“I know. It brings back memories.” With concerned eyes, Max asked, “Should I call to see about the cleaning crew?”
“Better wait.” I found I was still holding my cell phone and slid it into my jacket pocket. I felt something weird in the pocket and realized it was the computer memory stick. “Oh. Forgot about that.”
“What?” Max asked.
“This.” I held it up. “Found it outside.” I put it back in my pocket. “I should remember to give it to the police, it could be a clue to Blanche’s death.”
Max leaned against the workbench. “What on earth were the intruders looking for?”
“No idea.” I shook my head. “Nothing’s here except the dollhouses and furnishings.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I need a cup of java.”
“Let me go and get us both a cup, plus a muffin or something for you. I’m sure you didn’t eat breakfast.” He smiled at me. “The police will be here any minute. Do you want me to wait? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Go. Coffee’s just what I need.”
I watched him leave. Within a couple minutes, I heard pounding on the front door. I went out to let two patrol officers enter. Just as I opened the door, two cars slid into each other on the icy street in front of the store, narrowly missing the squad car parked out front. The crunch was jarring in the cold winter air.
One of the patrol officers shook his head. “We’ll be right back as soon as another squad arrives.”
“Got it.” I closed the door and turned toward the showroom. My heart pumped as I leaned into the door. After a few moments, I went to sit in my usual place behind the counter. It wasn’t long before the officers came back.
“Sorry about that,” one of the officers said, brushing the snow from his pant legs and stomping his shoes on the mat.
“’Tis the season of snow and car wrecks,” his partner added. “People don’t take the necessary time to slow down.”
“Right. Everyone’s in a hurry.” I took a deep breath and said, “The mess is back here.” He followed me toward the workroom. The detectives soon arrived as well and began asking what seemed like a million questions. Something didn’t seem quite right, but what was it? When I finally had a moment, I went out the back door, stood across the alleyway and stared at the store. The snow was trampled near the dumpster, which led me to take a closer look.
Opening the door, I called the officers out, and said, “Take a look at all the footprints. Something’s odd about them.”
“I don’t see what you mean,” the uniformed officer stated as he stared downward.
“A set of prints looks more square than shaped like typical boot or shoe prints.” Scrunching down, I aimed my cell phone and snapped a few pictures while the officer followed my example. “It needs to be done before the snow here either melts or gets more trampled upon.”
When finished shooting photos, he went back inside, but I continued to search the area, trying to figure out where the prints were leading but with no success. I dragged the stepstool out from behind the dumpster, then went back inside for the garbage. The officers were busy, and both ignored me for the moment, so I brought the bags outside. I stepped up onto the stool, heaving the bags over the edge. A thump and low groan startled me.
“Liv, that bag looks heavy. Let me do it for you,” Ronnie called from around the corner. “Wait!” He started toward me.
“Help!” I yelled. It took a moment for me to realize that my bag had landed right on top of a partially covered body. “Ronnie! Come quick!” I heard that low, mournful groan once again. I pulled myself as high as possible and bent over the edge. “Hello,” I asked, and bent farther over the edge. I lost my balance and fell in a second later.
“Help!”
Chapter Eight
“Good grief! Why didn’t you wait? I had to set my camera in the car,” Ronnie stated, staring down at me. “What next?” He grinned.
“Get me out of here! I’m on top of someone,” I growled. He reached his arms down and lifted me up. “Why are you here?”
“Because of the call-in about your break-in.” Ronnie brushed off his hands and coat.
“I’ve got to get the police out here.” I opened the back door and shouted, “Someone get out here! There’s someone in the dumpster.” I slammed the door shut and ran back to the dumpster. I hollered down to the woman, “Help is on the way. You’ll be fine.”
The door opened with the two uniformed officers rushing at me. Ronnie brushed me aside and was getting ready to jump into it.
“Move it, mister,” one officer ordered. “Okay.” Ronnie reluctantly moved to the side.
“Let’s get her out! She must be near death!” I said.
An officer used my stool and leaned over in an attempt to reach the woman. I watched as an officer called it in to the dispatcher, certain that an ambulance would arrive soon.
“Shoot! I’ll climb down. Get ready to take her,” the first officer ordered.
“We’ll take it from here,” the second officer reassured me. “Go back inside but don’t touch anything,” ordered the first officer.
“I’m staying right here.” I clamped my jaw tight and crossed my arms. Two unmarked squad cars parked in the alleyway.
The officers lifted the woman out and laid her on a blanket. They covered her with a warmed blanket, pulling it over her face. Her hair, all I could see of her, was long and shiny black. The officers also took the garbage bags I’d just thrown in. Max returned while the detectives were busy conferring and taking pictures.
I moved toward the medics and noticed an officer walking the breadth of the alley with his eyes focused downward, searching for evidence.
Aaron parked his squad car farther down the alley as I went to go back inside. It was such a relief to see it.
It seemed to take a very long time until an officer entered and asked me a few more questions. He politely told me to stay put until the detectives were able to make their inquiries. I stood just inside the workroom door, gazing at the mess. Who would do something like this and why? My legs felt like lead. I couldn’t move. At last Detective Mergens entered.
“Mrs. Reynolds?” Mergens said.
“Liv. Yes?”
“What can you tell me about the woman?” Mergens asked. “And how the heck did you end up inside the dumpster? Start from when you first walked out the door.” He had his pad and pencil ready when I began with the story.
After I finished, he said, “Thank you,” and slid his notepad back into his breast pocket.
“Is she all right?”
“I can’t tell you. She is in need of medical care, barely alive because of the cold temps, probably hypothermia. It’s up to the doctors to save her.”
“Having the dumpster cover down must’ve helped to keep her body heat inside.” I played with my hair. “Do you know if I can go back into my workroom yet?”
“Hold on.” He held up a finger while he radioed an officer. He looked up at me. “Go ahead. They’ve finished fingerprinting.”
“I took pictures earlier of the prints in the snow surrounding the dumpster. Do you want them?”
“Yes, please. I’ll add them to the photos the officer took.” Mergens handed me his card and said, “Forward them to this number, that’s my cell.
“Would you prefer e-mail instead?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
When he left, I entered the workroom and turned the heat up. I wanted a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate, to give me strength for the job that lay ahead. I decided to go into the showroom.
“Ladies!” I said to the dolls. “Don’t worry, the police will leave soon. Dolley? Do you have a shot of that whiskey you kept hidden up your sleeve? No? Shoot!”
I glanced outside, just in time to see a tow truck raising one of the wrecked cars from the earlier accident. The owner of one, presumably, stood slumped on the curb, his hands in his pockets, looking as if he’d lost his best friend. I sighed and went to sit by the computer and f
ired it up for the day.
“Honey.” Aaron surprised me from behind and kissed me. “This must’ve been a nightmare to walk in on, eh?”
“What a day.” I looked up at him. “What can you tell me about the person who was pulled out of the dumpster?”
“I’m not sure about her condition. I’m surprised you even heard her groan, to tell you the truth.”
“There were no cars out back. I wonder how she got there.” I shrugged. “I have to refocus now. I can’t dwell on it. Something is happening around here, but what?” I shook my head. “Women in dumpsters? Blanche murdered near our doorstep? It’s all pretty horrific.”
“Don’t do anything rash. Please talk to me first before you do anything. Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Think everything through, and logically.” Aaron massaged my shoulders. “What’s next on the day’s agenda?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I want to see if anyone has responded to my question about the Lost Speech. The computer is acting slow again.”
I logged into the website and found three messages and read them for Aaron. “One guy says, ‘It’s lost. Give it up.’ Another said, ‘Look up the word lost in the dictionary.’ The other message said, ‘Don’t you have something better to do with your time?’” I logged out. “These guys are so rude. What’s with people nowadays?”
I let the computer screen go into sleep mode. “It’s time to tackle the workroom. Wonder when the cleaners will get here?”
Aaron slid his arm around me as we strolled into the workroom.
I glanced at the sewing machine and cringed.
“Mrs. Nixon’s dress is unsalvageable.” The tiny cut pieces of chiffon were torn. “I’ll have to reorder furniture, also. Several chairs and tables are broken.”
“At least the doll heads aren’t broken,” Aaron said.
The detectives came in to let us know they were finished. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions,” Mergens said.
“Whatever criminal activity is happening to you, or around you, you can be sure we’ll get to the bottom of it. We’re keeping tabs on it,” said Erlandsen.
“I hope so because I’m scared to death,” I said, shivering.
Aaron tightened his arm around me. “Both of us are. Keep me in the loop.”
“Will do.”
With the door closing behind the detectives as they left, I sank into Aaron. “I’m going to dust the showroom and straighten up the houses. I can’t face this workroom mess right now.”
The cleaning ladies arrived, and I had to stifle a chuckle. It was Suzy and Ruth again. I noticed that they both wore heavy shirts, most likely so they could better hide their flasks. A while back, there had been a murder in my store and these two women did a superb job at cleaning up.
“Remember us?” Suzy asked, her grin lighting up her wrinkled face. White curls peeked out from under her knit cap and reminded me of a small poodle. When she removed her cap, two forgotten hairpins revealed themselves, holding down a very tightly wrapped curl. Now my gut hurt from holding back laughter.
“I think I’ll leave you, Liv, and head back to work.” Aaron said. “Don’t forget there’s hockey practice tonight.”
“Okay. Have fun and don’t freeze half to death,” I said and then winced, remembering the girl I found in the dumpster.
“See you later.” He marched out the door. I noticed that the women stared after him.
“Mighty good looking.” Suzy grinned.
“I think so, too. Thanks.”
“The showroom floor will need a quick once-over with mild soap and tepid water,” I said. “The bathroom needs a good cleaning, especially the floor.”
“What does ‘tepid’ mean?”
Suzy winked as she leaned in closer to me. She whispered, “Sometimes ya have to spell tings out for da old girl.” She touched her forehead and glanced at Ruth.
“Barely warm.” I thought I’d bust a kidney from holding back my laughter. These ladies’ Scandinavian twang was quite comical. “The sooner you get this cleaning finished, the better. It’s stunk in here now for a few days. This is the third day, I guess.”
“We can do it, can’t we, Ruth?” Suzy’s toothless grin was almost my undoing.
“I’m not a total idjut!”
“Ladies, you can get started. The cleaning detergent and mops and so forth are right inside the back door. I’ll either be in the workroom or out in the showroom. I don’t plan to go anywhere.”
“How come that room’s such a mess?” Suzy asked. “Someone broke in.” I walked into the room. I had wanted to shut the door to drown them out but decided against it.
“What if we get murdered like that woman did outside?” Ruth asked.
“No one’s getting murdered here,” I said.
“I seen that ambulance pulling away. We was scared,” Suzy said. “Don’t worry.”
“They’re droppin’ like flies around here,” Ruth said.
From the corner of my eye I saw Suzy hand Ruth her flask. Ruth nudged it away, pulling out her own flask. The two ladies each took a couple swallows, then set to work.
Aaron was right—it was a big mess, and one that only I could clean up. I began by picking up all the small pieces of chinaware and placing them inside one of the larger boxes. Instead of sorting, I carefully stacked the few remaining Lincoln dinner plates. The real Lincoln chinaware for the White House was exceptional. The previous set hadn’t been replaced since ten years before the Pierce administration, and Mrs. Lincoln wanted the President’s House to be the finest in the land. She was addicted to buying. She’d be seeing a psychiatrist if she were alive today.
The Lincoln White House was indeed spectacular.
Mary Lincoln chose a set with royal purple and double gilt edges. Each piece had the arms of the United States on it, and the gold border was entwined with two lines signifying the union of the North and South. After ordering the china, Mary was criticized, of course. Pieces of it are displayed, not only in the White House, but admired by visitors in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
The royal purple color in the dishes stood out, and the American bald eagle was regal as it carried the national motto, E Pluribus Unum, through clouds. Mrs. Lincoln was the first of the First Ladies to choose an entire set of chinaware. I continued stacking the tiny plates, cups and saucers, relieved to see that the collection had only a few broken items.
Next, I spread out the miniature furniture. These pieces would take up most of my sorting time. Mary loved flower sprays and bouquets on hand for the designated tables. Tables and chairs varied with each first family, or at least the arrangement of the furnishings did. Of course, there were also the lavatories to furnish with soaps and towels.
I’d become enamored with the First Ladies when my parents brought me to Washington D.C. as a child and have been so ever since. I learned that I was a distant relative of Dolley Madison. I later fought off a killer in search of the “family secret,” which only added to my fascination. A sudden knock on the doorframe broke my concentration, and I jumped.
“Yes?” I asked, turning around. Ruth stood wringing her hands like a little girl in trouble. “What’s the matter?”
“Well. You see?” When Ruth crinkled her reddened nose, it reminded me of a dried carrot. I wondered if she had a snoot full before the day even began?
“Yes?”
“It stinks!” She held her nose.
“I didn’t think it was that bad. Maybe I’ve grown used to it?” I raised a brow. “The bathroom should be about done, eh?”
“Don’t mind her, she’s a little dazed this morning.” Suzy did another wink, only this time I counted three winks. “Let’s get this part finished, then we’ll take ten. Okay?”
“Fine.” I winked back at her and then sat down again by the workbench. I wondered if they’d wash the showroom floor today or tomorrow?
I had started sorting the couches and desks when the bell over
the front door dinged.
“Coming,” I called. I headed into the showroom.
“Liv, I’ve wondered about you.” Mikal strolled around the dollhouses and studied some of the furnishings.
“So, what brings you here on such a warm, sunny day in January?”
“You always see right through me.” Mikal stopped in front of Lincoln’s Civil War house. “I was wondering about you. What happened out back this morning? Couldn’t miss noticing the police, you know. I am right next door.” He looked at the Lincoln bed, and said, “Hmm… I wonder if this room is really still haunted?”
“Good question.” I steered him to the counter, then I went behind and sat. “I’m glad you’re here, actually.” I loved bouncing ideas off him. “A few things trouble me.”
“Why’s that?” Mikal cocked his head. “Wait. First explain the early morning police thing.” He crossed his arms as I told him about finding the workroom a big mess. “What on earth were they after?”
“No idea.” I said. “You knew I’d fallen into the dumpster?”
“Yes. Fill me in.” He pinched his nose and giggled. “Don’t hardly smell it.”
“I heard a noise like a groan and looked in. Everyone tells me to butt-out. It’s a good thing I didn’t listen this morning.” I crossed my arms. “Don’t know anything except the person who was in there is lucky to be alive. I’m glad I found her. Actually, Ronnie deserves credit also.”
“This is all mystifying.”
“I know. I was throwing the garbage out from the break-in and shouldn’t have been. I should have known better, and the police took the bags as evidence.” I blew my nose. “I’m jinxed.” I leaned closer. “Guess what? Last night, my friend Maggie and I found a small snippet of paper inside the hem of a dress that once belonged to Mary Lincoln.”
“Really? The dress worn by the woman who was killed?” When I nodded, he asked, “What did it say?”
“That’s what’s so odd. It just had the letter, ‘G’ written on it. Then, there’s the hatbox with a drawing of a staircase on the inside of the lid, along with the name, Mrs. Tindall, and that was Mary Lincoln’s alias.”
Word to Death Page 8
