by Emmie Lyn
Sue Ellen messaged back immediately that she’d be home soon and to look under a ceramic rock in back for her hidden key to let myself in.
That sounded easy enough. “Come on Pip. Let’s get this over with before I lose my nerve with all the creepy vibes around here.” I still had the sensation of eyes on me even knowing Robby had driven away. I squared my shoulders. It was probably just the fact of Judith’s recent murder that made me so jumpy.
I found the hidden key easily enough. I lifted it from the dirt and bounced it in the palm of my hand. “I wonder if anyone else knew about this key,” I mumbled out loud. “Although”, I said to Pip, “the day Judith was murdered, the house was unlocked for all the deliveries.” A hidden key. A trail behind the houses. Were they connected to Judith’s murder?
Once in the kitchen, I looked around for my aprons and huffed a frustrated exhale when I didn’t see them. “Where could they be?” My words echoed in the big kitchen. A faint hum from the refrigerator, the only background noise.
I pushed the kitchen door open and Pip trotted down the hall that led to the big sunny living room. Did she smell the aprons tucked away somewhere? I followed her since Sue Ellen told me to go in the house. I imagined she probably wouldn’t mind a little exploration, too.
An eerie quiet filled the big house with only Pip’s nails clicking on the tiles and my soft-soled sneakers squeaking every couple of steps. The squeak, which I normally wouldn’t notice, echoed and made goosebumps erupt on my arms.
“Where are you taking me, Pip?” Even the sound of my own voice gave small comfort.
Pip turned into the book-lined library. “You think the aprons are here?”
In response, Pip jumped onto the window seat and gazed out. “Not much help,” I said after I looked, too, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Not a bad place to wait for Sue Ellen, though.”
I turned my focus to the hundreds of books lining the walls organized by subjects. I traced my finger over the art collection, wondering if the books were for show or if anyone actually read them. In another house, I supposed the owner would display these large, glossy books on a coffee table.
For some unexplained reason, one book stuck out more than the others and caught my attention. I pulled it off the shelf and flipped it open to reveal a catalog of valuable sculptures. I leafed through the book, amazed at the array of artwork ... and the prices. One dog-eared page made me pause. An unusually beautiful piece of art almost jumped off the page. The description described the carving as Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. The beauty was obvious. But it was the price that made me gasp—over fifty thousand dollars.
A door slammed closed, and I tucked the book under my arm.
Pip dashed from the library with her I-need-to-protect-Dani-from-an-intruder bark.
I froze. Was it Sue Ellen, or was I in danger?
Chapter Twenty-Six
“You silly girl. This is my house,” cooed Sue Ellen.
I let out a long exhale and headed to the kitchen. “I’m glad you’re here. I couldn’t find the aprons, so Pip and I were enjoying the ambiance of your library. A room with a view and a calming atmosphere. What more could I ask for?”
Sue Ellen dropped her extra-large leather tote on her kitchen island. “I’m glad you like it. I designed this house around that room. So,” her finger tapped her lips, “where did those aprons disappear to?”
“Oh, before you hunt for them, I found this.” I held the sculpture book out for Sue Ellen. “I’m curious. Take a look at the sculpture on this page. Is it something you’re interested in?”
Sue Ellen’s teeth caught her bottom lip. “That’s Judith’s Venus sculpture. An unbelievably beautiful piece of artwork and probably Judith’s most prized possession.” She dropped the book next to her bag.
“She had the sculpture here in your house?”
“Oh, yes. It had a place of honor on the oak pedestal in my living room. But she moved it before the auction.” Sue Ellen busied herself opening her kitchen cabinets. “Here they are.” She pulled out the stack of aprons for me.
“Where is it now?” I stared at the image in the book.
“Where is what?”
“The Venus sculpture. Is it possible someone was after that? Rudy must have seen it when he showed interest in your coins.”
Sue Ellen’s eyes widened. “You’re brilliant Dani. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll have to try to remember where Judith said she was going to put it to make sure it didn’t get stolen during the auction.”
“One other question before I head home. When I got here, someone was in your back yard.”
“Oh?”
“I’m sure it was Rudy’s twin brother, Robby, pretending to be Rudy.”
She held up her hands, perplexed as she asked, “Why was his twin here?”
“Looking for you. He said he wanted to talk to you about your coins.”
“Rudy has been hounding me for forever to get me to sell my collection. He must have told his brother about them. And to be honest, after what happened to Judith, I think it’s time to sell. Those coins are nothing but trouble.”
“I’m assuming you haven’t met Rudy’s brother yet because he thought I was you.”
“No, I haven’t met him.”
“At any rate, I already called AJ to pick up Robby at the Little Dog Diner. You won’t have to worry about meeting him and have him figure out I fooled him. For now, try to remember what Judith had in mind for the sculpture. If you can’t find it, you’ll have to tell AJ.”
Sue Ellen covered her face with her hands. “The Detective will tar and feather me if I discover another missing item now, Dani. I’m too exhausted to do anything but put my feet up and listen to some nice classical music to clear my head before I tackle this new problem.”
I put my hand on Sue Ellen’s arm. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, and everything is catching up to you. Try to get some rest.” I gathered up the aprons and the book, leaving with Pip, and hoping Sue Ellen would heed her own advice.
Finally, I thought, I can head home to Sea Breeze and relax with the ocean sound for company.
“Hey!”
Sue Ellen’s neighbor, Barry, came striding toward me as I headed for the Cadillac. What did he want? Pip stood her ground between me and the man approaching us. The hair on her back stood up, but she didn’t growl.
“I have a question you might be able to help me with.”
“Okay.” I opened the door of the Cadillac and piled the aprons on the passenger seat. The book rested on top of the pile.
Barry peered over my shoulder. “That looks like Judith’s book. Why do you have it?”
“Is that your question, Barry?” In my opinion, it was none of his business why I had Judith’s book. I hoped he heard the dismissive tone in my voice.
“No, but strangely enough the book is connected to my question. I’m wondering if you ever saw a beautiful Venus sculpture in Sue Ellen’s house.” He reached past me and grabbed the book, then flipped the book open to the dog-eared page. “This sculpture,” he said, stabbing the photo with his index finger.
“Why the sudden interest in this sculpture, Barry? If you think it’s in Sue Ellen’s house, shouldn’t you ask her?”
“I’d rather not. I think she’ll lie about it. She offered to buy it from Judith, but Judith would never sell that piece of art. It was her pride and joy.”
“Well, I can’t help you. I have no idea where it is. For all I know, you have it.” I kept my eyes glued to Barry’s face, hoping to see a flicker of guilt or embarrassment. He was too smooth for that. “And something else. You didn’t walk up the driveway. Did you appear from thin air?”
Barry glanced away. There was the guilt I’d hoped to see. “No.”
“You walked to Sue Ellen’s house on the bicycle trail behind the houses?”
“Sometimes I would meet Judith for afternoon tea if Sue Ellen was gone. I thought there would be less of a chance for that nosy neighbor across th
e street to see me and blab about our secret rendezvous in the library. Sue Ellen would have been furious, and Judith didn’t want to be in the middle of a confrontation.” He shrugged. “Contrary to what people say about us, we were starting to get along again, work through our problems.” He swiped his cheek. “I miss her terribly.”
“Let me ask you a question, Barry. Are you looking for the sculpture because you think it belongs to you now?”
His jaw dropped. “Of all the insensitive comments. I don’t have to answer that.” He brushed past me and stomped down Sue Ellen’s driveway.
I watched his progress until he turned into his own driveway and disappeared from view.
What a strange turn of events. A dead woman, a stolen coin, and now a missing sculpture. Was everything connected?
I looked at my faithful companion. “I wish that nose of yours could smell out some answers for me.” I patted Pip and motioned for her to jump in the car. She didn’t hesitate.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I slid in behind the steering wheel, anxious to leave this creepy atmosphere behind, and dug around in my bag for my keys.
“Where’d they go, Pip?” I dumped the contents on the passenger seat. Quickly sorting through Chap Stick, pens, a notepad, hand cream, loose change, and a small flashlight, I sighed in frustration. “I can’t believe it, Pip. I must have left my keys in Sue Ellen’s house. I’ll be right back.”
I jogged up the path to the kitchen door. Before I went inside, I patted every pocket hoping to feel the bulk of my keys.
No luck.
At least the kitchen door was still unlocked, and I let myself in as quietly as possible. The house was soundless. Sue Ellen must be resting.
With my hands on my hips, I checked every surface in the kitchen. No keys.
I clamped my lips together, my frustration escalating at my carelessness.
Maybe the library. That was the only other room I’d been in.
Tiptoeing down the hall, I turned into the library, which was as soundless as a locked vault. It must be the tall shelves and hundreds of books that absorbed every bit of sound, I told myself. At any other time, it would wrap me in a peaceful, comforting charm, but today? All I could think of was to find my keys and get away as quickly as possible.
From the doorway, I slowly scanned my eyes over every surface. They had to be in here somewhere.
Aha! I spied them on the dark green floral window cushion. I must have dropped them there when I pulled the sculpture book off the shelf. Relief. Now I could finally escape this tomb-like atmosphere.
As I took a long stride toward my keys, something tucked in the corner of the window seat caught my attention. My fingers trembled with an icy cold surge. Poking from the top of an open box, was the head of a sculpture—the missing Venus.
How could that be? Did Sue Ellen have it all along? Did she steal it from Judith?
My mind flashed over Sue Ellen’s recent activities. She was at her house the afternoon Judith was murdered. She brought chocolate-covered brownies for Judith and we found chocolate smeared on the rug wrapped around Judith. According to Barry, Sue Ellen wanted Judith to move out. And here, on Sue Ellen’s window seat, sat a valuable sculpture that she claimed she didn’t know the whereabouts of.
I slowly backed up, one foot after the other. My eyes remained glued to the sculpture as if I expected it to fly across the room and attack me. This was something for the police to investigate, not me.
I stopped and sent a text messages to AJ and Rose asking them both to come to Sue Ellen’s ASAP!
With my keys biting into the palm of my hand and my eyes on the sculpture, me heel landed on something that moved, followed by a deafening screech. I froze. My heart pounded. My body trembled and sweat dripped from my armpits.
Before I could turn and defend myself, I heard, “Geez Louise, Dani! You scared the bejesus out of me. I thought you were long gone.”
“Sue Ellen?” I jumped and moved away from her. It made no sense that the sculpture was here all along. Unless … Sue Ellen murdered Judith.
I held my keys up and jiggled them in Sue Ellen’s face. “I forgot my keys. They were on the window cushion. It must have been when I looked at the sculpture book.” I heard myself blabbering anything that came to mind while I made an escape plan in case Sue Ellen attacked me. I didn’t have many options since she blocked my only escape route. Could I injure her with the keys? I maneuvered them so one stuck out between my fingers, just in case.
“I’m glad you came back.” Sue Ellen stepped closer to me.
I backed up. Every nerve ending tingled.
“After you left, I got wondering about the Venus sculpture.” She reached into her pocket.
My heart practically broke through my chest. My eyes never left Sue Ellen’s hand. My brain told me to run but my feet refused to listen. Why did I leave Pip in the car?
Sue Ellen held out a piece of paper. “I put myself in Judith’s shoes and tried to figure out where she would hide the sculpture before everyone arrived for the auction. Clever. Right?”
“Sort of.” I took the paper, still not sure of Sue Ellen’s intentions.
“Go ahead. Read it.”
I glanced at the paper. All I saw were the words donate to the library.
Sue Ellen picked up the box with the sculpture. “Well, this room was always Judith’s favorite. She used to say it had so many nooks and crannies for tucking treasures. On a whim, I came in here and carefully looked at all the shelves for something out of place. I mean, really, I should know this room better than anyone.”
As I listened, I had to admit to myself that Sue Ellen’s explanation did make sense, but I still held my keys ready in case I needed to defend myself. I knew I could outrun Sue Ellen in a heartbeat … if I could make my legs move.
Sue Ellen moved closer to the window seat, revealing a cubbyhole unnoticeable until she picked up the box with the Venus sculpture. “See? No one would know about this but Judith or me.”
I leaned to one side to get a better view.
Sue Ellen slid the box into the cubby, slid a hidden door over the opening, and like magic, the cubby disappeared from sight.
“Judith hid her treasure in there?”
“That’s exactly what I think happened. And if you hadn’t mentioned it, I never would have looked for it.” She waved her arms through the air dramatically. “With so much going on, and all the questions thrown at me, and rescheduling the auction, I completely forgot about Judith’s Venus.”
I slid the cubby door to one side and pulled the box out. Venus’s head appeared to have something on it. And the box also had smears of something dark. “Are you positive no one else knew about this hiding spot?”
“I suppose someone else might have noticed it. Someone very observant.” Sue Ellen closed the cubby door. “Would you see it if you didn’t know it was there?”
I let my eyes roam around the room as if it were the first time I’d been there. “I suppose I might not see it unless,” I paused, “I was looking for a hiding spot.”
“Who else would hide it here?” Sue Ellen asked.
“The murderer.”
Sue Ellen and I stared at each other.
Sue Ellen blinked. She frowned. “You think I killed Judith?” her question came out barely louder than a whisper.
“Did you kill Judith?” I asked. What else could I say under the circumstance? I had to know if I was looking into the eyes of a cold-blooded killer.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Of course, I didn’t kill Judith,” Sue Ellen declared. “How can you even think that? I took her into my home. I counseled her. I … I … I’m tongue-tied at the thought. And Sue Ellen Baer is seldom at a loss for words.” She flopped onto the window cushion, dramatically resting her forehead on the back of her hand as if she were about to faint. “Could you get me a drink of water?”
I felt like a fool, but I still wasn’t one hundred percent convinced of Sue Ellen’s inn
ocence. I wanted to believe her, but there were too many coincidences. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave this room.”
“Where do you think I’d go?” Her voice came out as a pathetic sob.
I didn’t know what to think, and I didn’t want Sue Ellen to know that I thought she might flee to save her skin.
The long hallway to the kitchen felt like an endless journey down a gangplank to the unknown. I opened several cupboards before I found a shelf lined with glasses. I filled one with water. What should I do now? Wait for AJ to arrive? Go back to the library alone? Hide in my locked car with Pip?
The kitchen door opened, ending any escape plan.
“Barry? What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh.” His mouth dropped open as if my voice surprised him. One hand remained on the doorknob, the other clutched one of Lily’s brownies. I wondered if he’d helped himself to a brownie from my bag in the Cadillac. “I thought you left.”
Apparently, misplacing my keys put me right where Sue Ellen and Barry didn’t expect me to be. I said nothing. He was the last person who deserved any kind of explanation.
Shutting the door and moving into the kitchen, he said, “I decided to follow your advice, so I came back to ask Sue Ellen about Judith’s Venus sculpture.” He moved closer to me. “Is she here?”
That sounded plausible, but I needed a plan to keep Barry and Sue Ellen apart until reinforcements arrived.
“Dani? Did you get lost?”
So much for my plan.
Sue Ellen walked into the kitchen from the hallway but stopped short when she saw Barry. She scowled. “What are you doing in my house? You know you’re not welcome here. You weren’t when Judith was alive, and you aren’t now, either.”
Barry smiled one of those, I’ll-do-exactly-what-I-want smiles that made my blood run cold.
“Give me the box, Sue Ellen, and I’ll be on my way.”
I looked from Sue Ellen, holding the box with Judith’s Venus sculpture, to Barry holding his brownie and everything became crystal clear.
