The men turned to look.
“It’s gone.” Tina set her water down.
“What did you think you saw?” Hank asked.
“I’m not sure. A person. A small person. Possibly a child.”
They all stood up, and Hank led the way to the back door. “Probably just a neighborhood kid. But we need to check it out.”
When they arrived outside, Tina didn’t see anyone. “It could have been a bird.”
“Just to be sure, let’s walk the perimeter.” Hank kept his voice low. “Brandon, you take the back. Tina, the hedge. I’ll check out the driveway.”
When Tina approached the hedge, she heard something odd. She stopped to listen. Snuffling. An animal? She moved carefully toward the noise. Peeked into the hedge.
A young girl stood there, shoulders hunched, with huge, sorrowful brown eyes full of tears.
“Oh, honey.” Tina held out her arms.
CHAPTER 36
The girl’s tears stopped, and she stood staring at Tina for a moment, then shrank back into the hedge.
Tina dropped her arms. Of course, she realized, the girl wouldn’t fall into a stranger’s embrace. “Are you all right?” Tina knew the child was not all right, but she had to say something.
The child began to nod, but then vigorously shook her head. Tina estimated she was nine or ten years old. She wore a dress and had a brightly patterned headband around her light brown hair. She wiped the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand and stood staring at Tina.
“My name is Tina. What’s yours?”
“Sophie.” The tears stopped, and the girl stood staring wide-eyed at Tina.
“What’s wrong?” Tina longed to touch her.
“Don’t want go in cellar anymore!”
“Tina?” Hank approached her. When he saw the child, he stopped short.
The girl tried to shrink farther into the hedge, but she was trapped. Tina felt bad about that. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you. We want to help you. Tell me about the cellar.”
Tina noticed that Hank didn’t move. He had an uncanny ability to stay perfectly still, and she was glad he neither twitched nor spoke.
The little face scrunched up into a frown. “I don’t like cellar. Mean old house.”
“How is it mean?”
“We can’t go indoor. Secret spaces.”
Tina felt confused, but then she realized the girl must meant they couldn’t go inside using a door. And the girl said “we.”
“Who can’t go in door?”
“Auntie and me. And that man.”
“Sophie!” someone shouted. “Sophie, you come home this instant.”
The girl’s eyes became even bigger, and she pushed past Tina. Before Tina or Hank could react, Sophie was halfway across the yard. Hank started after her.
“Let her go,” Tina said. “She’ll be too scared to tell us more now. And we don’t want her to get into any more trouble than she’s probably already in.”
“I’m still going to try to see where she’s off to,” Hank said over his shoulder.
Tina followed him. When she reached the driveway, she saw Peter Collier standing next to his car, watching everyone. “What’s going on?” he called.
Tina ignored him. Brandon had caught up to her. “What happened?”
“Little girl hiding in the hedge. We think she’s been in the house.” She kept her voice low, hoping Peter Collier couldn’t hear her.
“And she got away?”
“Someone called her. We didn’t want to stop her.”
Brandon didn’t say anything more. Tina glanced at him. His face looked pale, and sweat stood out on his forehead and upper lip, even though the air was cool and they had only gone a short distance. “You need to go rest. You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine.”
Tina scowled at him, but kept pace a few steps behind Hank. They rounded a corner and stopped when they saw Sophie run up to a woman. The woman bent down to say something to the child. When she looked up and saw the three of them, she grabbed Sophie’s hand and pulled her down the street. She kept looking over her shoulder.
“Since she’s seen us, we might as well follow her,” Hank said. The woman and girl were practically running, and when they came to a car parked in the street, the woman shoved the girl into the driver’s side, and then pushed her into the passenger seat, and climbed in herself. Within seconds, she sped away.
Hank pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and wrote down the license plate number. “Wonder if she lives here and drove away so we’d think she lives someplace else.” He wrote down the house number, too, then looked across the street and entered that one, as well. He put the notebook away.
They stood staring at the house a few moments. “Why don’t we go knock on the door?” Tina asked.
“I don’t know how it would help.” Hank turned and walked toward Leslie’s house. “Either the people there know nothing, or they know a lot and won’t tell us anything. We need more information before we try talking to them.”
“Did the girl say anything to you?” Brandon asked.
Tina wanted to run a cool cloth over his sweating face. Impulsively, she took his big hand into her own and told him what Sophie had said.
He squeezed her hand. “Poor little girl.”
“You all right?” Tina asked.
“I will be as soon as I catch my breath.”
She wondered. She knew he was in good shape so the slight exertion should not have affected him at all.
They entered the kitchen, and Hank locked the door. After they sat down at the table, Hank called Lisbeth. He told her what had happened and gave her the license number and house addresses. When he ended the call, he said, “She’ll find out if Sophie lives in either house, and if not will check out the rest of the street. And the address on the car registration.”
Tina finished the last of the water in her bottle. “I hope they can get child protective services to see Sophie soon. She didn’t look abused, but she sure was unhappy.”
“Lisbeth said she’d get them involved. What did you think about what Sophie told you?”
“I’m pretty sure your surmise was right about a child going in through the window, then unlocking the cellar door for someone else. We now know there’s a child, a man, and a woman involved. What they’re up to is as murky as ever.”
“Yeah, bad luck about her mother calling right when the girl might have told us more.”
“I’m not sure the woman is her mother.”
Hank looked thoughtful. “Right. We might as well get back to work in the attic.” Hank looked at Brandon. “You don’t look good. I think you’d better see a doctor.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Tina said. “At least go home and rest.”
“I’m going back upstairs with you. I’ll sit down and go through stuff up there. No worse than resting at home.”
Tina shook her head. “You men. I hate it when you go all macho on me.”
Both of them laughed. “Poor little Tina.” Hank stood up. “Brandon has a point. This is not heavy work we’re doing. Let’s go.”
Tina had just opened the bottom door of a chest of drawers when her cell rang. A strange voice said, “Clear out of Leslie’s Young’s house. Now. All of you. Remember what happened to her before. Could happen to any of you.”
CHAPTER 37
“Hello? Hello?” Tina pushed the phone so close to her ear, it began to hurt. Hank and Brandon stared at her.
Slowly, she pulled the phone away so she could see the screen. It showed Leslie’s name. She hit end.
“Who was that?” Hank walked toward her.
Tina took a huge breath. “He didn’t say. Just said all of us had to get out of the house right now.”
Hank raised his eyebrows. “What did he say, exactly?”
“He said, ‘Clear out of Leslie’s Young’s house. Now. All of you. Remember what happened to her before
. Could happen to any of you.’”
Hank’s eyebrows rose even farther. “We’d better do what he said.”
As Tina’s shock wore off, she got steamed. “I know we have no choice, but for sure we’re taking the papers we already have. Let’s go. We can go through all of them, then decide what to do next.”
Hank grabbed the box. Tina took one last look around the attic, her hands itching to be able to go through everything.
When they walked outside, Tina said, “Let’s go to Brandon’s place. He’ll be most comfortable there and can lie down if he needs to.”
“Sound good to me.” Hank stuck the box into his trunk and climbed into the Jaguar. “I’ll call Lisbeth to update her.”
Brandon and Tina got into her VW, and they all met at the condo. Inside, Brandon offered drinks, and Hank set the box down in the middle of the living room and opened the top.
They settled in, each grabbing a handful of papers to look through. Almost an hour went by before Hank spoke. “Well, this is interesting.”
Tina’s head jerked up, and Brandon put down the paper he was looking at.
“What is it?” Tina held her breath.
“It’s a list of names. All women and some children. I can’t figure out any reason for Aunt Margaret to have such a list. It appears to be her handwriting, but of course, we’ll need to verify that.”
Brandon shrugged. “Probably a list of people she was going to invite to a party.”
“What kind of party?” Hank asked. “Only mothers and children invited? She didn’t have a child to give a birthday party for.”
“Maybe she gave one for Leslie when she was little,” Tina suggested. “How old is that paper?”
Hank looked at her a moment before glancing back at the list. “Pretty old. Starting to yellow.” He held it up for them to see.
“Three ring binder paper.” Tina shrugged. “We’ll ask Leslie if her aunt ever gave a party for her. Is my name on there? Mother’s?”
Hank checked. “No.”
“Well, I would think we would be. Leslie and I have been best friends since birth.”
“That’s true.” Hank handed her the paper. “See if there are any names you know, either mother or child.”
Tina read the list slowly. “Not a one. Some of the children are boys, too. Not that that means very much. If the children are young enough, birthday parties often include both genders.”
“But surely you’d recognize some names.” Brandon held his hand out, and Tina gave him the paper. He looked through it. “I don’t see anyone familiar.”
“Well, and your name isn’t on there, either.” Hank took the paper back from Brandon. “I think that pretty much rules out a party list.”
“Some charity, then,” Tina suggested, “or a church membership roster, or some club. Maybe one of us make a computer search for the names and see what comes up.”
“I’ll do that.” Brandon stood up. “I’m used to my computer, so I should be able to do it faster.”
“Are there any other papers you picked that might relate to this list?” Tina asked Hank. “And do we know where the paper came from? Darn, we should have kept them separated. Too late now.”
Hank began searching. “A grocery list. A to-do list. And another one with women and children’s names on it. This one is dated.” He handed that one to Brandon.
“What’s the date?” Tina asked.
Brandon looked. “About two years before Aunt Margaret passed away. This page looks a lot newer than the other one Hank found. I think I’ll search these names first. Keep looking both of you, and if you find anything else interesting, bring it to me.” He headed to his home office.
“I think we might be getting somewhere,” Tina said. “But it’s still hard to think of a connection between all of this and Joshua Young’s murder.”
Hank didn’t comment. Tina stared at him. “What are you thinking?”
He cocked his head at her. Then he stood up. “I’m thinking I need to go see some people. I’ll catch up with you later.” He grabbed his jacket and was out the door before she could react.
Brandon came into the room and looked around. “Hank left? I heard the door close.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re mad enough to spit.” Brandon grinned.
Tina jumped up and hammered her fists on his chest. “You men are impossible.”
He gently grabbed her hands and moved her backward, laughing.
Tina felt the blood pounding in her head. She pulled away from Brandon’s grasp and fell onto the couch. Then, unexpectedly, she began to cry.
“Oh, Tina.” Brandon sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.
She let him hold her, remembering all the times in the past he had comforted her with his strength and steadiness. She never allowed herself such weakness when she was with Hank. Held back any sign of weakness. Why did she do that?
Her phone played “My Man.” She jerked, then pulled away from Brandon. Caught his expression as she answered. Both mad and sad, mirroring her own feelings. She took the phone out of her pocket, took a deep breath. “Hank. You haven’t been gone long. What’s going on?”
CHAPTER 38
“Lisbeth found Sophie. She wants you to come talk to the child. They’re at Sophie’s house, and it is the one the car was parked in front of.”
“I’ll be right there.” Tina ended the call. “You heard?” she asked Brandon.
He nodded.
“I want you to rest. I’ll call you as soon as we know anything. I promise.”
“I’m fine. I’ll work some more on the computer.”
Tina sighed. “I know I can’t change your mind.” She kissed him on the cheek, stood up, and left quickly without checking to see his reaction. Before driving away, she looked at her face in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Nothing she could do about that. She wished she had some eye drops. She slapped on her sunglasses and drove away.
Hank’s Jaguar, along with Lisbeth’s unmarked and a police cruiser were all parked on the street when Tina arrived. She walked up to the door, her mind whirling, wondering how she should approach the child. She heard a woman shouting inside before she rang the bell.
It took several minutes for the door to open, and Hank stood there, looking annoyed. “Come in. It’s not going well.”
Tina saw two uniformed police officers in the dining room. She and Hank walked into the living room. Tina had a faint impression of old furniture, the smell of cat litter, and a bit of clutter. But she quickly focused on Sophie who sat hunched in a child’s chair, too small for her, clasping a ragged, indeterminate stuffed animal to her chest. Her eyes were huge, but she wasn’t crying now.
Tina walked over to her and kneeled down. “It’s all right. No one is going to hurt you.”
“Who the hell are you?” asked the woman Tina had only gotten a glimpse of earlier. She had blonde hair with dark roots showing, a look Tina had never liked and never understood, and pencil-thin eyebrows, along with a thin nose and lips. She wore baggy jeans, a white t-shirt, and a loose yellow cardigan.
“My name is Tina Shaw. I met Sophie earlier in Leslie Young’s back yard.”
The woman glared at her. “And scared her half to death.”
Tina stood up. “She was already scared when I found her. You are?”
“None of your business. Are you police?”
Tina glanced at Lisbeth. “She’s a consultant.” Lisbeth stood ramrod straight, her feet planted on the faded blue rug, hands on hips. “A trained psychologist. Now, Mrs. Hendricks, if you’ll cooperate, this will go a lot better for all of us.”
“It won’t go better for me and Sophie. We’re not answering any of your questions. I demand to call my lawyer.”
“That’s your right.” Lisbeth took her hands off her hips and relaxed her stance. “But you are not under arrest, so there’s really no need. If you do, I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you and your daughter down
to the station.”
“What? What are the charges?”
“Breaking and entering.”
Mrs. Hendricks looked astonished. “Where? Where did I break and enter, and what does Sophie have to do with it?”
Either she was great liar, or she was telling the truth. Tina couldn’t decide.
Lisbeth exchanged a glance with Hank. Tina tried to keep her eyes on Sophie, but the argument was distracting. Sophie looked more scared than ever. Tina wanted to go hug her. She turned to Mrs. Hendricks. “You need to calm down. You’re upsetting Sophie. I assume she’s your daughter?”
Mrs. Hendricks looked at Sophie, and Tina noticed her expression didn’t soften. That concerned Tina. The whole situation concerned her. She spoke to Mrs. Hendricks again. “Look, we know something is going on at Ms. Young’s house. It will be better for you if you tell us what it is so we can clear it all up and everyone can get on with their lives.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Sophie is upset because all you strangers have come trouping into her house and are badgering me. Isn’t that right, baby?” She took a step toward Sophie.
The girl cringed. “You’re not my mommy,” she whispered.
Not completely surprised, Tina looked more closely at Mrs. Hendricks. She thought there was a family resemblance, but that could just be coincidence.
“What does she mean, Mrs. Hendricks?” Lisbeth asked.
Mrs. Hendricks threw up her hands. “I’m her aunt, her guardian. When she gets mad at me, she says I’m not her mother.”
“We need to see her birth certificate and your guardianship papers,” Lisbeth said.
Mrs. Hendricks glared at her and took her phone out of her pocket. She speed dialed someone and turned her back on Lisbeth. “Jeffery, this is Irene. The police are here, and I need to talk to you.”
Tina couldn’t hear what Jeffery said. She tried to think of a Newport lawyer she knew named Jeffery, but didn’t know anyone. It was interesting that Mrs. Hendricks had her lawyer’s number so handy and was on a first-name basis with him. Tina looked at Hank who stood near the doorway, out of the fray. The two officers remained in the dining room where she could barely see them.
Cluttered Attic Secrets (Tina Tales) Page 15