Derek jerked a thumb at the man. “Paul here says he heard a couple of odd things a short while before you found the fire.”
Found the fire? Nicole dropped the blanket from her shoulders and hugged it to her chest. Is that what Derek called nearly being blown into the next world?
“What can you tell us?” Rich shook Paul’s proffered hand.
“Buster and I were out on our usual rounds—”
“Buster?”
Paul motioned toward the terrier that whined at the fire and hugged close to his master’s legs. “When we got to the corner of the Sewing Room, I thought I heard glass breaking. I stopped and looked around, but didn’t see anything. The street was deserted. Then I figured out the sound probably came from the alley around back.”
“Did you investigate?”
Paul stiffened. “Are you kidding? I—er, well, that isn’t Buster’s and my usual route, so we moved along up main street. A couple seconds later, I heard an engine roar, like someone was giving it the gas.”
“Did you see a vehicle?”
“Nope. The car noise came from the alley, and it went the opposite direction.”
Rich’s quick sigh echoed Nicole’s. She continued to hang back and let Rich handle the questions. This was his job, and he did it well.
“Thanks for the info, Paul,” Rich said. “One more question. Was there anything distinctive about the engine sound?”
Paul scratched under his ear. “Deep. Kind of gravelly like a sports car.”
Rich and Derek exchanged glances. Nicole knew a couple of people with sports cars right in the Kellers’ neighborhood. Did the information mean something special to the police?
“You know who to check up on,” Rich told his deputy.
The younger man jerked a nod.
“You done with me?” asked the man with the dog.
“Thanks, Frank.” Rich shook his hand again, and Buster and his master hustled away.
Derek pulled a frown as his gaze followed man and dog. “Too much crazy stuff happening around here these days. I thought I’d come back home after the academy and cut my rookie teeth in a quiet little town. Hah! The equipment thefts with no clues and no witnesses are downright freaky. Makes us look stupid. Then a baby is discovered beneath an upstanding citizen’s rose garden, an old lady gets attacked in her home and now this.”
“Hang in there,” Rich said. “We’ll catch these perps. They’ll make a mistake, and then they’ll be behind bars before they know what hit them.”
“I sure hope you’re right. Anything developing on the rose garden baby case?”
“I’ve got a few angles to pursue. I want to find out who might have had a vendetta against the Elling family. Business associates. Employees.”
Derek grimaced. “My grandmother, Gudron Hanson, was a cook for the Ellings at the time of the kidnapping. My mom told me about it, but warned me not to bring the subject up to her. The incident broke Grandma Goody’s heart, but not because she lost her job. Mom says Grandma was going to quit anyway because she was about to marry my grandfather.”
Nicole caught her breath and stepped closer.
“Is your grandmother still alive?” Rich asked the question uppermost in Nicole’s mind.
“Sure,” Derek said, “but she’s in the nursing home and not all there, if you know what I mean. Even if she wasn’t going in and out of focus like some waterlogged camera, she won’t talk about the kidnapping. My mom said she’d just look sad and walk away if anyone mentioned it.”
“I’m going to try talking to her anyway tomorrow,” Rich said. “You follow up on that sports car while I take Nicole home, I—” Rich turned and nearly ran into her.
Nicole gazed into his startled face. “When you talk to Goody tomorrow, I want to be there.”
“I don’t think—”
“Good idea!” the deputy burst out. “She might open up to you, Nicole. She thought the world and all of Jan Keller. Used to be a regular customer at the sewing shop.”
Nicole nodded. “I remember my grandma mentioning her friend Goody Hanson.”
Derek looked toward his boss. “If you’re set on talking to her, I figure she’d talk to a woman before some strange man. No offense, Chief.”
Rich frowned and studied Nicole. “Wouldn’t you rather stay home so you can look for the insurance information on the shop?”
“The policy will wait where it is until I get around to finding it.”
Rich lifted his hands in defeat. “All right. I’ll pick you up in the morning. But now let’s get you home, unless you can think of some place else to stay.”
“Negative.”
“I thought not.” Rich poked a finger at Derek. “Pass the word. Drive-bys on the Keller property every half hour.”
“Got it!” Derek trotted away.
Rich ushered Nicole toward his SUV with a hand at the small of her back. Sweat popped out on Nicole’s forehead as she fought an overwhelming impulse to lean into his comfort and let him wrap an arm around her. Brooding silence hung between them in the vehicle on the short drive to the Keller home. Rich must have a million better things to do than chauffeur her around, but he did it without complaint. He walked her up to her door, and insisted on checking the inside of the house. The place was deserted, and the mess was exactly as it had been only yesterday before their hasty run to the Twin Cities hospital.
“I’m sorry…about everything.” Rich squeezed her hand at the door as she let him out.
“I know.” She pulled her hand away. The warmth of his touch was too appealing to her emotions, his broad shoulder too inviting for a good long cry.
And then he was gone.
Numb and exhausted, Nicole locked the door then checked every bolt on every entrance and window. Finally, she dragged herself upstairs to her grandmother’s guest bedroom where she’d installed her things. Not much to show for a decade of married life, and before that, full and active growing up years. Most of her belongings were in storage. Not needed here at Grandma Jan’s.
What if her grandmother never came back? With the shop gone, there’d be nothing to hold Nicole in Ellington. Where would she go? It seemed no matter where she tried to plant roots, they got torn up.
Nicole shook herself. She couldn’t afford to spend time feeling sorry for herself. The important thing was to catch whoever assaulted her grandmother. Had that person also torched the shop? Or had that been an accident? Maybe a gas line had sprung a leak.
Sure, just like Grandma was attacked by a passing burglar who had nothing to do with the baby in the rose garden.
Her teeth ground together. Somebody had a lot to answer for, and they weren’t driving her out of the family home until and unless she was ready to leave. There was one item from her married life that she’d brought here. Something her grandmother knew nothing about because she would have had a “conniption,” as she’d put it.
Nicole got her suitcase out of the walk-in closet and plunked it onto the bed. From a zipper compartment in the bottom she pulled a shiny black object. The weight was heavy in her hand. She hadn’t kept the pistol Glen had bought her loaded and in her dresser drawer since moving to Ellington. Time to revert to that old cop’s wife’s habit.
If this creep came skulking around here again, he’d have far more to deal with than one little old lady. Nicole was a crack shot on the firing range, but she’d never pointed a gun at a human being. In this case, she wouldn’t hesitate.
Would she?
The next morning, Rich scowled at the road on the five-minute drive from the Keller house to the nursing home on the east edge of town. The faint scent of smoke tainted the atmosphere, reminding him of last evening’s tragedy. Plus the dispatcher had called at 7:00 a.m. to tell him a farmer had reported small equipment missing overnight. Then Nicole had answered his knock around eight-thirty looking too cute for his comfort, despite the dark circles under her eyes. He’d noticed the same smudges on his own face while shaving this morning. They were a f
ine pair of raccoons off to interview a befuddled octogenarian.
“Are you in pain?”
Nicole’s soft query jerked him out of his dark meditations.
“A little.” He rippled his shoulders and winced. “No worse than high school.”
“High school?”
“We beat each other up pretty good in football.” A smile tugged at his lips.
She laughed. “All in the name of becoming a hometown hero. You did it right in my books last night.”
Little ripples of pleasure passed through Rich then the glow of the compliment dimmed. “I just wish it hadn’t been necessary.”
“Me, too.”
Comfortable silence fell as Rich found a parking space in the small lot. They got out and headed for the front door of the single-story, redbrick building.
Nicole cast him a questioning look. “How much do you want me to participate in the conversation?”
Rich smiled at her. She was a savvy woman and thinking clearly, despite her losses. “If Goody responds better to a woman, maybe you could get her talking and relaxed.”
“Before you spring the bomb on her.”
Rich winced. “It’s not to my taste to sneak up on an old woman, but we’ve got to pursue every lead we can get, even if it’s a long shot.”
“I wasn’t criticizing. I totally get it. As crazy as it sounds, Derek’s grandmother is a potential suspect in the baby case.”
Rich opened the door for Nicole, and they stepped into a spacious lobby/dining room combo. An ornate fountain bubbled in one corner and a sitting area featured leather furniture and a large-screen TV. The couch stood empty, but several residents watched a game show from their wheelchairs. The large space smelled of whatever had been served for breakfast. Rich’s stomach growled, and he cleared his throat to cover the sound. After he got the call about the missing equipment, he’d forgotten to eat.
Fortunately, Nicole had gone ahead to the reception desk to ask where to find Gudron Hanson. Soon they were in a room about the size of a generous bedroom. The area held a dresser, a single bed, a television and stand, a shelf hosting several live plants, an enormous bulletin board crammed with family photos, a straight-backed chair and a large recliner. Goody, garbed in a flowered housedress, reigned over her room from the recliner. Wispy white hair framed a broad Nordic face seamed with wrinkles.
Milky-blue eyes gazed in their direction “Wh-who is it?” she quavered.
“Nicole Keller,” Nicole answered, using her maiden name. “And my friend Rich Hendricks.”
“Hendricks?” The old woman frowned up at him. “Don’t know any Hendricks. Know some Kellers.” Her gaze fell to Nicole. “You related to Frank and Jan?”
Nicole settled on the guest chair with a chuckle. “I’m their granddaughter.”
A smile spread across Goody’s face, exposing teeth too perfect to be her own. “How nice you came to visit. How are your grandparents? Oooh, I forgot. Frank passed, didn’t he?”
“That’s right, but Grandma Jan’s still kicking.” Nicole’s face paled, but her voice remained steady.
Rich mentally applauded her composure despite the thoughts and fears that had to be going through her mind. He squeezed her shoulder, and she sent him a grateful glance. She was doing great, and Derek’s grandmother seemed more aware than he’d expected. Maybe something useful could come from this interview after all.
For the next few minutes, Nicole and Goody ignored him as they reminisced about Jan and Frank Keller. The old woman’s delighted cackle punctuated the conversation. A sparkle lit Nicole’s gaze at the fond memories. Rich bit back his questions. These women deserved a few lighthearted minutes. He could be patient.
Goody squinted up at him. “You this young lady’s beau, big fella?”
Heat licked Rich’s cheeks, and Nicole’s face crimsoned.
“Like she said, I’m a friend,” he answered.
The old woman looked him up and down. “You’re wearing some sort of uniform. Can’t quite make it out. Are you a soldier?”
“Police officer.”
Goody’s eyes widened then she grinned. “You know my grandson, Derek? He’s a policeman, too.”
“This is Derek’s boss,” Nicole inserted. “Rich is the chief here in Ellington.”
The old woman narrowed her eyes. “What happened to Chief Wilson?”
“He retired, ma’am,” Rich said.
Goody’s wrinkles folded in on themselves. “Can’t count on nothin’ staying the same.”
Nicole covered the octogenarian’s hand with her own. “You’ve been through a lot of changes, haven’t you, Goody?”
“Sure have.” The woman bobbed her head. “More’n I care to say. More than I remember even. The old noggin’ ain’t what it used to be.” She tapped her head with a forefinger.
The opening wasn’t going to get any better. Rich stepped closer.
“Your grandson’s a good cop. He mentioned that you used to work for the Ellings.”
Goody went stiff. “Long time ago. Not my best memories. Doesn’t matter now.”
“Unfortunately, the past must be discussed.”
Nicole fidgeted with her purse strap while Rich told Goody about finding a baby’s bones in the Kellers’ yard and the attack on Jan Keller. He left out the explosion at the shop. That was more information than Goody needed and could possibly end up attributed to natural causes. Sure. Just like Jan Keller’s attacker was a common burglar.
As he talked, all animation faded from Goody’s face. Soon tears formed ragged trails down her furrowed cheeks.
“Wicked doings,” she muttered. “They broke the sixth one.”
The sixth one of what? Nicole’s head jerked up. “Who did wicked things? My grandparents?”
The woman shook her head. “Not them. It was them!”
“Them who?” Nicole leaned forward and gripped the arm of Goody’s chair.
“What can you tell me about Samuel Elling’s kidnapping?” Rich jumped in. This conversation needed solid direction.
Goody’s head swayed back and forth, and she wrung age-spotted hands.
“You worked in the Elling home at the time,” Rich pressed. “The help always knows more than the family thinks they do.”
“Please, Goody!” Nicole burst out. “We need to catch whoever is hurting people now in order to hide what they did.”
The old woman covered her ears with her hands. “Accursed seed! Legacy of lies!” Her voice grew shrill.
Nicole sent Rich a helpless glance and half rose from her seat. Goody’s hand shot out like a bird’s talons and gripped Nicole’s wrist. “Secretsssss. Those poor women!”
“Who do you mean, Goody?” Nicole leaned close, but the older woman stared around, eyes wild.
“Nobody kno-o-ows!” She wailed, fit to wake the dead.
A nurse rushed into the room. “It’s all right, Goody.” The woman motioned to Rich and Nicole. “You’d better leave. She goes along great for quite a while then something sets her off, and she has one of her spells. Best thing is dark and quiet.” The nurse pulled the curtains.
Pale and wide-eyed, Nicole headed for the door, and Rich followed on reluctant feet. There was more to Goody’s outburst than just “a spell.” Somewhere in the wild nonsense lurked a thread of sense. But how could he pick it out through the knotted mess?
NINE
As she hurried out of the nursing home beside Rich, Nicole’s skin crawled as if tiny bugs scampered across her flesh. What a frightening reaction from an otherwise sane-seeming woman. Sure, Goody had been a little vague at times, but she’d been sharp as a tack about bygone days. Then again, if she’d worked for any length of time in the Elling household, particularly at the time of the kidnapping, that would be enough to give anyone the willies.
They reached the fresh air and sunshine of the outdoors, and Nicole took a cleansing breath. “Goody knows something about the Ellings, but it may not have anything to do with the kidnapping.”
Rich shot her a hard look. “Why do you say that?”
They reached his SUV, and Nicole met his gaze across the hood. “She mentioned ‘those poor women.’ I think she meant the Elling women. I’ve researched the family, and the Elling wives have had it tough.”
Rich shrugged. “I’m sure Fern, Margaret and Hannah were pretty broken up about Samuel’s disappearance. Goody probably witnessed a lot of weeping and wailing.”
Nicole pursed her lips and shook her head as she climbed into the vehicle. She didn’t have enough information to argue with him, and she could be wrong, but she had the sense that Goody referred to a pervasive horror in that household.
Rich pulled out of the parking lot, gnawing on one side of his lower lip, gaze distant. The man was thinking anyway.
Nicole rubbed her palms against her jeans, quashing the jitters. “It feels a little like déjà vu to ask, but could we stop downtown? I’d like to get a look at what’s left of the shop by daylight.”
Rich headed the SUV toward the heart of Ellington. “I was on my way there anyway after I dropped you off back home. The investigator from the State Fire Marshall’s office should be sifting through the debris this morning. Maybe he can give us some idea how the blaze started.”
The charred and blackened stone front of the shop still stood, but the wood structure behind it was pretty much gone. Heart leaden, Nicole inhaled a lungful of acrid air. A lifetime of work put into this business, now reduced to wet ashes. How would she break this news to her grandmother? Provided she had that opportunity. Her call to the hospital this morning had yielded no encouragement—no particular discouragement, either. Jan Keller remained unconscious in serious but stable condition.
A gray-haired man in jeans, a sports shirt and a feed cap wandered around the shop’s remains, studying the gutted structure. He was dressed pretty casually for a state official. A reporter? She wasn’t ready to talk to one of those.
“Stan!” Rich called to the guy.
He waved and meandered over to them, craggy face unsmiling. “Hey, Rich. Too much excitement around here.”
“I’ll say.” Rich grunted. “Stan, this is Nicole Mattson, the owner’s granddaughter. Nicole, this is Stan Bolton of the fire marshall’s office.”
Jill Elizabeth Nelson Page 9
