A Christmas to Die For_Mrs. A 1

by Kristine Frost

  Still carrying the saucepan, she picked up her cell, flipped it on, and hit the speed dial for Inspector Lepley. After an eternity, the phone rang and rang and rang. Just as she was getting discouraged, the ringing stopped.

  “Lepley.” He said abruptly.

  Rapidly, she said, “Inspector Lepley. This is Ann. Please come to Mrs. A’s apartment. Two men tried to break in. I hit one of them with a pan. He’s unconscious but I think he’s alive. The other man shot at me, but I’m okay. I tied up the one I hit, but I think you’d better come unless you want me to call the police.”

  “Ann,” Lepley said. “Take a breath or you’ll pass out. In the second drawer of the desk is a small pistol I left for Mrs. Arbuthnot. I want you to get it now.”

  Without putting down her pan, she walked to the desk and fumbled to pull open the drawer. “Okay, I’ve got it,” she managed to say, swallowing her fear.

  “Do you know how to use it?”

  “Yes. Bob taught me.”

  “Good. Take the safety off. Aim it at the man but stay back from him. If your knots don’t hold, and he tries anything, shoot him. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Quickly, he told her the pattern of knocks he would use, so she would know it was him.

  As she sat on the arm of the couch, she wondered if she could shoot him. Bob had taught her how to shoot, but shooting at a target was different than shooting a man. She sat up straight. There was a funny sound in the kitchen. Martin was gone. Was there someone at the kitchen door?

  She bent over her prisoner and checked the knots and then she slowly walked toward the kitchen. Before she could get there, she heard three soft taps, followed by one tap, and then two louder taps. She took a huge breath. That was Lepley’s signal. But before she moved the chair, she looked out the peep-hole. It was him.

  She shoved the chair away from the door. It hit the floor hard and the back detached from the seat. “Oh, oh,” she said to herself and she fumbled with the chain. “Mrs. A is going to kill me. That was a real Sheraton chair and now, it’s kindling.”

  She pulled open the door and burst into tears. “I think there’s someone at the back door and I broke Mrs. A’s chair.”

  Lepley motioned for the two policeman who were with him, to check the back door, then he led Ann into the apartment. They were followed by a third policeman who closed the door and stood in front of it.

  Lepley glanced at the chair, then knelt by the unconscious man, feeling his pulse and then his head. He looked at the saucepan on the coffee table and the gun that Ann was still holding. He took the gun from her hand.

  “He’s alive, but he has two big lumps on his head.” He picked up the saucepan. “You picked a good weapon. It’s heavy enough to knock him out, but not heavy enough to kill him. I’m glad you didn’t grab a cast iron frying pan.”

  Ann smiled through her tears. “There wasn’t one. Besides, I didn’t want to kill him. I just wanted to protect myself.”

  Then Lepley noticed the gun that Ann had grabbed from the hall. She’d left it on the table next to the sofa.

  “Whose gun is that?”

  “His. He dropped it when I hit him. I didn’t want the other man to get it.”

  The two-uniformed policeman walked into the living room. “If there was someone at the back door, he got away. We didn’t see anyone.”

  Ann said, “I’m sorry. I thought I heard someone fumbling with the lock. I started to go check the door, but you came.”

  “That’s okay,” Lepley said soothingly. “It’s better that we do the checking.”

  He nodded at one of the cops as he led Ann to the sofa. He put a needle-point cardinal Christmas pillow behind her back and wrapped a red and green afghan around her.

  One cop hurried to the back door and the other began looking through the apartment. Lepley sat on the arm of the coach. “Tell me what happened.” He commanded.

  Before she could speak, the third cop returned. “The place is empty, Inspector.” He bent down and began searching the man on the floor. He looked at Lepley and said, “No ID, no cash, no nothin’.”

  Lepley nodded and said, “Well, at least, he still has his finger prints.”

  “Okay.” He looked at the two young policemen. “Cuff him. I want him transported to FBI headquarters.” He looked at them sternly. “Not police headquarters” He looked at John who had followed him a few minutes later. “Go with them. I want this guy in a maximum detention cell with full security and I want this kept quiet. I want him alive when I’m ready to question him.”

  Lepley looked down at Ann. “Where’s Mrs. Arbuthnot?”

  Ann rubbed her hand over the deep red velvet sofa and swallowed. “She went to see Janet Park.”

  Lepley said in a tight cold voice that made Ann go very pale. “I interviewed Mrs. Park. Doesn’t Mrs. Arbuthnot think I know how to do my job?”

  “I think she wanted to talk her into accepting a reward for saving Mary Clark.”

  “Then why didn’t she tell me? I’m not an ogre holding her here against her will.” Lepley said reasonably.

  “She didn’t want to get you in trouble. I think she felt that she could no longer talk to you without getting you fired.”

  Chapter 20

  An El Paso suburb

  Mrs. Arbuthnot knocked at the door of a small suburban home on the outskirts of El Paso. The home looked like an inexpensive rental with an absentee landlord. The paint on the door and window frames was peeling, but the yard was immaculately clean and the sidewalk had been swept even though the snow was still falling. There was an inexpensive wreath on the door. It looked like it came from Wal-Mart and there was a fake tree standing in front of a cracked picture window.

  She thought to herself, I’m glad I didn’t wear any of my showy outfits. It’s obvious that this family is seeing some hard times.”

  A painfully thin, auburn haired woman opened the door. She looked like she was in her middle to late forties which didn’t match a young child sitting on the floor playing house with a battered doll and a chipped and broken tea set.

  “Are you Janet Park?” When the woman nodded, she said, “I’m Ruth Arbuthnot. The girl you saved at Carlsbad is a close friend of my granddaughter.”

  “Yes, I know who you are. I heard the story on the news last night. I’m really sorry I couldn’t stop those men from taking your granddaughter. But do come in.” she moved some toys from a sofa and said, “Please, sit down. I’m sorry about the mess. We’re a little crowded right now.”

  “That’s understandable. I remember going through the same thing when my children were little.”

  Mrs. Park looked astonished.

  Ruth laughed, “No, I’m not crazy. I had started my business, but it was a long, long haul. My husband was the son of an earl, but his father was less than pleased that his son had married a blue’s singer. He wouldn’t help us. My husband finally got his law degree and then things began to look up. Before that, there were times when I didn’t have enough money to buy milk for my babies.” She sighed. “But we were happy.”

  Mrs. Park nodded. “We’re happy even though things are a little rough right now.”

  “You’re lucky to be able to appreciate having a happy family. Money doesn’t make people happier and despite what most people think, money doesn’t buy a good family. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of love and a lot of giving to raise a happy family. You deserve a lot of credit.”

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Park said a little shyly. “What did you want to talk to me about? I answered all of that inspector’s questions. I don’t think I can tell you anymore.”

  “I didn’t particularly come to ask you any questions about what you saw or did. I came to thank you for saving my granddaughter’s friend. You don’t seem the type to do what you did though.”

  “I know. I-I have a hard time talking to people,” she said softly. “I’ve always been shy but when they tried to take that poor girl, I thought how I would feel if she had been my daughter. I guess I
just went berserk.

  “I just started throwing things. I’d have done more than that, if my ‘so called, good intentioned” relative hadn’t held me back.”

  “I do appreciate what you did. I wonder if I’d have the courage to do what you did.”

  “Oh, I think most people would have done the same thing.”

  “No, that’s not true. Most people would have done what the people in the parking lot did. They would have stood around and let those men take the girls. You are my idea of a heroine.”

  “Nonsense,” Mrs. Park said and blushed.

  Ignoring the interruption, she said, “I came here with the intention of offering you a reward, but I don’t think you’d accept it.”

  “I don’t want a reward, thank you.” Mrs. Park said, a little sadly as she looked from her daughter to the Christmas tree.

  “How many children do you have?” Ruth asked.

  “Three. Rachel is seven, Ronnie is six and little Ruthy is three.”

  Ruth smiled, “Ruth—how nice to have a name sake especially one as cute as your daughter.” She leaned forward, “I’m not offering the reward because you are hard up right now, but I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”

  Mrs. Park nodded.

  “Where does your husband work?”

  “He doesn’t have a job right now. He was hurt in an accident and his company fired him. They wouldn’t give him a reference because they said the accident was his fault. So he hasn’t been able to find anything. Even McDonald’s won’t hire him.”

  Ruth took out one of her business cards and wrote on it. “Have your husband give this card to Gerald Ripley at Arbuthnot Management Systems. I know they are looking for help.”

  “But you don’t even know what he can do,” Mrs. Park protested. “We don’t want charity.”

  “This isn’t charity. Arbuthnot Management Systems is the umbrella company for everything that both my husband and I own and we own a bunch of companies. If they can’t find a job for a man with your husband’s abilities, then there isn’t a job available in all of El Paso, and I know that’s not true. Besides, he must have a lot of abilities or you wouldn’t have married him.”

  “He does have a lot of ability and it would be a relief to have him working again. It makes him feel worthless that he can’t support our family and that makes him feel depressed. Even flipping burgers would help him.”

  “Well, I own several burger franchises, but I think we can find something that he will be happier doing. I always need construction workers and that pays well. He could also be trained to drive some of my big machinery if he doesn’t already know how. I hate having kids drive bull dozers and stuff like that. I want men who have a work ethic.”

  She stood up. “Don’t forget to send him. I’ll feel like a failure if he doesn’t come.” She smiled, “and that certainly wouldn’t do. Besides, Gerald would hate to have to drive in the snow to come find him.”

  She offered her hand to Mrs. Park. Then she turned toward the door and stopped. “There is one question I wanted to ask you about the Carlsbad incident. Do you know what happened to the man in the plaid coat?”

  Mrs. Park frowned, then bent to move Ruthy away from the Christmas tree. “I don’t remember a man in a plaid coat.”

  “Drat. He was seen talking to the girls or rather pointing them out to those men just before the abduction.”

  Mrs. Park picked up Ruthy who had started to cry that she was hungry. “Was it a bright green plaid coat?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t think it was a man. I’m sure it was a woman. She was wearing really big diamond studs and a diamond ring on her left hand and she was wearing a diamond pendant.”

  Ruth frowned. “A woman. You’re sure it was a woman?”

  “I’m positive it was a woman. Not only was she wearing diamonds, she walked like a woman.”

  “So that’s why Mary thought the man was peculiar. It was a woman disguised as a man.” Ruth suddenly hugged her. “You’re wonderful. You may have saved Mary’s life for the second time.”

  Ruth suddenly reached in her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the woman. “Go buy something nice for my name sake,” she said as she turned and hurried toward the cab.

  When Mrs. Arbuthnot climbed into the cab, she said, “Andy, take me home and step on it.”

  The journey was accomplished quickly and Mrs. Arbuthnot hurried to her apartment. The door was slightly open which made her suspicious. Cautiously she pushed on the door. As she peered around it, she was shocked to see three guns trained on her.

  “It looks like something bad has happened,” she said as she entered the room. She turned to shut the door and lock it, but the lock turned in her hands without moving the deadbolt. “It looks like I’d better call my security and have them change this lock.”

  She noticed as she turned around that the three guns had disappeared.

  “What happened?” She asked.

  “Your apartment was broken into. If Ann hadn’t been so quick-witted she could have been kidnapped or else your belongings could have been stolen.”

  “Good heavens! How fortunate you got here in time.” Ruth exclaimed.

  He added bitterly, “I didn’t. Ann called me. I’m beginning to feel like a total failure.”

  Mrs. A stared at him, a shocked look on her face. “I thought I told you that I wanted to offer Mrs. Park a reward. We talked for a while and then I asked her about the man in the plaid coat. Mrs. Park told me why Mary thought there was something peculiar about the man in the plaid coat.”

  Lepley groaned. “What was it?”

  “It was a woman in the neon green plaid coat.”

  “A woman?” Ed exclaimed. “Is she sure?”

  “She says the ‘man’ took off his hat and coat when the police arrived. ‘He’ was wearing huge diamond stud earrings, a diamond pendant, and a diamond. Mrs. Park also said that there are differences in the way men and women walk. She was positive it was a woman. She strikes me as a very perceptive woman.”

  Lepley said, “It’s true that men and women walk differently. A woman’s hands can age more quickly than a man’s.”

  Mrs. A said, “Mary said that the woman’s hands were veined and old looking.”

  When Lepley pulled out his phone, Martin said, “Did Mrs. Park accept the reward?”

  “No. I didn’t think she would as soon as she opened the door. I told her to send her husband to Arbuthnot Management Systems because he needs a job.”

  “Do you think he’ll go?” Martin asked.

  John said, “I know him and if I know anything about human nature, he’ll go and he’ll be a loyal and valuable employee.”

  “Then why can’t he get a job?” Ruth asked.

  “Because he’s been blackballed.” John said. “A friend of mine was working for the Industrial Commission and he was assigned to investigate the accident Jim Park was involved in. He was so steaming mad about the way his superiors handled the case that he told me about it which he shouldn’t have done.” John paused for a moment.

  “Go on,” Mrs. A said impatiently.

  "Jim and another worker were working for ‘Crawford builders."

  Ruth groaned. "I know all about them as you know."

  John continued. "They were doing repair work on the rock face of a building five or six stories in the air. The crane that was bringing up their supplies barely touched the scaffolding. The scaffolding was old and rotten and shouldn't have been used for that type of job anyway. The wood planking crumbled. Jim, who was wearing his safety belt, was okay. The other worker had left his belt home. He asked the manager for a spare which he didn't have. The Manager told him to go up unless he wanted to lose his job.

  “Anyway, he grabbed for one of the metal rods that supported the scaffolding. He was perfectly safe until the crane was moved away. That set up another chain reaction. More of the scaffolding broke up. Some of the pieces hit him in the face
and he lost his hold. Jim managed to get a grip on him and keep him from falling. He used his safety belt to secure the wounded man. Then when they sent the paramedics up to rescue the injured man the scaffolding collapsed, causing Jim to fall. He didn't fall the full six stories. About half way down he landed on a beam sticking out from the building. It had been part of a raised walkway that was being torn out. He broke both hips, shattered several ribs and worse than that he ended up with internal injuries."

  "But why did he lose his job?" Mrs. A asked.

  "He not only lost his job but he is liable for the hospital bills occurred because of the accident." John exclaimed.

  "From what I hear, they lost their home and their cars. My friend said they could have saved their home if they'd have filled bankruptcy but Jim and his wife are too honorable for that."

  "I smell a rat." Ruth exclaimed angrily.

  John nodded. "The company claimed that the men were working unauthorized overtime and that they'd done everything without company authorization. They fired Jim. They said he was lying because he had a gripe against the company. My friend tried to prove the lie but his boss wouldn't listen. My friend suspected that money changed hands in the transaction but he couldn't prove it. He no longer works for the Industrial Commission."

  "So Jim Park wasn't the only victim." Martin said, thoughtfully. "The man he saved and your friend were also victims."

  Mrs. Arbuthnot hit her fist against the desk violently, "So Alice Van Ostendorf wins again."

  "What?" Martin asked while Ed and Inspector Lepley stared at her.