CHAPTER ONE
The crisp morning air held a tinge of moisture as the fog rolled across the fields surrounding Della’s home in the Ozarks. Every other crop had long since been harvested, but the soybeans were still in the fields, trapping moisture from the early morning fog that now hovered above them. Della inhaled deeply as she stepped outside with her cup of hot cocoa and Moose, her big St. Bernard dog.
She couldn’t describe the damp, herbal scent that filled her nose and brought her such peace, but it was a calming one that she enjoyed immensely. If she described it to anyone else, they might think she was crazy. But the smell was so uniquely home at this point, she couldn’t imagine waking up to anything else.
That morning she’d made herself a cup of hot cocoa rather than coffee and had gone outside still dressed in her pajama pants and tee shirt, bedroom slippers on her feet. On Friday mornings she liked to move a little slower. Really take some time for herself and relax. Whether she was doing things inside or outside, she tried to allow herself a little extra time on those days. She considered it a form of self-care, something that she knew she’d been more in need of lately.
Della went over to the swing she’d bought for the porch and sat down, the dark blue cushions making the seat much more comfortable to sit on. She’d even bought a couple of outdoor pillows to tuck in the corners for added comfort. Maybe next year she’d buy some hanging plants to add a little something to the space, but since it was already October, it was a little late in the year to try to grow anything else. So for now, that idea would just have to wait.
Moose flopped down against the outside wall of the house and stretched out while Della made herself comfortable. She lifted her cup to her lips and began to sip on her cocoa as she watched the fog moving in across the field and into her yard.
Her thoughts began drifting as she watched it, and eventually, they found their way to everything she’d learned lately. The biggest revelation was that her deceased husband had secretly worked for the FBI. When she’d found that out, it had really stunned her.
His main job had been in tech, and that was the only thing she’d known he’d done, building websites and writing code. But in reality, he’d been working for the FBI tracking down illegal activity online and providing leads and information for the teams out in the field. She still wasn’t allowed to know what exactly, but she was okay with that. It was probably better that she didn’t know the gritty details.
Moose shifted around until his head was pressed right up against Della’s foot, a reassuring pressure she’d come to appreciate. It had taken her some time to adjust to the reality of how different things had really been as opposed to what she’d been led to believe.
She’d been angry, sad and everything in between when things had calmed down and she’d been forced to be alone with her thoughts. Now she was in a space of resignation. No amount of anger or tears on her part would change anything. Seth was still gone, and she had to try to fill in the blanks his death left behind.
Like the fact that her husband had also been asked by the FBI to return to his hometown and look into something she wasn’t allowed to know about. And that was something she very much wanted to know about, because she was starting to get the impression that whatever it was, it was why her husband had been murdered.
Seth’s death was no longer just an accidental hit and run in the early morning hours as she’d originally been led to believe. He’d been run down, most likely to keep him from finding out whatever it was he’d been sent there for.
Della had found all of this out after her husband's friend from work, Bryce Summers, showed up on her doorstep one day. He was an FBI agent as well, only he was trained more in field work than Seth had been. Seth was the man in front of a screen while Bryce had been the one to go knocking on doors. When he’d heard about what had happened to his friend, he’d had a feeling that it was no accident. He was privy to all the details that she wasn’t, and even though it irritated her a bit, she somewhat understood.
Della sighed as she took another sip of her cocoa. She wished she had someone to talk to about it all. She could talk to Sheriff Jared Metcalf, but he was a busy man with a lot on his plate as it was. He and her sister were the only ones that she’d talked to about everything that had happened.
She’d talked to Jared because he was the one who had told her that the FBI had asked for Seth’s case file from the Sheriff’s Department, and she later found out that the person who had asked for the information had been Bryce.
As all the secrets came to the surface, and she’d been forced to realize that Seth had a whole different life in Clover that she hadn’t known about, it had made her look at everyone they’d known locally in a different light. How much had other people known about what Seth was doing? She hadn’t even shared it with her closest friend, Michelle.
Not that she didn’t sometimes consider it, and she highly doubted Michelle knew anything more than she did. But there was still just that sliver of doubt that was there, because now that she knew Seth had hidden something so big from her, she wondered if everyone else in her life was doing the same.
Della sighed and placed her now empty cup on the porch railing while she continued to softly swing back and forth. She didn’t want to think about all of that right then. It would only lead to a headache from all the questions she still had, instead, she thought about her new employee, Molly.
So far, Molly had worked out great at Della’s previously used items store. She and Seth had started the store when they’d moved from Kansas City to the small Ozark town.
Molly picked things up quickly and the customers loved her. She was friendly and personable, but not in an overbearing sort of way. She’d told Della she was willing to work as often as Della needed her to, so Della was slowly giving her more and more responsibility around the store to see how things went. So far, it was going fabulously.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she still hadn’t gone grocery shopping. There wasn’t much in the kitchen to eat, and she’d been putting it off for too long. She decided it was time to head to the store and get a few things she needed.
She stood up from the swing, collected her cup, and headed for the door. “Come on, Moose,” she said gently. “You ready to go back inside?”
As if in answer, the big dog rose to his feet and trotted after her. Moose followed her around as she got ready to go to the store. “You’re going to have to stay home this time,” she explained to him as she put on her mascara and a little concealer under her eyes.
“I’m sure you’d love to go to the store, but they kind of frown on dogs going in places like that,” she said as she continued to talk to him as she finished getting ready, explaining all the reasons why he couldn’t go, as if he truly understood what she was saying.
When she walked over to the hall table to get her purse and keys, she noticed that he didn’t try to go with her, but instead went over to his dog bed and flopped down.
“Now I’m sure you understand what I’m saying,” Della muttered as she watched him gnaw on the knot on his rope toy. “Be back soon,” she told him before she stepped outside and locked the door behind her.
At the grocery store, Della slowly worked through her shopping list, crossing things off as she placed them in her basket. She didn’t have a very long list, but she’d realized that she was almost out of a lot of things at home. Toilet paper, shampoo, cleaning supplies, and laundry soap to begin with, and they’d all chosen the same time to decide to run out.
After she put a new type of dog treat for Moose in her basket, she crossed the last item from her list and tucked the paper away. She sighed, relieved to finally have that done and over with.
When she rounded the corner to head to the checkout lines, Della almost ran into Rose Pixley, one of her fellow book club members. Rose was older than Della, but not by a lot. Although she’d never told Della her age, Della guessed she was about twenty to twenty-five years older than she was, but maybe it was because of Rose’s grey hair.
“Good morning,” Della said after they got over the surprise of seeing one another. She noticed Rose had a number of folding lawn chairs in her cart. “Are you having a party?”
Rose patted the chairs. “They’re 75% off because of a summer clearance. Since we’re all meeting at my place for the book club meeting tonight, I thought if the weather was nice we could sit outside in the back yard and talk about the book. Are you going to be able to make it?”
Della smiled. “Do I ever miss a meeting?”
Rose chuckled. “I guess not. So how have things been at Fox’s Finds? I haven’t had a chance to go there lately, but I saw where you’re doing really well online. Looks like you have lots of followers on social media.”
“Yes, it’s been coming along really well. You know, I just got some new teacups in that you might like.” Rose had a thing for interesting vintage teacups and Della tried to keep an eye out for anything she thought might be Rose’s style.
“Is that so? Well, in that case I better get off my behind and see if I want to add them to my collection,” Rose said with a smile.
“They’ll be waiting for you,” Della grinned. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Rose nodded before continuing on. “See you!” she called back as she headed down a nearby aisle.
Della headed for the checkout counter, wondering if she should put the cups to the side or put them on the shelf. As she chose a line, she decided to hold onto them for a little bit, just in case Rose did like them. After all, what harm was there in giving friends a little special treatment? |
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