Laura Bishop Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Grace Topping

  I started to laugh and cough at the same time, nearly causing me to slide backward again. It was easy to laugh now that we had found an escape route. But we weren’t there yet. I used my forearms to pull myself forward again, occasionally stopping to gasp for air, trying not to breathe too deeply and get coal dust in my lungs.

  A thick coating of coal dust now covered my tongue. This must have been what coal miners experienced down in the mines. I wanted to spit it out but didn’t want Nita coming behind me and putting a hand in it.

  As I continued wiggling forward, Nita scooted behind me. I prayed we wouldn’t both slide backward with me landing on top of her.

  Just a few more inches and I would be able to reach the cover to the chute. I started to slide again, but I felt Nita’s hand on my leg holding me firm. Again I dug my forearms in and scooted forward. My outfit would now be ruined, and it had been one of my favorites.

  What a time to think of ruined clothing. Better to have it ruined by going up the chute than to have it clean and covering my dead body in that dungeon of a cellar. How long would it be before someone entered Anne’s house again with her gone? Weeks? Months? If we couldn’t escape through the chute, would we look like mummies when they found us?

  Chapter 46

  Box up items like seasonal clothing and Christmas decorations and move them to a storage unit.

  With one final lunge forward, I was within reach of the cover. Now all I had to do was get enough leverage to push the door out. I hoped it didn’t have any kind of lock on it. I wedged my knee under me and shoved my shoulder against it.

  The cover fell forward and bright light hit me—along with some gloriously fresh air. It had stopped drizzling and the sun had come out. I tried to pull myself out of the chute and looked up to see the stunned faces of Aunt Kit and Mrs. Webster. I don’t know who was more shocked—them or me.

  Aunt Kit grabbed my arms and helped work me out of the chute. Coal dust covered me from head to toe, some of which had now come off onto her.

  I pointed behind me. “Nita is still in there.”

  Mrs. Webster took hold of my arm to steady me. “Girl, what in tarnation is going on?”

  “Let’s get Nita out and then I’ll explain.”

  Nita, with Aunt Kit’s help, came tumbling out of the chute and collapsed onto the grass. “Am I ever glad to see you two,” she said.

  “How did you come to be here?” I asked them, still astounded to find them just when we needed them.

  Aunt Kit answered first. “When I didn’t find you at home, I sat at the kitchen table to have some lunch and found the notebook you were using to record your findings. Since you said it would be okay, I read your notes and was stunned to see what you had written regarding Anne and your plan to check out her house. When you didn’t answer your cell phone and then neither did Nita, I got concerned. I called Mrs. Webster to ask if she had seen either of you. I told her I was coming here, and because she was alarmed, she insisted on coming with me. I picked her up on the way. We thought you’d come and gone when we saw Anne’s car driving away.”

  Mrs. Webster frowned and looked disapproving. “We were trying to decide what to do next when you popped out of the earth. I’ve never seen such an entrance.”

  “You just saw Anne driving away?” I couldn’t believe she hadn’t taken off earlier. With us being imprisoned in the basement, she didn’t need to rush to get packed and away. She took her time, thinking she had gotten away with theft—and murder.

  “Did you see what direction she headed?” I looked up and down the street.

  “She turned right at the end of the street. That would’ve put her going in the direction of the Interstate,” Aunt Kit said.

  We couldn’t let her get away. “Quick. Maybe we can cut her off before she gets to the Interstate. I know a shortcut over the mountain.”

  We scrambled into my little car. I started the engine and checked my rearview mirror for cars coming down the road behind us. That’s when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was coated with coal dust, and dark streaks covered my face where I had wiped it with my grimy hands.

  No time to worry about that now. I glanced over at Nita, who was equally as dirty.

  “Nita, find your cell phone and call Detective Spangler. Tell him our location and that we’re chasing Ian and Damian’s killer.” I took a left turn at the end of the street and headed in the opposite direction Anne had taken. With any luck, we could make it to the Interstate before she could get there.

  “Aunt Kit, what color and type of car did Anne have?” I went careening around the next corner.

  “A silver Lexus.”

  Anne must have been doing well with those paintings.

  I could hear Nita talking into the phone while I focused on driving. “This isn’t the greatest route, but it cuts off a lot of miles. We should get to the road leading to the Interstate before she does.” At least I hoped so.

  Aunt Kit had a death grip on her bag. “That’s if we get there in one piece.”

  Mrs. Webster looked like she was having the time of her life. “Can you please tell us now more about what’s going on? Why did you come out of the basement the way you did?”

  “Yeah and looking like escapees from a coal mine?” added Aunt Kit. “I don’t think you’re ever going to get your upholstery clean again.”

  Good old Aunt Kit, worried about my upholstery as we chased down a cold-blooded killer.

  “After Mrs. Webster recognized the painting, we suspected Anne of stealing the paintings and murdering Ian Becker and Damian Reynolds to cover her trail. When someone said she was going away, we knew we needed to act fast to find evidence of the painting thefts. If we could, we might be able to connect Anne to the murders.”

  “In case she was going on the lam,” Nita added.

  “We found Anne was gone and the door unlocked, so we went it. Anne came back, locked us in the basement, and turned out the lights.”

  “That must mean Anne was the one who attacked you at the empty house?” Aunt Kit seemed stunned by all these revelations about Anne, especially since she had been spending so much time with her recently. “Now it makes sense why she was always asking me about what you and Nita were discovering with your investigation.”

  “I’m thankful that she didn’t stab Laura like she did the other two.” Mrs. Webster said.

  Nita gasped. “She might have if Aunt Kit hadn’t befriended her. Maybe she has some redeeming qualities after all.”

  Aunt Kit grunted. “She sure had me fooled. Frankly, I think anyone who could kill two people in cold blood and rob a helpless woman is a bit insane.”

  Mrs. Webster grabbed the back of Nita’s seat as I navigated another sharp bend in the road. “Watch it girl.” She straightened her hat, which had fallen over her face. “Anne fooled most people with her sweet and helpful manner. It goes to show you people are willing to commit serious crimes regardless of their age. She didn’t hesitate to take advantage of Doris’s increasing dementia.”

  “I still can’t get over her locking us in that cellar, in the dark, without anyone knowing where we were.” Nita was still outraged. “Fortunately, Laura remembered those old houses had coal chutes. If it weren’t for her, we’d still be down there.”

  “There’s the highway,” I said, pointing ahead. When we reached the intersection, I stopped at the stop sign. We either had missed Anne or she would be coming along anytime now. No cars were behind us, so we were able to sit and wait. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, impatient for Anne to drive by.

  “There’s her car,” Aunt Kit shouted, pointing to a silver vehicle.

  I saw it pass in front of us and quickly turned to follow it. “Nita, please tell Detective Spangler that we have Anne in our sights near the intersection of Adams Road and the highway. We are heading east toward the Interstate.”

&
nbsp; We stayed a couple of cars behind Anne. She wouldn’t have any reason to recognize my car, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Besides, she thought Nita and I were tucked away nicely in her basement and wouldn’t suspect we were right behind her.

  Nita sat forward in her seat. “She’s put her right turn signal on. We aren’t near the Interstate yet. Where could she be going?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re following right behind her.” I slowed down to stay out of sight.

  Mrs. Webster hit the back of my seat with her hand. “She’s signaling a left turn now.” The excitement of the chase was getting to her. I had to admit it was rather like being in a movie.

  As we got closer, we saw Anne pull into a self-storage facility. She stopped at a metal gate, lowered her car window, and looked like she was entering a code. The gate slid open and she drove inside with the gate closing behind her.

  “After her,” urged Mrs. Webster. “She probably has the rest of the paintings stored in there. We can catch her red-handed.”

  “We can’t get in there without a code.” Mrs. Webster probably was right and the paintings were stored there. Anne wasn’t leaving the area without them. I was even more determined now to prevent her from getting away.

  “She may have gotten in, but she won’t be getting out.” I pulled my car in front of the gate and blocked the exit.

  Nita’s cell phone rang, and she answered it. “Yes, we know where she is. We’re at the self-storage facility just off the highway. Yes. Okay.” Nita hung up. “Detective Spangler said they’re on their way.”

  We sat in place for about ten minutes, impatiently waiting for Anne to come out.

  “Here she comes,” Mrs. Webster said, spotting the Lexus approaching the exit.

  I opened my car door. “Get out quick in case she decides to ram the car.” It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she did. We all jumped from the car and stood beside it, facing the gate.

  The metal gate slid open. Anne started to move forward and stopped when she saw my car blocking her exit. That’s when she spotted us standing close by. The look on her face was worth crawling up the coal chute for. It would have been impossible for her eyes to widen any wider than they did.

  Anne opened her car door and stepped out as though to get a better look and confirm it was us blocking her path.

  “You again,” she screeched and then said something I wouldn’t repeat. She looked around her as though searching for a weapon. Finding nothing, she removed one of her shoes and threw it at us. It bounced off the hood of my car leaving a ding. Now she’d really made me determined to get her.

  Chapter 47

  Remove vehicles or anything blocking a clear view of your house. At night, turn on outside lights so an interested buyer who drives by at night can see it.

  Three police cars with flashing lights pulled in front of the storage facility. Detective Spangler and several uniformed police officers jumped from their cars and came toward us.

  Anne Williamson saw the police and ran toward the back of the facility, limping with only one shoe on.

  Detective Spangler pointed to two officers nearby. “Go after her. And be careful—we don’t know if she’s armed.” The officers jumped the metal gate and gave chase. For a woman her age, and with only one shoe on, she gave them a run for their money.

  “Stanelli, get the owner of this place on the phone so we can get inside.”

  Detective Spangler turned to us. The look on his face when he saw Nita and me was priceless. It was the first time I’d seen him speechless. Well at least until he started talking.

  “Care to explain this?” he asked, pointing to us and, presumably, our dirty faces.

  Nita jumped right in. “Anne locked us in her basement and the only way we could get out was climbing up her coal chute.”

  He did his best to stifle a laugh but didn’t quite succeed. “You climbed up a coal chute?”

  “It was the only way we could get out. Otherwise, you might have been searching for us for months.” Nita looked indignant that he didn’t understand.

  I tried hard not to sound smug. “I told you there was a link between the deaths of Ian and Damian—and the link could be art. She killed Ian and Damian to cover up her theft of Doris Becker’s artwork.”

  He shrugged. “Things sometimes come to light that’ll guide us to the solution of a case. You obviously discovered what it was before we did.”

  I was surprised he was magnanimous in admitting we were ahead of him in this case. He must be mellowing in his old age.

  A driver jumped from his car, walked over to the metal gate, and punched in a code, opening the metal gate. Just about the same time, the uniformed officers came around the corner holding Anne Williamson by her arms. She didn’t struggle but looked haughty, assured she was going to be proven innocent of all wrongdoing.

  We looked at Anne’s fancy Lexus. “I think, Detective, you’ll find some paintings in the backseat or trunk signed by Doris Becker.” At least I hoped he would.

  Chapter 48

  A home stager with credentials from a certifying home staging organization can take the pain out of getting your house ready for sale.

  The following morning, Aunt Kit and I met Nita at Vocaro’s. We needed a quiet morning to recover from our adventures of the previous day, especially after spending hours giving statements to the police. Dealing with Detective Spangler hadn’t been quite as difficult as it usually was. Perhaps he was warming up to me—or I was tolerating him better.

  Tyrone greeted us as we walked in. “Hey, ladies. Great job solving those murders. Coffee’s on the house.”

  “Thanks, Tyrone. I’m sorry your grandmother won’t be joining us.” I was exhausted from the previous day’s adventures, and I only could imagine how someone Mrs. Webster’s age would be feeling.

  “You just about wore her out yesterday chasing down Anne Williamson. But she enjoyed every minute of it. She hasn’t had that much excitement in years.”

  Tyrone took off his apron and signaled to one of the other baristas to take over. “Mind if I join you to hear the rest of the story?”

  “Join us. It’s a hard tale to believe,” I warned him as I picked up the tray with our coffees.

  We sat down in the comfortable leather club chairs Luigi provided in an adjoining room for customers who wanted to stay for a while. Aunt Kit looked downcast.

  “What’s wrong Aunt Kit? Are you feeling upset Anne was guilty of those crimes?” I asked her.

  “Yes, I am. But I’m more upset I endangered you and Nita, feeding all that information to her about what you’d been discovering. That’s why she lured you to that house.”

  “You couldn’t have known. Anne was the last person anyone would have suspected of stealing Doris Becker’s art and passing it off as her own. And then murdering two people to cover up her crime. If we had suspected Anne earlier, the message from M. Cassatt to meet at that house might have been a tip-off.”

  “How so? The message was pretty straight forward,” Nita said.

  “Anne took great pride in having people treat her like a great artist. When she selected a pseudonym to use in her message to us, she chose the name of a famous woman painter—Mary Cassatt.”

  “It still makes me shudder to think she could have stabbed you like she did the others,” Nita said.

  Nita looked pale, but I admired how she’d stood up to finding two bodies, being imprisoned in a basement, and chasing down a murderer.

  “Anne probably regrets now she didn’t put an end to me.” That thought made me shudder. “I believe it was only because of her fondness for Aunt Kit she decided to give me a scare instead of killing me.” I gave Aunt Kit, who was sitting next to me on the sofa, a hug. Aunt Kit was a dear, even if she had a dark cloud hanging over her head most of the time. Although it seemed recently she hadn’t been filled with as mu
ch doom and gloom. Could Nita and I have become a good influence on her?

  “Do you think she would have left us to die in that basement?” Nita’s eyes were wide, and she still looked shocked at the idea.

  “I’d like to think after she got away she’d have called someone anonymously that would’ve prompted somebody to check out the house. She might not have, but I’d like to think she would.” I decided not to say that Anne probably would have left us there without a backward glance. That thought might have given Nita nightmares for months.

  “I can’t understand how Anne got the paintings to begin with.” Aunt Kit shook her head confused.

  “I can answer that,” Nita said. “I heard the other art group members tried to keep Doris connected to the group when she became too ill to attend meetings. They all took turns visiting her. When Anne got involved with the group, she visited Doris frequently. She told the other members that with Doris’s growing dementia it was best she alone visited her, saying too many people confused Doris. The members left it to Anne, who from all appearances was very helpful to Doris. Somehow she must have discovered Doris’s hoard of paintings, which no one had ever seen, except perhaps her nephew Ian.”

  “So that’s why she decided to kill Ian—to prevent him from exposing what she had been doing?” Aunt Kit shook her head as though still trying to accept that Anne was a murderer.

  I took a sip of my cappuccino, suddenly feeling hungry. “The sad thing is, as a teenager, Ian probably showed little interest, if any, in his aunt’s painting and may not have questioned them being missing or noticed that some awful paintings had been brought in to replace them. But Anne couldn’t take that chance. Since the police didn’t find Ian’s wallet, we can only assume she took it, hoping no one would know who he was and never connect his murder to anything other than a mugging gone wrong. And when Damian showed great interest in Anne’s painting at the exhibit, she viewed his interest as suspicion. It doomed him.”