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

by DK Herman

  "Hello," I said to the empty room.

  It was a tastefully decorated living room lit by the sunlight coming in from three windows. There didn't seem to be any air-conditioning, but the stone house was much cooler than outside.

  Ben looked up an intricately carved staircase along the far wall. I signaled for him to wait when I saw a door standing open in the next room.

  Cautiously, I peeked around the door and saw stairs descending into the bowels of the house. If there was a tunnel, it would be down there.

  "I'm going down into the basement. I'd bet that's where the tunnel entrance is," I whispered to Ben. "Go watch the church to make sure he doesn't slip out that way with Lexi."

  Ben shook this head vehemently.

  "Yes," I hissed. "If he gets away with her, we might not ever find her." I gave him a quick kiss and pushed him towards the front door. Then I pulled out a small flashlight and my Ruger from my purse. Flipping off the pistol's safety, I started down the stairs. Several bare bulbs lit the space, so I didn't need the flashlight, but I kept it ready in my left hand. In my right, my gun stayed pointed ahead of me.

  The basement had a cement floor and was filled with the usual items. A gas furnace sat in one corner, and a water heater nearby. Piles of boxes and blue, plastic storage containers were neatly stacked along the walls but away from the foundation. A dehumidifier was running under the stairs, and the air was cooler than upstairs in the house.

  I heard the creaking of a door and dove behind a stack of boxes marked, Christmas decorations. Bob came out from behind a stack of blue containers. Before he went up the stairs, I saw a gun in his hand.

  Since Andy and Mike had seen the rest of the house and hadn't found Lexi, I scurried behind the containers and found another open door. There were more stairs leading downwards. Without hesitation, I went down them.

  At the bottom, I stifled a shriek when a huge, black spider swung from a web and hit me in the face. What was up with the snakes, bugs, and dead fish today! "Blech," I whispered with a grimace. Christ, what was next? I told myself to get a grip and find that little girl.

  The tunnel was lit by bare bulbs about fifteen feet apart. The walls were constructed of carefully fitted stone, just like the floor. The air smelled musty and was slightly chilly compared to outside. I looked up the stairs for any sign of Bob returning before hurrying through the tunnel.

  I paused when I almost stepped in a small puddle of blood. I turned on my flash and discovered a few drops, heading up the tunnel towards the house. "Is it Gail's blood?" I whispered to myself.

  I could see light at the other end. Just as I made it up short flight of stairs and into a large basement, a door slammed behind me. I looked around for a hiding spot or an escape route.

  This basement was lit by bare bulbs too. But there was so much stored here. There were aisles in between stacks of old desks, boxes of old globes, and boxes marked with labels like, grade 4 history text books.

  Heavy footsteps reached this end of the tunnel, so I hid under an ancient teacher's desk and watched Bob's sneakers walk past me. I froze when I heard breathing and something touched my arm. Hoping it wasn't a rat, I turned my head to look. A small frightened face peeked at me from a foot away. Lexi and I were hidden under the same desk. She's alive!

  I put a finger to my lips and soundlessly pulled her into my arms. Brushing her matted hair back from her face, I kissed her forehead. "I'm here to take you home, sweetheart, but you have to be quiet and do as I say," I whispered into her ear.

  Lexi nodded and buried her face in my neck.

  Bob's feet circled near us again. "Lexi, you come out and take your medicine. I'm getting mad, damn it. You don't want poppy to be mad, do you?"

  At his words, Lexi shivered in my arms, and I felt white, hot anger. What had he done to her? The poor child was filthy and barefoot. By the way she smelled, she'd gone without a bath and was wearing a dirty diaper. The medicine was probably something to make her sleep, and a diaper would be easier than taking her to a bathroom.

  When Bob started hitting objects to scare Lexi out of hiding, I knew I had to do something. Lexi was in the verge of screaming every time Bob made a loud noise.

  "Where are you, you little bitch," Bob growled. "I don't have time for this." He circled around the room.

  I peeked out and saw him looking underneath a desk about twenty feet away. In his hand swung a gigantic ring of keys on a lanyard. He swung the keys again, and there was a loud crack when they struck a nearby desk. I didn't want to shoot him in front of a little girl, but I would before I let him near her again.

  There was the sound of footsteps in the old church above us, and my heart leapt at the sound of Ben's voice. Then there was the sound of someone trying to open a locked door.

  "Stay here and don't make any noise," I whispered to Lexi. I put my finger to my lips again and rolled out into the aisle.

  Staying low with my gun in front of me, I tried to find Bob before he found me or Lexi. My anger flared again when I found a small makeshift bed of folded rags on top of a box. Rope lay tangled on the floor that had probably been used to tie her up. Thank God, she managed to get loose and hide from him.

  The rags were surrounded by empty juice boxes and chocolate milk cartons. But I didn't see any sign that she'd been fed solid food.

  The noises upstairs stopped, so I made up by my mind to get Lexi out of there. I tossed my flashlight over the stacks of boxes. It hit something with a loud crash. When Bob's footsteps ran that way, I went back to where Lexi was hiding and pulled her out of the hiding spot. Then I put her on my hip and ran to the tunnel stairs.

  But Bob heard me run, and he wasn't far behind. A bullet ricocheted off the tunnel wall, and Lexi screamed in terror. I turned at an angle to shield Lexi with my body. I saw Bob running, maybe twenty feet behind us. He roared in anger and lifted the arm that held his gun.

  So did I. "Close your eyes, Lexi," I whispered, and I fired my gun.

  Bob dropped to the stone floor. I turned and started running again, holding Lexi tight to my side.

  I made it into the Kubicki basement and ran into Ben's arms. He hugged me, then pulled back when he saw who I was carrying. "Hi there, Lexi," he said with a grin.

  "Hi," Lexi said softly.

  "Where's Bob?" Andy said. He and Mike Krause had just thundered down the basement stairs.

  "I don't think he's going to be a problem anymore." I held out my gun, grip first, to Andy. "He's laying in the tunnel."

  "Take Lexi upstairs and call for an ambulance," Andy said. He smiled at Lexi, and she smiled back. "Mike and I will go check on Bob."

  "Poppy Bob is bad," Lexi said sassily. It was wonderful to see that Bob hadn't broken her spirit. "I don't like him anymore."

  I took Lexi up the stairs. "You don't have to see him anymore." I sat down on the couch with Lexi on my lap, and Ben called for an ambulance.

  There was a commotion on the porch, and the front door flew open. Ben went for his gun, and I pushed Lexi behind me. But it was Jane bursting through the door.

  "A neighbor called and told me the cops are here," she said, shaking like a leaf.

  Lexi popped out from behind me. "Mommy!" She screamed happily and ran to Jane.

  "Lexi, oh my baby!" Jane picked Lexi up and held her tight, raining kisses over her little face. "I'll never let you out of my sight again."

  Ben and I stood there grinning when Andy and Mike came up from the basement.

  "Well?" I asked.

  "He won't be needing an ambulance," Mike said. He tapped the middle of his forehead. "Good shot."

  I froze as Mike's words sunk in. I took a slow deep breath, trying to control my whirling emotions. I'd shot people before, but this was the first time I'd killed someone.

  "Are you OK about it?" Ben asked. He put an arm around my shoulders.

  "He made it us or him," I said with a sigh. "I chose us."

  "You did what you had to do," Andy said. He pointed to Jane holding h
er daughter, both were crying happy tears. "You did really good, Hallie."

  I woke up the next day and lay unmoving in Ben's arms. I'd slept better than you'd think after killing a man. But my conscience was totally clear. After a search of the tunnel and both basements, the police found sleeping pills and a bottle of industrial insecticide next to the Lexi's juice boxes. Also, the backpack full of money and a packed suitcase were in his truck. The bastard was going to poison Lexi and take off with the money. I'm glad I'd stopped him, and I'm glad he'd never hurt a child again.

  Ben stirred next to me.

  "Morning," I said and gave him a kiss.

  "What time is it?" Ben yawned and stretched.

  I looked at my alarm clock. "Seven-thirty. Time to get up. It's our last day of work before vacation."

  Ben groaned and sat up. "Vacation sounds good after this week."

  I got up too and headed for the bathroom. "I'll be quick in the shower. I'm starving." We didn't get home until nine last night. So, Ben and I grabbed a quick sandwich before bed.

  When we got downstairs, Liv had breakfast on the table. My family greeted us merrily, and we dove into waffles, eggs, and sausage links. A pot of coffee and my favorite hazelnut creamer was on the table, too

  "I'm so glad you got that little girl home with her mother," Gram said.

  "I can't believe family would act like that," Aunt Jeannie said, shaking her head.

  "Money does awful things to some people," George said sadly. I knew he was thinking about his son who died because of his own greed. He recovered and smiled. "But now you're free to go on your vacation."

  I smiled back. "First, I'm looking forward to the barbeque tomorrow. I'll be home early this afternoon to help."

  "Good, we can get the macaroni and potato salads done today," Liv said.

  "Susie and I'll go to the market, Liv," George said. "Do you have a list for us?"

  "Don't buy any meat," Karl reminded them. "I've got thirty pounds of chicken, and thirty of strip steak, and twenty pounds each of hotdogs and hamburgers ordered from my butcher.

  "We're going to be late for work," Ben said and shoved a whole sausage into his mouth.

  "Let's skip it," I said, half serious.

  "We still have to go to the police station and sign our statements, and I need to return my library book."

  "The book that cracked the case," Karl said with admiration. "That was a good catch, Ben."

  "Nah," Ben said, stroking my leg under the table. "Hallie was the hero."

  We smiled into each other’s eyes.

  "Let's get this day over with then," I said, wiping my mouth. "Excellent breakfast, Liv. We'll see everyone in a few hours."

  Ben and I left my house and climbed into the Denali. Because the air was a little cooler, we drove to town with the windows down.

  Everyone at the office had vacation fever. The atmosphere was almost giddy.

  "Hey, Hallie, catch," Poppy said, winging a Frisbee in my direction.

  I caught it and flung it to Rayna. "You're all coming to the barbeque?"

  Yep," everyone chorused.

  I noticed Linda had on shorts with bare feet. I smiled and went back the hall. As I passed her office, Jessie was on the phone. I waved and went into mine and sat at my desk. A few papers were tucked into my inbox. I pulled them out and started reading. Then I signed them, approving next week's payroll and an expense report.

  I was finished when Jessie came into the room. She'd dressed in shorts with bare feet too. It was the perfect look for James Investigation's casual, summer Fridays.

  "That was Andy on the phone," she said, scooping up the papers I'd just signed. "Gail Kubicki is going to make it. She's awake. Andy and Mike are going to the hospital to talk to her. They'll meet you at the police station in an hour."

  "I'm glad Gail's going to be alright." I stood up and followed Jessie into the hall. Ben was playing Frisbee in the reception area with the women. The office phone rang, so I answered it at Linda's desk.

  It was Allison. "I'm going to need that job," she said shyly. "Our accounts are bailing on us because they heard about what Bob did."

  I gave her my home address and told her to go up and talk to Gram and Liv this afternoon. They're always hiring help to clean our huge house. They would treat her like family and pay her well.

  I watched the Frisbee game until Ben remembered the library book.

  "Let's take the book back to the library," he said. "It'll be due while I'm at the lake."

  "Yeah, Ben. Those ten cent fines add up," Rayna said with a laugh.

  "The sign said it's a quarter a day!" Ben flipped the Frisbee to Linda.

  "Let's go," I said. "We can stop there on our way to the police station." I retrieved my purse from my desk before we went out the door. "You can all leave whenever you feel like it." I called and closed the door, grinning at the whoops of joy from inside.

  The Herville Library was empty. I accompanied Ben to the checkout desk, keeping an eye out for unfriendly librarians. Patty Rogers came out of the stacks and made a sour face when she realized it was us.

  "I'm returning this." Ben handed her the old book. "It's very good. Thank you."

  "You're welcome," Patty said stiffly. Then she let out a big sigh. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

  "Its been a tense week," I said. "How's Taylor?"

  "She's at the hospital with her sister." Patty checked Ben's book in with a scanner. "Amanda is doing better. They think she might wake up soon."

  "That's great," Ben and I said at once.

  "Why were you following Jane?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. But I needed to know if the drama was really over for Jane. "Someone took pictures of you watching her at the supermarket and the playground."

  "I was trying to get her alone." Patty hung her head "I was going to beg her for money for Taylor. Taylor had to get away from Darcy. And she hates being a stripper." She raised her head and looked me in the eye. "I would never have threatened or hurt her or Lexi."

  "What's she going to do now?"

  "I'm moving into the house with Taylor. I can help with Amanda when she gets out of the hospital." Patty shuffled some books on the desk and gave us a big smile. "We just found out that Darcy left a big insurance policy, and she had life insurance on her loans."

  Good, you guys ought to be OK." I fiddled with a stack of paper bookmarks. This must be what they were talking about in Hintner's parking lot.

  Patty nodded. "Sorry again."

  "Sure," I said before Ben and I turned and quietly left.

  Andy and Mike weren't back from the hospital yet. So we went into Chief Woods' office and signed our statements from last night.

  "Did you get anything back from ballistics on Bob's gun?" I asked, helping myself to a donut on The Chief's desk. I wondered if his wife still has him on a diet.

  "Yep," he nodded. "It was Bob's gun that killed Darcy and Joey Kearn, shot Gail Kubicki, and shot at you and Ben. Also the elderly woman shot in Bloomsbury with the same gun was Bob's aunt. She left him twenty grand."

  We all shook our heads in disgust.

  "He shot at me because of the book," Ben said. "He saw it in my truck, just before we went back to the office."

  "He knew the pictures of his house and the old church were in it, " I said. "And the book revealed the existence of the tunnel. He got scared when he knew you were reading it."

  "Especially after Lexi told her mom she was down colder." Ben nodded in agreement. "But why did he kill Darcy and Joey?"

  "Joey and his friend saw him that night at the Detweiler's when he was taking Lexi." I said. "He wasn't sure if they saw him well enough to ID him, but he didn't want to take any chances"

  The Chief nodded again. "And Darcy figured out it was him. We found a note from her in Bob's truck. He's took some of her beer with him that night, and he's the only person she knew that drinks it."

  "That stuff is nasty," Ben said with a grimace. "Bob and Darcy were the only
people I ever heard of that drank that skunk piss."

  Chief Woods laughed. "I'll take your word for it, Ben. Anyhow, Darcy has a friend who was at the country club ball too. They mentioned to her that Bob vanished for a half hour, just before midnight. He'd told people he was going outside for some air. Darcy demanded a million dollars, or she was going to turn him in."

  I heard a door, and Andy and Mike walked in. They hung up their suit jackets and rolled up their sleeves.

  "Gail confirmed it was Bob who shot her," Andy said. "She found the backpack and confronted him. He took her into the tunnel to show her Lexi was OK. Then he shot her. She managed to run back to her house and get outside and into her car."

  "She's going to be OK?" I asked.

  "She's not totally out of the woods yet," Mike said, loosening his tie. "But the doctors are very optimistic about her recovery."

  "And she told us Bob gave her the bracelet yesterday morning," Andy said. "It must be Linda's."

  "And the coroner called," Mike said. "Hallie, you were right. Bob's keys were what hit Darcy in the head and probably Amanda Detweiler too."

  "What about Noah Kelly's parents?" I asked. "They were following Jane too."

  "They're assholes," Chief Woods said. "But unfortunately, it’s not illegal to be an asshole. I've warned them about stalking or harassing Jane and the little girl. And I told them the FBI confiscated the money. Actually, since there won't be a trial, Jane will be getting her money back soon."

  "If they're really interested in Lexi, they might try getting custody through the courts, but they don't have a leg to stand on," Mike said.

  "Speaking of courts." I fished the file on my ex-husband from my purse and handed it to Andy. "I want to file a complaint."

  Andy read some of the file and got a big grin on his face. "Son of a bitch," he chuckled. "I'll pass this on to the feds."

  "Thanks," I said returning his grin. "Starting Monday, I'll be away for a week. But don't any of you forget about Gram's barbeque tomorrow."

  Then I took Bens hand, and we left to go home.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Chitty, my RV, was packed, tuned up, and gassed up. With Gabi in the passenger seat, we headed for the shore. The weather was warm, the sky blue, and Chitty ran down the highway like a thoroughbred.