Thief in Retreat

by Aimée; David Thurlo

  As Sheriff Barela left, Ernie returned to the office with Sister Agatha and Tom. “Barela’s not going to be any help at all. He’s out to make a case against Ginny and Bill, and it’ll be easier for him to do that if they’re not around to defend themselves. But my wife is in trouble. I’m sure of it.”

  “We’ll do all we can to find her, Ernie,” Sister Agatha said. “You focus on running this place, and we’ll get back to work locating Ginny.”

  Ernie nodded, tried to say something but couldn’t, then walked out of the office with a lost look on his face. Sister Agatha looked over at Tom. “We need to find out if anyone on the night staff saw her, and maybe the day staff as well.”

  “Ernie probably covered that already, but I’ll give it a shot.”

  “Either Ginny was still here playing the lilac-scented ghost this morning, or there’s another person involved. The other ghost I saw last night—the one who left the rose scent—that one’s in a different class entirely.”

  “Don’t worry about the ghosts—not for now. We need to concentrate on finding Ginny. I agree with Ernie. I don’t think she ran off with Miller. There’s something else going on,” Tom said.

  “If Ginny has been wandering around The Retreat playing ghost these past weeks, she might have come across someone or something she wasn’t supposed to see—like the thief’s stash, Miller, or both. Or she may have somehow discovered that Bill killed Professor Lockhart.”

  “That’s a good point, and if that’s what happened, it’s possible Miller kidnapped Ginny to keep her from revealing what she knew,” Tom said.

  “Or he may have killed her, though I’m praying that’s not the case. But the bottom line is that we need to catch the thief, and I’ve got an idea how we can do just that.”

  “What do you have in mind?“ Tom asked.

  “Arrangements have been made to transport the Church property I’ve inventoried back to the archdiocese. When the pickup is made, I’ll make sure that it looks like I’m going on an overnight trip to supervise the delivery. Then Pax and I will sneak back into the main house and hide out in the library until nightfall. Maybe if the thief thinks the dog and I are gone, he’ll get sloppy and inadvertently give us an opportunity to catch him. He certainly seems to be pushing up his schedule lately. The thefts are coming closer and closer together, and he’s no longer taking the time to replace the stolen items with fakes.”

  “Do you think Reverend Mother is going to approve of your plan? It could be very dangerous.”

  “I wasn’t planning to tell anyone besides you and Sister Bernarda, because I need her to help me set things in motion. The way I see it, this one’s on a need-to-know basis only. I was sent here to help the Lunas stop these thefts and to recover the Church’s property, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

  Sister Agatha called Sister Bernarda and filled her in. “Have you been able to find someone to come pick up the crates?“

  “Yes,” Sister Bernarda answered. “The archbishop’s assistant has a large van and has volunteered. He and his brother will be there around five this afternoon.”

  “Then I’d like you to call at about that time and leave a message for me at the desk. Just say that the archbishop wants to see me right away,” Sister Agatha said, then held her breath.

  There was a long pause. “The archbishop has made no such request.”

  “He did, just not directly. He sent me here to accomplish another job, and for me to do that, this little deception is necessary.” She paused. “Look at it this way. Since you’re leaving a message for me, it’s not as if you’re lying. I know what’s going on. You’d only be doing as I asked.”

  “Does Reverend Mother know about any of this?“

  “I don’t want to bother her with this now. I’ve got a plan, so I know what I’m doing. I’ll be perfectly all right.”

  There was another long pause. “Does anyone else know about this plan of yours?“

  “Yes. Sheriff Green.”

  Sister Bernarda exhaled softly. “I don’t know about this....”

  “All right. It’s obvious you’re uneasy about this, so how about if you just have someone page me to the phone. I’ll do the rest.” When Sister Bernarda didn’t reply right away, Sister Agatha added, “The archbishop is counting on my discretion and my abilities. And to succeed, I need your help.”

  Sensing Sister Bernarda still wavering, she pulled out her ace in the hole. Sister Agatha knew that to Sister Bernarda duty was paramount. It would have been unthinkable for Sister Bernarda to try to find the easy way out of anything, since each responsibility was an offering of love to God. “The archbishop asked me on behalf of the Church to come here and use the special investigative gifts that God gave me. Should I refuse to follow my instincts now, simply because I feel the road ahead requires a bit of courage and some personal sacrifice?“

  “All right,” Sister Bernarda said at long last. “I’ll call and leave the message. But what would you like me to tell Reverend Mother in the meantime?“

  “That I’m making progress, and that I expect to find answers shortly.” She’d expected this question from Sister Bernarda. “But unless she asks specifically, please don’t volunteer information. I’ll tell her later, of course, but 1 wouldn’t want her to worry needlessly.”

  “I’ll try to speak only in general terms. But if she asks for details, I won’t withhold any information.”

  “I understand.” Sister Agatha knew that even getting Sister Bernarda to agree to as much as she had was a major victory. Sister Bernarda believed in rules, and upholding them was as much a part of her as breathing.

  “Maybe after you get back you can tell me what all of this was about. Deal?“

  “Deal, and please don’t worry.”

  With that out of the way, Sister Agatha now focused on find-ing Ginny. Along with Tom, she spent the rest of the day questioning the staff. Unfortunately, no one had seen Ginny leave on foot or by vehicle. Finally, Sister Agatha caught up with the last person she needed to interview, Mrs. Mora, when the housekeeper came to the library.

  “Mrs. Mora, I’m glad you’re here,” she said, taking the tray filled with a pot of tea and a pitcher of fresh water and setting it on the desk. “I really needed to ask you a question. When is the last time you saw Ginny Luna?“

  Mrs. Mora’s face looked troubled. “Mr. Luna spoke to me earlier this morning about that, but I wasn’t able to be much help. They haven’t found her yet?“

  Sister Agatha shook her head. “Ernie’s very worried.”

  “We all are,” she said softly, shaking her head. “But I can’t help you very much. I can only tell you what I told the Sheriff and Mr. Luna. The last time I saw her was after dinner last night. She was sitting in the middle of the monk’s cell that she’s been painting, just looking at the walls. It was so odd. Mrs. Luna’s usually very animated and happy when she’s working. She’s always singing or humming. To just sit there like that... well, it wasn’t like her at all. I asked her what was wrong, but she said she was fine, that she just needed some time alone to think.”

  “Can you show me where Mrs. Luna was working?“

  Mrs. Mora took her to the room built over the area where the saloon had stood. It looked basically the same as it had the last time Sister Agatha had come in there, except that there was a wooden folding chair and several paint cans in the middle of the floor.

  “I was worried about her, so even though I knew she wanted me to leave, I tried to get her talking,” Mrs. Mora said. “I asked her if it was true that Mr. Luna was planning to tear down the shed and outbuildings so he could build cottages. She got tears in her eyes and told me that they should have done that first, then modernized the main building. If they’d done it that way, they would have avoided a truckload of problems.”

  Mrs. Mora paused and shook her head. “But that made no sense. If Mr. Luna hadn’t started with the main house, they wouldn’t have had the income from the paying guests. And without
that, they wouldn’t have been able to renovate the place as quickly as they’re doing now. But before I could say anything else, she showed me to the door. I hope that whatever was bothering her didn’t make her run away. I know Sheriff Barela thinks she’s a thief, but he doesn’t know Mrs. Luna. That woman loves her husband. She would never have done anything to hurt him. And you can take that to the bank, Sister.”

  After Mrs. Mora left, Sister Agatha looked at Pax and said, “You know what? I believe her.”

  The archbishop’s assistant, Joe Morales, and his brother Hector arrived at five. Minutes afterward, Sister Bernarda called and Sister Agatha went to the front desk to answer and pick up her message.

  After making sure everyone at the front desk knew that she’d been asked to supervise the transport of the crates, Sister Agatha said good-bye to Tom and as many of the others as she could find.

  According to her plan, she drove away noisily, easily done in the distinctive Harley, then reduced speed about a half-mile away around a large curve in the road and slowed to a crawl. After Sister Agatha verified that no one had followed them, she shut off the loud, distinctive, V-twin engine, then turned around and coasted back down the hill. There was a turnoff to an old forest road she’d seen on an earlier trip, and she maneuvered the motorcycle down it as far as it would go, then hid the Harley under a tall ponderosa pine.

  “Stay sharp, Pax,” she said as they began walking toward the Luna property. “Maybe by morning we’ll have the answers that we need.”

  Taking a deep breath to calm her jagged nerves, Sister Agatha whispered a prayer. There was no turning back now. Her journey with Pax through the deepening shadows of the forest was quick, and she arrived at The Retreat a short time later.

  By now it was completely dark and, using her small penlight, she found her way across the grounds. As she stopped in front of the woodworking shop to catch her breath, she heard footsteps, but a glance at Pax assured her it was the approach of a friend.

  “You didn’t really think I’d let you patrol alone out here, did you?“ Tom asked with a quick half smile.

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “We have to work fast,” he said without preamble. “I’ve got Ernie’s staff doing double duty. They’re inside keeping an eye on the nichos and cabinets where the most significant pieces are kept.”

  “Where’s Sheriff Barela?“

  “He called to say he’s following up on a report that Ginny was seen at a motel in Albuquerque.”

  “By whom? What were the circumstances?“

  “An off-duty cop responding to the APB made the report. The description fit, but not the name. He’s checking it out.”

  Tom and Sister Agatha searched the stables and the woodworking shop. “After talking to Mrs. Mora, I was so sure the answers were hidden here,” she muttered, then explained.

  “Hunches don’t always pay off,” he said.

  They were walking back to the main house when Sister Agatha suddenly stopped. “Look at Pax. What’s he doing?“

  They both watched the animal as he lifted his nose and sniffed the air.

  Sister Agatha took a deep breath, then a second one. “There’s a very faint scent of lilacs in the breeze. Do you smell it?“

  “Ease up on the leash. Let’s see if he’ll follow the trail.” Tom looked down at the dog. “Track,” he said.

  “You told me he hadn’t been taught scent discrimination.”

  “He wasn’t, but who knows? He may be able to figure out what we want. He’s intelligent and certainly has the right equipment.”

  Pax went in an almost direct line toward the gatehouse. As they drew near, Sister Agatha glanced at Tom. “We should have thought of looking here before now.”

  “Barela and I searched this place from top to bottom. And it’s still sealed off, though that’s no longer necessary,” he said.

  When they reached the door, however, they saw that the tape that had sealed the entrance was now lying on the ground. Tom reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a small revolver.

  “Why do you have that?“ she whispered. “You’re off duty.”

  “I’m required to be armed at all times when away from home,” he answered, then gestured for her to step back and release Pax.

  Tom grasped the doorknob and turned it silently. Then, in one lightning-fast move, he pushed the door back hard in case someone was standing behind it. The door hit the wail with a thud, but there was no other sound. The interior of the gatehouse was even darker than the grounds, but Pax shot forward. He ran to a narrow, closed door in the kitchen, and began frantically scratching at the wooden door.

  Tom and Sister Agatha turned on their flashlights and hurried after him. “What’s that, a closet?“ Sister Agatha asked Tom in a whisper.

  “A small root cellar. We checked it yesterday after Bill disappeared.”

  Hearing a muffled sound just beyond the door, they both reached for the knob at the same time. Sister Agatha got to it first, but she discovered that the door was locked.

  “Do you have the keys?“ she asked.

  “No, but I’m not waiting for one. I’m going to pry the door open. I think there’s something 1 can use in one of these kitchen drawers.” He started opening drawers, and in the third one found a large screwdriver. “Here goes.”

  He stuck the screwdriver into the gap between the door and jamb, right below the lock mechanism, and pressed down hard. “Stand back.”

  There was a loud crunch and the jamb splintered, popping the door open and leaving the strike plate dangling from the wood by a single screw. Pax charged through the doorway and rushed into the darkness below. At the same time, Tom flicked on the light switch and aimed his pistol directly ahead.

  Sister Agatha followed, and as she went downstairs, the scent of lilacs grew so strong she had to struggle not to gag.

  Hearing muffled cries from across the room, they followed Pax to the far corner where a large gunnysack was flexing and moving. “Someone’s inside,” Sister Agatha said, rushing toward it.

  Tom cut through the clothesline cord holding the opening shut, then yanked open the sack and pulled the victim out.

  Seeing Ginny, Sister Agatha said a silent prayer of thanks. “It’s okay, we’re here. You’re going to be all right.” She pulled the bag off the woman’s shoulders.

  Ginny stood, her body trembling hard, her mouth taped shut. As the bag fell to her feet, they could see that she was still wearing the long dark dress and shawl she’d used to masquerade as Juanita. The source of the noxious lilac scent was an atomizer she held tightly in her clothesline-bound hands.

  16

  TOM REACHED FOR ONE CORNER OF THE WIDE WHITE adhesive tape that had been placed over Ginny’s mouth. “Hold still. I’m going to have to pull this off.”

  After he finished removing the tape, Ginny gasped, then began sobbing. “I thought I’d die before anyone found me.”

  “Your husband has been worried sick, Ginny,” Sister Agatha said. “How did you get into such a fix?“

  “I couldn’t sleep last night, wondering about the future of our inn. I was afraid that ii word of a murder got out, along with that of the thefts, people would be afraid to come here and Ernie and I would be ruined. To distract people awhile longer, I decided to make another appearance as Juanita. I went behind the workshop where my car was parked, got my ghost costume out of the trunk, and slipped it on. I started walking around the grounds near the windows so someone would spot me. That’s when I ran into Bill. Before I could say a word, he grabbed me, put his hand over my mouth, and brought me here. I thought he was going to kill me. I swore that I wouldn’t tell anyone he was still around, but he taped my mouth, tied me up, then left me here in this gunnysack.” She looked at the atomizer. “I held onto this somehow and as soon as he left, I began spritzing some into the air every once in a while. I hoped it would carry outside through the crack in the door or the vent in the wall, and bring one of our ghost hunters to me.”
r />   “Well, it worked. Pax picked up the scent and came straight here,” Sister Agatha said with a tiny smile.

  “Bill swore that he’d call Ernie in a day or two as soon as he was safely out of town. But I didn’t know whether to believe him or not. He’s not himself. He’s distant and cold—I don’t know how else to describe it.” She took a deep breath. “And he is our thief. He admitted it. He also had the backpack on and before he put me in the gunnysack, he set it down very carefully, like what was inside was breakable. I think he’s carrying at least some of the pieces with him.”

  “There’s one thing I still don’t understand. Last night I saw a ghost in the hall. And the ghost left behind the scent of roses, not lilacs.”

  “Roses? That wasn’t me. When I was learning about Juanita, I found out people claimed to have smelled flowers when she was around, so I decided to use the scent of lilacs because it’s so strong.”

  She spritzed her perfume into the air to make her point, and Sister Agatha began coughing. Pax sneezed and rubbed his muzzle with his paw.

  “Have mercy,” Tom said with a grimace. “Do not put more of that into the air, will you?“

  “I just want to go home,” Ginny said. “Poor Ernie must be frantic!“

  “Is there anyone else who played ghost for you?“ Sister Agatha pressed.

  Ginny shook her head. “No. And nobody knew 1 was the one until last night when 1 told Ernie.”

  “Okay, now it’s time for you to go back to the main house. But do me a favor?“ Sister Agatha asked. “Don’t tell anyone you saw me. I don’t want people to know I’m back yet.”

  “From where?“

  “It’s a long story, but I’ve given everyone the impression I’d be away overnight. Tom and I were hoping that if Pax and I had a chance to look around unobserved, we might be able to find you and spot the thief as well.” Sister Agatha said a quick prayer for forgiveness for the slight liberties she was taking with the truth.

  “You said that Bill was going to call within a day or so?“ Tom asked. Seeing Ginny nod, he continued, “That makes me think that he had someone to meet—his buyer or partner. But come to think of it, since he could meet his partner elsewhere, the fact that he’s still hanging around here suggests he’s got another theft in mind. This is Bill’s last opportunity—and the only chance we’ve got—to find the stolen merchandise and catch Bill and his accomplice.