DOWN COLDER: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 3)

by DK Herman

  "OK," I said, tearing off a piece of muffin. "I saw the newspaper near George's empty place and grabbed it. The ad for Lexi's kidnappers should be in it.

  I flipped to the classifieds, and my eyes scanned the rows of ads. There it was under the personals heading. 'Delilah must speak to you and Lexi before arrangements can be made.'

  "Is everything OK, Hallie?" Gram asked.

  "Yes," I smiled at my grandmother and sipped my coffee. I hated to upset her with ugliness, like this case. Maybe Hank was right, it was too much for normal people. "What's George doing?"

  "He went outside to feed the dogs, and they wanted to play. He can't resist the little scamps any more than you can." Gram smiled, watching George throw a ball for Princess and Buddy. Then her mouth opened, and she stood to rush outside when Rupert ran up and tried to bite George's ankle. "Excuse me a moment."

  I watched Gram go outside and scold the tiny dog. He melted like butter in her hands while George scowled nearby.

  "That dog's an ass," Liv said, sitting down with a plate of muffins and a cup of coffee. "He knows he's little and cute and can get away with it."

  I nodded in agreement and popped the last of my second muffin into my mouth.

  "There's more." Liv pushed the plate at me.

  I swallowed and washed the muffin down with the dregs of my coffee. "I have to get to work, but I'll take some to go."

  "I thought you might want to take some to your office. I fixed a big basket and left it on the kitchen counter."

  I kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I'm sure everybody will love them."

  Liv smiled ear to ear and gave me a squeeze. "Have a good day, honey, and try to make it home for supper. I'm making pierogies and onions."

  "Ooh, I'll do my best," I promised and started for the front door.

  When I stepped outside, the air was already hot and sticky. Only a few clouds dotted a light blue sky, and the sun's rays were like a physical touch on my skin.

  I climbed into my car and sniffed. Happy to not smell decomp, I left the windows down and headed for town.

  Arriving at my office only slightly sweaty, I was surprised to see Ben and Andy walking back from Brew's. They had full cup carriers in their hands. I waved the basket of muffins.

  "Whatcha got, Hal?" Ben asked.

  "Fresh blueberry muffins from Liv," I said, watching the smile bloom on Ben’s face.

  "My darlin, Liv," Ben said. "How come you didn't learn to cook?"

  I gave him my best side-eye bitch face. "Who says I can't cook?" I asked gruffly.

  "Can you?" The men asked in tandem.

  I rolled my eyes and took my basket of muffins inside. Yes, I can cook, but not like Liv. However, I know how to shoot, pick a lock, follow someone without being seen, and break a man's nose with the heel of my hand. To my way of thinking, they're all useful skills.

  "Morning, Hallie," Mike Krause said. He and Chief Woods sat on the reception area couch.

  "I thought we would have more room to talk out here," Ben said.

  "Great idea," I said.

  Ben made sure everybody had a Brew's cup in their hands while I passed around the basket of muffins. I asked Poppy and Rayna to join us because they'd gathered a lot of information on the main players in the case. They would have valuable input. Linda sat at her desk, listening and munching on a muffin.

  Jessie was rearranging my already light schedule. And she was passing a case to an ex-cop on my payroll, Harry Ikeler.

  "Let's get started," Mike said. He took out a tablet and scrolled through a few screens. "Andy and I agree that the two murders, the assault on Amanda Detweiler, and the kidnapping of Lexi Wilson are related, if not done by the same perp."

  "Or perps, by the wording of the message thrown through Jane Wilson's window," Chief Woods said.

  "Agreed," Andy said. "And who is on our suspect lists?

  "Darcy, and Charlie the pervert," Poppy said vehemently.

  "They're at the top of my list." Chief Woods nodded at Poppy.

  I had to agree. "When Jane won the lottery and quit stripping, Darcy lost a big draw for her club."

  "And she's over her head in debt," Rayna added. "She can't maintain her home and club much longer without an infusion of cash."

  "OK, Darcy and Charlie are at the top of everyone's list," Mike said. "But they also have people who swear they were at the strip club Friday night. Who else?"

  Ben spoke up and told the room about Noah Kelly's parents.

  "They want custody of Lexi and maybe the money too," Mike said. "I'm adding them to the list."

  "There's Jane herself," Chief Woods said. "It’s not unheard of, for a young mother to regret having a child."

  "Very true, but she'd have to have a partner." Andy reached into the muffin basket. "She was on stage at Darcy's, Friday night."

  I asked Andy, "Who told you about Jane stripping at Darcy's?" I hadn't mentioned it.

  "Her mother did after you left Jane's yesterday," he replied. "Mike asked if they knew why the name Delilah was mentioned in the message."

  "Mrs. Kubicki sounds very disapproving when she speaks of it." Andy rubbed his chin. "But I guess any mother would."

  "Except Darcy," Ben said angrily. "The skanky hag makes Taylor do it."

  "Wait," Mike said. Taylor Detweiler, the librarian, is a stripper too?"

  "Uh huh," I said. "She's Darcy's other main draw. Her stripper name is Jezebel."

  "Delilah and Jezebel, two mythical bad girls," Mike said with a wry grin. "That's more inventive than Candy or Crystal."

  "And one wears a long blonde wig, the other a long black one," I added. "An opposites thing."

  "Darcy can't be happy Jane left," Andy said. "And she's not the type to go down without a fight."

  The room grew quiet while we gathered our thoughts.

  "Joey Kearn overheard an argument between Jane and Taylor," I said.

  "What was the argument about?" Andy asked.

  "Taylor wanted some of Jane's money, and she feels Jane had a better life than she did." I sipped from my Brew's cup and was pleasantly surprised to find it was an iced mocha latte.

  "Being raised by Darcy and having to fend off Charlie in her home, she's right. But that doesn't give her any right to Jane's money," Chief Woods said. "Damn it, I wish we could have locked Charlie Dewalt up years ago."

  "Hallie, what were you and Ben going to work on today?" Mike asked.

  "I want to talk to Jane, and Taylor, and I have a long list of Noah's friends." I pulled out the list from my purse. "I'd like to know who told Noah about Jane's lottery win, and anything he may have said about his plans."

  "That sounds good," Mike looked at the list. "Chief can you take some of these?"

  "Sure," Chief Woods agreed, scanning the list. "I know the families of all but two of them. I'll take the names I know." He wrote down the other two and handed them to Ben.

  "Andy and I will talk to Noah's parents. I want to know exactly what Noah told them." Mike finally picked up a muffin. "And we'll go down the street and lean on Darcy, and Charlie... the pervert," he added with a smile at Poppy.

  "What can Rayna and I do?" Poppy asked.

  "We need a lot more cyber snooping on the suspects," Andy said. "Everything you can find on them. Properties they own, relatives, and if they have any place they could stash a little girl."

  "We'll get started," Rayna said eagerly.

  "Thanks, both of you," Mike said. "OK, let's get to it. And let's all keep in touch. The ad was in this morning's paper, asking for proof of life. We may get some action on it. So keep your phones on."

  Poppy and Rayna returned to their office. The rest of us went out the front door. Ben and I climbed into his truck and made our way to Jane's.

  Jane and her mother sat on her couch watching a news channel. Somebody had boarded up the broken window, and the glass shards were gone from the floor.

  Where's your husband?" I asked Gail.

  "At work," she replied. "The schoo
l district is bitchy about time off during the summer. They have to get the schools ready for September."

  "I need to ask Jane some things that may upset her." I sat next to Jane on the couch.

  "So what else is new." Gail snorted.

  I ignored her. "You've heard about Noah?"

  "Yes," Jane said softly. She played with the long sleeves on her shirt. "Those police officers told me that he' s dead."

  "Right, well, I spoke to his parents." I took a deep breath. "Did you know he was here to try for custody of Lexi?"

  "That snake!" Jane exclaimed. "Who told him about the money, his parents?"

  "I don't know. But it wasn't you, right?"

  Jane shook her head. "I keep telling everybody, I haven't talked to him since before Lexi was born!"

  "Any idea who did?" Ben asked from the armchair across the room.

  "He had a lot of friends." Jane shrugged.

  "What about Darcy, would she know how to get in touch with him?" Ben asked.

  "Maybe, but only because Taylor did." Jane played with her sleeve again. "See, Taylor dated Noah once in high school. But they didn't really click, and he asked me out. Taylor said she didn't mind, so I went. Then, after Noah and I split up, Taylor kept track of him. She lives near his parents, and she would tell me when he was home visiting them. She even got his address in Oregon."

  "Why did she keep track of him?" Ben asked. His face wore a puzzled expression.

  "Taylor thought I should have gone after him for child support." Jane sighed.

  "So did I," Gail snapped. "Walking away from his child like that was despicable."

  Jane did a palms up. "He didn't want us, so I didn't want anything from him."

  "I wanted to talk to Taylor yesterday, but I couldn't find her," I said and got ready to leave.

  "Mondays she's at the library from ten till six," Jane said.

  "Then tonight, she'll be humping a pole from ten till two," Gail said nastily. "I never should have let you be friends with that girl. She's always been a bad influence."

  Jane opened her mouth to speak, then closed it with a sigh.

  I ignored Gail and went to Jane. "Thanks, let me knows if you need anything."

  She hugged both Ben and me, and we left for the library.

  Herville Public Library is in a historical building, a block away from Main Street. The huge, brick, three-story building looked more like a church than a library.

  Ben and I went in the front entrance and sighed in relief when we felt the air-conditioning. I hadn't been inside the library since high school. I was pleasantly surprised to see it had been tastefully updated.

  A room to the right, held rows of desk top computers for the public's use. All around the large main room, tall bookshelves formed a maze that held the pleasant smell of old books and polished woodwork.

  Ben and I looked around, spotting Taylor at the main desk. She recognized me, and her professional smile tightened into a look of anger.

  "You said that you wouldn't come here if I spoke to you!" Taylor hissed through clenched teeth.

  "Relax, and come show us some good books," I said with a cold stare.

  She came out from behind the desk and walked into the stacks marked, 'local history'. Ben and I followed her.

  I came right to the point. "Did you tell Noah Kelly about Jane's lottery win?"

  "Of course not," Taylor whispered. "I haven't spoken to him in two years."

  "But you have his contact information," Ben said.

  "Yeah, so what!" Taylor looked around nervously. "I got it for Jane so she could get some money out of the creep."

  "Were you at the hospital yesterday afternoon?" I asked.

  "Yes," Taylor answered. "Is there a law against checking on my little sister?"

  "No, but there is against murder." I said.

  Taylor bit her lip, and her gaze was caught by someone staring at us from across the room. A girl about Taylor's age but shorter with shoulder length, reddish brown hair approached us with an expression like a thundercloud.

  "And this would be Patty Rogers," I said.

  "Joey told us about Patty, your girlfriend," Ben said to Taylor.

  "What's it to you, and why are you upsetting Taylor?" Patty growled. She gave us a nasty, defiant stare. "She's been going through enough lately."

  "The young man who was murdered at the hospital yesterday afternoon, had a worse day!" I glared back at her.

  "What does that have to do with me?" Taylor asked nervously.

  "It was Joey Kearn," I said, watching her expression. She looked surprised or was a good actress. "You had an argument with him in the waiting room. An argument that was so bad that Patty went to the nurse’s station for help."

  "Who are you?" Patty demanded.

  "They're private investigators, working with the police," Taylor said.

  "OK, private dicks," Patty spat. "What do you want to know?" Her face turned bright red and her eyes blazed with anger. "Yes, Joey was in the waiting room being an ass. Taylor stood up to him, and it got nasty. So I went to get somebody to throw him out."

  "What was he being an ass about?" I noticed the few people around us were staring. I looked around and put a finger to my lips.

  "I asked him why he was there," Taylor stage whispered. "He's not Amanda's family."

  "At least he acted like he cared," Ben said softly. "Unlike your mother."

  Taylor hung her head. "I just didn't like him."

  "Leave her alone." Patty pushed in front of Taylor. "We didn't do anything to Joey. "When he wouldn't shut up, we left the hospital."

  "Down the stairs?" I asked.

  "We took the elevator," Patty snapped. "Now, unless you're checking something out, we're done talking."

  With a grin, Ben pulled a thick book off the shelf. "I'll take this."

  Patty looked at him with such disbelief I wanted to giggle. "Got a library card?"

  "Yep," Ben said and handed her the book.

  Patty let out an exasperated growl. "Come up to the desk, and then you're both leaving!"

  "Shhhhh," Ben said with a finger to his lips. "We're in a library."

  "I thought her head was going to explode!" I giggled while climbing into Ben's truck.

  Ben got into the driver's seat and put the book he'd borrowed on the seat between us. "Yeah, when this book is due, I'll ask Poppy to return it." He started the pickup's engine. "Where to next?"

  "I want information on Patty, she seems to have anger issues." Pulling out my cell, I called the office. When Linda answered, I asked for Poppy.

  "Yeah, Hallie," Poppy answered.

  "Hey, I need a background check run on a Patty Rogers. She works at the local library, looks to be in her early twenties, has dark auburn hair, and stands about five feet two."

  "I'll get started on it," Poppy said. "Want me to send it to your email when it's done?"

  "That would be terrific," I said. "Thanks, sweetie."

  I hung up and looked at the names Chief Woods left for us. "Go to Maple Street." I told Ben. "That's three blocks from the hospital."

  Ben nodded. "So, what book did I check out? It looks old."

  I picked it up. Thick and heavy, the book's red cover was worn and hard to read. "Its called: A History of Herville's Historical Buildings. I'm surprised they lend this one out. Are you going to read it?"

  "Sure, it sounds interesting," Ben said. "I like stuff like that. What's the house number, we're almost there?"

  "784," I said. We're looking for Aaron Kingsley."

  We found 784 Maple Street easily, but nobody answered the door. I got a creepy vibe that someone was watching us. But that was probably my imagination. On a Monday morning, the occupants of the house were probably at work. Still, I hurried Ben back to his truck.

  "Let me check the last name," I said, climbing back into Ben's pickup. "It's in Lincolnburg. You know, that small village a few miles out of town, past the interstate."

  My cell rang before Ben pulled out
. I listened for a moment and put a hand on Ben's before he could put the truck into gear.

  "We'll be right there," I told my caller. I turned to Ben. "Go back to Jane's. The kidnapper called."

  We arrived at Jane's in a few minutes, but Andy, Mike Krause, and Chief Woods were there before us.

  "You're just in time," Andy said as we walked in the door. "Mitch is going to play it for us."

  Jane sat on the couch, crying with her face in her hands. Gail sat next to her murmuring comforting words while rubbing her back. I sat next to Gail, tucking my purse between me and the arm of the couch.

  Mitch, the police tech, came into the room. He put the black, plastic box on the coffee table and pressed a button. The conversation came through loud and clearly.

  "Hello," Jane's voice said.

  "You have thirty seconds to talk to the kid," a voice said. It was obviously altered. Maybe with one of those cheap devices you can buy online.

  The sound of a child crying filled the room. "Moommmmy," she wailed. "I want to go home."

  "Where are you, baby?" Jane asked shakily.

  "I'm... down... colder," Lexi said through a huge yawn. "I need my bup-bup, mommy. I don't like it here. Big spiders..." Her voice trailed off.

  "Now, you talked to her," the voice said. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman, or if they're young or old. "You have until Thursday to get my money ready."

  "I don't have two million after the taxes," Jane sobbed into the phone. "Please, please, please, don't hurt Lexi. I'll give you all there is. It's over a million, almost a million and a quarter."

  "Have it in hundreds, unmarked, no dye packs, no tricks. Put it in a backpack and wait for my instructions. Thursday. Got it? Or I will kill her!"

  "I've got it," Jane sobbed. "I promise, I'll have it ready."

  The line went dead, and Jane sobbed in her mother's arms. I didn't blame her. We all looked at the floor, feeling a weight of helplessness. We all wanted to go get that little girl and bring her home. But we had no idea where to look.

  "What's Lexi's bup-bup?" I asked when Jane seemed calmer.

  "It's a blanket she sleeps with," Jane answered. "She gets cold easy, like me. The blanket is quilted and very warm, with a puppy appliquéd on it. She's always called the puppy bup-bup."