’m staying out at the Moonbeam Motel on the highway. It’s fifty bucks a night, but I don’t have to eat there, so that’s a bonus.”

  I shook my head in amazement. “I can’t believe you’ve been paying for two rooms and just using one.”

  He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “You forgot to check out of the Beverly. I put your bill on the company credit card, but Mom says you have to pay it back. It was close to a thousand dollars.”

  That time he did jump out of his seat. As he stood over me, he said, “Why did you pay him? I told that scoundrel I was leaving after the second night, but he claimed I’d made the reservation for six days, and then said I had to pay for every bit of it. Now we’ll never get our money back.”

  “It’s not our money, it’s yours,” I corrected him, knowing that Mom’s fiscal policy was in concrete. “So why did you check in there in the first place?”

  He looked sheepish as he admitted, “I misunderstood the price. It turned out forty-five dollars was for lunch, not the whole room. I found out on the third morning of my stay, packed my bags and left. The wife seemed nice enough, but that man’s a menace.”

  “And he claimed you made a reservation for six nights,” I said.

  “You saw the place didn’t you? I couldn’t pass up that kind of deal, so I booked it for six days the second I saw that room.”

  I shrugged. “So dispute the bill. I put it on a credit card. I wouldn’t advise going back there without an armed guard. When I left, he was coming out on the porch with a baseball bat. Now will you stop blustering and sit down? I still don’t know what you’re doing in Sassafras Ridge.”

  Paulus looked around us, saw that no one was listening, then said, “There’s a business opportunity I’m looking into, but if it’s just the
same to you, I won’t say anything else about it just yet.”

  “You’ve already got a job,” I reminded him.

  “Maybe I’m in the market for something different,” he said. “No offense, but lately that family of yours has been a little oppressive.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “Just a little oppressive? You’re kidding, right? Besides, they’re your family, too.”

  “You know what I mean. Sometimes I just have to get away, and I thought something else here might hold my interest.”

  At least I finally knew what he’d been up to, though I’d noted how careful he’d been to skirt the real issue of what he was doing in town.

  “I’ve got something for you, if you’re bored,” I said. “Earnest Joy put a fence up last night across our back parking lot. When I asked him about it, he told me to talk to you.”

  Paulus wasn’t the least bit surprised by my news, something that deeply disturbed me. Instead of the rant I’d expected, he said softly, “So it’s come to that, has it?”

  “You mean that land really does belong to him?”

  “It’s complicated,” Paulus said. He slid a single under his plate, then grabbed the bill. “Come on, we need to get back to Harper’s Landing.”

  “That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” I said.

  As he headed for the register up front, he added, “We’re going to need some help dealing with this. Have you called Kelly Sheer yet?”

  “No, I wanted to talk to you first,” I admitted.

  My grandfather snorted in disgust. “What are waiting for, Ben? As soon as you drop me off at my car, give her a call. You can’t waste another second. I’m afraid we’re going to need her services on this one.”

  I was afraid of that too, given Paulus’s serious demeanor.

  “Kelly, we’ve got a problem,” I said as soon as I dropped Paulus off at his car. I knew I probably should have called Kate and Mom first about Paulus, but I didn’t want to delay getting Kelly involved for another second.

  “Are you cancelling our meeting at the Fair on the Square?” she asked. Was that hope in her voice, or was it just my imagination? “It’s okay if you have to. I’ll understand.”

  “No, I wouldn’t miss that for the world. I’m talking about the soap shop. I’m afraid we need your legal expertise again.”

  “What is it?” she asked.

  I explained the fencing problem to her, and after I was finished, she said, “Let me get one of my assistants to research the title at the courthouse. I’ll let you know by five. Listen Ben, I’ve got to go.”

  She hung up before I could even say good-bye. Something was definitely up with Kelly. I had to wonder if her daughter Annie was giving her a hard time about our date the next day. She was just eleven and hopelessly in love with the idea that her parents would someday get back together, and I didn’t fit into her plans at all.

  I dialed the shop’s number, hoping that Mom wouldn’t answer. No such luck.

  “I found him,” I said.

  “Where was he, shacked up with some trollop?” she asked. Man, was I ever glad I hadn’t called in after meeting Lois and jumping to the wrong conclusion.

  “No, he’s looking into some business opportunities.”

  “Soap business?” my mother asked coolly.

  “No, actually it’s none of our business at all,” I answered.

  She took that in, and I could tell she wanted to dispute my response, but finally she said, “I’m assuming he’s all right, so that’s what’s important. Did he shed any light on Earnest Joy’s claim?”

  “I couldn’t get much out of him,” I admitted. “But he said we needed to call Kelly. I’m not at all sure that means the news is good, are you?”

  Mom hesitated, then said, “Benjamin, I honestly thought you would have called her first. Haven’t you at least talked to her about the situation?”

  “Of course I have,” I protested, not admitting the exact time I’d called her. “She’s looking into it.”

  “And you need to as well, Benjamin. This has to take priority over everything else. Don’t worry; I’ll have Cindy teach your class this afternoon.”

  My youngest sibling had agreed only recently to teach, but she had requested a few more training sessions under my tutelage before she took over alone. I’d planned to help her during my hand-milling class later that day, since it was a process I loved to teach. “She can observe, but it’s my class,” I said.

  “Son, I know how important teaching is to you, but it’s vital you fix this fence problem immediately.”

  I wasn’t about to back down. “I’ve got good people on it, Mother. I’m teaching the class. As soon as I’m finished, I’ll get right back to it, but this is important to me, too.”

  Her sigh was clearly audible. “Fine, teach away.”

  “I will,” I said as I hung up. I could have gotten Louisa or Kate to teach for me—they were both good at it—but I enjoyed my classes, and I loved keeping my hand in soap-making, even as an instructor. It wasn’t just a vocation for me, it was an avocation.

  When I got back to Where There’s Soap, I was pleased to see that the parking lot was full, and only one of the cars belonged to the Perkins clan. When I walked in, there was a healthy crowd inside, and I recognized some of my students from past classes. I ducked back into the classroom to prepare for the day’s lesson when Kate joined me.

  “Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction,” I said as I retrieved the hand graters out of a box and set some of them out on the five tables of the classroom. It was a nice space, with room for supplies and materials, microwaves and hot plates for melting soap, and plenty of room to work.

  “Was he mad at me?” Kate asked.

  I grinned. “He wasn’t all that happy with you until I told him I had to practically torture you to get the information. I kind of think he was proud of you for holding out as long as you did.”

  The relief on my sister’s face was obvious. “Thanks for that.”

  “Hey, it’s the truth.” As I started lining up some of the oils, fragrances, and other additives we’d be using, I added, “Is Cindy around? She’s helping me with this class today.”

  Kate nodded. “She’s coming in a second. In fact, I’m to give you express orders not to start without her. What did you say to her to get her to change her mind about teaching?”

  I shrugged. “I guess it’s just part of my charm.”

  Kate frowned. “There’s got to be more to it than that.”

  I threw a clean dish towel at her. “Thanks for your vote of confidence. You’ve delivered your message. You can go now.”

  She tossed the towel right back at me. “Oh, there’s one more thing. There’s somebody out front who’s been asking about you.”

  I glanced at the clock and said, “I don’t have time to talk right now. I’ll have to speak to them later.”

  “Believe me when I tell you that you’ll want to see this visitor before she gets away. She’s tall, a brunette, and prettier than you have any right to expect. Believe it or not, she seems to be very interested in my big brother. You’re still dating Kelly, aren’t you?”

  “As far as I know.” I had to admit, Kate had intrigued me.

  I started for the door, and she said, “Hey, I thought you had a class to teach.”

  “I do, but I can’t be rude to our customers, now can I? Would you mind finishing the setup for me?”

  She grinned at me as I walked out of the classroom. “I guess I could, since you’re dealing with a customer.”

  “Wipe that smirk off your face,” I said with a smile of my own. Who in the world could be visiting the soap shop and looking for me? It didn’t take long to find out. Waiting just outside the classroom door was a tall, curvaceous woman I instantly recognized.

  “Diana? What are you doing here?” Diana Long owned and operated a mystery bookstore in town called Dying To Read. I’d had some dealings with her in the past, and we’d gotten along
from the start. Her long brown hair was always pulled away from her face, showing off her big brown eyes.

  “Hi, Ben. You talked so much about this place the last time you were in the bookstore that I had to come see for myself.” There was a twinkle in her deep brown eyes that made her appear to always be up to something, and a smile just waiting for an excuse to burst out.

  “And you trusted the place to Rufus?” The young man in question was her assistant manager and head clerk, a college student with an inordinate fondness for murder and mayhem.

  “Are you kidding me? He’s constantly complaining that I’m never gone from the bookstore. I think he’s been planning a coup from the first day I hired him. He’s in absolute heaven.”

  Cindy came toward us, tapping her watch as we made eye contact, then walked into the classroom. I said, “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude—I’m thrilled you came by—but I’ve got a class to teach.”

  She nodded. “I know, I’m signed up for it. In for a penny, in for a pound.”

  “Excellent,” I said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some last-minute prep work to do. I’ll see you inside.”

  “I’ll be there,” she said.

  When I walked back into the classroom, Kate and Cindy were standing there waiting for me.

  “We’re not sure we approve,” Kate said.

  Cindy added, “She seems nice enough, but we were under the impression you were dating Kelly.”

  Kate shot back, “And you know how we feel about men who date more than one woman at a time.”

  “Slow down,” I said. “Diana and I aren’t dating. She runs Dying To Read, and I happened to mention the soap shop the last time I was there.”

  Kate shook her head. “She’s not here for the soap, big brother.”

  “Maybe the soapmaker,” Cindy added with a grin.

  “Enough, you two. I’ve got a class to prepare for.”

  Kate pointed to the front. “Everything’s ready. We’ve got loads of time to talk more about this.”

  I glanced at the clock and saw that we were two minutes away from beginning. “I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t we start early today?”