The Gun Also Rises

by Sherry Harris

  I put everything back and snapped the latch closed. I carried it reverently down the stairs. Miss Belle wasn’t in the library. No one was. I found her in her small study.

  “Are you okay, Sarah? You’re quite flushed. I need to have Kay bring you up a fan.”

  I set the overnight case in front of her on her desk.

  “What’s this? I don’t recall seeing it before.”

  “You aren’t going to believe this.” I shook my head, still not believing it myself. “Maybe it’s some kind of hoax, but I don’t think it is.”

  I watched as Miss Belle opened the case and looked through the folders, frowning.

  “Hemingway stories?” she asked.

  I explained what I thought they were. She turned so white, I thought she was going to faint.

  “Do you want some water?” I asked. When she nodded, I dashed to the kitchen, found a glass—thank heavens for open shelving—and poured the water before hustling back.

  “Don’t bring the glass too close. We don’t dare spill on these.” She sipped some water before setting it on a shelf five feet from the desk.

  “What would you like me to do?” I asked.

  “Give me a few minutes alone. Please.” Her voice shook as she took a seat at her desk and lifted one of the folders.

  As I left, I heard her say, “How can this be?”

  * * *

  I left the various doors that led to the attic open so I could hear Miss Belle if she called out to me. I restacked the suitcases and immersed myself back into the Bobbsey Twin books. I noticed some of them had the name “Winnie” written in them. I wondered who she was. Miss Belle had a first-edition copy of The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore, but it wasn’t worth very much even in good condition. Not nearly what a first-edition copy of The Secret of the Old Clock, the first Nancy Drew, would bring.

  At eleven, the alarm on my phone went off, telling me it was time to go. I gathered my things and headed down the stairs. A cry came from below as I was halfway to the second floor. Followed by a thump and a door slamming.

  That didn’t sound good. “Miss Belle?” I yelled. I ran down the last flight of stairs, leaping off the bottom two, and ran into Miss Belle’s study.

  She lay on the floor by the desk. The overnight case was gone. Miss Belle struggled to sit up.

  “What happened?” I asked. I kneeled beside her. A large bump was swelling rapidly on her temple.

  “Kay. She grabbed the overnight case and hit me with it.”

  “Don’t get up. I’m calling for help.” I dialed 911 and gave a quick explanation of what I thought happened.

  Miss Belle grabbed my arm. “You have to go after her. Get the overnight case back. We can’t lose it.”

  I hesitated. “I don’t think I should leave you.”

  “Please, you have to.”

  I handed her my phone. “Stay on the line with the dispatcher. I’ll go see if I can spot her.”

  It doesn’t seem like she went out the front door because the slam I heard would have been louder. I dashed out the back and ran down the path around the detached garage. The long lawn sloped down toward the woods. It was hot, the humidity hanging hazy in the air. I didn’t like all the freaking woods, but I saw movement through the trees. “Stop,” I yelled. A blur of black and white pushed through bushes.

  I glanced over my shoulder. I didn’t hear any sirens. No one else was around. I shrugged. Kay was a petite little thing that should give me an advantage. I took off running. At the edge of the woods, I paused and listened. I heard movement. It sounded like it was coming from straight ahead. I plunged in too. Branches and brambles grabbed at me, scratching, pulling. It almost felt like they were trying to hold me back. I kept pushing forward, stopping occasionally to listen.

  “Kay, just stop. Give the case back and we’ll forget this ever happened,” I yelled. I wouldn’t, but maybe she would buy my story. “It’s not too late to make this go away.” Nothing. No response, but more movement ahead and to my left. Sweat poured off me. Mosquitoes and gnats surrounded me, buzzing away. I pushed on until I came to what looked like a small trail. Not one the city had put in but something the deer used. Left or right? All seemed quiet. I chose left after hearing something. Some kind of crack, like a branch breaking or a deer running. It made the most sense to head toward noise instead of away from it.

  I trotted along for a couple more minutes, hot, sweaty, panting. I saw a blur of black on the trail ahead and picked up my pace. It was Kay. Sprawled facedown on the path.

  Chapter Six

  I gave one final boost and ran to her. “Kay?” I asked. No response. A big limb lay beside her. Had it fallen and knocked her out? I didn’t see the overnight case, but Kay had to be my first priority. A large crack sounded as I leaned down to check on her. Bark sprayed on me. I looked up, hoping another limb wasn’t falling. It took me a bewildered moment to realize the noise hadn’t been a branch falling but a gunshot. A tree about two feet from me had been hit.

  I leaped up, dodged into the woods, and ran back the way I had come. The woods were thick and hopefully provided more cover than the path. But it slowed me down. That, and I’d already run more this morning than I normally did in a month. My side ached. I gasped for air from a combination of fear and exertion. I plowed ahead, trying to clear limbs and brambles away with my arms.

  I thought I heard movement behind me. But maybe it was just the blood pounding in my ears. The noise I created as I ran. I was too scared to look back. If something bad was going to happen, I didn’t want to see it coming. I finally came to the edge of the woods behind Miss Belle’s house. I eyed the long expanse of lawn between me and the house. The house represented safety. By now, the EMTs must be there. Maybe even the police. I had, after all, reported the overnight case as stolen.

  I slipped behind a tree and peered around me. I didn’t see anything, but with the density of the woods it wasn’t surprising. I didn’t hear anything either. Not a twig snapping. Not a bird chirping. An unusual silence, as if the woods were holding their breath, waiting for someone to make the next move. To show themselves.

  A police officer came around the corner of Miss Belle’s garage; I was too far away to tell who. He shaded his eyes and scanned the tree line. To my right, I heard crashing in the woods. It sounded as if it was moving away from me. That was my cue. I burst out of the woods, running to the police officer as if my life depended on it. And maybe it did.

  * * *

  As I ran, I made a waving motion with my hand. Go back to the garage. Take cover. Instead, the officer ran toward me, looking, scanning. It was Awesome. When I got to him, he started to shove me behind him. But I grabbed his arm and dragged him along with me until he got the idea. He ran, pulling me along with his faster stride, until we rounded the corner of the garage. I bent over sucking in hot air.

  “What happened?” Awesome asked.

  “Get someone out to the woods,” I gasped out. “Kay. Miss Belle’s maid is out on the trail. She’s hurt.”

  Awesome talked into his shoulder mic.

  “There’s someone out there with a gun. They shot at me. Tell them to be careful.”

  Awesome frowned as he updated whoever was at the other end of his mic. “Someone shot at you?”

  “Me, Kay, the tree near us. I don’t know. I heard a crack and then was sprayed with bark. I took off.”

  “The EMTs are still here. Let’s have them look at your cheek.”

  I swiped at my cheek and then looked at blood on my hand. My arms and legs were covered with scratches. “Miss Belle?”

  “She’s going to be okay. Her personal physician just arrived a few minutes ago. Come on, before the EMTs take off.”

  The EMTs swabbed my scratches and bandaged the small gash on my cheek. If I kept this up, I was going to know every EMT within a ten-mile radius, with the experiences I’d been through over the past year. Awesome stayed with me but wandered away every time his radio crackled.

  “Any word
on Kay?” I asked after the EMTs finished up and left.

  Awesome looked down and away. A sure sign he didn’t have any good news. I sat quietly, trying to figure out how I felt. Exhausted, scared . . . lucky to be alive.

  * * *

  I sat on a chair next to Miss Belle, who was resting on a chaise longue in the sitting room off her bedroom. Her personal physician had just left. She held an ice pack to her head with one hand and gripped my hand with the other as I caught her up on what had happened in the woods. Scott Pellner, an officer with the Ellington Police Department, stood near us. I’d met Pellner over a year ago and had seen more of him than I’d ever thought possible. I’m sure he felt the same way about me. He’d just confirmed that Kay was dead.

  “Officer Pellner, would you please give Sarah and me a moment alone?” Miss Belle asked, her Southern drawl more pronounced than I’d ever heard it. But there was a strength in her voice that belied the question. It was a command.

  Pellner looked back and forth between us for a moment before giving a short nod and leaving the room. He shut the door.

  “This is going to sound tacky at a time like this, but was the overnight case with Kay?”

  “No. It was gone. Maybe she hid it somewhere in the woods. Or maybe she gave it to someone who double-crossed her.” That sounded so dramatic.

  “Must we tell them what was in the overnight case?” Miss Belle asked, but this time it was definitely a question. “I can’t imagine how the manuscripts came to be in my attic.”

  “You didn’t know they were there?” I wanted to double-check her reaction.

  “I’ve spent the last few hours thinking about it. And what came over Kay?”

  “Had she worked for you for very long?”

  “Only a couple of weeks. But Kay came from a highly recommended agency.” Miss Belle slipped her hand from mine. “You didn’t answer my earlier question. Do we have to tell the police right away about what was in the overnight case? I’d like some time to sort this out on my own.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not an option.”

  “Please hear me out.”

  Miss Belle paused until I nodded.

  I’d kept a lot of secrets over the years. Some I should have and others I shouldn’t. Secrets cost a person one way or the other. But the least I could do was listen.

  “I need some time. Just a day. To figure out where the papers came from. They’re priceless.” She set the ice pack aside.

  “A woman is dead. I don’t think we can lie to the police. They’re going to ask what was in it.”

  “They’ve already asked me.”

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “I’m an old, injured woman. I had a brief relapse, so I was unable to answer their question.”

  At any other time, I might have been amused, and I was impressed. Miss Belle was the epitome of a Steel Magnolia.

  “Kay is dead. Probably murdered. I just can’t lie about this.” I’d justified a few sins of omission in the past. But this didn’t fall into that category. We both knew well and good what the contents of the overnight case were.

  Miss Belle studied my face as if she was looking for a crack in my conviction. She finally sighed. “You’re right.”

  “They might be able to keep it quiet. But they won’t be able to promise even that.”

  “Will you go get Officer Pellner, then?”

  I stood. “Where’s Roger today?” I hadn’t seen him, but the library and attic were far enough apart that we could easily avoid each other.

  “Why, I don’t know. With all that’s gone on, I hadn’t even given him a thought.”

  “Was he supposed to come?”

  Miss Belle nodded.

  “Could Kay have let him in without you knowing?”

  “It’s possible. I Skyped with my brother this morning about some family matters and asked not to be disturbed.”

  I walked over to the door as I pondered that bit of information and gestured for Pellner to come back in.

  Chapter Seven

  I went back and sat next to Miss Belle again. Pellner looked a little out of place standing a few feet away from us in such a feminine room. The wallpaper had big pink cabbage roses on it. The chaise was tufted pink silk with silk fringe dangling. There was a white French provincial dressing table with a large mirror and a cabbage rose upholstered stool tucked neatly underneath. A pink needlepoint area rug with more cabbage roses topped the mahogany floors. It was a stunning room. Not meant for police officers. It didn’t seem like anything bad should ever happen in a room like this.

  “Won’t you have a seat, Officer Pellner,” Miss Belle said.

  “I’m fine, thank you.” Pellner pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. “When Sarah called 911 she reported something had been stolen. What was it?”

  “An overnight case she found up in the attic.” Miss Belle spoke before I could open my mouth.

  “What was in the case?” he asked.

  This time Miss Belle didn’t speak up right away. We exchanged a look.

  “What?” Pellner asked.

  Miss Belle nodded at me.

  “Manuscripts that were written by Ernest Hemingway and stolen in 1922.” I smoothed my hands over my shorts. “They must be worth millions.”

  Pellner stared at me. “Hemingway.”

  I nodded. “The author.”

  “I know who he is. How’d they end up here?”

  I looked at Miss Belle.

  She lifted her chin. “I have no idea.”

  “You didn’t know they were in your attic?” Pellner asked.

  “Not until the moment Sarah brought them down and showed them to me. My family has been piling stuff in that attic for years.”

  “Sarah?”

  “I believe Miss Belle. She was shocked when she saw them.” Then I realized maybe he was asking me if I’d known they were there. “How could I know they were up there? Miss Belle just hired me yesterday.”

  Pellner nodded. “What were you thinking, chasing after Kay?”

  What had I been thinking? I think I’d just responded to the tone of Miss Belle’s voice. I took off for the same reason Pellner left us alone in the room earlier. “I was thinking we couldn’t lose those manuscripts. Although it looks as if we already did.” It made me so sad. A few hours ago, I’d handled something written by Ernest Hemingway, something maybe only a couple of other people had ever read. If only I had read more of them before I brought them down. Words hardly anyone else had seen slipped right through my hands. I looked down at them accusingly.

  “Officer Pellner.” Miss Belle’s drawl deepened just a bit. “If there is any way we can keep the contents of the overnight case a secret for now, I’d be very grateful.” She smiled at him. “I realize there’s been a murder, but I can’t think this would reflect well on the town of Ellington. Or, I have to admit selfishly, my family.”

  “Was anyone else here this morning?” Pellner asked.

  The nonanswer. Even a woman like Miss Belle couldn’t get that promise out of Pellner. Miss Belle looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

  “There’s a possibility Roger Mervine was here. He is organizing the more valuable books in my library.”

  “But you don’t know for sure.”

  “No. I was tied up in a meeting with my brother.”

  “So your brother was here?”

  “No, we met via Skype.”

  Pellner’s eyes widen a bit at that.

  “Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with technology.”

  “My apologies if I offended you,” Pellner said. “Can you tell me what the overnight case looked like?”

  Miss Belle nodded at me, and I gave Pellner a brief description.

  After that, he fired off a whole litany of questions. Have there been any threats? Anyone hanging around who shouldn’t be? Was Kay in some kind of trouble? Miss Belle answered no or not that I know of to each question.

  “So Kay enter
ed the room while you were looking over the manuscripts.”

  “Yes,” Miss Belle said, but she didn’t add anything.

  “Did she say anything?” Pellner asked.

  Miss Belle closed her eyes for a minute. “She hesitated in the doorway and said ‘Excuse me.’ I told her I needed some privacy. Kay came in anyway. I stood. She picked up the case and hit me on the temple with it. Next thing I remember was Sarah asking me if I was okay.”

  “You didn’t hear Kay talking to anyone or any other voices?” I asked. Pellner gave me a look like I should quit asking questions.

  “Not that I can recall.”

  Pellner slapped his notebook shut. “Let me know if anything comes to you,” he said. “Either of you.” He stood to go. “The state police will show up later today or tomorrow and want to question both of you again. So please be available.”

  I looked at his back as he walked out. As if we had any choice.

  * * *

  Miss Belle slumped against the back of the chaise and closed her eyes.

  “Would you like me to get you some more ice?” I asked.

  “Yes. If you would, please.”

  I trotted down the main staircase. An occasional creak of the house was the only sound as I made my way to the kitchen. It was almost noon, but I wasn’t even hungry. I took a moment to lock the back door and wondered how many other entrances the house had. I refilled the bag with more ice and took it back upstairs. The quiet was giving me the willies. Miss Belle snored gently on the chaise longue. I set down the bag beside her and tiptoed out of the room. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone while she was sleeping so I sent a text to my other client, telling her something had come up and that I’d get back in touch soon. Fortunately, she was agreeable to that.

  I decided I might as well work on cataloging more books, so I headed back up to the attic. I passed Kay’s room on the way by. The police surely had been here. There wasn’t any police tape around the door, so I tried the knob. The door opened easily. I’m not sure what I’d been expecting; maybe something like a scene from Downton Abbey: a narrow bed with an iron headboard and a washstand. But this room looked like something out of a luxurious bed-and-breakfast. There was a bed with a pale blue silk canopy and matching comforter, a sitting area with a window seat and piles of books, and a fancy, old-fashioned-looking brass telescope stood in front of a large window. What the heck did she use that for? Maybe she was a birder.