The Locked Room

by Marti Talbott

“Come to think of it, I should call my folks. He took his cell out, punched the number and waited. “Mom,”

  “Oh, there you are, Steven. I was worried.”

  “I’m sorry, it just happened so fast I didn’t have time to explain.”

  “Have you caught her?”

  “Not yet, but we’re hoping to. Oliver and Margo are with me. Have you talked to Julianna?”

  “She’s not speaking to anyone. You want me to tell her what’s going on?”

  Steven stared at the floor for a long moment. “No, I don’t want her in a panic. I don’t want you to panic either, okay?”

  “I’m not, but I just keep thinking it might have been Paige who killed that other man set to testify against her husband.”

  “See, that’s why I can’t tell Julianna. If I think Paige killed that man and you think it, so will Julianna – and she hasn’t lived with this as long as we have. She will panic for sure.”

  “You’re right.” Steven’s mom paused. “I saved the wedding cake. We’ll have the reception when you get back.”

  “Thanks, Mom, that would be wonderful.”

  “Okay dear, just be very, very careful and let me know as soon as it is over.”

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too, son.” Steven finished his soda and stood up. “I need a shower.”

  “So do I,” said Oliver.

  TWO HOUSES DOWN, THE sheriff watched Steven and Oliver go in the house, come back out and leave. With the detective still stationed in front of his house, the Sheriff got in his car and went back to the office. He still needed to talk to the power company and tell them to turn the electricity off in Colette’s house. The best way to do that was from a phone number that they would recognize as official.

  PAIGE FOWLER HAD COOLED down considerably by the time she reached the top of the mountain and pulled into the same gas station Colette and Ben stopped at on their way to Lost Bell. Paige hated pumping gas herself, but everything was self-service these days. She got out, opened the gas tank lid and shoved the nozzle in the hole. She might not have noticed the four kids in the luxury car as they passed by the station, except that she was thinking of buying a car just like it. Even so, the tinted windows kept her from actually seeing who was inside and it made no difference to her anyway.

  Her tank full, she went inside, paid the bill, and went to see what the adjoining little store next door had to offer. They were cheap, but a pair of binoculars caught her eye. In a locked cabinet, she noticed bullets that would fit in the stolen, pearl handled pistol she carried in her purse, but she didn’t think she would need more than the loose ones she brought with her. With nothing else striking her fancy, she went to the register to pay for the binoculars. Just as she approached the counter, she spotted a Denver newspaper. It was the last copy and she had not yet read it, so she bought it too.

  Back in her car, all she wanted to know was if they knew about Davet’s death in Denver. She glanced at the top article, ignored it, turned the front page over and there it was. STAR WITNESS IN FOWLER TRIAL DEAD AT 63. Her heart beat faster as she read the article. To her relief it said very little about her and didn’t have pictures of any of the people involved. She laid the paper on the passenger seat, and started to drive down the other side of the mountain. She was going a little faster than she should have been as she navigated the sharp downhill curves. She had to miss a fallen boulder on her side of the highway, and almost lost control. Just in time, she recovered and slowed down.

  In town finally, she stopped on Main Street to ask if she’d missed the funeral. The woman on the street kindly answered and didn’t seem at all surprised by the question, but then Paige guessed the news media was already there. That didn’t concern her at all, since most of them were probably just kids during the trial, which to her knowledge, was the last place anyone ever saw her. Even if the press had a picture of her, which they probably did, she was certain her face had been altered enough not to be recognized.

  Halfway through town, she spotted Dave’s Restaurant. It was closed. She found a place to park, got out and walked to the restaurant. Because of the position of the sun, she had to cup her hands against the glass to peer in the window.

  “Been closed a couple of months,” a voice behind her said.

  Paige slowly turned to glare at the man. “You frightened me.”

  He seemed truly sorry, “I beg your pardon.”

  She gave him a second dirty look, walked back to her car and decided to drive past the address for Davet’s house she’d found on the internet. She missed the turn and had to go around the block. Finally, there it was and she slowed to give it a good look while it was still daylight. She didn’t notice the man sitting in his car up the street, but he noticed her.

  Andy Tucker looked long and hard at the woman as she drove past, but she didn’t look anything like the Paige Fowler he remembered, even after he mentally aged her. The hair could have been bleached, but the face bore little resemblance to the woman he hoped to capture.

  ARTIE DROVE HIS CAR up the dirt road to get as close to the castle as he could before he parked and everyone got out. “See, it’s not spooky at all.”

  Emma Rose was not convinced. “We’ll see about that.”

  He led the way around the jungle of weeds and overgrown grass that was once a yard, to a cleared path on the side of the building. He started up, realized no one was behind him, stopped and turned around.

  “Someone has been here,” said Ben. “Maybe we...”

  “I came this morning to clear the way for my skittish fair maiden,” Artie answered.

  “Are you sure?” Emma Rose asked. “I don’t really feel like spending the night in your dad’s jail.”

  “Neither do I,” said Colette.

  Artie shook his head. “Not one single person will care.”

  Ben wasn’t convinced either. “The thing is...”

  “Would I lie about that?” Artie asked.

  “Only if it suits you,” Emma Rose said.

  Artie put his hands on his hips and huffed, “How many times do I gotta tell you? I only lie about one thing...”

  “You only lie about not lying?” she asked.

  Artie pretended to pout. “You’ve heard that before?”

  Emma Rose laughed. “A few times.”

  Artie turned back around. “I’m going in, but if the ghosts get me and you’re not there, Emma Rose, you’ll never forgive yourself.” He opened the door and walked right in.

  “It’s not locked this time?” Colette asked. “He’s up to something.”

  “Yep,” Ben agreed. He held the door for the ladies and followed them in just in time to watch Artie finish lighting two candles in a set of silver holders. They were situated on a table that wasn’t there the last time they broke in. Not only that, the room had been swept, cleared of spider webs and there were new curtains pulled back to let the afternoon light in.

  “Okay,” said Emma Rose, “Now this is spooky.”

  Artie shook his hand until the match went out and then turned to face her. “You said you would marry me if I had a castle.”

  “You bought this?” Emma Rose gasped.

  “No, I inherited it.”

  Ben wrinkled his brow. “From who?”

  “Didn’t I tell you? The sheriff is not my real dad. My dad died while he was in the military. My great-grandfather left it to him and he left it to me.”

  Ben was astonished. “I never even guessed Sheriff Steele was not your dad.”

  “Oh he is in every way that counts. I was just a baby and never knew my real dad. When mom married the sheriff, he adopted me.”

  “What a great story,” said Colette. She walked up to Artie and looked him in the eye. “Exactly how much of it is the truth?”

  “I’m hurt,” Artie said clutching his chest. “Really hurt.”

  “So I have to marry you to get this castle?” Emma Rose asked.

  “Well, I wouldn’t give it to you if we w
ere just friends,” Artie confessed. “It’s probably worth a fortune. Think of the weddings people could hold here, or we could make it into a hotel and rent out the rooms. Of course, it needs plumbing and electricity, but...” He finally noticed that Emma Rose was nodding. “Yes?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Really? I mean, I thought I’d have to work a lot harder to convince you.”

  “Did you bring an engagement ring or not?” Emma Rose demanded.

  Artie was so flustered, he forgot his whole plan. First, he knelt on one knee in front of her, but then he had to get up so he could dig the ring out of his pocket. Next, he knelt on one knee again and reached for her hand. “Emma Rose, I do love you...always have.”

  “Wait,” she said.

  “Wait for what?”

  “I’m not divorced yet.”

  Artie stood back up. “Fine, then I’ll do this again when you are. In fact, I’ll even pay for your divorce.”

  “Oh no you won’t. I pay for my own mistakes.”

  “Fine,” he said as he pulled her into his arms, kissed her and when she melted in his arms, he didn’t stop.

  Colette felt Ben’s arm go around her. “Did you ever think we would see that?”

  “Not in a million years,” Ben confessed. “You still want two castles?”

  Colette shook her head. “Nope, old castles really are kind of creepy. Let’s go.”

  He nodded and led the way back out the door. They walked to the car and when Ben leaned against the side of it, so did she. “I should let Emma Rose have the wedding dress I found in the locked bedroom.”

  “Then what will you wear. Don’t you think Dave bought it for you?”

  “I don’t know, but...”

  “What?” Ben asked.

  “I’m not ready to get married and she is. She could always give it back to me when I’m ready.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Ben.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you will be far more beautiful wearing it than she will.”

  Colette blushed. “Be serious.”

  “I am serious. You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”

  “To you maybe.”

  “To me especially.” He put his arm back around her.

  She turned to face him. “You’re not going to ask me to marry you again, are you?”

  “No, I’m a little too sensitive just now to let you reject me again.”

  “Know what Walt told me?”

  He closed his eyes when she lay her head against his shoulder. “What?”

  “Dad once told Walt I look just like my mother.”

  “She must have been very beautiful too.”

  Colette closed her eyes too. Never before had she felt the way she did just now being in Ben’s arms. “I can’t imagine my father married.”

  “I can’t imagine my parents married either, except that they sleep in the same bed.”

  She giggled. “I wonder where she is?”

  “Your mom?”

  “Uh huh. Is she happy, does she miss me, is she...”

  “Dead?” he asked.

  “That too.”

  “Colette, are you sure you really want to know?”

  “Probably not. I pretend to be brave about it, but suppose she just didn’t want me? I think that would be the hardest thing in the whole world to accept, but I’ve heard of mothers like that. An adopted woman finds her birth mother only to learn she wasn’t given up because of any extreme circumstance – she just wasn’t wanted.”

  “If your mother didn’t want you, it’s because she was selfish, and to tell the truth I wouldn’t want a selfish mother-in-law.”

  “Boyfriend, you complain too much.”

  “Do I? I don’t think so. He pulled her closer to him, lightly kissed her lips, and then pulled back to look in her eyes. “Too soon?”

  “No,” she said, “not too soon at all.”

  He kissed her again, this time with a little more passion and then said, “After I go back to the Navy, do you promise to write, call, text and email me every day?”

  “You know, I just thought of something. I can afford a new computer now – one with all the perks, even a camera.”

  “Cool. Want me to help you set it up?”

  “Sure. What kind do you think I should buy?”

  “Well...”

  The two of them discussed computers, cameras and microphones, what he was allowed to use aboard ship, and how she could come to see him when he was on leave. All the while the sun was dropping lower and lower on the horizon.

  At last, they heard the castle door slam shut and watched Artie and Emma Rose come out of the castle.

  “Colette,” said Emma Rose as Artie opened the car door for her. “We really could make the castle into a hotel. The stone steps are solid and the bedrooms are not that small at all.”

  “You sound excited,” said Colette.

  “I am. I don’t want to bake cookies all my life.”

  “You have to for a while,” said Artie. “You’ve got your divorce to pay for and even then, it’ll cost a bundle to upgrade the castle.”

  “It won’t take that long,” Emma Rose said, “if you sell houses faster.”

  Ben chuckled and opened the door for Colette. “And so it begins. Makes me glad I’m going back to the Navy.”

  “Yes, but what fun I’ll have watching the two of them,” Colette said. She suddenly thought of something else. “Hey, we’re half way there. Mind if we go to Glenwood Springs? I need a new computer.”

  “Why not?” Artie said as he carefully turned the car around and drove back down the dirt road to the highway.

  “And I’m buying a cheap dinner,” said Ben.

  “You’re on,” the other three said at the same time.

  For the first time in ages Colette felt content, especially with her hand in Ben’s. It was good to consider what could happen next instead of dwelling on the past. Of course, something could go wrong and they might not get married, but for now her future looked brighter than it had in a long, long time.

  She still had a lot to do when it came to settling all of her father’s affairs, but there was no real rush now that Ben seemed willing to wait. He was right, her mother probably did die, and if not then she truly didn’t want her. That thought stung for a moment, but it was better than obsessing over a woman she would probably never know. Colette was better, much better and more than ready to put that part of her life behind her.

  IT WAS WELL AFTER DARK when Artie parked behind Colette’s pickup and everyone got out. “Thanks for dinner,” Colette said as the four of them headed into her house. She opened the door, stepped in and flipped on the light.

  Nothing happened.

  Ben tried it too and when it still didn’t work, he turned his cellphone light on. “Maybe the bulb burned out.” He tried turning on the light in the dining room, but it didn’t work either. While Artie checked the fuse box, Ben went outside to see if someone had turned the master switch off. It looked normal to him.

  “Maybe dad didn’t pay the bill,” Colette suggested when the guys came back. “I could swear I checked on that, but without electricity, I can’t turn on his computer to see. What should I do?” she asked Ben.

  “We probably can’t do anything until morning,” Ben answered. “Mom will let you stay at our house.”

  “Or, you can come stay with me,” said Emma Rose. “It’ll be like a sleep over when we were kids.”

  “I love that idea,” said Colette.

  “Can I sleep over too?” Artie asked.

  “No,” Emma Rose answered. “It’s girl’s night.”

  Colette giggled, turned her cellphone light on and started up the stairs. “Can you bring the computer in?” She waited until Ben nodded and then continued. “I’m just going to grab my jammies.” The closer she got to her bedroom, the louder she talked. “I suppose the refrigerator is off too. Good thing I didn’t buy a lot of groceries.” She abr
uptly stopped and spun around.

  “It’s just me,” Artie said behind her. “I came to help you get your jammies.”

  “Good grief, you scared me.”

  “Why? There’s nothing to be afraid of except maybe Ben.” Artie stopped and waited in her bedroom doorway while she gathered the things she wanted and put them in a tote bag.

  “Ben is not as scary as you used to be. I can’t count the times you scared me out of my wits when we were kids.”

  “And for all those times, I sincerely apologize.”

  Artie was truly surprised when she walked up to him and kissed his cheek. “I always did like you.”

  “Gee, thanks.” With a silly grin on his face, he followed her back down the stairs.

  DOWN THE STREET, THE detective watched the kids go in, saw the cellphone lights flash in the upstairs window, and saw all four come out. Artie and Ben drove away, and soon, Colette and Emma Rose got in Colette’s pickup and followed. Andy Tucker called the sheriff to let him know the plan had worked, got out of his car, and walked to Colette’s house. He found the door unlocked, opened it, and then disappeared inside.

  CHAPTER 8

  PARKED ON THE OTHER side of the gazebo, Paige Fowler watched it all through her binoculars. While it was too dark to get a good look at any of the young people, she would recognize the detective anywhere.

  “Well, look who’s here.” She lowered the binoculars. “Still trying to catch me after all these years? Too stupid to give up, aren’t you?” She laid the binoculars in the passenger seat. “You think you’re very clever by turning off the electricity. Well, you’re not clever enough to fool me.” She started the engine. “Let’s see you watch the restaurant at the same time.”

  IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for Paige to realize breaking into the restaurant at that time of day wouldn’t work at all. There were still too many people out and about for that, so she had to wait. Besides, it didn’t make sense to hide the money in a closed restaurant where someone could break in and find it. Instead, she would just have to make friends with Davet’s daughter and get inside the house that way.