Having a Great Crime- Wish You Were Here

by Marja McGraw

  “True, dear, but it would have been fun.”

  I could hear my stepfather in the background, telling her it was time to turn in her magnifying glass and stay out of trouble.

  I hung up, thankful that my mother generally listened to Frank.

  And so a long evening began with, what else, rain.

  Chapter Forty-four

  While Pete and I waited in the house, I thought about everything we’d learned so far.

  “I think this has been one of the most convoluted cases we’ve ever worked on,” I said. “Two murders and an unsolved bank robbery, and it all took place long before we came on the scene.”

  Pete nodded, but didn’t reply.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “Not really. It’s just that we don’t know what’s going to happen. I guess we need to expect the unexpected, as usual. I asked Bob if anyone else knew about his family legend. He – “

  The phone rang, interrupting Pete’s comments.

  I answered and heard Sasha’s voice. “We sort of let the word out that we’re meeting you and your husband at a restaurant in Vancouver. We, Kimberly and me, were afraid if we didn’t all show up there it would look odd. So at some point you’ll need to drive away and then sneak back.”

  “We’d already planned to do that, but thanks for the suggestion. We’ll leave at dusk and go to town as though we’re driving to Vancouver. Then we’ll circle back and park in the neighborhood across the street. Tell Sam and Joe that we’ll have to sneak back here in pairs after dark or we’ll be too noticeable.” I glanced out the window. “It’s raining. Be sure to wear something appropriate.”

  “Way ahead of you,” she replied. “We’re used to this weather. You’re not. I was going to give you the same advice. Auntie Bea has a waterproof jacket in her room. Use it.”

  “I will, and thanks.”

  We hung up, and as we did I looked out the window. For the moment the sun was out, although low on the horizon, and it looked like the rain was over.

  By the time Pete and I walked out to the Jeep, laughing and calling attention to ourselves, clouds were moving back in. I had him wait while I went back inside and grabbed Bea’s jacket, just in case.

  We slowly drove through town – speed limit twenty-five miles per hour – and headed toward Highway 503. Turning left, we got as far as a big box store before turning around and heading back. Pete turned off into a neighborhood as soon as possible and we drove through the streets, parking at the other end of the houses.

  We sat quietly until the dark descended.

  “Oh. You were going to tell me what Bob said about the family legend. What did he say?”

  “I’ll tell you everything he said once we get settled in our spot under the trees. I don’t want to be distracted while we sneak across the street.”

  “Did you bring your gun?” I asked.

  “No. Since we were crossing state lines and on a honeymoon, I left it locked up at home. I didn’t think I’d need it.”

  “Me, too. I mean, I left mine at home, too.”

  We spoke softly, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. There was one man outside, pulling weeds, but he didn’t turn around.

  We finally stood by a block wall, carefully assessing our situation, and after a couple of minutes we crossed the road. Staying by the side of the property with trees, we worked our way back to the spot we’d chosen for a hiding place.

  Pete pulled out his walkie talkie and whispered, “Stan, are you in place?”

  “We’re on our way,” he whispered back.

  “From now on use the static clicks to reply.”

  There was one click of static, indicating a Yes.

  “Sam?” Pete whispered.

  One click for a Yes.

  “Joe?”

  Nothing.

  “Joe,” Pete whispered again.

  Two clicks. That was a No.

  Kimberly kept her voice as low as possible. “He got called back into work.”

  We sat down under the trees after I spread a small blanket to hopefully keep out the moisture. Thankfully it hadn’t started raining again, although there had been a few sprinkles.

  “I wonder how long we’ll have to wait,” I said.

  “Not long, apparently. It looks like someone is in a hurry.” Pete pointed toward the house.

  A figure was slinking from the path and across the backyard. It was dark enough that we could see a silhouette, but not much more. It looked like he had on a baseball cap.

  “Pete? Can you tell who it is?”

  “No. But it looks like he might be carrying a gun. I guess he didn’t want to take any chances.”

  I closed my eyes and said a brief prayer for our safety.

  There were three static clicks and then another three.

  “I guess that means they see him, too.” Pete stood and pulled me up. “Stay behind me, Sandi.”

  We waited until we saw the man enter the back door, which we’d conveniently left unlocked, before approaching the house.

  Stan and Sam moved in, too, with the women following behind. Stan waved them off and I guessed they’d been told not to go near the house.

  We could see a flashlight go on and move out of the kitchen.

  I quietly walked around the house and back. “He’s in the living room,” I whispered. “Maybe he figures that’s the best place to start searching.”

  “I want all of you to stay here,” Pete said. “I’m pretty sure he’s got a gun, and we don’t. I’ll holler if I need help.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” I said. “I’m going with you. We’re in this together.”

  He looked like he was going to argue with me, but shrugged his shoulders instead. He knew how stubborn I could be.

  “I’ll wait in the kitchen while you see what’s going on.” I spoke softly.

  “Good idea,” he whispered.

  I stood by the sink while Pete quietly approached the living room. Things seemed to move too quickly after that.

  “What the hell?” I heard the man yell. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot.” He sounded like he meant business, and I recognized the voice. He started screaming at Pete.

  Before I could move, someone tapped me on the shoulder, nearly causing me to have a stroke. My heart pounded.

  Kimberly motioned me to follow her.

  How had she snuck up behind me?

  “I know how to take care of this,” she whispered, putting her mouth as close to my ear as possible. She moved toward the laundry room.

  “But Pete’s in trouble.”

  “Shh. Come on.”

  I followed Kimberly, having no idea what she was up to.

  She squatted on the floor and began making a sobbing sound into the vent she’d used earlier.

  Brilliant, I thought. She’s distracting him.

  The screaming stopped and the sounds of a scuffle began.

  I could hear sirens blaring nearby.

  I turned and ran to the living room, grabbing an iced tea pitcher off the table while I ran.

  His back was to me.

  I flipped on the overhead lights.

  Bea had said she hit the intruder on the left arm with her kitchen mallet.

  I swung for his upper left arm with the pitcher. He held the gun in his left hand.

  He squealed in pain and dropped the gun, falling to the floor.

  Pete dove for it just as the front door flew open.

  “Joe!” Kimberly’s voice broke a sudden and eerie silence.

  Joe approached Pete and took the gun from him. “Sorry, but I had to tell the Sergeant what was going on.”

  Kimberly looked at him adoringly. Wrong place, wrong time for adoration. “How did you know it was safe to come in?”

  “I could see everything through the front window.”

  The young woman sighed and glanced at me. “Would it sound corny if I said, ‘My hero’?”

  “Yeah, but that’s okay,” I said.

  Three oth
er cops stood behind Joe, waiting to see what he wanted to do.

  Pete walked over to the intruder and pulled off his baseball cap. “Just as I thought, you piece of – “

  “Greg?” I couldn’t believe it. I honestly thought Bob would turn up and look for the treasure.

  Pete grinned at me. “Yeah, Greg. Don’t you remember how he said his arms were bothering him from working too hard?”

  “It never registered. I should have known he was the one Bea smacked. How did you know?”

  “When I talked to Bob, he said he’d never told anyone about the legend until recently. He said Greg was somewhat of a transient, moving from city to city, doing yardwork to keep food in his belly. After hearing about us finding the gold, he needed to unload on someone, and he figured Greg would be leaving soon. His story wouldn’t go any further. I added that to the sore arm story, and it fit.”

  “And he never dreamed that Greg would try to steal the gold.” I lifted one side of my mouth in contempt for the gardener.

  Two of the officers with Joe handcuffed Greg and escorted him out to their patrol car.

  “We’ll meet you back at the station,” Joe said, over his shoulder. “My partner and I will write up the report.”

  “Okay,” Pete said, “I have to ask. What about the crying? Who was that?”

  “Kimberly,” I replied. “It distracted him, didn’t it?”

  Pete walked over and hugged the young woman. “Thanks! You made my day. It threw Greg for a loop. I guess he’d never heard it before since he was always outside.”

  Kimberly grinned.

  By that time the rest of the group had come inside and everyone talked at once.

  Sam looked embarrassed. “We didn’t know what was going on. We couldn’t hear a thing from outside, and Kimberly snuck past us and into the house.”

  Stanley picked up the story. “Then we heard the crying and didn’t know what to think. It could have been the ghost.”

  “There’s no ghost, Stan. When will you figure that out?”

  Suddenly I heard giggling, just as I’d heard it earlier. I glanced around and saw Kimberly standing next to Joe with her hands over her mouth. “It ain’t me,” she said.

  We all stood near the dining room. The giggling stopped and an odd noise made everyone turn toward the living room.

  One of the framed photos that Gloria had left on the coffee table fell over and slid onto the floor – all by itself.

  Chapter Forty-five

  “I told you, but you wouldn’t listen to me,” Stanley said, walking toward the front door.

  I knew without a doubt that he was speaking to me.

  Joe picked up the frame, looking puzzled, and set it back on the table. “Who’s this?”

  “That was Sally Harper,” Kimberly said. “I guess she wanted us to know she was here.”

  That night we decided to drive home in the morning. I wasn’t sure Stanley’s nerves could take much more.

  ~ * ~

  The next morning I called Bertie Fleming early in the morning. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “I’m an early riser. What can I do for you?”

  “I wondered if we could come over to take one more look at the house before we leave for home today. We’d like to show it to some friends.”

  “I’ll be here all morning. Come on over whenever you want.”

  Bea had ended up coming home the night before, and she prepared us a breakfast feast, not buffet style this time.

  After eating we started loading the car.

  Phil and Gloria returned while we were packing up for the long drive.

  Bea took it upon herself to tell Gloria about the previous night, going into great detail about the crying. She told Gloria the truth about Kimberly, but she also told her the truth about the the earlier crying and giggling and the picture falling. The woman was ready to burst from joy after hearing everything.

  Bea’s nieces and their boyfriends came early to wish us a safe trip.

  “We’ll be waiting to see you when you come back,” Sasha said. “My sister feels like quite the little hero today. She surprised us all with her trick.”

  “Yeah, and I’m sure glad she surprised Greg,” Joe said.

  He took hold of her hand.

  “You were in real danger, and I don’t want you to do anything like that again.”

  Kimberly merely smiled at him.

  We explained that we were going to take one last look at the farmhouse before leaving, and as we pulled out onto the road, they all stood in front of the Mossy Glen Inn and waved to us.

  “Hurry back,” Bea called.

  We arrived at Bertie’s home, soon to be our house, and she was waiting for us. She again had on tight jeans with a long shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a French braid.

  “That’ll be me one day,” Felicity said from the back seat. “She’s not letting age have its way.”

  “I don’t doubt it, Shnookums,” Stanley said.

  After introducing our friends to Bertie, she started watering some plants while giving us the run of the house.

  There was a lot of ohhhing and ahhhing while our friends checked everything out.

  I called to Bertie. “We never did take a look at the mother-in-law quarters in back. Is it open?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  It was an adorable little place and had been as well-maintained as the house. It was a one-bedroom cottage.

  “This will be perfect for when we come to visit,” Felicity said. “Your mother will love it, too.” She grinned in my direction.

  We finally walked out front where Bertie was rolling up the hose.

  “We love it,” I said.

  “As soon as we get back to L.A., I’ll send the cashier’s check off to your son.” Pete reached out and shook her hand.

  Stanley shook her hand, too. “My wife and I will return with the Goldbergs to help them set their things up.”

  I looked up at Pete. “At least we have some idea of what to expect with this house. No ghosts, no buried loot, no problems.”

  Bertie smiled at me and winked. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Surprises are the most fun when they’re unexpected.”

  Uh oh.

  About the Author

  Marja McGraw was born and raised in Southern California. She worked in both civil and criminal law, state transportation, and for a city building department. She has lived and worked in California, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, Arizona, and Washington.

  She wrote a weekly column for a small town newspaper in Northern Nevada, and conducted a Writers’ Support Group in Northern Arizona. A past member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), she was the Editor for the SinC-Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.

  Marja writes two mystery series: The Sandi Webster Mysteries and The Bogey Man Mysteries, which are light reading with a touch of humor. She also occasionally writes standalone mysteries.

  Marja says that each of her mysteries contains a little humor, a little romance and A Little Murder!

  She now lives in Washington, where life is good.

  You can visit her website at: http://www.marjamcgraw.com/

  Her blog can be read at http://marjamcgraw.blogspot.com/

  Table of Contents

  Other Books by Marja McGrawThe Sandi Webster MysteriesA Well-Kept Family SecretBubba’s GhostPrudy’s B...

  HAVING A GREAT CRIME – WISH YOU WERE HERE – A Sandi Webster Mystery, Copyright 2016, by Marja McGraw....

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Chapter One“M

  Chapter TwoI

  Chapter ThreeA

  Chapter FourI

  Chapter FiveK

  Chapter SixA

  Chapter Seven“S

  Chapter Eight“T

  Chapter Nine“U

  Chapter TenB

  Chapter ElevenA

  Chapter TwelveI

  Chapter ThirteenJ

  Chapter FourteenT

  Chapter FifteenB


  Chapter SixteenP

  Chapter Seventeen“T

  Chapter Eighteen“Y

  Chapter NineteenI

  Chapter TwentyW

  Chapter Twenty-oneA

  Chapter Twenty-twoI

  Chapter Twenty-three“D

  Chapter Twenty-four“B

  Chapter Twenty-five“D

  Chapter Twenty-sixP

  Chapter Twenty-sevenJ

  Chapter Twenty-eightT

  Chapter Twenty-nineW

  Chapter ThirtyS

  Chapter Thirty-one“S

  Chapter Thirty-twoP

  Chapter Thirty-threeB

  Chapter Thirty-fourG

  Chapter Thirty-fiveI

  Chapter Thirty-sixP

  Chapter Thirty-sevenP

  Chapter Thirty-eightB

  Chapter Thirty-nine“B

  Chapter FortyW

  Chapter Forty-oneP

  Chapter Forty-twoA

  Chapter Forty-three“W

  Chapter Forty-fourW

  Chapter Forty-five“I

  About the Author