by Holly Quinn
“Should I empty these drawers over here?” Heidi moved toward a long, darkly stained chest of ornate drawers that matched the bedroom set.
Sammy set more dresses on top of the bed and turned to her cousin. “Sure. I think I’ll just throw a garbage bag over these closet items instead of boxing them. We can bring them to the donation center on the hangers without wrinkling them. I have a box of trash bags in the backseat of my car. I’ll run and get them in a bit.”
Heidi hauled a box closer to the dresser drawers and began to fill it with miscellaneous clothing items.
Darkness began to fall through the window, evidence of the brewing storm, leaving little in the way of natural light. Sammy flicked on a nearby bedside lamp that barely helped illuminate the room. “Thanks for helping on your day off from the hospital. I really do appreciate it.” Sammy said over her shoulder. She was halfway in the closet, digging out more dresses.
“It’s no problem.” Heidi must have noticed Ellie enter as she tossed a set of rolled socks into the box. “What else did you find? Anything interesting to share?”
Sammy popped her head out of the closet to better hear what her sister had to reveal.
“I’m going to wait to do more snooping with you two. One of the bedrooms was a craft room filled with knitting stuff. Ingrid must have kept half The Yarn Barn here. You wouldn’t believe the skeins of yarn in that room, every color imaginable! The other bedroom had a creepy doll collection. It gave me the willies. Those doll eyes following me around the room? I couldn’t handle it. Very disturbing.”
Heidi laughed aloud and snorted through her nose, and Sammy smiled as she rolled her eyes. “When did you get to be such a scaredy cat?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t being in the private space of a murder victim give you guys the creeps? I hope you don’t buy this place, Heidi. I’ll never come visit. Ingrid’s ghost is probably going to haunt the next occupant.”
Just as the words came out of Ellie’s mouth, a loud crack of thunder shook the house and made the three gasp aloud. Ellie covered her mouth with her hands. A flash of lighting briefly filled the dim room, and the bedside lamp flickered.
“Oh, dear God. We’re going to lose power, aren’t we?” Ellie said as her eyes darted around the room. She held a hand to her heart. “I told you Ingrid’s ghost would haunt us, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”
“Cut it out, Ellie. We’re fine.” Heidi waved a hand to encourage her to come closer. “Hold the box while I stuff the rest of this junk inside.” Just as Ellie was approaching the dresser, another crack of thunder blasted through, shaking the walls, gaining their attention once again.
“That storm is really close. I should have counted between thunder claps. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think we might have to hit the basement. What do you guys think?” Ellie rubbed her hands together nervously.
Sammy tossed the items that were in her hand on the bed and then stopped to listen. Just then, the sound of hail pounding the roof of the Lannon stone house made her take serious note of her sister’s idea. Sammy moved to the window and peeked outside, “Ellie, you might be right. I think we’re in for a tornado. Let’s go to the basement until the storm passes.”
“Fine,” Heidi shrugged, as she put the last of the items from the first drawer into the box. “Let’s go. In any event, I’ll be able to check out the basement of my new house,” she teased.
The three trudged back out of the master bedroom, down the stairs to the main level. The screen door was swinging wildly as the front door had been left ajar to air the house. Sammy rushed to close it. “Marble-sized hail. Hopefully, we won’t get damage to the cars. The sky is looking awfully pea-green too. We’d better hurry.”
“Where do you think the basement door is?” Ellie shadowed Heidi, saying close behind her heels like a puppy, as the crystal light that had patterned the ceiling suddenly went out.
“We just lost power,” Sammy said.
Ellie made the sign of the cross across her chest. “Oh, dear God. We’re going to have to go to a strange basement in the dark. I think I’m living my worst nightmare.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Sammy said as the three scurried to the kitchen. Secretly, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to heading below ground either. But somebody had to keep a positive attitude.
“Well, if only you had let us finish the tour before we started packing, we might know where to go.” Heidi opened a door in the kitchen and then quickly shut it. “Nope. That’s the pantry.”
Sammy noticed a handmade mason jar candle like the ones sold at Community Craft and plucked it from a decorative shelf in the kitchen.
Ellie looked at her incredulously, “Seriously? What are you going to light that with?”
Sammy smiled. “Ingrid’s matches.”
Heidi piped up, “I missed something.”
“I found a book of matches in a coat pocket upstairs. She must have known we’d need it today.”
Ellie shivered, but not because of the air being cold. “Now that’s creepy. Tell me you don’t think that’s creepy? What’s wrong with you two?”
“Honestly, Ellie. I put it in my pocket to try to figure it out. What would Ingrid be doing at a biker bar in another town?”
“Good question. Why Ingrid would be at the Knucklehead place?”
“How did you know it was the Knucklehead? I didn’t say that.”
“Seriously? What other biker bars are there within a sixty-mile radius?”
“Good point.”
Heidi opened another door and interrupted the two sisters, “Found it. Maybe you should light that candle first and lead the way.”
Sammy dug for the matches in her back pocket, set the candle on the counter, opened the matchbook, plucked one and struck it, causing the match to whoosh with flame. She touched it to the candlewick and then shook out the match, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake. Sammy led the three slowly down the open wooden staircase deep into the basement. Meanwhile, the sounds of howling wind and thunder shook the sides of the house. Sammy hoped for all their sakes the storm wasn’t going to linger.
The musty smell of the home’s underground greeted them as Sammy opened the doorway at the bottom of the basement stairs.
“Someone needs to get a dehumidifier down here,” Ellie said. “How do you like this part of the house? Not so nice now, huh?” Ellie said to Heidi in a sarcastic tone.
The three huddled close to the candle and exchanged glances as they stayed close to the bottom of the steps.
“Sorry guys. I’m sure this isn’t how you thought you’d spend your Sunday.” Sammy handed the candle to Heidi to hold as she moved closer to a metal shelf along the side wall filled with Rubbermaid bins.
“You don’t make the weather. Not your fault.” Heidi said.
“Please bring the light over here.” Sammy lifted one of the Rubbermaid containers off the shelf and opened it. Christmas ornaments in bubble wrap filled the container. She closed the lid and flipped open another. “Come on, girls. While we’re here, we might as well explore. It’s S.H.E. time!” Sammy encouraged them to help dig into the Rubbermaid containers.
Heidi set the candle on the top shelf, and with the meager light, the three began to sift through the large containers.
Ellie popped a box open and said, “This might be something. Looks like a lifetime of memorabilia. You want to check it out?”
Heidi plucked the candle from the shelf to bring the light closer, and the three peered into the box.
“Yeah, let’s go through this.” Sammy found an aged multi-colored knit afghan, probably knit with Ingrid’s own two hands. Sammy plucked it from the bottom shelf and spread it out on the basement floor for them to sit. Heidi placed the candle in the middle as they removed stacks of albums and papers, placing them in their laps to examine more closely.
Ellie shared a photo with the other two. “This must be Ingrid’s high school graduation picture. Wow, does she look di
fferent? I’m assuming it’s her. I found it here … in a yearbook. I’ll flip through the yearbook and see if I can find her name.”
“I’ve got a newspaper article over here. I think you guys are going to want to see this.” Heidi handed it to Sammy who read aloud:
Dodge County Community Mourns Young Mother
A tragic accident in Dodge County took the life of a young single mother Friday night. Twenty-one-year-old Olivia Dunn, who gave birth to a son less than a month ago, was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital, shortly after arrival. The single vehicle crash on Highway MM likely was the result of avoiding contact with a deer. Rain may also have been a factor in the accident. According to County Police Officer Jay Rant, the crash is still under investigation. The driver, Ingrid Wilson, remains hospitalized in stable condition at this time. No other persons were involved in this crash.
Sammy’s eyes left the article and stared at the two, wide- eyed. “Now we have a name. Olivia Dunn. And we know she had a son. Wow. If my memory serves me right, the woman from the store who claimed the lost necklace said her sister’s name was Olivia! The name of the girl pictured inside the locket. It’s got to be her! Charlotte Dunn’s sister! Charlotte was telling the truth in my store.”
“What’s the date of the article?” Ellie asked. “Then you’ll know how old her son would be today.”
“October second, nineteen-eighty-two. That means her son would be thirty-five-years-old.”
“I have another idea, flip to see if there’s an Olivia Dunn in the yearbook. Maybe Ingrid and Olivia were classmates.” Heidi said.
Ellie flipped the book alphabetically until she reached the graduation photo of Dunn, Olivia. She held the book closer to the candle for Sammy to get a clear view. “They weren’t only classmates, they were best friends. Look what Olivia wrote across her picture.” Ellie pointed to the photo: Olivia + Ingrid = best friends for life.
“Wow. The shape of Olivia’s eyes are very similar to his. See how they squint like half-moons when she smiles? I can see the resemblance … it’s certainly possible they come from the same gene pool.” Sammy wasn’t interested in the fact that Olivia and Ingrid were best friends, she was more interested in the image of the girl who looked oddly familiar.
“Who? What are you talking about?” Heidi asked.
Sammy’s turned her gaze to the S.H.E. team. “Gary. I’m talking about Gary Dixon. The resemblance when they smile is uncanny. Olivia’s son had to be adopted after she died. Mom told me Gary and Greta were adopted as infants, but they aren’t blood-related. Which I never knew—even though he dated Kate in high school. And I think you two know his adopted sister, Greta. So … Gary has been having coffee with his Aunt Charlotte. Gary’s biological mother has to be Olivia Dunn, the passenger who died in the car accident … And Ingrid Wilson was the driver who killed her.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The wind continued to quake the Lannon stone house, but the three S.H.E.s were so engrossed in learning more about the late Ingrid Wilson, the gale hardly piqued their interest.
“If Gary Dixon is indeed Olivia’s son, then that means the woman who lost the locket at Community Craft would be his biological Aunt Charlotte, because she said it was her sister in the photo. I wonder why she didn’t adopt Gary herself? And why would Greta be looking for the locket? According to Mom, Greta and Gary weren’t biologically brother and sister.” Sammy dropped the newspaper article to the side and continued to dig through the Rubbermaid for a new pile to sift through.
“The more we uncover, the more questions we seem to have.” Heidi stood and placed an enormous stack of yearbooks and photo albums on the floor and returned to cross her legs before continuing her search through the items.
“I’d like to know more about the warning you received during the parade. How come you can’t identify the person?” Ellie reached over to place a hand on her sister’s, her brows coming together in deep concern.
“I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s why I’m so tired today.” Sammy squeezed her sister’s hand and then ran her fingers through her hair and stifled another yawn. “He was in costume, and he disguised his voice with helium.”
“Oh.”
“Ellie, did you see anyone else wearing costumes for Spring Fling? Sammy and I missed some of the parade. If we can backtrack and figure out who was wearing those types of costumes, maybe we could ask that group who it was?”
“Good point, Heidi. There were a few clowns I think. Was he dressed as a clown?” Ellie turned to face her sister for an answer.
“No.” Sammy shook her head. “His face was painted with green paint, and he wore a weird pointy purple hat. And he smelled of booze.”
“Maybe it was Larry? Everyone knows he’s the town drunk!” Ellie gasped.
“Douglas recently shared with me that Ingrid was going to press charges against Larry because he groped her at a bar. Maybe he killed her to shut her up.”
“Or maybe it was someone who had a drink to make you think it was Larry, because as you just mentioned, the whole town knows he drinks no matter the time of day.” Heidi wiped dust from an album before opening it to view the photos inside.
“One thing I know for sure, it wasn’t Harold. I saw him up close at the parade. And Assistant Coach Dave was driving the basketball team in the parade, so that eliminates those two…”
“And Larry’s was noticeably missing from his wife’s side with the other spectators,” Heidi added.
Ellie looked at the two, “I don’t suppose either of you has a cell phone down here? I wonder if Tyler and Randy are doing okay in the storm?”
“Mine’s in the car,” Heidi said.
“Mine too.”
“Well, I left mine on Ingrid’s bed. Some great investigators we all make! None of us has a phone? You two leave your cell phones in the car?” Ellie rose from her sitting position on the floor and stretched her arms to the ceiling. “I’m sorry to say it, but with one candle, we’re all going to have to go up. I can’t go up a dark basement staircase without a light. I have to call and check on my guys. I’m sure they’re worried about us too.”
“Yeah, I should check in on Deborah and make sure everything is okay at the store too. Let’s just pack this stuff back up for now then. We can do this later.” Sammy rose and crammed the yearbooks back into the Rubbermaid. She decided to bring the newspaper article along and stash it in her car.
The three slowly made their way up the basement stairs. After exiting the basement, they made their way, huddled close like a herd of three sheep, back toward the front of the house.
When they made it to the front hallway, to Ellie’s delight, the crystal light was back to patterning the ceiling in design. “Hey, we got power!”
“That’s good news. We must be at the tail end, or the storm passed. I don’t hear thunder.” Heidi rushed toward the front door and swung it open. Wet leaves stuck to the side of the screen door. “Oh boy, looks like it was a doozy.” Heidi turned toward the other two and then back to the front door. “I’m going to make a run for it.”
Sammy reached for her wrist before she took off running. “Text Deborah and see if she’s okay. Please let her know I’ll call her from the car on my drive back. And can you toss this on my front seat?” She handed Heidi the newspaper article before Heidi dashed from the front steps toward her car.
Ellie flicked the light at the bottom of the stairs, “I’m going up to grab my phone and call Randy.” She left Sammy alone in the hallway, pondering her next move.
The emptiness swept over her as she realized there was no one she would call to connect with after the storm. No one waiting by a phone to hear from her, to know she was safe. If she were to admit it, it was times such as these that she wished she was in a relationship. Although she should be grateful. The two most important people in her life that would have concern for her safety were right there with her at Ingrid’s house. But they had relationships and families of their own. The loneliness and longing
struck Sammy without warning at the bottom of Ingrid’s stairs. She was probably just sensing Ingrid’s miserable soul. She pushed the feelings down, deep into places that were impenetrable. Her thoughts turned to Bara. She wondered if her dog had weathered the storm okay. Hopefully, she wouldn’t arrive back home to find her house completely ransacked from the stress the thunder and lightning had put on him. For now, she slowly followed Ellie back to the master bedroom. What she found was her sister moving around the room, holding a cell phone up in the air, trying to get a signal.
“I only have one bar,” Ellie’s frustrated tone bounced off the walls toward Sammy.
“You could try the landline.” Sammy reached for the phone next to the bed but when she lifted the receiver, she realized the phone was out due to the storm. “Sorry, it’s out. Hey, go ahead on home if you want. I think I’m going to have to talk to Coach and revisit his idea of giving all this stuff away. There’s far too much here that might bring him some needed cash. If you want to help me bag up these dresses on the bed, we can officially be done for the day.”
“Are you sure? We barely made a dent?” Ellie stuck her phone in her back pocket, accepting the fact that she wouldn’t get enough service to make the call.
“Yeah.” Sammy dug into the front of her jeans pocket and pulled out her car keys and tossed them to her sister. “Go try Heidi’s phone outside and give her the trash bags in my backseat to bring up, will you? Take the keys too; I forgot to give them to Heidi, but I think my car was unlocked anyway.”
“Sure,” Ellie caught the keys with one hand. “I’ll send her up.”
Sammy moved back inside the closet to remove the last of the dresses. The closet was still overflowing with dress pants and jackets. The woman must have kept darn near everything she’d ever bought. She could honestly say Ingrid almost bordered on hoarding. Most of the clothes had gone in, and out, of style at least twice, Sammy noted, as she placed a deep red blazer on the bed. That one might be making a comeback. She wanted to see if there was anything that could help further in the investigation before she finished packing up. But the more Deborah and Bara crossed her mind, the greater the sense of urgency to leave Ingrid’s house and check on her store and furry best friend called to her heart. Ingrid’s stuff would have to wait.
