Dog froze. “I have been wondering why I put that stinking gas mask on when I knew it may have hurt Slick. I didn’t feel like myself when I did it. Someone could have been controlling me.”
Heat cleared his throat. “Is this normal. Have you guys run into this before?”
Edith sternly said, “Not even close. This is fresh ground.”
Chapter Nineteen
Slick roared with laughter. “You all comfortable back there?”
Dog had squeezed into the back of Candy’s mid-sized sedan with Guardrail and Edith. Guardrail took up almost the whole back seat himself and Edith was perched in his lap. Digger sat in the middle up front, Slick rode shotgun and Candy drove.
“It’s good thing I can’t move or I would let you know how I really feel.” Dog actually had a growl to his voice.
“It’s no picnic up here either, I haven’t been in the middle seat since I was ten.” Digger stared at them through the rear-view mirror.
“It ain’t far. And I know the shortest way there. I've known Linzi for years and you will see, she'll be home sick. Just like she called in.” Slick’s happiness to be out of the hospital could not be contained.
“You were lucky they let us both go this morning. You got more of the gas than I did.” Dog needed something to complain about.
“Yeah, but I spent a whole day more than you inside there.” Slick was not going to let anything get him down. He was out of the hospital with the love of his life. And his best friend after Lugnut was in town right in the middle of one of his wacky stories. Slick always wanted to part of it, he was a little jealous of Dog’s part in the Grumpy Chicken. But now he was part of one of the famous stories.
“That’s it over there. Yeah, sweetie, park over here and wait. We're to meet Ginger here before we do anything.” Slick pointed to a spot and Candy followed his instructions to the letter.
Once parked they all jumped out to stretch their legs and breath again. Guardrail said, “I knew taking a cab to the hospital was a bad idea.” He stretched his back and let out a roar. “That’s better. And I told Ginger and Star to bring both cars. We're not piling in like that again.”
Slick asked, “Why does she want us to wait?”
“She's afraid Linzi may not be acting alone. If she is the one we are looking for, Ginger wants a plan to stake the place out, surround it with enough people so no one can sneak out.” Edith spoke like a general relaying battle plans.
Candy chuckled, “You guys take this stuff pretty serious.”
Edith huffed. “You think this isn’t dangerous? We're looking for someone who may have murdered one man and just tried to kill your prom date.”
Candy pinched her lips and went red. “There's no need to be rude.”
Dog chuckled. “It’s not being rude at all. Trust me. She's trying to help you understand the situation. It's hard the first time to comprehend how real and dangerous this all can be.”
“You believe in this chicken, for real?” Candy’s voice gave away the fact she'd been dying to ask that question.
Guardrail answered. “Yes, we do. I have seen things that made me a believer. And I was more skeptical than you in the beginning.”
Edith tittered. “Are you kidding me? The first time ole miss Grumper messed with your pickled eggs, you were madder than a hornet. Then she kept crushing those huge jars of eggs just to mess with you.”
Dog laughed. “She’s got you there, big guy.”
Guardrail scowled at them. “Maybe. But that doesn’t change our situation now. This one is weird and I could tell the other reason Ginger wanted us all here is that she's worried about this one. It is different and I can feel it. But what’s really weird is I can tell Star, and Ginger, and Piper feel it, too.”
Edith pointed up the road to where she was watching. “I think that's Piper coming, and that looks like the rental car we drove here in. They're coming.”
Chapter Nineteen
“You all came in that?” Star stared at the mid-sized sedan.
“It was a bit tight.” Edith chortled.
I chuckled myself. “That must have looked like those little clown cars the circus used to have when you all got out. I loved when all the clowns came piling out.”
“I’m glad you’re in a good mood for a stake out. I hate these things.” Digger scowled at the house down the road, our target.
Something was telling me not do this, to stop and go back home. But all the pieces fit and we needed to learn what was going on with Linzi Howard. “Alright. You two know your usual job.” I stared at Dog and Guardrail.
Dog slumped. “We always watch the back door.”
Guardrail added. “Yeah, but that is where the bad guy always tries to escape from. We get to take them down.”
Dog murmured. “Somehow, taking down a middle aged nurse was not the first thing I wanted to do once I got out of the hospital.”
I continued. “Yes, you two have the back. And Dog, no throwing rocks through the window this time. Digger you take the west side. And Star and Dixie, you take the east side.” That left the north, the front door. “Piper, you’re with me. We knock and see if she is home. Edith, you stay here with Slick and Candy, watch for anyone else coming out to the house, like the police or FBI. You call me or Piper immediately if you do.”
Edith nodded in reply.
Candy was breathing kind of fast. “Is this really happening. I have never done anything like this in my whole life.”
Piper studied Candy, then shot a glance to Dixie. “You still think Candy is the killer?”
Dixie laughed, nervously. “Nah, I never really did. I was just joking around with you.”
Candy shot glimpses to Slick then to a few of us, trying to figure out why Piper and Dixie were talking about her.
“Stop the chatter. We got work to do. Now let’s go. You all need to get into position before Piper and I knock on the front door.” I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms. “Git, we need to get this done.”
Digger wandered off slowly. “Everybody gets a partner but me. I’m always out on my own.”
Piper and I waited at the car for our team to take their positions.
Slick watched, too. “You know how to do this pretty well.”
I smiled at him. “We have done this a couple of times now.”
It took a minute, but everyone was ready and Piper and I made the walk down the road. We slowly walked up to the front walk and Piper stopped at the base of the path. “Look at that.” She was pointing at the mailbox.
I inspected it closely because my brain debated what my eyes saw. There, painted on the side of the mailbox was a likeness of the Grumpy Chicken. Complete with the shackle on its leg. “Seems someone had been reading your articles, Piper.”
Piper turned back to make eye contact. “Normally, I would love to meet a fan. But something is telling me that this is not necessarily a good thing.”
“I have the same feeling. Star is right. Something is trying to control the situation and is messing with us. Trying to keep us from finding the truth.” I stared at the front door. “Well, we’re here, it’s just a short walk up to the door now. Are we ready?”
“Yep. Let’s get to the bottom of this.” Piper looked determined and started up the concrete walkway confidently.
I followed and checked to make sure there was nothing unusual in the windows or any sounds that might cause some concern. But it was all quiet and before I knew it, the quaint door knocker was in front of me. So, I used it, gently rapping it a few times. It made an unusual clanking sound, but it was effective because the sound seemed to carry, and it would be hard to miss.
“Maybe you need to hit it a little harder. Here, let me.” Piper took the clapper and hammered it five times, like she was trying to drive a nail into wood. “She should have heard that.”
We waited, but nothing. Piper took up her sarcastic voice. “If I didn’t know better, I might think she isn’t home. What do we do now?”
I
turned to study the front lawn and each side of the house, checking for our lookouts. They were still there and they shrugged at me, letting me know there was nothing happening.
Then I saw Slick coming up the road in power walk. When he was within earshot he hollered. “She's not home if you used the knocker and she didn't answer. But I know how to get in.”
Piper looked at me. “I still say it is all a little too cozy with this VA crowd here in Statesboro.”
Slick was up the front walk and out of breath. “Linzi always leaves the downstairs bath window cracked. She is obsessed with letting in fresh air.”
Piper shrugged and waved to Dixie and Star. I pointed to the back and waved to Digger. I could tell he understood, because he waved at the two boys in the back to come to the front, then he came to meet us too.
With the gang assembling on the front porch, Candy finally walked up behind everyone. “I’m glad you came over, too. We might have a job for you.”
Candy stared at me confused.
Piper laughed. “I was wondering who would have to crawl through that little window. But she is the smallest of us all. How do some woman stay so skinny?”
Candy shook her head no. “I can’t break into someone’s house. It’s wrong.”
“Okay. We'll just leave and maybe let the person who hurt Slick get off Scot-free.” Guardrail could be persuasive when he wanted to be.
Slick consoled his girlfriend. “I know Linzi well. And she wouldn’t mind if we let ourselves in. Heck, she has let herself into Lugnut’s place before.”
Candy tilted her head back and looked at Slick down her nose. “How do you know that?”
Slick blushed. “I just know. Trust me.”
Candy fidgeted with her hands a moment. “Alright. But if we get into trouble, I'm telling the police you made me do it.”
About four or five of us replied in unison. “Fine.”
Slick went around to the side and boosted Candy up. She was able to lift the window and slide in without trouble. Within thirty seconds the front door opened and we poured into the house.
Slick yelled. “Linzi, you home?”
We all stared at him. I added, “We don’t have to tell the whole neighborhood we're here.”
“What, I’m just making sure. Now, what are we looking for?” Slick was enjoying this a little too much.
Piper answered. “Anything unusual. You'll know it when you see it.”
My attention was on Star walking into the entry. She seemed to be floating on the floor, not really walking on it. I could tell something was guiding her. “Star, are you alright?”
“Yeah. The Grumpy Chicken and Lugnut are trying to work together to help us. But they're being resisted by a presence on their side that I cannot quite make out. It is making it hard.” Star stopped and closed her eyes, then held her arms out at shoulders length, and slightly behind her in an odd position. That was when I also realized her hair was flowing in a stream of air that seemed to be blowing in her face. With her arms and hair billowing in a breeze I could not feel or see, it looked like a great wind was blowing the branches on a tree. And then it suddenly stopped.
Star returned to normal and looked at me and smiled.
Candy’s voice squeaked from behind me. “What in the world was that all about? It was really creepy and I think I peed a little when her feet came off the floor.”
Star could make her voice sound so sweet when the paranormal she lived with everyday scared someone. “I’m sorry. But sometimes things like that happen. And it was a good thing. We need to look for a receipt in the den.”
Candy’s voice went from squeaky to bull horn in a second flat. “Slick. Git your scrawny bum in here, stat. I need you.”
Slick came into the entry sipping a beer. In disgust, I let out a loud exhale. “Where did you get that. And it is only eleven o’clock in the morning.”
Candy ripped the beer out of his hands. “Really, you just got out of the hospital, too. Now show Ginger and Star where Linzi keeps her den.”
Slick shrugged. “Okay. That is upstairs. Come on.” And with that he led the way.
Once inside the den, I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. A piece of paper glowed in a way that shot a beam of light straight to the ceiling. Slick gasped. “Great Caesar's ghost. If I didn’t know better, I would think that's what you're looking for.”
Candy was behind him but could see it, too. “You think, Einstein?”
Star calmly walked over and picked up the paper. It stopped glowing as soon as she touched it. She read it then looked up at me. “It’s a receipt for a cabin.”
Slick went over and took the paper from her and read it. “I know where this is. It’s on a river not far here. We can be there in a half hour.”
Piper and Dixie made their way upstairs to the scene. Piper confirmed, “I overheard. Looks like we're mobile again. But I don’t think we need this whole crew. Some of us should head back to the VA and see if the test results on Lugnut’s body are in. And someone needs to tell the FBI what we found here.”
I shrugged. “What a glowing piece of paper? All they will see is a rental slip?”
Piper chuckled. “No. I can see you didn’t have a chance to look around in here.”
So, I did. And I was amazed. The room was packed with books and odd items, one I recognized. It was a crystal ball just like the one Star had in her new age shop. Then I spotted the tarot cards, and the books. There were tons of books on hypnotism and how to be a medium. And I spotted one on how to cast spells. Slowly, I felt a tingle start at the base of my spine and run all the way up. Star had detected a medium might be involved in the séance. And this was too big a coincidence to ignore.
“Holy Merlin. She was serious about this stuff.” I couldn't hide my surprise.
Piper chuckled. “Yep, I think this is going to be of interest to more people than just us.”
I locked eyes with my journalist friend and sighed. She was right I needed a plan. “Where's Edith?” I just realized she'd been missing the whole time.
Candy answered. “She's knitting in the car. She said she would direct traffic or alert us if anyone tried to interrupt us.”
I smiled. “That's our Edith, alright. Slick and Candy, can to go back to the VA with Edith and tell the FBI or VA police what happened at the séance and what we found here. You know about the séance, right?”
Candy nodded, “Yeah, Guardrail told us.”
“Okay, tell them what we learned and see if they can share the test results with us. They should confirm poison in Lugnut’s body if the spirits were right. And they usually are.” I eyed Candy and Slick to make sure they understood. “We'll get directions from Slick to the cabin.”
Slick was having too much fun and he thought we were playing a game. It made him a poor candidate to trust with delivering the message to the FBI. But I trusted Edith and I could see in Candy’s eyes, she understood how important and dangerous this was.
“Good, you take Slick and Edith in your car to the VA. We'll take the rest of us in Piper’s car and the rental. I want the boys with us at the cabin if there's trouble.” I spun to confirm the plan with Piper and Star. They nodded, and after Star put the cabin rental receipt in her pocket, we headed out of the den and readied for the next stop on our adventure.
Chapter Twenty
The cabin was beautiful. It sat right on the bank of the river and it was a real log cabin. Even from our distant vantage point, I could see it was made from physical logs and old-fashioned chinking.
Piper must have noticed me checking it out. “It is beautiful and they don’t make them like that anymore.”
Guardrail shook his head. “Only two girls from Potter’s Mill would see the beauty in an old log cabin, and how it's constructed.”
Digger grumbled. “Well, no one was home at the last stop. But there is smoke coming from the chimney. Someone's home at this place.”
Dixie joined in on the grumbling. “I was fine at the last hous
e, but this is making me a little nervous. I think I can hear banjo music coming from that cabin.”
“Remind me why you came with us? What did you think we were going to do?” I looked through the top of my eyebrows at her to make my feelings clear.
Dixie stammered. “I don’t know. Meet some interesting people, see some nice places, have some fun. But storming a cabin in the woods inhibited by a wannabe witch is not what I envisioned.”
Star gasped. “Witch, that is low. A medium is not a witch!”
Piper laughed. “I thought bartenders were supposed to be good at making friends. But take the two feet of hard counter between her and others out of the equation, and I see it's a different story.”
Dixie waved her hand at Piper like she was shooing off a house fly.
Dog pointed. “I think I see some movement in a window. So, I think Digger is right, someone is here. How are we going to do this?”
I picked up a stick and started scratching a square in the dirt with it. Then I drew a long line next to the square. “This is the house, and the line is the river. We can use the river to our advantage. It's big enough and the water is moving fast enough that it would not be easy to cross. So, we need to watch these three sides.” I pointed with the stick. “Dog, Guardrail, you take up a position here. Digger, you take up here.” I took another look at the cabin, looking for its strengths and weaknesses as if I was trapped inside. “Alright, Star, Dixie, you should be here.” I drew an X with the stick for Star and Dixie. “Keep a phone out as we may need to call for help and you should be able to stay out of sight there. Dog, Digger, and Guardrail will have to move quick if something happens, but I think it will work if we take these positions. And that will allow Piper and me to approach and make the knock safely.”
I saw everyone study the crude drawing in the dirt and nod. Not a single modification, I was surprised. “Alright, everybody needs take up their positions. Piper and I will wait until you get there and then we'll approach the entrance.”
A Whiskey Sour Wipeout Page 10
