She plucked them from my hands.
“Good. I don’t have to smash the doors down now.”
Jim gave her a fearful look.
“Stay in my line of sight and no funny moves, got it?” I said to him.
He nodded.
For the next fifteen minutes we followed the same drill.
I kept a sharp eye out, my gun at the ready, while Tetyana opened each door. All the while, Jim stood quietly, not more than three feet from me, staring at his shoes, looking like the world had ended for him.
It took Tetyana minutes to search each room. Since they had been built and decorated similarly and some were only sparsely furnished, her job was faster than I expected. Our only delay was in trying to figure out which key fit which lock.
From the third floor, we walked down to the second landing, watching out for booby traps along the way. Other than the dining room, there was just one room on the east wing of the second floor. It was the immense living area connected to the dining room.
We walked in cautiously.
It was bizarre to see the pastor’s lifeless body at the table with that knife sticking out of him. For one brief moment, I felt bad for barging in, like we were intruding on the dead.
I tried to not look that way while Tetyana searched all the alcoves and nooks where a human being could be hidden.
We were just about to depart through the living room entrance, when Jim turned to Tetyana.
“You missed something,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“There’s a secret closet in here.”
Tetyana merely raised an eyebrow.
I scanned the room. “Where?”
“Behind the liquor cabinet.”
Tetyana gave him a look over, as if she was trying to decide whether to trust him.
“All right then,” she said, “why don’t you show us?”
Jim walked over to the liquor cabinet while I aimed my gun at his back. I didn’t know if he was playing a game, but if he was, I was going to have control over the situation.
But Jim seemed focused on his task. He opened the wooden doors, shoved his hand inside and moved it around as if he was rummaging for something.
“You’d better not be looking for a weapon,” growled Tetyana.
Jim didn’t look up.
“There’s a latch in here,” I heard him mumble. He was feeling the back of the cabinet now. “I saw Barry open it once.”
After a minute of searching, Jim pulled his hand out with an exasperated sigh. One by one, he took out Barry’s whiskey decanters and tumblers. After placing them all on the dining table, he reached in to feel the back panel again.
A hollow click came from somewhere. I felt goose bumps rising at the sound.
“Found it?” said Tetyana, getting closer to look.
A second click came as Jim fiddled with a mysterious latch inside the cabinet. Then, to my surprise, he stepped back and pulled the cabinet away from the wall.
The entire liquor cabinet acted like a door, an entrance to a concealed secret room.
I stepped up to see.
It was an open space built into the wall, about five feet wide and five feet deep, the size of a small closet you’d find in a decent city apartment.
I peered inside.
“It’s tiny,” I said.
It was also empty.
“What did Barry keep in here?” asked Tetyana, stepping inside to examine it closer.
Jim shrugged.
“No idea. When I saw him open it the other day, I was sure this was where he hid his whiskey stash. Lisa doesn’t like him drinking much, and Mrs. Robinson and Doctor Fulton were always trying to get him weaned off the stuff.”
Tetyana bent over and reached for something on the floor. She turned and held out a lone bottle of whiskey in her hand.
“Just one left,” she said. She turned the bottle in her hand and held it up to the light to examine it.
“Nothing special about it. A ten-year-old bottle of scotch. Probably worth twenty-five dollars at most.”
She looked at Jim.
“Did he take out anything the last time?”
He shook his head.
“I thought he put something inside, but I didn’t see what it was. He walked in and after a few minutes came back out and closed it up.”
“He didn’t spot you watching?”
Jim gestured at the large windows behind the sofas. “I was cleaning them from the outside, on a ladder. He was too busy or too drunk to notice me. But I definitely saw him.”
Tetyana walked back into the space and placed the bottle exactly where she’d found it. Then she began to feel the walls inside.
I realized that while the decor was from the sixties and seventies, the house had been built much earlier, possibly a hundred or more years ago. This hidden closet could be the entrance to a secret passageway. There could also be more secret rooms on other floors.
Anything was possible in an old manor like this.
For the love of all things, I hoped Katy wasn’t stuck somewhere we wouldn’t be able to find her. I leaned against a chair, feeling nauseous at the thought her alone and scared in a deep dark place inside the bowels of this house.
Please let Katy be okay, I said to myself for the hundredth time that evening.
Tetyana came out, looking disappointed. “Nothing. No secret doorways in here.” She turned to Jim. “Close it up.”
Jim pushed the liquor cabinet back against the wall and placed Barry’s treasure trove back on the shelves where they belonged.
“What’s on the west wing of this floor?” I asked Jim.
“Used to be smoking and reading rooms and such. There’s a small library, but no one goes there.”
“We’re going to change that,” said Tetyana, ushering us out and into the main corridor again.
As we scoured each room, Tetyana and Jim searched for more secret hideouts, but they found nothing. Heavy drapes covered most of the furniture and the dust settled on them told us it had been years, maybe even decades, since anyone had walked into this wing.
From the second floor, we trooped down to the first floor where the kitchen and staff quarters were. Other than the broken glass lying on the ceramic tiles of the kitchen and the missing knives, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
We walked into the staff quarters, with Tetyana leading the way.
Except for Mrs. Robinson’s room, the staff rooms were mostly unfurnished. Other than a bedframe, a lone chair and a frayed rug or two, there wasn’t much to see, which made our search go quickly.
“Why did Mrs. Robinson sleep on this floor when everyone else slept upstairs?” I asked Jim, as he tapped on the walls, searching for potential hidden entrances.
“She used to sleep upstairs at one point,” he said. “Way before we came here.”
“Any idea why she moved down?”
He shook his head.
“Never told us, except this was her room when she was a girl. If you ask me, she was tiring of Barry’s rumblings in the middle of the night.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“A sleepwalker?”
“He’s always awake and knows exactly what he’s doing. Whenever he gets thirsty in the dead of the night, which happens often, he stumbles to the dining room to his whiskey cabinet. He never does it quietly.”
I thought of Katy stumbling down the stairs and wondered if that was why no one had come out to check. Did everyone think it had been Barry careening around on his way to a midnight drink?
“Next stop,” said Tetyana when all the bedrooms were done, “is the wine room.”
Jim gave a shiver. “Do we have to?”
Without answering him, Tetyana and I moved toward the small steel door next to Mrs. Robinson’s. It was the only room we hadn’t checked yet.
“Ready?” said Tetyana, as she turned the key and pulled open the door.
We stared.
“Oh, god,” said Jim from behind
me. “Oh, my god.”
The wine room was a simple musty closet with stainless steel shelves lining its back wall. A dozen dusty bottles of wine lay on their sides on a middle shelf. It didn’t look like a place that was used often.
Except for the floor.
On the ground, next to each other in that small space, lay Mrs. Robinson and Doctor Fulton. Their skin was a deathly gray-blue hue. Their eyes were closed like they were sleeping, but their bodies were rigid. Molted discolored spots had started to appear on Mrs. Robinson’s face and neck. Her body was already disintegrating.
With a shudder, I looked away.
Tetyana closed the door and locked it. We stood by the room without speaking for a minute, like we were compelled to show deference to the dead we just saw.
“All right, folks,” said Tetyana in a quiet voice, after a moment. “Let’s resume the search.”
Jim and I followed her out, and walked toward the kitchen without speaking.
Seeing the dead bodies had rattled all of us. It made me realize what we were up against. Someone had gone to great lengths to take the lives of three people.
I felt a cold sweat break out.
Where’s Katy?
“There are flashlights in the utility cabinet,” said Jim, walking up to what looked like a small pantry in the kitchen. “They’ll help when we search the grounds.”
A jumble of black wires fell out as he opened the pantry door. He picked up the tangle of wires and shoved them back inside.
“Someone’s been stuffing all this crap in here,” he said.
I peered inside.
Stashed inside were small home electronics, wires, batteries, a toolbox, and a pile of plastic Tupperware containers.
“Who put this in here?” said Jim, pulling out a small canister of beans. He put it on the counter and turned back to the closet.
I peered at the transparent jar filled with dark brown beans. Tetyana was also staring at the jar.
“These aren’t kidney beans, are they?” I said, turning it around.
“They look familiar,” she said with a frown. “I wouldn’t touch those, if I were you.”
Jim pulled out three flashlights from the cabinet and handed one to Tetyana, the second to me and kept the third for himself.
The door caught on something as he tried to close it. He bent down to see what it was when the tangle of wires he’d shoved in earlier fell on his head.
With an exasperated sigh, he scooped them back up, but stopped in mid-motion.
“Jeepers.”
“What is it?” I said, bending down to look.
He turned to us, his face pale.
“A bomb.”
Chapter Fifty-three
Tetyana pushed him aside and looked in.
She reached in and pulled out a black electronic device with a row of short antennas.
Jim turned to her, his face completely white.
“What if it goes off?” he whispered hoarsely.
She shook her head.
“Relax, it’s not a bomb. But we now know why our phones stopped working.”
She turned the device around in her hands.
“A cellular phone jammer. It’s illegal to operate one but not to buy one.”
I stared at the metallic device.
“This has a good range,” said Tetyana. “Whoever got this knew what they were doing.”
“How can you buy one but not operate it?” asked Jim, puzzled.
“You just don’t turn it on,” replied Tetyana.
“Can you get one online?” I asked.
“Probably where they got it from,” said Tetyana, examining the back of the device. “Now who would that be?”
“I swear it isn’t mine,” said Jim. “Never seen one before in my life. Someone put it in here.”
“Who has access to this cabinet?” I asked.
“Everybody. Anyone who comes to the kitchen could have shoved that thing inside. Normally, I’m the only one who uses it. It’s where I put extra stuff I don’t use often.”
Tetyana switched a knob on the device and turned to me.
“Want to try your cell, Asha?”
I reached into my vest and pulled out my mobile.
The signal bars were all green, but I knew I couldn’t rely on that. I auto dialed Katy’s phone, which I held in my other hand.
It rang instantly.
“My goodness,” I said, in relief, “you’re right.”
Jim pulled his phone out to check too.
“All good and in working order now,” said Tetyana, pushing another button on the device. “Wi-Fi’s back on again too.”
“Time to call the cops,” I said, punching in nine-one-one.
“Nine-one-one. For what city or town please?”
A flush of relief went through me to hear the dispatcher’s voice.
“I’m calling from Cedar Cottage in Falcon Hills.”
“Do you require police, fire, or an ambulance?”
“Police, please.”
“What’s the nature of your emergency?”
I was about to say triple murder homicide when I stopped myself. The pastor had definitely been killed, but the other two? Did I want to go on record saying I knew what had happened to them?
I wasn’t sure if the dispatcher would consider this a prank. To even think of saying those words seemed unimaginable, and I’d seen the three dead bodies.
“A missing person,” I said, crossing my fingers. “I’d like to speak with Officer Jensen from Falcon Hills.”
She put me through.
I turned the speakerphone on so Tetyana could also hear the conversation. I knew I was risking Jim listening in as well, but I had no choice.
“Officer Jensen.”
“We met on the dirt road to Cedar Cottage on Friday afternoon. The three women with the flat tire? We spoke to you across the broken bridge yesterday.”
“Yes, I remember. What seems to be the problem?”
“There’s been a murder at Cedar Cottage.”
“Mrs. Robinson?”
He didn’t sound surprised, but then again, he’d heard of her death. Still, it was a strange way to respond. I filed it in the back of my memory banks.
“Two more people died since Mrs. Robinson. Pastor Graham and Doctor Fulton.”
The line went silent.
I thought I heard a thud, like he’d jumped out of bed. Then a rustle, like he was struggling to put clothes on while holding the phone.
“Who? Who died again?”
“Doctor Fulton and Pastor Graham. Doctor Fulton died during dinner in front of everyone. We thought he was choking on something, but it could be more than that.”
“And the pastor?”
“We found him a half an hour ago, sitting at the dinner table. He had a kitchen knife in his back.”
Again silence.
The man was a rookie. I could just see his brain whirling, trying to remember what he’d learned at the police academy.
“Officer, I think you’ll need to come down and bring the sheriff too.”
“I am the sheriff,” he said, his breath coming fast and shallow. “Why did it take you half an hour to call me?” he demanded.
“Our phones and the Internet were down, remember? We just found a phone jammer in the kitchen.”
“A what?”
“A phone jammer.”
Silence.
“Could you get reinforcement quickly?” I asked. “Perhaps ask a neighboring county department for help? We have three dead bodies in the house, two in the wine room and one in the dining room. We didn’t want to disturb the scene. You’ll need forensics here,” I said, feeling vaguely silly to be telling him how to do his job.
He didn’t protest. I heard a snapping sound like he was putting on his utility belt.
“Everyone else okay?” he asked, his breath loud and fast over the phone. I heard footsteps, like he was stomping around, looking for his shoes.
“No, I’
m afraid not. Our friend, Katy, has gone missing. About an hour ago. She was in her room with a twisted ankle, but it seems like someone took her.”
“Took her?”
“We searched the house, but we didn’t find her. We’re going to check the grounds next.”
“You all stay put right where you are,” he said, confidence returning to his voice. “Don’t you move. Lock yourself up in your rooms, and just wait till we get there.”
“How soon can you get down here?”
“I’m calling the local counties as soon as I hang up.” His voice was rushing now. I heard a door bang shut. “And don’t touch anything!”
“Just so you know, the bridge is still down.”
I heard a loud groan.
“Damn. Damn. Damn.”
Tetyana gestured to me.
“Wait, my friend wants to talk to you,” I said, and thrust the phone near her mouth.
“Officer, I’m going to see if I can put some lumber across the narrowest part of the gully,” said Tetyana. “That way, you can at least walk over.”
Silence.
“Roger that,” he said finally. “Thanks. We’ll figure it out. Could take me an hour to rustle everyone up. Important thing is for everyone to stay safe, you hear me?”
A car door slammed, and an engine started.
“Loud and clear,” I said, giving Tetyana a look. I wasn’t about to stop searching for Katy now. “Thank you, Officer.”
I heard him swear as I hung up.
Tetyana walked over to the stove with the phone jammer in her hand. She turned the grill on and opened the oven door.
“Are you planning to burn it?” asked Jim.
Without replying, she threw the device on the bottom shelf.
“I’d normally leave it for the police, but don’t want anyone using it soon.”
She turned the grill on at high. The oven started a slow hum, signaling it was warming up.
Gesturing us to follow her, Tetyana opened the side door, and we spilled out.
Our first stop was the parked vehicles. While I kept watch of the surroundings and Jim shone the flashlights for her, Tetyana methodically checked the inside of each car.
My heart jumped to my mouth when she opened the boot of our rental. Wild images of Katy trussed up in the back flashed to my mind. I shook my head to clear it. I always came up with the worst-case scenarios at the worst possible times.
Merciless Legacy: Merciless Murder - A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series Page 24
