***
An hour later, I woke up to the sound of Andrew asking where I was. I staggered to my feet and met him in the hallway. “Now, Agnes, don’t take it the wrong way, but you look like crap,” he said with legitimate concern mirrored from the murky pools of his brown eyes.
“Th-Thanks. I wonder if I shouldn’t go to the hospital. El and I were just at the flower shop, and I’m afraid breathing in all those flowers has gotten to me,” I rasped out.
“Sure thing.” He led me outside and helped me into his Lexus LX, belting me in. Eleanor hopped in the back, and off we went.
When we got to the hospital, a very pregnant Sophia was just heading out the door. “Aren’t you supposed to be on maternity leave?” I asked her.
Trooper Sales walked up, his face a bit pale. “She is,” he said. “But she was having labor pains.”
“False alarm,” Sophia said, near tears. “I’m just so ready for this to be over. Why are you here, Grams?”
“She’s experiencing shortness of breath,” Andrew said.
“That’s not it. I just breathed in too many flowers, and it must have triggered something.”
“Grams, aren’t you asthmatic?”
“Yes, but I haven’t had a reaction like this in years.”
Sophia alerted a nurse, and I was whisked into the back, and oxygen tubing was applied. As I glanced up at the group of people hovering over me, I told Sophia to go home and that I’d be okay.
Not long afterward, I had my blood drawn and I was taken via cart to get a chest X-ray. I smiled at Andrew, who never left my side, as Eleanor sat in the corner of the room sniveling. “I’m so sorry, Aggie. I should have searched to flower shop by myself. I had no idea it got to you so.”
“It’s not your fault. I should have told you. At least we didn’t leave empty-handed.”
Andrew’s eyes darkened a bit. “What on earth? Please tell me you’re not still looking for that treasure.”
“Well, yes, actually, we are. What does it matter?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It has put you in the hospital. That’s all.”
“It was just the flowers. You know El and I are trying to clear our name. This is important.”
“How is finding a treasure going to do that? That’s what I want to know.”
“How do I know? All I know is that when we find all the treasure, it will lead us straight to Mildred’s killer.”
“If it doesn’t kill you first, you mean. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d have broken up with you long ago.”
I raised my back off the gurney. “Well, what’s stopping you?”
His eyes widened, and he headed for the door as El emitted a sound between a sigh and gasp, like she’d heard it all before.
“I can’t believe he’d leave like that,” I spouted off after he’d gone.
“Well, you kinda told him to.”
“I didn’t think he’d really leave, though. Check to see if he’s in the hallway, El.”
El did a quick check and came back frowning. “Maybe he’s off cooling his jets.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s gone is all I know.”
The good-looking Dr. Thomas came into the room and informed me that I’d be staying the night for observation. That sure took the wind out of my sails. How on earth would I make up with Andrew if I was stuck here all night. And what about Eleanor? How would she get home? “I feel fine,” I lied to the doctor, but he wasn’t having it.
“You’re staying, and nothing you can say will convince me to let you leave any earlier than tomorrow.”
I let out an exasperated breath and nodded, knowing I had little choice in the matter. When I got to my room, I had yet another disappointment, as I had to share a room with a young lady with a cast on her arm.
“Hello,” she whispered. She was a mousy girl who I figured weighed no more than eighty pounds wet. Her brown hair hung down in limp strings, nearly covering her face.
“What happened to your arm?” I asked.
She shrugged and told me it was an accident, to which I gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s okay, dear, but I sure hope if someone did this to you, you have sense enough to leave the bastard.” She cringed into her bed, turning away from me. “Well, if you ever need a sympathetic ear, let me know,” I said. “I’ve so been there in the past, and the thing I learned was that you need to be more careful whom you get involved with, but there’s always a way out.”
El’s eyes widened, and the girl turned back around to face me. “Really? You seem so together that I can’t imagine you were ever abused,” the girl said. “You’re Agnes Barton, the private investigator, right? I read about you in the newspaper. I’m Anna Parsons.”
“Nice to meet you, Anna. Things were much different when I was younger. Many women were beaten by their husbands. Back then, the law didn’t do much to help, and women suffered in silence. As for me, it wasn’t my husband. It was a man I had dated, a Frank Smith. He was an ornery man who drank too much, and when he did, his fists would fly.”
“I had no idea, Agnes,” Eleanor spoke up. “How did you get away from him?”
“I disappeared for a while. I went to Kansas and stayed with my sister, Charlene. In the beginning, I was too humiliated to let anyone know and chose to suffer in silence until one day he gave me a black eye, and that was the end of that. I took a bus the next day and stayed gone for several months.”
“Oh, Aggie,” El cried as she ran to me for a quick hug.
“People are always too quick to blame the woman for not leaving, but since I lived through domestic abuse, I know why they don’t leave. I was too scared to let someone know, yet too scared to stay, too, for fear that Frank would kill me.”
“You’re a brave woman,” Anna said. “But I don’t have anywhere to go.”
I picked up the phone, and within ten minutes, a female deputy had taken Anna’s statement, and they promised her that they’d arrest her boyfriend, Conner Wilcon. The deputy offered to take Anna to the Underground Railroad, but I piped up and suggested she stay with us.
“Oh, thank you so much,” Anna gushed.
It felt good to be able to help someone in need. “Where is she going to sleep?” El asked.
“She can have my bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa bed. It’s the least I can do,” I told her.
Anna ran over to my bed and gave me a hug with her good arm, wetting me with her tears of gratitude.
It was hours before I was able to sleep after that, but I finally nodded off, lulled to sleep by the sound of Eleanor snoring in a chair. The poor dear simply refused to leave.
Chapter Eleven
Andrew showed up early the next morning. I originally intended to give him the cold shoulder, but since Anna would be accompanying us home, I decided against it. I was ready to leave, and so was Anna. His eyes widened when he spotted the young woman, but he ran around to open the door for her. Once we were all settled in the LX, he drove us home. Initially, I had worried about the fact that I was bringing home someone I didn’t know. I thought about how unwise that could be, but I couldn’t help myself. Anna reminded me of a child with her waif-like looks and her long brown hair trailing in her face. She had the largest brown eyes I had ever seen. In a nutshell, she was runway ready. With a little polishing, she could have the look of a supermodel.
We strolled into the cabin, and I gave our guest the grand tour. Anna shot Andrew a sidelong look, and she asked who he was.
“That’s Andrew, my boyfriend. He’s one of the good guys. He’s an attorney.”
Her lips formed a big, “Oh,” and she sat on the couch, bouncing on the cushion a bit. My heart just melted. She reminded me of a child, not the woman of twenty I surmised her to be. I grilled burgers and served them with a bag of barbeque potato chips. From the way Anna gobbled hers up, I wondered when she had last had a decent meal.
Eleanor grinned as she ate and asked, “So, where are we off to today?”
“You’re planning to leav
e so soon after being released from the hospital?” Andrew asked frowning. “Why am I not surprised?”
I wasn’t about to get into this is Andrew now. If he had been all that concerned about me, he wouldn’t have left the hospital the way he had last night. “Hidden Cove,” I told Eleanor. “Word is that’s where Mel Pifton hangs out.”
“Who?” Anna asked.
“He’s a man we’re planning to question about a recent murder.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “Mildred Winfree’s murder?” she asked.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Well, it was on the news. It’s not like there are all that many murders in a small town such as this.”
“So you’re not from here, then?”
“Oh, no. I live in Saginaw. Conner brought me up here for vacation, but I guess it didn’t turn out that way. I sure hope he doesn’t find me here.”
I patted Anna’s hand. “Not to worry. I promise you’re safe now.”
“Unless he wants to meet my little friend,” Eleanor said with menacing intent. “I pack a firearm, you know.”
“You do? Wow, you two really are amazing for women your age.” She bit her fist and apologized. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, honest.”
“I know you didn’t, dear. We’ll be out most of the day, but the fridge is packed full of food. Why not soak up some rays? This cabin is secluded, with its own private beach.”
“Gosh, that sure is great, but I burn so easily.”
El retrieved sunscreen while I changed into white cropped pants with a yellow shirt for our outing. Ten minutes later, we strode out the door. Andrew left when we did, and I made sure to lock up. The last thing I needed was for someone to just walk in the door. Not only did I need to worry about the hidden treasure, but now also about protecting Anna from that deranged boyfriend of hers.
When we were in the Cadillac, El asked, “Is it safe to leave the treasure behind like that? I mean, what do we really know about Anna? She could be a thief for all we know.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know, but I have a good feeling about this. She’s just so sweet.”
“And you don’t think she’s too sweet?”
“You heard her story, same as me. She needs help, and I plan to give it to her. She’ll be useful as a house sitter while we’re gone, at least.”
“Of course you’re right, dear. It would be quite a coincidence if you were put in a hospital room with a known felon.”
“Exactly.”
I started the car, and soon we were tooling toward Hidden Cove, which was located between East Tawas and Tadium. I skidded to a stop in the gravel drive and cut off the engine, just as the dust settled. We made our way inside, and I spotted Mel Pifton on the last barstool, chatting it up with a young woman with jet black hair.
“She must be new in town,” I whispered to El.
“Who can keep track?” she fired back. “But what is it with some old men and younger chicks? He’s probably telling her about how he’s into oil, just to land his hook.”
I nodded in agreement. I sauntered over and tapped Mel on the shoulder. He turned, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly when he saw me. I sure didn’t miss the gesture, though, no matter how slight. “Hello, Mel. I was hoping we could have a little chat about Mildred.”
He turned to the woman beside him and whispered something to her that I couldn’t make out, but it sure elicited a giggle from her. That really ruffled my feathers, but I needed to stay focused. Mel slid off the barstool and made way for a corner table, plopping down in a chair. I noted Mel wore all white today, which made him look even more odd with that Santa beard of his.
He pulled out a toothpick from his shirt pocket and asked, “How can I be of service to you ladies? I believe I already told you I had an alibi for the night Mildred was murdered.”
“To be frank, we don’t know for certain when Mildred died, and the timeline might not be quite right.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“That you might have had ample time to murder Mildred and then go back to Standish so you could use it as an alibi.”
“Nothing would surprise us,” El said. “We’ve seen it all.”
“Have you, now? Well, since you aren’t privy to the forensics information, your observations mean absolutely nothing to me.”
“When did Mildred tell you about the treasure in East Tawas?”
He cleared his throat and motioned to a server to bring him a glass of water, drumming his fingers on the table until the glass was set down. After taking a healthy drink, he continued. “About a month ago. At first, I didn’t believe her, but I started checking out her story and ran into a blog post on a magazine’s website. Tall Tales, I believe it was called. Quite informative.”
I pursed my lips. “So that’s the tabloid, then.”
“If that’s what you want to call it. They have a history of unearthing the truth behind unsolved mysteries. With a proven success rate, I might add.”
“Oh, really, and what mysteries have they ‘unearthed,’ as you say?”
“They have photographic evidence that the ship Erie Board of Trades has been spotted on Lake Huron.”
“We saw that ship firsthand,” El gasped. “That’s one story I want to read.” She pulled out her smartphone while I continued to grill Mel.
“If Mildred called you a month ago, then why did you only turn up in town recently, like, after Mildred’s death?”
“I was waiting on my check. I’m into oil, as I said, but my son has control over most of my assets. I’m only allowed money at the end of the month.”
“I see,” I said, but really wouldn’t believe that story until I checked it out.
“Yeah,” the girl with the black hair reiterated. “My baby is filthy rich.”
“Or just plain filthy,” I said with a smile.
The girl continued to hang around, and Mel was ogling her womanly jewels that were nearly stuffed in his face, as she said, “Tell them, baby, about how we’re gonna clean up big in town.”
That got my attention. “Clean up?”
“Yes. We’ve been looking for the treasure in town, but someone keeps beating us to it,” she pouted. “If only that treasure map hadn’t been published in that magazine.”
“You mean tabloid, don’t you, honey? Did you come to town with Mel or did you hook up here?”
“No, at Bambi’s Motel,” she said with a giggle. “When Mel told me the story about the treasure, I was the logical person to help him.”
“And why is that? Are you a world-renowned treasure hunter, possibly the niece of Indiana Jones?” I smirked.
“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, perhaps?” piped in Eleanor.
The girl blinked, dislodging a false eyelash, and I just had to snicker when it stuck to her eyelid. “I thought old people were supposed to be nice. You two are quite rude.”
I continued to snicker until it had turned into a full-blown belly laugh. El laughed, too, making her belly jump like popcorn kernels were inside. “S-Sorry, but one of your falsies has fallen off,” I told the girl, who looked down her blouse.
“No, it hasn’t,” she said.
I fell into El, who hugged me, tears coursing down her face. “Th-That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. She thought breast, when you meant eyelash.”
The girl whisked away the stray lash and strutted off with head held high. Mel’s face was quite red now as he choked out, “Is that all? I have more important things to attend to.”
“This treasure sure sounds important to you. Why, I’d like to know? You seem to be telling that poor girl you’re loaded, but it’s quite clear that it isn’t the truth.”
He drummed his fingers on the table. “I’m an adventurer, and I’m dead set on finding this treasure, so if I were you two, I’d just leave it alone.” With that he left, leaving me and El quite bemused.
“That doesn’t make any sense to me, El. I have a hard time believing that man has a red cent.”
“Me, either, and I couldn’t help but notice the girl at the bar just paid for his drinks. He’s a con man, for sure. Its no wonder Mildred was such an ornery old lady. First her husband strayed behind her back, and then she hooks up with that storyteller.”
“True, but why would she contact him at all regarding the treasure?”
“Well, he did show up in town just in time for her funeral,” El pointed out. “And he about threatened us, I think. What do you think he meant when he said we should leave it alone?”
“He might have meant the questioning or the treasure. It’s unclear which.”
“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough because The Best Little Hair House in Tawas is next on the map.”
I smiled. “Great. I’m about due for a wash and set.”
We left and made way for Main Street in the sleek black Cadillac that I was getting so used to driving. I just loved the heat-controlled seats.
When we arrived five short minutes later, we made our way up to the clay siding house that didn’t look like it contained a hair house at all. I chuckled at the name. It reminded me of the movie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Not so in East Tawas. This salon was founded in 1988 and was owned by the always perky Ginny Coffin.
El and I made our way inside and soon were standing before the counter, where a well-groomed young lady assisted us. “We’d like a wash and set,” I told the girl. Within minutes, we were directed to the shampoo station. I waved to Dorothy Alton, whom another beautician was just finishing.
My beautician introduced herself as Kitty Klein. She said she was new, but not to worry: she was an expert at the craft of wash and set. She was quite thin, as all the girls were, and her skin was deeply tanned. Her brown hair was swept up into an updo, which I speculated was some kind of advertisement. Of course, El had Karen Thompson working on her hair. Karen’s been with the salon for quite some time and was quite skilled.
When El and I both had towels wrapped around our heads, we were seated in chairs near each other. I glanced around the place and noted shelves stocked with hair care products, as well as tables stuffed with displays of jewelry and purses for sale. On the walls were picture frames displaying customer appreciation awards from the last few years. Yes, this was the best little hair house in Tawas.
Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 05 - Treasure in Tawas Page 9