“No. I never left the kitchen. I wouldn’t have.” I wondered what was taking the detectives so long. “Will you please check the house so I can go inside? I’m frozen.”
“Yes, ma’am,” one of the officers stated. “Stay right here.”
“Will do.” I glanced over to Aaron who was walking back. “Did you reach them?”
“Yes, they’re at a restaurant near Lake Minnetonka, a good thirty minutes away, but will head home immediately.” He looked at the officer who was studying the window. “I’m Officer Reynolds. I live next door.” He pointed to his house. “I’m taking Liv back to my house, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure. As long as we know where to find her.”
“Let’s go.” He led me across the yard, through the snow, onto his back steps, then inside.
“Yikes. I’m cold.”
“How about a cup of hot chocolate? Got some instant stuff around here somewhere,” Aaron sat me by the kitchen table.
“Sounds good. It’ll warm me up.” I shut my eyes, holding my head between my palms. Suddenly my eyes popped open. “All this mess at the store and the basement commotion, wedding plans. I totally forgot about making sure that Grandpa took care of the cufflinks. Oh my gosh! What if they’re stolen?”
“I’m sure they weren’t found. Who would look in a birdcage for a pair of cufflinks?” He poured milk in a mug and added a packet of hot chocolate mix, placing it in the microwave. “But, we’ll get to the bottom of this, even if we end up raising both Dolley and the President James Madison from the grave.”
“Not sure how much else I can stand.” I held my breath as Aaron set the hot mug down in front of me. “I hate to say this, but it might come to that. I suppose the detectives will be here soon.” I took a sip. “Hot! I wish we knew for certain the motive besides a ‘secret’.” I blew into the cup. “Scratch that! The motive’s greed. ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.’”
“It’s very possible. Feel better?” We heard someone knock. Aaron opened the door, and I listened as Aaron said, “Come in, Detective. We’ve been waiting.”
“Liv, sorry about all of this. You’ve had it pretty rough going lately.” Erlandsen pressed against the countertop. “We’ve got your statement from the officer, but there’s one more request.”
“And that is?” I kept my eyes focused on his. “Oh gosh. Something horrible happened.”
“Not at all.” He shook his head. “We would like you to walk through the house with us. We’ve checked everything out and nothing looks out of place. If you’re ready, that is.”
“I’d be more than happy to.” I popped up to my feet. “You comin’, Aaron?”
“Right behind.” He looked at the detective who shook his head. “Guess not. I’ll stay in the kitchen.”
“Much better.”
I grabbed my jacket. Detective Erlandsen opened the door and followed me outside. Aaron trailed behind. The three of us headed across to the back door of Grandma and Grandpa’s house just as an officer stepped out. “Detective Mergens is waiting inside.”
“Thank you.” Erlandsen stepped up the stairs, held open the door as I stepped inside, with Aaron behind me.
“My grandparents will be home shortly,” I told him as we walked into the kitchen.
Detective Mergens met me in the living room, where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve certainly given us plenty to do, Miss Anderson.”
“I hate to see people out of work.” I knew that he was chiding me.
“I want you to look for anything that seems amiss.”
“Anything different, right?”
“Just take your time and study everything,” he repeated.
“Where should we begin?” I crossed and uncrossed my arms. “The dining room?”
“Nope. The basement.” Detective Mergens looked at me. “Right where it began.”
The two detectives followed me over to the basement stairs. The light had burned out, so we descended the dark staircase until we reached the basement, where I flipped on the light switch. A warm glow cast over the cement floor. Over to the left was the laundry area, where shattered glass sparkled against the light beam. The shelves above the laundry tubs held old canning jars. Grandma filled one with detergent for her wash loads rather than pour from the larger container.
“They came in through here, as you know.” Mergens walked over to the area near the window. He flicked on another light and focused on an old chair. “Then stepped from the washing machine or dryer down to this chair. A shoe print has been photographed, it’s wide and long, like a man’s.”
“So it was a ‘he’ that broke in?” I asked, confused. “I thought it may have been a ‘she’.”
“We’ve got reason to believe that there were two.” Mergens held up two fingers. “A male and a female. A team.” He stared at me. “Any thoughts on that?”
“Of course. Wanda and Stone.”
“Anything look different down here besides the broken window?” Mergens motioned toward it. “What about by the wine cellar?” We strode over toward it. “You need a password to get inside, I see.”
“Yes. Grandpa worried that my friends and I would raid it when I was younger,” I chuckled. “Now, I raid it anyway.” I entered the code that opened the door. “Looks just fine from here.” They peeked inside the door.
“All right. Now for the upstairs.”
I locked the wine cellar door and shut off the basement light before walking upstairs. I shut the basement door and followed the detectives into the dining room. We went from room to room in this manner. Every so often, they asked about certain pieces of furniture or wall displays.
“This sampler is a little off-kilter, and shouldn’t be.” I reached out to straighten it, but Mergens pulled my hand away.
“Those old things are put on frames that aren’t properly squared.”
I watched him make a notation in his notepad, and then we circled the rest of the living room. I took my time in the small TV room, looking at worn out coffee table magazines, pictures on the walls, and slippers tossed on the floor. A small bookshelf was against the back wall. I studied the few knick-knacks on the shelves, and noticed a small, china flowerpot that didn’t look familiar. It was no taller than my hand, with small flowers painted on the perimeter. I pointed to it and Mergens made another notation.
As we were entering the office, I heard Grandpa’s voice. Erlandsen left, presumably to prevent them from entering the rest of the house. A fluffy teddy bear sat on the top shelf of the bookcase. It looked cute, but I knew for certain that I’d never seen it before so I pointed to it. Another notation. I nodded at an old cardboard box sitting on the side of the desk.
“Upstairs.” Erlandsen motioned for us to leave the room.
As we walked into the living room, my grandparents were entering, and we nodded. Grandma blew me a kiss, which made me smile. I must’ve looked serious, because that’s what she used to do when I had to recite something in school. It helped me forget to be nervous.
Upstairs, we poked inside the two bedrooms and bathroom, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I even opened the linen closet, and the towels appeared undisturbed. Then I glanced upward and stared at the hatch door.
Two prongs were out of position.
After Mergens had made a notation, we went downstairs.
Erlandsen’s eyes skimmed over us, and before you knew it, we had gathered in a circle outside on the back deck.
“It appears that your house has been bugged. The items Miss Anderson pointed out lean to that conclusion. We won’t know for certain until we look closer.” Detective Mergens looked at each of us in turn.
“This is totally mystifying,” Grandma said, frowning. “Completely.”
“We’ve picked up letters from an attorney today which my wife has inherited. The cufflinks, I truly didn’t believe would put our Olivia’s life in jeopardy since the burglary happened some fifty years ago. Al
so that guy’s dead. I’m sorry. They’re still in the birdcage in the attic, I believe, or hope,” Grandpa said.
“Mr. Ott,” Erlandsen said, looking down at his notes. “You’d better put them in the bank first thing in the morning and leave them there until this case gets solved.”
“I will.”
“There’s no known motive, is there?” I stared at Mergens. “No one can figure it out.” When they both shook their heads and crossed their arms, I figured it was my turn to take a shot at this.
“I think it dates back to Dolley and James Madison.” I closed my mouth, to wait for someone to say something, but neither detective responded. “Jackie Newell asked me if I knew about the family secret. I didn’t know what she was talking about, and at that time also did not know that she was a distant relative. She’d grabbed the dolls too, remember?” I saw they were becoming impatient by the way they looked away from me and pretended as if they were listening, when I knew they weren’t. “Grandma’s sampler is almost identical to the one that’s hanging on Alexander Hamilton’s wall in New York City.”
“Liv, you’re digging way too deep here.” Erlandsen sighed. “Nothing adds up to a present day murder.”
“For goodness sake. Listen to my granddaughter. You don’t have any better ideas, do ya, sonny?” Grandma planted her hands on her hips.
“Grandma.” I took a deep breath. “A set of rubies and a brooch were stolen from Montpelier. Did you know that?” I pointed my finger at them.
“Liv.” Mergens pulled out his notepad. “Okay. I’ll play along with you.” I watched him scribble a few words.
“A set of cufflinks, which used to belong to President Madison, were bequeathed by Dolley to a Mr. Elijah Putnam.”
“He’s also a distant relative of mine.” Grandpa raised his chin. “I have the cufflinks, remember?”
“Right,” Mergens said. “They’re still in a birdcage up in the attic.”
“This is all just fine and dandy, but how does it relate to a present day murder?” Erlandsen asked.
“That’s what we don’t know.” I massaged my chin. “And, I’m going to find out.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You want us to climb up into the attic before you leave, just to make sure the cufflinks are there?” Aaron had joined us. “It’s convoluted, but there are so many coincidences.”
“If the cufflinks are gone, then we’ll know it’s a burglary.” Erlandsen stared up at the hatch cover.
“I’ll go get the stool, but let me climb up there,” I said.
“Let me.” Aaron gave me a solemn look. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“What could possibly happen? There are two detectives plus you, along with my grandparents standing watch.” It was true. At that moment, they poked out from the bathroom door where they’d been eavesdropping. The hallway was too small for us all. It took a minute for me to fetch the stool and set it under the hatch. I moved over so Erlandsen could climb up to open the hatch. He’d already removed a pair of plastic gloves from his pocket and slipped them on as he stepped up on the stool.
“Mr. Ott, August, why didn’t you ever have stairs put in? It’d be a lot easier,” Erlandsen grumbled, pulling the folding stairs down. “I’m curious.”
“It’s never been a problem.” I stood beside Grandpa who shook his head.
“We have really old and valuable papers up there. Love letters from when I was in the Marines plus my bride’s wedding gown,” Grandpa said.
I glanced over at Grandma, knowing they were the love of each other’s life. I trusted Aaron and I would be the same. So much in love for such a long time. It made my heart go pitter-pat. I turned my attention to the trapdoor, wondering what else was hidden up there.
“Liv?” Mergens voice interrupted my thoughts. “The ladder’s set. Go get ‘em and bring ‘em down, if you will?”
“Of course.” I climbed the ladder, popped my head into the attic; hauling myself inside. Once standing, I reached for the light string and yanked it. A wave of light brightened the room.
“How’s it look?” Mergens’ concerned voice below me spoke volumes.
“Fine, as far as I can tell.” Gazing around the room I checked the dusty floor for footprints. It didn’t seem as if anyone had padded over my earlier footsteps. My shaky fingers cautiously opened the antique birdcage drawer. Closing my eyes, it felt as if my heart stopped beating. I forced myself to look, but there they were, just as before. I let out a long breath of relief before calling, “They’re here!”
I carefully placed them in my pants pocket. At the same moment, Aaron’s head poked up through the opening. I said, “Let’s take that box over there down. I think it’s full of letters. I’ll hand it to you.”
“Anything else that might fit your plot?” Erlandsen asked.
“Listen, mister! Pay attention to my granddaughter!” Grandpa said.
Aaron and I quietly chuckled as I handed him the box. When he’d started down the steps, I found the other box that had caught my interest earlier, and had it ready to hand over to him.
“Where are the detectives?” I whispered to Aaron once his nose poked into the opening.
“I told them to go to my house, but they’re still here,” he nodded downward, mouthing.
I didn’t respond except for handing him the other box. After climbing down, I was ready to tighten the latches to the hatch when Mergens said, “Don’t. We’ll do that.” When I went to pick up the stool, he said, “Leave it.”
“Here are the cufflinks.” I held them out, and each detective took one to look at.
“They look like the flag but with this imprint around it,” Mergens said.
“I can see that they’re valuable,” Erlandsen said.
“Bank in the morning,” Mergens said, placing his in my palm.
“They’re too dangerous to keep,” Erlandsen said, setting his beside the other one. “I assume, Aaron, that you’ve invited your future family over for coffee?” Erlandsen asked.
“As a matter of fact, I have. That’s where we’re going now.”
“I’m picking up cousin Nellie’s box, which I haven’t seen yet. Hold on a sec.” I quickly went for it, and met Aaron by the backdoor.
Aaron and I walked over to his house only to find my grandparents curled up on the couch. I sat down beside Grandma, while Aaron went to get a spare chair. We set the boxes on the coffee table.
“One for each?” Grandpa held up a wine bottle and we all nodded except Aaron.
“I work later.”
“Thought so.” He proceeded to pour. Grandma snuggled closer.
“I feel bad that this had to happen.” I took my offered glass and sipped. I removed the cufflinks from my pocket. “I wonder where this will lead us?”
“We know what’s on the gadroon, the imprint, which makes me wonder if that isn’t what they’re after?” Aaron asked.
“Polly. Polly on both.” I pulled the cufflinks out of my pocket to hold up for them to get a better look. “I don’t see anything different. Thirteen ruby stars.”
“Thirteen strawberries.” Grandma smiled.
“Thirteen colonies. The making of our country.” I gave the cufflinks to Grandpa. “They’ll go back inside the desk when we get home and you’re placing them in the bank tomorrow morning.” I stared at both grandparents. “I’m keeping them right in my pocket, and leaving them there for now.”
“The gadroon is what they’re after,” Grandma said.
“Let’s take another angle.” My insides were warm and I felt cozy because now we all believed the crime revolved around Dolley Madison. “I believe it’s time to read these letters.”
“You’re not going to read our love letters!” Grandpa declared, and his eyes became as big as plates. “You wouldn’t dare. Marie!” He stared at Grandma. “Do something.”
“Settle down, you two.” Aaron grinned. “We found an older box that was hidden further in the back, behind others. Don’t worry.
We’d never read your letters, at least not until you’re both gone. Then we’ll print them in the newspaper.”
“We’ll give them to Ronnie.” I glanced out the window, noticed the detectives walking over to the house. I grimaced.
“Aaron, they’re here.”
“I’ll let them in.” He got up and went to the door. “Have a seat.”
They both remained standing.
“Chilly out. Brrr!” Detective Erlandsen said. “I suggest you remain here until we’re done next door, unless you need to do something, of course.” He glanced at the decorated tree from the living room. “Let’s hope that this gets wrapped up before the holidays.”
I figured him as the nicest of the two detectives, also the most understanding.
“We hope so too,” Grandma stated.
“Don’t worry, we get the drill.” I wondered if they would bring in those two suspects for more questioning. I hoped they would. “Will you question Stone and Wanda again?”
“If we can locate them.”
“Max found them at a sleaze motel by the University. Try looking up rented vehicles.”
“We’re on it, Liv. Stay out of it.”
“What’s in the box?” Detective Erlandsen nodded to the inherited, cousin Nellie’s box.
“We don’t know yet.” I began removing the lid. “I think they’re over a hundred years old. Not sure.”
“We need clean hands, my dear.” Grandma gave me a stern look. “They shouldn’t be exposed to the air.”
“You’re right. We should wear gloves.” I knew where to find a couple pairs too. Grandma had white gloves in the trunk at the foot of her bed.
“On the off-chance that there might be something to all of this,” Erlandsen cleared his throat and loosened his tie, “I contacted the Montpelier (duPont) museum security officer to inquire about the break-in that Liv mentioned, and also asked what’s missing. I found out Jackie Newell was also there the day it happened.”
“They can prove that?” Aaron asked. “We’ve searched the Internet. We already knew she was in the area.”
“I figured she was the burglar.”
The Blood Spangled Banner: A First Ladies Mystery Page 15