by Marja McGraw
I was reaching for a jar to see what it contained and my hand stopped in mid-air. I wasn’t sure what to expect after a comment like that.
“Your Uncle Henry died at a very young age. He was thirty when he was diagnosed with cancer, and he only lived for six months after his treatments. He was too young to die. We’d been together since high school, you know.”
I nodded, not wanting to interrupt. She was sharing her life with me.
“I was faced with losing him, missing him, continuing to work and raising two daughters by myself. It was overwhelming. Teaching wasn’t the highest paying job in those days. I worked a second job on the weekends for as long as I could. It took its toll on me and the only way I could deal with my frustration was to snap at people. Anger helped me let things out, which wasn’t the way it should have been. I don’t know. Life just seemed so unfair, and wouldn’t you know, I had two daughters who were high maintenance. They wanted name brand this and name brand that. I can’t explain it, but I felt guilty about them losing their father. Somehow I felt like it was my fault, so I gave them what they wanted.”
“Aunt Martha – “
She held up her hand to ward off whatever she thought I was going to say. “Let me finish. My smart mouth became a defense mechanism and I couldn’t seem to stop my acid tongue. I didn’t have an outlet; there wasn’t time for a social life. I just kept getting worse and worse, and I knew it, but I couldn’t stop it.”
Her voice shook with the memories.
“One of the reasons I remember Andrew so well is that he saw through me. Maybe in his own way he reacted to life like I did, just not with the nasty comments. He was a misunderstood young man. He didn’t have any friends and he didn’t seem to have many outlets either. Does any of this make sense?”
“Yes, Aunt Martha. It makes a lot of sense now that I know more of the story. We never know what someone else is really going through, which can skew our perspective.”
“I’m mellowing with age, though,” she said, making me laugh.
“You are?”
That made her laugh. “Well, I have to keep up my cantankerous front to some extent. Griz seems to get a kick out of it.”
“Yes, he does.”
“You know? I’m glad I came out here when I did. I’m having the time of my life. I feel like I’m contributing to finding Andrew. I’ve heard tell that there are no coincidences in life, and yet here I am, helping you try to find a man who was once a student of mine all the way back in Chicago. I believe things happen for a reason. I hope someday I know the reason for me deciding to come out here when I did. In the meantime, I’m getting to know a niece who’s been almost a stranger to me.” She put her hand on my arm. “And I like you.”
I shoved her hand off my arm and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened a little before relaxing and accepting my gesture. I didn’t think she was used to people hugging her.
“I like you, too.”
We turned back to the shelves and studied the kinds of things Trap had amassed.
Without looking at me, she started talking again. “You’re easy to talk to, Sandi. I’ve never shared those thoughts and feelings with anyone before.”
“Not even my mother?”
“No, not even your mother.”
I had a lot to think over. “Let’s go back inside.”
She nodded and followed me.
“You know,” she said, “even the furnishings in the Safe Room are utilitarian. Did you notice that the sofa is also a hide-a-bed? He’s got a bedroom down here, but I’m thinking if anything ever happens he doesn’t want to be down here alone. The top of the coffee table lifts up and you can store things inside.”
“He’s prepared for anything,” I said. “I noticed that in addition to electric appliances in the kitchen, he also has some old-fashioned things like a handheld can opener and a hand crank mixer. I don’t know if that’s what you really call it, but it’s from before my time. Don’t forget, we saw a propane cooking stove, too.”
I glanced around and finally realized that Pete and Griz had disappeared. They must have gone to the security room. Pete proved me right when he came strolling out to the living room.
He’d only taken a few steps when Griz called him.
“Pete, we’ve got action. Hurry up!”
Chapter Fourteen
I glanced at my aunt. “In a way, this place kind of creeps me out.”
“I know what you mean,” she replied. “I feel like I’m in the middle of a science fiction movie.”
“I guess we’d better go see what’s going on.”
We hurried to the security room where we found the men studying the screens.
A man had pulled up and parked in front of the well-hidden house and climbed out of his car.
Griz looked angry. “That’s Thomas Layne, Trap’s lead accountant. I guess he wasn’t joking when he said he knew where this place is.” He slammed his hand on the desk.
“Maybe he’s involved in the kidnapping,” my aunt said.
Scott stood and headed for the stairs leading up to the house. “I’ll find out.” High voice or not, those three words sounded angry and threatening.
I wouldn’t want to be the accountant right now.
“I wonder why Andrew didn’t put in elevators.” My aunt watched Scott’s ascent.
“They’d be too much of a drag on the power if something happened.” Pete was right.
After a moment he and Griz followed Scott upstairs.
The three men stood at the top of the stairs and talked before opening a large, electronic door and entering the house. I noticed the door slid to the side instead of opening inward or outward.
“I guess that blows our plans for letting the kidnapper think we went somewhere, whether the accountant is involved or not.” If he was admitted to the house, anyone watching would know there was someone inside.
We followed the men upstairs, not wanting to miss anything.
By the time we got inside, Layne was pounding on the front door and yelling.
“Mr. Trapper, I know you’re in there. We’ve things to talk about. Open up.” And he pounded again.
Scott opened the front door, grabbed the man’s arm and dragged him inside. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get in here and shut up!”
Needless to say, Layne looked startled, but only for a moment. “Where’s Mr. Trapper? I need to talk to him and I’m tired of getting the brush off every time I call.” He set a briefcase on the floor.
Griz stepped forward. “He’s not here and he won’t be for the foreseeable future. You want to talk to someone? Talk to me. What’s going on?”
Layne gave him a rude look and walked into the living room. “I’ll wait for him. You can’t expect me to believe he’s gone on a trip. The man who hides out here and never travels? How ignorant do you think I am?”
Before I could stop her, my aunt stepped forward and they were nose to nose. “If you were one of my students, you’d be on your way to the principal’s office. You’d be on detention, maybe even suspension.”
He glared at her. “Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me that way?”
Griz smiled. “She’s someone you don’t want to mess with, son. Trust me.”
I hadn’t noticed that Bubba had followed us upstairs. He planted himself in front of Layne and grinned his toothy grin at him. Layne looked like he was ready to lay an egg between Bubba and my aunt’s attitude.
A calmness spread through me. This man wasn’t at all what I’d been expecting. He was young, maybe twenty-five, and he sounded like a spoiled brat who always got his way. He wasn’t very tall, maybe five foot four, an inch taller than me. He had dark hair that was slicked back and made him look sleazy, and his ears protruded a bit too much. He wore slacks and a shirt with a casual jacket. I probably wouldn’t have noticed his ears, but I didn’t like him, and his glasses seemed to make them more prominent. Maybe he had the Little Man Syndrome. I’d seen it before.
Dislike at first sight.
His face looked pinched when he turned to me. “And who are you?”
I shrugged. It was none of his business. Oh, no, he seemed to be bringing out the worst in me.
My aunt stared into his eyes. “Young man, sit down and close your pie hole, and do it now.”
He looked at her warily before turning the same look on Bubba, and then sat down slowly and quietly.
Draper stood and looked down on him. “State your business before I get annoyed and kick your butt outta here.”
Layne moved uneasily on the couch. He made his first mistake. “You think that sissy voice of yours scares me?”
Pete and Griz looked from one man to the other and took a step back.
I almost laughed. They were playing this guy.
Draper, on the other hand, took a step forward. “I said, state your business.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“I can’t speak to anyone except Mr. Trapper.” His voice was beginning to sound tentative.
Draper didn’t reply, but continued to stare at the little man.
Pete’s cell phone beeped. He glanced at the caller ID and left the room.
Layne’s face lost the pinched look and he licked his lips. “Can’t you at least get him on the phone?”
“No.”
He shifted on his seat uncomfortably again. “Okay, Mr. Draper, I’ll tell you what’s going on, but you can’t let the information leave this room. And that includes all of you.” His gaze swept the room. He rubbed his hands together, but he didn’t speak.
“Well young man?” Aunt Martha said. “Are you going to sit there and take up valuable space or are you going to tell us what’s so important?”
He glanced up at her and sighed, but still didn’t speak.
Pete returned. He nodded at me and I had a feeling he’d heard from Stanley.
“Last chance, man,” Scott said.
Layne sighed deeply and settled his hands in his lap. “Someone has been embezzling company funds. I don’t mean trifling amounts. I mean a lot of money. I’ve been doing an audit to figure things out, but I need some input from Mr. Trapper.”
“Have you come to any conclusions?” I asked.
“I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete yet.”
“And who do you suspect?”
“Do I have to discuss this with you people?”
Griz sat down in a chair across from Layne. “Yes, you do. It’s important.”
“Andrew has been kidnapped,” my aunt said.
Layne jumped up, his face turning red. “What?”
Bubba grinned at him again and he sat down.
Scott breathed deeply and I saw him clench his fists. “Martha, that was confidential.”
She sniffed. “Well, he had to know how important this is.”
“It’s not too late for us to take you back to town,” Griz said. “We can dump you on the doorstep of the company and tell them what you’ve told us.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Oh, I would.”
I tried to stop things before they went any further. “So, you see, Mr. Layne, we need to know everything that’s going on. Whom do you suspect?”
He blurted it out as though he needed to get it off his chest. “Greta Barlow. I – “
“Trap’s secretary?” Griz sounded surprised. “Well, that would explain why she keeps calling and insisting that she has to talk to Trap. I’ll bet she’s onto you.”
Layne looked nervous. “It’s possible. I’ve had to request a lot of paperwork from her. I mean, most of what I have is on the computer, but there are forms she has to fill out. I think she’s been forging Mr. Trapper’s signature.”
“Do you think this has been going on for very long?” Pete asked.
“Yes, I do. I did an earlier audit and something smelled fishy to me.”
Griz began to pace across the room. “I don’t see how we can link her theft to someone wanting the thumb drive.” He snapped his fingers. “Unless she thinks she can sell the information.”
“Thumb drive?” Layne looked confused.
“Yeah. It contains security information.” My aunt was at it again.
“Martha!” Scott was ex-military and he could probably handle just about anything – except my aunt. “Would you put a sock in it?”
“Well!” Instead of bawling him out, she began to pace with Griz.
“I think I have to leave,” Layne said. “This is beyond the scope of my job. A kidnapping? I can’t be of any help with that.” He picked up his briefcase.
Scott took hold of the briefcase and pulled it out of Layne’s hands. “You’re not going anywhere. We’re not taking any chances that you’ll leak the kidnapping to anyone. Trap’s life may depend on secrecy.”
“Why haven’t you called the police?”
“We can’t. At least, not yet,” Griz said. “If we call in the police, they’ll be all over this place and we may never find Trap.”
“But – “
Scott looked disgusted. “You heard him. Let’s go down to the Safe Room and talk there.” He took hold of Layne’s elbow. “Let me have your car keys.”
“But – “
“Just give them to him,” my aunt said. “You don’t want to get on my bad side, but even more, you don’t want to get on his bad side.”
Layne handed over the keys.
“I’ll put the car in the garage, out of sight.” Scott disappeared out the front door.
Griz headed for the hidden door to the Safe Room. “Let’s go. I want to study the computer to see if it looks like anyone saw him come up here.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Layne looked around in amazement. “I had no idea…”
“You must realize that Andrew is a private person. He’s always been that way.” My aunt made me feel like she wanted Layne to know she and her former student went back a long way.
Pete started to walk toward the security room and he motioned for me to join him.
“Stan called,” he said.
“I had a feeling.”
“There’s more to Layne than meets the eye.”
Chapter Fifteen
“What did Stanley find out about Layne?” I asked.
Pete looked disgusted. “He hasn’t had enough time to do a thorough check yet, but Layne is living way beyond his means. He lives in an extremely expensive house, has two high end cars and he’s even got a big party boat.”
“The car he drove up in isn’t high end. It’s kind of a clunker. Maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s living high on the hog. Could he be the one who’s been embezzling and he’s trying to frame the secretary?”
“Good question. Greta Barlow, the secretary, is living pretty well, too, though. She lives in an expensive condo and drives a pricey car, but the difference is that she doesn’t try to hide it.”
“Is she married?” I asked.
“Only to her job. Stan says she seems to stay to herself and she doesn’t appear to have a social life. He’s going to do more digging, but it’s going to take some time. At least we have a starting point.”
Griz joined us. “From what we can see, it looks like we lucked out and no one saw Layne arrive. I hope. We’ll keep our current plan in place.”
“That’s something that bothers me,” I said. “I wonder how Layne knew where this house is located.”
Pete’s lips turned up. “Let’s ask him. I have the feeling we’ve shaken him up. He might be ready to talk.”
Griz approached the young man. Not one to mince words, he asked, “Hey, Layne. How did you find this place? It’s supposed to be a secret location.”
“Oh, come now,” he replied. “Mr. Trapper doesn’t keep anything from me. I’m his personal accountant. I’ve known about this place since it was built. Who do you think paid the bills?”
“Who else knows about it?” Pete asked. “Did you tell anyone?”
“Everyone knows there’s a secret locatio
n, although I don’t think anyone else knows where it is. Mr. Trapper has a condo in town, but he very seldom stays there. People know he’s eccentric and no one is surprised about his paranoia.”
“Andrew is not paranoid,” Aunt Martha said. “However, he’s quite intelligent and if he feels the need to hide out, there’s certainly a good reason. You’ve sort of set the stage, though. It makes sense that someone would be after his money.”
“He may have changed since you knew him, Aunt Martha,” I said. “Sometimes wealthy people are paranoid, or so I’ve heard, and he’s one of the wealthiest.”
“Why does he have only two people watching over the place?” Layne asked. “If he’s that intent on keeping this place a secret, you’d think he’d have more security people around.”
“It’s because he doesn’t want anyone to know where he lives that he only has the two of us watching out for him,” Griz said. “The fewer people who know, the safer he feels.”
Layne seemed ready for an argument. “Okay, then, what about the builders? They could spread the word.”
“They signed ironclad contracts,” Scott said, joining us. “Besides, he paid them well, and you know that since you paid the bills. And if they blab, they’ll never work again. The construction crew was brought in on a bus with covered windows.”
“He didn’t miss a trick, did he?” Layne looked surprised. “There is a map, and that’s how I found this place. He gave me a copy and told me to keep it to myself.”
“And did you?” I asked. “Someone knows about this place.”
“I kept the map in my safe at home. No one but me has access to it.” He paused for a moment. “Say, how do I know you people aren’t holding him prisoner?”
Griz started to laugh. “Get real. We’re trying to lay low, too, and we certainly don’t need his money for our lifestyles.”
“And what’s your lifestyle?” Layne asked.
“None of your business.” Scott turned and left the room.
“You’re holding me prisoner here, aren’t you?” Layne looked around the room, at each of us in turn. A look of fear flashed through his eyes.
“You’re not a prisoner, Mr. Layne, but you’ll stay here until we find Andrew,” my aunt said. “For all we know, you’re part of a plot to steal his thingamajiggy.”