by Cindy Bell
“If you want to fill out this order form we can contact you when we have the cupcakes ready.” She slid him an order form. He took it and jotted his information down on it as well as the quantity of his order then slid it back across the counter to her.
“Make it sooner than later, eh? I’ve got a lot of hungry people to feed.”
“Of course.” She stared into his eyes. Would there be some kind of sign there? Would she be able to tell if he was a killer? He smiled, and turned away. As he left the shop, Charlotte stepped up beside her.
“That was him, huh?”
“Yes.” She sighed and handed her the order card. “I told him we were busy.”
“Good.” Charlotte took the card and put it under the pile of orders. “It’s going to be a long wait.” Ally couldn’t help but smile. Maybe her grandmother’s instincts really were right on.
As Ally and Charlotte prepared to close up for the day Ally organized the order cards for the following day. She noticed Mario’s order form. On it was Mario’s delivery address, his phone number, and his request. She decided to jot down the contact information in case she wanted to look into it later. It might lead to her finding out a little more about him.
“Let’s go pick up Arnold and see what we can find out about those men in the woods.” Charlotte grabbed her purse as Ally dumped the last of the trash.
“Should we get him a little vest that says ‘Watch Pig’?”
“Maybe. Let’s see if he does a good job first.” Charlotte grinned, but Ally noticed the worry in her eyes. They could joke, but they both knew they were walking a dangerous line. When Ally scooted Arnold into the car he was thrilled. He snorted and bounced around the backseat.
“Arnold, no snout prints on the window!” Charlotte sighed.
“Aw, he looks so cute though.” Ally grinned. They parked in the same spot they had before, then headed up the trail. Arnold snorted his way right through the underbrush and straight to the blind. Whether he knew that was where they wanted to go or he was just attracted by something in the area, Ally wasn’t sure, but she was impressed.
“You’re right, Mee-Maw, Arnold is a very talented pig.”
“Like I’ve been trying to tell you.” She nodded, then put her finger to her lips. “If we’re quiet, then Arnold might be quiet, too.”
Ally nodded. She remained on the ground with Arnold while her grandmother climbed up into the shelter. Arnold snorted through the underbrush again. Ally pulled out a few treats and tossed them on the ground for him. He gobbled them up, then promptly laid down in the dirt. Ally patted his head then stepped past him and peered through the low tree branches. She spotted the man that she saw on Shane’s film and at the cabin the previous day. She got a better look at him than she had before and she now recognized him as the man who came into the shop on the day that Shane was murdered when he became nervous. As soon as Ally saw a second man standing with him she remembered something Mrs. Bing said. The man that frightened Shane in the grocery store had red hair. So did the man who stood near an almost hidden cabin. She watched as he and the other man moved away from the cabin to a red pick-up truck. It was the same as the one that was in the film clips. Once they climbed inside the engine turned on. Ally ducked down, but she could still see the red paint of the truck flash through the trees as he drove away. She hoped that they hadn’t been able to spot her.
At first Ally was ready to signal for her grandmother to come down from the bird blind, but she thought better of it. Maybe this was her opportunity to see what they were hiding inside the cabin. That would be the real proof that she needed. She sent her grandmother a text about her plan and before she could receive one back warning her not to go into the cabin, she walked out of the trees. On the other side of the driveway she paused and listened to see if there was anyone else inside. After a few moments she noticed that Arnold tugged at his leash towards the door. She let him take the lead. When he nosed around the door, the door swung open.
“I guess they’re not worried about anything being stolen.” She frowned as Arnold led her inside. It wasn’t technically breaking and entering if she was chasing her pet pig through an open door, was it? The cabin itself was bare aside from piles of boxes. Even the kitchen looked untouched. It was clear that it was used as storage, not a living space. There was a distinct scent in the house, not a natural one. It was as if someone used a lot of air freshener. If no one lived there, why would they need so much air freshener? Then she noticed the way that Arnold sniffed the air. He walked around in circles just sniffing away.
“Maybe it’s to throw off police dogs?” She took another deep breath of the fragrance. It was strong enough to make her believe that she was in the middle of a garden instead of a dusty old cabin. “They’re definitely hiding something.” Even though the boxes were empty she looked through each one. After that she walked towards the bedroom of the cabin. It too was stocked with more empty boxes and no sign of a bed. She pulled open the closet and peered inside. A rather large spider stared back at her, but nothing else. As she walked back through the kitchen she opened up all of the cabinets and checked each one.
“So they come up here for hours at a time, but they don’t sleep, they don’t eat, they don’t watch television. There is one thing they must have to do once in a while though.” She smiled as she walked towards the bathroom. As she suspected it was the only room that showed some signs of actual use. Although the shelves were bare and there was only a very slim roll of toilet paper to indicate that the bathroom was used, there was also a medicine cabinet. She popped it open and found a few bottles of headache medicine. “Someone’s stressed out.” She opened the bottles and peered inside. The pills didn’t look any different than others she’d seen. If they were hiding any illegal drugs, she didn’t think they were it.
Disappointed, she started to leave the bathroom, then she noticed something by the edge of the base of the toilet. It stuck out from behind a small trashcan. As she crouched down in front of it, she tried not to think about how close to the germs she was. On closer inspection it was a small plastic card with a strip on the back. It looked like the type of digital key that was used for hotel rooms, only just a little smaller. She plucked it up off the floor. It was easy to imagine that perhaps someone had dropped their trousers in the bathroom and the key card slipped out. They probably hadn’t noticed it was missing yet, or they would be looking for it. That thought created a sense of urgency within her. Once someone figured out it was missing they were going to come back for it, and she needed to be out of the cabin before that happened. Unfortunately, Arnold was very interested in everything they passed. He stuck his snout into every box and sniffed the air as he turned in slow circles.
“Arnold, we have to go!” Ally tugged at his leash. Her cell phone began to buzz with texts. She glanced at them and saw they were from her grandmother. The sternly worded texts demanded that she get out of the cabin. She did her best to tug Arnold out through the front door of the cabin. When she heard an engine in the distance, her heart jumped into her throat.
Charlotte rushed towards her. “Don’t worry, Ally, it was just a ranger and he passed by on the main road.” Charlotte patted her back. “I couldn’t wait for you to come out any longer. I was worried that the truck was returning with the two men we saw.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Mee-Maw, but Arnold was being pretty stubborn.”
“So were you. You know that you shouldn’t have gone in there. What if they have cameras.”
“I didn’t think of that, but if they were smuggling drugs I doubt they would want the proof caught on film. I didn’t notice any cameras.”
“Let’s get back behind the trees just in case someone comes back.”
Ally followed her grandmother into the woods. The idea of there being cameras posted somewhere made her uneasy. She did look around, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be hidden.
“I did find something while I was in there, but not much. The place i
s full of empty boxes.”
“What did you find?” Charlotte peered at the key card that Ally pulled out of her pocket.
“I have no idea what it opens, but it does have a phone number on it in case it’s lost.”
“Hmm, interesting. At least it’s something.”
“We can call the number and see if we can find out where it’s for.”
“We need to be careful and get out of here. I have a feeling those men are going to realize it’s missing pretty quickly.”
“Then they might know that someone’s been in the cabin.” Ally frowned. “I guess I should have left it in there.”
“Not necessarily. I think it’s good that we have it, but I think we need to be very cautious. Maybe we should tell Luke about it. It’s not good to be so secretive.”
“Mee-Maw, do you tell your boyfriend everything?”
Charlotte put her hands on her hips. “He’s a man that’s a friend, remember? And no, I don’t.”
“Let me just see if I can find out anything about where it is for and then I can take it from there. There is no need to waste his time if it isn’t important.”
“Okay. Let’s see what we can find out about it first.”
“For now I think we should get home, if the drug dealers don’t get us the mosquitoes will.”
Chapter 13
On the drive home Ally pulled out her cell phone. “I want to see if Professor Shumer knows anything else about the site and maybe the men who were there. If Shane and these men were at the same location then that makes them suspects.” She dialed his number and waited for him to answer. When the line picked up she could hear a lot of noise in the background.
“Please hold for a second,” Professor Shumer said in a rushed voice. “I said leave me alone. I’ve already told you enough times that it was handled. I don’t need to explain myself to you. You shouldn’t even be here.” His voice was distant and it sounded disgruntled, until he greeted her. “Hello, how may I help you?”
“Professor, it’s Ally, we talked yesterday about Shane?”
“Yes, I recall, and I also told you that I was too busy to discuss it any further. That hasn’t changed.”
“I just need to ask you some information about the location of Shane’s film.”
“I’m sorry I can’t help you, Ally. Goodbye.” The line disconnected. Ally stared at the phone for a moment. The professor had been fairly brusque when he ended their meeting the day before, but she didn’t expect him to be so harsh on the phone.
“I guess we aren’t going to get any more information out of him.”
“We know we have the right place.” Charlotte turned down the street that led to the chocolate shop. “That was the same man that we saw on the films.”
“Yes, it was. And, I think the other man was the same man that scared Shane in the grocery store.” Ally tucked her phone into her pocket. “I think it’s time we found out a little bit more about what they might be hiding. The first step is to find out where the key card is for.” As Ally finished her sentence her phone beeped with a text. “Luke wants to meet for a quick walk.” Ally smiled.
“I can do the final rounds at the shop and close up, Ally, you go meet Luke. You two need some time together.”
“Are you sure? It’s inventory night.”
“I don’t mind. I miss doing those things. It’s nice to have the quiet sometimes.”
“Oh, so I can’t leave Arnold with you?” Ally grinned.
“That pig needs the exercise.” Charlotte patted his round rump. Arnold snorted at her, clearly offended.
After Ally left Charlotte at the shop she drove down to the riverbank.
“Are you restless, little guy?” She sighed and looked out through the windshield at the water before her. “Me too. Let’s go have our walk.” As she led Arnold down the path he sniffed at each wooden board. “Do you smell the fish?” She smiled. “You’re always looking for something aren’t you?”
“Right now, I’m looking for you.”
The voice startled her until she turned around to see that it was Luke a few steps behind her. He saw the fear in her eyes and frowned.
“I’m sorry, Ally. Didn’t you get my text?”
Ally reached for her phone. “Oops, I must have left it in the car.”
“I texted that I could see you walking down the riverbank and was going to meet you there. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“It’s okay, I’m just a little jumpy.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s kind of a long story, Luke.”
“Good thing it’s a long river.”
“Yes, good thing.” He fell into step beside her as she continued to walk. Arnold kept their pace slow.
“Are you ready to tell me what you have been up to?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“I already don’t like that you’re keeping something from me, so go ahead and spill it.”
“You know that Mee-Maw and I have been looking into Shane’s death.”
“I do know that. But what does that have to do with climbing trees and how jumpy you’ve been?”
“We found out from Shane’s teacher that he was working on a project in the woods on the outskirts of Geraltin. So we went to the location to see if there might be some evidence left behind as to why he was killed.”
“Instead of letting Geraltin PD know?”
“Now, to be fair, Luke, they had the same information we did. I don’t know if they spoke with Shane’s teacher or not. However, if they did check it out there wouldn’t have been much for them to find. There was a bird blind there that I think Shane might have built and was using to film the activities of some birds in the area. However, we noticed right away it was the same area that was on the film clip we found on the flash drives. Not long after that we heard an argument between two men. So we’re pretty sure that Shane stumbled onto something he shouldn’t have. When I was climbing up into the blind I scraped my arm on the rope ladder.”
“So you weren’t chasing Peaches?”
“No.” Ally thought about telling Luke about the key card, but she wanted to see if she could find out any more information about it first.
“Ally.”
“Luke, I was careful. Anyway, we spotted one of the men again and this time he was with a new man. I think he was the same man that Mrs. Bing saw at the grocery store with Shane the day before he was killed. He had red hair. He was standing outside the cabin. So I decided to take a peek inside the cabin.”
“Cabin?”
“It was like it was just a storage shed with a bunch of empty boxes and whatever they were storing wasn’t there anymore.”
Luke’s phone beeped with a text and he looked down at it. “I have to go back to work, sorry.” He sighed.
“At least I got to see you for a bit.”
“Please be careful, Ally.” He caught her chin with the curve of his fingertip.
“Yes, I will be.”
“Good.” He kissed her, then patted Arnold on his head. Ally watched him walk away as she walked with Arnold back to her car. She knew that she could trust Luke, but she didn’t want to share too much information with him before she knew if it was important or not as she knew that he would worry about her and try to stop her from investigating. Arnold squealed.
“You’re hungry.” Ally patted him. “Okay, I’ll feed you first and then I can try to find out where this key card is from.”
Ally started to drive back to the cottage, but as she passed the shop she decided to see if her grandmother was still there. As she pulled up Charlotte ran towards her.
“Ally! Ally! He went that way!” She pointed towards the river. Ally jumped out of the car and turned to look, but it was too dark for her to make out anything.
“Who? Where? I don’t see anything, Mee-Maw.”
“Oh no, I guess he got away.” She leaned on her knees and gasped for breath.
“Mee-Maw, what happened?” Ally
rubbed her grandmother’s back. “Do I need to call Luke?”
“No, don’t bother it’s too late for that.”
“Tell me what happened.” Ally guided her into the car so that she could rest.
“I was locking up, and I turned around and a man was standing there. At least I think it was a man. He had a mask on, so I couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem to have any…”
“Mee-Maw.” Ally clasped her hand. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. I think he was just trying to scare me. He pulled his hand back like he was going to hit me, so I let him have it.”
“What did you do?” Ally’s eyes widened.
“I sprayed him right in the face. I mean, the mask shielded him of course, but that stuff is strong. He was coughing, a lot!”
“You sprayed him with what?” Ally looked out the window again to see if there was any sign of the man that Charlotte described.
“This.” Charlotte held up the can of bug spray she kept in her purse. “Always be prepared, right?”
“I suppose so.” Ally took the can from her, then rubbed the soft skin on the back of her grandmother’s hand. “I’m sorry this happened to you, we should report it to the police.”
“What is there to report really? That a man in a mask gave me a fright? You know that Luke will make sure I am surrounded by police, I won’t have any time to myself. Honestly, I’m the one that sprayed him with chemicals.”
“Mee-Maw, you were defending yourself. What if he comes back?” Ally groaned and sat back against the seat of the car. “Maybe someone has figured out that we’re the ones looking into Shane’s murder and is trying to scare us off.”
“Ally, this isn’t your fault. I can tell you this much, if that was what this man intended to do, he is going to get a surprise. I am not the type to back down, and once you’ve crossed me, you’re going to pay.”