by Leona Fox
Ellen tried to hide her smug tone as she spoke but it was difficult. She left the Longthornes stewing over their meal.
As she left she could feel the glare of Stephen on her, and smiled when she heard the hushed mutterings of the two of them as they discussed their wrecked plans. Not everything had gone her way recently but after that encounter she was beginning to feel like herself again. Now she set about to solve the case with renewed determination for she wasn't about to let the responsible party get away with it. Even if Maggie wouldn't thank her for catching the thief Ellen at least wanted to do something to make up for the rift she had caused between them.
Chapter 8
“What shall we do, Father?” Stephen said in a respectful tone after Ellen walked out. The elder Longthorne gazed at the doorway.
“There goes a fine woman. She reminds me of your mother back in the day,” he said before turning to his son.
“We do what we always do, carry on and follow our convictions. I am not about to be dictated to by some cafe owner. We are doing business with the mayor and I do not care if the people start pressuring him. They lack the one thing we have.”
“What's that?” Stephen asked.
Longthorne reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, then threw it on the table to emphasize his point. Stephen smiled and the two men rose from their table and marched out of the restaurant.
“I don't understand how anyone can live in a town like this,” Stephen said as they walked along, “there's no fun around here. Where are all the bars? I can't wait until we get back to the city.”
“Don't be too hasty, these towns are the lifeblood of America. They remind us of where we come from, and when we transform them we can learn from the mistakes we made previously. It is curious how people have such a yearning for the old way of life when what we offer is so much better, but they just need to be shown.”
“I don't like how this is going, though. If we don't get this deal...”
“Don't trouble yourself too much. There are always people to be exploited and if East Pender doesn't work out there are plenty of other towns to visit. Things will be fine. I haven't worked so hard all my life to see things crumble now. Setbacks are simply challenges to forge us and keep us true to our course. You can learn from them, my son,” he said. The two of them stayed in East Pender even after Ellen's warning, not easily deterred from their ultimate goal.
“Do you think we should go see the mayor and tell him what happened?” Stephen asked.
“No, we'll let him stew for a while. I think we almost have him with that last offer. Every man has his price and it won't be long before he cracks.”
Stephen seemed satisfied with the answer and looked at his father with admiration. The two of them spent the rest of the day taking calls and discussing important business matters with people back at their base of operations, before heading out to dinner in the evening. Despite their low opinion of the town, Tom Longthorne had to admit there was something appetizing about the local cuisine and it wasn't something that easily was replicated elsewhere. Their good mood, however, was spoiled when they returned to their room and found it ransacked. The elder Longthorne's face reddened and his entire body turned rigid as he bristled with anger.
“Get the police,” he said tersely.
Ellen had been sitting at home when Jimmy called her. She had been puzzling over the burglaries. In her heart she almost hoped the Longthornes were responsible. Even though there was no evidence against them, the burglaries had stopped now that their deal was in jeopardy. However, given what she had learned about the two of them she wasn't convinced they were actually to blame but there were no other suspects that sprung to mind. Then she answered the phone, and she practically was convinced. Jimmy was ready to beg her to come and help but she didn't need any urging; she grabbed her coat and headed to the hotel as fast as she could.
When she arrived the Longthornes were giving statements to the police and blasting Jimmy, threatening to sue the city if the culprit wasn't found. While Tom Longthorne mostly had kept his emotions under control during his stay in East Pender they were now on show in full force. Ellen felt great sympathy for Jimmy, who was standing there helpless as he bore the full brunt of Longthorne's onslaught.
“...and if you do not find him I will hold you personally responsible. I have connections in the city and I will see you are busted back down to a traffic cop. Nobody steals from us. No one!” he yelled, his voice almost strong enough to make the foundations of the building tremble.
“Would someone care to update me?” Ellen said gently, diverting attention from Jimmy, who flashed her a grateful smile.
“Some cretin has stolen from us. It happened when we were out to dinner and you people better find the ones responsible. Otherwise, I will bring in my own people and they will turn this town upside down,” he thundered.
“Mr. Longthorne, we have the matters in hand.”
“Forgive me for saying so Miss Thatch but I have a lack of faith in your abilities since you accused me of having something to do with the burglaries. As you can see,” slowly sweeping his arm around the room, highlighting the chaos, “we are the victims here, not the perpetrators.”
“Unless, of course, you set up this scene to divert suspicion from you before you left,” she replied. Longthorne looked exasperated.
“I am getting tired of protesting my innocence. I am a respectable businessman and I do not appreciate this treatment. I have done nothing but conduct business in this town and I continually have been harassed. Now, if you people kindly would do your jobs we can get this matter sorted.”
Scampy growled after hearing Longthorne's harsh tone, and the man growled back. Ellen told Scampy to quieten down and the dog settled beside her feet, and he did not make another move.
“Actually, I no longer think you are responsible. But since everyone knows of your plan more than a few people would have liked to steal from you. Maybe they even saw it as poetic justice. So it may not be related to the other burglaries at all.”
“I don't care about your theories! Just find whomever did this and get my money back!”
Ellen left the Longthornes and went to confer with Jimmy.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think I want to get out of here. How could the mayor even think about doing business with them in the first place? They're so...mean.”
“From what I can see the mayor didn't have much choice. They strike me as the type to try pushing through a deal even when they know the other party isn't interested. But despite their character I don't think they did it. All this is rather convoluted, especially since they weren't being investigated seriously. I don't think they would be so petty as to arrange those thefts anyway. They probably think problems can be solved by throwing enough money in their direction. So they wouldn't need to start any other ploys.”
“But that leaves us back where we started, with no suspects. We don't even know if this crime is related!”
“It wouldn't surprise me. It's the same as the other places, organized chaos, and again no clues are left. Whoever is doing these burglaries is good, there's no doubt about that.”
“Then how are we going to catch him?”
“I don't know, but we will.”
“Is it usually like this, so hopeless?”
“Sometimes,” Ellen said smiling widely.
“I can't help but think this case would be solved if Andy were here. I feel like I'm holding everything back,” his tone was still despondent and he looked as though he still hadn't slept all through this case.
“Don't worry Jimmy, it'll be over soon and you can go back to your old job. Don't blame yourself for this, though. Some cases go this way, you can't take it too personally. It's just part of the job,” she said, but Jimmy didn't seem to be reassured.
They finished taking the Longthornes’ statements and Ellen looked around the room again, but there wasn't anything that presented itself. She al
so was frustrated, almost wanted to crack the case just for Jimmy's sake, if nothing else. Being there for the solution would help give Jimmy some confidence, or at least she hoped it would, but something definitely was lacking in the man, something that Andy had in abundance.
Ellen whistled for Scampy to follow her as she made her way back home. She had spent longer in the hotel than she wanted, and now the effects of fatigue were coming upon her. She was beginning to sleep better now, but she wouldn't be truly rested until Andy came back.
Thinking about him, she realized it had been a few days since he had called and she hoped he was okay. He probably was working hard, she thought, wanting to prove himself to all those new people. She was aware that deep down sometimes he wondered if being in East Pender had dulled the sharp edges that had been honed in the city. So she was curious to see what resulted from teaching the training course. Selfishly, she hoped he wouldn't be asked to do another one because being without him was torture, especially since she was reading her book and being filled with thoughts of romance and passion. It proved a welcome distraction from the events in her real life, and as she walked along with Scampy by her side she let her thoughts linger on the daydream of a steamy, forbidden romance.
Yet, even though her mind was occupied, she was still alert and out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a figure climbing out of a shop. She ducked behind a nearby tree and observed the figure, which at first glance looked masculine, although from her distance and in the dark she could not be entirely sure. Whoever it was wore an entirely black outfit, masking their head as well. They carried with them what appeared to be a sack of money. Ellen was unable to stifle a wry smile at how clichéd the scene was. The figure seemed to be in no hurry so Ellen walked behind them carefully, but Scampy, bless his heart, was so eager to do something right that he barked. The figure turned, shocked, and then began to run. Ellen instantly sprinted away, using her own trained muscles, confident she would be able to catch the thief despite the head start they had.
Her feet pounded the road as she accelerated to her maximum speed, lungs burning as she breathed in the night air. She had to push herself to the limit quickly as it soon became apparent that the chase wasn't going to be as easy as she first had thought. Despite her best efforts she was unable to close the distance between them. When this became clear she slowed her pace until she finally stopped, breathing hard with her hands on her hips. Scampy caught up to her and whimpered apologetically, almost knowing he had done something wrong.
“Don't worry boy, it's not your fault,” she said, and patted his head.
She walked slowly back to the scene of the latest crime, wiping sweat from her brow. If it was the same thief who had struck at the Longthornes’ hotel room then they were becoming more prolific than they had been previously. The more she thought about it, the more she had an idea of who the thief could be, especially when she went back and saw what had been taken.
Chapter 9
Ellen was ruminating in the cafe when a number of the store owners showed up. Many of them still were aggrieved that she had not told them the truth about the Longthornes’ presence in the town, or their offer. However, since she was still head of the merchants guild they had to turn to her. Since another store had been broken into on the previous night they were worried that they all were living on borrowed time.
“Not all of us will be able to bounce back from this,” one of them said, and Ellen tried to reassure them that it would all be alright.
There were many things on her mind and she had a new theory, one that she was sure was correct, but needed to be tested. The other members of the merchants guild were not satisfied with having to wait, but Ellen felt back to her best and her mind was as sharp as ever. She urged them all to continue with their days as though nothing was amiss, and with heavy hearts they followed her instructions. For the time being, she still had their goodwill and if she was proved right then she still would keep it. If not, then things would be very different around East Pender.
She tried to avoid walking past Maggie's cafe. It proved difficult because of the location, but the two women did not make eye contact. Still, Ellen was pleased to see Maggie was making progress again and looked set to open soon. Of course, what that meant for her own business Ellen wasn't sure. Maggie's words still stung and while people seemed happy with what her cafe had to offer, Ellen did wonder if they would be seduced by the new atmosphere of Maggie's place.
While reading the paper, Ellen read a feature on Richard that listed all his accomplishments as well as detailing his preparation for the upcoming marathon. In the feature it mentioned how he was on course to break his previous record of money raised. Yet, when Ellen looked at the sponsorship form she saw there barely had been any names added to it. He entered the cafe and she took it upon herself to ask him about the newspaper article.
“Ah, yes. Well, I suppose we can class ourselves as famous,” he said.
“The donation drive is going well then? I'm sorry to say there haven't been many takers in the cafe. I suppose most people are rather shaken up because of the burglaries.”
She watched him carefully to see how he would react at the mention of them, but his face betrayed no sign of anything. Instead, he looked cheery.
“Ah well, people can give what they give. I'm happy to receive anything, as are the people I'm raising money for, I'm sure.”
“Yes, I'm just surprised you've managed to break your record given that the names on the list seem to be rather sparse.”
“Other areas have proven more profitable,” he said, flashing a smile.
“How are your problems, by the way? I'm so sorry about what happened the other day. I think it's just terrible that they would accuse you of something like that. I can't believe they would turn on you so easily either. That's the problem with people, they're all so fickle sometimes.”
“So it would seem. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Maggie and I are going to be friends, but I wish her well.”
“If you want my opinion you're going to make her wish she never stepped foot in East Pender. You have the experience and the know-how. She's just starting out. She's going to make a lot of mistakes.”
“Thanks Richard, I appreciate your support.”
“You're welcome. Anyway, I'd better be going. Time waits for no man.”
“Richard,” she called out just as he reached the door. He turned, looking at her with unblinking eyes, “good luck with the marathon.” He smiled, and with that he left the building.
Immediately following his departure, Ellen raced toward the Longthornes and the other store owners, gathering them up at the police station where Jimmy waited for them, perplexed. Maggie was included among them and when she saw Ellen she rolled her eyes, looked away, and folded her arms.
“Thank you all for coming,” Ellen began, looking pointedly at Maggie, who still was turned away.
Tensions were still rife between the two groups and they stared unconvincingly at each other. None of them knew whom they could trust.
“Have you got this sorted out yet?” Tom Longthorne said gruffly.
It was the question that was on all of their minds, but the fact that he was the one that said it caused everyone else to rise in consternation, yelling abuse at each other. Ellen and Jimmy had to yell loudly to calm them all down.
“Nobody here is responsible for what happened,” Ellen said. “I don't have any evidence, but I believe we can catch the thief in the act. Then we can put this matter to rest for good.”
“But what about them? Are they still going to try building the mall?” a voice shouted out. Stephen was about to respond when Tom put his hand on his son's arm and rose instead.
“I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. I only want to see this criminal brought to justice then we are going to leave. I have had my fill of this town and I do not want to set foot in it ever again. Some call this paradise. I call it hell.”
His scathing indict
ment of the town was met with uproarious cheers, and the two businessmen were baffled by the residents’ behavior. Ellen waited for everyone to calm down before she told them of her plan, and they listened intently.
It was the dead of night. Jimmy had asked Ellen why she thought the thief was going to strike again, especially when he had broken into two places the previous night. She said that everything would become clear once she unmasked the burglar. East Pender was like it usually was at night, peaceful and quiet, ripe for anyone performing clandestine activities. However, this time there was one difference; the store owners were waiting, hiding, along with the police and Ellen. Ellen looked across at Maggie. She had hoped this would have given them the opportunity to mend fences but Maggie barely acknowledged Ellen's presence. All they had to do was wait...
It was about 11:30 p.m. when they heard the cries. Everyone leaped into action, including the thief, who was alert enough to evade the initial attempt to capture him. However, this time there was no escape route and, even though he was a fine runner, there were too many people after him, justice proving to be the perfect motivation. They held him down while Jimmy and Ellen walked up to him. Ellen tore off the mask, revealing the thief to be Richard Robins. There was an audible gasp as his identity was revealed.
“It can't be,” Jimmy said, as shocked as the rest of them.
“Oh, but it is,” Ellen said smugly, and proceeded to detail the motivation behind his crimes.
“Something had been bugging me about the case from the start, and it was the things that had been stolen. There was nothing of note in the items, no pattern or anything. All of them were nondescript and things that could have been purchased easily, but I didn't see it until last night. You see, walking back from the hotel I actually ran into our friend here, but he was able to outrun me. There aren't many people who can do that. I started thinking about the likely suspects and I was as shocked as you but it made sense, especially when you read the latest newspaper. You see, Richard here is close to breaking his own record of money raised for charity. That is why I knew he'd make another attempt at a burglary tonight, because he couldn't resist breaking that record. And, as for the things he stole, well, for you and me they're easy to buy but for the people he's trying to help? These are luxury items. I think Richard here fancies himself to be a modern-day Robin Hood. What do you have to say for yourself?” Ellen said, towering over the criminal, who stared back at her defiantly.