by Marja McGraw
He nodded and set my case on the dresser before handing me the car keys.
Bea had left a dim light on at the bottom of the stairs, so I had no problem seeing where I was going.
When I reached the front door I fumbled with the lock and opened it. The porch light wasn’t on, which surprised me. Bea always left it on. Maybe the bulb had burned out.
Seeing an umbrella in a stand by the door, I picked it up and walked out onto the porch. It was pouring, rain coming down by the bucketful, again. I opened the umbrella and walked down the steps, turning toward the car.
There was a flash of lightning and I could have sworn I saw a figure near the car, but the flash had been too quick to be sure.
I stood still for a moment, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark night.
Could there be someone lurking around the property? No, it was my imagination. I was falling under the spell of Stanley’s fears and Pete’s teasing.
Shrugging, I ran through the rain to the car. I dropped the keys in the mud, making me feel like I was in the middle of an old horror movie. I laughed softly and bent over to search for the keys.
Just as I found them, someone shoved me from behind.
Oof! The umbrella went flying.
I landed face first in the mud. I rolled over, instinct telling me I didn’t want my back to a stranger. Unbidden, my fists started flying through the air. No one, and I mean no one, was going to get the best of me. I spit out some mud.
It was dark. I couldn’t see. I kept swinging with one hand while pushing myself up off the ground. The mud in my eyes didn’t help.
Lightning flashed again.
Not my imagination this time.
Someone stood in front of me. I swung as hard as I could.
Smack!
I’d connected with someone’s stomach. He grunted.
I was shoved down again before I heard running footsteps. I groaned and jumped back up as fast as I could, still swinging.
He’d run away.
“Sandi?” Pete called. “What’s going on? I brought you a flashlight and I heard grunting and groaning.”
I wiped the mud from my eyes. “Someone attacked me.”
Pete turned the light on me.
He checked me over to be sure I wasn’t hurt. “You’re a mess.”
“No kidding.”
Pete handed me the flashlight, then grabbed it back. “Which way did he go?”
“I have no idea.”
He started searching the ground with the flashlight. It was too dark and the rain was coming down too hard to find footprints.
“Help me find the keys,” I said.
He found them by the passenger side of the car, opened the door and retrieved the wooden box.
I closed my eyes, turned my face upward and held my hands out, hoping the rain would wash away some of the mud.
“What’s going on out here?” Stanley’s voice came from the front doorway. I could see Felicity’s silhouette next to him.
“Sandi was shoved in the mud.” Pete, thankfully, didn’t find my predicament at all funny. “The guy got away, but she’s okay.”
He shined the flashlight on my face. I thought I heard him smother a laugh. “Uh, she looks like a drowned rat, but she’s okay.”
Bea joined our friends on the porch. “What happened?”
Before things could go any further, I stomped through the mud and climbed the steps.
“Would someone mind bringing me some towels? I was attacked out by the car and I’m covered with mud and rain. And that’s the whole story.”
Well, I knew it wasn’t really the entire tale, but I had no idea who might have been lurking in the storm.
“I’ll be right back with towels.” Bea hurried inside.
“What’s going on?” Sasha asked. She and Kimberly joined the crowd on the porch.
“That seems to be the question of the day.” I sounded annoyed, and I was, but not at these people.
I’d had a threatening note. I should have been more careful, but who would have expected someone to be waiting for me in this storm? Okay, he probably wasn’t waiting for me. He was probably going to break into the car – or maybe into the house.
What on earth was going on? None of this made any sense.
Pete stood beside me. “Sandi, there’s more going on here than we suspected.”
“We didn’t expect anything,” I said. It almost sounded like a whine.
“Someone doesn’t want us to do anymore investigating. Would you like me to take you home?” My wonderful husband wasn’t looking so humorous anymore.
Although, if I’d seen him standing by the car, covered with mud and rain water, it might have struck me funny.
I took a step toward him and my shoes made a sloshing noise. “No. This gives me more resolve. I want to know what this is all about. It can’t be Bonnie’s killer. I felt strength in that shove, not old age.”
Pete turned to Bea. “Would you please turn on the porch light?”
“I did, but it’s burned out.”
Without a word, Pete walked toward the porch light which was on the left side of the front door. I heard his shoes crunching on the glass shards of a broken bulb.
“Bea. Bring me a dust pan, a broom and a new light bulb.” His voice had a tone I hadn’t heard very often, and it told me he was reaching a boiling point. It was his I-don’t-take-prisoners tone of voice.
“Yes. Right away.” Bea hurried off and returned shortly with all of the requested items. She handed them to Pete and backed away quickly.
Stanley, wide-eyed, hurried to Pete’s side to help.
Pete held up his hand as if to tell his friend to stay out of his way.
Felicity grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him back.
Yes, it was a good night for a mystery.
Chapter Sixteen
Pete searched the grounds but found no one hiding in the bushes. The rain continued to soak him and we talked him into coming inside after he retrieved the wooden box from the car for me.
I hurried upstairs and put on some dry clothes. There was a chill in the air and it felt good to warm up.
When I joined the others downstairs, Bea had a cup of hot chocolate waiting for me. She sat forward on the couch, not relaxing at all.
“I can’t imagine what that was all about.” Bea said, wringing her hands. “You’re guests here. You shouldn’t have to worry about anything or anybody. And I have other guests coming. I don’t want to have to worry about all of you.”
I took hold of her hands and made her set them in her lap. “Yes, we’re guests, but we’re working on solving a crime. Someone seems to know that and whoever it is isn’t happy with what we’re doing.”
“Then I think you should stop.”
I smiled at her. “Not on your life. Someone just made me even more determined to figure out what happened to Bonnie. After all these years, why would anyone care enough to leave a threatening note and scurry around the yard like a rat?”
“A dirty rat.” Stanley sat forward on his chair. “It’s a good thing Fel and I are here to assist.”
“Yes, Stan, we need your help.”
Pete stood and turned to our friend. “Stan, my man, let’s go upstairs and look things over. Sandi and I are going to search the room where Bonnie was murdered, but you and I can get a head start. We’ll leave the women here to talk. And don’t get squeamish on me.”
Stanley huffed. “I’d never – “
“Yes, you would.” Pete headed for the stairs. “I’ve seen you in action. However, there are no ghosts in this house and the crime took place many years ago. Let’s get busy.”
He picked up the box he’d brought in for me and carried it upstairs with him.
Stanley stood and followed Pete. He’d turned a paler shade of pale when Pete mentioned ghosts, but he had to prove himself. Or at least he seemed to think he had to.
Felicity spent about half an hour getting to know Bea, Sasha and Kim
berly. I sat back and listened, until I dozed off. My friend poked me in the ribs, letting me know I was being rude.
Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was eleven o’clock. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but it’s going to be a long day tomorrow and I need to get some sleep.”
There was a general discussion about sleeping arrangements. Bea didn’t want to stay downstairs by herself, so Sasha agreed to sleep in her aunt’s room.
Kimberly, Felicity and I climbed the stairs just in time to hear a thunk and Stanley saying how sorry he was.
At the top of the stairs, we found him backing out of Pete’s and my room.
“Oh, Sandi. I’m so sorry. I knocked that box off the bureau and it broke.”
“It was already broken, Stan. Don’t worry about it.”
“No, I mean I really broke it. Into pieces. I think it can be repaired, but I’m not sure. Was it important?”
“No. I think what it contained might be something I’ll want to look at, but the box itself isn’t of any consequence.” I tried to reassure him, but he looked like he was upset with himself.
“Sandi,” Pete said from the doorway, “I think you’d better come look at this.”
“It’s okay, Pete. Stan didn’t do any harm.”
“Actually, I think he may have done you a favor.”
I raised my eyebrows at my husband and met him at the doorway.
“What’s going on?”
Felicity and Kimberly followed behind me.
Pete stepped back and the rest of us entered the room, where we found the box on the floor in several pieces.
I started to gather them up, wondering why my husband was grinning at us, and then I saw it.
“Stan, you’re a genius. You couldn’t have found a better box to break.”
“Say what?” Stanley was momentarily trying to sound like he was the cool one in the room – the everyday man he wanted to be.
I set the box pieces on the bed and invited everyone over to look at them. “Don’t you see? There was a hidden compartment in the box. A false front. And there’s a wad of papers stuck inside.”
Everyone started talking at once.
I held up my hand for silence. “As exciting as this is, I’m going to wait until morning to look through the papers. I’m exhausted. And ya know? My back kind of hurts where the dirty rat shoved me.”
Pete smiled. “Is that a hint that you’d like a back rub?”
“Could be.” Grinning, I fluttered my eyelashes at him.
Without any more discussion, Kimberly and the Hawks left the room. I guess they could take a hint.
~ * ~
The next morning I carried the papers down to the dining room with me. I thought I’d start looking through them while I ate breakfast.
Pete practically inhaled his food before he went outside to take a look around.
I knew he wouldn’t find footprints after the heavy rain, but maybe he’d find something else.
Felicity and Stanley joined me before I could read the papers from the box. She had a funny grin on her face, like she was trying not to smile.
Breakfast was buffet-style again. They dished up their food and joined me at the table.
“I’ve got to tell her, Stan.” Felicity held her hands out with palms up, almost apologetically. “You know it’s funny. She’ll understand.”
“I’ll understand what?” I asked.
“Stan saw a ghost last night.”
“Uh, what?”
I turned to him, but he kept eating and pointed at Felicity, so I turned to her. He wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“He woke up in the middle of the night and leaped out of bed, pointing and trying to catch his breath. I heard him whisper, ‘Ghost!’”
“He woke you up?”
“No. I was already up, looking through my purse for an aspirin.” She smiled at her husband. “The ghost he saw was my reflection in the mirror on the dresser. It took a while to calm him down. The thunder and lightning didn’t help any.”
Stanley surprised us both and started to laugh. “If you woke up in the middle of the night and you were groggy, and you saw a woman’s face across the room, you’d be startled, too.”
He ate the last bite of his breakfast and headed outside in search of Pete.
Felicity was a light eater and she took another bite of her flimsy breakfast. “When he said the word ghost, he kind of squeaked. You know how he is.”
“I do.”
Bea walked out of the kitchen and she was laughing. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but hear the story. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy getting to know Stan.”
Felicity nodded. “You’ll like him. He’s a lovable character.”
I picked up the papers, knowing I wouldn’t be able to read them until later.
Bea started gathering the dirty dishes and carrying them to the kitchen. Sasha joined her and helped.
“Where’s Kimberly?” I asked.
Sasha pointed toward the stairs. “She’s upstairs doing more research on old bank robberies. She’ll be down soon.”
Felicity and I walked outside.
The rain had cleared and the sky was blue. It was crisp out of doors, but not cold. The storm had cleaned the trees and plants. Everything looked fresh and new.
Bea had a purple leaf plum tree growing in the front yard of the property. I only knew what it was because I’d asked. She said when it bloomed it would have pink flowers on it. It was surrounded by a circular brick border. Within the border, some ground cover with a rich-colored red flower had been planted. I’d asked her what they were because the color was so deep that I wanted to plant some at my own home. It was called Verbena, and it was covered with the flowers.
A truck pulled into the yard and a man wearing tan pants and a tan shirt climbed out. He even wore a tan hat. The back was filled with rakes and other yard implements. She’d mentioned a gardener she’d hired. I had to assume this was he.
“Morning.” He tipped his hat at us and I saw thick, gray hair. Of medium height, he looked like his profession kept him in good shape. I guessed him to be around fifty to fifty-five.
“Good morning,” I said. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
“Looks to be so.”
Felicity waved at him.
Bea walked out to the porch. “Morning, Greg.”
He tipped his hat at her, too. “I prob’ly should have waited to come out after that big rain, but work don’t wait for no man.”
Bea walked over and began talking to the man, pointing here and there, probably making plans for more landscaping. I had a feeling the only thing that would be professionally done would be the front yard. Everything else seemed to have been left to nature.
While they spoke, Greg started to laugh.
Bea turned to us, looking slightly embarrassed. “Sorry. I had to tell him the ghost story.”
Felicity nodded an okay, but surreptitiously looked around, apparently hoping Stanley wasn’t nearby.
He wasn’t.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Let me take these papers upstairs and we’ll head for the library. I want to go through the old local newspaper stories. They’ve got the paper on microfilm.”
Before I could take the papers inside, Kimberly walked out onto the porch holding a cordless phone. “Sandi, it’s for you.”
“Me?” Oh, good grief! My mother looking for an update? I hurried toward Kimberly.
“Yes. It’s Brad Singleton.”
“Thanks.” I took the phone from her hand.
It was a call I’d been waiting for.
Chapter Seventeen
“This is Sandi Webster,” I said. “Thank you for returning my call.”
“What’s this about, little lady?” Brad sounded as old as Methuselah. His voice was a little shaky and raspy, and he spoke slowly. I hoped he had a good memory. “And speak up. I’m a little hard of hearing.”
I spoke loudly, but I didn’t yell. I f
ound myself speaking slowly, too. “I’m a private investigator and I’ve been hired to try to solve the old Bonnie Singleton murder. I’m told that you’re a good source for local history.”
He chuckled and made himself cough. “I’m a good source, that’s for sure. I also remember the murder.” He stopped talking and for a moment I thought we’d been disconnected. “Uh, I’m sorry, but I don’t drive anymore. Can you come to my house? I’m here all the time and I always enjoy company.”
“No problem. I can be there whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“What’s that?”
I raised my voice again. “What’s your address and when would you like me to come over?”
“Well, let’s see. How about now?” He chuckled again. “I don’t seem to have anything else on my usually busy schedule.” I could hear mirth in his voice.
He gave me his address and I told him I’d be there within the next half hour.
“I’ll be watchin’ out the front window for ya,” he said.
Kimberly stood in front of me and had listened to the conversation. “I can tell you how to get to his house. It’ll take you about five minutes to get there. And don’t forget to speak up or you’ll spend half your time repeating yourself.”
“Thanks.”
She gave me directions and I went in search of Pete. I figured I’d better tell him where I was going and that I’d have the car.
I found him, not surprisingly, on the path with one of the metal detectors. Sam had arrived while I was on the phone, and he’d joined Pete and Stanley. They were deep in conversation.
“I’m beginning to think you guys aren’t going to find anything.”
Startling them didn’t seem to make them happy, and Pete dropped the detector.
Sam spun around and nailed me with a look that surprised me. He seemed angry, but not at me, I hoped. “Pete was just telling me what happened last night. That’s unacceptable. Between us men, we’ll make sure no one bothers you again.”
“Oh. And, might I ask, what do you plan to do?”
Pete took charge. “While you’re doing your research, we’ll be doing ours. We’re going to figure out who was sneaking around the property and why. We’ll make sure whoever it was stays away from here.”