by Lynn Cahoon
When she hung up, she looked at Christina’s worried face. “I think we just got a blackmail or kidnapping threat. I couldn’t tell what he was going to do.”
“Call Baldwin. But I’m going into the bedroom. I’ll come out after he leaves.” Christina picked up her plate and headed to her room. “Let me know when he’s gone. I’m going to see what John Louis is doing today via his computer passwords that Bethanie sent me yesterday.”
“Don’t get caught.” Mia figured that was the only piece of advice she’d hadn’t broken when she was a young adult.
Chapter 13
By the time they’d gotten back from the conference center, Trent’s car was in the lot and he was sitting on the porch, playing with his phone. Mia opened the back door of the van and nodded to him. “You were off on your timing. Now you have to help us get all this in the kitchen and put away.”
“My timing was just fine. Besides, my mom taught me to work. I don’t mind.” He smiled at her and picked up two of the tubs.
“Man, he’s strong. Are you sure you still need me?” Christina grabbed a single tote and followed him inside.
“Of course I do. Do me a favor and unpack those dishes straight into the dishwasher before coming out for a second load. If we can keep the dishwasher going, we might be done with this sooner rather than later.”
Christina nodded. “Just don’t keep me too long. I’m meeting Bethanie for a drink after dinner.”
“You two seem to be okay, then?” Mia followed her into the kitchen, where she noticed Trent staring at the back door. “What’s up?”
“I’m not sure; it feels like someone tried your locks and failed. Did you get the security cameras installed yet?” He unpacked one of the totes, then used a soapy rag to wash it out at the sink.
“Not yet. They said they’d be back on Monday and set it all up.” Mia threw him a towel. “Come help me get out the rest of the bins. I think there’s some leftover cake you can take home if you want.”
“Now that sounds like a plan.” He dried the tote, then set it and its cover over by the storage closet and followed Mia out.
“So, why are you here besides to help me unpack the van?” Mia grabbed a tote from the back and hauled it to the porch. “Did Baldwin tell you about my cryptic phone call?”
“No, but you might as well tell me now.” Again, he grabbed two bins and followed her inside. “I’m here to try to break into your mystery room. I figure I can see if I can pop the lock before you hire someone else. I’m sure you weren’t budgeted to do a new camera in the back.”
“That’s the truth.” She set down the bin by the dishwasher and pointed Trent toward the worktable. “Put those over there. They have the food in it.”
“How can you tell?” He glanced at the different totes around the room.
Christina laughed. “She color codes everything. Blue is dishes and flatware and utensils. Pink is food. And white, those are linens.”
“Which can go over by the washer and dryer,” Mia pointed out. “I don’t think we’ll get all the laundry done, but we can at least make a dent in it. I want tomorrow to be as restful as possible.”
“Good, so you can go out to dinner with me tomorrow. I was going to ask you later, but this will work.” He opened the tote and, after peeking inside, grinned. “Cake.”
They spent the next hour cleaning up the supplies and the bins. Mia told him about the phone call. She put the last load of linens into the washer and glanced around the kitchen. Christina was showing Trent where to stack the now-clean totes in the side closet. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” she repeated her tidy kitchen mantra.
A face framed by two dirty hands peered inside the window insert in the door. Mia heard the doorknob click and hit the lock. She picked up her phone and opened the camera app. She walked over to the door and started snapping pictures. The man started backward and stepped away from the door, which gave Mia an even better picture. She kept taking shots as she called for Christina and Trent. “Christina, call 9-1-1. Tell them we have someone trying to break in. Trent, go around the front and see if you can detain him.”
“Detain who?” Trent asked as he walked back into the kitchen. Mia heard him swear when he saw the guy in the backyard. “I’ll go around to the parking lot and cut him off. Christina, call Baldwin.”
“Already on it.” Christina stepped closer to Mia. “Hello? There’s someone trying to break into the kitchen at 4242 Harrison in Magic Springs.”
Mia heard someone on the other end of the line announce they were sending a car. She stopped taking pictures and watched as Trent came around the side of the yard. The guy didn’t see him, and when Trent approached, he turned and started talking to him. “What the heck?”
“What’s going on?” Christina asked, trying to peer around Mia. “Is Trent okay?”
“He’s fine. The guy is just talking to him. Hopefully, he doesn’t have a gun or anything.”
The dispatcher on the other end of the phone asked loudly, “Who has a gun?”
Christina put it on Speaker. “Sorry, no one that we know of. We were just talking. Trent Majors is out back talking to the guy.”
“Why in the world is Trent there?” the female dispatcher asked. “Wait, is this the building that houses Mia’s Morsels?”
“Yep. We had a break-in a few days ago too. Maybe it’s the same guy.” Christina looked at Mia. “He looks homeless.”
“Yes, he does.” Mia stepped closer to the doorway. She almost opened the door but heard the sirens out front. “Christina, stay here. I’ll go meet the police.”
The officers were just getting out of the car when she opened the front door.
“You’re having a bad week over here.” One of the officers waved at her. Mia recognized him from when he was part of the team that found Denny’s body. “Where’s the action?”
“Yes, I am.” Mia pointed to the back. “He’s behind the building, talking to Trent. I might have overreacted, but . . .”
The officer nodded to his partner, who took off running. “No worries. We weren’t busy anyway. I’d say it’s been slow this week, except I’ve been out here several times.”
“Don’t remind me.” Mia rubbed her arms. She wasn’t cold, but for some reason she had a chill. She looked up to the third floor. A shape stood in the window. Grans and Cindy must be back already.
She started to step toward the officer when she saw Grans’s car pull up. Cindy was sitting in the front with her. Mia looked back up at the window. There was no shadow. And she realized the apartment didn’t look over the front. It looked over the backyard. That window was in the storage area without a key. No one should be up there.
Mia froze for a second. No one was up there that could have caused a shadow that Mia would have seen. She decided she was going to get into the storage room sooner rather than later.
The police officers, Trent, and the man who’d been peering into her kitchen all came out from the back of the house. The man was in cuffs, but he didn’t seem to be fighting the officers.
The one who’d talked to her earlier nodded to the car and the other one took the man by the arm and tried to lead him away. The man leaned into him and stared at Mia.
“The man said you had money hidden in the kitchen. Money I could have if I found it. It was a game.”
Trent stopped and stood beside her. “Like hide-and-seek.”
“Yeah, yeah, like that. Grocery man gets it.” The homeless man narrowed his eyes at Mia. “But you were supposed to be gone. The man said you’d packed up. Left town. Left the money in the kitchen. He said it could be mine.”
“What man?” Mia asked.
The guy shook his head. “The man. You know. He lives on Drury Lane.”
“Come on, dude, let’s get you buckled in for the ride.” The officer who’d been in charge of him pulled him away from the group and into the car. He secured his seat belt, then closed the door.
Waving a hand in fro
nt of his face, the officer grimaced. “I guess it’s five o’clock somewhere.”
“Almost five here. If he’d waited a few more minutes, we’d be off shift. Sorry he bothered you, but he’s all but confessed to breaking into your kitchen earlier this week.” The officer pulled out his card. “I’ll call you when the chief decides what he’s going to do with him, but at least he’ll be able to dry out in jail. Maybe he’ll make more sense then.”
“Bob, Rich, thank you for coming so quickly.” Trent held out a hand and shook both officers’ hands.
“No problem, Trent.” Bob, the one who’d been chatting all this time eyed Mia for a second. “You all have a good day.”
By this time Grans and Cindy were out of the car with bags in their hands. Grans came up and watched the police cruiser leave. “I take it that’s our vandal?”
“It would appear that way. Otherwise Magic Springs has a man in custody whose only crime is peeking inside houses,” Trent said as his gaze followed the cruiser disappear into the tree-lined street.
“Well, let’s go inside and get dinner set up. Mia, is the kitchen downstairs cleaned?” Grans started taking charge of things. Something she’d learned early in her life, according to Grans. You did what you needed to do to get by. And that usually involved a lot of cooking and meals. Which was all right with Mia.
“Cleaned, but I’m going to have to finish a few loads of laundry.” Mia sighed. “If it had been just the two of us, we still would be cleaning. But Trent lent a hand.”
“Oh, really? You should eat dinner with us so we can pay you back.” Grans moved toward the door. “I’d love to sit and talk, but I’m thinking my dog needs to go out.”
Christina bounded over and took Grans’s packages. “I’ll take him out. I love having a dog around. Someday, when I get settled, I’m getting one. I just have to figure out what breed I want.”
Mia glanced around as she watched the three disappear into the house. “Well, I guess it’s just you and me. Grans is right, you should come to dinner. You did a lot today.”
“I would, but I have a business meeting with the folks. They like to look over the books once a month to make sure I’m not stealing them blind.” He nodded to the door. “I could come in and help you finish, though.”
Mia waved her hand at him. “Don’t bother. Like I said, all I have is laundry left. If the washer and dryer have finished, I can transfer a load and put the last one in the washer. Easy peasy.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “I’m glad the event went well today. Magic Springs needs someone like you and your business.”
“Well, just keep sending them my way. I’ve got room for more catering. Although I think I’m going to schedule a cooking class weekly, so people can try out the food before they decide to shower me with orders.” She patted his chest. “Thanks for the rescue today.”
“I think the cops were there before he even had a chance to wish me harm.” He shook his head. “I never get to have any fun.”
“I guess it depends on what you think of as fun.” She leaned up and kissed him again. “Seriously, thanks for the assist today. I think we make a really good team.”
“You’re not including Christina in that, right? Because she made me do all the hard stuff just cuz I’m a guy.” He glanced up at the door. “Just don’t tell her I said that.”
“What? Are you afraid of her?”
He held up his hand and measured out less than an inch for her. “A little.”
“Well, get out of here then.” Mia waved him off the porch. “I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner. What time?”
“Be ready at six. Maybe we’ll take a drive before.” He lifted a hand before getting into his truck. “Tell Christina I was sorry I had to leave.”
“Whatever.” Mia laughed as she went inside. As soon as she closed the door, she realized they’d forgotten to open the third-floor locked door. She glanced out the window, but Trent was already gone. It had been a pretty crazy day. She’d talk to him about coming over next weekend. And she’d forgotten about the call. Anyway, Grans and Cindy were safe here. It had probably been a prank call, or one of John’s friends being funny. But that couldn’t be right, because Mia was quite sure that John Louis couldn’t have any friends.
She went into the kitchen, switched out the laundry, and folded the clean linens. Then she made double sure the door to the backyard was locked and turned off the lights before locking the door to the rest of the building.
The good thing about buying an old, abandoned schoolhouse? It had a lot of room. The bad thing? It had a lot of rooms and ways to access the building. Mia decided she’d work on the sign design tonight and see if there was anyone local who could do it for her. Trent might know someone. She’d ask him tomorrow.
She stopped in her office to grab her current planning notebook. She went through those things like they were paper towels. She bought the spiral notebooks when they were on sale at back-to-school time, or when they found their way to the clearance rack. This one was a plain red spiral, but she loved writing out her schedules and making future plans on the pages. That way, if something changed—say, for example, the person you were catering a birthday party for wound up dead—you could just rip out that page and make a new plan.
She walked upstairs to the apartment, thinking she might be going through a lot of pages tonight before she settled on a design for the sign.
At her apartment door she paused and glanced right to the locked door. It must have been a shadow. She took a step toward the now-open door. Maybe Trent had unlocked it already and, in the chaos, had forgotten to tell her.
She set the notebook and pens on the floor in the hallway and pulled out her phone, setting it on Camera. Slowly, she stepped into the room. Large windows on the front side of the house let in light, but it was filtered through dirty panes. Dust mites danced in the dim sunlight that did break through. The room seemed to be L-shaped. She walked through the narrow hall, glancing at the years of school pictures in old frames on the walls. As the years increased, so did the number of students and teachers in the photos. Then the opposite happened, and by the time the hallway stopped, the number of people in the pictures had dwindled. The last picture showed only twenty people. More adults than kids. Kind of mirroring the first picture.
Welcome to the age of expanding free public schools, Mia thought. For a while, a lot of kids came to St. Catherine’s because it was the only school in Magic Springs. When they opened an elementary school in Ketchum, rather than bussing all the kids down to Twin Falls, St. Catherine’s probably lost a bunch of the local kids. She turned the corner and ran right into someone who was large. Big chest, tall, massive shoulders. She closed her eyes and screamed.
Chapter 14
Mia stopped screaming and took a breath. No arms surrounded her. The man was just standing there. She realized her fingers were touching fur. Was he wearing a fur coat? In this heat? And in a part of the school with no air conditioning?
She opened her eyes and met the glassy-eyed gaze of a large grizzly bear. He was stuffed to look real, even down to his teeth, which sparkled in the dim sunlight. “The better to eat you with, my dear,” Mia quipped. What on earth was a stuffed bear doing in here?
She gingerly stepped away from the bear and glanced around at the space. It was filled with mementos from the old school. Old student desks, larger wooden ones for the teachers. All kinds of chairs. Bookcases filled with textbooks and, she found out when she reached out to pull one from the shelf, a lot of what she’d call chapter books and other books. It looked like this was the library when the school was open. Now, it had turned into a storage room.
She glanced out the window and looked down on her front lawn and the edge of the parking lot nearby. The room would make an amazing den. Leave the bookcases and probably a lot of the books, add some leather furniture, a stereo system, and a television. Add a desk to write or work at and this would be heaven.
She decided she’d talk to Grans
about the stored furniture. She’d bought the building, but did all the stuff also belong to her?
As she turned to leave, she saw footprints in the dust by the window. Prints she hadn’t made. She measured her foot against a print. It was much larger. So maybe she’d seen an actual person up here, not a possible ghost. And if so, who? Everyone who should be in the house had been downstairs with her.
She snapped a picture of the footprint and then set down her water bottle next to it to show the actual size ratio. Someone had been in her house. And it hadn’t been the homeless man. If she’d been a betting type, she would have said John Louis. That answer shouldn’t even give her odds.
She took a few more pictures, then, after making sure the door wouldn’t just relock, pulled it shut and grabbed her notebook. Now she had even more to think about and plan. Including getting a new lock put on the soon-to-be library door.
Mia was met outside by Christina. She’d poked her head out of the apartment and was looking around. When she caught sight of Mia coming from the other side of the hallway, she relaxed and opened the door wider. “There you are.”
Walking inside the apartment, Mia glanced at her assistant. “What’s going on?”
Blushing, Christina shrugged. “I thought I heard a scream, but I wasn’t sure. I was in my room reading, and Grans and Cindy didn’t hear anything, so I was just wondering where you were.”
“I was in the storage room, or I guess I should call it the library. The space is amazing. It’s got floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Hold on, let me show you.” She set the notebook on the couch and opened her phone to show Christina the pictures.
She scrolled through the snaps, then looked toward the wall where the storeroom met the kitchen. “This is what was behind the locked door? There’s a lot of crap stuffed in there. Is that a bear?”
“Yep. A stuffed grizzly. That was the cause of the scream. I ran straight into him. I’m wondering if we should move him downstairs to the lobby.”
