Lori’s daydreaming was cut short when her phone rang. She excused herself, walking outside again while Gillian helped herself to another slice of carrot cake.
Matt sounded very excited. ”I asked Nick to check, and yes, the room key is gone. He thinks one of his staff might have taken it and is following up, but I have a hunch that’s what Pearce took when Hazel saw him.“
”Then he may try to break into the room tonight when everyone’s asleep,“ Lori said.
Matt explained his plan. “I think we have to be there when he enters the room to see him do it. I’ve looked at possibilities, and there’s a broom closet in the corridor where we can hide and still see Justus’ door. I’ve also checked, and the door is not taped up, so it’s no longer a crime scene.”
Lori listened to Matt with growing reluctance. ”Has Nick fixed the security camera?“ she asked, hoping that would make Matt reconsider.
”I don’t know, but I haven’t seen any workmen about, so it’s a calculated risk we have to take.”
Lori remembered the phrase Gillian used. ”Cloak and dagger.“ Images of shootouts, knife fights, and blood on the walls flashed through her mind.
”I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but is it really necessary, Matt? What if we’re caught and it turns violent? I mean…“
”We’ll be doing nothing dangerous, promise,“ Matt said as if he’d read her mind. ”It’s just a bit of clandestine reconnaissance. I need to see up close what he steals.“
Lori hoped Dr. Pearce wouldn’t show up. Doing this spying thing didn’t feel like the right thing to her. She reluctantly agreed to meet Matt at the Misty Hills Inn in the evening before hanging up and going back inside the shop.
Gillian was still sitting at the table with Hazel standing beside her, pouring Gillian a second cup of tea. ”I was just complementing your aunt on her cooking skills,“ Gillian said. ”I’ve been to a lot of conventions, but the food at this one beats all of them.“
Hazel beamed. ”These are all recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation in our family. I’m glad you’re enjoying the food. Tomorrow, we’ll be serving a creamy mushroom risotto made with mushrooms picked from the very forest you walked through this morning.“
”Looking forward to that,“ Gillian said as she got up to leave. She sniffed the air. “What’s that I’m smelling? My grandmother had a friend who was a witch, and her house always smelled like this.”
Hazel and Lori looked at each other and shook their heads. “Nope, can’t smell anything,” Lori said without batting an eyelid before seeing Gillian off at the door.
As soon as the door closed, Hazel looked at Lori with wide eyes. “That one was asking way too many questions about you and Matt while you were out, Lori. She was fishing for something.”
“What was she asking about?“ Lori asked with a frown. ”I quite like her. Maybe she’s just being curious.“
“She was asking about Justus’ mushroom research, and whether you knew anything about it. Then she went on asking whether you’d seen the mushroom. I just kept playing dumb.” Hazel sighed heavily. ”This whole mushroom funny business is becoming tiresome. Never mind, let me go get busy with that risotto."
Lori shifted uncomfortably in the cramped, pitch dark space of the broom closet. She couldn’t remember when she’d last been this close to a guy. It had never happened in a broom closet, that was for sure. She could smell a hint of Matt’s aftershave, and her cheek brushed against his hair every now and again.
“Can you see anything,” Matt whispered, making way for Lori to peer out the tiny window in the door.
Lori leaned forward, closed one eye, and carefully glanced out at the deserted corridor. “No, nothing. I hope we’re not wasting our time sitting here like this. Why is the corridor so dark?
I turned off a few lights when we came in,” Matt said. “Just to make it more difficult for someone to spot us.” He giggled. “Here we are, like a couple of naughty teenagers. Did you ever do this in college?”
Lori blushed in the dark. She’d felt chilly when they arrived, but Matt’s body heat was warming her up. “Quite cozy, I must admit.”
“I wanted to thank you for working with me to catch Professor Sproutley’s murderer,” Matt said. “He was special to me, and I’d like nothing more for the killer to be behind bars. You could’ve walked away and left it to the police.”
Lori shrugged. “I haven’t done much. And whoever did this is still out there… ”
“Shhh!“ Matt said suddenly and cocked his head to one side to hear better. “Did you hear anything?” he whispered. Lori shook her head.
Matt peeked out the window once more as Lori held her breath. Seeing no one, they turned back to one another, their lips only inches apart. The next moment she was kissing Matt gently. He returned the kiss with passion.
A clicking sound coming from the corridor broke off their kiss. Matt looked out, but the corridor was still deserted. With their nerves on edge, both sat in an uneasy quiet, too scared to breathe out loud. Jumbled emotions ran through Lori’s mind as she tried to process what had just happened between the two of them. Her fingertips tingled, and she felt a warm glow around her face.
Just then the door of Justus’ room squeaked as it opened, and a hooded figure appeared, closed the door, and made sure it was locked.
”Austin,“ Matt whispered.
”Is he carrying anything?“ Lori asked.
”Looks like the data file," Matt replied, staring intently through the window before ducking away. Footsteps passed where they were hiding, and both held their breath again. When the footsteps stopped for a few moments, Lori couldn’t contain her curiosity and glanced out the window. The thief stood at the end of the corridor, busy tucking the file inside his coat.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and then another figure came into view and walked up to the intruder. They exchanged a few words, and then both disappeared. Matt and Lori sat frozen in the broom closet for another few minutes to make sure no one returned. As they snuck down the corridor Lori glanced up at the security camera, praying that it wasn’t working. Else they’re going to have a lot to explain.
Lori was still half asleep when she entered the kitchen the next morning to make coffee. Rosie was sitting at the kitchen table behind her open laptop. She stopped typing and smiled at Lori when she saw her coming in. “And who came in way past twelve last night?” Rosie said, smiling, and Lori couldn’t help blushing.
”We… I had to work late at the inn.” She smiled back at Rosie. “You know, planning for the next day sort of stuff.” She tried to hide her face behind her coffee cup to camouflage her blush. She was relieved when Jasmine came into the kitchen, but that relief didn’t last long.
“And look at those rosy cheeks,” Jasmine cooed. “Who’s been casting love spells?”
“You’re imagining things,” Lori protested. “I just had a good night’s sleep, that’s all.” Her cell phone rang. The twins sniggered when they saw Matt’s name on the screen, and Lori hurriedly grabbed the phone and scurried outside.
“Chief Lambert called and said he wanted to see us at the police station immediately. He sounded angry,” Matt said.
“Maybe he’s had a breakthrough,” Lori said hopefully. “Maybe forensics found something.”
When she pulled up to the police station ten minutes later, Matt met her in the parking lot. “Listen, about last night…”
Lori put her dark glasses on. “Maybe later, let’s go hear what’s so important to the chief that he had to summon us here,” she said. Then she hurried into the building.
Matt watched her run off. Clearly today was not the day he and Lori were going to have a heart to heart talk.
Ray met them in the reception area of the chief’s office, a foreboding look on his face. “Careful, he’s in a foul mood,” he whispered. They found Chief Lambert sitting behind his desk, a piece of paper in his hand.
They both mumbled a greeting. This feel
s like being in the school principal’s office. Without a word, Chief Lambert tossed the crumpled sheet across his desk. Several words were written on it in thick, bold capital letters:
LOOK AT THE MISTY HILLS INN SECURITY TAPES
“I found this on my car windscreen this morning. Either of you two know anything about it?”
Matt and Lori looked at it, dumbfounded. Both shook their heads.
“No sir,” Matt said. “We have no idea who this is from.”
Chief Lambert jumped up, his chair falling back. Everyone in the office winced. “You clowns! I don’t care who put this on my car! I want to know what you two were doing hiding in a closet while someone broke into the scene of a crime!”
This is the point where I would start crying in the school principal’s office. All Lori could do was look at the chief in disbelief.
“Chief, someone saw Dr. Pearce take the key to Justus’ room,” Matt said, trying to be helpful. “We suspected he might try and break in but didn’t know the security cameras had been fixed.”
“So you two just decided to take matters in your own hands and go on a stakeout, like you’ve seen cops do on television.” Chief Lambert’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Who do you think you are, Mulder and Scully? When exactly were you going to tell me about your little PI stunt?”
Matt held his ground. “I worked closely with Professor Sproutley. I know how important this work on the newly discovered mushroom species was, and how much competition there is among researchers to be the first to broadcast this information.” He put his hands on the chief’s desk and looked him in the eye. “We need to interview Dr. Pearce to learn more about his intentions and what he planned to do with the information he stole.”
Lori looked at Matt in wonder at his strength. But the chief sat down and looked at Ray. “Richards, tell them.” Ray looked uneasy. “Go on, tell them.”
Ray opened his mouth and spoke haltingly. “We can’t interview Dr. Pearce because he was found dead in his room this morning. He’d been strangled to death.”
Chapter Twelve
Lori’s world tumbled down around her. It would be a miracle if Chief Lambert didn’t think they were involved much deeper in this whole debacle than they were admitting. He might even be viewing them as possible suspects in the murder. Why on earth did she allow Matt to drag her into this?
“We warned you about the possibility of academic foul play,” Matt said quietly.
If he hadn’t been there, Lori would probably be a whimpering mess by now.
“That was all conjecture. You had no hard evidence,” Chief Lambert shot back. “Then, when you learn about a possible stolen key, you chose to take matters in your own hands rather than letting the police handle it.”
Matt looked defeated and said nothing more. Chief Lambert took his car keys from his drawer. “Two things. First, you two better stop playing whodunnit games here, else you’ll have to deal with the full force of the law. Secondly, I want you to come with us to the Misty Hills Inn while we search the room for the stolen documents in case we need you to help identify them.” He beckoned for Ray to come with. ”Before they get stolen again,“ he added sarcastically.
Matt and Lori sheepishly followed the two policemen, got into the back seat of their patrol car, and rode with them to the inn. On the way, they passed a group of delegates on the sidewalk, among them Gillian and Istvan. Lori shrank back into her seat, but they’d already seen them in the police car and stared as it drove past.
“This must be the most embarrassing moment of my life,” Lori thought.
Matt tried to put his arm around her shoulder, but Lori pulled away and hid herself in a corner of the backseat. She looked back at the group on the sidewalk. A man dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt she hadn’t seen before was walking with the group. His casual clothing wasn’t typical of the way an academic typically dressed, but he was chatting with the others in the group as if he’d known them for ages. And was she mistaken, or did he wave at the police car? ”Who’s the guy in jeans?“ Lori asked, but Matt didn’t know. Strange for someone to join the convention at such a late stage. Lori made a mental note to ask Rosie about any late registrations. Dr. Pearce’s room at the Inn was the exact opposite of Justus’ neat and tidy room. Lori covered her nose against the foul smell of unwashed clothes that hung in the air. The bed was unmade, and documents, takeout food leftovers, and overflowing ashtrays were scattered everywhere. Professor’s Pearce’s body was gone, but an outline had been drawn on the floor where he had been found.
”Who found him,?“ Lori asked Ray they watched the policemen search the room.
”He missed a meeting appointment with a delegate group, who then came looking for him and alerted Nick when he didn’t answer the door. Strange thing is, Nick also received an anonymous call at the same time, saying he should check on the professor,” Ray replied.
Matt scanned the room. “I don’t see the file anywhere. Maybe he locked it in the safe in the closet.”
Chief Lambert opened one of the closet doors and tried to open the safe. “Yup, it’s locked,” he confirmed. “Get Nick to open the safe for us, Ray,” he instructed his deputy.
“Let me do that,” Lori offered, wanting to get out of the stinking room badly.
Chief Lambert nodded reluctantly. “Don’t leave town, Miss Whitewood,” he drawled.
That’s exactly what I feel like doing. Lori escaped the room.
Downstairs, she found Nick talking to Hazel in the kitchen. “We saw you coming in with the policemen,” Hazel said, wide-eyed. “Have they arrested anyone for the murders?
Lori sighed. “It’s a long story, Aunt Hazel, but right now Matt and I are on their list of suspects, so keep the bail money ready.”
She turned to Nick. “The chief wants you to open the safe in Dr. Pearce’s room.”
“First Granny, and now you,” Hazel said in disbelief. “When will the police stop barking up the wrong tree?“
”Aunt Hazel, you’re such a trooper.“ Lori smiled and gave her aunt a hug before going after Nick who’d left to fetch a set of safe keys from his office.
”I blame myself for this mess,“ Nick said while searching for the keys. ”I should have made a point of keeping the door keys out of reach from snooping hands. I hope this whole episode doesn’t scare people away from Misty Hills Inn.“
Lori could hear Nick was worried, and she could sympathize with him. He’d poured his life savings into purchasing the inn and was working his fingers to the bone to build it into a successful business.
”Don’t worry, Nick, the mayor’s already thinking of ways to put a positive spin on this. He reckons a few villains in Fennelmoore will be good for publicity,“ she said. “Besides, we have Jasmine doing the public relations, and I know she’s a natural.”
“And now I can’t find the darn keys,” Nick groaned while rummaging in a large, messy drawer. He got up. “I’m really losing it. We’ll have to call a locksmith. This isn’t looking very good, is it? I’m so sorry, Lori.”
“Nick, stop it!” Lori scolded him. “They’re here somewhere, you’re just under pressure and not seeing them, that’s all.“ She looked around in his office and saw a bunch of keys lying next to his computer on his desk. She picked the ring up and held it out to him. ”Is this perhaps what you’re looking for?“
Nick broke into an abashed smile when he saw what she was holding. “Yes, yes that’s it. Silly me. Thanks, Lori.”
“I hope there’s something in that safe, and that this search operation wasn’t for nothing,” Lori said as they hurried back to Dr. Pearce’s room.
“I thought you two’d left the country,” Chief Lambert said as they opened the door and entered. At another time Lori would have had an equally sarcastic remark ready to retort with, but now she chose to ignore him. Nick wasted no time in opening the safe with everyone watching him in anticipation.
“Darn door is stuck,” Nick said, fiddling with the keys.
“Let me try,” Ray said. He found a key that turned and gave the door a firm tug, and then another. The safe door swung open on the second try and a bundle of loose bank notes tumbled from the safe, covering the floor around them like autumn leaves.
“Looks like the doctor was making a killing in the black market mushroom business. No, wait, maybe it was his birthday recently and he received a windfall from a rich uncle.” Chief Lambert’s voice was snide as he spoke. He looked at Matt and Lori. “Or can either of you two give a plausible explanation as to how few thousand dollars landed up here?”
“Looks like the Halo mushroom file is missing,” Matt said, peering inside the safe and then at the money on the floor. He frowned. “This is becoming very weird. By the way, has anyone informed the professor’s next of kin of his death?”
“Yes, we have, and his wife…. widow… is on her way here,” Ray answered, and Nick nodded in confirmation.
“We’re out of rooms, but one of the convention delegates offered to share with another, so we have a room for her,” Nick said.
Chief Lambert looked expectantly at Matt and Lori. “Are you two hiding something I should know about?”
“Nothing more than you would consider fairy tales and gossip, Chief,” Lori said, and lifted her chin when he gave her a menacing gaze.
Ray started mumbling something, and Lori thought she heard the word “FBI” before Chief Lambert put his hand on Ray’s arm, silencing him.
Matt, Lori and Nick went downstairs while the policemen stayed behind to continue their investigation. Lori peeked into the convention room and saw the man in jeans sitting next to Gillian. She, in turn, seeing Lori, got up and met up with her in the lounge. “Lori, you’re my hero!” Gillian smiled amiably. “My back pain is so much better, thanks to your help and advice. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” Gillian rolled her eyes. “It’s the most boring lecture possible going on in there.”
The Mushroom Mystery Page 9