by DK Herman
I realized I was near Hank's office window, but I didn't see a light. There were no voices coming from the office either. If it was a business meeting, why weren't they in the office? I heard a small, metallic scraping sound to my left. About thirty feet away in that direction, George's property started. On it, there were two small sheds and a large, wooden, pole barn. The pole barn was where George's uncle had fixed cars for a living. It looked in good shape but hadn't been used in twenty years.
I heard the sound again. Someone was over there. Maybe, it was Hank and Brittany. She was a real estate agent, and he wanted to buy the property. But I thought George didn't have it up for sale yet. Gram told me this afternoon that his son wanted it in his name. Again, I heard metal scrape from that direction. I had my gun, should I go have a look around over there. What if, after getting all...primed with me, Hank was submitting to Brittany's slutty charms.
My brain said no, but my feet didn't listen. I stealthily made my way to the pole barn and tried to peek through a filthy window. Seeing dark shapes, I squinted into the gloom. Something moved inside. And it could have been my imagination, but I thought I heard a female voice and a giggle close by.
"Damn it, what are they doing in there?” I said under my breath and began looking for a way inside. There was a big, roll up door in front of the building, but I had no idea how to open it. Around the back, I found a small set of double doors that slid on a track. Made of heavy tin, they appeared to be in good shape. I grabbed a handle on one side and pulled. The tin door moved easily but with a screech. It may have been the noise that I heard before. Slowly, I opened it just far enough so I could slip inside.
The interior of the building smelled like old grease, gasoline, and mold. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I used the screen as a flashlight. I shone it toward a vehicle that reminded me of a small, pickup truck. It was parked a few feet from the door that I'd just entered. It was an ATV. The kind of ATV that had two seats, and a bed for hauling things in the back. I shone my light inside the bed. There was a spade shovel, pick, and dark stains that looked like blood.
I walked around to the other side and shone my light on the seats. Balled up on the passenger seat was a blue, plastic tarp. Stunned, I backed away without touching anything. I was expecting to find a cheating boyfriend in this garage, not a murderer’s den. My mind was spinning. This answered the question of how the killer got the bodies into the woods. I remembered the noises I’d heard a few minutes ago, and shuddered. He must have just been here. I needed to get out of the building and call the cops.
Something clanged loudly, and the door I'd left open shook. It was so loud that instinctively, I jumped back, dropping my phone. Suddenly, the cement floor was gone from under my feet, and I fell a good six feet, landing on my back in a few inches of moldy water.
I lay in the foul-smelling water and mud, trying to get my breath back. There were sounds of someone in the garage above me. I heard footsteps, but they weren't coming near the pit where I lay. I reached for my waist. Relief washed over me when my fingers encountered my Glock. Unsnapping the strap, I pulled it from the holster and flipped off the safety.
Getting to my knees, I forced myself to stand. I realized that I was in the garage's work pit. About four feet across and sixteen long, the pit had a dirt floor that must take on water when it rained. The top of the cinder block walls were a few inches over my head. The cinder blocks were slippery with old grease and mold. There were no steps to climb, or anything I could get a grip on, to try to pull myself up.
Suddenly, the gasoline odor got overpowering and there was a whoosh, followed by a flash of light above me. I smelled smoke. Someone had set the garage on fire!
I frantically searched for a way out of the pit. I jumped at the walls, trying to find some traction for my feet. I reached on tip toes and placed both hands against the cement floor, trying to climb out. But it wasn't going to work.
"Help!" I screamed. "Please, someone help me! I'm in the old garage and it’s on fire!" I could see the flames racing along the walls, heading for the ceiling. The old wood was burning so quickly. "Help me, please! Somebody! Help!" I thought I heard footsteps again, over the growing sound of the fire's crackling. "Is somebody there? Help!"
I saw a silhouette above me. Someone lay on the cement, reaching down to me with their arms What if it was the killer? But I shoved my gun back into its holster and took the hands offered to me. I'd rather get my throat slit than roast to death, and I wanted out of this damned pit!
I made it to the garage floor, my rescuer near me in the dense smoke. The heat was unbearable. My eyes watering from the thick smoke, hindered me from seeing my rescuers identity. My lungs filled with smoke when I tried to breathe, choking me. My rescuer helped me to stand on the cement floor, and we quickly ran out the door.
Fresh air filled my lungs and I coughed. Dizzily, we kept moving away from the fire and back toward Hank's. We were still clinging to each other when we reached the bar's well-lit kitchen door. And I saw it was Doc that had saved my life.
She helped me sit on the plastic crate, and hunkered down next to me. We still held hands while trying to catch our breath.
"Thanks Doc," I said, squeezing her hand.
"Sure, but what the hell were you doing down in a hole, in a burning building?" She coughed. "Private detecting again?"
"No." I had my own coughing spasm. "Actually, I was looking for Hank. He's somewhere with Brittany. I thought I heard them in the garage."
"That skank doesn't have a chance with him, Hal." She looked at me with concern when I couldn't stop coughing. "You've got smoke inhalation for nothing. She's a pile of crap compared to you."
I coughed up a huge, soot laden, wad of phlegm and spat it on the ground. "Yeah, I'm a real class act."
We broke into a fit of laughter and coughing. The kitchen door flew open. Both cooks stood in the doorway staring at us.
Doc pointed at the burning building next door. "Call 911," she said.
The woman ran to call while the man helped us inside. Nobody knew where Hank was, so Doc got us both a glass of water. I drank greedily, the cool water feeling wonderful on my raw throat.
"How did you find me, Doc?" I sipped the water again.
"I just got here and parked. When I got out of my car I smelled smoke. I came around the back of the bar to see what was burning and saw the flames. I heard someone screaming for help. I didn't know it was you until I pulled you out of the hole." She produced my phone, from her pocket. "This looks like yours, I found it on the garage floor."
"Great! Thanks again, Doc." I smiled and gave her a hug. She had really saved the day.
Hank burst into the kitchen, Brittany on his heels. "Are you alright, Hallie." He looked alarmed at my appearance.
Smoke stained my skin, and every inch of my clothes were wet and muddy. I reeked of moldy water and smoke. My wet hair, plastered to my head was also coated with mud. I had broken most of my nails on the cinder block walls of the pit, trying to climb out. The polish was chipped on what was left them, and I was missing my left shoe.
"I'll live." I coughed again. Where had Hank been with that slut?
"Well, go home and shower," Brittany said smugly. She put a hand possessively on Hank's bicep. "You positively reek!"
"Brittany, if you don't want to need a plastic surgeon to straighten out your snout again, get the hell out of here!" Doc approached her menacingly. She was taller than Brittany, even in sneakers, and could be very intimidating when she wanted to be. Doc was awesome!
At Brittany's screech of indignation, Hank pulled her hand off his arm and came to me. He put his hand on my cheek. "What can I do to help, honey? Does she need to go to the hospital, Doc?”
"Hank, really!" Brittany objected. "First you disappear, now you're wasting my time, with her!"
"Brittany, just go away and leave me alone. You're fired. I'll get a different real estate agent." Hank smiled at me and gently kissed my lips.
"Yo
u can all go to hell!" Brittany spat, and stomped off on her spike heels.
I kissed Hank this time. "I'm OK. But the building next door is going up in flames."
"You may want to get the crowd out of here for their own safety. That building is close enough to have sparks land on the bar's roof," Doc said.
Hank moved quickly and looked out the backdoor. We could hear sirens moving up the highway.
"I'll be right back," Hank said. "Doc, will you stay with her?"
Doc nodded. “And if Gabi’s out there, tell her I’ll take Hallie home.”
Hank went out to the bar area. Soon the music stopped, and the bar buzzed with excited voices. Then the sound of feet heading for the exit drifted back to us.
Soon, I was in the office. Doc and I were breathing from oxygen masks. Chief Woods and a new Herville cop, named Jason Brady, were asking me questions. I was breathing better, but Doc was doing her protective thing. It was wonderful to have such a good friend.
"You say, you didn't start the fire." Chief Woods looked at me over the top of his glasses. "Not even by accident?"
"No sir, I didn't." I pulled the mask away from my face. I had a jacket that belonged to Hank slung over my shoulders. "I was getting some air when I thought I heard someone inside the garage. The back was open and I went inside." I took another deep breath from the mask. "Inside, I found an ATV with digging tools and a blue plastic tarp. I was alarmed by a sound and in the dark I fell into the work pit." I noticed Hank, listening to my every word from the doorway.
Chief Woods knew the significance of my find. He was quiet and seemed to be thinking. "Who started the fire, if it wasn’t you?" Officer Brady asked, a pompous expression on his face.
"I heard someone moving around in the garage while I was trapped in the pit. I believe they started it. I smelled gasoline before the flames started." Chief Woods nodded at me after I finished speaking.
"Now why, would some unknown person, just happen to come along and start a fire in an old garage while you were trapped in a pit?" Officer Brady rolled his eyes at me. The arrogant jackass would be perfect for Brittany.
"Jason, go outside, and check on the fire." Chief Woods told the other cop sternly. "Don't let anyone inside, even after it's out."
Officer Brady left without arguing. Chief Woods waited until he was gone before speaking again. "Do you remember seeing anything else, Hallie?"
"Blood stains. There were, what looked like huge blood stains in the bed of the ATV." I meekly, looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry. I stumbled onto all that evidence and got caught. So, knowing I would report it, he destroyed it."
"We’ re lucky he didn’t destroy you.” Chief Woods said kindly, before turning to my friend. “Doc Shuman, that was a nice save. But, did you see anything that might help us catch this guy?" Chief Woods asked.
"I arrived in the parking lot, smelled smoke and went looking for the source. I saw flames in the old Murphy garage and heard cries for help. When I investigated, I found someone in a hole. It was so smoky and dark, I didn't know it was Hallie until we got back here." Doc shrugged. "I didn't see anybody else.
"And Hank, where were you?" Chief Woods asked.
Hank looked startled. "I was looking for Hallie. I wanted to finish...a conversation we were having when we were interrupted." He gave me a wink.
"Where did you look?"
"The kitchen, in the bar, and the parking lot," Hank said.
"OK," Chief Woods said. "That's all I need for now. Ms. James, if you need more medical attention, the ambulance can transport you to the hospital."
"I'm fine now." I put down the oxygen mask. "What I really need is a bath,” I said before my stomach suddenly growled like a bear.
"And maybe something to eat?" Hank took my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Want something to take home?"
I nodded. Food while I soaked in my big tub, sounded like just the thing. "Anything would be great." My stomach rumbled again.
"Doc, want something while I’m cooking?" Hank asked.
"Sure." Doc stood, and we all went to the kitchen.
Chief Woods went out the backdoor, and Hank started cooking.
TWELVE
Relaxing in hot water with a to go box from Hank's was heaven. I had taken a shower first because of all the mud and yuck in my hair. Now I felt clean and fresh as I munched on a cheese steak sandwich and breaded mushrooms. Doc, used to eating on the run, hadn't waited to dive into her own box of food before dropping me off.
Ben still hadn't showed. Mulling over what Gabi had told me, I popped a breaded mushroom into my mouth. Ben had been in town Saturday afternoon, getting a haircut and flirting with Amy Klein. When I called him Sunday night, I could have sworn he’d said that he was on his way to Herville. He was going back to Ohio tomorrow when the coroner released his sister's body. I had to talk to him before he left town. Where did he get to, tonight?
I finished eating and stretched in the cooling water. It was petty of me, but I was thrilled when Hank fired Brittany. He really seemed to care about me, and we were seeing each other again tonight. My love life was looking up!
After I finished eating, I got out of the tub and dried my hair. I brushed my teeth and slipped on a soft, oversized tee shirt. Making sure my Glock and phone were on the nightstand, I climbed into bed.
My phone woke me at nine o'clock the next morning. The display told me it was my grandmother. She happily informed me that George didn’t have sleep apnea. He was going to be discharged from the hospital in an hour. I assured her that we would be there. I wondered if the police had told him that his uncle's garage burned down last night.
I reluctantly climbed out of bed. My back and legs were stiff and my butt sore from falling into the pit. I checked for bruises in the mirror. Not finding any new ones, I dressed in jeans and a green, short sleeved blouse. Teeth brushed, hair combed, and a little makeup on my face, I went to the kitchen for coffee.
I wasn't hungry this morning. The cheese steak and mushrooms lingered in my stomach from last night. Gram's eagerness for George saved me from Liv's wrath when I turned down her French toast.
We arrived in George's room ten minutes early. The doctor was going over his discharge instructions. I listened in, just in case I was needed to help with anything. George was as eager as Gram to leave the hospital. I told them I was going to get Chitty and would be waiting to pick them up at the main entrance.
Fifteen minutes later, the three of us were on our way home. George was buckled into Chitty's passenger seat while Gram tried not to roll around on the kitchen bed. I managed to get us home without dumping my grandmother onto the RV floor. We were all happy to see Ben's truck parked in our driveway.
Gram insisted on George going straight up to his suite. He tried to object, insisting that after his hospital stay, he needed fresh air more than anything else. I told him about the balcony, an amenity that each suite in the house possessed. I suggested that he and Gram have their lunch there. He agreed happily and let Gram lead him upstairs. With George settled for a while, I went in search of Ben.
I found him in the kitchen eating my reheated breakfast. He looked humble when he saw me. Also, he looked hung over as hell. Outside of a vampire movie, I'd never seen eyes that red on anybody.
"Good morning, sunshine," I said cheerily and sat on a stool next to him. "You look a bit rough."
"Yeah. My beer or six estimate turned out to be a tad low," he said.
"Where'd you go?" I snitched a piece of bacon from his plate.
"I went to a club with some guys I met." He took a swig of coffee. "Sorry I disappeared on you. Um...Lana called me while I was at Hank's,” he said with a sad expression. "She broke up with me because she found another guy. So, I got wasted." He sighed before taking another bite of french toast.
"I’m sorry to hear that." I patted his arm. I'd grown very fond of Ben in the short time he’d been around and would miss him when he went back to Ohio. "Are you still leaving today?"
"
Yep," he said. "I'm going to follow the hearse, driving Cara back home. I'm supposed to meet the funeral director at noon." He looked at the kitchen clock. "I’d better hurry. I gotta get my knapsack from upstairs and head out."
"Hey, when I called you the first time, didn't you tell me you were driving here?"
"I was along the highway, going to a hotel by the interstate. Why?" he said.
"Never mind. Just a misunderstanding," I said. "I’ll miss you, you’re a fantastic investigator’s assistant. Come back for a visit sometime." I gave him a hug that he enthusiastically returned.
After Ben left, I took lunch up to Gram and George. They looked so happy, sitting on the balcony together, relaxing in comfy chairs. I pulled an outdoor coffee table in front of them and put their food tray on top. They insisted they didn't need anything else, so I went back down to the kitchen for my own meal.
With two dogs on my heels, I carried a well loaded tray to my own balcony. Sharing roast beef sandwiches and chips with my furry pals, I didn’t need to fear that I was over eating because Buddy and Princess didn’t allow it. We finished all the food on the tray before we lay back with a burp.
I thought about how sad Ben looked when he left. We never did get around to hacking Cara's email. I decided to try it now.
Wiping my hands on my jeans, I brought my laptop onto the balcony. I went to the free server site and put in Cara's email address. What would she have used as a password? I thought of the other morning when Ben, Rupert in his lap, mentioned that Cara had a cat. What was its name? A calico named… Muffin.
I put Muffin in the password box. Nope, wasn’t it. I tried a few variations like Cara'smuffin and mycatmuffin.
My phone rang, breaking my concentration. Caller ID told me it was Gabi.
"Hey, how are you doing today? I asked, wondering how much she had to drink last night.
"Hallie, I don't know what to do!" Gabi's voice was hysterical. "Hannah's gone!"