Henry Wood Detective: Boxed Set (Books 1 - 4)

by Brian Meeks

  The envelope on Celine’s desk was conspicuous. This, combined with the disappearance of Celine and Buttons sent alarm bells off in Henry’s mind. Just to be sure he said, “Buttons, here, kitty.” Nothing.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Palmeroy, please come on back.” Henry grabbed the envelope and showed her into his office. He set the metal box and envelope on the desk. “Now, tell me what we have here?”

  “Please, call me Catherine,” she said in a quiet, almost defeated voice.

  Henry put a hand on her shoulder as she took her seat, “Catherine, you really didn’t need to come all the way into the city just to drop this off. I’d have been happy to drive out and get it.”

  “I know you would have. You are such a kind man, Henry.” Catherine gave a sigh that hovered on the edge of tears.

  Henry hated women’s tears and tried to get past the moment. He checked the box. It was locked. “Do you have the key?”

  “No, I’ve never even seen this box before today.”

  “So, then, what do you think is in here?”

  “ I’m guessing it has something to do with my husband’s murder.”

  “Go on...”

  “This morning, three men in suits showed up at the house. They had business cards from the law firm that handles all of Dwight’s business and personal matters. I had no reason not to trust them. So I showed them to his office because they said they were looking for a few documents they needed for handling the estate.”

  Henry was taking notes though she hadn’t really said anything too interesting.

  “Henry, they were lying!”

  “About what?”

  “Everything but mostly about being from the law firm. They had been in there for almost a half hour and I started to wonder, so I went back in and asked if they needed help finding anything. One was fiddling with the safe. He asked if I knew the combination. They gave me some bull about having forgotten the combination at the firm. I said I didn’t, which was true, and then went upstairs to call and check on them. Naturally, my phone didn’t work.”

  “You mean the phone’s being down wasn’t part of the game?”

  “Oh no, we’ve had problems on and off with them for over a month. It never seems like all the phones in the house work at the same time. For as much as we spend on upkeep, you’d think the damn phones would work. I’m sorry...anyway, Rita’s phone worked just fine. So I got through to the firm and asked if they had sent out some lawyers to collect Dwight’s papers. They didn’t know anything about it.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “I called security at the front gate and told them to, but they said the lawyers, or whoever they were, had just left.”

  Henry wrote furiously.

  She continued, “I went back to his office, and the safe had been drilled open. It was empty, but I don’t think they got what they were looking for. The little metal box was kept in a secret compartment in a display case for the antique Bible. There is a catch, then one can lift off the book and remove the false bottom. I saw him put the box in there once. I don’t think he knew I knew.”

  Henry pulled out his lock picks and opened the box. He found a leather bound journal, three letters, and a gold pocket watch. Instinct told Henry that the contents might upset Catherine. He said, “It looks like some sort of journal, probably business stuff. I’ll give it a look.”

  Catherine stood and said, “Let me see.”

  Henry could hardly stop her as it was her box. He spun it around and she saw only the letters. The handwriting was unmistakably feminine and judging from Catherine’s face, not her handwriting.

  Henry stood up, too. “I think it’s best that I take a look at these and see if there is anything that might help us understand why this happened. I want you to go home and tell your security that nobody is to enter the estate.”

  Catherine was a woman used to giving the orders, but today she just wanted to be told what to do. “Okay...whatever you say, Henry. Will you call me later? Let me know what you find...maybe stop over.”

  Next to tears, a pleading look was the second thing Henry most hated. He was unable to say “No”. “Sure, I’ll let you know what I find out, and, if I can, I’ll come over and check on you. Now make sure you tell the guards that nobody gets in. If they come back, it’ll be as repairmen, delivery guys, or some other such nonsense.”

  Henry pulled out a business card and wrote down his other phone numbers on the back. “If someone shows up claiming to be a cop or someone you are inclined to believe, tell them to call me first.”

  “I’ll make sure they understand,” she said and gave Henry a peck on the cheek as she turned to leave.

  CHAPTER 58

  Ivan watched Catherine walk down the hall. Without looking back, “Door is fixed now.”

  “Hey, Ivan, come here a second.”

  “Yes?”

  “Now, tell me again what happened. Who called you?”

  “I got a call from Bobby about ten minutes ago. He said that he had broken off a key in the lock and needed it fixed.”

  “Was that all?”

  “Das.”

  Ivan picked up his tools and returned to his other duties, or he followed Catherine to the lobby to catch one more glimpse...probably the latter if Henry had to guess.

  The metal box didn’t have much to say. It just sat on the desk staring at Henry. If it had had feet, at least one of them would have been tapping. Henry pushed the judgmental box aside and considered the envelope from Celine’s desk. It had an air of trouble about it.

  The envelope told Henry a few things. It didn’t contain a message from Celine or Bobby, and it was obviously part of a fine stationary set. An embossed “E” was on the front and it had a wax seal, also with the same “E”, on the back. Who uses wax seals anymore? Henry thought. The idea of breaking it and finding out wasn’t appealing at all. Henry didn’t know if he could tolerate any more gloom.

  What Henry wanted to do was hang out with his friends. A few beers, some stories from Bobby, and a bit of cleverness from Celine would help considerably, but they were nowhere to be found. Celine had sounded worried when she called him at the station. It had taken less than twenty minutes for him to get back. Why had they left if it were so important and how did Bobby break a key off in the lock?

  It suddenly seemed obvious. Henry left the box and letter and went down the hall. Most of the other offices were now empty, so it was very quiet. When he knocked on the door, he expected to hear the rustle of papers and the scamper of Bobby’s enthusiastic feet. He heard only silence.

  The handle didn’t turn when he tried it, so he pulled out his picks, but found a key broken off in Bobby’s lock. Thwarted, Henry slid the picks back in his pocket. He was worried but resisted the urge to break the door down.

  * * *

  Major Doyle Worthy III was listening to an overweight industrialist drone on about commodities and his decision to invest in several precious metal mines in Africa. The dinner party was a typical diversion, and he had accepted the invitation weeks ago. He made small talk, ate duck, and kept an eye on the Charles X Ormolu mantle clock. The clock was only slightly less ostentatious than the host. In three minutes, the twenty-four hour deadline would be down to eighteen.

  To his immediate right, an attractive woman, the host’s sister, had mistaken his inner thigh for her own leg. Her hand had come to rest in his lap for the time being, and it was making his ability to carry on polite conversation a challenge. Normally, he’d have thrived under such circumstances, but tonight he didn’t have any interest in an after-dinner indiscretion.

  An elderly black man wearing white gloves presented a silver tray to Doyle. It contained a folded note. He took it, nodding at some pompous remark from the host, gave it a quick read, and excused himself to take a call. Once in the hallway outside the dining room, the black man led him to a phone that would afford him some privacy. “Hello.”

  “Sir, I’ve been keeping an eye on the lions. There were
a couple of plainclothes cops poking around. I’m sure they saw it.”

  The news was more shocking than the wandering hand under the table. The major refrained from losing his composure and thanked the caller. It would be rude to make an excuse and leave, so he returned to the dreadful dinner conversation. Doyle participated in a discussion that had turned to politics, ignored the wandering hand that had returned to his lap, and let his mind plan the next move. It was a rarely used skill, but, when he put his charm on autopilot, the mundane and idiotic masses around him seemed to melt into the white noise.

  Several hours later, he put the host’s sister in a cab. Her feelings were only slightly hurt that he hadn’t invited her to stay the night. He had decided upon his next move and wanted to celebrate with his new friend. Now he would craft the next chapter in his coup de grace.

  CHAPTER 59

  Henry spent thirty minutes looking for Ivan in hopes of persuading him to fix Bobby’s lock and let him inside the office in the process. Ivan wasn’t in his little workshop in the basement or in his apartment. Henry needed a drink. The weight of Celine, Bobby, and Buttons’ disappearance had pushed the metal box out of his mind.

  The Dublin Rogue was filled with cops and wives who were mourning the loss of Robert Ward. Henry couldn’t believe he had forgotten about the wake. At least four people had told him earlier that day, but here he was anyway, so he raised a glass with the others and toasted their friend.

  Mike arrived late. He made the rounds and settled into a booth with Henry. Henry filled his glass and asked, “Is everything set for tomorrow?”

  “We found the tile. It was right where you suspected. The entire place will be covered before noon. If he is planning on a long range shot, we’ll catch him. It will be too crowded for something like what he did to Robert, but, just to be sure, we’re going to have undercover people everywhere. Of course, he may have something else planned, but it won’t matter. We’ll get him.”

  “So what is my role?”

  “We don’t know exactly when the 24-hour clock is up. You said that the letter came some time after you got back from lunch, so we know it wasn’t before 12:45. He’ll need to watch the tile to know if you solved the puzzle. It will look less suspicious if you don’t go straight to the tile but look around a bit. Hopefully, we will find his hiding spot before you even get there, but, if we don’t, then maybe he’ll tip his hand when you discover it.”

  “Okay.”

  “What’s wrong? You’re not yourself tonight.”

  Henry refilled his glass and said, “You know how I left today because of the call from Celine?”

  “Yeah, something about Bobby needing to talk.”

  “I didn’t look at my watch, but I probably only spent a couple of minutes letting you know I was leaving before walking back to the office. I wanted to do some thinking, so I didn’t take a cab. The walk probably takes twenty to twenty-five minutes, so it was less than a half hour from the time I called until I made it back.”

  “What did he want?”

  “I have no idea. I got there, and the office was locked. Apparently, Bobby took Celine and Buttons someplace because he broke the key off in the lock when they left.”

  “When did Bobby get a key?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe it was Celine’s key, but that’s not the point. He called Ivan, the building maintenance guy, to fix it. Ivan was working on it when I got there. They still haven’t come back, and that isn’t the strange part.”

  “When it comes to Bobby, there’s never a shortage of strange parts.”

  Henry smiled, as it was true and continued, “I went down to his office, and he had broken off his key in that lock too.”

  Mike didn’t say anything.

  Henry didn’t go into the details about Catherine or the strange envelope. He didn’t think they were related. He hadn’t even wondered about what was in the envelope for a few hours and now wondered if its contents might be pertinent. “You know, there was a strange envelope on Celine’s desk when I finally got inside.”

  “Strange how?”

  “Fancy, with a wax seal.”

  “Who was it from?”

  “I haven’t opened it.”

  Mike held up a finger to stop the conversation when a few of his colleagues came over to talk about Robert. They discussed putting together a fund for his widow. Mike and Henry both agreed it was a good idea. Someone started playing a bagpipe. Robert wasn’t Scottish, and most of the patrons were of Irish decent, but the man with the bagpipe still seemed to strike a chord.

  Luna showed up and slid in next to Henry. “How you doing?” she asked.

  “It’s been a rough week. Thanks for coming.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Seeing her was like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

  “Mike called me. I didn’t really know Robert, but I knew he was one of the guys who hung out here. I wanted to come.”

  The three of them talked for a while and let the beer take the edge off of the chaos that was Henry’s life. A little after 1 am, Henry and Luna left and took a cab back to his apartment. Henry wasn’t usually one who needed company, but tonight he needed Luna. He walked up the stairs with his arm around her waist. They got to his door, and he kissed her.

  Henry went to put the key in the lock, but it wouldn’t slide in. He had mourned Robert a bunch that night but shouldn’t have been having so much trouble with opening the door. Luna took the keys and said, “Here, let me try.”

  Henry let her.

  “It won’t go in. There is something in the lock.”

  Henry’s mind was tired and moving slowly until he heard what she had said. “Let’s go,” he said. He grabbed her hand and rushed her to the back stairs.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I think it’s a message from Bobby.”

  Henry started to run. He grabbed her hand and they hurried down to the basement.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’ve got to get something.” Henry didn’t carry a gun most of the time. He had two that he kept at the house, one in his office, another at the apartment, and one hidden in the basement of his building, just in case.

  The door to the basement was old and grimy. Henry opened it and searched for the light switch. A tired yellow bulb came to life begrudgingly. “Stay here and watch the stairs. If you see anyone, close the door and let me know.”

  “Got it.”

  Henry ran behind the boiler and pulled out a tiny, wooden box. He opened the box, unwrapped the revolver, checked it, and emptied a dozen extra bullets into his hand. He thrust them into his pocket. Henry put the box back, hoping he would be able to return the gun unfired tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 60

  Henry ran back to the door. “See anything?”

  “No,” Luna said.

  They eased back into the stairwell. Once on the street, Henry looked around. A man was urinating behind a group of trash cans in the alley. Two cab drivers were smoking and talking about baseball. A couple was walking down the street arguing. From the look on her face, he was losing and going to end up sleeping on the couch.

  He saw a man across the street. He was standing against the building and reading a paper...in the dark. Henry was about to push Luna into the cab when he had an idea. He opened the door, and she hopped in. The driver sprang into action and ran around to the front of the cab. Henry went to the other cabbie and gave him five bucks. “I want you to follow us until this runs out, or we get out of the other cab.”

  “Sure, Mac, whatever you say.”

  Henry told his and Luna’s cabbie to take them to a hotel in midtown. The two cars pulled out, and Henry watched the man with the paper try to flag down the cab behind them. He didn’t notice the dark sedan pull out and follow them.

  Traffic was light. After a few blocks, Henry noticed the car following his two cabs. He asked the driver to turn right, left at the next block, and left again. Another right turn, and Henry was sure they were being followed.
>
  “How much is the fare thus far?” Henry asked.

  “Two dollars.” The cabbie didn’t question the unnecessary turns. He was used to crazy people at this time of night.

  “Okay, here’s a ten. I want you to stop at the next intersection, then drive around the block to this exact spot. I’ll need you to wait for me. Got it?”

  Luna looked confused. She asked, “What are we doing?”

  “I want you to stay in the cab. I’m going to lose this tail. Just wait for me. If I’m not back here in 10 minutes, go to the Ritz and get a room under the name...Smith.”

  Things were getting tense, but Luna seemed strangely calm. Maybe it was the beers? She had seen Henry work his magic before and it was comforting. “Okay, I’ll get a room under the name Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” She winked.

  Henry kissed her cheek and left the cab with a wry smile on his face. He hopped into the next cab and gave the driver another five dollars. “Gun it.”

  The cabbie loved hearing those words and pulled into traffic with an abandon that made Henry regret his word choice. The black sedan was less optimistic. It pulled into traffic a few cars later. “If you can put a block between us and that black sedan three cars back, there’s an extra 20 in it for you.”

  The cabbie ran a red light and nearly got clipped by a truck, but it did the trick. The cars behind him stopped, which prevented the sedan from staying with them. “Okay, now turn left in two blocks and take me back to where I got in.”

  Henry hadn’t asked him to continue driving like a Formula One driver, but the cabbie threw in the squealing tires for free. It hadn’t taken long at all, and Henry was back in the cab with Luna.

  She asked, “How was your trip, honey?”

  “It was nice. We saw all the major attractions.”

  “What if I had gotten the room under Smith, and there were already some Smiths staying there?”