She picked up a jacket, for the April night air was very chilly, and she told Miss Mattie where she was going, but she was going in her car. It was getting dark, and she didn’t want to be walking in the dark.
She parked the car right in front of the porch steps. She had to knock several times before William opened the door. “I wasn’t sure I should answer the door,” he said.
“I understand, William, but I need to talk to you about something, and see if you need anything. I had to leave in sort of a hurry this morning.”
“Come on in. We just finished supper, and I washed up the dishes. We had sausages, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits. Man, it was good eating.”
Addie saw that the sofa bed had been folded up, making the room look bigger. She walked over to it and sat down. William joined her as he was saying, “Ozzie ate good. Then I helped him bathe and gave him a couple of Tylenol. He’s back in bed now.”
“How is he feeling?”
“He’s okay. It’ll take awhile, but the ribs will mend.”
“And you have plenty of food then?”
“Yeah, but it’s breakfast food and snack stuff like chips, cheeses, crackers, nuts, soft drinks, and some fruit and orange juice. Oh, and lots of canned biscuits – a good brand.”
“I believe Miss Mattie furnished the gatekeeper’s lunch and supper,” she said looking at him seriously, wondering how he was going to react to what she was about to ask him to do?
William saw her look. “What?” he said.
“William, were you serious about not going back to school? I really wish you would. You need to. You’d graduate next year.”
“I’m not going back, and that’s final,” he said flatly.
“Then would you help me. I’ve sort of got myself in a jam. I’ll pay you whatever you say it’s worth.”
William chuckled. “Lord, Addie! You save me from the worse beating of my life. You give me and Ozzie a place to stay like we’ve never had before, and good food to eat, and you want to pay me to help you do something? Are you nuts? What do you need done?”
“Well.” And she paused. “You know Deena Castle?”
“Sure.”
“Her dad walked off and left Deena and her mother, and his bedridden father, a few weeks back. Then they learned he had not been paying the rent. They have to move by Friday. I’m bringing them to Stonegate until I can find them a house. There’s a hospital room that I can put Mr. Castle in, and a big bedroom next to it with twin beds for Deena and her mother.” She paused. Looking around she could see how cozy and private the small cottage must seem to William. It wouldn’t be like that at the mansion. She hated to have to ask him to move, and was afraid he would turn her down, but she had no choice. “Mrs. Castle was caring for another bedridden man after Deena got in from school. It was all the income they had except her granddaddy’s Social Security check. Now, that man will have no one to care for him. He’s a black man, and I don’t know how much attention he will need, but, well, William, do you think you could care for three men? They’d all three be in the hospital room. It’s big enough for even a couple more. Deena could help you until school starts. Her mother is so exhausted, she seems almost ill. But if she can rest for a week, and get some good food in her – William, just between the two of us – I don’t think they’ve been getting enough to eat. You can cook, and there’s a summer kitchen you could have to cook for the six of you.” She stopped and waited. It seemed like so much she was asking of him.
“Are you saying Ozzie would be moving up to Stonegate?”
“Yes. Both of you would move up to the mansion. The hospital room is on the third floor, and there is a bedroom and bath on the fourth floor you could have. The kitchen is on the second floor, and the laundry is on the ground floor. But there’s an elevator.”
“An elevator?”
“Yes. And I know it’s a lot I’m asking of you, but I’ll try to get you whatever help you need.”
“Addie! I’m not a big, muscular jock. But I think I could manage three old men. Besides, Ozzie doesn’t need constant care, and I happen to like cooking – at least, when I don’t have to be afraid I’m going to be beat up for not doing something exactly the way somebody else wants it.”
“You mean you’ll do it, William?” She was smiling real big. Now her mother couldn’t possible have any objections.
“Of course I’ll do it. I’ll do anything you ask of me, and don’t you forget it. And don’t ever mention paying me for doing anything for you as long as we’re getting room and board. If we can get Ozzie’s Social Security check mailed to him, that’s all we’ll need. I’m sure they have the April check. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
“I’ll get the change of address card in the morning. But don’t you worry about money. Just let me know of anything you need. We’ll move you and Ozzie up to the mansion tomorrow. I’ll be going out early, and I’ll bring some boxes by so you can pack up all the things in the cottage that we can use. The summer kitchen is real nice – got everything in it a person could need.” She was already on her way to the door. She had to get back before her mother did. She opened the door to find it very dark.
She flipped on the light switch beside the door. A rather weak porch light came on beside the door. It was barely enough for her to see her way to the car. She turned the car around and drove back up to the mansion, around the building to her usual parking place in front of the middle garage door.
She sat in the car a few moments after she turned off the ignition just thinking of how much she liked the mansion. But Mr. Cutler had said she couldn’t keep it. The upkeep was too much, and she wondered how much was too much. Would a day care center on the ground floor bring in very much money for the upkeep? Probably not. She’d talk to grandpa about it. Grandpa. He and her mother were going to have to meet. But mama was not going to like the idea that she could see and communicate with spirits. And that reminded her that on Monday she had to get to Miss Lettie’s and that bag of gold coins. Well, she had her mother to face first. She should be back from their house soon.
She opened the car door and stepped out. Suddenly, a hand was clasped over her mouth, and a strong arm grabbed her around the waist. Her heart skipped several beats and seemed to fill her whole chest, her knees turned to water, and a tingling sensation of fear filled her whole body.
“Okay, Red,” a man’s voice whispered close to her ear. “You’re taking us in with your key. Get moving!”
She couldn’t breathe. Was she going to faint? Her keys slid from her hand and clattered on the concrete. That strong arm yanked her tight against the man.
“That wasn’t smart!” Then, “Get those key!” he demanded of someone else.
Addie heard her keys being picked up. “Get walking! You try one more thing, and I’ll break your neck!” He yanked her head backwards until her neck hurt. And she wondered if he really would break her neck. Ryker! She thought. He had told Miss Mattie he would be back. It had to be him. He guided her to the back of the house, and she had to walk almost against the building until they reached the summer kitchen door. The kitchen light was shinning through the top half of the kitchen door. Miss Mattie would not see them because of the heavily gathered sheers over the glass. Maybe she wasn’t even in the kitchen. And who was this other person? Could it be Mrs. Cutler? Why would she do such a thing? She hoped Miss Mattie was in the kitchen. She would know what to do. Her neck was hurting awfully bad. She began to tremble.
He slowly, quietly opened the summer kitchen door, and just as quietly, walked her to the kitchen door. “Unlock it!” he whispered to the other person. There was only the door key and her car key on the ring. The person would have no trouble determining which was the door key, but for several moments, the other person didn’t move to open the door.
“Do it!” He demanded. Then there was the sound of the key entering the lock. The lock clicked, Addie was yanked to the side, and the door was kicked open. It banged against the inside wall.
Miss Mattie screamed. “What are you doing? You let her go! Get out of here, or I’ll call the police!”
“Get her! Tie her up!” he demanded, and a woman moved past Addie. Her peripheral vision showed the woman to be blond and shorter that she. Then she was shoved forward and almost fell. She reached for the tall round table to steady herself. Its heavy, metal pedestal supported her – kept her from ending up in the floor.
Although he had turned loose of her, she was afraid to move, but she saw that the man was the same person that she and her mother had seen at Grant Cutler’s office. He was B. J. Ryker, and the woman had to be Mrs. Cutler. Miss Mattie was being forced into the straight back chair at her kitchen desk. The woman did as Ryker told her without saying a word. Miss Mattie grabbed for the phone on her desk, but Ryker rushed over to her and knocked it out of her hand. Mrs. Cutler gave him a contemptible look.
“Tie her to that chair!” he demanded. “Then come tie this one to this stupid table, and don’t take all night about it!” He stepped right up to Addie, pulled a long shiny knife out of his coat pocket with his right hand, and held it in front of her. He pushed a button, and a steel blade about six inches long shot out, coming within a few inches of her chest. She let out a small scream. “You try anything, and you’ll get this! Do you hear me?”
She was too frightened to speak. All she could do was nod her head.
“Come on! Come on!” he yelled at Mrs. Cutler. “Get a move on! I want to get it and get out of here!”
Finished with tying Miss Mattie to the chair, the woman came to Addie and was soon tying her hands together in front of her. Miss Mattie said, “You’re going to be sorry for this, and don’t think you’re going to get away with it either!”
“I don’t want any of her lip! Get a dishtowel and gag her!” He demanded. “But tie her hands to the pedestal of this table first. I’m going to the library!” And he took off almost in a run.
“I’m sorry about all this,” Mrs. Cutler said quietly, as she tied Addie’s hands under the tabletop. “Please don’t try anything,” she whispered to Addie. “He’s one mean man.”
They could hear Ryker’s heavy footsteps on the wood floor as he rushed down the hall toward the front of the mansion. “He forced me to do this,” Mrs. Cutler said to Miss Mattie as she tied a dishtowel across her mouth. “I can show you the bruises on my arms. He threatened to break my nose. I have to take him to the Nashville airport before he’ll let me go. Please don’t make him angry,” she begged.
A few moments later, the distant sound of slamming and banging, and then the crash of glass, and Ryker’s loud shouts of words that Addie had never heard used before, reached them. His footsteps were running back toward the kitchen. The three of them looked at each other in fear.
He burst into the kitchen, his face red with rage. He marched straight to Addie, the knife blade pointing at her throat. “Where is it?” he screamed. “She locked it in the file drawer of her desk and hid the key where nobody but the two of us could find it! So you must have it!” He touched Addie’s throat with the end of the knife blade, and she was too scared to even breathe. Then the sound of sputtering water boiling on the stove caught his attention. He looked in the direction of the stove, still keeping the knife blade at Addie’s throat.
“Well, well, what have we here?” He stalked to the stove, picked up a dishtowel lying on the counter, wrapped the handle of the pot with it, and brought the pot of bubbling, boiling water and carefully sat it on the table in front of Addie. He looked her straight in the eyes and said, “Now, do you tell me where it is before I soak your hands in this, or after?” he screamed pointing the knife right in her face.
She was frightened, she was trembling again, and she began to cry. She couldn’t help herself. She knew he wanted the money, but she couldn’t give it to him. There was too much she had to do with it.
“You found it! I know you did! It’s mine! That bitch didn’t leave me a dime in her will. I’m going to have it! Come here?” he demanded of Mrs. Cutler. “Untie her from the table. She’ll tell me where it is!”
“Te – tell me what it is. Then I’ll know if I know where it is,” she whimpered, so frightened she didn’t know what else to say.
“Smart mouth!” he yelled, and slapped her with his left hand, knocking her against the table, that Mrs. Cutler was bent under trying to untie her from. The table rocked. The pot of boiling water slid to the edge and toppled over dumping its scalding contents onto the black turtleneck shirt that he was wearing.
He screamed an inhuman, horrifying sound, and grabbing at his clothing with both hands, the long blade of the knife in his right hand sinking into his left chest. Blood spurted out of the black shirt.
Addie screamed, as he slid to the floor, his horrible scream dying a gurgle in his throat. Mrs. Cutler grabbed Addie as she collapsed in a near faint. No more sound came from Ryker lying in a puddle of hot, bloody water on the floor. Mattie was mumbling loudly through the dishtowel tied across her mouth.
“Lean on the table,” the woman said to Addie, as she straightened up. “He stabbed himself!” she exclaimed. “I don’t believe it! He stabbed himself!” She repeated looking down at Ryker as she held Addie to the table. “I’ll get those shears over there,” she said and left for the pegboard beside the kitchen sink. Then she was cutting the rope that held Addie’s hands together as Addie lay face down on the tall table. She was going to be sick. She just knew she was. Her hands were free. And Mrs. Cutler was moving toward Miss Mattie, who was still mumbling through the dish towel. Addie rushed for the kitchen door on legs that didn’t want to support her. She got as far as the sink in the summer kitchen before she lost the contents of her stomach. She collapsed on the counter beside the sink. The cool night air might keep her from fainting if she could just hold on, she thought as she rinsed her mouth with water from the faucet. Then Miss Mattie was beside her, her arm around her, and she suddenly burst into great, loud sobs.
“It’s all right, honey. Cry all you need to. Everything is going to be all right. Mrs. Cutler is calling the police. I hope Della doesn’t come back just yet.”
Addie nodded her head in agreement. She wanted her mother, but she didn’t want her to see that man lying in bloody water there on the floor with a knife sticking out of his chest, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, his mouth hanging open.
Mattie had Addie’s head on her shoulder, stroking her back, trying to soothe her, as the crying began to subside. Soon the distant sound of sirens reached them. “You don’t need to be in this night air,” Mattie said. “Let’s go to the breakfast room. You can lay down on the couch. I’ll bring you a wet cloth to wipe your face.”
She let Miss Mattie lead her back into the kitchen and toward the breakfast room keeping her head turned so she wouldn’t see the scene on the floor. She was sorry the man was dead, but she shivered at the thought that he might have stuck her hands into that boiling water to make her tell him where the money was. She saw Mrs. Cutler sitting at Miss Mattie’s desk, her head in her hands. Her sobbing had become dry heaves as she entered the breakfast room and took a seat on the couch.
“I think we could use some hot tea, and a couple of aspirins would help you to calm down. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Why don’t you stretch out here?”
Addie nodded her head as she laid down on the couch. She realized that her face was throbbing where he had hit her. And the sirens were getting louder. And she remembered William and Ozzie. She should call them – tell them something so they wouldn’t be concerned. It was only a matter of minutes before the sirens were coming up Stone Drive. Miss Mattie gave her tea and aspirin, and a cold wet cloth to wipe her face. “You stay here,” she said. I’ll go meet the chief.”
Addie wiped her face, took a sip of the tea, then swallowed the aspirin. She would have to go to the kitchen. She just wouldn’t look. She entered just as Chief Bugg was coming through the back door.
“Hello, Mattie,” he said. �
�What’s happened here?” Then he saw Mrs. Cutler. “Well, Mrs. Cutler, before the medics get in here would either of you like to tell me about this?” he asked as he gazed in the direction of where Addie knew Ryker lay.
“Yes,” Mrs. Cutler said. “I think I should, Chief Bugg. Ryker forced me to drive him here tonight in my car. We parked on the strip of unused road that leads to the bluff where the kids park. Then we walked to the mansion and hid in the first garage behind the regular door. When Miss Martin came in, he slipped out of the garage door and grabbed her.”
The medics had arrived at the door, and Chief Bugg stopped them from entering the kitchen with a motion of his hand. After all, Addie thought, there was no hurry. The man was already dead. What could they do for him? Chief Bugg patiently listened as Mrs. Cutler described to him all that had taken place after Ryker had grabbed her. She was careful to repeat every word that had been said.
“Is this what happened, Mattie,” he asked.
“That’s exactly what happened.”
He turned to Addie. “And what do you say?” he asked.
“Mrs. Cutler told you exactly what happened.” She still kept her head turned from the body on the floor and the pool of bloody water.
“He hit you pretty hard. You need some ice on that.”
“I’ll attend to it,” Mrs. Cutler said as she turned toward the refrigerator. Chief Bugg stopped her with his outstretched arm.
“No. I need you to tell me again exactly what happened,” he said, moving towards Ryker’s body. But she wouldn’t look in that direction. Then he was steering Mrs. Cutler to Mattie’s desk, and the medics were coming through the back door.
“Dear, go back to the breakfast room,” Miss Mattie said, “and I’ll bring a pan of ice water for your face. Maybe we can help it some before Della gets here.” Then the phone rang. She looked at Addie. “It’s probably Della. Why don’t you answer it?”
The Daughters of Julian Dane Page 43