Maltese Vulture Murder

by Leslie Langtry

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I spent the rest of the night with Rex, the sheriff's department, and dozens of volunteers combing the woods of Peterson Park. I reenacted my trek from the picnic area to the spot I was sure I'd talked to Sun and Moon.

  We walked the rest of the way until the woods opened up to a gravel road. So that's how they got Delaney out. The whole group fanned out and walked back through the woods until we came out at the recreational area.

  By ten it was too dark to see, so Sheriff Carnack called it off. Delaney wasn't here and was unlikely to be back. Back at the house, I took care of the pets and, after a quick shower, climbed into bed next to my husband, who was checking his cell phone for messages.

  "I feel terrible about this," I said at last as I set Nellie Lou on the high shelf (using gloves so I didn't take another acid trip). I didn't think she was safe in the attic, so I'd brought her in with us. As a result, Philby was yowling outside our door and would probably do that all night long.

  Rex put down the notebook he'd been writing in. "It's not your fault."

  I threw my hands up. "But it is! They wanted Nellie Lou!"

  "Which"—he put his arm around me, and I leaned against his shoulder—"you didn't have with you at the park, and why would they think you did?"

  "Why didn't they give me directions for handing her over? Why haven't they called?"

  Our eyes went to the vulture, wings spread, head down, as if she was just about to fly away.

  "The mayor"—Rex rubbed his eyes—"hasn't heard from them yet. But I'm sure he will. They won't want to keep the girl forever."

  "No, they won't. She's a handful with an entitlement chip on her shoulder as big as Leonard."

  "I'm going in early tomorrow to get started. Sheriff Carnack has called in the Iowa State Police. We're meeting with them first thing."

  That sounded good. But my concern was if they haven't found her by now…

  Rex studied me. "Something else has you worried."

  I nodded. "I can't imagine being parents. Can you?"

  He moved his notebook to the nightstand and turned to give me his full attention. "Where is this coming from?"

  Yeah! Where was this coming from? It just popped into my head. I guess it had been there all along.

  "There's just…" I looked at Nellie. "So much danger in the world. I grew up in this town, and it was completely free of crime. Now, since I've been back, there's murder, kidnappings, and terrorists. Who's There has changed."

  My husband didn't say anything.

  "I can't begin to understand what the Joneses are going through. It must be awful."

  "Merry, you've had girls in your troop kidnapped, and you were fine."

  "That's because I was in action mode. And my girls are learning to take care of themselves. Especially Betty." I remembered the flamethrower and the porch filled with chairs. "Anyone who tried to kidnap her would end up toast." Literally.

  "Well—if it makes you feel any better, the rise in crime here is disproportionate to other towns of this size. In fact, I'd say 99% of the murders and kidnappings involve you."

  I made a face. "That doesn't make me feel any better."

  "What I'm saying is, all this murder and kidnapping seems to be directed toward you. Any terrorists in town have been because of you. Random people are not experiencing acts of violence."

  He was right. But there were a few locals caught up in my web of murder.

  Rex seemed to know what I was thinking. "Okay, so there was that one pizza delivery guy, and a few others, but if you think about it, if you left town, all of this would go away." He smiled.

  What was he saying? That if I left town tomorrow, the crime wave would stop? Oh WOW. He was totally right. But I couldn't imagine that my husband was telling me to leave. He was just being honest. Which was what I wanted. Right?

  "I guess that if I'm the target, I'm sort of taking one for the team."

  "Right, but there are people around you, like Delaney, who through no fault of yours, end up in trouble from time to time. But that's not your fault."

  Delaney loomed in my mind, and she was yelling at me, so I put her out of my mind and thought about something else.

  "If your argument is valid and we were to have children, they would become targets too."

  "Is that what this is about?" Rex frowned. "Are you interested in starting a family? Because you've been dead set against it since we met."

  I shook my head. "No. My mind hasn't changed. I'm just thinking theoretically."

  He leaned back and stared into space. "If we had theoretical children, yes, there could be danger. But remember, you were a spy. You knew the risks when you went into that business. Granted, most spies, when they retire, don't have the kind of insanity following them home that you have…"

  I sighed heavily. "I just don't want my theoretical children, who I don't want to have, to be in danger because of me."

  Rex laughed. "I promise that I would never let anything happen to our imaginary future children who we don't want to have." He kissed my forehead. "Better?"

  "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds kind of stupid…"

  He tipped my chin up, his eyes on mine. "I don't think that sounds stupid. I think that sounds very Merry Wrath-like."

  "Sorry," I apologized, suddenly feeling very weary. "I'm just a little on edge."

  "It's perfectly understandable," he said gently.

  The evening shadows gave Nellie Lou a menacing look, and my thoughts turned back to the little girl out there, somewhere, alone.

  "You don't think these two clowns will hurt her, do you? I mean Delaney, who is not theoretical but very real. You feel confident that we will find her and everything will be alright, right?"

  There was a long pause as he considered this. My husband was probably composing a lengthy statement in his head where he told me everything would be okay.

  "I don't know." He squeezed me hard before kissing me and turning to go to sleep.

  * * *

  "Any word?" I asked as I dropped off four dozen donuts at the sheriff's station first thing the next morning.

  Sheriff Carnack and Rex each took a donut. Kevin took five, which he balanced in both hands as chocolate frosting dripped onto his uniform. Fortunately, I'd planned for his greed and had another dozen stashed in my trunk for the other deputies.

  "The mayor hasn't heard from them," Carnack said. "And my guys can't find a yellow pickup truck anywhere. We've got security camera footage from the convenience store and any other businesses in town that have it. The state police are reviewing those now."

  There were a couple of people missing. "Where is the mayor? Tammi? Shouldn't they be here?"

  Rex shook his head. "I've got an officer staying with them at their house in case these guys call. You should keep your cell handy."

  "I don't understand why they haven't called," I mused. "What's going on with the murder investigation?"

  Rex shook his head. "This takes priority. I know that the murder is connected, but we have to find the child first."

  A couple of phones started to ring. I needed to get over to Riley's to see if Kelly had found anything. I thought about the extra dozen donuts in the van. I'd take them with me. Sugar always helped.

  "Merry," Riley said as I walked into his office. "I'm glad you're here."

  In spite of the early hour, Riley and Kelly were planted at their desks.

  "Where's Claire?" I asked, pointing to the empty desk.

  "She took a vacation day," Riley said. "Her mother's in the hospital in Des Moines."

  I plopped down in a chair opposite the man. "Why are you glad I'm here?"

  "Where's the bird?" he asked.

  "In my car. Why?"

  This morning, I'd packed Nellie in a garbage bag to hide her a little better. It wasn't easy with her full wingspan and all. But I'd managed.

  "Can you bring her in?" Riley said with a hint of exasperation.

  I narrowed my eyes.
What was he up to? "Why?"

  "Because I want to check her out."

  We stared at each other for a while before I gave in. I'd prefer to have her with me anyway. The only problem was that Riley had floor-to-ceiling windows, which anyone could see into. I ran out to the car and returned with the bag.

  "What's this?" Kelly pointed at a large piece of masking tape, on which I'd written TAX FORMS.

  "It's a disguise." I shrugged.

  "You disguised Nellie Lou as a garbage bag full of tax forms?" Riley asked.

  "Yep. I mean, sure, it's still kind of shaped like her, and if you patted it down, you'd know she's in there, but who would do that if they thought the bag was full of tax forms?"

  Rex had asked a similar question this morning, but I was pretty convinced the disguise was pure genius. I ran to the front door and locked it, putting the CLOSED sign out. Then I returned to the table and opened the bag.

  Riley's desk phone rang, and he raced over to answer it.

  "What did you find out?" I whispered to Kelly.

  "Get this," she said softly. "The mayor hired him last night to find Delaney!"

  "You're joking." I stared at Riley.

  I recognized the commanding posture and the slick tone of his voice. He was in full-on schmooze mode. It had to be the mayor.

  "Why did he take the case? Every law enforcement officer in the county is working on this."

  Kelly shrugged. "Beats me. He's been kind of tight-lipped this morning."

  Riley hung up and joined us at the table. "Hey, did you lock the back door?"

  "Oh crap!"

  I ran to the door, which led to a corridor with an outside door shared by the other businesses in the strip mall. I hesitated a moment, wondering if it would inconvenience them if I locked the door, but finally threw the bolt anyway.

  I was just heading back when I collided with Kelly.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked.

  "Riley said you might need some help."

  I turned to look at the door. "Why would I need help?"

  She shrugged. "He insisted that I come out here."

  A terrible thought dawned on me, and I raced past my friend and back into the office. Riley was nowhere to be found. I looked at the table. And neither was Nellie Lou.

  Damn.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  "He took her!" I shrieked as I ran out the door.

  Kelly was hot on my heels. "Why would he do that?"

  I stopped short of the street, looking right and then left. Gone. Riley had kidnapped Nellie Lou! My Nellie Lou! I wasn't ready to turn her over to the kidnappers. In fact, I thought I could get through this without having to do so. I had plans for her!

  Once this was over and I cleaned her up, I was going to take her on one of my late-night visits to the zoo to see Mr. Fancy Pants. I'd been neglecting the bird of late and thought this and about a case of Girl Scout shortbread cookies would ease any tensions my absence had caused.

  "He's so desperate to be the hero and solve a case." I clenched my fists. "By taking Nellie Lou, he's guaranteeing they have the ransom when Sun and Moon call."

  Another thought hit me.

  "Why would he steal the bird, only to take it to the mayor's house to wait for the call? He knows that's the first place I'm going so I can give him a beatdown."

  GASP! Unless…

  Kelly and I shouted in unison. "They've already asked for the ransom!"

  "I'll stay here in case he comes back," Kelly yelled over her shoulder as she raced back inside.

  I wasn't listening, because I was already peeling out of the parking lot, heading for the mayor's house. That's when I realized I didn't know where the mayor lived. I called Rex and the sheriff, but neither one was answering.

  An idea popped into my head, and I called my friend, Stacey, at the Girl Scout Council office. She answered with a cheerful hello.

  "Hey, Stacey." I tried to sound calm, but the sugar was reverberating in my skull. "I'm in a bit of a pickle. I wanted to take Tammi Jones a casserole, but I don't have their address."

  "No problem," she said.

  The casserole was Iowa's equivalent to sitting Shiva, sympathy flowers, and a promise to do anything that needed done, including laundry or, in rare circumstances, yard work. There were several options from tuna noodle casserole to baked ziti, and if you really wanted to go all out, you'd add bacon, just to show you cared a little bit more than anyone else.

  The fact that I didn't really have a casserole was a small detail that Stacey didn't need to know. She'd definitely give me what I wanted without any thought as to my real motives. By the way, tuna noodle casserole is one of the few things I know how to make. Mom and Grandma Adelaide Wrath taught me when I was twelve. And I never make it. Ever.

  After a quick moment, she recited the address to me.

  "And," she added, "thanks for taking on this troop. Those leaders were really struggling, and I was afraid they'd quit. I'm hoping that once the poor girl is reunited with her folks, you and Mrs. Albers will keep working with them."

  "Yeah," I said, even though I was driving to Tammi's house, "the girls are great together. Pam and Tammi are a little unusual, but it's okay." I was thinking of a way to get out of this conversation.

  "Well"—Stacey's voice went low—"you know what happened, right? It caused a small scandal here. But now that they're with you, I'm not worried."

  "Uh, no, I don't know. But maybe you can tell me some other time since I'm late. Bye!" I hung up and focused on driving.

  The house was only a few blocks off of Main Street in a very nice area, with beautiful old homes, leafy boulevards, and the smell of freshly cut grass. I pulled up outside a large brick, two-story house with white colonial shutters. This was it—the address Stacey had given me.

  Riley's black SUV was nowhere to be found. In fact, the whole street seemed empty. That was odd. I'd imagined multiple cars coming and going as family and friends came over to lend support. But they'd only been here a short time and, as far as I knew, had no family in the area.

  In fact, I wasn't sure where they were from. Maybe they didn't even know about the tuna casserole thing. Everyone in Iowa knew about that.

  I ran up and rang the doorbell. If Riley had gone to deliver Nellie Lou, maybe Tammi would tell me where. She was my bird, and… A ripple of guilt ran through me. Here I was, feeling like a victim because Riley took my dead vulture.

  But Delaney was the real victim here. And handing over Nellie Lou would secure her freedom. And even though she was an unpleasant girl, she was just a kid. I could work with her. My own troop had changed over the years into confident, fearless kids.

  Delaney needed a chance, and even though I really, really didn't want to, giving Sun and Moon the bird would free her. I only wished I could've found out what it was about her that they were willing to kill and kidnap for. No matter how much I'd looked, I didn't find any secret cavity inside her where something valuable could be stored. What was it they wanted?

  No one answered the door. This time, I knocked, beating hard on the wood door.

  "Tammi? Mr. Mayor?" I walked around the house, looking inside all of the windows.

  The house was pristine inside. Tammi had perfect taste. Expensive taste. And as far as I knew, she didn't have a job. Being mayor wasn't a full-time job either. Which meant the mayor did something that allowed them to afford to live like this.

  Great. Now I was suspicious of the victim's family. Come on, Merry. The mayor could be living off a trust fund. Or maybe he sold his business off for a small fortune before he moved here.

  Dealing with all of these mysteries over the past few years had turned me into a suspicious person. I needed to get over that. Living in a small town meant being around the same people every day. And if you couldn't get along with anyone, you were faced with the choice of moving to the big city of Des Moines or some scummy Hellscape like Bladdersly.

  I turned the corner, looking in windows as I went, until I c
ame to a seven-foot-tall fence. Huh. Who's There had a six-foot-tall maximum height ordinance here. I knew that because I'd toyed with putting in an eight-foot fence at our place when we got Leonard, the Scottish deerhound. Rex quickly set me straight and explained that we didn't need a fence that high because Leonard was perfectly trained.

  How did the mayor get away with violating a town ordinance? In thinking about it, I realized that his cheating gave me an excuse to hop the fence.

  The gate door seemed like a promising entrance. Now I just had to pull myself over…

  The only thing was, it had been some years since I'd had to do something like that. In my younger days, I could scale a wall like Spiderman, but as I jumped up and grabbed hold of the top of the fence, my feet just skidded off the smooth surface, over and over, as if I was a cartoon character running in place.

  Maybe I should run at it. There wasn't much left of my pride now. I could hardly look worse.

  Walking backward about thirty feet, I launched myself at the gate door, grabbing hold of the top of the nice little arch over it. Unfortunately, I found myself in the exact same situation, as my feet hung uselessly beneath me. In the meantime, I hung there, looking like a tick. Why on earth did I think this would have a different result?

  Hopefully the neighbors weren't watching, because this was illegal breaking and entering, but even worse, gross humiliation. I needed a foothold, a bottle of wine, and some intensive therapy.

  Come on, Wrath. You can walk up this. You've done it before. You can do it again. Bringing my feet up under me, and placing them against the surface of the gate, with my fingers crossed (which did not help my grip any), I finally made them stick. Very slowly, I walked my feet up the gate door, little by little, looking like an idiot.

  Once my feet were level with the latch and handle, I stepped on it with my right foot, which when combined with my arms straining to pull me up, the maneuver got me up to the top of the gate. As I tipped over, headfirst, my foot activated the latch and the gate swung open with me folded in half over it. Hitting the house with my butt propelled me over and onto the grass below.