A Firm Foundation Read online

  She snapped her fingers. The newspapers! That was it. There was another old-timer in town who might be a good source of information: Earl Pennyweather, the former owner and editor of the Chronicle. Earl lived in a retirement home now. Tomorrow, she promised herself, she’d stop by there and ask him what he remembered about the library’s history. The simplest thing, of course, would have been to ask Livvy. But Kate didn’t dare go to her friend after Livvy’s fearful reaction that morning.

  As she let herself into the house a short while later, the unmistakable smell of chicken casserole wafted from the kitchen, and she realized that Paul must have arrived home before she did.

  “Bless you,” she called to Paul, whom she could hear rattling something around in the kitchen. “The chicken casserole smells delicious.”

  “Thanks to you,” Paul said, coming into the living room. “All I did was throw it in the oven. You’re the one who created it.”

  The casserole was one of Kate’s old standby recipes that her family loved. Consisting of chopped chicken, Stove Top Stuffing, and several kinds of cream soup, it froze easily and had the added benefit of being tasty enough that even most children liked it.

  “What else have you planned to serve?” he asked.

  “There’s honeydew and cantaloupe to cut up,” she told him. “I already have a tray of cold vegetables with dip in the refrigerator. And I bought some Goldfish crackers for the children. Could you put them in a basket?”

  “I’ll do that, and then start on the melon,” he told her.

  “Thanks. We make a good team.” She gave him a quick kiss and hurried into the bedroom, where she changed her clothes and tidied herself before heading to the kitchen.

  When she entered the room, she was thankful to see that Paul had already set the table.

  “Louisa and her children should be here any minute,” Kate said. “I appreciate you doing all this. I know you had a busy day too. Are you tired?”

  Paul’s face was red despite the sunscreen he’d applied and the hat he’d worn all day. “I’m a little worn out,” he admitted. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

  The doorbell rang, and he glanced toward the entryway. “Sounds like our guests have arrived.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Pellman children were all delightful. Jeremy and the middle child, six-year-old Addyson, chattered throughout the meal, saving them from any awkward moments. The youngest child, Julianne, was barely three, but she showed the same engaging personality that her siblings did.

  Louisa was more reserved, barely meeting Kate’s eyes when she first arrived. As she relaxed, she was friendly, yet she seemed hesitant to talk about herself very much. Kate attributed that to the sad experiences she undoubtedly had during her marriage and tried to keep the conversation from getting personal.

  As the meal concluded, Paul took the two older children into the living room to find a game to play while Kate and Louisa lingered at the table with Julianne.

  “So I understand you work at the courthouse,” Kate said. “Have you found it interesting?”

  Louisa smiled. “Not so much at the moment. I’m helping out in the deeds office while the lady who usually works there is recuperating from minor surgery. She’s working two days a week right now. It’s not the most interesting work in the world.”

  “Have you worked other places?” Kate asked.

  Louisa shook her head. “I was always a stay-at-home mother, so I don’t have many skills.”

  “Raising children requires quite a bit of skill,” Kate said. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

  “That’s what my mother says.” Without even pausing, the young woman deftly snagged a cup that her youngest had knocked over. Not a single drop spilled. “I applied for a job as an assistant in the school system, but I haven’t heard anything yet. That would be nice, because the full-time position offers insurance.”

  “Yes, that would be nice,” Kate agreed. “Do you have any coverage now?”

  Louisa hesitated, and Kate instantly regretted the question. It was too personal, just what she had hoped to avoid.

  “I’m sorry,” Kate began.

  “No, it’s all right.” Louisa nodded. “My ex-husband’s insurance covers the children to some degree, although he has tried several times to take them off his policy. If I can get a job and put them on my policy, I’d love to stop relying on him.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say, but apparently Louisa wasn’t finished.

  “I have full custody,” she confided. “My husband has supervised visitation with the kids twice a month if he wants it. I got a restraining order after he put me in the hospital two years ago. I initiated divorce proceedings after that, and he has fought me on every penny of child support I ask for. Thankfully, he moved away from Copper Mill. I should be sorry that he doesn’t want to see the children very much, but I’m not. The children’s lives are better without him around, as much as it saddens me to admit that. If I can just find a way to support us without his money, things will be even better.”

  “How do the children feel?” Kate asked when Louisa fell silent. It was the most she’d talked all night.

  The young mother shrugged. “The girls don’t really remember him, so they don’t say anything. Jeremy, unfortunately, remembers the shouting and physical confrontations. He worries that his father might come back someday.”

  Kate winced.

  “I know,” Louisa said sadly. “You’ve been so kind to Jeremy, Kate, and I appreciate that.” Suddenly she stopped talking. She seemed to withdraw into herself, and Kate realized the time for confidences had passed.

  Kate stood and began to clear the table. “Since you work in the deeds office,” she began, “perhaps you can tell me how to go about getting a look at a deed.”

  Louisa accepted a damp paper towel from Kate and began to wipe Julianne’s face and hands. “The parsonage deed?”

  Kate shook her head as she added soap to her dishpan. “No. I’d like to look at the deed to the library.”

  “The library?” Louisa sounded taken aback. “What for?”

  Kate weighed her words. She hadn’t even told Paul about the demolition yet. “I’m just curious about how long it’s been a library, that sort of thing. Since it’s not going to be a library anymore, I want to document its history.”

  Louisa appeared to accept the explanation. After a long moment’s hesitation, she said, “I can’t take the deed away from the courthouse, but I could look at it and tell you what it says.”

  “Really?” Kate turned to her, touched by the offer. She’d looked at deeds before, and she knew the process took time. It was a trade-off: she’d have to wait until Friday, but the time it would have taken her certainly could be better spent investigating other things. “That would be wonderful.” Mentally, she struck one task off tomorrow’s list.

  “What information are you interested in?” Louisa asked.

  “I’d like to find out who all the building’s prior owners have been,” Kate told her.

  Louisa nodded. “A title search. That should be no problem. People come in and do title searches all the time. I work again on Thursday, and I could bring you the information on Friday, if that’s all right.”

  “That would be fine.” Kate wished she didn’t have to wait two days, but she knew that Louisa would save her some time.

  Kate cleaned up the dishes while Louisa took Julianne into the living room with Paul and the other children. It was very thoughtful of Louisa to help her, and it would free her up so she could visit Earl Pennyweather and look into some other things. And, she thought, her spirits falling, tell Livvy about the demolition.

  When she was finally finished with the dishes, Kate dried her hands and walked into the living room. To her surprise, Paul and the children were nowhere to be seen.

  Louisa stood near the coat tree. For one instant, Kate saw an expression of panic or guilt cross her attractive features, but then she smiled, and Kate thought she must have
been mistaken.

  The telephone rang, disrupting her train of thought. Returning to the kitchen, she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Is this Kate?” It was a woman’s voice that sounded familiar, but Kate couldn’t place it.

  “It is. How can I help you?”

  “This is Elspeth Getty from the Harrington County Wildlife Center.”

  “Oh yes. Hello, Elspeth.”

  “Good evening. I have a huge favor to ask of you, Kate.”

  “Ask away,” she replied cheerfully.

  “Would it be possible for you to get some photographs of some of the other squirrels at the library, if there are any? I’ve photographed this one so I can send information to some colleagues, but it would be a lot more compelling if they could see that there’s a population and not just one lone animal.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot to get back to you,” Kate said. “There definitely are others. No promises. It’s so hot that I don’t think they’re out a whole lot. But I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all I ask. Thanks.”

  When Kate hung up and returned to the living room, Louisa was waiting by the door. “Paul took the, uh, the children out for a short walk. I was just about to ask if you wanted help in the kitchen,” Louisa said.

  “I’m finished in there.” Kate walked over to the young woman and opened the front door. “Let’s join them.”

  The two women left the house. Paul had found a large ball in the garage, something they kept around for the occasions when their grandchildren visited. He and Jeremy had both little girls in the grassy yard, taking turns gently kicking it to each of them.

  Kate watched for a moment, noting how solicitous Jeremy was when Julianne, the smallest one, fell. “He’s so good with his sisters,” she murmured. “You must be very proud of him.”

  “I am,” Louisa said, equally quietly. “But sometimes I worry that he takes on too much responsibility. It’s hard for him to relax and just act his age, you know?”

  Kate nodded. “He does relax, though. Have you seen him when he’s watching the squirrels?”

  Louisa rolled her eyes. “When he’s got squirrels on the brain, he doesn’t even hear me when I call him.” The women chuckled together.

  As they walked across the grass, Kate told Louisa about the request for photographs.

  Louisa said, “I’ll bring Jeremy with me when I come to the library tomorrow afternoon.”

  “That would be great,” Kate said. “I was trying to imagine myself lying on the library lawn taking pictures of squirrels. It won’t seem nearly so, so eccentric if Jeremy helps me.”

  Both women laughed again.

  Paul saw them and waved. “Hey, there. Want to join us?” As Kate and their guest walked across the grass toward him, he said to Louisa, “I met someone who knows you. A new fellow joined our roofing team after one man had to leave us. His name is Jerry Cox.”

  Louisa looked blank. “Jerry Cox? I don’t know anyone—oh.” Kate was amazed to see the color drain from Louisa’s face. A moment later, she began to blush furiously as she said, “Oh, that Jerry. Right. I forgot all about him.”

  Paul sent her an odd look. “I got the impression he knew you pretty well.”

  Louisa looked away. “He was a friend of my ex-husband.”

  Paul looked pained. “He’s a good carpenter, and he’s doing a great job on the team,” he said, clearly attempting to repair his gaffe.

  “Why don’t we go in and have some dessert now,” Kate said into the awkward silence that fell. “I have strawberry-rhubarb pie and brownies. Who’s ready for something sweet?”

  KATE DREAMED ABOUT the library that night. She couldn’t remember much of the dream the next morning, but she had one very vivid memory of watching a wrecking ball swing toward the library while huge black thunderheads spawned a frightening storm that was heading right for her. No wonder it had left her feeling anxious and afraid. She was still reliving Sunday evening’s scare.

  She’d been unable to shake the feelings even during her morning Bible study and meditation. One of the morning’s Bible verses had included a well-known Proverb: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

  She did trust in the Lord, she mused, but she often struggled with discerning his plan. She prayed that he would reveal the reasons behind the library’s closure and demolition and would prevent those events from happening. But was she right to pray that the Lord would stop those involved from carrying out their scheme? What if something much bigger and better was supposed to come of all this? Shouldn’t she simply be praying for the fortitude to deal with the changes and to help others do the same?

  No, she decided. She had to trust that the feelings in her heart were God-given. It wasn’t simply her desire; something deep inside was telling her to fight for the library.

  She dressed for the heat again, pulling on an elastic-waisted, tiered skirt in a light, crinkly fabric. It was a gorgeous teal, gold, and copper pattern. She paired it with a simple teal T-shirt with a modest scoop neck. Around her neck, she clasped a large ceramic starfish on a gold chain.

  When Kate walked into the library a short time later, she felt as if she had displaced time somewhere. A great amount of material on the first floor had been removed from the bookshelves and trucked away to some storage facility in Pine Ridge. Although some of the furniture remained and volunteers still bustled about, the library had a sad, empty quality to it already.

  Livvy, wearing denim capri pants, practical sneakers, and a simple tank top, was giving directions to a pair of young women.

  Kate started toward her friend.

  “Oh, excuse me!” Kate was solidly rammed by someone carrying a box. She staggered forward a step, dropping her handbag, and the box holder backed up a pace.

  “I’m so sorry,” the person said as a few items from Kate’s bag scattered over the floor.

  It was a woman’s voice, and as she set down the box that had impeded her line of sight, Kate saw it was Eva Mountjoy, the sole woman on the town council.

  “Hello, Mrs. Mountjoy,” Kate said, kneeling and gathering up her lipstick.

  The other woman looked flustered. “Kate Hanlon! Are you hurt? I’m the clumsiest mover ever.” She took a breath as she bent to pick up Kate’s handbag and a few other items. “Please call me Eva,” she added, holding the items out to Kate.

  Kate smiled as she slipped the straps of her handbag over her shoulder. Here was another opportunity to test her approach. Of course, if Ben Dean had called around and told the whole council she’d spoken to him the previous afternoon, it might be time wasted. Still...

  “Let me help, Eva,” Kate said. She picked up a second box and headed for the door in the direction Eva had been moving. “May I get your reaction to an idea I had?”

  Once again, she went through her story about hearing rumors and thinking of using bricks as historical mementos for a fund-raiser.

  Eva appeared taken aback by the idea. “It’s a lovely idea, dear, but I can’t imagine that the library is going to be torn down.”

  “I don’t know.” Kate shook her head and recounted the conversation she’d overheard between the two inspectors. Once again, she was extremely careful never to use Livvy’s name or even mention the librarian.

  Eva shook her head as her face filled with distress. “Oh no, this is terrible.” She peered at Kate. “Do you really think that could happen?”

  Kate nodded. “Based on the things I’ve heard, I’d have to say it’s within the realm of possibility. Maybe Tosten could tell you more about it.”

  “Tosten.” Eva said his name as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. “If I know Tosten Glass, he’s probably getting some kind of kickback from this thing somehow.”

  “Kickback?” If that was true, it would confirm one of Kate’s first theories about the library closing: financial gain. “You think Tosten could be involved in closing the library for money?”

  �
��It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. But I’m not going to go around saying that. Knowing that man, he’d sue me.” After another moment’s conversation, the small woman went back to work.

  Gathering herself, Kate headed toward Livvy again. She halted while Livvy finished speaking. As the volunteers walked away, Kate stepped closer to her friend.

  “Hey. How are you doing?”

  Livvy cast Kate a glance that combined sadness, bitterness, and a certain amount of anger. It wasn’t an expression Kate was accustomed to seeing. “How do you think?” Then her shoulders slumped. “At least I still have my job. Thanks for not making waves.”

  Kate shifted, feeling momentarily guilty. Then she thought of what she had learned. She took Livvy’s elbow in a gentle grip and turned her toward the office. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Kate! I’ve got things to do.” Livvy made a mild attempt to shake free.

  “Please?” Kate asked quietly. Something in her voice must have communicated the gravity of her need, because Livvy immediately led her into the office. Kate closed the door as Livvy sank down into the chair behind the desk with a weary sigh.

  “The day has barely started, and I’m tired already,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  Kate heaved a sigh of her own. This was going to be hard. “I have some bad news.”

  Apprehension settled on Livvy’s face. “What now? I thought being forced to move the library was as awful as it could get.”

  Kate took a deep breath. “Livvy...I’m fairly certain this building is going to be demolished.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Livvy’s face went white as a sheet of copy paper. “Demolished? Torn down?”

  Kate nodded.

  “You must be wrong. Why would you say that?” Livvy looked so stricken, Kate could hardly bear it. “They can’t tear down this building. It’s the library!”

  Kate shook her head. “I hope I’m wrong,” she said, “but it’s looking more and more as if I’m on the right track.”