Moonshine Murder [Hawkman Bk 14] by Betty Sullivan La Pierre Page B

women's items, Jennifer realized she had no idea what size jeans would fit Beth, so decided to forget those and focused in on blouses she could wear everyday. She piled her items on the counter, then went back to the housewares and browsed through racks of stuff. Finally, deciding on a couple of long-handled utensils and a canvas wood carrier, she went back to the cashier. When she deposited her purchases into the Ford, it amazed her to think all the things she'd bought totaled under ten dollars. She figured she'd be stopping here more often for her own personal shopping.
    After a trip to the grocery store, she headed home, and thought about the reaction she'd probably get from Jeb. If he gave her any static, she'd tell him the jacket belonged to her husband. He never wore it and she'd planned to throw it out, but hoped he could use it. It made her cringe to lie, but if it satisfied the horrible man, it would be worth it.
    Jennifer pulled into the garage, carried the groceries in first and put them away. She had to make a couple of trips to the Ford, but finally transferred all the items inside. Glancing at the wall clock she couldn't believe she'd been in town so long. Too late to start a big dinner; sandwiches were on the menu tonight.
    She stepped back, put a hand to her mouth and stared at the pile of stuff for the Hutchinsons. Had she been pretentious? Would they take this all wrong? Jeb seemed to have a certain amount of pride, but Beth seemed willing to take anything she offered.
    "Dang it!” she said aloud. “I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing."
    At that moment, Hawkman walked in the door, and glanced at the mound of clothes. “Uh, oh, what have you done?"
    "I went to the thrift shop and got carried away. I bought something for every one of the Hutchinsons, even Jeb. Now I'm having second thoughts. Jeb is not too keen on charity, and I'm afraid he's going to have a fit when I bring this load up to them."
    "Well, let's talk about it,” he said, placing his briefcase on the counter. “You might have just done the right thing. Show me what you've bought."
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CHAPTER TWENTY
    Jennifer stared at her husband with a dubious expression. “I don't understand what you mean, but here's what I bought.” She moved to the chair where she'd stacked the items, went through each article of clothing, and utensils, explaining why she'd bought them. Holding up the bag from Walmart, she showed him the gifts for Randy and Marcy. Biting her lower lip, she hugged herself. “Now, I'm having second thoughts. Jeb is going to have a fit about accepting charity. I want this to be a happy experience, not a big argument among the family."
    "You've played right into our plan."
    She furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?"
    "Don't you remember our discussion about me checking what's going on in those outbuildings?"
    "Yes, but it certainly wasn't on my mind when I went to town."
    "I'm sure you never gave it a thought, but it just might work. If you can get the whole family into the cabin at one time, then my chances of snooping around will be much safer."
    "When did you want to do this?"
    "This weekend, but first, we'll need to work on the timing."
    "How do you propose to do that?"
    "Before it gets dark, I'm going to take the four-wheeler, and see how long it takes to follow the creek that runs near the cabin. I'll go to the point where I think they might be able to hear the Polaris. I'll mark the spot, then hike the rest of the way until I can see the outline of the buildings. I figure it will take about ten minutes longer than you driving up in the Ford."
    Jennifer sat on the arm of the big leather chair. “What if someone spots you?"
    "I won't be getting close enough on this dry run."
    "Where does the property end? I have the feeling Earl walks the boundary, and he'd just as soon shoot you."
    "Let's hope he's having dinner."
    "You better get on the stick. It'll be dark in about an hour."
    "I'm going