by Olivia Swift
“If one noise is for yes, did the policeman blackmail you?” The loud bang almost made the ground shake. “Thank you,” Barker said.
“I know this is a delicate question. Did he claim to be your son?” There was a pause and then a very subdued thump on the ground.
“And was he your son?” Magda asked. There was a silent couple of seconds before she was answered with two very definite noises.
“That is a no,” Merle said. “The man was not his son but claimed that he was and asked for money.”
“Then you went to Ireland,” Magda said. There was another slight noise.
“No wonder you were angry,” Sam put in. “Modern tests on the jacket would reveal the real identity if it was matched to the great grandchildren.”
“Did you give him cash, Mr. Hoffstander?” Barker asked and there was another answering noise.
“Are you happy now that we know what happened?” Merle asked the man. After a pause, there was a single noise
“We can tell your real great grandchildren what happened,” Magda said. “They are both very nice people. You should be proud of them.” She hesitated and then told him that she was sorry for shouting at him. “You had every reason to be angry.”
“We will make the floor smooth again and the building will be a working art gallery,” Sam said.
“Is that alright?” Mikey asked and was rewarded with a thump under his feet.
Katie said that they would write about it in the history of the building and visitors could see that this was once the home of the famous button maker.
“We can find pictures of your button factory and make a display,” she added.
“He likes that idea,” Declan said. “He is looking better and raising his hand as he starts to lose power and fade.”
“Be a pleasure to write it up,” Bart called and felt a warm draft on his cheek.
“Goodbye from this Hoffstander to another,” Barker called out and he also raised a hand to his cheek as a warm breeze told him that the spirit Hoffstander had heard him.
Merle brought them back to the present day and everyone started to talk about what they had found.
“Come into the café and have a drink with us,” Magda suggested to the visitors and they all moved down the alleyway as the lanterns were switched on. Magda started the model railway. Barker Hoffstander saw the café his wife was always talking about.
They pulled two tables together and sat around with chocolate and coffee. Magda slid pecan and marzipan truffles beside Geraldine and Guinness ones beside Barker.
“We found out what probably happened,” Bart said. “Do you think I should add another episode in the paper?”
Barker warned that it could bring on another break-in to try and find the jacket.
“I think these brothers would like to stop any danger of an inquiry.” He paused and looked around.
“Barker,” his wife warned. “I know that look.” The older man smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners.
“It might be possible to set a trap.”
“Try and catch them?” Magda asked. The man nodded his head.
“Of course, you do not need to be in any danger. It could be caught on camera.” He hesitated. His wife said that her husband was about to tell them that he owns a company that could set it up.
“You do?” Sam asked.
“In fact,” Barker said, “they could be left in place for security for the new venture.” He asked what it was they had in mind and all of them jabbered at once about the ideas. Magda pointed out the outdoor railway and said that Sam was going to make it run into the cellar.
“We can’t start until the planners agree to the change of use, but the extra door is necessary whatever happens,” Sam added.
“Feel free to use me for any consultation you might like. I love the ideas,” Barker told them.
“Wow,” Mikey said. “That would be so useful.”
Katie went and found her mood board pictures and sketches and handed them to the retired oil man. Magda looked around the table and she knew Sam and Merle could sense something of what she was about to ask.
“If we had an official opening,” she hesitated and saw Rula nod. Her friends knew her so well. “Would you perform the official opening ceremony please?” Barker Hoffstander smiled and said he would look forward to it.
“As I am now part of the team,” he added. “Shall I nudge along the planning department for you?”
“Yes please,” Sam and Declan chorused together.
“I’ll hold off with the story until the cameras are in place,” Bart suggested and Barker said that he would start the ball rolling the next day.
“I’ll get Morris to give you a call and come over.”
“Are you talking about Morris Mason?” Bart queried and the man nodded.
“Wow. You have some big-time friends.”
“So big that he will link it back to his computer and enhance whatever the cameras pick up.”
The three visitors all thanked them for letting them be at the séance.
“Even at my age, there is always something you never did before,” Corabeth told them. “I hope my mother was watching. She would have loved it.” Her hand went to her face and Merle asked if it felt like cobwebs. Corabeth agreed that it was.
“I think we can assume that your mom was with us and heard it all,” Merle said.
“That darn cat was right again,” Magda added and then had to tell them about the cat who knew what was going on. “She knocked a photograph album down that opened at a picture of me and my mom.”
The three visitors left in a chauffeur driven car and the rest of them went over what they had learned.
“I’ll write it up and if I find the button factory pictures, I will send them to you, Katie. When the cameras are in place, I will publish it. If I tell the boss in confidence, it will get front page.”
“Then he will want you to capture the break-in on camera,” Sam said.
“Mmm,” Bart said. “Looking forward to seeing how Morris Mason works.” He took his leave.
“We will get fabulous publicity when Barker Hoffstander announces the opening of the new gallery,” Magda remarked. “But a couple of normal days would be nice before we start on the next venture.”
“Home,” Sam said and pulled her to her feet. The next day was Sunday and a lazy day was definitely on the cards.
They started the Monday as normal but true to his word, Barker did his nudging. Sam had a phone call from the planning office for him to call in and talk to them. Then a large and flamboyant figure of a man in his forties with bright ginger hair strode into the cafe and asked for Magda Barnes.
Magda stepped forward and met Morris Mason.
“When the boss calls, I jump,” Morris told her. “Barker is completely enthused about your new venture and told me about it yesterday. You need comprehensive coverage with no blind spots, but it has to be invisible at the same time.”
“Let me get the keys and show you around,” Magda said and took the man to the camping shop next door to meet Mikey and find the keys. Mikey joined them and they showed Morris Mason around. Magda texted Bart to say Morris Mason was on the premises and the man arrived at a run about ten minutes later.
“Lead writer for the post,” he introduced himself. “Desperate to see what you suggest for surveillance.”
“Barker says you will write up the whole thing.”
It turned out that Barker and Morris owned the company between them.
“He likes to think he’s the boss,” Morris said with a grin. “The man still has a brain like a laser.”
“He is also a very nice man,” Magda added.
“Sure is,” Morris agreed. He whipped out a machine that measured everything with laser beams and took photographs at the same time.
“I take it you will leave these old ceilings and decorations in place,” he said as he measured. “We can use the decoration to disguise the cameras. Although the camera
s are so tiny it is hard to spot them anyway. Got what I need. Can the men arrive tomorrow?”
“No problem,” Mikey said.
“We need photographs of the before and after scenes for when we have the place up and running,” Bart remarked, and Magda laughed.
“That is your excuse for seeing how Morris Mason works.”
“Sure is,” he grinned as he left.
Magda let everyone know what had developed. Sam and Declan were late for their lunch but arrived with broad grins and a letter that set out permission to turn the place into an art gallery and exhibition center.
“What it is to have friends in high places,” Declan said. “They know us from building jobs perfectly well at the planning office but one word from Barker and it goes through like clockwork.”
“Woohoo,” Rula called out. “It really is happening.”
“What is happening?” the person she was serving casually asked and she said that they had permission to move into the bank building and make an exhibition center.
At the end of the following day, Morris Mason and his employees had installed invisible cameras in every part of the bank building. They truly were invisible because Bart had watched them installed and still couldn’t see them.
“It looked so easy. No wires or breaking through walls,” Mikey said.
“All Wi-Fi and Bluetooth these days. They link back to the main computer and we record everything that appears for looking at later,” Morris told him.
“So, we are on now?” Magda asked. The man offered a hand and whirled her around under his arm as if they were dancing.
“Captured dancing with a strange man forever,” he joked. Then on a serious note he asked when the article would be published. “We will have someone watching the following nights to make sure we catch it.”
“Bart says it will go up tomorrow and this is his copy for you and Barker,” Magda told him and handed over two hard copies. The two men went away, and Mikey locked up.
The café closed down for the night and all was quiet.
It was quiet the next morning until enough folk had seen the article and came in holding newspapers and wanting to have it all explained.
“Our regulars are wonderful.” Magda smiled and told yet again, the ideas for the bank. Bart sat on his stool and was plagued with questions.
“It’s amazing when something like that sparks off peoples’ memories. Several folks have added rumors about the investment men,” Katie remarked.
“I would think they have seen it by now. Bart’s editor got the story onto local TV,” Rula added.
“All publicity as I said before,” Magda said. When Bart had time to take a breath after all of his fans had given up, he asked if they were going to do a night watch.
“How would we do it?” Magda asked. “Sam and Declan will be here soon.” Sam, Declan and Mikey joined the group and between customers and bites of lunch decided to stay in the café to keep a watch.
“I would think they will try the boarded-up entrance again. It’s out of sight,” Declan said.
“I could be upstairs in the attic and stay quiet,” Bart suggested.
“But you will be tempted to creep down and take photos. That could be dangerous,” Magda told him. Her cell phone rang.
“Barker here, Magda. Morris says that he will be on screen duty but will have a screen in the work van outside of the bank.”
“Wow. So, if we stay in the café, we can wait for his signal?”
“That’s right. He will have a couple of men with him and you will have Sam, Declan and Mikey.”
“But Bart says he will hide in the attic,” Magda answered.
“Okay. Put him on for me please.” Bart took the cell phone and took instruction from Barker Hoffstander without a squeak of argument. He nodded and nodded and said he would wait until he had the text from Morris before he moved. Magda took back the cell phone and thanked him for pushing the planning permission.
“Thank me with Guinness truffles tomorrow night.”
“Are you sure you want to be there?” Magda asked with genuine concern.
“Try keeping him away,” Geraldine’s voice said from the background and Magda laughed.
“The truffles are yours,” she laughed and hung up.
19
They suppressed the excitement during the next day but closed up and rushed home to change and eat. Morris had given all of them his number and texted everyone to say the dark blue van two doors down was his and they were watching.
“No one about so you can all go in and stay in the café,” he used Sam’s cell phone to communicate.
“Where’s Bart?” Sam asked.
“Already in place.”
They parked in various places out of sight and made sure nobody was around before slipping one by one into the darkened café. Sam locked the outer gate to the alley and went to join them. Morris gave all of them a link to his live streaming and they could all see what he could see. The link was streaming the street in both directions.
“Quiet, apart from people going for a drink or late-night shopping,” Declan remarked.
“Keep your heads down,” Morris sent them. “I have a camera on your café as well.”
“Heads up,” was his next message. Three men walked down the sidewalk. Nothing unusual there except that when they passed the alleyway there were only two that kept walking. One was in the alley. “Look at the screen. He will check the café,” Morris whispered. They all held their breath and heard the splinter of wood as the intruder broke into the boarded-up hole.
The streaming switched to the inside and the man moved to the door and let in the other two. They were dressed in dark clothes and had scarves over their faces. The intruders were used to doing this sort of thing. They said nothing to each other and produced some tools from pockets and under clothing. They headed for the cellar because Bart had hinted that the jacket would be buried under the new cement as a sort of resting place. He had made finding the history of the bank building fascinating.
“I am in the alley and will come in with you,” Morris whispered. “Two big men at the front door. Wait for the signal.”
Sam loosened the latch on the doors to the café. They waited in silence and then Morris appeared in the courtyard and whispered for them to come with him. They came out as a group and moved silently across the courtyard. The board had been moved to one side by the intruder and Morris pushed it to aside. There were noises of stones being moved from inside the cellar. Morris called out that they should put up their hands.
“You are surrounded,” he called. They heard Bart run down the stairs and the lights went on all over the building. The three men stopped what they were doing and tried to leave by the front door. Their way was blocked by two burly men at the entrance and behind them stood Barker Hoffstander wrapped up in warm clothes. Bart was alongside video recording it all.
The two parties from either side moved in on the men. One of the men pulled out an ugly looking knife and the other two produced guns. The first man pointed the gun at Morris Mason and the man stopped coming forward.
“You at the front door, come with these others and we can go without anyone getting hurt.”
“Not a chance,” Barker Hoffstander answered for the rest. “Put the guns down and tell us what you are doing. There is no robbery, we can end this peacefully.”
“Are you working for someone else?” Magda asked. The tallest of the three men looked at her.
“We are looking for an old jacket. That is all. Not worth anything except a bit of sentimental value.”
“You won’t find it because I sent it to the ancestry laboratory where they can extract the DNA.” The others looked at her in surprise.
“It will prove that the DNA is not related to any of the Hoffstanders in investment or in oil,” Barker added with his voice quiet but authoritative. “Now if you want to turn this into an attack when the people who sent you will deny everything, the choice is yours.”
“No choice. Move away or we shoot. Nobody sent us.”
“If nobody sent you, you must be one of the investment Hoffstanders.” Sam said.
“Brave enough to show your face and talk about this?” Barker asked from the other side of the three men.
“Or just shooting unarmed people?” Sam asked and drew their attention back again.
“We have another weapon in our armory here,” Declan spoke out. “The Mr. Hoffstander who had the button factory is here. He is very angry that he was blackmailed.” The people with Declan knew what he was talking about.
“Don’t talk such garbage,” the tallest man said. “The man’s been dead for years. This is all claptrap made up to get publicity for your stupid scheme.”
“Stupid scheme. Stupid scheme,” Magda reacted. “We don’t need to blackmail people to get money for a business. Hard work will do the trick.”
“And the fact that Barker Hoffstander has the chief of police on speed dial,” Barker added, and the man whirled around and raised the gun to point directly at the retired oil man. Magda made to rush forward, but Morris put out an arm and stopped her. He held her back as they all felt the wind that suddenly whipped up inside an enclosed room. The loose stones where the intruders were standing started to move of their own accord. They lifted and spun, and the angry wind suddenly flung the debris at the three intruders. The stones did not go near the watchers. They were frozen to the spot with astonishment as Mr. Hoffstander took his revenge for the fact that he had been blackmailed out of his hard-earned money.
The wind made an eerie noise as it took the debris from the floor and flung it around the cellar. The guns and the knife were knocked from their hands and the loose stones battered at the three men who covered their faces and tried to save themselves from the attack. In the end they sank to the ground in front of the amazed onlookers. Morris, Sam, Mikey and the two men with Barker moved in to take them into custody as the stones dropped back on the floor.
Barker stepped forward when they were dealt with and pulled the scarf away from the tallest man’s face.