Page 24 of Pumpkin Patch Peril
“So we all agree the plan is to visit the Knowles farm stand as jewelry customers,” Mona said, reviewing their strategy notes. “We’re interested in Ivy’s charm collection, particularly anything with wings.”
Helen nodded approvingly. “It’s the perfect cover. We’re local ladies interested in supporting local artisans. Nothing suspicious about that.”
Twenty minutes later, they were climbing into Ruth’s sedan for the drive to Knowles Organic Produce. As they pulled out of the retirement center, Ruth glanced in her rearview mirror and frowned slightly.
“Everything all right?” Helen asked from the passenger seat.
“Probably nothing,” Ruth murmured, taking a left toward Mason Road. “There’s just a dark sedan back there that seems to be heading the same direction we are.”
Ida immediately swiveled in her seat to look out the back window. “Sedan? What kind of sedan? Four doors? Two doors? License plate readable?”
“Ida, dear, you don’t need to conduct surveillance,” Mona said gently. “Ruth said it’s probably nothing.”
But Ruth was checking her mirror again, this time with more concern. “It’s still behind us after two turns. Dark blue or black, can’t tell the make from here.”
The mood in the car shifted slightly as they continued toward the Knowles farm. Ruth made another unnecessary turn down Elm Street, ostensibly to avoid construction but actually to test whether the sedan would follow. It did.
“Now that’s interesting,” Helen said quietly, watching the car maintain its distance behind them.
“Could be a coincidence,” Mona suggested, though her voice lacked conviction. “Maybe they’re also heading out to the farms.”
“Or maybe,” Ida said with obvious excitement, “we’ve stirred up more interest in this case than we realized. This could be the break we need!”
“This could be the danger we need to avoid,” Ruth corrected, taking another turn that would loop them back toward their original route. “I don’t like being followed.”
By the time they reached Mason Road, the sedan had vanished from view, leaving them to wonder whether it had been genuinely following them or whether the stress of the investigation was making them paranoid.
“Well,” Helen said as they pulled into the gravel parking area beside the Knowles farm stand, “followed or not, we’re here now.”
The farm stand looked exactly as it had when they’d visited with Tom the day before—a rustic wooden structure with hand-painted signs advertising fresh produce, herbs, and Ivy’shandmade jewelry. A few cars were parked nearby, suggesting modest but steady business despite Ida’s statistical predictions.
As they approached the entrance, Ruth glanced back toward the road. “That dark sedan is nowhere to be seen now. Maybe I was being paranoid.”
“Or maybe whoever was following us decided to wait and watch from a distance,” Mona said, scanning the surrounding area with new wariness.
“Only one way to find out,” Helen declared, pushing open the farm stand door with the confidence of someone who’d spent decades dealing with uncertainty.
A small bell chimed their arrival, and Ivy Knowles looked up from behind a display of late-season tomatoes with a genuinely welcoming smile.
“Good morning, ladies! Back for more of our produce?” She was wearing a flowered apron over jeans and a sweater, her graying hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. Everything about her suggested honest, hardworking farm life.
“Actually,” Mona said, returning the smile, “we were hoping to look at your jewelry collection. We saw your totes last time, but we heard that you also make the most beautiful nature-themed charms.”
Ivy’s face lit up with obvious pride. “Oh, how wonderful! I love meeting people who appreciate handmade pieces. Let me show you what I have.”
She led them to the back of the room, where silver charms hung from tiny hooks. There were leaves in various shapes, flowers, birds, butterflies, and yes—several bee charms with delicately crafted wings.
“These are exquisite,” Helen said, examining a charm shaped like an oak leaf. “You make all of these yourself?”
“Every single one,” Ivy confirmed. “I’ve been working with silver for nearly fifteen years now. It started as a hobby, butpeople seemed to like what I was making, so Tom encouraged me to start selling them.”
Ruth was studying the bee charms with particular interest. “These little bees are adorable. Are the wings attached permanently?”
“Actually, no,” Ivy said, lifting one of the bee charms from its hook. “See? The wings are on tiny hinges. They move just like real bee wings would. It was Tom’s idea—he said static jewelry was boring, that nature is all about movement.”
She demonstrated gently moving the wings back and forth. It was exactly like the wing they’d found in Brenda’s barn.
“How clever!” Ida exclaimed, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. “I bet lots of people buy these. Do you keep track of who purchases which designs?”
