Poof!

by M. Lee Prescott

Why don’t I believe you? “Listen, Jill, I know you’re busy so I’ll be brief. I came to ask you about one of your clients, Meridian Imports?”

  She feigned thinking for a minute or so. “Hmm, sounds familiar. I think Phil takes care of that account.”

  “Phil?”

  “Phillip Brackett? He’s one of the senior partners. He’s out at the moment, but due back soon. Shall I ask him about it and get back to you?”

  “That would be great. In the meantime, is there anything you might be able to learn from your digital records about Meridian. I’m particularly interested in the school they run for young non-Native speakers.”

  “Let me see.” She stood and went to her computer, clicking and searching, a frown creasing her brow. “Hmm, not much here. No mention of a school in these records.”

  “It’s run out of their building on Water Street.”

  “Not according to this. All I see is storage and office space. They’d surely let us know if there was a school on the premises. There’s all kinds of insurance and liability issues with that sort of thing.”

  That sort of thing, indeed. I could see I would get nothing from Jill and I doubted Phil would give me the time of day. I decided a hasty departure was in order. I wanted to take a second peek at the Meridian building before Phil got back and alerted them.

  “Well, thanks, Jill.”

  “What’s your interest anyway?”

  “Some of the pupils have gone missing. In fact, it’s kind of a revolving door over there. Someone who cares about one of the missing children asked me to try to locate her.”

  “That’s horrible! I hope you find them. Please let me know if I can help in any way.”

  We exchanged air kisses and I was on my way. I called Wilda to let her know where I was headed and made certain my Smith and Wesson was handy and loaded. I hate it, but this was one of the rare times when I had decided to take it along.

  Chapter 16

  I parked two blocks away and walked along Water Street, peering up at the second floor of Meridian’s building. The first floor of the building was unbroken granite walls, which made sense if the building was used for storage. I assumed the classroom space was upstairs where there was a bank of windows. I walked around to the rear of the building and tried each door, surprised to discover the middle one unlocked. Its entryway was tidier than the others and had what appeared to be a new fancy doormat that did not fit with its surroundings.

  I ignored the brass doorbell and knocker and quietly pushed open the door, stepping into a small ornate vestibule with soft, mauve carpet, chandelier, and carpeted stairs leading to the second floor. I could hear voices, a man and woman talking somewhere above. Taking a deep breath, I began creeping upward, stopping at each stair to listen. A shaft of light from above lit my way. As I reached the landing, I spied a couple disappearing down a corridor at the other end of a light filled room.

  Listening for several minutes, I heard nothing and peeked around the door frame. The room, some kind of lounge, was empty, bathed in soft light from several lamps. Its furnishings exquisite. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I gazed around the antiques-filled space furnished with sumptuous chairs and sofas. Perhaps this was Meridian’s entertaining space, or perhaps I was looking at inventory from the import business?

  There appeared to be only two doors, the one I’d come in and the one the two people had used. Along the left wall was long buffet table covered with china and a large floral arrangement. The wall to my right had an enormous gilded mirror, at least twelve feet long and six feet high. I stepped closer to have a better look and was startled to see that it was a window, or two-way mirror, that afforded a view of a long empty room. The room had wooden floors and ten foot windows lining the west wall. It was completely bare, not a paper, box or speck of dust. It appeared to have been recently swept and several large pictures had been removed from the walls leaving their outlines behind. Chalkboards? Classroom chalkboards?

  Just as I leaned in for a better look, something sharp stabbed my shoulder and, everything went black. When I woke my first thought was to wiggle my fingers, all intact, and tied behind my back. My feet were similarly bound, a rag stuffed in my mouth with duct tape over it. A tight blindfold over my eyes was giving me an eyeball ache. At least I’m alive, I thought as hands lifted me, then dropped me into what felt like a wooden box. Realization dawned and I moaned and wiggled as the coffin was nailed shut.

  Did I mention I hate small spaces? Between the dust, the gag over my mouth, and my certainty that I was about to be buried alive, I panicked, gasping for breath, certain that I would pass out at any minute. I was losing consciousness when I heard scuffling, then several loud crashes. Scrapes came from above and suddenly my blindfold was off.

  “You okay boss?” Wilda stood peering into the box, Mike beside her. And beside them a mini Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  “This is Frank,” Wilda said, as if that explained all. Mike reached in and untied my hands, helping me to sit up.

  I ripped off the duct tape along with half my face and pulled a filthy rag from my mouth. “Where are they? Did you?”

  “They’d gone,” Wilda said. “We waited till they left.”

  “Where are we?” I asked, looking around at a stone walled chamber.

  “Oak Grove Cemetery, the Bodington crypt.”

  I untied my legs and gripped the sides of the coffin. “Whoa,” I said, sitting back down, the walls spinning.

  “Frank.” Wilda said, titling her head towards me.

  Frank hoisted me on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

  “That’s really not necessary,” I said as he carried me out. All three of them ignored me.

  After being dumped into the back seat of Wilda’s Land Rover, I leaned back and passed out.

  Chapter 17

  The next thing I remember was lying on my couch, Charlie Bowen leaning over me, his beautiful blue eyes full of concern. “Not sure what they gave her? How long’s she been out?”

  “A couple of hours,” Mike said. “Her pulse is really low.”

  “Probably sodium pentothal or something similar. Let her sleep it off and I’ll come back later.”

  “I don’t need to sleep it off,” I said, attempting to rise on my elbows. “Oh...”

  “Yes, you do,” he said, gently pushing me down. “You’re to stay put. Vinnie and Wilda will look after you. Mike, with me.”

  It was dark outside when I woke again, amazing aromas filling my senses. No sooner had I inched into a semi sitting position, when my bedroom door opened and Douglas Roberts stepped in.

  I stared at him, wondering if I was hallucinating. “Douglas, how did you—“

  “Save it. When you recover, I’m seriously thinking of throwing your senior citizen ass in jail.”

  I sniffed. “I’m not technically a senior citizen yet. Who called you?”

  “No one friggin’ called me, although they damn well should have,” he said in a loud voice intended for whomever was in the next room.

  “Don’t blame Wilda. She was too busy following me.”

  “Thank God. Were it not for her and her sidekicks, you’d be resting for all eternity with Fred Bodington.”

  “Ha, ha. So how did you know?”

  “Never mind how I knew. Did I not tell you to stay the hell away from this?”

  “There are children involved.”

  “I don’t care. You call me, and we take care of it. Jesus Christ, you came this close,” he said, making a two-inch bracket with his fingers. “My only consolation is that you won’t be going anywhere for a few days at least.”

  “And, why is that? Josh Peabody has hired me to find two missing sisters, and I intend to keep looking.”

  “Gonna take the bus or ride your bike around town?”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his IPhone, pulling up a photo, which he flashed in my face.

  “Oh,
my God,” I said, taking the camera from him. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Check the plate, it’s one of the few things they left behind.”

  I stared at my jeep, or what was left of it, resting on the street where I’d parked it. No tires, no rims, windows all smashed, hood opened and bashed in, doors hanging at odd angles.

  “Engine’s gone, seats were slashed, dashboard ripped out. We found it when we got to the Meridian building.”

  “Oh, my God, Douglas.”

  “We got a call about that mess. I figured they’d done a Jimmy Chen on you and you were already dead and buried.” As he spoke, his eyes got misty and he looked down at the floor.

  “Douglas, I’m sorry, but as you can see I’m fine.”

  “Save it. You not fine. You had enough seconal in your system to fell a horse, and you were probably an hour or two from death when your buddies found you.”

  “But, that’s my point exactly. They found me because I took precautions and phoned Wilda.”

  “Look, I know you think Amazon woman is invincible, but I can tell you, even she was shaken up when we got here.”

  “Where is she? I want to talk to her.”

  “She and your little pixie friend went round the corner to the dad’s for dinner. Vinnie and the hulk are watching over you.”

  “Well, good, then I’m all set.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed, noticing that I wore sweats and a different tee shirt than I’d had on earlier. I hoped Mike or Wilda had done the honors. “What’d you find in the warehouse.”

  “Get back to bed.”

  “I’m great, fine,” I said as my bedroom walls began spinning.

  “Yeah, right, and I’m fuckin’ Santa Claus. You shouldn’t hear a peep, but after your ordeal, I’ll give a few highlights. Get back in bed or I’m not sayin’ a thing.”

  “Can I go to the bathroom, please?”

  He shrugged. “Can you make it on your own?”

  I rose, holding on to the wall as I made my way to my bathroom and shut the door. Yikes, don’t let me fall flat on my face or pass out on the toilet!

  When I was safely back in bed, sitting up straight, willing my eyes to focus, I crossed my arms and stared at him. “Okay, so what happened?”

  “Building’s empty except for a couple of offices used by the import business. We executed the search warrant and talked with several people in the office. Secretaries mostly and the office manager, Ms. Smith. The big honchos were out, but I’ve got an appointment with one of the owners tomorrow, Wade Pullman.”

  “Good luck with that.” I made a mental note to ask Josh about Pullman. “Did you meet a Kim Smith?”

  He nodded.

  “What about that fancy room upstairs with antiques and the two-way mirror?”

  “There’s nothing like that. Aside from the offices, the rest of the building is either empty or filled with boxes.

  Incredulous, I shook my head. “Did you look everywhere? Up and down all the staircases? Go in every entrance?”

  “Yup.”

  “So, what about the fancy entryway in the back, with the chandelier and carpet leading upstairs?”

  “Babe, I think you’re hallucinating. There was nothing like that.”

  I sat up, waving my arms. “Douglas, I swear to you, I‘m not hallucinating! I saw it—the fancy room, the empty classroom space and the enormous two-way mirror that looked into the schoolroom.”

  “Steele, there is no schoolroom, no mirror, no antiques, no nothing.”

  “But they were there. Have you talked to Josh Peabody? He’s been teaching in that space.”

  “According the people in the office, there’s never been a school there.”

  “Well, that’s ridiculous. Jimmy Chen hired Josh a few months ago. He and Kim Smith, who claimed she was a social worker, were the instructors.”

  “Well, I don’t know if my Ms. Smith is Kim Smith, but she never mentioned this mythical school.”

  “It’s not mythical, Douglas!”

  “Well according to Ms. Smith, Meridian uses the building for office space and storage, period.”

  “What about Meridian’s civic minded claims?”

  “She did mention that they support a couple of summer camps, but not at the Water Street site.”

  “This is craziness.”

  “No, what’s craziness is you barging in there after what happened to Chen. He was a young guy and you’re what? On the far side of fifty?”

  “Never mind. I’m younger than you and that’s all that matters.”

  “Well, you’re to stay away from Meridian, hear me? We’ll re-interview Peabody and get his two cents on the kids and the school, but you are barred from going anywhere near that warehouse, comprende?” I sniffed. “And, if I find out you have, I’ll throw you in a cell. Now, get some rest. I imagine your neighbor’s ready to serve you dinner.”

  Chapter 18

  I had just sopped up the last remnants of Vinnie’s incredible cioppino, groaning with pleasure at the garlicky bread soaked with broth, when Charlie Bowen walked in. Clearly my bedroom had become Grand Central Station and everyone felt free to walk right in.

  “Hey, Charlie,” Vinnie said, rising from a chair by the bed and removing my tray. “Want seconds, babe?”

  “No, thanks Vin. Couldn’t fit another bite.”

  “How bout some of Maddie’s molasses cookies?”

  He had me there. Maddie’s molasses cookies were to die for. “Well, maybe a couple. Bring a plate, in case Charlie wants one.” I turned to him. “Trust me, you will.”

  When Vinnie disappeared, leaving the door wide open no doubt to facilitate eavesdropping, Charlie turned to me. “So, how are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

  “I took a blood sample. They injected you with seconal.”

  “So I heard.”

  “Oh?”

  “The police were here.”

  “Good.” His beautiful, kind eyes gazed down at me, a smile on his face.

  “Listen, Charlie, I am so incredibly sorry that Mike’s become involved in this. Wilda never should have brought her along.”

  He raised his hand. “Mike’s a big girl. She can take care of herself and as I told you before, she’s seen worse, and been in worse danger.”

  “Still, she thought she was in for some light filing and suddenly we’re stumbling over mutilated bodies and rescuing people who’ve been buried alive. I’m furious with Wilda, by the way.”

  He laughed. “Don’t blame her. Mike says she begged and since Wilda thought it was just a routine tail, she didn’t worry. When they saw several guys destroying your car and you being dragged out of the building, there was no time to drop Mike off.”

  “Still, I feel awful.”

  “Well, don’t. Or, if you must feel guilty, have dinner with me tomorrow night. By then, your head should have cleared. Think of it as penitence.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  “Come on, Ricky. It’s just dinner, not a marriage proposal.”

  “Fine.”

  “Good, pick you up at seven?”

  “Where are we going, fancy or casual?”

  “Casual. I thought we’d go to Sagres.”

  “One of my favorites,” I said, referring to the city’s best Portuguese restaurant, recently rebuilt after a fire.”

  “I know.” He gave me another of his killer smiles, then rose and disappeared before I could ask how he knew about my fondness for Sagres. It didn’t take a genius private eye to know that nosy Parker in the kitchen had spilled the beans along with who knows what else. Had I no secrets? No mystery? Humph!

  *****

  Although fuzzy-headed, I did feel better in the morning. Not good enough to jog, but I meditated, did some yoga stretches and took a short walk. When I returned, I had some tea and one of Fulty’s muffins. Between Vinnie’s soup and the Stockman’s baking, I had enough food to keep me going for a week. As I sat at my small dining table in the l
iving room, gazing out at the river, it suddenly dawned on me that I would not be going anywhere without a car. Now I’d have to spend the day car shopping, one of my least favorite activities. How would I even get to a dealership?

  I have a small rainy day fund that would certainly cover the cost of a decent, but older used car, or the down payment on something newer. With the way New England winters were going, I decided that I’d seek something that was good in the snow. I phoned Vinnie for recommendations of where to look. He was at the gym, but rattled off several venues, ending with, “Lou’s the best so I’d try him first. Tell him I sent you and don’t make a deal, till I’ve spoken to him.”

  I rang off and called Mike.

  “Good morning. How’re feeling?” she said, chipper as can be.

  “Better, thanks. Where are you?”

  “At the office, knee deep in paperwork. Wilda let me in.”

  “Great. Ask Wilda to make you an office key.”

  “Okay.”

  “Even though I forbid you to work in there alone.”

  “Of course, is there something you needed?”

  “Yes, sorry. Much as the filing’s vital, I need you to come pick me up and drive me around looking for cars.”

  “Okay, should I tell Wilda?”

  “Yes, and what’s happened to Frank?”

  “Last I heard, he was guarding you.”

  I stood and went to the kitchen, drawing back the shade to the window overlooking the street. An unfamiliar truck was parked on the opposite corner. “Ask Wilda what Frank drives.”

  “A black Tacoma,” she replied without hesitation. “He followed us yesterday.”

  “Thanks, Mike. See you soon.” I hung up and realized I’d forgotten to ask her about Josh. Ah, well, all in good time.

  I showered and changed, throwing the laundry Vinnie had started into the dryer. Beaky, my cat was meowing frantically so I gave her extra treats and a fresh bowl of water. She pays no attention to her regular food until she’s wheedled several handfuls of Tasty Treats out of me. I was just sorting through the enormous satchel I use as a purse, when I heard the doorbell.