by C A Phipps
“I wouldn’t like to interrupt anything.”
“Nonsense. This is Mr. Smith. He’s from the insurance people and came to look at some of my paintings. I told him they weren’t important ones, but he’s been doing the rounds of the entire community this week. I was busy with the community center work, so I guess I might be last.”
“We’ve met.” Maddie said coolly. “Which insurance company do you represent?” she asked, as she followed Mavis into the compact sitting room.
“Mine of course. Agreeable Insurance.” Mavis answered for him.
His smile was that of a crocodile about to dine on an unsuspecting bird, but Maddie knew his character, even if she didn’t know his real name. Mavis and people like her were sitting ducks for the unscrupulous.
“I was under the impression that you were an art connoisseur?”
His smile tightened. “A man can be more than one thing, Ms. Flynn.”
She nodded. “That’s true. Just like a woman can. I hope you can assure Mrs. Anderson that her paintings will be safe?”
He managed an air of nonchalance. “That’s what I do. Just in case something happens to the art we like to make sure the insurance policy is enough to cover them.”
“So you offer this service to other retirement communities?”
“Naturally. Perhaps you or your Gran have some works you’d like an assessment of? I could go by the cottage or the bakery anytime.”
A chill went up her spine. He knew who she was and where she lived. She had been naïve to think he wouldn’t have found out about her after the gallery incident. She couldn’t prove it, but this was definitely a warning to back off, or else.
“Oh I believe we’re well taken care of, thanks. Gran and I own nothing of value.”
He raised an eyebrow and stood. “I guess it depends what’s the most important thing to you. Thank you Mrs. Anderson for your hospitality. I’ll be in touch soon. Now I better visit my other clients before it gets too late.”
Maddie heard his threat but tried not to show how frightened she was. Mavis became a little giddy as she saw him out, while Maddie watched from the hall to make sure he had actually left. When Mavis came back she dropped into her chair.
“Isn’t he just the loveliest man?”
Maddie counted to ten under her breath. “I don’t care much for insurance people.”
“I understand, but he really cares. Bertram has been talking about him for some time, but I kept putting him off. Then out of the blue, he turned up when I got back from the community center. I guess it was meant to be.”
Maddie was absolutely sure it wasn’t. “Did he take any art?”
“Not yet. He looked around first then picked my grandmother’s portrait as one he’d like to get valued.”
“That’s good. Mavis, Gran is out in the car. I’ll just go get her. I’ll be back soon.”
“Why would you leave her there? Did you think I might not be home yet? I’ll go ahead and make fresh tea for her.”
Maddie let her answer her own questions and opened the door. Smith had disappeared and there wasn’t anyone around but her skin still prickled. This place was not safe for any of them. Not until Ethan, Rob or the detective got here. Why weren’t they here by now? She could see Gran in the car on the phone and also saw her shake her head.
“Mavis?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Gran thought you might like to have supper at the cottage instead.”
Mavis came out to the doorway. “Gran’s still in the car?”
“Yes, she’s waiting for us.”
“I don’t understand. I was making tea?”
“I know, but wouldn’t this be more fun.” Maddie used all her charm to entice her.
Her round face lit up. “Yes, it would. We can all have a good gossip over some of Gran’s amazing cooking. Let me get my bag and feed Rembrandt.”
Mavis could not be hurried, and after ensuring that the apartment was locked up three times, Maddie eventually got her into Honey. As she drove, she gave a thought to Nora. If she really was with Bernie, she had to be safe, didn’t she?
When they got to Gran’s, Maddie walked them to the door.
“You go in and make yourself comfortable, Mavis. Laura’s there, somewhere.” Gran shooed her down the hall, then turned to Maddie with a sigh. “You’re not coming in?”
“No. I can’t. I have to find someone to make sure the rest of the residents of the retirement community are protected. After what Nicholas Brack said, I have a bad feeling several people there are in danger. People who could point the finger at forgers and murderers.”
Gran hugged her. “When I saw that man come out of Mavis’s place, I felt sick. I knew from your description who he was and I hunkered down as he walked away. I couldn’t see exactly where he went but he headed back towards the main entrance.”
“He also threatened us. You and me in particular, but he might have meant Angel, Laura and Suzy too. Please keep Mavis and Laura here and make sure this place is locked up tighter than a bank.”
“I certainly will. And, you make sure you don’t do anything to get yourself hurt.”
They hugged again, then Maddie hurried back to Honey and made her way back to the retirement community. She drove slowly around small roads between the apartments and was about to leave again when she spied the Detective. He was outside Bertram Langham’s back door looking out over the fields. He turned to face her but she was too far away to see his features. Finding a car park around the corner she ran back to him.
“Did you hear about Nicholas Brack?” she asked, breathlessly.
Detective Jones frowned. “Obviously you have. We have him at the station in protective custody. Sheriff Tanner brought him in.”
“Thank goodness. Smith was here not long ago. I can’t reach Ethan or Rob.” Then she explained what had happened.
“Ms. Flynn, I was assured by the Sheriff that you would stay away from there. We have Smith and Chance under surveillance. They won’t be getting away, but you could have been hurt and you may have already compromised this investigation.”
“I couldn’t ignore that phone call or Mavis’s plea,” she said, helplessly.
“Don’t you think that’s exactly what their plan was? To get you here?”
Maddie was at a loss for words. She hadn’t thought about that and the fact that Gran might have been hurt along with Mavis because she couldn’t leave things alone.
“I suggest you head on home now and leave this to the professionals, but I thank you for your help so far and for being so community minded.”
The brush off was complete and Maddie headed back to Honey feeling like a willful child. Which didn’t stop her being worried about everyone. Where was Ethan? Maddie hoped he was safe. For him not to return any calls, he must be neck deep in the case somewhere. At least she had been able to pass on the information to Detective Jones, who was heading the case since Owen’s murder. Maybe some of it had been new to him and Nicholas Brack was safe, which made her feel a little better.
She hadn’t gotten back to Honey, when a shout halted her steps. She turned, knowing where it had come from and ran back to where she had left Jones. A man was dragging the prone detective towards the pond at the bottom of the garden. In a panic she searched for a weapon. She should have paid more attention to who else was near.
Too late! A hand grabbed her from behind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mr. Smith turned her around to sneer into her face, a little spittle captured in the corner of his mouth.
“I knew you’d be trouble, but I underestimated just how much.”
He shook her until her teeth rattled, which also prevented her screaming. Then he put a hand across her mouth. He might be smaller than Chance but his fingers were like iron. She twisted and tried to bite him but nothing she did had any effect.
A deep voice boomed. “Let’s go. We can’t do anything about her here. Not with her boyfriend on the loose.”
“What about the detective?” Smith asked.
“He’ll be fine. The way I hit him, he’s not coming around from that any time soon. If at all. Lucky you saw the baker come back before she could alert anyone. Not that anyone around here seems to pay any attention to what’s going on.”
While Maddie was hoping that wasn’t true, especially right now, Chance picked her up under one arm like a doll, his other hand replacing Smith’s on her mouth and jogged to their car, probably the same one they’d used before but with different plates. It was hidden behind a large tree which is why she hadn’t noticed it.
Smith opened the back door and Chance threw her in. The breath was knocked from her body as she hit the opposite door and she could only wheeze her indignation at his treatment. He climbed in behind her so she had to scoot along or get squashed, as he closed the door with one hand while pulling out a gun from the front of his pants.
“You sit nice and quiet, lady. One chance is all you get.”
He waved the gun at her, taunting her to disobey. Blood was stuck to the end of it and Maddie hoped fervently that Jones was going to be okay. She wasn’t feeling as optimistic with her own chances of survival. Then she thought of the people that had and were suffering at the hands of these two me and her blood began to boil.
“You know it won’t matter where you take me, the Sheriff will find you.”
Smith laughed as he climbed in the front. “Isn’t that sweet that you think so? Far be it from me to dampen your trust in your hero, but as we speak, he’s on another goose chase.”
His continued laughter grated on her nerves as he drove out of the parking lot at a steady speed. At the first intersection Maddie spied a familiar blue Sedan, then Chance pushed her head down, rather roughly, so she couldn’t be sure if it was Ethan’s car or not. She hoped so. But how would he know that she was inside the criminals’ vehicle.
She knew Maple Falls inside and out, but the way Smith was driving meant that, despite her best efforts, with her inability to see out the windows she was quickly becoming disorientated. He must have doubled back through a few country lanes, because she couldn’t hear any other vehicles.
Then Smith slowed a little. Managing to turn her head slightly under the large paw, she could see a canopy of trees. The dappled light was receding, but she knew this road. They were headed into the Maple Falls Country Club.
They must have gone around the back because a bump signaled that they had left the drive and were crossing grass. The grounds man would have a fit when he saw this tomorrow morning. As soon as she thought it, she bit her lip to remind herself that allowing her mind to wander right now would not be helpful.
They parked and a sensor light came on outside. Smith cursed and jumped out. Smashing glass made her flinch, then it was darker once more. Her door was yanked open and Smith grabbed her arm rather more firmly than necessary. He half dragged her out of the car and pushed her towards a large shed.
Aside from his deep breathing, and their shoes on the gravel, it was eerily quiet as if even the trees dare not move. Shadows formed around them and Maddie’s heart raced as she sought a way out of this predicament.
Chance was already there and he unlocked, then slid the roller door up to reveal a ride-on mower and various tools a grounds man used. They by-passed this down the right-hand side and went to where a partition separated the back of the shed from one side to the other.
There was no handle on the door, but there was a very large padlock. Smith pulled out another key and unlocked this. Again, she was propelled forward as if she were a doll. It wasn’t a big room, and looked like it had been made in a rush. There was a small grimy window on the rear wall which barely allowed in any light.
Stacked against the far wall were what looked like large canvases. Beside them was a small table made of a plank of wood held up by small crates. Two canvas’s sat there glistening and after what she’d heard and witnessed, Maddie would bet a whole apple pie that they were either copies or expensive paintings covered in new work.
“Sit down over there,” Smith pointed to another slightly larger crate.
“Don’t make a move,” Chance said through gritted teeth as he hefted a couple of the canvases and went outside.
Smith dragged the others a few at a time to the doorway, using the corners of the cloth that was underneath them. Then Chance took them to the vehicle. They had clearly done this before as they didn’t speak. It also meant they didn’t intend to leave her alone with any opportunity to escape.
It took a while. There were more paintings than Maddie had thought, making her wonder how they would get them from here to wherever they were going. There was no way they could put all of the stolen art into a car. Therefore, the sedan was out of the question even though it had a large trunk. That must mean there was another vehicle. A van seemed likely, yet she hadn’t seen one.
Chance came back to the door, breathing heavily. “These last few are too heavy and awkward to carry. You’ll need to help me with them,” he said to Smith.
“Don’t even think about moving.” Smith glared as he disappeared through the opening.
She heard a vehicle start up. Then another. The second one sounded closer. Creeping to the doorway, she tried to see outside, but the angle was wrong. About to push her luck by following them, she heard footsteps and ran to the crate.
Smith arrived back, red-faced and ill-tempered. Physical work did not seem to be his forte. He came so close his feet were barely an inch from hers. He bent down until they were eye to eye.
“I should kill you for sabotaging my plans. Everything was going well until you stuck your nose in where it didn’t belong.” Then he shrugged, running a finger down her cheek. “Lucky for you, I admire your persistence and I don’t have time to deal with another body. I’m going to lock you in this room and you should think yourself lucky that I’m not letting my friend deal with you instead. You might be here a few hours, but then again . . .”
He smirked and Maddie, sickened by his touch, moved as far back on the crate as she could. His obsidian eyes shone in the glimmer of moonlight from the window and he looked feral. It seemed like a good idea this once not to say anything and she looked away, but couldn’t still her fingers drumming on her thigh.
Her silence clearly annoyed him, as he slammed out of the room without another word. The thin door creaked, then seconds later the lock clicked. She rushed over and pressed her ear on the door, but wasn’t able to hear anyone, so she gave it a push, not really expecting it to move, and was surprised when it shook. The room was definitely an afterthought as even the walls felt flimsy.
Was she strong enough to break it down? She didn’t think so.
Suddenly she heard the roller door going down. Before it finished there was the sound of a car door slamming. Then two more slams. They had stopped being quiet, but why? Frustrated, she ran to the small window, which was too high to see out of, and looked around her. The crate she had been sitting on would be perfect! She dragged it over to the window and once she had it in position she climbed on top of it. The darn thing wobbled and her arms flailed like a scarecrow in a storm, but luckily it didn’t collapse.
From here she had a wide view of the golf course and leaning her face against the window she could also see the front end of a van. A white van! So, there were indeed two vans and Smith and Chance were about to escape in the second one.
Her hands sought a handle but this was a window that didn’t open. It made sense now, why they had thought she wasn’t a threat to them in here. Frantically looking around at the dimly lit room she spied the crates, planks, and the two paintings.
Smith and Chance had not taken any of the damp art and she couldn’t bring herself to be anything but gentle as she lay them on the ground. She picked up the plank, which was a lit
tle unwieldy, and hefted it on her shoulder like a javelin and carried it to the window. She leaned back with the wood a couple of feet over her shoulder then rocked backwards and forwards to gain some force.
“One. Two. Three.” She leaned one foot forward and hit the glass with everything she had. The cracking sound was its own reward. A couple more whacks and the glass shattered in and out of the shed. Her hands covered her face, but she could feel a few nicks.
The sounds of sirens cut through the quiet of the countryside. Had the crooks heard them too? She took off her jacket and lay it over the jagged glass so that she could lean out. They wouldn’t have heard her over the revving of the engines.
Maddie was delighted to hear the wheels skidding in the grass. Great clumps of earth flew into the air and she knew that the driver of the van had no idea how to get out of the ruts he was forming. She could smell the fumes as the engine strained.
“Help me, you idiot!” Smith screamed at Chance.
The van moved backward and forward as if it were being rocked, but the wheels couldn’t find traction. That van wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
Cursing as the sirens got louder, Smith jumped out, yelling again. “We’ll both take the car.”
“What about the paintings?” Chance screeched back.
“Paintings or jail? Your call, but I’m off.”
“I’m not leaving empty handed.”
“Take the smaller ones, if you must. But do it now, otherwise you’re on your own.”
This time the cursing came from Chance as she heard the car start up. Not long after, the sedan sped off across the golf course. They had a head start, but it wasn’t much. Maddie jumped up and down on the crate as Ethan’s car came flying around the trees hot on their heels, followed by two of the deputies’ cars. Then they were gone from sight.
Just then a low moan came from the farthest corner of the room. Maddie jumped off the crate and found an old tarpaulin there. She pulled it back to uncover not one, but two men. One was covered in blood and it was hard to see his face. The other was motionless.