by Melissa Rees
"Miss, you might also check Shadowleaf Plantation. They are scheduled to work out there this week."
***
Miss Pettybone flipped her cell phone shut and stared at her friend.
"Loraine, you are becoming quite an accomplished liar," Lynn said, picking up her water.
Her mouth suddenly dry, Miss Pettybone reached for her Diet Pepsi. Feeling a bit faint, she said slowly. "Lynn, the woman said we might try them at Shadowleaf Plantation."
"What?"
"The woman on the phone said that Wagner and Keel are scheduled to work at Shadowleaf Plantation."
Surprised, Lynn stared at Miss Pettybone. "They know Eli?"
"That's what she said."
"Okay, now we go to the police. We can give them the warehouse address and they can look up Wagner's home address. Let them find Louise and Mildred?" Lynn pleaded, her voice quaking.
"We can't take that chance. If Louise and Mildred are not being held at their home or the warehouse, Wagner and Keel could find out that we went to the police."
"Okay, so what do we do?"
Furious with herself for trusting Eli, Miss Pettybone shook her head slightly. She could not think of Eli yet, she decided.
"I guess we try and get their home address. Then we check the house out. We should probably wait it out until it gets dark and go investigate both places. Nothing's really changed except now we know we can't trust Eli”.
"So what now?"
"Now, I think we should have lunch. Afterwards, I will go and see if I can't bribe someone to give me their home address. If we get that, we'll stay out of sight until tonight." Sighing she stood up. I’m going to the washroom."
Lynn watched her friend walk away, then flipped open her cell phone and called her house. If something happened to her tonight she didn't want Edgar to think she was still mad. She left a message and said she loved him. Hanging up, she felt better.
***
While Lynn waited outside, Miss Pettybone walked into the Home Show after lunch and looked around. She wandered around until she saw a young girl sitting alone at a small folding table. The girl had the bright green T-shirt with the show's logo on it. Walking up to her, Miss Pettybone smiled. "You look bummed out."
The girl glanced up and grinned. "We had a roadie that didn't show up for work, so everyone has to pitch in too fill his time slot."
"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it? You get overtime? I mean you must make a lot of money working on a television program."
The girl laughed and looked down at the paperwork she was poring over. "I wish we made a lot of money. This show doesn't pay squat."
"Oh, that's too bad. So, can I be honest with you?"
Interested, the girl looked up and studied Miss Pettybone. "Sure."
“I’m actually looking for one of the appraisal's address. My sister who lives in Mississippi is crazy about him. She wanted me to get a picture of his home. She's sure it's breathtaking."
"What appraiser?"
"Aaron Wagner."
The girl giggled and said. "Your sister doesn't pick men very well. He's very gay and he lives with another appraiser."
"Really?" Miss Pettybone said.
"Really, it's no big secret. He and Mr. Keel have lived together a long time."
"Well, since the possibility of her ever actually meeting Mr. Wagner is remote, I could just take a picture of his house. She would be thrilled with that. I'm willing to pay fifty dollars for it."
"You will pay fifty dollars for a gay guy's address."
"She's been unwell." Miss Pettybone improvised.
"Oh, that's too bad." The girl said, thinking about it. "Sure I’ll get you their address. Stay here, I’ll be right back."
Miss Pettybone watched as she jumped up and disappeared into the hallway that led to the offices.
She was back in no time with the address clutched in her hand. Handing it to Miss Pettybone, she smiled. "No problem."
Miss Pettybone gave the girl a crisp fifty-dollar bill and thanked her for her cooperation, then hurried out of the building.
She waved the piece of paper in front of Lynn, and said. “I’m not Sam Spade but he was right. Money talks."
"What do we do now, Miss Marple?"
"Now we wait."
Chapter 47
Eli paced the library floor, glancing at his watch for the hundredth time. Where were they? It was late, already after eleven o'clock.
When they didn't return for dinner, he had been a little concerned. But when they hadn't called or returned by ten o'clock, he had panicked and called Scott T. He felt his muscles tightened and his gut flip when Scott T. said he hadn't seen or heard from them in two days.
Where were they? He had to make a decision soon. Things were popping with his own situation. His cousin had called with the information that Keel and Wagner had booked overseas tickets.
He turned towards the gun case and retrieved his father's old colt. Loading it, he stuck it inside his belt in the small of his back. Pulling his shirt out to hide the gun, he walked out of his house. Jumping into his dark blue BMW, he started the car and headed into town.
***
Miss Pettybone glanced over at her friend and frowned. Lynn had been unusually quiet the last few hours. Lynn was so afraid of getting caught she had insisted they buy dark slacks and blouses for their venture that night.
And although Miss Pettybone thought that it was a bit dramatic, they had even bought dark red devil masks to pull on so that the white of their faces were covered.
After discussing the transportation problem, they decided to rent a car so they would have access to a vehicle. It would be useful to travel to Wagner and Keel's home and onto the warehouse.
Plus if they needed to get away fast, they would be able to do so. Miss Pettybone feverishly prayed they would not have that need.
She parked the car a block away from Keel and Wagner's home, then they set off on foot, nervous and praying Mildred and Louise would be found unharmed.
Miss Pettybone decided that Wagner and Keel lived in a nice enough neighborhoods where two women out enjoying the late night air would not look suspicious.
After a hurried whispered conversation, they decided to walk in front of the house a couple of times before heading towards the back of the property.
They paused briefly on the dark sidewalk to note an alarm sign stuck in between a row of boxwood, and then strolled casually to the end of the street.
They paused on the way back and gazed at the two stories Victorian. The security light on a pole in front of the house gave a mellow glow to the colorful facade the home had been painted.
Both noted how well the house had been maintained. Beautiful sculptured landscape lights were poking out of carefully maintained evergreens. The driveway had been paved with dark red bricks. There was even been a tulip design incorporated in the middle of the driveway, with half bricks serving as petals.
Everything tastefully done. Money had obviously not been a problem.
They paused for a quick look around, before darting into the shadows of a huge magnolia trees.
Nervous, they held their breath, expecting any minute someone would demand to know what they were doing standing in the dark in someone else’s yard. After a few minutes, they sighed in relief, and then crept along the house to the back courtyard.
Miss Pettybone heard Lynn sigh with pleasure at the sight of the back patio. It was beautiful. The porch lights softly lit the area. There were an abundance of pots filled with flowers scattered decoratively over the bricks.
A small brick wall ran alongside of the patio acting as a barrier to the back yard. Miss Pettybone observed unhappily how close the neighboring houses. The side of a two story brick and stone house could be seen from the back yard over the garage's roof.
"What now?" Lynn whispered. "These houses are kind of close."
"I guess we start looking in the windows." Miss Pettybone whispered back.
They moved
carefully into the shadows of the huge magnolia trees, and then walked over to the French doors.
The kitchen glowed softly from lights over the stove and sink.
Miss Pettybone shrugged, and then glanced around the yard. "There's the garage, maybe we should just look in there and see if their cars are here."
“That's sounds like a better idea than looking in all the windows." Lynn whispered.
They walked cautiously over to the garage. Miss Pettybone pointed at a side door that led into the building.
Lynn shrugged and waved her hand in front of her, shooing her on. Taking a couple of steps out of the shadow, she froze when a dog from a near-by house begin barking.
She stepped hastily back into the shadow and held her breath. After a few minutes of no one showing up to demand what they were doing, she held her hands up in question.
Lynn gave her a slight push towards the garage.
Miss Pettybone stepped towards the garage again and paused, listening intently, unsure if she heard footsteps. She glanced back at her friend and held her palms out. Shaking her head, Lynn mouthed for her to hurry. She stepped once more to the door and put her hand on the knob when a flashlight froze her in place.
"Come on out of there." A deep voice demanded.
She sensed Lynn step back further into the shadows.
Pettybone held her hand up to shield her eyes.
"If you don't come out in two seconds, I'm calling the police." The voice threatened.
She dropped her hand down to her side and stepped towards the front of the garage, convinced it was Wagner.
From the overhead security light, she saw a big man with heavy beard and wild brown hair peering at her.
When he saw a well-dressed middle-aged woman, he dropped the pistol he was carrying to his side, then pointed the light in her face and demanded. "What the hell are you doing back there?"
"I am looking for Aaron Wagner. Is this his house?"
"You got the house right but it still doesn’t explain what the hell you're doing back there in the dark."
She smiled and kept her tone reassuring. "I am determined to get an autograph for my sister who has cancer. She adores him and when I approached him earlier at the show, he didn't have time."
"So what? You're going to ambush him at his home at twelve o'clock at night?"
"Something like that. He was just so rude when I asked him earlier; I had decided not to bother. But when I talked to my sister tonight, well, she just so excited about having his autograph.
"Yea, he can be a rude bastard when he wants to be." The neighbor acknowledged.
“Really? I thought it was just me."
"No, he’s moody." The man said, relaxing a bit.
"I found that out today." Miss Pettybone said. "A girl at the show told me that Keel and Wagner live here."
“Yeah. I guess they bought the house about five years ago."
"Is that your dog barking?"
"Yes, that's Pete. He's a rat terrier. He's the best damn watch dog I ever had." The man said, turning to yell at the dog.
He looked back at her and sighed. "They're not home, you know. Both of them have been gone most of the day."
"Oh." Miss Pettybone said unhappily. "I leave tomorrow. My sister will be very disappointed."
"Sorry, her being sick and all."
"Thank you for being so kind, anyway."
"No problem." He said as he waited for her to join him on the driveway. "I tell you what. You give me your address and I’ll get Wagner to sign an autograph and I will mail it to you."
Her mind went blank for a minute. Turning to look up at the man, she sighed, hating to lie again. "My sister probably won't make it much longer. That's why I was so desperate to get his autograph tonight."
"Oh." The man said, feeling bad. “I’m sorry."
"I know it's horribly sad for the whole family." She said, backing up towards the street. "But you're so kind to offer to help."
"Hey, if you can help, you should." He said. "My mama always told us kids that."
"Well, I’ll let you get back to bed."
"Yes, it's late." He said, thoughtfully. "But you really should try them during the day. Not many people will want someone showing up this late."
"I know, as I said, I was just desperate."
He nodded to show he understood about desperation and then asked. "You need me to walk you back to your car?"
"No thanks." She said, already walking away. "I’ll be fine."
"Well, so long." He said turning to walk back to his house. "It was nice to have met you."
"So long." Miss Pettybone said, picking up her pace. After a few minutes, Lynn stepped out on the sidewalk beside her. "You are so going to hell."
"What was I supposed to say?" Miss Pettybone demanded, feeling horrible about lying. "I didn't want him to call the police."
"I know." Lynn agreed. "It’s just that you have become quite proficient in telling some whoppers."
Lynn slid into the car and looked over at her friend. "At least we know their not holding Mildred and Louise at their house."
"I guess that's a plus."
Miss Pettybone felt terrible, wishing she had never started the investigation. So far, she had lied, trespassed, endangered her friends and spent more money then she usually spent in a year.
She sighed heavily. This investigation business was a lot more complicated than she originally thought. Of course, all the sleuths in her mystery novels faced mortal danger time after time. They took it in stride, never second-guessing their chosen professions. However, it was different in real life. In real life, people could die and not resurface in the next book.
She stole a glance at her friend's set face. Lynn was determined to stay and help to the bitter end but Miss Pettybone could tell she was frightened. Scared for Mildred and Louise and scared for them.
Dismissing any doubts from her mind, she followed Lynn's directions towards the warehouse. Driving the car as close to the warehouse location as possible, she parked the car and they scrambled out.
Miss Pettybone’s eyes searched the near-by buildings, uncomfortably aware how isolated they were. Just like every movie and book, she ever read or saw, the bad guys always hid out in isolated places.
She threw Lynn a reassuring glance and began walking, looking for the address. "Are you okay?”
"Yeah, you?"
“I’m mad as hell that I trusted Eli."
"You didn't know. He fooled both of us."
"Why didn't you answer the phone when Edgar called?"
"He would just be upset. Why listen to that right now? Besides, I called earlier and left a message for him."
"Oh, that's good."
"How are we supposed to find out if Louise and Mildred are in the warehouse?"
"Well, according to Miss Marple, there is always a window open somewhere that we can climb in." Miss Pettybone joked, aware of just how deserted the streets had become away from the bars and shops.
"Well, let's hope Miss Marple knows what she is talking about."
After walking silently a few moments, Miss Pettybone turned a worried look at Lynn. "I won't blame you if you turn back, Lynn."
"Are you going to turn back?"
"No."
"Then neither am I."
Miss Pettybone wrestled with her conscience, sighed, and then glanced over at her friend. "We should be coming up on the address," She pointed out. "We probably need to keep the talking to a minimum."
"Okay."
They stuck close to the shadows while they searched for the address. Lynn tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a huge building across the street. The address was written in reflective numbers at the top of the door. They slipped silently across the street and searched the building for a window.
Miss Pettybone could see several small windows open at the top portion of the roof. Getting Lynn's attention, she pointed them out.
"Let's see if there's a way up there," Miss Pettybone wh
ispered.
They walked silently around the building and discovered a small lean-to next to the warehouse.
"We can crawl up there and then climb onto the roof of the warehouse." She whispered.
Lynn nodded her head and picked up a bucket to stand on, then hoisted herself on top of the lean-to. Bending down, she clasped Miss Pettybone’s hand and pulled her up.
Miss Pettybone signaled to Lynn that she would go first. She took a deep breath and climbed slowly towards the roof, grateful that it was decent weather and not raining.
Ten feet before the windows, she laid flat and crawled the rest of the way on her stomach, Lynn just behind her.
She raised her head up slowly and looked down. There they were. Louise and Mildred tied back-to-back, sitting on the floor right under the windows. The warehouse was dark except around the vicinity of where they were sitting.
When she saw them tied up, helpless, it sent a swift kick of anger through her. Swallowing hard, she pointed for Lynn to head back down.
Lynn nodded and began crawling back towards the ground.
Miss Pettybone threw Louise and Mildred a brief prayer, and then turned to follow her friend.
A few minutes later, she and Lynn were standing on the ground in the dark shadow of the warehouse. Miss Pettybone glanced around. Something was not right. She felt the movement of Wagner before she saw him.
"Put your hands up, ladies."
Lynn gasped and grabbed Miss Pettybone’s arm.
"My gun has a silencer. I don't want to kill you ladies out here but I will."
"How did you know we were here?" Miss Pettybone demanded.
"I pay my secretary a lot of money to keep me informed. She called to tell me she gave nice lady directions to our warehouse this afternoon."
"So you waited for us to show up."
He stuck the gun in Lynn's back and said. "Move, we can talk inside."
Otis Keel was standing just inside the door. His round face unhappy, his shirt drenched in sweat. He pointed the gun Aaron had forced on him shakily at Mildred and Louise.
Wagner motioned for Lynn and Miss Pettybone to walk over to where the women sat.
"Loraine, something's wrong with Louise, she’s not talking." Mildred said, tears running down her cheek, her lipstick smeared, her black eyeliner smudged around her eyes.
