by Emmie Lyn
“It’s only a matter of time, Hitch. Maybe you should stay out here with Jasper, just in case he does come around and that way, Jasper won’t scare Charlotte.” I added. My big gentle giant could be intimidating.
“Oh, that’s okay. Bring Jasper in. Grandma loves dogs and it will be good therapy for her.” Gina opened the door. Jasper must have sensed she was needed inside. She wormed her way through the door and made a beeline to the voices in the kitchen.
“Gina,” Hitch said, “you need to make a decision about the bonsai tree. You should just come clean with the police and explain the whole history before you get arrested for stealing it. Turn the table on Maxine and Conrad and put them in the hot seat. Can you prove it belongs to Charlotte?”
I guessed Gina didn’t handle stress very well from the harried look on her face and the hesitation in her voice. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s probably grandma’s word against theirs, and who’s going to believe an old lady with a failing memory? I told Sunny I need help. I know I can’t keep it safe from Maxine or Conrad or someone else who might discover its value. That’s why I left it with you yesterday. But I took it back once I decided to sell it. I want grandma to have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.”
“Does she know your plan?”
She shook her head, her drab hair swinging around her shoulders like a veil. “I’m not sure she’ll understand what’s going on. I had a lot of trouble convincing her to move out yesterday. She said she didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice. Harry hadn’t paid her bills for the past month, and I don’t have the money to keep her there. Selling the bonsai tree will give her options I can’t provide.”
This was a tough situation for Gina. She wanted to do the right thing, but was it right to take that choice away from Charlotte?
“Listen,” Hitch put his hand on her shoulder. I had a flash of how comforting that gesture could be. “Try not to worry. First, you need to find a safe hiding place for the plant. It only takes two quick twists to pop your trunk open. Besides, driving around with it in your trunk is only asking for broken branches and then the value plummets.”
Gina’s eyes filled with worry. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I’ll bring it inside and put it upstairs. Grandma can’t do the stairs, so I won’t have to worry about her seeing it and getting upset.”
Hitch walked toward Gina’s car. “I’ll get it. You can keep your grandmother occupied while I take it upstairs. Later, we can discuss possible names of people who might want to buy it. While I was working for Harry, I heard him talk about some people who’d love to own it.”
“What about Maxine?” Gina asked. “I know she wants it. I was all set to ask her before Conrad ruined everything by stealing it and putting it in my car.” She dropped her head into her hands in despair. “I think he killed Harry, and I’m afraid he’ll try to kill me next.”
I wondered if Gina was right. Conrad was involved in every step of that bonsai tree’s movements. What was he up to?
I pulled her inside the house. “Hurry up,” I said to Hitch, and he showed off his speed and agility, getting the tree into the house and up to the top floor in a flash. The last thing we needed right now was for Conrad to drive up the street and see Hitch with the stolen bonsai. Or, worse than that, Officer Walker. Gina didn’t seem capable of talking her way out of a paper bag at the moment.
I shuddered to think of the consequences for Hitch if he got caught right now. Having the tree would be a double whammy against him in the eyes of the law—revenge for being shot and possession of a valuable item. Some people killed for far less than that.
Fortunately, I was distracted from those thoughts when Tilly yelled, “I need some help in here!”
What now? Gina and I raced into the kitchen to find Charlotte half off the chair, limp in Tilly’s arms.
I quickly supported her dead weight to free Tilly’s arms. She took Charlotte’s pulse. “Slow and weak.”
For Gina’s sake she said, “I was a nurse in one of my previous lives.” Tilly liked to refer to the variety of adventures she’d lived through as previous lives. I guess she thought it sounded theatrical.
Charlotte’s eyes fluttered, all color drained from her face except for the slash of pink lipstick. She looked at all of us hovering around her. “What happened? I remember feeling a bit dizzy and then everything went black.”
“You fainted, dear,” Tilly explained. She turned her sometimes harsh voice to a tone of kindness and patience. “Has that happened before?”
“Yes. Did I eat anything yet?”
I glanced at the untouched glazed donut on the table in front of her. Tilly’s chatter had probably distracted her from eating.
Gina crouched next to Charlotte, taking her grandmother’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry grandma. I shouldn’t have left you alone, but I didn’t know the line would be so long when I went to get you some orange juice.” She smacked the side of her head. “And, I left it in my car. I’ll go get it. That will make you perk right up.”
Tilly hovered, fanning Charlotte’s face with her hand. “She’s right, Charlotte. Some juice will take care of that dizziness. Do you think you can sit up now?”
“I’ll try.”
Tilly and I managed to straighten Charlotte on her chair. Jasper rested her head on Charlotte’s lap and as she revived, she rewarded my sweet Newfie with gentle strokes on her head.
When Hitch walked in, he took one look at us supporting Charlotte and assessed the situation. “Sunny, a minute?”
I followed him into the other room. “You know she can’t stay here alone. Is Gina going to be able to stay with her all the time?”
I shrugged. How would I know? “I think she’s making it up as she goes. She’s doing her best, but I doubt she had a clue what it meant to bring Charlotte home with her.” I felt a stone drop in my stomach. “I guess we’ll have to help.”
Hitch gave me a grim smile. “Exactly. Charlotte should go home with Tilly. She has the nursing background and can stay with her until this mess is resolved. Do you think she’ll agree to do that?”
“Tilly or Charlotte?” I asked.
“Tilly. I suspect that Charlotte will do whatever Gina tells her to do.” He looked around. “Where is she anyway?”
“She went to her car to get orange juice.”
He walked right up to the front window. “I don’t see her.” In a couple strides, Hitch was out the door, checking Gina’s car, and then the street. He slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand.
I ran outside. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but Gina’s gone. I heard a vehicle’s tires squeal around the corner at the end of the street when I came outside, but I didn’t see it.”
“You think someone kidnapped her?”
“That makes about as much sense as anything else that’s happened recently, Sunny. And, if that is what happened, it has to be Conrad. He’s the only one who knows that Gina has the bonsai tree. Maybe he was in the process of looking in her car, then he panicked, and grabbed her instead when she came outside.”
Was this tree worth one life and now, maybe another?
27
I slid my phone out of my pocket.
“What are you doing?” Hitch asked.
“Calling the police. This is out of control.”
“You’re right. I just wish they’d send someone besides Officer Walker. I can’t stand that guy.”
Hitch had a point, but I couldn’t control who arrived after I dialed 9-1-1. I told the dispatcher my location and that Gina Pitman might have been kidnapped.
Sirens sounded almost as soon as I hit end on the emergency call. Of course, it was Officer Mick Walker who pulled to a stop in front of Gina’s house.
Hitch rolled his eyes at me, then walked inside. Leaving me to explain the situation to Mick was the smart decision.
Mick hauled himself out of his SUV and walked up to me with his usual arrogant stride. “I h
ope this is a real emergency, Sunny,” he said, smirking as he looked from me to the house, “and not some game you and Hitchner are playing.” His insulting tone suggested the worst about me.
“Do you consider kidnapping to be a real emergency, Mick? Because if not,” I flicked my hands shooing him back to his car, “leave right now and send someone more responsible. Please.”
The please was an afterthought, but he wasn’t the only one who could play the snark game.
He pulled his lips across his teeth, as if he was biting his tongue on a comeback. “Kidnapping is a serious crime,” he said. “Are you sure?”
I glanced at Gina’s car. The bottle of orange juice, still on the passenger seat. “The bottom line, Mick. Gina went outside to get her orange juice. Car’s here, orange juice is here. Gina’s gone missing. Her grandmother is inside, and she needs constant care. Gina came out to get that bottle of orange juice for her grandmother who just had fainting spell and within minutes… no trace of her. Gone. Vanished into thin air. I don’t know how else to explain it.” Explaining the situation to Mick made the whole event more real. And scary.
“Did you see any suspicious person hanging around?”
“No.”
“Any suspicious vehicle? Maybe, a van?”
“No.”
“Maybe she decided to take a walk.”
“Seriously?” Gina thought someone was trying to kill her, but I couldn’t tell that to Mick without explaining why.
I couldn’t help it, Mick’s tone of voice made me snappish. “I doubt she’d feel like meandering around town just for the fun of it with her grandmother needing so much care,” I said matching him scowl for scowl.
Okay, Mick had to ask those questions. But my patience, thin before he’d arrived, reached my limit.
Mick walked away, talking into his radio. I tuned him out. I could only hope they’d figure out how to find someone who’d disappeared without a trace. I walked around Gina’s yard, thinking and kicking the dirt absent mindedly. Was there anyone besides Conrad who might want Gina out of the picture? Maxine? Or, was it possible that Gina just took off because this was all more than she could handle? She couldn’t get far on foot, though. And, the bonsai tree.
I grabbed the orange juice from her car and went inside. All of this would be hard, no impossible, for Charlotte to understand. But that’s who needed our attention first.
“Are you feeling a little better now, Charlotte?” I heard Tilly ask when I got inside. They sat next to each other on the couch with Jasper’s head resting on Charlotte’s lap.
“Yes. Is that girl still here?” She looked around. “Where is she?”
“She had an errand to run, but she asked me to bring in your orange juice. Would you like a glass?” I held up the bottle, got a puzzled look from Tilly, but a nod from Charlotte.
“That would be very nice, dear. Thank you.”
I was happy to see that Jasper was enjoying the constant ear massage.
“Where’s Hitch?” I asked Tilly wondering how he could disappear in this small house.
“He came inside without saying one word. I helped Charlotte to the bathroom, and then I heard the back door close. She stood up and pulled me away from Charlotte. “What’s going on? Where is Gina? And, did I hear a siren pull up?”
Charlotte seemed content sitting with Jasper, so I nodded for Tilly to follow me to the kitchen. “Gina’s missing,” I said urgently as soon as we reached the other room. “I called 9-1-1, and Mick is outside calling for backup I guess. Hopefully, the police will be able to find her.”
“Is this Mick’s lucky day?” Tilly asked with more than a touch of sarcasm. “I’m not sure that guy can find his gun when it’s in its holster strapped around his waist.”
“Well, I had to do something. This is completely out of control. I wish I knew what Hitch is planning to do. I don’t want him to get into trouble.”
Then I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Did he go upstairs?” I asked Tilly.
I didn’t wait for an answer. I shoved the orange juice into her hand and darted for the stairs. I tripped in my haste to get to the top but managed to keep from falling. One door was half open, so I looked inside I checked the only other room, just to be sure. A tiny piece of evergreen lay on the floor along with some scattered dirt, but the bonsai tree was gone.
Great. Hitch took the tree. Why would he do that?
I raced back downstairs. “Let’s get Charlotte in Gina’s car and drive her to your house. Quick,” I said to Tilly. “If I can find the keys.”
Tilly, for once acted instead of spending any time questioning me. “Shall we go for a ride, Charlotte? Gina will come later.”
Well, that was probably a lie, but Charlotte’s memory was such that she might not remember.
Tilly, stronger than her slight build suggested, looped her arm around Charlotte’s waist and steadied her as they walked to the door. “You know, I have my special car outside. It’s lime green and shaped like a bug. Want to ride in that today?”
“Oh. That sounds like fun, I love green.”
Charlotte was a sweetie. I could see why Gina was so concerned about her and it made less sense that she’d walk away and leave her grandmother after just moving her into her house. I’d only just met her, and I wanted to do everything possible to help her. I stopped hunting for Gina’s car keys.
Jasper walked out first. Mick was near the road talking with other police officers. Good, maybe they’d find Gina while Tilly and I took care of Charlotte. The only problem was that their vehicles had us blocked in.
“Get Charlotte in the car. I’ll talk to Mick about moving out of the way,” I told Tilly.
“No, you get her in. I’ll talk to Mick,” Tilly said. “I know exactly what will get them to move.” She grinned her Tilly-loves-this-game grin and walked toward Mick.
“Mick, honey?” She raised her hand and waved to get his attention. I pretended I wasn’t watching, but I managed to keep an eye on the activity while I helped Charlotte get in the car.
“We have to take Charlotte to her doctor. Could you move out of the way?”
Mick looked at Tilly, then at Charlotte and me. “Who’s Charlotte?”
“Gina’s grandma. She just moved in and, you know, she has a bit of a memory problem. With my nursing background, Gina asked me to keep an eye on her and, well,” Tilly lowered her voice, but I could still just make out her words, “she’s having some incontinence problems.”
Mick held both hands up.
“You know,” Tilly continued anyways, “wetting her pants? I think she might have a urinary infection. The sooner it’s treated, the better.”
Mick blushed and motioned for one of the other officers to get his car out of the driveway.
I couldn’t help but snicker at his embarrassment from Tilly’s information overload.
Mick looked at Hitch’s truck and asked Tilly, “Is anyone inside the house?”
“Oh, I don’t think so, but the front door’s unlocked if you need to go check. Maybe there are clues to help you find Gina. Poor Charlotte keeps asking for her granddaughter.”
Tilly tut-tutted and patted Mick’s arm. “I know you’ll do everything possible.” She turned away from him but stopped.
I held my breath. She’d been perfect, and this was the time to just leave before she blew her act wide open.
She fluttered her eyelashes like a caricature of a ditzy blonde. “Did you find that missing banana tree yet?”
Oh, Tilly, you never cease to crack me up. I bent over to buckle Charlotte’s seat belt and hide my laughter, watching the show out of the corner of my eye.
Mick’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What banana tree? Oh… you mean the bonsai tree. Uh, no, not yet. Maxine is about to have a nervous breakdown over it as a matter of fact.”
He leaned closer to Tilly and dropped his voice. “She told me what the plant is worth, and I almost fell over from the shock. It’s still insured, she
told me. So, if it doesn’t turn up, and with Harry dead, someone gets that huge payoff.”
“Who’s the beneficiary?” I heard Tilly ask, ditching her senile old lady act, but Mick didn’t seem to notice.
“Bene-who? Oh, I don’t know.” He laughed. “Knowing Maxine, she probably twisted Harry’s arm to make her the beneficiary before—”
“She killed him?” Tilly said finishing that sentence without a blink of an eye.
He had to be the most oblivious person I knew. No, make that, oblivious, mean, and without a shred of empathy, which made for one rotten combination in my opinion.
I bet Maxine was about to have a nervous breakdown. I’d like to get a look at that insurance policy.
28
Tilly got behind the wheel of her Volkswagen and slammed the door. It wasn’t hard to tell she was royally ticked off. I thought she knew better by now than to let clueless Mick Walker get under her skin. Although, eventually he had that effect on everyone. Me, included.
“Did you hear what he said?” she asked me. If Tilly had the ability, daggers would be shooting from her eyes straight to Mick’s heart.
“Yes, but let’s get to your house,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t start ranting about the missing bonsai tree in front of Charlotte.
Jasper leaned through the two bucket seats and licked her cheek.
“Where did you say we’re going?” Charlotte asked, absently patting Jasper. I eased her back next to me where I was squished on the back seat.
“For a little drive.” Tilly patted Charlotte’s leg. Thankfully, she had returned to the present moment. I relaxed next to Jasper while Tilly chattered away to Charlotte.
“How’d you like to stop for lunch at my house? Does that sound like fun? I have a great big cat named, Pinky, and Sunny will make us something delicious to eat.”
“I love cats,” Charlotte said. “And tuna fish. Could we have tuna sandwiches?”
Tilly glanced at me in the rearview mirror with her eyebrows raised. I doubted she had any in her cupboard.
