CHAPTER SIX
Noah pulled his truck to a stop alongside the curb in front of a familiar vacant storefront. He smiled when he caught sight of the Sold sign propped up in the window. The last time he spoke with Gwen, she mentioned she’d signed the papers to buy space next to the First National Bank. It was a premium location for any financial advisor.
The entirety of Gwen’s clientele had already been made aware of her intent to relocate to the Midwest. The majority were maintaining their accounts due to her success with making them even more money above and beyond due to her expertise in spotting a specific company that had the capability to become a thriving success.
The data collection side of the business wouldn’t be affected by location, nor was her ability to affect timely trades with modern communications equipment. His sister had been able to negotiate a three-way deal between the bank, the town’s local Internet Service Provider, and the software providers of her financial business to share access to the only T3 Data/Voice service connection in town.
Noah was looking forward to having his sister come home to stay, and she was certainly in for a surprise just like he’d gotten. Their dad made no mention of which other houses had been acquired. Unfortunately, there were a lot of abandoned properties due to the local economy.
He leaned over the passenger seat to see if there was an overhead sign still hanging to give any indication as to what had most recently gone out of business, thus enabling his sister to acquire the building.
Nothing remained behind.
Noah barely recalled the Farmer’s Cooperative being one of the building’s original owners back when he was a kid. Mr. Haney had always given them candy from the dish he kept on his desk. Those Werther’s Original Caramel hard candies had been his favorite.
A quick glance over his shoulder at the bakery and the meat market had him remembering a video store also being there last time he was here on leave. Even Blyth Lake had caught up with technology. With improved access to the world of commerce, more new businesses would come to town to revive Main Street. The community would have a place to gather once again, allowing the people the ability to breathe just a bit easier and gain some hope for the future.
Speaking of which, he’d have to spend tomorrow morning on the phone getting the basic electrical service and other utilities started up at the old place. It shouldn’t be that hard to do considering the electric service panel was still in decent shape. Nearly everything after that point would have to be rewired.
In fact, he was thinking of upgrading the service to one hundred and fifty amps rather than the standard one-hundred amp service to give him the framework to outfit the house to modern specifications. He’d even like to add a panel in the barn.
If he had to strip the place down to the studs, he might as well install network cabling and wiring to support built-in sound systems. Just about every home these days had a network of some sort and internet access. He had the knowledge to do most of the work himself.
The geneses of his building excitement at what the next few months held in regards to his future had him reaching for the handle on the door. He didn’t bother to use the running board as he stepped out of his truck.
“Noah Kendall,” a female voice called out. “Is that really you in the flesh?”
He suppressed a groan of annoyance at his incredibly bad luck. Whitney Bell had been quite popular back in their high school days, but she’d followed in her father’s footsteps when it came to manipulating the people in her life. Jeremy Bell had been nothing but a third-rate grifter. He still was, as a matter of fact.
“Whitney, it’s good to see you.” Noah bent the truth a bit, but she didn’t have to know that. He walked around the front of his truck so she didn’t have to come out into the street to greet him. She hadn’t been on the sidewalk when he opened his door, so she had to have been using the ATM inside the bank. The lobby closed at five-thirty, but the cash machine in the foyer was always accessible. “I was just talking with your dad over at Tiny’s. He mentioned you were back in town.”
“Did he also let you know that he’s been diagnosed with kidney failure?” Whitney was never one to beat around the bush. Noah leaned down and gave her a hug, patting her on the back in sympathy while purposefully not inhaling her overpowering layer of cheap knockoff perfume. There were times when silence was the best answer. “He shouldn’t be drinking.”
Noah stepped back and nodded in commiseration. Jeremy Bell wasn’t known to take anyone’s advice, especially from his nagging daughter.
“I heard he’s been through a lot this past year.” Noah shifted his weight as he chose his words carefully. “Between losing his factory job, early retirement, and his declining physical health, it can’t be easy. Have you consulted with his doctor about—”
“About the fact that my dad’s a habitual alcoholic?” Whitney worded the question for him with a tilt of her head. The ringing of her cell phone didn’t stop her from answering. “He refuses to go into the city to see the specialist. Doc Finley is the only one he’ll see. I expect that will end up killing Dad.”
Noah wasn’t sure what to say regarding the fact that Dr. Walter Finley was still practicing medicine. The man had to be at least eighty years old by now. He also doubled for the town’s vet in a pinch. There was actually a much younger guy with a professional veterinarian’s practice in town now, but a lot of the old timers still used Finley.
“I’ve got to take this,” Whitney said with a sigh of mild annoyance. She was already walking down the street as she tossed a goodbye over her shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll see you around now that you’re back in town.”
“Take care, Whitney.”
Noah palmed the keys to his truck as he stepped off the curb, thinking he’d just been saved by the bell. He made his way across the street with a quick grin. He couldn’t help but look back to make sure that Whitney made it to her car safely, but it appeared she’d walked to the bank from her father’s place. The Bells lived on Third Street in a rundown two-story house that could use a fresh coat of paint and had seen much better days by the general look of things.
Whitney seemed on edge, but so would he if his father had been diagnosed with kidney failure all the while refusing to give up the bottle. It was only a matter of time before the man drank himself into an early grave.
Noah sighed with relief upon seeing the neon Open sign lit up in the window of Calvin’s shop. Blyth Lake Hardware was the name it had opened under more than eighty years ago, and it was highly doubtful that moniker would ever change.
A loud bell overhead clanged to signify a customer had arrived on his doorstep. Calvin was probably getting ready to close, seeing as it was a few minutes after six o’clock. Everyone was well-acquainted with his love of fishing and that he kept different hours than most during fishing season. In this case, it worked out for Noah just fine.
“Calvin? You around?”
“In the back here,” Calvin called out, most likely drinking his coffee while restringing one of his various fishing poles.
Noah was starting to feel like a kid in a candy store as he walked down the main aisle to the back room where Calvin still maintained a small black and white television set that he refused to upgrade. He used it mostly for the sound, according to his story. Spending money for a better picture was senseless in his mind, and he’d stated that very fact to anyone who would listen. Some of the businesses in Blyth Lake might have been affected by the arrival of new technology, but that didn’t mean that all the residents would succumb to its charms.
“I’m glad you’re still here,” Noah said before turning the corner. “I was hoping to grab some—”
Noah broke off when he saw that Calvin wasn’t alone.
Reese Woodward was curled up with a glass of lemonade in Calvin’s favorite leather chair that had seen better days. A couple strands had fallen from her hair clip and were framing her face. The light chestnut color brought out the flecks of gold in her eyes.
“Noah, congratulations on the new property.” Calvin greeted him from his roost on an old wooden stool. He shifted his coffee cup to his left hand before extending his other arm. “I would have stuck around the diner to see what tools or supplies you might need, but I didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans to your Uncle Jimmy, if you know what I mean.”
Noah didn’t want to talk about his uncle. He was more curious as to why Reese Woodward was sitting in the back of a hardware store enjoying a glass of lemonade as if she owned the place. She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers in greeting, much like she had when she’d taken the shortcut on his property.
He smiled and leaned against the doorframe after shaking Calvin’s hand.
This ought to be good.
“I don’t believe we’ve formally met.” Noah wasn’t going to wait for Calvin to get around to making introductions. “I’m Noah Kendall, your next-door neighbor of sorts.”
“I’m Reese…Reese Woodward. I hope you don’t mind I used the shortcut next to your place when I was heading into town,” Reese said an infectious smile. Was that a dimple on her right cheek? “I hear a thank you is in order.”
For a moment, Noah wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about. He was still focused on the little fascinating indentation. He’d always been partial to dimples.
“I’m sorry. For what?”
“For your service,” Reese clarified with appreciation, lowering her legs and sitting forward on the edge of the cushion. “Mr. Arlo has been telling me about your family’s legacy of service. I think it’s very honorable that you and your siblings chose to carry on the tradition.”
Noah was never one to take praise for doing what he considered his duty. He welcomed Calvin’s interruption.
“Is Gus in front?”
“No, I left him at Tiny’s to finish his beer.” Noah caught Reese looking at her watch. Seeing as she walked here, it didn’t surprise him that she would want to make it back to her house before dark. He’d taken the shortcut she’d used several times back in his day, but he always made sure to have a flashlight. “Chester and Stella’s anniversary is coming up. He wanted Dad to make one of those fancy standing jewelry boxes for her. I figured you’d be closing soon, so I wanted to grab some boards so I can cover up some of those broken windows I inherited.”
“I have some AC lumber in the ready bins out back that would do just fine.” Calvin set down his mug and unhooked what had to be around fifteen keys from his keyring attached to his belt. “Let me bring some up for you.”
“Mr. Arlo, I really should be—”
“Call me Calvin, dear.” Noah hid a smile when Calvin tipped his cap, proving that his manners hadn’t faded with age. “Call me Calvin. And if you have any other questions regarding Emma Irwin, you know where to find me most days except Sunday.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. Thank you.”
Noah had to have heard wrong. Emma Irwin? He hadn’t thought of her in years, and this was the second time she’d been brought up in one day.
“Emma Irwin?” Noah asked, confused as to why Reese had questions about Emma. An unsettling feeling hit the pit of his stomach. “Why would you be asking questions about Emma?”
“I’ll let Reese explain while I go back and sort out your plywood and some two-by-fours.” Calvin waited for Noah to back up out of the way before he slid past and started walking to the locked door no more than twenty feet away. “How many do you figure you’ll need?”
“Enough to cover four regular-sized windows. Say…two sheets of plywood and four two-by-fours,” Noah replied distractedly, not taking his eyes off Reese. She appeared a bit uncomfortable that Calvin had left her to her own devices. She set down her glass, still half full of lemonade, next to Calvin’s coffee cup. “Did you know Emma?”
“Not exactly,” Reese hedged, slipping her hands in the back pockets of her denim shorts. It dawned on him that she never had the chance to answer Molly’s question he’d overheard at the diner. “At least, not personally. My cousin went to summer camp with Emma a few months before she went missing that fall.”
Noah waited to see if Reese would continue her story, but she fell silent and stared at him expectantly. She was waiting for him to move out of her way, but he was too curious now to let her go without answering a few more of his questions.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your family was close to the Irwins.” Noah tried to recall someone with the last name of Woodward, but the surname wasn’t familiar. “Did your cousin go to Blyth Lake High School?”
“No, actually. Sophia and I grew up in Heartland.” Reese’s gaze shifted past his shoulder, alerting him that Calvin had grabbed the order of lumber. She relaxed somewhat, almost as if she were grateful for the interruption. “I really should be heading back before it gets dark.”
“I can give you a lift,” Noah offered, the words escaping his mouth before he could catch them. Hadn’t he said to himself not four hours ago that it wasn’t any of his business why she was in town? Then again, he hadn’t known it involved Emma. “I’m driving right past your rental. I’m heading back to board up those windows for the night.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I think Molly gave me a bigger piece of apple pie than she did anyone else today,” Reese said, declining his offer as she rested a hand over her stomach. “The walk will do me some good.”
“Noah, can you grab these while I lock up back here?”
“Sure,” Noah replied, reluctant to end his conversation with Reese. She certainly had his interest piqued. “I was just offering Reese a ride home. She took the shortcut through the woods next to Yoder’s property.”
“When are you going to stop referring to the farmhouse as someone else’s place?” Calvin gave a hearty laugh as he secured the lock on the storage door. “She’s all yours now, Kendall.”
“That she is,” Noah replied with a smile, a deep sense of pride filling his chest at the gift his parents had seen to give him. Gus might say it was all Mary’s doing, but Noah had never seen either one of them do something without the other’s consent. They had been partners in every sense of the word. “As I was saying, Reese, I’m heading that way. You’re more than welcome to ride over there with me.”
“I think you missed her,” Calvin said just as the bell above the door chimed Reese’s departure. He started walking toward the front of the store where the old-fashioned register was still in place from when his grandfather used to run the store. “She’s a real sweetheart, that one.”
“She seems nice enough.” Noah was very careful with his words, not wanting Calvin to take his interest the wrong way. Blyth Lake had a reputation of having the fastest gossip grapevine in the state of Ohio. He didn’t want to be feeding the spread of stories just as he got back into town. “What’s her interest in Emma Irwin?”
“Oh, that,” Calvin brushed it off as if that topic of conversation came up a lot. Maybe it did. Nothing ever happened around here, so things of that nature tended to hover over the area. Noah had been gone for twelve years, only visiting when he got leave between deployments or when holidays had allowed. “She’s barking up the wrong tree.”
“What’s that mean?” Noah asked, shifting the boards in his hands so that he could lean them against the counter, using his knees as leverage. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “What is it that she’s got wrong?”
“The young lady seems to think there’s a connection between her cousin and Emma Irwin disappearing.”
“Is there?” Noah asked, handing over twenty-five dollars in cash. Calvin never liked the idea of credit card machines. It was all pay by cash or go without. “A connection, I mean?”
“I doubt it.” Calvin rang up the purchase before writing it down on the receipt pad. He tore the top sheet off and handed it to Noah. “She didn’t seem all that happy with what I had to say. In all honesty, it sounded to me like her cousin ran away from home. The young lady refuses to accept that as the truth, and her hunch isn’t paying off. I wouldn’t be surprised if Reese Woodward heads out of town by tomorrow morning.”