by Jessica Beck
My astonished smile gave me away, because Lincoln quickly asked, “Christy, have you cracked any of it yet on your own?” he asked.
“Just that part, I swear. I must say, I’m impressed with your analytical skills, Counselor,” I said, and it was the truth.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a natural offshoot of my profession,” Lincoln said, but he was still clearly pleased with the compliment. “Tell me. What was the devil’s light?”
“The emergency exit sign,” I said. “When the shop was dark, the x in ‘exit’ was dark, so I figured that something was blocking the light, and I was right.”
“X marks the spot,” Lincoln said. “What did you find there?”
“Well, I uncovered a new clue, but I’m not sure what it means yet.”
At that moment, our server appeared with our food.
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll show you later,” I said.
“Now you’re just teasing me,” Lincoln answered with a grin. “But that’s fine.”
If the waiter heard Lincoln’s comment, he chose not to acknowledge it.
The food was wonderful, but I worried at first that Lincoln would pester me for more information, but our conversation during dinner took an entirely different direction, one based more on laughter than solving clues. It was the nicest meal out I’d had in some time, and for a brief moment, Midnight’s demise had left the forefront of my thoughts. I had to keep reminding myself that my pleasure wasn’t being disloyal to my old friend. He’d want me to be happy.
I knew that as strongly as I knew my own name.
When the check came, Lincoln reached for it before I could even move.
“We should really split that,” I said.
“Are you kidding? I offered to buy dinner and drinks for all three of us,” he said with a smile. “The way I see it, I’m getting a break here. Should we get something to go for Marybeth?”
I shook my head and laughed. “No, this was her bright idea. She should have to pay for the privilege of meddling with our lives.”
Lincoln nodded, but then he added, “You know that I’m interested in you, Christy, so I can’t really join in your complaints about what she did. While it’s true that Marybeth went about this the wrong way, I can’t honestly say that I’m sorry that she did it.”
His directness caught me off-guard. “Don’t mince words, Lincoln. Tell me how you really feel.”
He shrugged. “I say what’s on my mind.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not in any position right now to reciprocate. Losing Cora and Midnight has clouded my emotions too much at the moment.”
“I’m not pressing you for any kind of response,” he said hastily. “I just wanted you to know how I felt.”
“Well, I do, and I appreciate it.”
Lincoln’s smile returned. “Which one, my candidness, or my declaration of affection?”
“Both,” I said. “Now, why don’t you give me a ride back home so I can let my dear sweet roomie know that she’s not allowed to meddle in our lives anymore.”
“Do you honestly think it will do any good?” Lincoln asked as he left the money for the check and a healthy tip as well.
“Probably not, but the words still need to be spoken,” I said. “Thank you most kindly for dinner, kind sir. It was delicious.”
“You’re most welcome. I should be the one thanking you. I can’t remember having so much fun out.”
As he held the car door open for me, I slid onto the seat as I thanked him.
Lincoln headed toward my place, and after a few minutes, he said, “You never told me what the next clue you found was.”
“I shouldn’t have dragged you into a game that Cora and I liked to play.”
“Are you kidding? I’m really enjoying myself,” he said. “Christy, you can’t leave me hanging like this. What did you find behind that sign?”
I smiled at him, and I knew that Lincoln hadn’t just been trying to placate me before. He was genuinely interested in the puzzle for the puzzle itself.
“It was a playing card, and a dried frond from a fern.”
Lincoln nodded. “Which card was it?”
“The Ace of Diamonds,” I said.
Lincoln pondered this as he drove a few more miles, and then asked me an interesting question, something I hadn’t considered. “In what order were they when you removed them? Do you remember?”
“The fern frond was in front of the playing card. If it helps, it was dried out and crumbling at my touch, so the idea of identifying it isn’t going to work.”
“That’s okay. I don’t think I’m going to need to see it,” he said with a deep smile.
“Do you know what it means?” I asked. This man was quick!
“I have a hunch. Do you have to get straight home, or can we detour by your shop? I know it’s late, and you’ve spent all day there, but I doubt that I’ll be able to get to sleep not knowing if I’m right or not.”
“Go to Memories and Dreams, then, by all means,” I said.
“Are we rhyming now, or should I stop and take a bow?” he asked with a grin.
“It was inadvertent,” I said. “I’ve got enough tasks right now without worrying about rhyming my lines.”
“Perhaps for another day,” he said. “How do you feel about puns?”
Most of the people I knew who were fascinated with words adored them, and I was no exception. “I always say, the louder the groan, the better the pun,” I said.
“Seconded,” he replied. “It’s good to find a kindred spirit.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
We were still two blocks from the shop when I noticed a dark figure standing near the front door trying to peer in.
“Lincoln, someone’s trying to break in again,” I said. “Call the police.”
Chapter 10
“I can do better than that,” Lincoln said as he put the accelerator down and flashed on his high beams. “You call the police, and I’ll try to see who’s got trouble on their mind tonight.”
As we raced toward my storefront, the figure ran away, ducking between two buildings before I could catch a glimpse of whoever had just been there.
“They’re gone,” I said.
“You should still call the police,” Lincoln replied. “Christy, I shouldn’t have gotten so carried away. I’m sorry if I scared the burglar off.”
“I’m not,” I replied. “I’ve already been broken into once this week, and I’m in no mood to repeat the experience,” I said as I dialed Sheriff Adam Kent’s telephone number.
“What’s wrong now?” the sheriff asked as he picked up on the other end.
“What makes you think something is wrong?” I asked.
“Christy, you wouldn’t be calling me if it weren’t.”
“Somebody just tried to break into Memories and Dreams again,” I said.
“You should have started the conversation with that particular little tidbit. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
I started to tell him that there wasn’t any hurry since whoever had been at the door had taken off, but I never got a chance to say another word.
“Can you believe that? He hung up on me,” I told Lincoln.
“Is he coming?”
“On a dead run, if the way he signed off is any indication,” I answered. “Should we wait for him inside the shop?”
“It might be a better idea if we wait in the car,” Lincoln said.
“Okay, I’m game if you are.” Two minutes later, the sheriff showed up in his patrol car.
“Where’s the suspect?” he asked after he pulled up beside us.
“He took off between those two buildings,” Lincoln said as he pointed to the spot where our would-be burglar ran.
“You didn’t try to follow him, di
d you?” the sheriff asked.
“No, once we scared him away from the building, we figured that it was your job to track him down,” I said.
“That’s smart thinking. Stay in the car, both of you,” the sheriff said as he pulled out his revolver and followed the bad guy’s footsteps. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Shouldn’t you be calling for backup or something?” I asked as he started to vanish between the buildings.
“Don’t worry. I can handle this by myself,” he said.
“I don’t like this,” I said after the sheriff had been gone a few minutes. “What if the burglar’s waiting to ambush him?”
“I don’t think the sheriff has anything to worry about. Whoever it was has to be long gone by now. Besides, I’ve known that man for years. He’s perfectly capable of protecting himself; there’s no doubt in my mind.”
I hadn’t realized that I was holding my breath until the sheriff came back around the building and walked toward us. I was happy to see that his gun was now reholstered. “Did you see anybody?” I asked as we got out.
“Not a soul,” he said. “Thanks for staying put, though.”
“You’re welcome,” Lincoln said as he smiled at me.
The sheriff double-checked the front door as we all walked over to it. “It’s still locked up tight. The back is okay, too. That was fast, getting an alarm system installed. Good job.”
“I had the feeling at the time that I was locking the barn door after the horses got out, but it turns out that it was a pretty good idea after all.”
“Who did the installation for you?” the sheriff asked me.
I gave him Emily’s name, and he nodded in approval. “She does good work. Listen, don’t hesitate to call if you see anything else suspicious around here.”
He started to get back into his car when Lincoln called out, “Sheriff, Christy would probably sleep better tonight if you doubled up your patrols around here.”
“It’s already been taken care of,” he said, arching an eyebrow at Lincoln as he spoke. “You two have a good night, at least what’s left of it.”
After Sheriff Kent was gone, I said, “I’m not sure that the sheriff approves of us being out this late without a chaperone.”
“He can go bark at the moon if he doesn’t like it. As for me, I’m having the time of my life. How about you?”
“I’ll say this for you, Lincoln. You’re not a bland first date.”
“Is that what this is? I would never have allowed Marybeth to tag along if I’d known it was going to turn into that.” Then he flashed that smile at me again. At least I caught myself before I returned it in full force.
“You know what I mean. Should we call it a night?”
“If you insist,” he said, clearly disappointed by my suggestion. “But what I’d really like to do is go inside the shop and see if my hunch is right.”
I’d nearly forgotten about his awaiting clue interpretation in all of the excitement. “I’m happy to go in if you are. Don’t you have to get up early tomorrow, though? I don’t have to open the shop until ten, so I can always sleep in tomorrow.”
“I’m willing to sacrifice a little sleep in order to do some digging,” he said. I was starting to feel as though Lincoln was my kind of guy, though I wasn’t about to tell him that.
I unlocked the front door, and then I stepped aside. “Lead on. After all, this is your party tonight.”
“I’d be delighted,” he said as he walked into the darkened shop. I flipped on a few lights, but not all of them. I didn’t want anyone to think for one second that I was actually open for business at this time of night.
I locked the door behind us, and then I asked Lincoln, “What do we do now?”
“We need to go straight to the back,” he said. “If I’m right, we’ll know it soon enough.”
“Do you want to see the playing card and whatever is left of that fern frond first?” I asked.
“No, if my hunch is right, we won’t need either one of them.”
“And if you’re wrong?” I asked as I followed him into the back.
“Then I still get to spend a little more time with you, so in a way, it’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?”
“I reserve judgment until I see where this is headed,” I said, though I smiled slightly in spite of my austere comment. Lincoln was fun to be with, I was just beginning to realize. I hoped that Midnight forgave me for acting like a high school girl, but I had a hunch that he would understand.
“Let me ask you one question before we go exploring. Is your heat not working, by any chance?”
“No, it’s been down for a month,” I said. “How could you possibly know that?”
He just smiled. “Follow me.”
“Watch the boxes,” I said as I opened the door, and he nimbly skipped through. I settled them back in place temporarily and followed him into the storeroom.
We walked over to the furnace together and he knelt down beside the access panel, but before Lincoln started to remove it, I put a hand on his. “I think you’ve been cryptic for long enough. What makes you think there’s another clue hiding in there?”
“I just put two and two together,” he said, “and if we find something interesting inside here, it will most emphatically add up to four.”
“Explain.”
He nodded, and his hands dropped from the screws that held the main furnace panel in place. “You said that Cora liked to share puzzles with you. You found two objects in the exit sign, a fern frond and a playing card. The value of the card is crucial in the clue.”
“Fern plus Ace equals Furnace,” I said as I finally got it. How had I missed that before? “I am an idiot.”
“Losing Midnight has temporarily deadened your abilities. There’s no shame in grieving for a lost friend,” he said.
“I still should have caught that one. Would you mind stepping aside? I’d like to see exactly what Cora hid in our disabled furnace for myself.”
Lincoln got up graciously, and I knelt down in his place. The screws had elongated ridges, and besides, they were already a bit loose, but it was still a bit of a task backing them out with my fingertips. Once the panel came off in my hands, I passed it over to Lincoln and then I peered inside.
It was too dark to see anything at first, and the last line of Cora’s poem struck me.
It did indeed appear to be housing the heart of Midnight.
I reached over and grabbed a flashlight that Cora kept nearby for emergencies, and after I turned it on, I peered into the gloom.
What I found there made me wonder if I was seeing things.
It was a paper mache black cat, and someone, most likely Cora, had hand painted a collar and tag for it.
It said proudly ‘Midnight,’ and I wondered what my friend had been up to.
“So, that’s it?” I asked as I looked at the cat in disbelief. “It was one of those puzzles.”
“What do you mean?” Lincoln asked.
I put the cat down on the nearest table and explained, “Every now and then, Cora liked to have a little fun with me. She would build a treasure hunt into something outlandish and overblown, and then the prize would be something nearly worthless. I had my hopes up based on the clues she left me, but honestly, I can’t blame her. She had no idea that someone was going to break into her shop and kill her before I could solve the puzzle.”
“So, where does that leave you?” Lincoln asked.
“Well, for one thing, it’s going to give me more time to focus on figuring out who killed Cora and Midnight. When I get that worked out, I’ll know what whoever did it was looking for.” I considered telling him right then and there about Cora’s notebook, but I wasn’t sure that I was ready to besmirch her name quite yet. If I could find it myself, I could check it out and then destroy it if that’s what it cal
led for, so no one would ever be faced with anything Cora had speculated about them. I’d have to take time to think about sharing the information with anyone else, but not tonight, not while I was standing so close to where Cora and Midnight had died. I could tell Lincoln about it, but then I’d never be able to take it back. I had to be sure of my decision when I made it.
“Do you think the murder was tied into the burglary attempts?” Lincoln asked.
“Don’t you?” I asked him in a roundabout way. I was avoiding his glance, and I had a hunch that he knew it.
“I do,” he replied. “I just wish we knew what there was so valuable.”
“Whatever it is, we’re not going to find it in the storeroom,” I answered.
“What makes you think that?” he asked.
“Well, in the first two burglaries where the burglar actually gained access inside, the messes were restricted to the sales floor. That makes me believe that whoever broke in had reason to believe that whatever they wanted was somewhere on display, but I’ve already looked everywhere, and I couldn’t find a thing.”
“Maybe you just need another set of fresh eyes,” he said.
“Maybe,” I said as evasively as I could manage.
“There’s something else that’s been troubling me,” Lincoln said after a brief pause. “If there was something here that valuable and Cora didn’t realize it, why didn’t the thief just buy it and be done with it?”
“I have a couple of theories about that,” I said.
“I’d love to hear them.”
“First, what if there’s something that ties them to the item that they don’t want known about them?”
“I’d love an example, if you can come up with one,” he said.
“It could have already been stolen from someone else when Cora bought it, and by buying it, the thief could be connected to some link that they wanted to stay hidden.”