by Patricia Fry
“I think that’s Leta out there looking this way through a pair of binoculars.”
“Yeah, looks like her,” Margaret said after putting on her glasses. “What’s she doing, I wonder?”
“Probably looking for those gems,” Max offered.
Margaret said, “But she didn’t even know what Rags had when she was chasing him.”
“That’s right,” Savannah agreed. “Craig said she couldn’t identify what was in the bag.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes, grabbed her niece’s arm, and said, “You know, something’s not right with her.”
“I know,” Savannah said. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
“It is strange,” Michael agreed. “What interest does she have in this old place?”
“I’m beginning to think this whole flea market thing was a ruse to get into the building,”
Margaret said. “But why?”
“Well, if those gems were hidden in there somewhere,” Max said, “that’s a pretty good reason.”
“Yeah,” Savannah said excitedly, “remember when I told you she was poking and prodding at the walls a couple of days ago? She must have known those diamonds were in the building and used us to get in so she could find them.”
“And then Rags ran off with the goods,” Max said with a laugh.
Michael jumped in, saying, “Yes, but, if that’s the case, why couldn’t she identify what was in the pouch?”
Everyone sat silent with that thought.
“Gosh, I wonder if we’re in danger,” Margaret said.
“Why would we be?” Savannah asked.
“Well, she might think we have the jewels.”
Savannah laughed. “The jewels she can’t identify?”
“Yeah,” Margaret continued, “maybe it isn’t the building she’s interested in out there through those binoculars, but us.”
The two couples looked from one to the other and then Savannah spoke up, “You sure have one active imagination, Auntie.” And then she shivered and pulled Michael’s jacket tighter around her. She looked at her husband and said, “It’s getting chilly. Can we go home now?”
“Good idea,” Margaret said. “Max will help me finish up with the watering; you go on. Get some rest.”
“Thanks,” Savannah said, hugging her aunt.
“Want to help me feed in the morning?” Margaret asked.
“Yeah, I guess—about mid-morning when it’s a little warmer?”
“Oh you baby,” Margaret said.
***
The next morning, Margaret arrived at her niece’s home at ten thirty sharp. “Where’s Colbi?” Savannah asked, looking around behind her aunt.
“She had to work this morning; she’ll meet us out there.”
“Okay, come on in. Let me grab my stuff.”
Margaret stepped in and noticed Rags trotting down the staircase toward her. “Hi there, big boy,” she said as she walked over and scratched the cat behind one ear. “Been staying out of trouble lately?”
“No he hasn’t,” Savannah said as she entered the living room wearing Michael’s heavy green jacket. “Last night we found him sleeping in the crib.”
“Well, he’s still your baby, Vannie.” She stroked the cat’s plush grey-and-white fur, running her hand along his back all the way to the tip of his tail. She said to the cat, “You’d better enjoy the attention now, buddy. Things are about to change for you.”
“No they won’t,” Savannah said defensively. “Not that much. The animals will still have a major place in our lives.”
Margaret stood and looked over at her niece, prepared to retort. Instead she frowned and said, “Gads you look big in that jacket.”
Savannah frowned. “I look big in everything I wear.”
Before Margaret could respond, her cell phone rang. She glanced up at Savannah. “It’s Colbi. Hi kiddo,” she said into the phone.
“Are you on your way?” Colbi asked.
“Just leaving. Are you there already?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Do you have the key with you? We need the key.”
Margaret’s smile faded. “Colbi, what’s wrong?”
“We have a…problem. We need the key. Can you hurry?”
“Sure. I’ll stop at the house and get it. We’re on our way. ’Bye.”
“What’s wrong?” Savannah asked.
Margaret stood staring down at her phone for a few seconds and then stuffed it into her pocket. “We’d better hurry. Something has happened out at the Fischer place and they need to get inside.”
“What?” Savannah asked, grabbing a bottle of water and her keys off a nearby table.
Margaret rushed to the door and opened it. “I don’t know, Vannie,” she said, appearing to be a bit dazed. “But, from the tone of Colbi’s voice, something awful has happened. Now hurry.”
“Well, I’m moving as fast as I can,” she said as she waddled rather slowly and deliberately toward Margaret’s car.
Nine minutes later, the two women arrived at the Fischer building. Colbi rushed to meet them as they climbed out of the car. “Give me the key,” she said. “Someone’s been hurt in there.”
Margaret and Savannah glanced around at the emergency vehicles parked on the property and quickly followed Colbi through the gate toward the front access to the building. After Colbi opened the door to allow the paramedics and sheriff’s deputies inside, the three women eased in quietly to see for themselves what had happened. That’s when Colbi said, “I thought I heard someone call for help and then figured I was just hearing things. There are sometimes strange sounds coming from this building, as you know.”
Margaret and Savannah nodded.
“Well, I thought I heard it again, so I began looking around. When I heard it a third time, I was on the front side of the building and it sounded closer. So I looked in a window and saw that woman Leta lying there at the bottom of those stairs.”
“For cryin’ out loud, what was she doing in here, anyway?” Margaret asked, looking confused. “And how did she get in?”
“She must have hidden in here after the flea market,” Savannah said. “It’s a wonder she didn’t freeze to death.”
“But we saw her outside the gate when we left,” Margaret reasoned.
Savannah rubbed the small of her back. “Well, she may have slipped in after we left, before Craig and his men locked up.”
Margaret sighed. “Yup, she’s a shrewd one. You just don’t know what that woman’s going to do.”
As the emergency personnel moved around Leta, the three women could see that she was lying on her back, her head in a pool of blood. “Ewwww,” Margaret said. “Poor woman.”
“Yeah, looks like a concussion—or worse,” Savannah said.
Once the paramedics had Leta Barnes on the gurney, they quickly rolled her past the women, who were huddled near the entrance. Leta moved her head from side to side, mumbling. As she got closer to them, they could hear her words: “He pushed me. He pushed me.”
The trio watched as a man and a woman carefully wheeled Leta through the gate to a waiting ambulance. They started to walk out the door when Craig Sledge strolled up to them. “Morning ladies,” he said with a nod. “How’s everyone doing?”
“Been better,” Margaret said, still gazing out through the door. She then focused on him, and asked, “What happened, Craig?”
He looked Margaret in the eyes and said, “What I want to know is what was she doing in here?”
“Hell if I know,” Margaret responded.
Savannah looked over at Craig. “She said someone pushed her.”
Colbi nodded and glanced around the room. “Yeah, that means there is or was someone else in here.”
“Or she’s delusional,” Margaret suggested.
“Yeah, she’s one strange woman,” Savannah said.
“How so?” Craig asked.
Margaret stared at the detective for a moment, and noticed he’d removed a pen and pad from his jacket
pocket. “Hey, I brought chairs, how about we sit down—well, some of us can sit.” She looked over at Savannah. “And some of us should be sitting and taking it easy.”
“Can we sit in the sun?” Savannah asked.
Margaret and Colbi walked out to Margaret’s Jeep and returned with three folding chairs. The three women settled into the lawn chairs and Craig perched on a nearby concrete-block wall.
Colbi looked over at the crawl space, unconsciously wrapping her long ponytail around one finger in a curl. “Those cats are never going to tame down with so much activity out here all the time.”
Savannah and Margaret followed her gaze, but remained silent.
“So what makes you say she’s strange, Savannah?” Craig asked.
Savannah thought about the question, and then said, “Well, for one thing, while you were inside looking around yesterday, we saw her parked outside the gate a-ways, looking in this direction through binoculars.”
“Yeah,” Margaret said, “maybe she was looking for an opportunity to sneak in and do more searching.”
Savannah stood, walked over to the rip in the green mesh, and announced, “Hey, her car’s still out there.”
Craig got up and joined Savannah at the fence. He made a note on his tablet. He looked off in the distance and then turned to the women. “Margaret, you were here when we left. Is it possible that she slipped in before you locked the place up?”
Margaret thought for a moment, then shook her head slowly. “I can’t imagine how,” she said. “You left. I locked the door. Could she have come in while you were investigating?”
“In a room that’s as open as that one, I don’t think so. But I’ve learned in this business that anything’s possible.” Craig thought for a moment and then said, “Maybe there’s another entrance. He looked toward the top of the building. “I know of at least one case where the suspect got inside through a vent in the roof.” He fumbled with his pad and pen. “So which one of you found her?”
Colbi said, “I did. I heard someone calling for help and saw her through the window. I called 9-1-1. So do you think she fell down the stairs? She said she was pushed.”
“Do you have any idea who she might have been talking about…who would push her?” Craig asked.
The trio glanced at one another. Colbi said, “No, as far as we know there’s no one inside the building. But we do hear some strange things coming from there.”
“And some of us have seen things,” Savannah said.
“Who?” Craig asked. “And what?”
“My sister was here with Bud trapping one night and she saw something through a window. Scared her pretty bad, I guess.”
“I’ve heard and seen things, too,” Colbi said, her eyes widening. “But it’s all very ghostly—ethereal.”
“Brianna used the term, ‘grotesque,’” Savannah said.
Craig tapped the end of his pen on the pad a couple of times. “Are you saying a ghost did this?”
“Well, if I saw a ghost, I’d probably fall down a flight of stairs trying to get away,” Margaret said.
“What do you ladies know about Leta Barnes?” Craig asked.
“Not much,” Margaret admitted. “She called me all gung-ho about doing a fundraiser in this building. Don’t know where she came from. She said she’d read about us in the paper online and wanted to help the cause.”
“Only, I don’t think cats are of particular interest to her,” Colbi said. She looked at Savannah and Margaret. “Would you agree?”
“Most definitely,” Margaret said.
Savannah nodded.
“And when we saw her scrambling after Rags when she thought he had those diamonds, we began to understand what her gig was. Only…” Margaret hesitated, “…she couldn’t identify what was in the pouch.”
“That’s right,” Craig said. “But she seems to know there’s something worth pursuing here.”
“I guess she had an ulterior motive when she offered to do the fundraiser,” Colbi said. “We really don’t know who she is.” She cocked her head and looked at Craig. “Do you?”
“Not yet, but we’ll find out.” He addressed Colbi. “With your research skills, I’m surprised you haven’t been on the Internet searching for her hidden agenda.”
“Didn’t know she had one—but you better believe I’ll be doing that today. I’ll let you know if I come across anything useful,” she said to Craig.
“Yes, please do. In the meantime, call me if any of you think of anything that might help with our investigation.” He rose to his feet, and stood staring at his notes. “I just hope she’s able to tell us what happened. She was incoherent when we found her—don’t know how long she’d been there.”
Half-hour later, after Craig had left just a skeleton crew to finish the investigation, the three women sat in a sunny spot in the lawn chairs watching the cats enjoy their meal.
“I think they’re preparing to leave,” Margaret said upon noticing a few of the investigators packing up their gear.
“At least they’re quiet and the cats don’t seem to feel threatened,” Colbi said.
“Yeah, it’s neat to see them getting more accustomed to us. Some of them are sure curious,” Margaret said. “I see that the screamer’s back.”
“Yes, released a few days ago. He sure doesn’t want anything to do with us, does he?” Savannah observed.
“How’s the mama and kitten doing?” Margaret asked with a smile. “Gosh, he’s going to be a beauty. Is Brianna really going to adopt them?”
“I guess so,” Savannah said. “She and Bud bathed the mother cat the other day. She said it went pretty well. The cat was not happy, but she didn’t fight too much. They got the job done. I want to stop in and see her. Brianna says she’s gorgeous. Michael says the kitten’s growing at a fast rate—probably because he’s an only child.”
Margaret nodded. “Yeah, he has no competition for food.”
“His eyes are open,” Savannah said with a smile. “Wanna stop by and see them on our way home?” She paused and said, “And I can use the bathroom while I’m there.”
Margaret grinned at her niece. Then she said, “Oh look, there’s another one of those once-white angoras.”
“With time, that one might become adoptable, too,” Colbi said.
“Yeah, they aren’t too far removed from their domestic origins,” Margaret reasoned. “Gosh, it would be great to get some of these cats into a home environment.”
Colbi asked, “So how many have we trapped so far?”
Savannah said, “Five?” She smiled, “Six, if you count little Frank.”
“Frank?” Margaret said, questioningly.
“That’s what Brianna wants to name the kitten; after the Frankenstein freak that scared her the night he was born.” She turned toward her aunt. “And we’ve placed two?”
“Three, counting the one I took to our shelter,” Margaret corrected.
“How’s she doing?” Colbi asked.
“Oh, she’s awfully sweet. I think there’s hope. Max has taken a liking to her. She may not actually leave our property.”
“Cool,” Savannah said. And then she noticed the investigators heading for their cars. “I guess we can lock up now. But I’m really enjoying the sunshine. And it’s good for the cats to have us around, don’t you think?”
Margaret looked at her niece. “What, you want us to leave you here? We can do that—come back later and get you.”
“Oh, no, I don’t think I want to do that. Thanks anyway,” she said with a chuckle.
After the last of the emergency vehicles had left, Margaret entered the building. She glanced around and then walked over to where they’d found Leta lying. She looked up the stairwell. “I wonder what’s up there,” she said to Colbi and Savannah, who had also stepped inside the building.
“Go see,” Colbi urged.
Margaret looked at Colbi and then at the staircase and said, “Will you spot me?”
“What?” Colbi ask
ed with a scowl.
“Spot me. If I fall, catch me. Or better yet, make sure I don’t fall,” Margaret explained.
“Oh,” Colbi said. “Sure.”
As Colbi and Savannah watched, Margaret started up the steep metal steps. She counted eight steps to a platform and then five steps angled off in the opposite direction. At the top, she was met by a solid steel wall. “A wall,” she called out. And then, “Oh wait. Maybe it’s a door. I see a tiny keyhole.” She walked back down to the landing, peered around the corner, and said, “Hey, get that key out of my purse there. I want to see if it fits this door.”
Colbi dug out the key and carried it over to Margaret.
“Toss it,” Margaret said, preparing to catch it.
Colbi hesitated, looked around, and then carefully tossed it toward Margaret. “Oops,” she said when Margaret missed it.
“Dang,” Margaret said. “Where’d you learn to throw?”
“Obviously, never did learn,” Colbi said as she got down on her hands and knees to retrieve the key, which had fallen between the steps under the staircase. In a few seconds, she called out, “Hey, look what I found.”
“What?” Savannah asked.
“A purse!” she exclaimed, carefully unhooking it from a bolt protruding from underneath one of the steps. She eased out from under the stairs with the purse and the key.
The new discovery brought Margaret down the stairs. “That’s Leta’s purse,” she said, upon spotting the black-and-muted-pink tapestry design.
“Wow, it is?” Savannah said. “I wonder why the investigators didn’t see it.”
“It was really hidden,” Colbi said.
“And it’s dark over here,” Margaret added. “You wouldn’t see it unless you were crawling around on your hands and knees into that small space, right Colbi?”
She nodded, brushing dust from her overalls and jacket.
“Well, let’s see what’s in it,” Margaret said eagerly, taking the purse from Colbi. She prepared to empty the contents onto the floor.
“Isn’t there some sort of federal law against that?” Savannah asked.
“Like opening someone’s mail?” Colbi said.
“Okay, if you aren’t interested, I’ll just take it home and dump it out,” Margaret said curtly.