by Lisa Orchard
Jackie gave her a solemn nod.
Sarah glanced up, and noticed the sun was beginning to make an entrance at the edge of the horizon. “Uh-oh, look,” she pointed to the slivers of gray and pink. “We can’t do it now. We’ve got to get home before anyone wakes up.”
“Yeah.” Jackie stood and brushed off her wet shorts.
“Are the cops gone?” Sarah asked, peering down the road.
“Yeah, they’re gone.” Jackie pointed to the cruiser driving away.
Sarah watched the taillights disappear into the night.
After making plans to meet at the willow tree the next day, the girls went their separate ways. By the time Sarah reached home, the sky had taken on a gray hue. She felt a tiny sliver of panic as she realized her aunt and uncle would be waking soon. Sarah crept back to her window.
Peeking in the window, Sarah searched for Lily, the family cocker spaniel. Relief flooded through her body when she didn’t see the excitable dog. I’ve had enough excitement for one night.
Sarah sighed. Getting back inside was the hardest part of the journey. Since her aunt and uncle’s home was a tri-level, the bedroom window was four feet off the ground. She hoisted herself up into the frame with a grunt. Her wet clothes worked against her. Moaning with effort, she tried to pull herself the rest of the way through the window.
Just then, light flooded the room. Sarah glanced up and saw Lacey at the switch.
“Holy cow! You scared me half to death,” Lacey scolded. There was a quiver in her voice, and she wrapped her arms around herself as if she were shivering.
Sarah groaned.
“Why are you climbing through our window?”
Sarah grimaced. “I’ll tell you the whole story; just help me back inside.”
“You’re all wet.”
“How very observant of you.” Sarah held her hand out to Lacey.
“Have you been out all night?” Lacey’s eyes widened, and she cocked her head. She hadn’t moved from the light switch.
“Just help me back in, will you?”
“What have you been doing out all night? You freaked me out when I heard you at the window.”
“Hello, I’m still hanging here.” Sarah waved her hand at Lacey.
“Tsk, serves you right, sneaking out at night.”
“Quit being such a goody-two-shoes and pull me in.”
After Lacey helped her back inside, she scurried across the room and flopped down on her bed. Triumph flashed in her eyes and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m waiting.”
Sarah sighed. “I’ll tell you the whole story if you promise not to tell Aunt June and Uncle Walt.”
Lacey pursed her lips. “I could tell and get you grounded, you know.”
“True, but then I’ll never tell you what we did.” Sarah eyed her closely. Take the bait.
“All right, but the next time you sneak out, you have to take me with you,” Lacey countered with a satisfied smile.
“It’s a deal.”
Sarah told Lacey about her night wanderings as she pulled off her wet clothes.
“You’re kidding me!” Lacey’s eyes widened for a second time.
“That’s not all. One of the guys down by the creek was Klonsky.”
“You mean the cop?”
“Yep.”
“Holy cow! What crime do you think they committed?”
“Hello…didn’t we just discover the Cat Lady’s body this morning?” Sarah asked. “Man, you can be dense sometimes.”
“Shut up.”
Sarah kicked her wet clothes into the corner and pulled her favorite nightshirt over her head. It had a huge peace sign with the words peace, love, and chocolate written around it.
“Do you think Klonsky killed the Cat Lady?” Lacey asked.
“We’re not sure, but we know he’s involved in some way.”
“Who was the other guy with Klonsky?”
“I don’t know,” Sarah frowned. She felt drained. The adrenaline that had gotten her through the night had dwindled away. “Jackie and I are going to start looking for clues tomorrow.”
“I want to help. Remember, we have a deal.”
“Yes, we have a deal,” Sarah yawned. “I’m tired. I need some sleep.”
“Night, Sarah,” Lacey said as she walked over and flicked the switch.
Sarah heard the soft padding of footsteps as Lacey scrambled back to bed. “Night.”
Exhaustion turned Sarah’s body into a wet noodle. She slid beneath her quilt. As her head hit the pillow she asked herself, why would Klonsky want the Cat Lady dead?
Chapter Five
The obnoxious noise of a lawn mower yanked Sarah from a deep sleep. She pulled a pillow over her head, muffling the sound. It barely stifled the noise. Groaning, she swung her feet to the floor. Time to get up.
Sarah scratched her head as she gazed around the guest bedroom she shared with Lacey. It was a pleasant room with light green walls and flowery bedspreads, but she missed her room back home. She missed her CSI posters and her books, especially the ones about unsolved mysteries. Her favorites were the ones about the Zodiac killer. If she were given enough time, she knew she could bring the killer who terrorized San Francisco to justice. The door squeaked and Sarah turned, catching Lacey poking her head in.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” She walked into the room and sat next to Sarah on the bed.
Sarah mumbled, “Morning.”
“I told Aunt June you were sick,” Lacey continued with a conspiratorial grin.
“Thanks.” Sarah tried to pull her hand through the rat’s nest growing around her head. “Ewww, I smell creek water. I need a shower so-o bad.”
“Yeah, you do kind of stink.” Lacey wrinkled her nose and moved away.
“Thanks a lot!”
Lacey laughed. “Any time. Do you want me to do anything while you’re in the shower?”
“Yeah, what time is it?” Sarah asked, squinting at the clock.
“It’s noon.”
“Okay, call Jackie, and remind her we’re meeting at the willow tree at one. Tell her you’re going to help us.”
“I’m on it.” Lacey jumped from the bed and rushed out the door.
Sarah stood and walked to the closet and gathered some clothes for the day. She chose a light blue T-shirt with a white flower pattern and denim shorts. Placing the outfit on the end of her bed, Sarah noticed her wet clothes in the corner and made a mental note to put them in the washer while her aunt was at work.
She made her way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. When it was the right temperature, she stepped into it. The hot water drummed a steady beat on her body, reviving her muscles and washing the cobwebs from her mind.
As Sarah showered, questions paraded through her brain. Who was the second man with Klonsky? Why would Klonsky want the Cat Lady dead? She finished quickly, anxious to find answers to these nagging questions. Toweling dry, she heard Lacey at the door asking if Sarah wanted anything to eat.
“I’ll have a breakfast bar,” Sarah called through the door.
Sarah heard Lacey bounding up the stairs. She rushed into the bedroom and dressed, fluffing her hair as she walked out of the room.
She hurried into the kitchen, where she found her sister rummaging through the cupboard looking for breakfast bars.
“Found them,” Lacey said, holding up a crimson wrapped bar.
Sarah grabbed it and sat down at the table. Glancing around the room, she saw the light pine cabinets and the yellow pineapple wallpaper. During family functions, everyone gathered in the kitchen. It seemed to be the friendliest room in the house.
Just then, Aunt June walked in. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“Better,” Sarah mumbled, with her mouth full.
Her aunt put her hand up to her forehead. “You don’t feel hot.”
Just like mom, Sarah thought to herself, feeling a pang for her mother. The similarities between her mother and her aunt amazed Sarah. She doub
ted all sisters had so much in common. Looking at Lacey, she wondered if they would ever find common ground.
“I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Sarah made a point to ignore Lacey’s smug grin.
“Too much excitement yesterday?” Aunt June gave Sarah a quick hug.
Sarah shrugged. “Yeah, probably.”
Lacey grabbed her arm, and tugged her toward the door. “We’re meeting Jackie down by the creek.”
“Yeah, we’ve gotta go.” Sarah glanced over her shoulder at her aunt.
“Be careful.”
“We will,” Lacey called out as the girls raced out the door.
Sarah devoured the rest of her breakfast bar as they walked. It was another scorcher, and she felt the dampness under her arms already. The sun baked the top of her head, drying her hair. She shaded her eyes with her hand and studied Lacey. “Did you talk to your friend last night?”
“Yeah, I’m going to meet him this afternoon.” Lacey squinted as she glanced down the road.
“What’s his name?”
“Scott.”
“Did you ask him about the murder?”
“Yep.”
“Did you find out anything?” Sarah frowned and gestured with her hands.
“Not a lot. I guess the Cat Lady was stabbed like six times.”
“What a horrible way to die!”
Lacey shaded her eyes and glanced at her sister. “Yeah, everybody’s pretty freaked out about it. The police are getting a lot of calls from neighbors. Everyone’s scared.”
“It’s a freaky thing to happen, especially here.”
Arriving at the willow tree, the girls stopped talking and strolled beneath the green canopy. Sarah was grateful for the cool shade.
Seeing Jackie made Sarah smile. “Hey, partner in crime.”
“Hey, yourself,” Jackie said as she clutched some of the willow branches and used them to swing her body.
“We had a couple close calls last night.”
Jackie widened her eyes and gave Sarah an emphatic nod. “You are not kidding, girlfriend.”
“You want a tootsie roll?” Sarah pulled some of the treasured candies from her pocket.
Jackie nodded. Sarah handed her one, then gave one to Lacey.
Sarah popped her candy into her mouth. “It blows my mind Klonsky’s involved in the Cat Lady murder.”
“I know,” Jackie said. “How are we going to connect them?”
“The answers are inside the Cat Lady’s house.”
Jackie stared at Lacey. “So, you’re going to help us catch the Cat Lady killer?”
“Yep.”
“Awesome. Did Sarah tell you we saw Klonsky last night?”
Lacey frowned. “Yeah, I wonder what the heck he was doing?”
“Getting rid of evidence,” Sarah said.
“You think so?” Lacey asked
“Yeah, that’s why we’re going to the Cat Lady’s today.”
Lacey gulped. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She scuffed at the soil with her shoe and tugged nervously on her shirt.
“Why not?” Jackie asked.
Lacey started wringing her hands. “Couldn’t we get in trouble?”
“Only if we get caught,” Sarah said with a matter of fact tone.
“Sarah…” Lacey whined.
Sarah and Jackie exchanged a long look, then Sarah asked, “What?”
“Couldn’t we get arrested?” Lacey frowned.
“Lacey, we have a crooked cop trying to blame us for the murder. We could get arrested if we don’t do anything.” Sarah stifled a groan and grabbed some willow branches, swaying with them. She held her breath and eyed Lacey, hoping she would jump on board with their plan.
“Yeah,” Jackie nodded.
“The only way to stay out of jail is for us to find the real killer.” Sarah stood still and chewed on her thumbnail.
“I guess…” Lacey wavered.
“Plus,” Jackie winked at Sarah. “We have a new club. We are now the Super Spies.” She opened her arms with a theatrical flourish.
“Oh, wow,” Lacey brightened.
“Yeah,” Sarah said, taking a step toward Lacey and putting her hand on her shoulder. “We needed a name for our club and you’re in it.”
“Cool. I like it. I’m glad I’m in the club.”
“What time are you meeting Scott?” Sarah asked, breathing a sigh of relief.
“At four.”
“We better get to the Cat Lady’s.”
Lacey nodded. “So who’s the president of the club?”
Sarah glared at her little sister and then marched out into the blistering sunlight. Jackie and Lacey fell into step beside her. They reached the Cat Lady’s, and again hid behind the oak tree growing across the street. The house sat in its yard and Sarah felt it watching the girls with its sinister window eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.
She stared at the house. “Look at all the yellow tape.”
“I see it,” Jackie said.
“We can’t break it, or the cops will know someone’s been inside.” Sarah popped her thumb in her mouth and chewed on her nail.
“We’re going to have to find another way in besides the front door,” Lacey said.
Sarah took her thumb out of her mouth. “Let’s sneak around the back. Maybe there’s an open window or something.”
Lacey peered up and down the street. “The coast is clear.”
“On the count of three,” Jackie said.
“See ya. I’m not waiting for you to count.” Sarah sprinted across the street.
“Hey, wait for us!” Jackie sputtered.
“Crap!” Lacey cursed.
Sarah heard their pounding footsteps as they tried to catch her. Reaching the backyard, she spied the stump of the apple tree Jackie had told her about. It rested near the old wooden fence between two houses. She assumed the house next door was the old Farnsworth place. The house had stood vacant ever since Mrs. Farnsworth’s mysterious death years ago.
The fence between the two homes had once been white, but now the rotting, gray wood peeked through the peeling paint.
“Let’s look for a way inside,” Sarah said.
The girls fanned out, searching along the foundation of the home.
Lacey cast furtive glances around the yard. “I hope no one sees us.”
“We’re lucky most people go to Hinkle’s after church. They have a lunch buffet on Sundays.” Jackie sounded unconcerned, but Sarah glanced up and saw her scan the neighboring houses with anxious eyes.
After a few more minutes of searching, Sarah called out, “Hey, I think I found one.”
Jackie and Lacey rushed over to where Sarah struggled with a window; it had been left ajar long ago. Now it was stuck. It was a tiny basement window and it sat at ground level. Finally, with Jackie’s help, the window gave way and opened with a rusty squeak.
“It’s a basement window, but I think we can squeeze through,” Sarah gasped.
“Cool beans.”
“I don’t suppose either one of you wants to go first?” Sarah asked.
Jackie beamed. “Nope. It’s all yours.”
“Gee, thanks,” Sarah smirked. She searched the neighborhood with a nervous glance. “Lacey, you be the look out.”
Lacey nodded and continued her surveillance, looking for any nosey neighbors.
Sarah wiggled into the tight space, and got stuck halfway down. Her heart skipped a beat when she couldn’t move any further. The top of the window dug into her back and suddenly her body flooded with nervous heat. Dangling her feet below, she couldn’t touch the basement floor or see it. Feeling trapped, her anxiety turned up a notch.
“Hmmm…where have I seen that before?” Lacey asked with a nervous twitter.
“Shut up.”
Sarah struggled to get out of the window. Sweat formed on her upper lip. She licked it and tasted its salty residue. Finally, she admitted defeat and held out her hand to Lacey.
“Now,
that looks familiar,” Lacey laughed as she grabbed Sarah’s hand, pulling her out of the window.
“Are you having fun?” Sarah asked, in an exasperated tone.
Lacey giggled. “Absolutely.”
Sarah stood and studied the window. She noticed some weeds growing around the tiny opening and stooped to pull them out of the way. “Maybe, if I arch my back I can get down there. I can’t see the floor, but it can’t be too far down.” Tossing the weeds into the yard, she continued to study the entrance.
“Give it a try,” Jackie said, with an encouraging pat on the back.
“Do you want to go first?” Sarah glanced at Jackie. “You’re pretty skinny, you know.”
“True. But I like it when you go first.”
Lacey grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Yeah, we like it when you go first.”
Sarah grimaced. “I thought so.”
She got down on her knees, and backed up to the window once more. Sliding her feet through the opening, Sarah arched her back, and then hung down into the inky darkness. Fear squeezed her throat, making it hard for her to swallow. Dangling, Sarah tried to work up the courage to let go. The pressure of her body weight made the rough window ledge dig into her hands, the pain intensified the longer she hung there. Taking a deep breath, Sarah let go.
Landing with a soft thud, light clouds of dust surrounded her, making her cough. Her eyes watered as she felt the darkness closing in on her. She drew a ragged breath and cleared her throat.
“Hey, are you okay down there?” Jackie asked, peering down into the basement.
“Yeah…I’m all right, I guess. I just don’t like closed in places,” Sarah croaked, then cleared her throat again.
She scuffed her shoe in the dirt making up the basement floor. Immediately, another cloud of dust rose around her feet.
Waiting for the dust to settle, Sarah peered around the basement and noticed the low ceiling and all the cobwebs. No one has been down here in years. She wrinkled her nose and took a few steps toward the basement stairs. Under them, she spied some large boxes. Sarah walked closer studying them. They would make great stairs. After several attempts and coughing fits, she moved some of the boxes and created a box staircase under the window. The dust swirled in the air disturbed by Sarah’s activity.