Pretty, Hip, & Hoodwinked

by Madison Johns

  “Eleanor, you can’t just keep a dog because he wanders up to your door, you know.”

  “Wanders? I’ll have you know I had to chase that dog down the beach.”

  “It’s funny that it wound up belonging to Kimberly.”

  “Yes, she did say he was a runner, though.” After a moment Eleanor said, “I’m glad I don’t have any pets, actually. We travel too much for them.”

  “At least you can leave a cat like my Duchess. All that happens is I come back to destroyed plants.”

  Bells and whistles went off and Agnes peered at the computer screen. “Is that a casino game?”

  “Yup, I have twenty million dollars right now.”

  “Too bad that’s not real money, though,” Agnes remarked. “How about you search online for Rosemary Johnson?”

  “Fine. I imagine she has a Facebook page.” Eleanor did a search and frowned. “There sure are quite a few Rosemary Johnsons’.”

  “Search on Google for Rosemary Johnson, Redwater, Michigan.”

  Eleanor smiled when a name came up with a Facebook page. She clicked on it. “That certainly looks like her.”

  “It does.”

  Eleanor continues to search the page. “It says she’s in a relationship with Eddie Wright. Now we know Eddie’s last name.”

  After a few more clicks Eddie’s page came up. His page header was of a Harley Davidson. He was dark haired with a goatee, and his posts were all about cars and motorcycles. Eleanor then went back to Rosemary’s page and her last post was on the tenth and she shared a video of kittens.

  “I can’t tell much from either of their pages,” Eleanor said.

  “No, but we could do a search for his name. With any luck, he has a landline phone and it will give us his address.”

  “If the phone is in his name.”

  Eleanor grinned when with a few clicks, an address in Redwater popped up. Agnes quickly jotted it down in her notebook. “This sure saved us time,” Agnes insisted.

  “It did. I just hope he still lives here.”

  “You must admit that having his last name will help us either way, Eleanor.”

  “Yes, but I hope by the time we go there, the sheriff isn’t there.”

  “If Rosemary’s dad told them about Eddie, we might have to wait longer.”

  “Time is not on Kimberly’s side.”

  “When Kimberly wakes up from her nap, we’ll do a stakeout.”

  “Really, like a real cop does?”

  “Yup. We’ll do it up right and bring an ice chest with plenty of pops.”

  “And snacks, don’t forget the snacks, Agnes.”

  Chapter 10

  Kimberly walked into the living room with a yawn. She stared at Agnes and Eleanor, who were grinning at her. “Did you have a good nap?” Agnes asked.

  “I did.” She eyed Agnes and Eleanor. “Are we going somewhere?”

  “What makes you think that?” Eleanor asked.

  “Because you’re both inching to the door.”

  “Oh, Agnes wants us to question Eddie.”

  “Eddie?”

  “We need to question him before the sheriff shows up there,” Agnes said.

  “We’re going over to Eddie’s house?” Kimberly asked.

  “That’s about the gist of it,” Agnes answered.

  “We found out Eddie’s full name,” Eleanor began. “Eddie Wright.”

  Kimberly yawned. “I hope that means you found his address, too.”

  “Yes, it’s on Maple Drive.”

  “We better head out now, then.”

  Kimberly headed up Maple Drive. The address listed for Eddie was a rundown-looking house, but his garage door was open with a Harley parked inside. There was also a truck with the hood up in the driveway.

  They made way to the house and two men met them near the truck. “We’re here to see Eddie?” Agnes announced.

  “He’s in the house,” one man said.

  The front door opened and slammed shut. “I’m right here behind you,” Eddie said.

  “Oh, good. I was hoping to catch you before the sheriff did.”

  “Why would the sheriff be heading here?”

  “About Rosemary. When was the last time you saw her?”

  Eddie’s dark eyes narrowed. “Who’s asking?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m Agnes and this is my partner Eleanor. We’re private investigators.”

  “Why would private investigators want to know anything about Rosemary?”

  “It’s not about her, really, but we had hoped to know if she can tell us anything about a bank transaction she made on the tenth. She was the teller.”

  Eddie drew near. “I have no idea what you’re trying to pin on Rosemary, but I’m not about to tell you anything to incriminate her.”

  Agnes opened her mouth, but Eddie headed back inside. Agnes followed and she had one glimpse through the screen door and saw money scattered across a table before the other door was slammed closed.

  Agnes’s heart pounded. It was perfectly clear what was happening here. She left feeling relieved that they finally not only got a solid lead, but also one that might just be the end of their case. For the moment, Agnes decided to keep her spotting the money to herself. She wanted to see how it played out. But if the sheriff didn’t show up soon, she promised herself she’d go straight to him after they finished up today.

  Kimberly backed out of the driveway. “What now?”

  “Do you have an ice chest at home?” Agnes asked.

  “In the garage, why?”

  “We can’t go on a stakeout without snacks and beverages.”

  “Good point. We had better get moving to the IGA then,” Eleanor said.

  “Who are we staking out and where exactly are you planning to do a stakeout from?” Kimberly asked.

  “Eddie, but I haven’t worked everything out.”

  “I can help with that. I know the lady who lives across the street from Eddie. She’s nice enough to allow us to do a stakeout from there.”

  Agnes smiled. “It sounds great to me. You’re handy to have along, Kimberly.”

  They drove off and retrieved the ice chest from Kimberly’s house, speeding past a few deputies’ cars, but luckily pulled into the store without being pulled over. “I can’t stop worrying about the sheriff hauling us down to the sheriff’s department.” Agnes said.

  “Because of the theft?” Kimberly asked.

  “No, I was thinking more about Rosemary’s death.”

  “Well, stop,” Eleanor spouted off. “It will be some time before the autopsy will be done and the results known.”

  “I think it could be ruled as a homicide right away, though.”

  “Don’t listen to Agnes. She knows we have time and we didn’t have anything to do with Rosemary’s death.”

  “We had better keep her death on the down low. It will keep the sheriff off our backs, too.”

  They walked into the store and Eleanor chose a small cart when Agnes knew they might need a bigger one, but for once she kept her thoughts to herself.

  Kimberly picked up a cold six-pack of Mountain Dew and Agnes cleared her throat. “You don’t drink caffeine, do you?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “It will give that baby colic when he or she is born.”

  “I don’t know about that, but my doctor did recommend I not drink caffeinated beverages.”

  “See, your doctor doesn’t think it’s a good idea either,” Agnes reaffirmed.

  Kimberly put down the Mountain Dew and instead selected a Sierra Mist. “Happy?”

  “Quite.”

  Agnes turned at the sound of squeaking wheels behind them. It was Mrs. Barry on a motorized shopping cart. Agnes tried her best to body-block Kimberly. The last thing any of them needed was a confrontation in the middle of the IGA.

  “Jenny, be a dear and fetch me a bag of pretzels.”

  “But you told me you didn’t want any.”

  “I changed my mind.”

/>   Jenny hurried off and Agnes couldn’t stand this any longer. “You know Mrs. Barry, you should be nicer to your granddaughter. It appears that Jenny is the only one who is trying to help you out.”

  “Is that Kimberly Steele behind you?”

  Kimberly walked past Agnes. “I didn’t steal your money, Mrs. Barry, I swear.”

  Even though Mrs. Barry was on the motorized shopping cart, her hands went to her hips. “Who should I blame then, since you were the one with my account number and banking cards?”

  “I was in Port Austin the day that happened, remember?”

  “I did check into that actually. Jenny found the receipt and I’ll be speaking to my son about that when he’s free. He’s busy somewhere today.”

  Agnes had to bite her tongue about where he really was today.

  Kimberly hung her head and walked away and Eleanor spouted off. “Look what you’ve done now. She’s pregnant, in case you didn’t know.”

  “I’m perfectly aware of that. I really can’t believe she’d do this to me, but that’s where the clues point.”

  “Clues?”

  “Well, yes. I know you’re here to clear her name. And for the record I hope you can. I don’t want to be this way with Kimberly. I really like her and Jeremy has been my lawyer for years, but that was my life savings.”

  “I understand why you’re upset. But we’re doing our best to resolve this case. I only hope we’ll be able to find your money and soon.”

  “I certainly hope you can.”

  Agnes nodded and moved back up the aisle with Eleanor, who had the cart packed with pop.

  Kimberly was in the SUV when they came out of the store. They quickly put the groceries in the back and joined her inside the vehicle.

  Kimberly appeared upset from the glitter of tears in her eyes. “I actually miss that old bird.”

  “She’ll come around once we find out who really took that money. She even hopes we will. You’ve both been put into a difficult situation.”

  “I think her anger is a front,” Eleanor added. “Her feelings have been hurt. I’m sure all of us can relate if that happened to us.”

  “For me, I’d have it checked out before I started pointing fingers,” Agnes insisted. “But there’s no going back now.”

  Kimberly pulled into a concrete drive. Eddie’s house was only across the street. Agnes couldn’t believe they’d have this good of a viewpoint of Eddie’s house.

  “You’ll love Annie. She’s one of a kind,” Kimberly announced.

  Agnes carried the ice chest while Eleanor carried the bags of snacks. Kimberly rang the doorbell and the woman who answered the door was a tall, slim redhead. “Hello, Kimberly. I didn’t know I was having a party.”

  “You are now.”

  “Well, come on inside then.”

  Agnes and Eleanor put the items they carried in the kitchen and Kimberly made the introductions. “This is Agnes and Eleanor, Annie. They’re planning to stake out the house across the street.”

  “How fun.” Annie clapped her hands in excitement. “I won’t have to watch Investigation Discover channel tonight. Not when I’m living my own crime show.”

  “See, we have something in common,” Eleanor said. “That’s my favorite show, too.”

  “You can call me Shotgun Annie. My dad named me after Annie Oakley. I’m not a half- bad shot.”

  “We won’t be needing a shotgun for this stakeout,” Agnes said. “We just want to watch that house from here. I have a feeling that the sheriff might show up there soon.”

  “That wouldn’t be good. Eddie and his buddies are slamming it back by now.”

  “It’s not like they can get into trouble for that,” Eleanor said.

  “What are you watching Eddie for?”

  “For about a few hours,” Eleanor said with a chuckle.

  Annie grinned. “You don’t have to tell me I suppose, but you are staking out from my house.”

  “Good point,” Agnes said. “We’re trying to clear Kimberly’s name and I’d like to see what we’re up against since Eddie refuses to answer any of our questions.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. That Eddie can be quite tightlipped. He even refused the cake I took over there when he moved in.” Annie frowned. “I heard about how Kimberly was being accused in the paper. I’m all for helping you ladies out if you tell me why you think the cops might be dropping by his place.”

  “See, I told you it was hitting the airwaves today,” Kimberly said, shaking.

  Agnes shook her head. “No sense in worrying about that. You know how the news is in this town.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to worry about what people thought about me, but I have to live in this town,” Kimberly said.

  “Surely you’re not worried about the busybodies here in town. From the feedback I’ve gotten, everyone thinks Mrs. Barry is crazy for blaming you like she has,” Annie informed her.

  “It’s understandable,” Agnes said. “But we’re hoping to sort this out.”

  “Good. So why is the sheriff going to speak with Eddie?”

  “His girlfriend is missing,” Kimberly said between sniffles. “I imagine the sheriff will be questioning him soon about it.”

  They moved a recliner near the window for Kimberly and kitchen chairs for Agnes, Eleanor, and Annie to perch on. “Shut the lights off,” Agnes instructed Annie.

  “I’ll go get the binoculars. I think I have enough for all of us.”

  “Really? How is that?” Agnes asked.

  “Me and my sisters do a little bird watching sometimes. It makes for a good excuse if my neighbors catch me peeping at them.”

  “Let me guess, you’re part of a neighborhood watch?”

  “I’m team leader in my group, or that’s what we call it. We even have orange vests to wear so nobody runs us down. That was my sister’s idea. She’s all about safety.”

  Annie left and returned with the binoculars within a minute. She obviously took this neighborhood watch seriously.

  Agnes felt strange looking across the road with binoculars, but she was able to see much better than she would with only her eyes. Her vision wasn’t the best, especially at night, which it would be soon.

  “I don’t see anything of interest,” Eleanor said after a minute.

  “I imagine it will take a little longer than that.”

  “Yes, wait until they start shooting off the fireworks,” Annie said.

  “Fireworks in August?”

  “Yup, they cause quite the ruckus and the cops usually show up if it gets out of hand.”

  “How more out of hand can it get with fireworks being shot off?”

  “When one lands in a neighbor’s yard. Eddie almost caught poor Mr. Washburn’s house on fire last year.”

  “This sure will be an interesting night,” Agnes said with a smile. “I think I’m ready for a beverage.”

  Annie was happy to bring the drinks in the living room just as Agnes was leaning forward when the sheriff pulled in across the street with a deputy’s car following.

  “This certainly happened sooner than expected,” Eleanor said. “Isn’t that right, Agnes.”

  “Yes, but how about we watch what’s happening across the street.”

  Two men came out of the garage with what looked like Eddie coming out the front door. All three of them walked over to the sheriff. The men crossed their arms and whatever the sheriff said, Eddie apparently didn’t like, since he waved his arms widely. Agnes wished she could read lips, but she imagined Eddie was cussing up a storm.

  “All they’re doing is talking,” Eleanor whined.

  “I’ve told my sister a hundred times we need to install a microphone over there.”

  “Whatever for?” Kimberly asked. “That’s a little invasion of privacy, don’t you think?”

  “Privacy doesn’t exist anymore. Not since Big Brother is at work.”

  “Like in that 1984 book,” Agnes said. “I often feel that way, too. That’s wh
y I don’t use a computer. It tracks everywhere you go.”

  “All you have to do is not allow them to track your location,” Eleanor said.

  “Hogwash. I bet they know what kind of underwear you have on, Eleanor.”

  “Only because I posted it on Facebook.” She laughed. “I was tired of posting cat pictures.”

  Agnes adjusted her binoculars and the sheriff put a hand on the handle of his handgun. “Did everyone see the sheriff nearly pull his gun?” Agnes said.

  “Yes,” Annie said in awe. “I should tape this in case it gets out of hand.”

  Annie raced off and Agnes headed for the back door with Eleanor following. “What are you doing, Agnes?” Eleanor whispered. “They’ll see you.”

  “Not if I’m careful.” Agnes then picked up a watering can. “This will be the perfect cover.”

  “Not if the sheriff sees you, it won’t be.”

  “How will he be able to know it’s me if my back is turned? Did you post pictures of my backside again?”

  “Not lately.” Eleanor grinned.

  Agnes snuck up the driveway and turned to pretend to water the plants in the front.

  The sheriff’s voice carried over to them. “Now settle down, Eddie. All I asked you was when was the last time you saw Rosemary.”

  “What are you trying to set me up for now?”

  “I’m not doing that. I just asked you where you were on August tenth?”

  “I was right here with my friends, why?”

  “Perhaps you should come down to the sheriff’s department.”

  “Whatever you have to say, you can say here unless you plan to arrest me.”

  “Nothing like that, but Eddie, Rosemary’s dead. We found her body in her trailer earlier today.”

  Eddie stumbled back, putting a hand to his head. “No, not my Rosemary,” he exclaimed, as he dropped to his knees. “How?”

  “We’re not sure yet, but it’s important for you to be cooperative.”

  “Was she murdered?”

  “We don’t know that yet, Eddie.”

  “Then why are you here trying to put the blame on me?”

  “It’s not like that. All I’m trying to do is find out who might have wanted her dead.”

  “You cops always put the boyfriend on the suspect list.”