Leigh gasped.
“Ingenious design,” R.J. said eagerly. “You can see this was installed when the house itself was built. Wasn’t Heartskeep built in the early 1900s? Whoever designed this was a master craftsman. Your grandfather must have kept all the moving parts well lubricated. Did I mention the room’s even wired for electricity? Unfortunately, I’ve still got the power turned off in this section, but I turned it back on in the rest of the house.”
R.J. clicked on a powerful flashlight. The windowless room came fully into view. The walls were unfinished and the floor was bare wood. An old card table held a dust-covered computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer. A squat metal file cabinet sat on the floor beside the table, and a folding chair and a floor lamp completed the amenities.
“I never knew this was here,” Leigh breathed.
“Didn’t think so. Before you go in there, notice that my footprints are the only ones in the room,” R.J. pointed out. “I’d guess not too many people knew about this room’s existence. It looks to me like nothing has been disturbed in here in a long time.”
“Seven years,” Leigh murmured. “That’s how long it’s been since my grandfather died.”
Gavin stepped inside. He ran his finger through the layer of dust, dirt and soot that covered the keyboard.
“There’s more,” R.J. told them excitedly.
He threw the beam of light on the far wall. The outline of another door was starkly evident.
“It operates exactly the same way, and it’s just as invisible from the other side. I’d love to meet the guy who designed this room,” R.J. enthused.
“This isn’t like the hidden room Hayley told me about, that the firemen found off Marcus’s office, is it?” Leigh asked.
“Not even close,” R.J. assured her. “That was new construction, a simple push door. This is way different. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Where does the door lead?” Gavin asked. He stepped forward to examine the mechanism more closely. R.J.’s footprints indicated he’d already checked out the other opening.
“There’s a bedroom closet on the other side,” he told Gavin.
“Jacob’s room,” Leigh reminded him.
Gavin found the second switch and opened the panel. He ducked to avoid the clothes pole and empty hangers that spanned the length of the closet, and stepped through. Beyond the open closet door they could see the bedroom.
“Close the panel from the inside, R.J. Let me see if I can open it from the closet side,” Gavin requested.
Leigh joined him.
“Didn’t you tell me all the closets in the house are lined with cedar paneling?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “You think there’re more of these rooms?”
“We won’t know until we look.”
Once closed, the entrance was invisible. The cedar paneling fit flush, making it appear to be a simple seam. Gavin ran his hands over the boards.
“I found the trip switch. It’s easy once you know what to feel for. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Eagerly, she traded places. She ran her fingers down the wood until she felt a slight depression. As she pushed firmly, the door slid back without a sound.
R.J. was still grinning. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Gavin said seriously, “we ought to keep this little secret to ourselves for now.”
R.J.’s grin melted away. The boyish look vanished. “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, Gavin looked at Leigh. “If your grandfather hid this computer before he died, there may have been a good reason.”
Leigh’s eyes widened.
“I may be overreacting, but I don’t think we want anyone to know what we’ve found until we can check it out. We’d better take the computer out of here.”
“It may not run,” R.J. pointed out. “I’d try to blow off the dust before you turn it on or you could have another fire on your hands.”
“Good point.”
“I’ve got a dolly in my truck,” R.J. told him. “Do you want to move the filing cabinet too?”
“Where are we going to put them?” Leigh asked.
“The library?”
Leigh looked at R.J., suddenly feeling nervous. “Are you sure there’s no one in the house besides us?”
Gavin tensed. R.J. frowned. “Reasonably sure. In a place this size, it’s hard to be positive, but Lucky hasn’t raised an alarm.”
“Would he? I mean, if it was someone he knew?”
“What are you thinking, Leigh?”
She shook her head at Gavin, unable to put her unease into words. “I think…” She shrugged helplessly. “I’m just nervous.”
Gavin ran a hand through his hair. “Can you block the hole so your men won’t notice it?”
“Sure. I’ll rig something up,” R.J. promised.
“Jam the opening from the inside as well,” Gavin suggested. “We’ll still have access through the bedroom, but none of your men can stumble onto this by accident the way you did.”
“You two want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I only wish we knew.”
Chapter Nine
They decided to leave the file cabinet where it was until morning. Night wrapped the estate in a blanket so dark not even stars lit the sky. As Gavin loaded the computer in the trunk of his car, he caught Leigh staring up at the house.
“What?”
With a barely perceptible shudder, she turned away. R.J.’s taillights disappeared down the driveway.
“My imagination likes overtime,” she told him.
“Your imagination isn’t the only one,” he agreed. “This place is downright creepy in the dark.” Hidden eyes seemed to watch them from behind the drapes. “Let’s get the computer over to the Walkens’ and—”
“We can’t take it there.”
“Why not?”
“The Jenkinses were coming for dinner tonight. You know what a gossip Mrs. Jenkins is. The entire county will know about the computer five minutes after she sees us bring it into the house. Can’t we take it somewhere else? What about your place?”
Until that moment, Gavin had never thought twice about the shabby apartment he rented over the dry-cleaning shop in town. Cheap, furnished and convenient had been his only requirements when he moved back to help Ira. While the Walkens had urged him to stay with them, he’d wanted the privacy and convenience of his own place in town.
“Is that a problem, Gavin?”
“Not if it doesn’t bother you. I’d suggest taking the computer to my office, but that would require some explanations in the morning.”
“Why would it bother me to go to your place? I don’t even know where your place is.”
“In town over the dry cleaners.”
“One of Keith’s shops?”
Gavin returned her stare. “I never thought about that. I suppose it must be.”
“Keith doesn’t own the building, does he?”
“Not to my knowledge. I rented the place through the real-estate company in town. Earlwood’s family was into dry cleaning and the stock market, not real estate.”
“Then he’d have no reason to know you live there.”
“Probably not. Their main facility is outside of town.”
“Then it should be safe enough. It just seems sort of an odd coincidence—you living above one of Keith’s shops.”
“I know what you’re saying, but not really. There aren’t many places for rent in a town the size of Stony Ridge.”
“True.”
He started down the rutted driveway, suddenly anxious to be away from the spooky old estate. They were totally isolated out here. Between the day’s events and the atmosphere surrounding Heartskeep, he was feeling uncomfortably vulnerable this far from other people.
“Maybe my place isn’t such a good idea after all.”
“You don’t think Nolan will come looking for you, do you?”
“No,” he said thoughtfully. “F
ace-to-face confrontation’s not his style unless the person is smaller than him, but I wish I knew what he thought we might learn at the racetrack. It strikes me as odd that Earlwood, Pepperton and Ducort maintained a relationship over the years.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“They never really had all that much in common. Martin Pepperton was part of the racing set. His family’s wealth and position in the community set him apart from everyone else at school. I always wondered why he was there in the first place. His family’s the private-school type.”
“Maybe he got kicked out of private school.”
“Possible. I know Ducort was. He used to brag about it. He was always looking for an angle. I can see him staying in touch with Pepperton because of his connections, but Earlwood puzzles me. I always thought he was just one of those fringe types that like to hang with the rich and famous because of their clout. That sort tends to drift away after a while. He didn’t have the money or the charm to keep up with the other two. It seems odd that he’s still running Ducort’s errands after all this time.”
“He said Nolan was going to loan him some money,” she pointed out.
“I know. It just doesn’t feel right somehow.”
They fell silent for several minutes before Leigh spoke again.
“Not to change the subject, Gavin, but this computer R.J. found isn’t going to help us figure out what happened to the money missing from my grandfather’s estate, you know.”
“I know. But he must have had some reason for hiding it away like he did.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s broken and he put it in there to get it out of the way,” she said, sounding troubled.
“Think that’s likely?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve been wondering if we took the wrong thing out of that room. Maybe it was the filing cabinet, not the computer, that he was hiding.”
“You could be right, but moving the computer was easier than moving the files tonight. If the computer works, maybe we can learn something from it. You did say your grandfather had an extensive history on Heartskeep.”
“He did, but most of that was on paper. I don’t know how much is apt to be in the computer. Do you think there are more hidden rooms? When I think of all the time I wasted being afraid of the attic I feel stupid. People could have been spying on me from the balcony or hiding in rooms I didn’t even know existed.”
“What made you afraid of the attic?”
“I don’t know, really. I guess because it was always kept locked. Secrets are always scary, don’t you think?”
“And you did say it was the perfect place for the bogeyman to hide.”
She couldn’t smile despite his gentle teasing. “I always thought so,” she said seriously. “But all this time he could have been hiding in my bedroom closet instead. Sort of gives me the willies.”
“You’re leaping to conclusions, you know. There’s nothing to say every closet in the house has a hidden room. In fact, I’d think it’s pretty unlikely. The room off your grandfather’s suite wasn’t even attached to a closet on his side.”
“Actually, I think it might have been at one time. Grandpa’s suite used to be two separate bedrooms. He had it remodeled right before we came there to live.”
Gavin pondered that as he reached the outskirts of Stony Ridge. The downtown area was so quiet, it resembled a ghost town. And in light of their current discussion, that was a particularly disturbing thought.
He drove around to the back of the shopping center where he usually parked, but as his headlights swept the lot, he glimpsed something moving just beyond their range. More a flicker than anything concrete, but enough to send up an alarm.
Beyond the parking area the ground gave way to a steep, overgrown hillside. The spot was frequented by foxes and other wildlife. And possibly someone with a gun and a grudge?
Braking, he put the car in Reverse. “Get down.”
“What’s wrong?”
Even as she asked, Leigh sank low in her seat. He glanced over at her.
“Something moved near the edge of the hill. It may have been the wind, but we aren’t going to take any chances. One confrontation a day is my limit.”
“There isn’t any wind.”
“Yeah. I know.”
He pulled onto the street. There were plenty of open parking spaces across from them. The stores were dark and empty at this hour, but an occasional car did drive past and there were lights in most of the apartments nesting over the old storefronts. If someone lurked behind his building, they could stay there all night. Gavin had no intention of tempting fate. Not with Leigh at his side.
“Do you think Keith called Nolan?” Leigh asked, sitting up.
“As soon as he got to a phone,” Gavin responded dryly. He made a U-turn and parked. He turned off the engine, but sat there without pulling his keys from the ignition.
“Should we go inside?” she asked.
“No. I think I should drive you back to the Walken estate.”
“I knew you were going to say that! Forget it, Gavin. We’re here now and I want to see the inside of your apartment.”
His lips twitched. “There isn’t much to see. I don’t spend much time there, Leigh. It’s just a place to stay while I’m working in town.”
“You talk like you aren’t planning to stick around.”
“I probably won’t. Ira needed help about the same time I decided I wasn’t going to be happy if I stayed at the large firm where I was working.” As he spoke, his gaze raked the street. “A friend and I have been talking about setting up a practice in New York City.”
She followed his gaze with an unhappy frown. “What are you looking for?”
“Trouble.”
Gavin muttered an oath as he spotted a familiar green car parked a short distance behind them. “And darned if I didn’t find it.”
“Keith’s car,” Leigh whispered.
“I should have thrown his keys farther.”
Lots farther. He hadn’t expected this. Keith didn’t strike him as the sort to retaliate unless he was goaded into it. On the other hand, an ambush with one or two “friends” was exactly Ducort’s style.
“I don’t suppose you’d wait in the car while I have a look around?” he asked.
“Good guess.”
Taking Leigh inside was out of the question now. The only smart thing to do—
“Gavin! There’s someone inside the dry-cleaning store!”
His gaze flew to the shop under his apartment. She was right. Someone was moving around inside in the dark. Even as they watched, the shadowy shape vanished from sight.
“Not exactly subtle, is he?”
“We should call the police,” Leigh said.
“It’s Earlwood’s store. He has every right to be inside if he wants to be.”
“But he’s waiting for you to come home.”
“We don’t know that. He could have another reason for being there, although I admit, none comes to mind.”
“After what happened earlier—”
“You mean when we accosted him?” Gavin pointed out.
Exasperated, Leigh glared at him. “Well, what are we going to do?”
“The more I think about it, the more I like your first idea.” He picked up his cell phone. As soon as the police dispatcher answered, he identified himself. “I want to report a possible prowler inside the We Clean Dry Cleaners on Roster Avenue.”
Leigh grinned in approval. They both looked toward the building.
A giant fireball suddenly exploded inside the shop. The blast rocked the street, shattering windows.
“Send the fire department!” Gavin yelled to the dispatcher. “The store just exploded!” He dropped the phone and reached for the door handle. “Stay here!”
Keith Earlwood—if the figure had been him—was still inside the building. Gavin sprinted across the street, wondering what had caused such a blast. No actual cleaning was done inside the building, so ther
e shouldn’t have been any flammable chemicals to cause an explosion like that.
Earlwood must be torching the place.
Most of the plate-glass window had fallen, spewing glass across the sidewalk, but several huge shards still rocked in the casing. He hoped Earlwood had escaped, but he would have had to have gone out the back. Gavin started to change direction when he realized something was moving inside the burning store.
He swore as a figure wreathed in flames staggered toward the front door.
Gavin got there first, but the door was locked. Every window along the block had blown out except the one over the door. Fate, or the wall inside, had sheltered it from the concussion. Frantically, he looked around for something to use to break the glass. Leigh ran over with his baseball bat in her hand.
Saving his admiration for later, Gavin took the bat and swung. The window had been reinforced with safety glass, but it gave with a satisfying crunch when he struck it a couple of times. Heat and smoke rushed out at him. Dropping the bat, he reached inside and fumbled for the dead bolt.
The figure collapsed to the floor, writhing as flames engulfed him. Grabbing the cloth that formed part of the front-window display, Gavin and Leigh used the fabric to smother the flames. Embers flew in all directions. Flames roared in his ears. The figure stopped moving. Gavin hoped he’d only passed out, but Earlwood was horribly burned.
“We have to get him out!” Leigh said, choking on the thick smoke.
Together, they got him onto the sidewalk. A passing motorist stopped. He ran over holding a small fire extinguisher.
A second explosion rocked the building. As the concussion whipped at them, the building seemed to swell with flames while the empty street began to fill with people.
Screaming sirens announced the arrival of the local police and the fire department. Gavin pulled Leigh aside to let the emergency medical technicians take over. He knew there wasn’t much they could do for the victim. It would be a miracle if Earlwood survived.
Firefighters waved them back and set to work. Gavin found himself holding Leigh tightly when another blast shook the neighborhood.
The Second Sister Page 15