by Laura Hern
There was a click and Lainey and Vera were inside the building facing a half wall of window openings. Behind the middle one sat Francy.
“I’ll buzz you in.” Francy said as the door buzzed open.
Lainey held the door for Vera and her goodies. The purple light on Francy’s headset was on suggesting she was live with someone on the phone or radio. Quietly, they walked over to her desk and waited.
“10-4,” Francy said as she clicked off the headset. She stood to give them a hug. “It’s been a busy night so far and you will have to be very careful as people are coming and going.”
Lainey shook her head as Vera put down the treats and took off her coat. She was dressed in a black turtleneck, black slacks, solid black shoes and socks, and she didn’t take off her black gloves or her black stocking cap.
“Why are you dressed like that?” Francy asked looking at her oddly. “You hate wearing black!”
“Well… cat burglars in the movies always wear black so they can’t be seen and don’t leave fingerprints. If it works for them, it should work for us.” Vera said confidently.
Lainey looked at Francy and both burst out laughing. Noticing that Vera was looking a bit hurt, Lainey smiled and said, “We are not cat burglars and we aren’t stealing anything.”
“You never know. I was just trying to protect us, that’s all.” Vera smiled as she took off her gloves.
Francy rolled her eyes. “I came in early and was able to find out that the filing clerk is far behind. Her desk might be a good place to start looking.” She said to Lainey.
“Where is her desk or office?” Lainey asked looking around.
“The clerk’s office is down the hall, second door on the right,” Francy said. “Her office is next to Sarge’s office. He comes and goes through the back door which means he will walk past the clerk’s office to get to his. Be careful. He’s been in twice this shift already.”
Lainey nodded.
Vera asked, “Want me to stand by the backdoor and be the lookout?”
“Mom, if you stand by the back door, anyone coming in will know something is up. The guys would expect you to be up here with me or waiting for me in the break room.”
“I guess you’re right,” Vera sighed.
Francy spoke, almost as if giving orders, “Mom, sit in the chair behind me for now. We can take the treats to the break room in a minute.”
“Lainey, normally if the clerk is behind in filing, she has several baskets on her desk either labeled with dates or case numbers. Look at those first. I think the filing cabinets are locked.” Francy stated.
“Will do. How will I know if someone is coming, either front or back door?” Lainey asked.
“The hall echoes a good deal. If I buzz the door open for someone, you will hear the loud clicking sound and our voices. If someone is coming in the back door, you will hear the door pushed open and shut. You won’t have much time to turn off lights and try to hide under the desk. If that happens, stay under the desk and I’ll come to get you when the coast is clear.”
Lainey again nodded that she understood. As she walked down the hallway Francy added, “Seriously, don’t dilly dally, Lainey. I’ll be in trouble if you’re caught.”
“We’ll all be in deep trouble if I’m caught,” Lainey said as she stood in front of the clerk’s office. Her heart was racing a bit when she flipped on the light.
The small room had grey, metal filing cabinets making a U-shape that took up more than half of the room. The cabinets surrounded an old metal desk with a black rubber finish on the top. Manila files were in piles across the front of the desk with yellow and green sticky notes stuck to the top of each pile.
There were three wire baskets that held more manila files with more sticky notes. Smack dab in the middle of the desktop sat a large computer screen with pens, pencils, erasers, candy wrappers, and more papers surrounding it. In the right hand corner was one picture of a family of four, dressed in what looked like their Sunday best.
“That reminds me of the Easter pictures my mom used to take,” Lainey said softly.
She began looking at each pile on the desk. The first stack looked to have 30 manila files, and each had a name and a number on the tab. Lainey ran her fingers through the folders and said out loud, “Smith 2385, Fre 4332, Hut 0964. These must be the last name and file number.”
No tabs on the next two stacks of files had anything resembling the name Sullivan, Eugene, or Harold either.
Lainey looked through the rest of the piles on the desk. She was starting to worry that she would find nothing. Suddenly she heard a loud squeaky sound and then a door shut. Her heart jumped into her throat as she lunged at the light switch. She threw herself under the small desk, praying whoever it was would walk past.
She heard footsteps that seemed to pause at the clerk’s door before moving forward. Her head was pounding, and her chest felt like someone was hitting it with a sledge hammer with each heartbeat.
Lainey tried to control her breathing and to keep from panicking. She listened as she heard familiar voices.
“Hello, Vera,” Ben Sargent greeted. “I see we pulled Francy back from retirement.”
“Why, hello, Sarge.” Vera said without hesitation. “You look the same as you did years ago!” she added, giving him a hug.
“Mom brought treats for the department like the old days,” Lainey heard Francy say.
“They are in the break room waiting for you.” Vera said.
“I’ll grab one or two on my way out,” Sarge said. His voice lowered and Lainey could hear a conversation between Francy and Sarge but couldn’t make out any words.
Lainey was crouched under the desk opening, arms grasping her knees close to her chest.
Poop! Leave quickly, Sarge!
After what seemed like hours, Lainey heard Sarge say, “That’s it for now Francy. I’m on call if something comes up.”
“You bet, Sarge,” Francy said. Lainey heard footsteps coming toward her which made her heart beat even harder. Then she heard Sarge say, “By the way, that’s not your Mom’s vehicle in the parking lot.” For a second, Lainey couldn’t catch her breath.
“Oh, she borrowed a neighbor’s. Her car is in the shop.” Francy stated. Lainey hoped Francy’s explanation was good enough to satisfy Sarge.
“Okay. I’m going home.” Sarge said as he continued down the hallway and out the back door.
Lainey was frozen, not wanting to get out too quickly in case he returned or forgot something.
She heard very fast footsteps and Francy’s voice. “Where are you?”
Lainey slowly untwisted her arms and legs and crawled out from under the desk. “I was under the desk!” she said as Francy bolted through the door.
“Holy smokes that was close!” Francy said helping Lainey to her feet. “Did you find anything?” she asked.
Lainey stretched for a minute and said, “Not yet. None of the files on her desk say anything about the Sullivan brothers. Where else would they be?”
Francy shrugged. “Try the baskets on top of each filing cabinet. When I filed, I would put folders in alphabetical order on top of the drawer they were to go in.”
Lainey agreed. “Okay.” Francy’s headset lit up once again.
“Gotta go, Lainey. Please, hurry up,” she said answering the call and heading back to her window desk.
Lainey started looking for the filing cabinet with the letter S on the label. It was the seventh cabinet and had four drawers. Lainey quickly tried to open the filing cabinet. It was locked.
She pulled down the three wire baskets that sat on top of the cabinet so she could look through them.
“Hot dog!” Lainey said loudly enough that Vera and Francy heard her. She pulled out two manila folders that were named E. Sullivan and H. Sullivan. “I found them!” she said.
Lainey heard more footsteps and Vera, almost shouting said, “Don’t touch anything! I’m bringing my gloves.”
Francy followed Ver
a into the clerk’s office. “Did you find the police reports?” she asked Lainey.
Opening the E. Sullivan file and looking through the papers quickly, Lainey said, “Yes, it’s here!” She pulled out her phone camera from her pocket and took pictures of the police reports and other documents in the two Sullivan files.
Francy was pacing back and forth and obviously concerned about how much time this was taking.
“Lainey, you have to go. I’ve sent two squad cars out and they will be bringing prisoners in very soon.” Francy pleaded.
“Okay, okay,” Lainey said reluctantly as she put back the papers, returned the files to their correct wire baskets and quickly left the clerk’s office. “I’ll go home and look through them.”
“Great. I’m here till 7 a.m. I hope you found everything, because I’m not cut out for this spying stuff. My blood pressure is through the roof!” Francy declared.
Vera put her coat on while Lainey hugged Francy.
“Thank you, Francy. I could not have gotten this without your help. You are the best.”
Francy smirked, “Yea, yea. That’s what everyone says.” She buzzed the door to let them out as Vera added “And what about the old Mom and her treats? I never get credit!”
They all chuckled. “Now, get my cat burglar Mom home, Lainey.” Francy said.
“I’ll see she gets in safely,” Lainey promised.
“Call me when you get home,” Francy said. “I want to know what you found.”
“Will do.”
Lainey dropped off Vera and made sure she was inside the house before leaving the driveway. Finally, she could take a deep breath without her heart bursting. She wanted, no needed, a mocha Frapp - and just this once - she wanted a large with whole milk and extra whipped cream!
Chapter 6
Lainey hurried into her house, sat her coffee on the kitchen counter, and pulled out her cell phone.
“It’s 1:30,” she said to her cat who was purring loudly. “Ready for a long night, Powie?”
She took her reading glasses from her fanny pack and opened the photos on her phone. The pictures had a brown tint and a couple were blurry. “I must have been shaking more than I thought!” she said. “Think I’ll print these out and enlarge them.”
She selected the photos and sent them to her wireless printer. By the time she walked from the kitchen to her office, the printer was spitting out the pages onto the floor. The printer’s sliding paper catcher had long since been broken because Powie had decided to take a nap on it.
She picked up the papers, went back to the kitchen counter, took a big gulp of coffee, and started reading. The next time she looked up, her phone clock read 3:16 a.m.
Lainey put down the papers and looked over the notes she’d written on her iPad. Chilling thoughts cluttered her mind and suddenly she had goose bumps all over. She was beginning to believe Mary Chase. Someone murdered the Sullivan’s. And she had a gut feeling she knew who.
She called Francy at the police station. When Francy answered, Lainey said, “I need to talk with Sarge. I’m going to see Ann Reynolds today.”
The tone of Lainey’s voice and the business-like way she spoke told Francy there was trouble.
“You found evidence?” Francy asked quietly. “We have a full house in the office, and I can’t talk. Want me to call Sarge now?”
Lainey paused to think. “Could he meet with me this evening? I have to speak with Ann first.”
“I’ll email him before I leave. Want me to come when you visit Ann?” Francy asked.
“You get some sleep. I’ll fill you in when I know something positive,” Lainey said.
“You got it. I’ll ask Sarge to email or call you with a time when he can meet.”
“Sounds good. Talk with you later,” Lainey replied and hung up the phone. She yawned and looked at Powie who had been sleeping in the chair next to her. “I need a nap to clear my mind. Let’s hit the sack,” she said aloud.
For a couple of hours Lainey tossed and turned, trying to force herself to sleep. Finally she gave up, got up, and turned on the news. She was showered and dressed before 7 a.m.
“There’s a lot to do,” she said to Powie, running her hand down his back. “I hope Ann likes surprise visitors because I’m going to see her today.”
Lainey took a neon green sticky note and listed three things. 1. Call Della. 2. Drive to Ann’s. 3. Sarge. She stuck the note to the back of her phone.
She waited till about 8 a.m. to call Della. The phone rang and she heard Della mutter in a sleepy voice. She was not a morning person, but Lainey phoned her anyway, knowing she was more than likely sleeping.
“Sorry, I know it’s early Della, but I need to talk with you. Can I come over?” Lainey said quickly.
“Now? You want to come over now? What’s wrong?”
“I’ll explain when I get there. See you in a few minutes.”
Mirror Falls was a small town and even though Della lived technically across town, it was only a few minutes’ drive even during rush hour. She checked her emails and noticed one from Sarge saying he could meet at his office around eight that night. She saved the time in her calendar and headed to Della’s.
Lainey rang the doorbell and Della answered, wearing her satin zebra striped pajama robe and her fluffy sheepskin house shoes.
“Girl, what in the world is going on?” Della asked as Lainey followed her into the living room.
“Della, I have more information about Mary Chase’s ideas that the Sullivan family is being murdered, and I need to ask you a favor.”
“Lainey, you know I’ll help you with anything I can.” Della gave Lainey a big hug. “Is this about the DNA family tree you wanted me to research?”
“Yes, and no,” Lainey said. “Did you find out anything else when you looked through the Sullivan and Reynolds family trees on the website?”
“No. Everything Mary had written down was listed,” Della answered. “Other than perhaps a few third or fourth generation cousins, I found nothing.”
“I thought so,” Lainey nodded. “But thank you for checking.”
Della had a cinnamon coffee cake on the counter, and she cut a slice for Lainey and herself. “Want some coffee or juice?” she asked Lainey.
“I’m full of caffeine, but ice water sounds great,” Lainey replied. She waited for Della to pour the water and sit down.
“What I need to ask of you… I’m not sure your hubby can know about it,” Lainey said reluctantly.
Della looked very surprised and a bit speechless. “In heaven’s name, what it is?”
Lainey sighed. “Last night I got the police reports for the accidental deaths of Eugene and Harold Sullivan and I think there is evidence that they were murdered.”
Della’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. She swallowed hard and repeated Lainey’s words. “Murdered?”
Lainey nodded, then continued, watching Della’s reaction. “The report shows that both bodies were taken to Paul’s funeral home.”
“I see,” Della said slowly. “Why is that an issue?”
“I’m not sure, but I need to look through Paul’s records. There wasn’t an autopsy ordered for either man and his records might shed light as to why.” Lainey said.
“Why not ask Paul?” Della asked.
“I wasn’t hired officially to investigate these deaths and I’m not sure Paul could show me the records,” Lainey admitted.
“So, we need to sneak in and take a peek, is that what you’re saying?” Della leaned forward as she asked.
Lainey half shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “In a nutshell, yes.”
Della sat back and put her hand to her chin to think. “There’s more you are not telling me. Spill it!”
“This is a working theory and I plan on meeting with Francy’s officer friend this evening. The police reports show that the bodies were taken to Kristiansen’s Funeral Home and the body drivers were Doug Reynolds and Chuck Austin.”
Della l
ooked startled. “Doug Reynolds? The brother of Mary Chase?”
“Yes, and Chuck Austin turns out to be Ann Reynolds’ live in boyfriend.”
Della raised her eyebrows. “Okay, I’m officially curious and intrigued. What else?”
Lainey pulled out her iPad notes. “The investigator from the coroner’s office was named Nathan Austin. Coincidence?”
“And you think this Chuck and Nathan are relatives?” Della asked.
“That’s a good question. Can you look at those DNA sites and maybe find out anything?”
“Let’s go see!” They walked into the den where Della’s computer was already turned on.
Della logged in to her favorite ancestral research site. She typed the name Chuck Austin. “It’s a long shot, Lainey, since we don’t have a birth date or middle name,” she said as she waited for the search results.
“I’m going to Ann’s house when I leave here. If you can’t find anything now, I’ll ask her about it.” Lainey said.
The search results showed pages and pages of possible entries. “This would take forever Lainey. Let’s try again after you speak with Ann.”
“I agree. When can we get into Paul’s records without him knowing?”
“Hmm… It would have to be after hours, so no employees are around. Let me talk with him to see what the schedule of viewing or funerals are for the next couple of days.”
“Della, I really need to look today. I’m trying to get evidence to show Sarge when I meet with him this evening.”
Della pursed her lips and blew out a whistle. “Well, that’s going to be difficult. Let me do some thinking.”
“I appreciate it, Della. I’ll call you once I leave Ann’s house. I’m heading over there now.”
“Does she know you are coming?” Della asked.
“Nope.” Lainey said with a wink. She picked up her iPad and walked to the door. “It’s a surprise!”
The morning was typically cloudy and cold, and Lainey was rehearsing what to say when she arrived at Ann’s house. Her GPS was leading her North of town to a remote, wooded area where many locals had cabins.