Chapters (62)
- Cover
- A PENNY
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- A Sample Chapter of Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
- About the Author
- Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
- About the Publisher
I took the box and put it on the bed, seeing Eli’s return address in the corner. The old rascal had sent me a box of goodies despite my telling him not to. He must’ve called Harriet at the office and gotten my current address from her.
“Where should I take the call?” I asked.
She motioned for me to follow her, and she led me down the hall to the lovely sunlit alcove at the end. It held an upholstered window seat, and next to the seat was a recessed shelf in the wall, with a telephone.
“Thanks,” I said, taking my seat. As I picked up the receiver, Judith came out of her room and headed for the stairs, giving me a vague smile and a wave as she passed by.
“This is Callie,” I said into the phone.
“Callie Webber?”
The voice was muffled and high pitched, though I couldn’t quite tell if it was a man or a woman.
“Yes?”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Who is this?”
“That’s not important. Can you meet me in an hour?”
I hesitated, and after a moment the person spoke again.
“I have information that you’ll be interested in. Something important I need to tell you.”
“Why do we have to meet?” I asked. “Why can’t you just tell me now over the phone?”
“I have to show you something. One hour. Meet me in the cemetery, next to the Smythe family plot.”
Now my interest was piqued. What could this person possibly need to show me there?
“The funeral’s today,” I said. “There will be people around.”
“Funeral’s at 11:00,” the voice said. “Meet me at 10:00.”
“How will I—”
“Just be there.”
The line clicked and my caller was gone.
I hung up the phone and returned to my room, sitting on the side of the bed. I should leave now, I decided. If Eli had taught me anything, it was that you don’t ever head into a situation like this unaware. If we were meeting at 10:00, I would get there at 9:15 and scope the place out first.
I thought about calling Duane Perskie for backup, but I hated the thought of taking up any more of his time. I would be fine, I decided. In a place that public, what could happen?
Bending over, I slid my stash from under the bed and returned it to the better hiding place behind the radiator. Then I went to the closet, pulled out the same black clothes I had worn to the wake the night before, and slid them into a bag with some shoes and stockings. I grabbed Eli’s box and headed out, knowing I could change clothes in the bathroom of the funeral home after my meeting at the gravesite of Wendell Smythe.
Thirty
Thirty
