The Sleuth Sisters

by Pill, Maggie

  Distracted by my own thoughts, I tripped over an exposed root and went down, partially stopping the fall with my hands but letting out a grunt of pain anyway. DuBois helped me up with an almost courteous gesture, but his comment wasn’t reassuring. “It’s not far now.”

  Chapter Fifty-one

  Retta

  For reasons I’m not sure of now, I brought the emergency bag as I hurried along the roadway. It had been years since I’d been to the Pit, but I knew about the trail along the edge. In warm weather we’d sometimes cut school and gone there to peer down at the trucks at work, so far away they looked like toys in a sandbox. I’d always felt sorry for the boys, who felt required to show off their manly courage by testing the edge. My girlfriends and I had hung back and squealed as they pretended it was nothing to lean out or sit with legs dangling over empty space.

  The rise of the lawsuit mentality had led to the Pit being lined with a much stronger fence in the mid ’70s, complete with a secure viewing point, and a lot of Do Not Enter signs. Not that it stopped the kids, teenage delusions of invincibility being what they are.

  As I traced the fenceline, the rain stopped. It didn’t help my progress much, since the shoulder was already softened. Peering into the woods for a glimpse of Faye or Barbara, my heels sinking in with each step, I vowed to add walking shoes to the kit for future occasions.

  When a light flashed beside me, it almost didn’t register. Resisting the urge to call out, I leaned against the fence, hoping to see it again.

  There! Another faint gleam deep in the trees. Was it Faye? I didn’t think so. This light was weak and thin, where the flash from my kit had a strong, broad beam. I listened, straining my ears to hear past the last drips of water falling from the trees. Was something moving through the woods? I thought so. Suddenly there was an exclamation, part surprise, part pain. And clearly, I heard a man’s voice say, “It’s not far now.”

  There were people in there, at least two of them. One of them might be my sister, and she might be in trouble. I was on the wrong side of the fence, and it was doubtful I could climb it in heels. Faye was somewhere behind them, at least I hoped she was. But what could she do if Barbara was under some unknown threat?

  Suddenly I remembered that the bag slung over my shoulder had flares in it. Don had told me they were simple to operate. “Just aim at the sky and tap the bottom,” he’d said. “You can’t miss.” Setting the bag down on the wet ground, I began to rummage through it, hoping as I searched that flares age well.

  Chapter Fifty-two

  Faye

  “It’s not far now.”

  The voice ahead stopped me dead in my tracks. Shutting off my flash, I tried to quiet my raspy breath. I was close enough that he might have heard me if he hadn’t been focused on someone else. I listened until I heard movement again. They were heading away from me.

  I followed, too slowly for my liking. Hampered by the darkness and my aging body, I struggled every step of the way. If we all get out of this, I promised myself, I’ll quit smoking. Being completely honest, I added after a few steps, At least I’ll cut way, way down.

  Chapter Fifty-three

  Barb

  I stumbled on, feeling blood running down my calf from the knee that had been smacked twice in the same place tonight. It wouldn’t matter if I didn’t think of a way to escape. If I could distract DuBois, I might hide in the trees. It probably wouldn’t work, but what difference if Eric shot me or threw me over the edge? No one would know except Gabe, who wouldn’t live to tell about it.

  Since I’d been looking down at the tiny patch of light at my feet, I almost didn’t see the fence before me. When I realized the way was blocked, I lurched to one side and came to a stop.

  “Here we are,” DuBois said with that disgusting cheerfulness.

  He raised the flash to the sign. Danger! Do not pass this point! Beyond it on the right, the dark seemed lighter. I was seeing sky, not trees.

  “We don’t quarry on this side now,” Eric said, sounding oddly like a tour guide. “It will be a while before anyone finds your bodies.”

  I was regretting my earlier decision not to try to escape on the pathway. Now I was trapped here, the fence on one side, Eric behind, and the Pit everywhere else. Nowhere to go.

  “Just step over it,” DuBois ordered. The barrier was four heavy posts sunk deeply into the ground and connected with three cross-boards. I could easily climb over it if I wanted to. I didn’t.

  Gabe was looking at me, eyes wide with terror. I waited for one of them to say, “Ladies first,” but that didn’t happen.

  What did happen was a flare that lit the sky over our heads. I heard the hiss as it ascended but had no idea what it was until the light burst above us with a pop. A few seconds later, another hiss sounded. By that time I was already on the move. “Run!” I shouted to Gabe, giving him a shove. Amazingly, he responded to my order as easily as he had to DuBois earlier. Taking off like a startled chipmunk, he pushed past DuBois and ran back the way we’d come.

  I chose a different direction, heading to where I was pretty sure the fence was. If I could get over it before DuBois decided which of us to chase, I had a good chance. The flares were great in that their appearance startled him, freezing him for a few seconds. The downside was they made it easy for him to see both his targets.

  He came after me. Hiding behind the bole of a pine, I peeked out to see him look up at the flares, survey the woods around him, and then look directly at me.

  His choice wasn’t surprising, but something else was. Behind DuBois, Gabe had come back. Arms pumping, he ran straight at our common enemy.

  An unlikely savior, Gabe was not coming to my rescue. Behind him came someone he found every bit as scary as DuBois: my sister Faye.

  Gabe hit the unsuspecting DuBois full on in the back, sending him stumbling forward, out of control and into a tree. Eric’s head hit the trunk before the rest of him did, and he staggered back, eyes glazed. Gabe reeled backward for a moment from the impact but soon regained command of his body and began to run again. He passed me like a shot, crashing through the branches like a herd of panicked elk.

  As the last of the flare’s light faded, Faye came on full tilt, following Gabe. She couldn’t know DuBois was there, dazed but still deadly. His plan had gone badly awry, but I doubted he could recognize that now. He’d shoot Faye unless I stopped him.

  “Faye! Down!” She stopped then obeyed, dropping to the ground just before a shot rang out. Her flash went out a second later, and I heard a scrabbling in the trees as she crawled to relative safety.

  The scene had faded into darkness except for the faint glow of the flashlight DuBois had dropped when Gabe barreled into him. It lay on the ground, lighting his feet as he stood crouched on the pathway, trying to decide what to do next.

  A metallic vibration told me Gabe had found the fence and begun climbing. DuBois turned, and I ducked down. Keeping low, I started in a wide circle around him.

  In only a few seconds, he picked up his light, did a quick arc in my direction, then turned it off. He was taking no chance that Faye might be armed. A second shot echoed through the darkness, making me jump. It wasn’t aimed at me. At least I didn’t think so. Had DuBois shot Faye? I wanted to call out to her but dared not.

  Silence followed as we all thought about what to do next. DuBois was between Faye and me. I couldn’t move toward her. She had disappeared into the woods on the opposite side of the path, which meant the Pit edge was close. She couldn’t retreat any farther.

  With agonizing slowness, I began moving toward the spot where I’d last seen DuBois. If I could sneak up behind him I might surprise, even disarm him. The problem was remaining noiseless in the inky blackness as I guessed where he might be.

  When I thought I was close, I stopped, holding my breath and waiting for him to move. It was h
ard to ignore the feeling that he might have heard or even felt my approach and was waiting, ready for me. Ready to kill me.

  Suddenly there was a pop, followed by the now-familiar hiss, and another flare lit the sky. DuBois was about six feet away from me, and he looked up in surprise. I was surprised, too, but I recovered faster than he did. Pushing off from a tree trunk, I hit him with all the force I had. We tumbled to the ground together, both of us letting out grunts on impact. I landed on top, which was good, but he held onto the gun, which was not as good. He brought the butt of it down on my back with a force that shuddered down my spine.

  Another force shook me, but it was secondary. I heard DuBois’ curse, heard a clunk, and felt a second jolt. He groaned in pain. In the light of the flare, I saw a size eleven Walmart walking shoe had descended on his wrist and pinned it to the ground.

  He might not have given up even then. After all, he was up against two aging women. I felt his muscles tense as he gathered his resources to throw us aside. He could still run, and neither Faye nor I would be able to catch him.

  “I’ve called the police, and they’re on the way.” The voice came from the road. Retta! DuBois moaned once and slumped back. I guess a third sister on the scene was more than he could imagine. And more than he could handle.

  Chapter Fifty-four

  Faye

  The man Barb had tackled gave up when I kicked the gun from his hand, picked it up, and pointed it at him. As the third flare faded overhead, I turned on my light. “You okay, Barb?”

  “Yes,” she replied, though she grimaced as she stood. “Banged up, but nothing’s broken.”

  “What’s going on in there?” Retta demanded.

  “We’re okay,” I told her. “How about you?”

  “Good,” she called. “A man came over the fence, and I’ve got my gun on him. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?”

  I was pretty sure Retta had no gun, but with her you never know. I looked to Barb. “Would that be Gabe she’s talking about?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought I recognized the little creep, but he was moving pretty fast.” I raised my voice. “Keep him under guard, Retta. We’re going to want to talk to him.”

  “Okay,” she called. “We’ll meet you at the cars.”

  Turning back I asked Barb, “And who is this?”

  “Eric DuBois, soon to be former second banana atWOZ Industries.” She gave him a nudge with her foot. “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t have to ask me twice. The stress was getting to me, even though most of the danger seemed to be over. I was still on the wrong side of a fence that kept me from plunging into the Pit, but somehow it was a little better with Barb beside me.

  I gave her the gun, since she has more experience with them, and I kept the light on the path ahead. When we got to the hole in the fence, Barb went through first, awkwardly but still more gracefully than I would. When she was situated, gun ready, on the other side, we sent DuBois through. Finally I wedged the flashlight into the fence so she could keep watch on him while I exited. I didn’t mind a bit that the beam was aimed at him and not at me as I fought that demon wire a second time.

  We found Retta standing behind Gabe, who grinned weakly, hands raised to indicate submission. When I stepped past him, I saw that Retta’s “gun” was her umbrella. She shrugged. “He was climbing the fence, so he had his back to me.”

  Sirens wailed in the distance. We waited in silence, exhausted and still shaky from the adrenalin pumped into our systems. There was a lot that needed to be explained, but no one seemed to be in a hurry for that. DuBois maintained a stony silence, and even Gabe sensed that this time, there was no explaining away what he’d done.

  The first police car on scene surprised us. Rory Neuencamp did a sliding turn, hit the brakes, and was out almost before it stopped. “Barb, are you all right?”

  “Fine,” she replied, but the waver in her voice said differently. Now that it was over, she looked ready to collapse.

  “Give me that.” He took the gun from her and turned to me with a silent request. Setting the light on the hood of the Chevy, I put a supporting arm around her. Actually, I wasn’t that much better off, so we kind of held each other up.

  “I thought you were on the way to Saginaw,” I said to the chief.

  “After Retta’s call, I turned around.” His tone shaded toward humor. “Somehow I had the idea you needed help, but I guess the three of you together are a match for just about anything.”

  “No, really,” I told him. “We’re very glad you’re here. How did you find us?”

  “Well, I heard the 9-1-1 call on the scanner, and then flares started lighting up the sky.”

  “Retta did that,” I told him. “Good thinking, Sis.”

  “He was going to push me over the edge.” Barb glared at DuBois, who scowled back.

  “He tried to shoot me,” I said, “but Barb knocked him down.”

  “How did you two find me out here?” she asked.

  Retta flashed her most innocent smile. “Good detective work, that’s how.”

  “Well, you saved my life.” Her voice softened. “Thanks, Retta.”

  For once Baby Sister was speechless.

  A county police car pulled in and two officers got out, hands on their weapons. “It’s under control,” Rory told them. “You can cuff these two.”

  “Do we need an ambulance?”

  Rory looked at us, and we all shook our heads. “Guess not. Mirandize the prisoners and transport them in separate cars so they don’t get a chance to make up a story.” He turned to us. “Will you come to the station? I need to hear from all of you, and it might as well be together.”

  I looked at Barb, who nodded to indicate she was willing. “We can follow you there.”

  Retta said the last thing I expected. “Barbara Ann, why don’t you ride with the chief? Faye can bring your car along, and we’ll meet you there.”

  Retta

  I love it when things work out, and the Brown case went very well. Eric DuBois’ lawyer tried to plead the murders down to manslaughter, but Stan put pressure on the D.A.’s office, and no deals were made. They used every delaying tactic imaginable, so the trial hasn’t started yet. It really doesn’t make much difference. He was denied bail, and nobody doubts a guilty verdict.

  Faye actually spoke for the other guy, Gabe. He got some time in the county jail, but she talked to the people at her church, who got him into a GED program. She actually went to visit him and promised she’d help him get work once he’s released. I tried to talk to Barbara about it, figuring she has more sway than I do on Faye’s activities, but she shut me down with, “It isn’t a bad idea. We might be able to use him here from time to time.”

  Neil Brown was released, so he was able to be at his sister’s side when she went into surgery. The doctors were optimistic about their success, but brain tumors require a wait-and-see period during which Meredith would be checked frequently. In the meantime, she recovered and went back to her second-graders.

  It would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised that Barbara Ann and Rory were attracted to each other. I’m usually better at picking up signs, but it wasn’t the end of the world. There are other men out there, and a girl might miss one, but another will come along.

  As far as the agency goes, I made no progress on changing the name. I bought the items I thought the place needed and was told I could take them back. I dropped off some ideas for a nicer logo and got no response whatsoever.

  But—and it’s a big one—Barbara Ann said in front of Rory and Faye that I’d saved her life. Later she told the reporters who interviewed her about her ordeal how smart I was and how much help I’d been.

  I’d never by pushy about it, but I’ll be part of the Smart Detective Agency yet.

  A Word about the
Author

  Maggie writes mysteries, loves fine chocolate, and has three cats--Bobbi, Harry, and Jo--and two dogs, a lab named Barker and a rescue dog named Pie.

  Maggie and her husband might be found hiking, but they seldom prepare properly for it. It’s more of a “Let’s see what’s over that hill!” type of lifestyle.

  You can contact Maggie on Facebook at

  https://www.facebook.com/maggie.pill

  or at her Wordpress blog

  http://wordpress.maggiepill.com/

  The Sleuth Sisters: and Retta Makes Three

  Chapter One: Retta

  It’s hard to say which is worse, learning your gentleman friend’s been arrested for murder or learning the victim was his wife.

  When the call came, I was doing some on-line shopping. It’s hard to buy decent clothes in Allport, Michigan, since we’re two hours north of just about everywhere. The UPS drivers know me well, and they’ve even gone so far as to leave packages in my car if it happens to be sitting in the driveway of my sisters’ detective agency. It saves a few miles and a few minutes, which I understand is a priority for them.

  I was looking at my favorite shoe site when a distinctive ring-tone sounded. Touching the screen, I said, “Hey, Faye, what’s up?”

  “Hi, Retta.” Her tone of voice revealed she had bad news. I had a momentary thought something had happened to her husband Dale, whose health hasn’t been good for some time. What she said totally surprised me. “Are you seeing a man named Winston Darrow?”

  I considered asking what business that was of hers. My sisters had started a business without me—without even telling me—and they’d made it clear I wasn’t part of it. Since they’d left their baby sister out of the Smart Detective Agency, why should I keep them informed about my love life?

  It isn’t really Faye’s fault, though. Barbara, our older sister, has objections to a three-woman operation. She says I’m too bossy. I say she’s too stubborn to take help when it’s offered.