Penned In

by Lynn Cahoon

  “If you wanted an easy assignment, you should have picked first, before you passed around the notebook.” Ian shook his head. “What were you thinking?”

  “I guess I wasn’t.” Angie admitted. She stood and called out. “Ten-minute break. Don’t take off.”

  “Where would we go? We’re locked in, remember?” Felicia said in her best bored valley girl tone.

  Angie tried not to smile. Her team could pull the wool over anyone’s eyes-which may or may not be a good thing. She went to the coffee pot, glanced around the room, and decided not to sit by anyone from her group. She sighed loudly as she sat next to Thaddeus who was playing with the deck of cards that Matt had found.

  “Your team seems to be dissolving. You ever think of firing the whole lot of them and starting over? It’s worked for me several times in my career.” Thaddeus didn’t look up from his game of Solitaire.

  Angie snorted. “I would, but one of the trouble makers is dating my partner. And she’s not going to let me get rid of the guy. So what business were you in?”

  “Sales. I sold just about everything through my years, except for electronics and those damn computers. They said I wasn’t smart enough to sell computers. Hell, I could sell ice to Eskimos.”

  “You should have seen the guy who sold us our accounting system. He had to be twelve. And he didn’t know anything. I swear, wisdom isn’t considered when they’re giving out jobs today.” Angie sipped her coffee and stared at Estebe who was talking to Tad. “Especially if you have a pretty face.”

  “Exactly. You can be a total air head and they’ll hire you if you’re under thirty.” Thaddeus sighed. “It’s not even like I need the money, but I sure miss going to work every day. I’ve been looking for a new place ever since I was laid off three years ago. I think they see my age when I walk into an interview and my résumé gets thrown in the circular file.”

  “Too bad you’re not a chef. I could use a strong hand in my kitchen.” She shot a look at Estebe. “One that I could trust.”

  “I’d burn water.” He smiled holding a card up in the air and considering his choices. He threw it on the discard pile. “My late wife used to tell me that all the time. I’d burn water. She’s been gone for a few years now. I’m glad she’s not here to see what happened to me. Now, all I have time to do is genealogy. It’s kind of interesting finding out who you are by going back in time.”

  “So who are you related to? Anyone famous?” Angie leaned forward, focusing on her fake excitement. She couldn’t over do this.

  “Nah. Not really famous. Kind of a local big shot, but no one as big as Simplot or anything.”

  Simplot was the local potato king who’d made his money selling frozen fries to McDonald’s. Now, the massive company he’d built had a whole line of produce-based products. They took the basic potato and processed it so it lost its flavor and natural goodness. But maybe that was just her farm to table mentality kicking in. She brushed imaginary lint off her jeans, looking bored. “Oh, that’s nice.”

  He frowned, probably realizing he’d lost her attention. “But I can tell you that you’d be amazed if you heard. It’s kind of funny me being in here where it all started.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Angie didn’t want to sound too greedy, but she had the feeling that Thaddeus was telling her something important.

  “You’ll find out sooner or later.” He winked at her and then stood. “I need to find the little boys’ room.”

  She watched him walk away and replayed the conversation in her head. Apparently, Thaddeus found out that he was descended from someone important. Maybe someone who had been an inmate here?

  Felicia waved at her from the other table. “I thought you said ten minutes?”

  Angie joined the others at the table. “Anyone get anything interesting?”

  “Nick used to be an MMA fighter. He gave it up when he met Sara.” Ian said in a low voice.

  “Sara said they got a call from the historical society and they were gifted free tours because both were part of the paranormal investigator group. Whoever gifted them the tour thought it would be cool to have them here on Lyda’s night. That’s what they call tonight since most of the sightings happen this date.” Hope shook her head. “You should talk to them. They are convinced this is all about the death of the real guard so many years ago.”

  “That’s stupid. Why would a ghost kill a fake guard? So yeah, he was a jerk, but so are a lot of other people. I talked to Sara after you did, Hope. She, on the other hand, isn’t a true believer but her husband Nick is. She’s hoping to wean him from this hobby now that they’re married.” Nancy shook her head. “Never marry someone you’re going to try to change. Love them like they are or just move on.”

  “Personal experience with that?” Felicia asked but with a smile.

  “Definitely. Although it was my husband trying to change me.” Nancy sipped her coffee. “Didn’t work.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re a paranormal groupie in your free time?” Estebe asked.

  Nancy barked out a laugh. “What free time? No, he wanted me to be a stay at home mom and make an amazing life off one income. No matter how small his check was. He didn’t get that braces cost money. Not to mention college.”

  Hope nodded her head. “My folks have been drilling ‘College isn’t a free ride’ into our heads for so long. I’ve had a summer job since I could babysit. And, because of the money they set aside and my earnings, I left school without any student loan debt. I want to buy a better car, but I’m saving for it because I don’t want a loan.”

  “That’s great Hope. Now, did Sara say anything else?” Angie gently steered the conversation back to the suspects.

  “Not anything that seemed strange.” Hope smiled, “She does love her husband though. She watched him like a hawk all the time we were talking and he was talking to Ian.”

  Angie filed that under honeymoon weirdness. She turned to her friend. “Felicia? Anything more out of Tamera?”

  “She apologized for her brother not once or twice even. She apologized ten times, which was hard to do in less than ten minutes. She says he’s a little freaked out about his life this year. But he’s on a good path.”

  Everyone looked at each other.

  “Just because the sister is worried doesn’t mean he’s our killer.” Angie reminded them even though she wanted to scream it was the final straw. She wasn’t sure she had enough facts to even have a police officer question him. She checked her list. “Matt? What about Jamie? Any skeletons there?”

  “Not a one. He’s a good guy under all those preppy clothes. He loves his ghost stories though. He and Liz are taking off in an RV in a week to go visit a bunch of haunted places. Liz is writing a book.” Matt paused, looking up at the ceiling. “And that’s all he told me. Well, except the fact Nick and Sara were supposed to ride along, but she put the kibosh on the plans this morning.”

  “Never going to last.” Nancy said.

  “Okay, thanks for the report, Matt.” She looked down at her list. She needed to report her news and Estebe hadn’t talked yet. “Estebe? What about Tad?”

  “That man is a self-consumed jerk who should never be around people again. He said he hoped this place was haunted, and he hoped his uncle would have a heart attack when he saw the real ghost.” Estebe sighed. “I do not like the man. I wish he had killed the guard another day. One where we weren’t here.”

  Chapter 6

  “Do you really think Tad killed Pat?” Angie stared at Estebe. He wasn’t looking at anyone at the table. Instead he was watching the others.

  “I think someone in this building did. Why not Tad?” Estebe rubbed the top of his head.

  Angie felt the challenge in Estebe’s words. So instead of responding, she glanced around the room. “We don’t just pick the easiest target. We need to know who was in on this.”
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  “Sorry, that was an overreaction. Which was still better than what I wanted to say.” He stood from the bench and stretched. “I’m tired. Words seem to be coming out of my mouth on their own terms. And I hate charlatans.”

  “Gift horses and all,” Matt provided.

  “Exactly.” Estebe slapped Matt on the back. “Thanks buddy.”

  Angie wasn’t sure where this conversation had gone off the rails, but it was obvious that everyone was tired and needed some sleep. She glanced around. The guards still weren’t back. “Let’s go find Bridget, and then we’re going to the closest cells and getting a few hours of sleep. One of us will stay awake just in case.”

  “We could switch off every hour.” Matt added. He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

  “I’ll take the first watch.” Ian nodded to the bank of cells near the back of the room. “I’ll wait for our hosts to come back. You all go get some sleep. Who wants second shift?”

  Felicia raised her hand. “I’m good with cat naps.”

  “Let’s do two on guard. I’ll sit up with Ian first. Then Ian will go to bed and I’ll stay up with Felicia. Then I’ll go to bed and Felicia can sit with the next person.” Angie suggested. “That way it’s less likely that our guard will fall asleep too.”

  “Hey, I might resemble that remark.” Ian smiled at her. “But it’s a good call. I’m drained and this way, I have someone to talk to.”

  “Then put me on the third shift,” Nancy said. “With having two jobs that will be just about the time I’m used to getting up anyway.”

  “That would bring us up to the unlock time. Then we just have to stop for coffee and get home so we can open on time tomorrow.” Estebe looked at his watch. “Or technically, today.”

  “See you all in the morning,” Ian called as he refilled his coffee cup. He held up an empty cup, “Want some?”

  “Yes, please.” Angie met him at the coffee pot.

  They took the coffee and followed the group to the bank of cells. There was a table close and Ian sat with his back to the cells, watching the front.

  Angie pointed to the cell block. “Should we walk through before they go to sleep to make sure no one’s there?”

  “Estebe was going to do that before he laid down.”

  Angie eyed him suspiciously. “And how do you know that?”

  “We talked with sign language when I was pouring coffee. He’s not a stupid man. He worries about you guys.” Ian sipped his coffee. “And before you ask, there isn’t an exit to the back. I went through this set of cells earlier trying to find the bathroom. It’s on the other side. This blocks up to a brick wall.”

  “I can’t believe we’re worried about getting killed in our sleep. This was supposed to be a fun, teambuilding activity. Maybe I should schedule all the others. We could go to the zoo. That would be safe, right?”

  “Until a lion escapes and we’re stuck hiding in the monkey house.” He shook his head. “Face it Angie, wherever you go, trouble shows up. I think you have a natural attraction for problems.”

  “This is really not my fault.” Angie saw the grin on Ian’s face. “Okay, so you’re teasing me.”

  “And you didn’t catch on for a while. You are tired.” Ian glanced around the common room. At the other end of the room, the two couples were sitting up against a wall, with either one or both of the pair sleeping. Tamera had her head on the table, snoring. Tad was pacing the room. And Thaddeus was still playing cards. “I think our hosts found beds and are asleep by now.”

  “You don’t think the guards killed Pat, do you?”

  Ian glanced over at the others one more time. “Either one of them did, or it’s someone over there. Would a killer be asleep right now? Or would he be filled with adrenaline and not able to sleep?”

  “He’d have to be pretty cold blooded to sleep.” She watched Tad. “He’s wound a little tightly for someone his age.”

  “Unless you add in the time he spent in lock up. He’s probably thinking he’s the most likely candidate for suspect of the year.” Ian rolled his shoulders. “When I was running with Danny, everyone thought I was doing the same bad things he was. And I like it that way. It gave me street cred, but I was a dumb kid. Tad knows what it’s like to go to prison. I don’t think he’s very keen on going back.”

  “You empathize with him.” Angie watched Ian’s face. The room was gloomy but she could see him clear enough.

  “I do. I could have been Danny or Tad if my mom hadn’t stepped in. She saved me from a bad turn in life by just taking me out of town that weekend.” He nodded to Tad. “You never know what could have happened if someone had interceded in his life. Like a favorite uncle.”

  “Sometimes people won’t let you help.” Angie didn’t mean to be critical of Ian’s choices, but she’d tried to save others before. It never worked out.

  “You’re right. I believe all we can do is try.” He smiled at her. “Of course, I am the Sunday school teacher. I’m required to say this kind of stuff.”

  “Whatever.” Angie put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. Dom looked up at her and barked. “Uh oh, we need to find the courtyard. Dom’s needing a break.”

  “I don’t want you to go alone.” Ian glanced over at the cells. “Anyone still awake in there?”

  Marty popped his head up and moved toward the entrance. “I can’t sleep. I’ve been trying but my head keeps running through the people we met and any reasons they might have wanted to kill Pat. How can I help?”

  “Go with Angie to find the courtyard. Dom needs a walk.” Ian handed Matt one of the flashlights that were on the table.

  They walked toward the hallway that led even farther into the prison. Angie shivered and Matt shined the light on her. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine, it’s just a little weird, that’s all.” She rubbed the top of Dom’s back. More for her own comfort than the dog’s. “Thanks for coming with me.”

  “I like working for you. I need to keep you around. Estebe and Felicia together would be brutal.” He pointed toward a door with a sign that read Exercise Yard. “I think we found our exit.”

  “Just make sure there’s a rock or something in the doorway. I would hate to get locked outside for the rest of the night.” Angie and Dom moved through the doorway. The night was cool, but not cold. And the walls were high enough that all Angie could see were the stars above them. “This is amazing.”

  “Yeah. I know we’re close to town but you’d think we were out in the boonies here.” He shoved a rock in the door. He kicked a coffee can and sand flew out of it. “Looks like people take smoke breaks out here.”

  “What do you think of Glen, Marty, and Bridget?” Angie let Dom loose on his leash to find the perfect spot. She was glad when he decided it was just time to water the lawn. She didn’t want to have to pull out her pooper scooper bags, carry his refuse back inside and dump it in the toilet. Sometimes being a responsible pet owner wasn’t a fun job.

  “I’m worried about them. Yeah, they are probably just sleeping on couches in the break room, but what if they aren’t? I hate to think that the killer got them too.” He glanced toward the door. “I messed up by booking this thing. Next time, it’s a trip to POJO’s Fun Palace where the hardest thing is laser tag.”

  “Matt, this is not on you. You couldn’t predict a murder. And unless you killed the guy, you’re not responsible for his death.” Dom sat at her feet, watching her. “I need to get him some water anyway. Let’s go visit the break room.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” He held open the door and they went from the gentle star light into pitch black. Matt flipped on the flashlight. “I can’t believe how dark it is in here.”

  “We got used to it.” Angie tried to stay in the middle of the walkway, not that she was afraid of random hands and arms reaching out and grabbing her from the dark shadows. At least, not very af
raid. They paused at the table where Ian sat.

  “Everything okay?” Ian greeted Dom as he talked, rubbing the big dog’s ears.

  “Sure. We need to get the big guy some water so he can go out again.” Angie grabbed a plastic bowl from the middle of the table. It held candy, but was almost empty now. “We’ll be right back.”

  She didn’t mention that they were looking for the three missing hosts as well, but she didn’t think Ian would be fooled. He could read her like a book sometimes. They wandered through the empty display rooms until they reached the one that had posters of all the famous inmates.

  “This is totally creepy in the dark. It’s like they’re all looking at you.” Matt shined the light on all of the posters.

  “Then stop with the light stuff. Shine it on this wall. I thought I saw a door here earlier.”

  Sure enough, there was a door marked Staff Only. Angie opened the door and they went inside. There were tables, couches, vending machines, and a fridge, but no people. It was completely empty.

  “Okay, so where are they?” Matt rechecked the room, shining the light in all the corners.

  Angie moved to the sink to fill Dom’s bowl. She sat it on the floor and looked around while he slurped it up. “I don’t know.”

  A banging from the right side of the room made her jump. “Matt, shine your light over there.”

  When he did, they saw a new door. Matt whistled and said, “It appears the banging is coming from there.”

  Angie glanced around the room and picked up an empty vase. She moved around Dom who was still drinking and toward the door. “Okay, you open the door and I’ll hit them with the vase.”

  Matt nodded and they moved slowly toward the door. When they got there, they realized the outside had a latch on it. He pulled the latch slowly aside and pulled open the door.

  Three people fell out of the small closet. Glen was the first to stand up. When he saw Angie’s upstretched hands holding the vase, he gently took it away from her. “Thank god you came looking for us. We’ve been locked in that closet for hours.”