“Hmm.” Erlandsen massaged his chin. “What about her entourage? I think I’ll give ‘em another call in the morning.”
“Good idea, Detective.”
“We’ll stay in touch.”
We looked at each other as if frozen when the detective left the room.
“I hope it won’t be much longer until we can go home.” I glanced at the time on my phone. It was already eight o’clock.
“I really need to sleep, guys. Liv?” He leaned over and kissed me. “Good night. I’ll text later.” To the three of us, he said, “Just lock up when you leave.”
“We will. Good night, honey.” I watched him go up his stairs. “I can’t believe that I’m sitting here like this.”
“Neither can we.”
Minutes slowly passed, as I stared at the boxes.
“I’m calling a detective.” I placed the call, and asked, “May I sneak in for a pair of gloves and leave right away?”
“Back door. No talking.”
“Got it.” I took a breath and said, “You guys stay here. I’m going over to get the gloves, and to see what’s happening. I’ll return in a jiffy.” I handed the remote to Grandma, who flicked on the TV as I slipped into my jacket.
I trudged across the yard, went in the back door, and straight to the living room, where I found the two forensic men waving electronic devices over picture frames and lamps. When they saw me they both shook their heads.
When Mergens removed the sampler from the wall and turned it over, my eyes opened wide as he removed a device. He held it to the light before dropping it into a plastic bag, and labeling it. Almost immediately, he held up his finger as if to say ‘hold on’, and then both detectives went outside. I figured they brought all the evidence out to the squad car.
I hurried upstairs to fetch the gloves and came back down. Erlandsen followed me to the kitchen and outside on the steps. After closing the door, he said, “You’re safe now.”
“Is it full of bugs?”
“Not anymore. I’ll give the house another run-through, but I think we’ve found all the devices.” Detective Erlandsen held up a finger as he began listing where all the devices were located. “The office phone had one. There was a teddy bear on a shelf, kind of hidden behind some books, which is why some of you may not have suspected it, or flat didn’t see it. Also, the device behind the wall sampler.” He held up three fingers. “Can ya think of anyone who would do this?”
“Lots, but it all comes back to Jackie Newell’s entourage.” I swallowed hard. “I’ll be at Aaron’s next door with my grandparents. Just walk in when you’re finished.”
“Got it. It won’t take long,” Erlandsen said. “We’ll make another sweep, then we’ll be done.”
After reentering the house, I sat back down.
“Let’s wait to look at the letters. I think we’ll be able to go home soon.”
Worry had beset us, so we were all happy to go back home when Erlandsen called ten minutes later and gave us the green light. Grandpa reached for the jackets, Grandma grabbed one of the boxes while I picked up the other. We headed straight for the office and placed the boxes on the floor near the desk.
For the first few minutes, I thought about the evening and how it was shattered. “I feel violated.” I stared at Grandma. “Don’t you?”
“I think we all do.” Grandpa looked out the window. “The police are finally starting to consider the Madison theory, at least.” He raised his eyes to look at me. “What do you think, Livvie, honey?”
“I believe this reaches far back into history.” I reached for a sheet of paper and wrote: thirteen colonies. “I believe that all those thirteens are symbolic of the colonies. If that’s true, then we are talking about Dolley.”
“I agree with Olivia.” Grandma always called me Olivia when she had too much to drink or was overly tired. “Dolley took pleasure in everything. As a Quaker, she knew how to embroider beautifully. You should Google the history of embroidery. That might answer a few questions.”
“I already planned to.”
“Morning comes too early.” Grandpa yawned. “It’s close to eleven. Past my bedtime.”
“Mine too.” Grandma stood and reached for Grandpa’s hand.
“Good night, you two.” I got up to kiss them good night. I hustled downstairs to turn on the DVD to watch another Mitch Miller Sing-A-Long Show. I sat cousin Nellie’s box in front of the television. I carefully lifted the cover and peered in. It was filled with old, yellowed envelopes. I slipped on the gloves, picked up an envelope, and pulled the letter from it. It read:
My Dearest Sister, 1816
I missed you something fierce when I traveled to New York City. The City has vastly changed since last visited. Mrs. Hamilton adored my gift, and hung it on her wall for all to see. She is a lovely woman.
How are you? You must come and visit Mr. Madison and myself, of course! We will soon leave Washington City for Montpelier. I do so look forward to the change as the President’s City becomes so stifling in the summer months.
Praise God!
Dolley Madison
I almost fell off the chair from shock. Neatly, I folded the letter in the same exact fold and slid it back into the envelope. I filed it back with the other letters. As I searched through the stack of letters, I found several addressed envelopes dated from 1812–1817. I assumed they were written by Dolley. I removed the top letters and, one by one, opened them for a read.
Dearest Sister, 1815
I believe that you offer a greater suggestion than what I could ever come up with on my own. What a brilliant idea! Brilliant! It’ll add symbolism. What a glorious conception. Everyone will know what thirteen references. The hardest part of the whole ide, will be where to hide it.
Polly will be the death of me yet. He just flew outside and the slave is running after him. Good grief! It’s a sight to behold! He’s running with a net!
Your loving sister,
Dolley M
I was unsure what to do. I was afraid to leave the letters sit in the box like they had for all these years. I carefully placed the letters inside a plastic bag and between the pages of a paperback book and hid it.
I glanced over to the TV only to see the bouncing ball skip across the words to Yellow Rose of Texas. I shut off the television and went up to bed.
As I crawled under the covers, I replayed the memory of my favorite basketball game. No one knocked the ball out from under me.
Chapter Seventeen
I opened the store earlier than usual the following morning.
“Good morning, ladies!” I called. I circled the houses, straightened dolls, and furnishings. “You girls look happy. It’s nice to be in your home again, isn’t it?”
The next thing I did was start the computer humming. I logged into the Montpelier site and composed an e-mail to a historian at Montpelier, Mr. Strowbridge.
Dear Mr. Strowbridge,
I am distantly related to Dolley Madison via her sister, Anna. In my possession, I have a sampler that we tend to believe was embroidered by Dolley. Do you have a sampler from her collection that has a flag, rose, or marigolds in opposite corners? Could you tell me, also, if the borders have strawberries? If you do have a sampler similar to this design, would you please send a photo of it to me? I’m quite curious.
Also, I believe that we have the cufflinks that are in question. My grandfather, August Ott, was distantly related to Mr. Elijah Putnam.
Sincerely,
Olivia Anderson
After rereading the letter, I pressed the send button and watched it disappear into cyberspace. At the same moment, Max entered.
“Did you hear about last night? Someone broke into the house through the basement window.”
“What next?” He leaned into the counter and flashed those beautiful baby blue eyes at me. “Is anything missing? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“Not at all, but thanks for asking.” I smiled up at him. “We spent the whole evening at Aaron’s as
the police searched the house. It was long and drawn out. They even checked for listening devices.”
“Find any?”
“Yep!” I continued, “The detectives found a listening device behind the sampler, the office phone was bugged, along with a hidden video camera on an office shelf.” I waited a moment, and said, “They did find a picture that may help the investigation. Don’t know for sure. It’s kind of early to know.”
“At least some good may come of it.” Max scratched his chin. “The person who broke in through the basement window must’ve just done it. You were lucky to not have spooked him, or you could’ve been the next victim.”
“The attic latches were twisted, but there was no sign of anyone entering it. Thank God.” I took a deep breath.
“How long have they been in the family?”
“I think for over 150 years. I want Aaron to wear them at our wedding.”
“Now that would be special.”
“Then they’ll go to the museum, where they belong.”
“Good.” He started moving away. “By the way, I’ve got a line on some new doll heads that might be cheaper. I’ll keep you posted.”
“All right.” I logged out of the Internet and checked for e-mail before getting up.
Max continued out the back door.
As I stared at the dollhouses in the backroom my thoughts circled to the rose garden design and how it’d affect the layout on the tables. I didn’t want the garden to upstage the houses. I needed plenty of plants with various color, so I pulled the boxes of miniature roses as well as the juniper bushes off the shelf. The time sped past quickly. Aaron had texted me during the night, stating that he’d take me to lunch. Later, Grandma and I had to meet with the caterers. Tomorrow, we would formally send the invitations, even though most guests had already been invited verbally. Hazel, Ronnie’s mom, lined up her granddaughter Jessica for the wedding music, and I was planning to meet with her in the morning.
My phone rang and I glanced at the number. “Yes, Grandma?” She was calling to remind me of the meeting with the caterer. We disconnected and I continued working.
Aaron came in the back door just as I was putting the boxes back on the shelves. “Hey, you.” He came over and kissed me. “How’s your morning going?”
“No problems. I told Max about last night and he didn’t have anything to offer.” I shrugged my coat on and grabbed my bag. “No one’s come in today. No one knows we’re open anymore after all the investigations and store closing. I’ll have to really hit the ads when we return from our honeymoon. We’ll only be gone for an extended weekend, right?”
“We’ll ask Marie to come in for you but, Max will be able to fill in also. He does all right. They can always call with questions.” Aaron took my arm and we walked together into the brisk air. “Let’s walk down the block to get a burger. I’m hungry for one.”
“I sure hope we don’t get a winter snowstorm the day of our wedding.” Arm in arm we walked to the end of the block and entered the restaurant. “Let’s pray for a beautiful wedding day.” I looked up toward him and we kissed.
Glancing around at the customers, I stopped to also study the wall pictures, which made me think about the room below our feet. How many people knew about it?
The waitress came right away and we ordered. As we sat looking out, we watched people jogging and walking over the Stone Arch Bridge. Our conversation turned to the past evening.
“My plan was to research vintage embroidery and search for samples of Dolley’s handwriting, but Max walked in. As soon as I see my way clear, I’m going to the Minnesota Historical Center and research Dolley Madison’s handwriting.” I smiled as two lovers strolled past. “I did, however, send an email to Montpelier about the sampler. I asked for a photo if they had a similar one, and also told them about the cufflinks.”
“Once we learn if there is a similar sampler, we’ll know we’re heading in the right direction.” Aaron shook his head and grinned. “Who’d have thought, after all this time, the Father of the Constitution would be knocking on our door?”
The waitress brought our drinks, and before long our burger baskets arrived. We began to eat straightaway.
“I feel as if Grandma and Grandpa will end up being the key to it all.” I chewed on a bite of hamburger, and then remembered the letters in my bag. “I read a couple of the letters last night that were in that box Grandma inherited, cousin Nellie’s. I had wanted to wait for you to be there, but curiosity got the best of me. Do you want to see them later?”
“Sure, but go on.” He studied me as he ate. “I’m listening.”
“The letters were from Dolley. I haven’t told anyone about these, not even them.” I meant my grandparents. “I’m glad that these are unknown as well as unlike the cufflinks.”
“Yes, it’s one less thing that the killer knows about.”
“This is true. Never considered that.” I turned my thoughts back to Grandma and how she’d speak about her parents and grandparents. “I haven’t read from the other boxed package of letters which we brought down to view.”
“There must be a lot, they wrote letters constantly.”
“The slaves delivered letters when there wasn’t nearby postal service. People had to work at staying in touch.”
“Exactly.” Aaron bit into his burger. “Chores to do constantly, plus their school work was much tougher than nowadays. If you didn’t get one-hundred percent, the teacher might smack you a good one with a ruler.”
“How awful. Thank heavens it’s a gentler world today.” We finished our meal and headed back to the store, stopping by his car. “I’ll call when I get home. It shouldn’t take long at the caterers. I’m also picking up cookies and cider for the First Lady December birthday celebration on Friday.”
We kissed before I went back inside. I got busy arranging the rose garden setting in front of the two 1814 houses. The phone rang a few times and one prospective customer entered. When I finally glanced up at the clock, it was time for me to meet Grandma.
I locked the front door, grabbed my stuff, and was headed out the backdoor when my cell phone rang. It was Dorrie. She apologized for her outburst and asked if she could come to work tomorrow. I said, “Sure, why not?” before disconnecting. I felt sorry for her. Being questioned by the police was an awful experience and she’d gone through it twice.
Besides, aren’t you supposed to keep your enemies closer than friends? What if she does know something about the murder and isn’t telling? Maybe she is the murderer? Chills swept through me as I started my car.
The drive to the caterers brought me not too far from home. We always tried to keep our business local, and the caterer was a neighbor who recently started in the catering business. The location was right across the street from the Riverview Theater. The short strip mall hosted a variety of businesses: Ingrid’s Bakery, Swen and Lina’s Café and Jeanette’s Hairnet. A small coffee shop was right around the corner. I needed to pick up my order of cookies and planned to bring a cup of coffee with me to my meeting with Ingrid. I found myself parking next to Grandma’s car.
I got a text message from Debbie while I waited for my coffee. My dress was ready and she wanted to know when we would come and pick it up. I texted Maggie, and we decided to go there as soon as I finished with the caterer.
“Hi, Ingrid. I’ll take the cookies if you have them ready.” I walked into the bakery with my full coffee cup in hand. Grandma gave me a smile. “What are you two brewing up?” I grinned as I sipped. It felt so good to think about my wedding instead of all the nasty things that had happened recently. “I vote for prime rib and shrimp scampi. I don’t want anything too stressful or hard to eat. Everything should be simple.”
“We figured as much, honey. The cookies are right here.” Ingrid smiled at me and touched the large box on the counter. “Thirty bucks even.”
“Here.” I reached inside my bag and handed her the cash. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.
I’m so glad that you two are finally tying the knot. You’ve loved each other forever.” She came out from behind the glass case, kissed my cheek, and hugged me. “Thanks for choosing me to cater too.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, dear.” Grandma stared at the featured wedding cakes inside the case. “They look yummy.” She licked her lips.
“Nowadays, the girls prefer either a variety of cheesecakes or cupcakes. What would you like, honey?” Ingrid looked at me. “We can do both.”
“Raspberry cheesecake and chocolate, plus assorted cupcake flavors. We must have strawberry for Aaron, so let’s have three cheesecakes. They won’t go to waste.” I smiled, and thought of tasting each.
“Got that down.” Ingrid took out her order form booklet and jotted down the deserts. “For the main meal, prime rib and shrimp scampi. Right?” I nodded. “Potatoes?”
“Rice, baked potatoes and all the garnishes. I want to use real china and cloth napkins too. I’m particular about that. It needs to be elegant.”
“We’ll use our chinaware, dear.” Grandma thought a moment. “Let’s have the caterers wear those tall white hats and aprons. That’ll make it special.”
“Of course.” Ingrid’s eyes lit up like fireworks. “You’ve been such wonderful neighbors. Now you’re using my service for catering, I’d do anything for you.”
“You’re sweet.” My phone buzzed and I listened to the voice mail. “I forgot. I have to go to pick up my dress. Maggie’s coming with. I’ve got to run.” I kissed them both, grabbed the cookies, and hurried toward the door.
“What about the veggies and salads?” Ingrid called out to me.
“Grandma can take care of that. I like corn and Aaron likes green beans. Fresh lettuce and coleslaw would be just fine.” I knew Grandma had her own ideas, and sooner or later, Ingrid would be asking about the murder and break-in. I was surprised that she hadn’t yet, since we’d known each other forever. “I’ll call.”
The Blood Spangled Banner: A First Ladies Mystery Page 16