DOWN COLDER: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 3)

by DK Herman

  "Oh, the Chief is going to talk to the guy in Lincolnburg. It’s only a little out of his way home." Andy said.

  "OK, see ya."

  CHAPTER TEN

  The client appointment was a request for employee background checks. Ben and I made nice with the owner of the lumberyard, and we had the account. By five o'clock, we were on our way to Maple Street to speak to Aaron Kingsley.

  At this time of day, Maple Street was more alive than it had been Monday morning. I pulled in front of the small, gray house marked 784 and pointed at the Jeep in the short driveway.

  "Yep, somebody's home this time," Ben said.

  We hustled up to the front door and knocked. I couldn't hear anything from inside, over the huge air conditioner that was roaring in the window a few feet from the door. I knocked again, and the door was opened by a pretty, brunette woman. I'd guess her age to be close to Jane's. She was dressed in pink scrubs and white sneakers.

  "Can I help you?" She asked while her eyes roamed over Ben.

  I introduced us and asked to speak to Aaron Kingsley.

  "Is this about Noah?" she asked. "We heard he's dead."

  "That's true," I said.

  "Angie, shut the damned door," a male voice said from inside the house. "You're letting out all the air conditioning."

  "This is important," I said firmly. "I need to speak to Aaron."

  Angie nodded and let us inside. I immediately smelled pot in the small living room. A thin, young man, with red hair and a bad sunburn, lay in a recliner. He was bare chested, revealing the lines of the tee shirt he'd had on while in the sun.

  "Aaron, these people need to talk to you," Angie said with her hands on her hips.

  "About what?" He looked away from the small TV on the coffee table.

  "We're working with the police on Noah Kelly's murder." I flash him my credentials.

  He sat up straight. "I didn't do it!" He picked up an ashtray that had a long roach in it and stuffed it under his leg.

  I sighed. Stoned and paranoid people are a pain in the ass to question. "I'm not a cop, and I don't care about your pot. If you talk to me honestly, I won't say a word."

  Aaron nodded solemnly. "Sure, what do you wanna know?"

  "How did Noah find out about Jane winning the lottery?" I perched on the edge of a couch that had seen better days.

  "He said that an old neighbor called him. The neighbor told Noah she'd help him get the money from Jane, for a quarter million of it."

  "And?"

  "He agreed and was putting together the money for a plane ticket to Pennsylvania. But then he got the idea to get custody of the kid. He asked me to follow Jane and the kid and take pictures. Noah said he'd give me a couple grand for doing it." Aaron took the ashtray from under his leg. "I guess I won't see that money now."

  Angie came over and snatched the ashtray from him. "That was an ignorant thing to do to Jane. Noah was a prick leaving her alone with his baby. And he knew damned well the baby was his. Jane loved him too much to cheat, and she's not the type."

  "She had no problem shaking her bare ass on stage," Aaron argued.

  "That was to support her kid," Angie said. "If I had to, I'd do it too."

  "You wouldn't make much, you're not as hot as Jane." Aaron said unwisely, just before the ashtray flew through the air and hit him on the forehead.

  I saw Ben cough into his hand. I fought down a giggle myself. I think I like Angie.

  "Did you give him the pictures?" I asked.

  "Nope," Aaron said, rubbing his head. “I didn’t have the chance. He called me Wednesday evening and was going to meet me at Wetzel's Bar, but he never showed up."

  Aaron must be who Noah called.

  "Do you still have the pictures?" I asked.

  "Yeah, they're on my phone." Aaron held up a smartphone.

  "I need them sent to my office," I said.

  Aaron tossed me the phone. "The WIFI’s on, help yourself." He dug around his legs looking for the contents of the spilled ashtray.

  I scrolled through his phone and found pictures of Jane and Lexi leaving their house, a few of them shopping, and several of Jane on stage as Delilah.

  "Who told you about Jane working at Darcy's?" Ben asked.

  "Noah did," Aaron replied.

  "He lived in Oregon. Who told him?" I said.

  Aaron shrugged. "I guess the neighbor."

  "Did he tell you anything else about his plans?" I sent another picture to my office email.

  "He asked if he could keep the kid here for a while." Aaron reached for a bag of chips. But I didn't want any trouble, so I told him to take her to the cave."

  "What cave?" Ben and I asked in unison.

  "Stoners cave, up on Zion Hill," Aaron said through a mouthful of chips. "We used to party there."

  I nodded. "I know where it is." I sent the last of the pictures and handed the phone back to Aaron. "Some cops might show up to talk to you, not about your pot. But, put it away before you let them in."

  Angie politely showed us to the door. "I hope you find who killed Noah, but he was a jerk. Jane was good to him, and she's a good mom."

  "Thanks for your help," I said.

  Ben was smiling as we climbed into the Denali. "Have you been to this cave?"

  "Every teenager who grew up in Herville's been to this cave." I started the car. I doubted Lexi was there, but we had to check. "Let's go have a look."

  Zion Hill is two miles from town and over 1,600 feet above sea level. At the top are several old farmhouses, a new housing development, and Zion Hill Church and Cemetery. On Zion Hill Road, a quarter mile before the top, there's a wide pull off and a narrow path.

  I parked at the pull off, and Ben and I grabbed our guns and a pair of flashlights. We got out and followed the path. A hundred yards into the woods, the path widened and formed a small clearing. In the center, a circle of rocks formed a fire pit with logs around it to sit on.

  "This is an awesome place for a teenager," Ben said with a smile. "You've partied here?"

  "Years ago," I said with a nod. It seemed like a lifetime since I sat around that stone circle.

  "Where's the cave?" Ben looked around the clearing.

  I walked around a walnut tree and pointed to a small opening in the rocky hillside.

  "I thought it would be bigger," Ben said.

  "Look inside." I led the way and duck walked into the cave.

  The inside of Stoner's Cave was much bigger than anyone thought from looking at the entrance. It had three rooms, one after another, and a small spring that dripped fresh water into a natural basin. We shined our flashlight beams in every direction.

  "I hope no bears live in here," Ben said. The cave made this voice echo a little.

  "There wasn’t any the last time I was in here." I shone my light over all kinds of things that had been brought in and left here. Sleeping bags, a lawn chair, and a lantern were piled in one corner; while beer cans, empty matchbooks, and used condoms were discarded in another.

  Carefully, we made our way through the entire cave, finding much the same as the in first room. But we didn't find Lexi or any sign that she'd been here. I heard Ben sigh as he swallowed his disappointment.

  "We'll find her," I said. I put my arms around him and gave him a kiss. The kiss deepened until I felt my toes curl.

  "Did you ever do it here?" Ben whispered.

  I backed away, shining my flashlight beam on his chest. "Ben," I said pointing at his chest. "Don't lose it, but you have a hitch hiker."

  Ben looked down and let out a high-pitched screech while knocking a huge orange and black spider off his chest with his flashlight. "Let's get out of here," he said brushing at himself all over.

  "You don't want to make love here?" I giggled. "There's sleeping bags over there."

  "Very funny," he said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

  Still giggling, I led the way out of the cave. "I didn't know you're afraid of spiders."

  "I'm not afraid of
normal spiders. That damned thing was a mutant." Ben took a deep breath of fresh air. Then he froze looking at my hair. "Oh, Jesus, Hallie, don't move!"

  "What?" I asked, barely breathing.

  "There's a bat in your hair," Ben said with a horrified expression.

  "Get it off me!" I shrieked without moving.

  "Hold real still," he said and brushed at the side of my head. "He's a stubborn little bugger."

  "Get it off!" I screamed and flapped my hands.

  Ben brushed at my hair again. "There he goes." He pointed at the sky. "All gone," Ben said with a grin.

  I hadn't heard anything fly away. "Was there a bat in my hair?"

  "Yeah, a big one." Ben giggled.

  "You lie!" I exclaimed and started back to the car. Ben's laughter followed behind me.

  Out of ideas, we went to my house. Gram and George were in the pool while Liv lounged in a comfy chair on the patio.

  "You two have a good day?" Liv asked.

  "It was OK," I said.

  Liv sipped a glass of iced tea. "We're making chicken on the grill for supper. Everything else is ready and in the fridge. We'll eat in about an hour. Ernie's coming soon."

  Ernie is George's best buddy. He's a nice guy but a little quirky at times. But then, who isn't.

  "Let's go for a swim," I said. I took Ben's hand, and we went upstairs.

  He went into the room that he uses when he stays at my house, the room we first made love in last night. I followed him inside and pulled my top over my head.

  "Aren't we going for a swim?" he asked.

  I pushed him onto the bed. "First, you owe me for the bat scare."

  "Anything you want," he whispered huskily.

  We made it to the pool as Gram and George were getting out.

  "The water feels divine," Gram said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

  "We're just going for a quick dip," I said. "Call us in time to set the table."

  Buddy and Princess joined us in the water before climbing into their inflatable boat and floating around the pool. I bobbed around, clinging to a pool noodle, and watched Ben swim laps.

  When I saw Ernie on the patio, we climbed out of the water and went to join my family. Ben helped Liv light the gas grill and place the well marinated chicken over the flames. I got drinks out of the cooler and sat at the table next to Gram.

  "Whose book is this?" George asked. He had the old, red book that Ben checked out of the library.

  "Ben borrowed it from the library," I said. "It has some fascinating old pictures in it."

  "Mind if I look at it, Ben," George asked.

  "Help yourself," Ben replied.

  "Look at this picture, Ernie." George passed the book to his friend. "Didn't your brother in law work in the old sewer system?"

  "Yeah, he did." Ernie put on his reading glasses. "He helped put the new one in too. Robby worked for the sewer department for forty-five years."

  Ernie and George sat with their heads bent over the book.

  "It says a lot of the old tunnels and water runways were left in place," George said. "Look at this map. The tunnel starts at the other side of Main Street and runs all the way to the river."

  "There's other tunnels that branch off the main one and small equipment rooms down there." Ernie turned the page. "Look, here's a picture of an equipment room near the library."

  I got up and looked over their shoulders. "I need that book when your finished looking at it."

  "Sure," George said. "Ha! Look Ernie, there's a picture of the post office when it was the theatre."

  I went inside and gathered paper plates, napkins, and utensils, placing them on a tray. "What else goes outside, Liv?"

  "I've got pea salad, macaroni salad, cucumbers in sour cream dressing, and a batch of sourdough rolls I made this morning."

  Liv's pea salad is delicious. It's sweet peas, minced onion, crumbled bacon, and chunks of sharp cheese swimming in a creamy, sweet mayonnaise sauce.

  I took the tray out and held plates for Ben to load cooked chicken on. Then we all sat down to eat.

  "So, Ernie, are there still entrances to the old sewer tunnels?" I asked while loading my plate.

  "Oh, I'm sure there is," Ernie said. "Robby died five years ago, but I'm sure there are some of the older guys still on the job. You could ask one of them."

  "Like Patty Roger's uncle," Ben said meaningfully.

  My mouth dropped open. What if Patty and her uncle took Lexi after Jane refused to hand Taylor the money she wanted. "That's where he said he works, third shift."

  "We need to search those tunnels," Ben said.

  "We'll need help, lots of help." I tried my chicken. Liv makes her own sauce and it's mouthwatering. "I'll call Andy after we eat. Hopefully, he can set it up quickly. I think you're right about Lexi being kept underground, and this is a definite possibility."

  Andy thought so too. He agreed to assemble a search party, keeping knowledge of the search from Drew Rogers. But it wasn't going to happen until morning.

  Hopeful that we would find Lexi, I rejoined my family on the patio. Liv was serving slices of cherry cheesecake. I poured myself more iced tea and grabbed a clean fork.

  We sat talking with everyone until dark. Then Ernie went home, and everyone else went to their rooms. Ben joined me in my sitting room. We watched TV and snuggled on the couch with the dogs.

  "I should have brought my Rockford Files DVD's," Ben said.

  "If you’re bored, I could draw us a bath." I smiled suggestively.

  "That's a great idea." He got up and took me by the hand and led me into my bathroom.

  Tucked into bed with Ben, I slept so deeply, I wasn't sure what the sound was that intruded into my dream. Realizing it was my phone, I opened my eyes. I read the time on my alarm clock. "Who'd be calling me at three in the morning?" I mumbled.

  "I don't know," Ben said, rubbing his eyes.

  The caller ID read, unknown.

  "Hello," I answered.

  "Is this Hallie James from James Investigations?" a man's voice asked.

  "This is she," I answered.

  "This is your alarm service notifying you of a break in. The police have been notified and are enroute."

  "Please let the police know that I'll be right there," I said, dragging myself out of bed.

  "What's wrong?" Ben was already up and had his jeans on.

  "Somebody broke into the agency." I pulled on shorts and a top, stuffed my feet into sneakers, and grabbed my purse. "Let's go."

  "You're shaking, honey. Why don't you let me drive?” Ben said.

  I tossed him the keys. "Take it easy, the cops are going to get there first no matter how fast you drive."

  "And the bad guy will either have taken off, or be in custody," Ben said.

  "Oh, crap!" I said. "I left my laptop on my desk."

  "And what about the safe?" Ben asked. "Can they get in it?"

  "If somebody knows what they're doing, they can get into any safe." I rubbed my eyes. The office safe needed a combination and a key to be opened. Only Jessie and I had both.

  We arrived outside the agency. The outside of the building looked quiet and normal except for the two patrol cars parked in front.

  I stopped Ben from jumping out of the car. "In the dark, the cops could mistake you for the intruder."

  We waited, watching flashlights and shadows move inside the building. Finally, lights came on. "Ok, let's go in," I told an impatient Ben. "Keep your gun in its holster."

  "Duh," Ben said, rolling his eyes at me.

  Approaching the front door of the agency, I called out to the police inside. Then I used my key on the lock and went in.

  "Hello," I called again, going in the door. "It's Hallie and Ben."

  "Good morning," Jason Brady said. Jason is a Herville cop. He knows me, but we don't get along that great. He has an attitude and a big mouth. "Somebody crowbarred a window open in the back," he said. "But they were gone till the newbie and me got here."

/>   An officer I hadn't met yet, came out of the hallway. "Ma'am, I'm Ralph Daniels." He extended a hand and shook with Ben and me. "I'm not sure if they took anything, but I'm afraid they made a bit of a mess."

  I looked around the reception area. Besides the couch pillows being thrown on the floor, the space looked normal. But someone had gone through Linda's desk, leaving the drawers open.

  "How'd they get in?" I asked.

  "A window in the back room," Officer Daniels said.

  "The windows aren't wired into the alarm system," I said. "What set off the alarm?"

  Instead of climbing back out the window, we think they went out the back door," Officer Daniels said. "The door was hanging open."

  I felt a flash of panic. That meant the intruder had as much time as he wanted. I walked back the hall, checking inside every room and sighing with relief at the untouched safe in Jessie's office.

  Relief turned to anger at the sight of Ben's, and my office. Everything on or in our desks was now on the floor and furniture was upended. My laptop lay across the room from where I'd left it. It was smashed and broken. In Ben's office, the damage was nuch the same. Even his James Garner/Rockford poster had been torn off the wall.

  "It looks like they came to vandalize, not steal." I looked around, fuming with anger. "They didn't bother trying the safe, and they didn't touch the petty cash box."

  "Who'd you piss off lately?" Jason Brady asked. He laughed and smiled smugly.

  "If you're done here, you can go," Ben said, looking at the cop with disgust.

  "Sure, newbie can finish up and file the report. I'm going for coffee." Officer Brady swaggered out the front door.

  "Sorry," Officer Daniels said. "He's... "

  "A jackass," I said.

  Ralph Daniels laughed. Almost as tall as Ben, he has chestnut brown hair and warm brown eyes. I'd guess his age to be around thirty, and he seems like a nice guy. "Can you tell if anything's missing," he asked.

  I shook my head. "When my staff comes in, we'll put the place back together. I'll have a better idea then."

  "Is it OK to shut the window?" Ben asked.

  "Yeah," Officer Daniels said. "The locks broken, but the window's OK."