“What the hell do you want?” I demanded in spite of my apprehension.
There was no response. The man who’d appeared to me the other night—the tallest one—just stood there in the sitting room among the others staring at me.
“Miss Pfiffer...who are you talking to?” Theodore was clearly confused.
“Don’t interrupt, Theodore. Let me handle this.”
I addressed them again. “Did you do that to my kitchen?” I zeroed in on mister stoic skyscraper.
Silence.
“Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but you think you can gang me or something since Sir Clement isn’t in the picture anymore? Is that it? No one here did anything to any of you, so you either tell me what you want or get the hell out now!”
Suddenly, there were crashing sounds emanating from every direction of the house while the people I saw in front of me and everyone else I’d seen in my mind’s eye continued to be still. Plates and cutlery were flying out of other cupboards in the kitchen and crashing onto the floor. Figurines and lamps were inexplicably tossed off the nightstands and drawers rapidly slid open, dumping their contents onto the floor.
I heard Anthony hollering as he dashed down the stairs and Theodore, clutching Nilla in his arms ran back and forth in the direction of the noises.
“What the *#:% is going on here?” Theodore yelled.
Meeting him in the living room, Anthony asked the same thing, but Theodore was at a loss for words.
“Let’s get outta here!” Anthony cried. “Where’s Lucille?”
“No one’s going anywhere…” I told my boys, “…except these people who don’t belong in my house!”
Visibly afraid, Anthony walked over. “What people?” he asked. “Who are you talking about?”
The tall guy slowly approached. “No more waiting. Give it back or we will burn it down.” That’s all he said with the most intense glare I’d ever seen.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and furthermore, I didn’t take anything from you!” I yelled.
He backed away, keeping his eyes fixated on me as the crazy noises persisted. When he returned to the spot where he formerly stood, they all vanished into thin air. The noise finally stopped and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Looking around, my house was a complete mess and I could barely contain myself.
“What happened? Who were you speaking to?” Anthony pressed as Theodore walked over with Nilla. She had now quieted down.
“Did you see ghosts?” asked Theodore.
“I guess you’ve hit the nail on the head,” I replied.
“Who were they and why did they do this?” Anthony said.
I reached for Nilla. “I don’t know, but it’s late. Let’s get back to bed. Don’t worry about this mess; I’ll hire a cleaning company in the morning.” I started to walk off.
“Just like that?” Anthony’s hands were at his sides.
I turned and faced him. “What do you want me to do, Anthony? It’s late. We need to get our rest. I’ll figure it out... eventually.”
They both shook their heads and as I headed up the stairs, they started to pick up the items that were scattered over the floors. “Leave them alone!” I shouted. “I’d need a reason to pay the cleaning crew. There’ll be nothing for them to do if you two take care of it.”
The boys eventually followed me upstairs and returned to their bedrooms. I knew they were on edge and probably wanted to get the hell out of the house, but they didn’t. I doubt that any of us got much sleep that night, but I was willing to bet that out of the three of us, I definitely got the most.
6
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As I requested, Anthony arranged with Bob’s Cleaning Service early the next morning for them to come to the house and clean up the royal mess. I told him to tell them not to ask any questions because no answers would be given. I knew I had to get to the bottom of those ghosts’ obvious rage or there was the possibility that Bob’s Cleaning Service might have to come over quite frequently. However, I couldn’t focus on that right then because David and I were going to pick up Dr. Mira Cullen from the airport at 11:00 that morning. Since the cleaning crew got there at 8:00, I was sure they’d be finished by the time I returned home with my guest.
The airport was approximately a forty-minute drive from my house, so David showed up a little after 10:00.
“Perfect timing,” I told him at the front door.
“You’ve got a cleaning crew in here today, huh?” he asked.
“Yep.” I figured he thought I’d hired them to get the house ready for Dr. Cullen’s visit and that was fine by me.
David looked a bit nervous as we drove to the airport. I tried to ignore it for a while, but then my curiosity got the best of me.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, also noticing his sweaty hands on the steering wheel.
“Suppose this lady turns out to be the answer to my prayer and she finds Mom, but… she’s not alive…” he said.
I had a feeling that was his fear.
I thought of what Theodore had told me about being positive and decided it was a good time to pass that word of advice on to David.
“Let’s not think that way,” I said. “We must remain positive and not allow dark thoughts to take over. What about the opposite possibility? That your mom is alive and well, and just waiting to be found?”
He nodded and actually managed a half-smile. “You’re right. Anything is possible. Isn’t it?”
“Surely is.”
Debbie had emailed David a photo of Dr. Cullen so that he’d recognize her after she walked through the airport terminal. I happened to see the print out of her which was neatly folded in his wallet. Pretty lady, she was. Black, medium-length curly hair, slender features and a tannish complexion. If she wasn’t married, I was sure she would’ve been a perfect match for Theodore.
“There she is!” He pointed.
David was the only person in my circle, other than Merlene, who knew about my inner vision.
He had his hand up, waving to get Dr. Cullen’s attention. “She sees us. She’s coming.”
“Thank goodness she’s here,” I replied.
“Dr. Cullen…”
“Yes. You must be David.” They shook hands. “And you must be Lucille.” She smiled.
“Yes, I’m Lucille. It’s so gracious of you to come.” I gently squeezed her hand.
“I knew I had to when you called.”
She turned to David. “I’m very sorry about your mother. This must be so difficult for you.”
“It is.” He sighed.
“Well, if you can take me to a hotel where I can leave my luggage and freshen up a bit, we can then get right to work.”
“You’re not going to any hotel,” I said. “You’re staying with me.”
“Oh, I’m quite fine with staying at a hotel, Lucille.”
“No. I insist.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“No. Thank you,” I said.
As we headed to my house, Dr. Cullen told us about herself and her family and how her daughter Rosie was just as gifted or more so than she was. I was amazed by her life and wondered how she managed to juggle her career as a doctor and the demands of people who needed her help when it came to the supernatural.
“We’re all used to it in my family now,” she indicated. “It’s become our ‘normal’.”
“Lucky you,” I said.
“You’re pretty lucky yourself, Lucille.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I was sure she was going to unintentionally expose me to the wrong people.
“You’ve managed to lead quite a productive life in spite of your disability. That’s most admirable.”
“Thank you, Doctor Cullen,” I replied, hoping she’d switch the subject.
“I would really appreciate if you both just called me Mira.”
David nodded.
“Will do,” I agreed.
David was driving quietly. I saw her glance his way a few times from the passenger seat.
“You have a beautiful home, Lucille,” Mira said as we pulled in front of my house.
I thanked her graciously.
Theodore’s eyes were glued to Mira from the moment she walked into the house. He seemed awestruck.
Anthony, on the other hand, cheerfully welcomed her into our home and offered her a drink of her choice.
“I’ll show you to your room,” he said with a vitality he had whenever he entertained guests. Anthony was so good at that sort of thing and it’s precisely why he organized all of my parties.
Theodore stood around the living room with his arms folded, looking like the odd one out. It amazed me how he’d turned into a sheepish boy the moment Mira appeared. Of course, while she was upstairs with Anthony, I took it upon myself to tease him mercilessly. David even managed a couple of laughs, which was good to see.
“Aren’t you ever attracted to single women?” I asked.
He arched his brow. “Guess I’m cursed.”
He wasn’t denying his obvious interest in Mira the way he’d done when I questioned him about Debbie Anderson. But I guess the reason was obvious—Debbie was too close to home and so was her husband Gary, and Mira was just a guest. Big difference.
“Anyway, you know she’s off limits,” I said.
“Yep.” He sauntered off and mounted a stool at the kitchen counter.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Lucille.” Mira was heading downstairs.
“Is the room comfortable enough?” I asked from the settee.
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
She proceeded right over to David. “Can you take me to your mother’s house?” she asked.
“Now?” He looked up at her.
“No better time,” she replied.
David got up. “Okay.”
“I’ll be joining you two,” I said.
Mira looked at me and smiled.
* * *
As we pulled onto Merlene’s driveway, I sensed an uneasiness had overtaken Mira. For a moment, she seemed reluctant to get out of the car and after she finally did, she quietly stood on the front lawn looking at the house.
“Is there something the matter?” David asked her.
She shook her head. “Let’s go in.”
The walk-through was slow and Mira didn’t utter a word as David explained how he found the place the day his mother had disappeared. After seeing each room in the house, she twisted the knob of the kitchen door which led out to the backyard. She then stood on the narrow concrete slab adjacent to where the back door was and the edge of the lawn, and looked out toward the west. Another vacant house was directly behind Merlene’s and a rusty, iron fence separated the two properties. In front of that house was a narrow street which led out to the main road. Three houses stood along that street and the remainder of the property was vacant land.
“Did the police say anything about this area?” Mira asked David.
“No.” He shook his head. “When they were investigating, they came out back, looked around, but didn’t say anything.”
“That little street there…” she pointed, “…is where the man in a white sedan waited for them.”
“For them?” I asked.
“There were two men that came in and got Merlene while she was in bed resting. One put duct tape across her mouth and the other tied her hands behind her back. They exited the house this way although they entered through the front door. I doubt anyone saw them leave.”
“Did they hurt her?” David asked as tears welled in his eyes.
Mira had a serious expression on her face. She almost looked like a completely different person. “They made good on the threat,” she said.
My heart sank.
7
_________________
“What do you mean they made good on the threat?” David probed. “Are you saying they killed her?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Mira answered quickly.
“The people that took your mother had no interest in her personally.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Shall we go inside?” she said.
We headed back inside and sat in the living room.
“The three men that took Merlene were hired by someone else,” Mira continued.
“Just as I thought!” I blurted. “It was the judge, wasn’t it?”
Mira grimaced. “What judge?”
“The judge she and I put behind bars.”
“I’m not getting that at all,” she replied.
Quite honestly, I was shocked by her reply. Something wasn’t adding up here.
“You said they made good on their threat, but the only threat Merlene received was connected to her involvement in the case against a Judge Simon,” I explained.
Mira shook her head.
“Are you implying that Merlene’s disappearance has nothing to do with that case?”
“I don’t think it does. I believe the threat was a ploy to make her think it was related to the one she’d received before. They must’ve known about it somehow. Using it against her that day was just a sick means of terrorizing her.”
David got up and strolled over to the front window, blankly staring outside.
“I know you two now feel like you’re kind of back at square one with this revelation, but it doesn’t mean it makes finding Merlene any harder,” Mira said.
“We were sure our connection to Sir Clement’s case was the reason Merlene was taken,” I said. “Now, it does make you wonder what else is going on here.” I turned to her. “Are you sure, Mira? Can you say without a shadow of a doubt that Merlene wasn’t abducted by anyone connected to that case?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”
I joined David over at the window and took his hand. Tears had streamed down his face.
Mira got up and went into Merlene’s bedroom, then sat on the bed. David and I did not follow her.
“She was sick. Wasn’t she?” She asked as she emerged from the room a few minutes later.
“Yeah, she was,” David answered, drying his face with the back of his hand.
“The flu?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“She got the threatening call while she was here in bed,” Mira added.
David and I looked at each other.
“Do you think we can get a hold of the phone records for that day?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure, we can,” I said. “A good friend of mine works for the phone company.”
Glenda had done me a favor before when David had been accused of murder. I was sure she wouldn’t have hesitated to help me again.
We wasted no time getting to the local phone company. Glenda was still Manager and from how she spoke, they couldn’t pry her out of that seat anytime soon. She still had ‘the powers that be’ somewhat subdued since they knew the dirt she had on them could be shaken loose in the unfortunate event she sneezed. In other words, Glenda was a nice person, but everyone knew they shouldn’t test her patience.
Dressed in a gorgeous peach and purple blended blouse, a long cream-colored pants, and black high-heeled shoes, Glenda welcomed the three of us into her office.
She knew David and congratulated him for his success in breaking free of the grasp of Cooke and his highly incompetent detectives. And she expressed her sadness concerning Merlene’s disappearance.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked me after we were all seated.
“This is Doctor Mira Cullen. She’s assisting us in Merlene’s disappearance,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, Doc,” Glenda hailed.
“Lucille has spoken of you highly,” Mira told her.
“Did she tell you the illegal work she has me doing from time to time?” Glenda smiled.
“Glenda…” I interjected. “We need to see Merlene’s phone records for the 29th of last month, if you don’t mind.”<
br />
“Sure, no problem. But why make the trip all the way here?” she asked. “David could’ve called and I could’ve easily faxed a copy to him.”
“Since the records are in Mom’s name, we thought it best that we come in and request them,” David said.
“I see. Okay.” She started typing into her computer. “You said the 29th of May?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Within a couple of minutes, she provided a printout and handed it to David. Mira, who sat next to him, perused it. Moments later, she pointed to one of the phone numbers.
“This one,” she said. “2:41 p.m.”
“That doesn’t look like a regular land line,” David noted.
Glenda was watching them as she chewed a toffee.
David slid the printout in front of Glenda. “What type of number is that?”
“It’s a cell number from one of those disposable phones,” she replied, right away.
“The time on it... it was just five minutes before…” Mira started.
Glenda had a confused expression on her face as she looked at Mira.
Mira picked up the print out and stood up. “I think we have everything we need.”
David and I got up too. “Well, that’s it then,” I said. “Thanks so much, Glenda.” Using my cane, I walked over to her and gave her a great, big hug. “I can always count on you.”
“Yes, you can.” She smiled. “Always happy to help.” She walked with us to the doorway.
“I’m praying for Merlene’s safe return,” she told David.
“Thanks,” he replied. “I appreciate that.”
“Merlene received that phone call five minutes before they barged into the house,” Mira explained in the car. “They were literally right outside when the phone rang. The guy waiting in the sedan was the one that called her.”
I was stunned.
“You mean they hung around our house for roughly five minutes before they went in and took Mom?” David sought clarification.
Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series (Books 4 - 6) Page 4