Like Twigs in a Storm

by Ross Richdale

  She started the jeep and reversed around. Her thoughts turned to the conversation. Cathy could be on the right track. Grant was quite capable of being mixed up in criminal activities and could easily have tried to swindle someone, got discovered and a revenge killing made. And as for that wine cellar, the house was ninety years old and had had several alterations over the years. Also, the implement shed had been extended not long before her father-in-law's death. Perhaps there was a door or even a trapdoor somewhere that had been covered up.

  "I'm right, Mum," Cathy said. "Check with Janice when we find her. She went with Dad on one of the flights up north."

  "She did?"

  *

  The sun had set and twilight turned to darkness when Barrie and Steve climbed out of the streambed and headed towards home.

  "There's still a chance she got a lift to town. Someone could have taken her to their home or to a different hospital. Even the police," Steve said.

  "I suppose," Barrie said. He stared down at the two dogs and gave a half-hearted command. "Find Janice, Spotty!" he ordered. "Find Janice, Bunt!"

  The sheep dogs looked at him with intelligent eyes and dashed away up the road. This was their fourth or fifth search but so far to no avail. Steve watched the dogs dash along the roadside and disappear into what was once the school football field. Suddenly Bunt began yelping and headed around the side of the main building.

  "Come on," Barrie shouted and broke into a run.

  Both men arrived to find Bunt barking while Spotty was scratching and whining at the door of the toilet block. They rushed forward and noticed water running out under the door and along the path.

  "Someone's been here,” Steve said.

  Barrie pushed inside and saw a crumpled form in the corner.

  "Janice!" he cried and stooped to pick the woman up. Steve turned off the tap and pulled the plug out of the sink. "She's saturated and there's blood everywhere!" Barrie cried out, carrying Janice outside and setting her on the lawn. "Janice!" he cried again and hugged her into him.

  Steve knelt down and felt the side of Janice's neck. "There's a strong pulse. Come on, we'll get her into the school. There's an electric heater inside."

  Barrie was half way across the lawn with Janice in his arms when she gave a shudder and opened her eyes. "Barrie," she croaked. "My God, it is you!"

  "Janice!" Barrie grinned down at her and bent his head forward to kiss her cold lips.

  'I'm cold, Barrie," Janice replied and attempted to cuddle him but lapsed back into unconsciousness.

  Within moments, the lights of the school were blazing, the curtains pulled and the small bar heater turned on. The dogs were praised and allowed in. They sat with their tails wagging as they watched everyone.

  Barrie laid Janice on a couch and began an examination as she woke up again. Her dress was soaked with bloody water and the cut on her chin began to bleed again. Steve boiled up a kettle of water and within moments, Janice's face was bathed and sticking plaster applied to her chin.

  "I'm fine," Janice protested but her teeth were chattering. She sat up and pulled the blanket Steve handed her around her shoulders. "I went to the bathroom and slipped. I guess I banged my chin and knocked myself out."

  "I'll go and get a car from the house," Steve said. "We need to get you into something warm and dry, Janice."

  "There's no need," called a voice from the door. Lavina and Cathy came bounding in. "The jeep is outside. We saw the lights."

  "Hi, Lavina ...Cathy," Janice greeted in a weak voice. "I've really made a fool of myself, haven't I?"

  "You're safe and that's all that matters," Lavina replied.

  "We looked everywhere," Cathy said. "Where were you?"

  "She was in the toilet block," Barrie explained. "The door had slammed shut so that's how we missed her the first time."

  "The dogs found her," Steve added.

  Cathy beamed and bent down to hug both the dogs. "Good girls. I'm proud of you."

  Caught up in the moment, the dogs barked, thumped their tails and ran back and forth between Cathy and Janice as more praise was heaped upon them before they finally sat down to watch the humans fuss over the victim.

  "The police..." Janice began but Lavina interrupted.

  "I know," she said. "They interviewed me, too. Don't worry, our lawyer has filed a complaint."

  "They think I vandalized the Cessna and killed Grant," Janice blurted. "Then I had to go and run the bloody car off the road." She broke into a slight grin. "Lucky the cops never found me. I had a bit to drink."

  "Let's get you home," Barrie said. "God, we've been so worried."

  He helped Janice to her feet, tucked his arms around her shoulders and they walked out to the jeep together.

  *

  The next morning, the talk was about the police. Cathy's conversation with her mother about Grant's criminal connections was forgotten for the moment. It was brought back to Lavina with a jolt when Barrie, who had left early to do his lamb beat, came rushing inside to where everyone was seated around the breakfast table.

  "There's a police car coming. I saw it winding up the valley," Barrie said. "It'll be here soon."

  Janice and Lavina both paled. "I don't like it," Janice cried. "Why would they come all the way out here unless it's to arrest me?"

  "You don't know that," Steve said.

  "I need to hide."

  "If they're serious they'll probably have a search warrant," Barrie said. "If that's the case we can't stop them going anywhere."

  "The wine cellar," Janice snapped.

  "You know of it?" Lavina's eyes opened wide in surprise.

  "Of course." Janice stood and made her way to the back door. "Come on. I'll show you."

  Everyone except for Barrie, who said he'd try to hold up the police when they came, dashed after Janice, across the back drive and into the implement shed. There, she led them directly to a small storeroom at the end and pointed to a full sized cupboard built out from the far wall.

  "That cupboard has a false back." She opened the door, handed out the couple of brooms inside and felt around in the semi darkness.

  "Quick!" Steve said from behind. "The police car's in the drive."

  Janice's hands ran down the right side of the opening. "There's a small catch somewhere." She peered into the space. "Here it is!"

  There was a scraping sound of metal as she moved a latch with her fingers. She pushed on the wall and it pivoted to reveal a small spiral staircase shining in the light of an electric bulb that had automatically switched on below.

  "Great!" Steve said. "Both of you go inside. Cathy, stroll out across the yard as if you've just come back from feeding the animals or something. Don't say a word though."

  "Okay. See you later Mum, Janice," Cathy kissed her mother and slipped away.

  "There's an inside latch so we can't be locked in,"' Janice whispered while squeezing through the narrow gap.

  Lavina gave her fiancé a quick kiss, squeezed his hand for a second and followed Janice downstairs.

  *

  Steve watched Lavina's head disappear then pulled the wall back until it clicked into place, tossed the brooms back in and followed Cathy across the yard to where four police were talking to Barrie.

  "I told the police Lavina and Janice weren't here," Barrie explained. His eyes relaxed when he noticed Steve's slightly raised eyebrows to indicate where the women were hidden.

  "That's right," Steve added casually. "They went to town over an hour ago."

  Pat Stein held out a document. "I just explained to Mr. Dey that we have a court search warrant, Mr. Garnet. We have reason to believe there is stolen property on these premises. Please stand aside and let our officers do their work."

  "What?" Steve said. He couldn't conceal the surprise in his voice.

  "We would have liked to speak to your fiancé and Miss Ludlow but will catch up to them another time. There are new developments in our investigation into Grant Ryland's death." He gave a twis
ted grin. "Perhaps we were a little enthusiastic in our interviews yesterday."

  "There are?" Steve's surprise turned to relief. "And what are they?"

  Stein scowled at Steve for a moment. "It's unsubstantiated and confidential, but we believe Mrs. Ryland's late husband was involved in criminal activities and this may have been the motivation behind his death."

  "So Lavina and Janice aren't suspects any more?" Barrie asked.

  "We still need to speak to them, but we've reconsidered our suspect list. Let's just say they're witnesses rather than suspects at the moment."

  "Thank God!" Barrie broke into a crinkly grin and caught Steve's elated expression.

  Stein gave a curt nod, turned and signalled to the other police. "Search the house and outbuildings first," he directed as a second police car drove into the yard and four more police officers stepped out.

  "Come on," Steve said to Barrie and Cathy. "Let's go and finish breakfast."

  *

  CHAPTER 16

  Lavina glanced around the cellar. The narrow room felt cold and was impregnated with a musty smell. It did appear to be dry and in good condition. The entire centre consisted of ceiling height dark stained shelves divided into diamond cubicles, each one a wine bottle size. Except for half a dozen old bottles at one end, they were empty and covered in dusty spider webs. On each side, there was room for a person to walk. At the end of the cellar was a small work area in front of a bench built across the end. Under this were shelves spaced about forty centimetres apart. Old cardboard, paper and junk were cluttered into these. Three naked light bulbs dangled from the ceiling on brown cloth cords of 1930s vintage while along the top of the left wall was a rusty wire grid.

  She held her hand up to it and felt a faint puff of air. "At least we won't suffocate," she said. "They must lead out under the foundation of the storeroom. I never really thought about why it had a wooden floor before."

  Janice coughed in the dusty air and shivered. "We're being foolish, aren't we, Lavina? If the police want to take me in, all they have to do is wait. I can't hide forever."

  Lavina sat on an old wooden stool placed in front of the bench. "At least we can get a lawyer to help us. Do you have a lawyer?"

  Janice shook her head. "I've never needed one."

  "Well, we'll put you in touch with Simon Aikin. He's excellent."

  Janice nodded and sat on the remaining stool. They were silent for a few moments before the younger woman turned her white face up. "Grant was involved in something, you know and he did have cargo on the Cessna that day I flew back from Auckland with him. There were several small wooden boxes like those old-fashioned cigar boxes. That's how I found out about this room. When we arrived back Grant taxied the plane into the shed and carried the boxes in here." She shivered. "I just sort of followed him and watched as he unlatched that hidden door. It intrigued me because it reminded me of those books I read as a kid." She gave a twitch of a grin. "You know, the old castles in England with secret corridors and hidden treasure."

  "Yes, I read those, too," Lavina said.

  "Grant said something about looking after a friend's belongings and told me not to tell anybody about this cellar. We went upstairs and that was that. I remember I was in a hurry to leave, as you were due home." She glanced around. "The boxes have gone now. He had them piled on the bench."

  "Yeah, there's nothing much else here," Lavina said. She gave the paper in the second shelf down an absent minded tug and frowned, her attention now riveted to the shelf. The newspaper in her hand wasn't old and yellow. In fact, it looked only a few weeks old.

  "Something's wrapped in this paper," she said and pulled it out. "Here give me a hand. I believe we have one of your boxes, Janice."

  "No, they were smaller." Together they pulled out a long crate about a meter by half long but only fifteen centimetres thick.

  "Interesting," Lavina grunted as they lifted it to the bench top and pulled away the newspaper. The box was made of three-ply wood with reinforced corners. There was no lid.

  "I think the end is nailed on," Janice said. She glanced at Lavina. "We'd better not make any noise. The police are upstairs."

  Lavina nodded and ran her fingers around the container. "I'd reckon this holds a painting of some sort. The crate is well made and pretty strong.” She pulled on the end piece but it didn't move. "We'll need a jimmy or hammer to open it."

  "More of Grant's loot?" Janice said.

  "No doubt about it. This could be why the Cessna was sabotaged. Perhaps Grant got in over his head. Criminals can be pretty ruthless if they're double crossed."

  "And we could be in trouble, too." Janice shivered again. "I don't like it, Lavina."

  "Yes, but it could help clear our names. Think of it, Janice. We're suspected because of some jealous rage or revenge type killing. But if Grant was involved in a crime syndicate, it opens up a whole new scenario."

  "I hope so," Janice answered, "I never did it, Lavina. I have no idea how an aircraft engine works anyhow and wouldn't know how to vandalize the Cessna even if I wanted to."

  "I believe you. Always did. But if what if someone did sabotage the Cessna that Saturday or Sunday we were stranded in the ranges. Think back. Can you remember seeing anything out of the ordinary?"

  "I was so nervous about telling Grant I was pregnant I barely noticed anything," Janice said. "It was a pretty stressful time."

  "I know." Lavina patted her hand. "Anyhow, it's not our job. We'll let the police deal with it."

  "Shall we go up?"

  "No. We'll do everything through our lawyer." She tapped the crate. "This might only hold old junk. Anyhow, let's wait and see what happens."

  Janice nodded. "Thanks Lavina." Her face was still white and her hands shook. "You seem so level headed and in control of yourself while I'm just a bundle of nerves."

  "I'm not really but I certainly feel better now than I did yesterday." Lavina grinned. "You gave us such a fright. Poor Barrie was frantic after we found your car and you were still missing."

  "Was he?" Janice broke into a smile.

  "Yes." Lavina chuckled and reached out to grip Janice's cold hands. "And we'll come through this okay, I'm sure."

  "I hope so." Janice sighed and glanced at the ceiling. "I wonder if the cops have finished yet?"

  *

  The police were thorough but careful. Everything opened or removed was put back in place, so by the time the house was searched it looked neater than when they started. The outbuildings were examined, but nothing was found. The police walked over the farm, searched the school, which had been included in the warrant, and discovered Janice's wrecked car in the gully.

  "Your friend didn't get far," Pat Stein said. "I hope she wasn't injured."

  "Just cuts and bruises," Barrie said. "That was one reason they went to town early...so Janice could get a medical check up."

  The detective studied Barrie for a moment but said nothing. Barrie flushed, suspecting that Stein knew he was lying.

  *

  "Okay," Stein said an hour later as the party assembled back behind the house. "If you come across anything, please report it no matter how trivial it seems." He fixed his eyes on Steve. "I believe we're dealing with a criminal gang that has no scruples. Don't try to be heroic. And if any strangers appear, call us."

  The men shook hands while Cathy stood back and glowered. Pat Stein turned to the teenager and grinned. "Your mum and Miss Ludlow certainly have a good hiding place, Cathy. I hope they aren't too cold after waiting around all this time. Up in the old canyon, are they?"

  "They're probably having lunch at Ashley Grove," Cathy said in a sweet voice. "Why don't you call in when you get back to town?"

  Stein turned to Steve, "Great kid," he chuckled. "She should join the police force in a few years. We need that kind of loyalty."

  "No thanks," Cathy snapped. "I want a job that helps people"

  Stein grinned and climbed into the car Janet Frankton was driving.

  *


  A few moments later everyone was in the storeroom above the cellar watching as Barrie levered off the end of the thin crate.

  "Oh my God!" Lavina exclaimed as Steve slid a painting out and blew the dust from the surface.

  The oil painting was very old with the oil darkened by the years. It showed plump half undressed women with mystical creatures staring down at them. Cathy screwed her nose up in disgust.

  "Cripes!" Janice gasped, "Do you know what this is?"

  "Some famous artist," Steve replied. "It must be hundreds of years old."

  "About three hundred." Janice's eyes were like saucers. "I'm sure it's a Rubens painting and probably worth millions." She stared at the others. "There was one stolen from the Metropolitan Art Gallery in Auckland. Remember?"

  "Vaguely," Lavina said. "Wasn't that about the time we were rescued?"

  "Yes," Janice said. "Your rescue and this robbery were the main news items that week. No wonder the police were thorough."

  Barrie was impressed by Janice's excitement. "You know about art?"

  She shrugged. "A little. I did one art appreciation paper in my first year at varsity. If this is the painting stolen from the Metropolitan Art Gallery it's steeped in controversy."

  "How?" Lavina asked.

  "It was looted by the Nazis from Belgium during the war and taken to Germany. Then it was stolen by the Soviet troops when they hit Berlin in 1945. After that it disappeared and turned up in our country in the 1950s. A Latvian refugee who was in the Soviet Army apparently brought it with him and sold it for a paltry amount to an art collector who promptly resold it to the Metropolitan Art Gallery where it's been for over forty years."

  "So why are art thieves interested in it after all this time?" Steve asked.

  "It was in the news a year or so back," Janice said. The Belgians are claiming it was stolen from them and they want it back. I think the Metropolitan Art Gallery was about to return it to them. Some art galleries and private collectors will pay huge sums for a painting like this and don't care how it is procured. There's an international crime syndicate that specializes in stolen masterpieces." She grinned. "Grant might have unwittingly hit the big time, Lavina."