by Lynn Cahoon
“And that’s why you’re not driving by the police station on the way out of town? Because Greg finding out about what we’re doing wouldn’t be a problem?” My aunt watched me as I drove the speed limit out of town.
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” I muttered as we finally reached the highway.
My aunt settled into the passenger seat. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The ride to Bakerstown was quiet, which I didn’t mind. I’d rather deal with my own issues of keeping things from Greg without the interference or unrequested wisdom from my aunt. By the time we reached the travel agency and pulled into the parking lot, the energy in the car was electric.
Aunt Jackie stared at the little cottage. “You have a plan?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I thought I’d start the conversation and you could ask who she’s been dating lately in your typical charming manner.”
“And what if she won’t tell me?” my aunt pressed. “How far do you want me to take this phony trip story?”
Crap, I hadn’t thought of that. What if Rachel wasn’t going to be Chatty Cathy about her love life? “Then we get the refund, and I call Greg and tell him what I, what we, think.”
She considered this answer, then nodded. “Okay, then. Project Secret Mistress is in full force.” She frowned at me. “What are you waiting for? Christmas?”
I climbed out of the Jeep and waited for my aunt to join me. I clicked the lock on the Jeep’s key fob. Cathy Addy was peeking out from her yarn shop window. I waved and she disappeared back into the building. “Not very friendly today,” I said as we walked into the travel agency.
“Who are you talking about?” Aunt Jackie turned, trying to see around me.
I motioned her into the lobby. “Don’t worry about it.”
The bell had announced our entrance, and Rachel appeared from the back room. “Hey, my favorite South Cove customers.”
I thought we were probably her only South Cove customers, but I didn’t point this out. “I’m glad we caught you. Esmeralda said you had a check for Greg? I thought since I was going to be in town today, I’d just grab it on my way.”
“I do. I almost never get refunds on cruises, but this particular company is very customer-service oriented. Let me grab it out of the safe.” She turned back to the room she’d just left, and a few minutes later, she returned with an envelope. Rachel handed it to me. “There you go. I’d say let me know when you’re ready to go again, but actually, I’m closing the agency.”
My aunt let out a tiny gasp. “No. I came with Jill today to talk to you about another trip next fall. I adore taking senior hostel trips, especially those that happen on college campuses. I was hoping you could help me find one in New England. I so wanted to see the leaves change.”
Rachel sank on the stool near her desk. “I know. I went to school back East, and I’ve missed the fall change more than I realized.” She dug through her desk drawer. “Here’s the name and number of a guy who runs an agency out of the city. He’s very good, and if you tell him I sent you, he’ll give you a good deal.”
Aunt Jackie took the card and slipped it into her purse. “I appreciate the referral. So, tell me about your leaving? Are you going back East?”
Rachel’s face froze. “Why would you think that?”
“You said you went to school there. Are you trying to rekindle a lost love? Or are you moving because of someone?” My aunt studied a brochure for an all-inclusive island retreat that was on the counter. “I swear, I can’t count the number of times my dear husband moved us across the country just because of his job.”
I felt my chin drop, but caught it before my surprise at the lie was apparent to Rachel. Aunt Jackie was good. She played her part well. I leaned against the wall, watching Rachel, hoping she was buying our fake girls’ talk. “I’ve never moved for a man. Well, I moved to get away from a man. Maybe you are, too?”
“You’ve caught me.” Rachel stood. “I’m running away with my mystery man. Come here, I want to show you what he bought for me.”
We watched as Rachel moved down the hall. She hadn’t mentioned Michael yet, but maybe the gift was a picture of the two of them or a clue to where they were moving. I took my aunt’s arm and led her, with me following Rachel.
She pushed a door open, then motioned for us to go in first. The room was bare. No furniture, no gift, no clues. I spun around, to see Rachel holding a gun on us. “I don’t know exactly what your game is, but I don’t have time to play.”
“You can’t keep us here.” I pushed my aunt behind me, hoping Rachel wouldn’t actually use the weapon.
Rachel smiled. “Oh, but I can. At least long enough to give Michael and me time to get out of this town. He’s already picked up the check from the sale of the business. Now all we have to do is go enjoy the fruits of Sandra’s labor. I can’t believe that woman was trying to skip town and leave Michael penniless.” She leaned against the door frame. “I’m a good sport and all, but I have my standards.”
“So, you found out about the sale of the business and killed her before she could leave.” I looked at Rachel’s hand where she held the gun. She noticed my attention and raised it back so it pointed right at my chest.
“Please don’t make me do something stupid.” She motioned me back a few steps. “That’s better. I didn’t mean to kill her. I was just going to talk, but then she went all crazy on me and took off walking down the road. I would have just hit her the one time, but she kept moving. In for a penny, my mom always said.”
“You’re just going to leave us here?” If we were locked in the room, at least I could call for help with my cell. Apparently that idea occurred to Rachel, too.
She motioned with her hand. “Throw your purses out into the hall. That way you won’t be tempted to do anything stupid. Once we’re in Nevada, I’ll call the police station and let them know where you are. Or, if you were smart, someone knows where you are and they may come looking for you sooner.”
We did as she asked, then Rachel moved to shut the door but paused. “Oh, one more thing? Tell Greg not to cash that check. There isn’t any money in that account. I’d hate for him to think badly of me for writing him a rubber check.”
Then she shut and locked the door from the outside. I ran to the window to see if I could open it, but no luck. The window looked out over an open field. We didn’t even luck out to be in a room across from the nosy neighbor.
Aunt Jackie dusted off a patch of floor in the corner and sank down. “Come sit. All we have to do is wait until four and Toby will place a call to Greg, who will call the Bakerstown Police, who will rescue us in”—she paused to look at her watch—“three hours, give or take.”
I jiggled the door handle, which was solidly locked.
“Jill, come sit down,” my aunt repeated. “Besides, even if you get out right now, she’s still in the building. She could shoot you.”
I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe regrouping for a few minutes was for the best. Besides, I didn’t want my aunt to be harmed because I was being stupid. I sat down beside her. “Sorry I got you into this.”
My aunt patted my hand. “Believe me, if you had come by yourself, I would have been so mad at you. I enjoy our little escapades.”
I leaned my head back against the wall. I’d always thought if I had gotten into trouble and arrested, Amy would be the friend sitting beside me saying what fun we had. Now I realized it would probably always have been Aunt Jackie. I really had to stop getting her involved in my foolhardy antics. “I’ve put you in danger.”
“We’re only locked in a room. It’s not like she’s shooting at us or the place is on fire.” My aunt closed her eyes. “Maybe I’ll take a little nap. I’ll have to put my trip into the city for the new gallery opening off until next weekend.”
I was too wound up to sleep. And now that she’d mentioned fire, I swore I could smell smoke. I rubbed my face. I was so suggestible. I stared at the door. Then glanced at my watch.
Five minutes had passed. I heard a car start up and I stood to look out the window, but I couldn’t see the parking lot. I figured that we were alone in the building. I tried opening the window. No luck. Something was nagging at me. Why would Rachel admit to killing Sandra? Unless they were leaving the country today and she was pretty sure we wouldn’t be rescued for a while. Still, something felt off.
I glanced at my watch again. Six minutes. This was going to be the longest three hours I’d ever spent. I settled back down next to my aunt and closed my eyes. The smell of smoke got stronger. Shaking my head to try to stop my crazy thoughts, I opened my eyes and saw a thin line of smoke coming into the room from the hallway. Now I knew why Rachel felt comfortable telling us everything. I slipped off my jacket and ran to the door, shoving the cloth between the wood and the floor. I felt the door. It was hot. “Aunt Jackie, get up. The place is on fire. The crazy woman set her own building on fire.” My lungs burned, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Think, Jill, think.
“What are you talking about?” my aunt grumbled, then sniffed and opened her eyes wide. “The room smells like smoke.”
“That’s because the house is on fire,” I repeated. “Look around, what can we do?”
There was nothing of use in the room, but in the closet, an old cash box was stashed on the top shelf. I pulled it down and took it over to the window. The drop to the ground was too far for Aunt Jackie: she’d break a hip or both when she landed. I, on the other hand, might just break an ankle. As long as it wasn’t two, I could crawl to the Jeep and make a call using the OnStar system.
Except I’d locked the doors of the vehicle. I felt my jeans pockets. The key fob was there. I hadn’t slipped it in my purse. I pushed the button to set off the alarm and prayed that I was in range for it to work.
No alarm blared.
I stepped near the window and pressed it again. This time I could hear my horn going off. Now at least Cathy next door should notice the alarm and hopefully the fire. I coughed. Even with my coat to block the opening, the smoke was getting stronger in the room. I had to get the window open.
I hit the window with the metal cash box. Nothing. I hit it over and over, nothing. Finally I sank down on my knees to rest and breathe some cleaner air. No way we’d last until four, or probably even until the car alarm clued the neighbor in to calling the police. We were going to die, and it was all my fault.
My aunt pulled me to my feet. “Let me help. Maybe with both of us swinging the box, we can get the glass to break.”
We stood on both sides of the window. “One, two, three,” I counted out and this time, when the box hit the window, a tiny crack appeared. “It’s working.” I focused on my aunt, who was getting a little fuzzy from the smoke in the room. “Again. One, two, three.”
This time the glass broke, and I felt the cool air pouring into the room. I pushed Aunt Jackie away. “Turn away, I’m going to break this glass out so I can climb out.”
My aunt came closer and looked down. “It’s too far to the ground.”
“Just trust me.” I turned her away from the window and started breaking out the glass. Once the bottom pane was cleared, I looked at my aunt. “Give me that jacket.”
“There’s no way it will fit you, my dear. Besides, it’s not cold in here.” She leaned out and over the open window. “I still don’t think you can jump that. You never were the most coordinated child.”
“I’m not going to wear your jacket.” I ignored her jab at my physical prowess. I looked at the wooden window frame.
“Dear, you can’t be serious.” She rubbed the arms of her suit. “This is Chanel. Classic Chanel.”
I borrowed and butchered a line from one of the action movies Greg kept making me watch. “Give me the jacket if you want to live.” I may have been overpromising.
She looked over at the locked door, where smoke was now billowing into the room, all around the edges of the door. “Fine, but you’re replacing the entire suit as soon as I can find one available.”
Taking the jacket, I looked closely to see if there were any jagged glass pieces left on the frame or ledge. When I was satisfied it was clear, I laid the jacket over the ledge and lifted my leg out the window. I settled, half in and half out, looking at my aunt. “Wish me luck.”
Before I could lift the other leg, I heard a scream from below.
“Don’t jump! We’ll save you.” Cathy Addy stood next to her walker staring in horror at me. I grabbed hold of the ledge. She was blocking my fall spot, and I didn’t think landing on an elderly woman would look good in the local papers. Especially if I killed her.
“Move back. I’ve got to get help.” I waved her off, but she just shook her head. “Seriously, you need to move. We can’t stay in this room much longer.”
My aunt poked her head out the window and took a deep breath of cool air. “What’s the holdup?”
Then a fireman came around the building after Cathy. “Lady, you need to go back to the parking lot and away from the house. It’s not safe.”
She shrugged and pointed at me. “You really need to save those women before you lose them.”
The man’s gaze followed her arm, and when he saw me, he grabbed the microphone on his uniform. “Get a ladder back here.” He put his hand up to hold me back from jumping. “Don’t move, ma’am. We’ll get you down. Is there anyone else in there with you?”
My aunt poked her head out again. “Me. Please save me.” I swear the woman batted her eyes at the man.
He blushed and nodded. “We’ll be right there. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
I glanced over at my aunt. “Do you have to flirt?”
She prepped her hair and faced me. “Do I look okay?”
“For a rescue? You look amazing.” I wanted to rest my back on the window frame, but I didn’t know if I’d gotten all of the glass out or not.
“For a rescue by a fireman.” My aunt shook her head. “You are so clueless. No wonder you’re not married.”
I started to tell her that not only had I been married, I was in a serious relationship with no need to flirt with first responders, but before I could speak, a ladder hit the wall of the shop. I glanced down. The lone fireman had been joined by several others. “Can you climb down, or do you need me to assist?”
I swung my leg over to the ladder, then lifted the second to meet the first. I jerked once and wondered if I would end up falling on my butt or worse, even with the fire brigade assistance. But I righted myself quickly and felt my aunt’s hand on my shoulder.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
I touched her arm and smiled at her. “Back at you.”
By the time they’d gotten Aunt Jackie out and the fire mostly contained, Greg had arrived from South Cove. He came over to the ambulance where I was sitting with Aunt Jackie. They’d insisted we use some oxygen to clear out the smoke from our lungs. I felt fine, but I knew if I balked, my aunt would follow suit. Besides, she was having so much fun with the EMTs, I didn’t want to disturb her.
“I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?” Greg stood in front of me, his gaze taking in my appearance. “Are you hurt?”
I stood. “Not even a scratch. Which is amazing since the window shattered into shards of glass. You would have thought—”
My next words were lost as he pulled me close to him and kissed me hard. He didn’t let go until I relaxed into him. Tears filled my eyes, and I swallowed them away.
“I thought I’d lost you when the call came in.” He looked into my face and pushed my hair back behind my ears. “What were you doing here?”
“Picking up a check from Rachel.” Crap, I’d forgotten about Rachel. “Hold up, you need to know this. Rachel killed Sandra because she was going to leave Michael without any money. So, they are taking off with the money and probably to a country that doesn’t extradite.”
He put his hand up to stop my ramblings. “Don’t worry about Rachel. We’ve got lookouts at the local airports and
a BOLO out on her car.”
“But I didn’t tell anyone. How did you know?”
A voice came from behind Greg. “I told them. I had come into the shop to see if Rachel wanted me to water her plants while she was gone and I heard her telling you all about what she did.” Cathy Addy shook her head. “I backed out of the house as quickly as possible and headed back to my house to call the cops. Good thing I talked her into installing the ramps on the building or the two of you might not have made it.”
Thank God for nosy—wait, make that concerned—neighbors, I thought. “Thank you, Mrs. Addy.”
The woman blushed. “Not a problem, my dear, not a problem at all. But I guess I won’t be watering her plants now. I think the fire killed them all.”
CHAPTER 22
The Business-to Business meeting started on time that next week. We had a special speaker, and without Sasha even calling the regular members to check on their attendance, we had a full house. Christopher Snider, Harrold’s grandson, was presenting on “10 Reasons You Need a Website.” I’d asked Toby to come in to help with refreshments as Sasha was actually going to be sitting at the table, representing Coffee, Books, and More. I had added the website design and upkeep to her list of duties.
Sadie slipped into a seat next to Dustin Austin, and I watched with humor as he looked over at her. Austin looked totally smitten with my friend. I tapped her on the shoulder in greeting, then went to sit next to Sasha. Amy was on my other side.
“We on for shopping on Sunday?” she asked, keeping an eye on Bill Sullivan to see when he was actually going to call the meeting to order.
“I still need a rug and a quilt, so if you’re available, I’m game.” I’d had a busy week since being rescued from the fire at Rachel’s travel agency. Greg had been even busier and hadn’t been able to make this meeting. Rachel and Michael were in custody, and each was pointing the finger at the other as the ringleader for their plot to murder Sandra. Tomorrow, Allison Delaine was meeting me at the shop to talk about hosting joint ventures between South Cove and Bakerstown’s committees.
