“Oh. Sorry. Caught in the act,” Inga said, blushing. “I noticed that the letters mentioned a stuffed bear. Was it Tad’s? Don’t worry. I didn’t read anything personal.” She opened the lunch bags after scooting around to the other side of the counter and shoved one of the bowls over toward me. “Here.”
“Thanks. It sure smells good.” My mouth watered when I took a whiff of the chili. “I didn’t know I was this hungry until right now.” I took a bite. “How do you like the floor?”
“The ‘ladies,’ I use the term loosely, did a superb job.” Inga began eating. “They work hard. My store is now in good working order, too. If only we’d get more customers. It’s been really slow, but I keep Holly on, only I can’t give her many hours.”
“You can’t, really. It’s barely worthwhile for me to open my doors.” I continued enjoying the chili. “The First Lady celebration brought out a number of women and plenty of sales, though. Did you hear about my dumpster dive yesterday?”
“Who hasn’t? That was going to be my next question after the stuffed bear.” She cocked her head and said, “Well?”
“I heard a moan coming from the dumpster when I went to empty the trash, and then I ended up falling in. Yuck!” I shuddered. “If we had not found her, she might have died.” I folded my arms. “Don’t know anything except the woman is in a bad way. They have no suspects about the break-in, either.” I shrugged. “Would you like to see the bear?”
“Of course. I was just telling Luke about it, too. What an amazing find!” Inga twitched her nose. “Bet my nose is red from the hot chili, isn’t it?”
“Yep.” I grinned. “What did Luke think about it?”
“He didn’t say much, but he sure seemed interested.”
“I wonder why.” I finished eating and grabbed the garbage bin. “Here.” We tossed our empty bowls and rubbish into it. After setting the bin down, I said, “Be right back.” I went to the workroom and returned with the bear.
“Oh, my. You can sure tell that it’s old, can’t you?” She took it from my hands. “It’s lovely. Really lovely.” She held it to her nose and said, “It even smells old, doesn’t it?”
“That’s the same thing Mikal said.” Turning it over, I revealed the mystery. “What do you think?”
“My goodness!” Inga peered closely at it. “It does look like a family tree. Why on earth would she embroider one? Why in that location? Mary had to have really lost it by that time, don’t you think?”
“Don’t you think the bear’s rear end might mean something?”
“Yes, it sags and is in need of a lift.”
Chapter Ten
On the way home from the movie, I crossed the Hennepin Avenue Bridge and followed the road onto Main Street and headed north. After passing the old Grain Belt Brewery, now a library, I had only a few more blocks to go. It comforted me to know that the old building still looked as good as ever.
Turning onto the block and approaching my house, I could see our snowman lights lighting the yard. Wait, did our living room lights flicker? It must have been fatigue that made me see things. I pressed the remote to open the garage door and pulled inside.
An eerie, creepy feeling crept over me as I entered the kitchen. I pulled off my coat, hung it up, and removed my boots. The hair on the back of my neck bristled as I looked around the room. The silverware, knives, and utensil drawers were tipped upside down on the counter, their contents strewn across the kitchen floor.
I picked up a long knife and dug out my cellphone. Did I really hear the living room floor squeak? The closet door was ajar, so I crept behind it. Somehow, I pressed the right buttons on my phone and whispered, “Help. There’s someone in my house.” My teeth chattered loudly, and I wondered if I heard the front door squeak open and close. Was it safe? My eyes were wide as I snuck out from behind the door and tiptoed to the living room. A draft of cold air could be felt in the living room. I closed and locked the front door, and then slumped against it. I called Aaron and left him a voice mail message.
It took me a few minutes before I was ready to go to the bathroom in search of a box of tissues. Outside the spare bedroom door I stopped right in my tracks. Mary Lincoln’s hat was ripped to shreds. Tad’s uniform was in a heap on the floor.
After snatching a tissue, I went back to the living room and sank into the sofa. In the background, I heard sirens. Aaron found me staring out the window with the television sound soft in the background.
“Why did this happen? Why?”
“Don’t worry, baby, I’m right here.” He sat beside me and placed his arm around me. “The police will soon be here.”
“I… thought I… saw a light…”
“Wait for the patrol officers, honey.” He smoothed the hair back from my face. “Don’t worry, this will soon be over.”
“Yes.” I furrowed my brow. “I…had this weird feeling…” The sirens blared. “… come over me. I saw the kitchen mess.”
“They’re here,” Aaron said. We both heard the sirens stop and the slamming of car doors. “I’ll go and open the garage door.”
The officers entered the room, and I turned down the sound on the TV. A news bulletin about the hunt for two missing girls caused me to remember the girl in the dumpster and shudder. I looked up at the officers.
“Mrs. Reynolds?” The first officer held open his badge. “Officer Olson.”
“Officer Johnson,” the second officer chimed in as he showed his badge.
“Call me Liv, please.”
“Can you tell us what happened?”
“Sure.” I proceeded to tell the two men what had happened from the time of entering the house until Aaron returned home. “Have you looked around at anything at all? Know if anything is missing?”
I shook my head.
“Ready to come and have a quick look without touching?” Officer Olson asked.
“Sure.”
“You two show us the way,” Officer Olson said.
“Let’s go.” I clutched Aaron’s hand as we entered the spare bedroom to survey the mess. The flowers were ripped off the hat and scattered across the bed, along with the green leaves and attached netting. Very little was left on the hat. It looked like an old bushel basket. It hurt to look at it. I reached out to touch it but was prevented from doing so.
“Remember?”
“Sorry.” I looked at the hatbox and said, “It’s pulled apart. The lid, message, and stuffed bear are still in the trunk, but look what they did to Tad’s uniform.”
“You don’t suppose they were after that, do you?”
“No idea.” That made me think of the necklace. “Just a minute.” I scooted out to the security box in our bedroom. When I opened it, my eyes lit up because the necklace was still in place. I shut it up again and went back to the spare room. “It’s still here.” “Why would someone do this to an old ladies’ hat?” Officer Johnson asked, hands on his hips. “Was it your grandma’s or what?”
“Believe it or not, it belonged to Mary Lincoln.” I took out my phone to make a call to the detectives. No one answered, so I left a voice mail stating exactly what had happened.
“That might shed a whole new light on the investigation,” Officer Olson said. “Does this pertain to an ongoing investigation?”
“I believe that it does,” Aaron answered.
“It needed reporting.” My phone buzzed, and I answered. It was a short call. “They’re coming over.” To Aaron, I asked, “Why would someone go through our kitchen drawers?”
“Remember, Liv. We’re leaving it to the detectives.”
Officer Olson closed his notebook after making a note of everything. “They’ll be here asap.”
“See anything missing from the kitchen?”
“Nah,” Aaron shook his head. “I know how many knives there are.”
“We’ll wait in the living room.”
Aaron stayed out of the officers’ way while we settled in on the couch. Through half-closed eyes, I saw the fl
ashes of photographs being taken.
The detectives arrived in a matter of a few minutes and knocked on the door.
Officer Olson cleared his throat. “There’s a mess in two rooms as far as we all know.”
“You two go knock on doors. We’ll take it from here,” Erlandsen directed.
“The hat and dress are destroyed,” I told him. “The hat, especially. The Mary Todd Lincoln Home must be contacted. I wonder if they’re insured. Oh, and I’ve been meaning to ask you, did Blanche have family?”
“No. No other family,” Erlandsen informed us. “Concerning the clothing, we’ve already contacted the Mary Lincoln House. They understand why it was in your possession as well as the necklace.”
“That’s the next piece of the equation. They want Blanche’s laptop back, asap. However, it’s blank,” Mergens said. “Can you give us a clue as to why?”
“Not really,” I said, perplexed, “but she was researching a speech that Mr. Lincoln gave.”
“That speech is ancient history. It shouldn’t pertain to today,” Mergens said.
“But, you don’t have a clear motive, do you?” I asked.
“Let them do their job,” Aaron said, squeezing my hand.
“We’re on it,” Erlandsen said.
The rest of the evening was spent watching the detectives go from room to room. They looked things over while we listened to their muffled voices. Every so often, I would ask a question. Aaron and I gave each other a secret squeeze under a blanket while Mergens asked us yet one more question. The little guy reminded me of Columbo. After the officers had left, both detectives stood before us. I got a niggling feeling they were going to ask something weird.
“What?” I asked, studying both. “You’ve got something spinning around.”
“May we?” Mergens nodded toward the spare chairs. “Go ahead.”
They sat down. Mergens pushed his glasses up on his forehead and rubbed his eyes. I thought he was going to explain, but his partner jumped in.
“It’s like this—something’s up and we haven’t a clue. It’s just like the last time, only then we didn’t listen to you,” Erlandsen said. “We’re open to listening this time since it’s centered around you.” I knew that he meant the Dolley Madison case. The clues were unclear then too, just like this puzzle surrounding Mary Lincoln.
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say.” I swallowed hard and looked at Aaron. “First, tell me what you’ve found out about the dumpster woman. Then I’ll know how to answer.”
“Wherever that leads, it doesn’t concern whatever is happening here and now. Another investigator is working on that, and it involves Immigration and the local FBI bureau.” Erlandsen shrugged. “We’ve got to concentrate on the murder.”
“Look you two, in particular, you, Liv. This is no game,” Mergens spoke emphatically. Frowning, he said, “Burglary? Twice? That doesn’t make sense. The guy’s after something and you have it. Any idea what it might be?” He looked first at me and then turned his gaze to Aaron. “You must have some theory or an idea?”
I gulped. “Well…yeah…kind of do…but am completely unsure of it.” I grimaced, knowing how disjointed I sounded.
“Let’s have it. Start again with what you said previously.” Both detectives sat poised with pads and pencils at the ready. “Well…give me a sec to organize my thoughts.” I looked around the room before beginning. “It’s all centered around President Lincoln. You’ve probably already sensed that. Why? I’m not sure, but he gave a speech that has been referred to as ‘the Lost Speech,’ as there are no known copies.” I waited for both detectives to finish writing and look up at me. “By the way, are there any suspects in Blanche’s death?” When they both shook their heads, I said, “I wish you had the case solved.”
“No clues. Nothing to link anyone to the murder. The woman’s neck was broken before the fall.”
“Hmm…” I barely swallowed because of the lump in my throat. “So that means that the person who broke in here could be the same one who murdered Blanche. How comforting.” I squirmed.
“Let’s get back to the matter at hand,” Erlandsen suggested.
“The necklace that we discovered belonged to Mary Lincoln. We told you about that. A university professor who studies historical items has made arrangements to test it.” They nodded and scribbled notes. “The necklace charm is in the shape of an acorn and was hidden inside a hat box that also belonged to Mary Lincoln.”
“Very puzzling. We want to see it before we grant permission for testing,” Mergens said. “Continue.”
“See if this works for you. The hem of the dress Blanche wore, one of Mary Lincoln’s, was odd as you know. We found a curled snippet of paper with the letter ‘G’ written on it. We also noted a staircase drawn on the inside of the hatbox lid.” I sat up and moved the blanket away. “It’s all a mystery whether that all adds up to something.” I stood and told them I would get the necklace. “I’ll let you decide if we should follow through with the professor.”
“I’ll get it,” Aaron said. “It’s in an evidence bag, and given the way it was found, I doubt there will be any significant prints.” While Aaron went upstairs, the detectives continued with me.
“No theories?”
“It’s all connected to Mary Lincoln. That, I’m positive of,” I repeated. “I had Mikal, the handwriting analyst who runs the shop next to mine, look at the letter ‘G’ and the drawing of the staircase. He deemed that they were written by the same hand. Or at least that’s his best guess.” I massaged my forehead. “I also have a stuffed bear that belonged to Tad Lincoln. It’s very odd. There is an embroidered family tree on a flap of fabric on its rear, sort of a trapdoor, like long john underwear has.”
“You’re kidding?”
“The hatbox lid, ‘G’ paper and stuffed bear are in the trunk of our car,” I said.
Aaron came back. “Here’s the necklace.” He held it out for them to see.
“Tell you what, let’s go ahead with testing,” said Erlandsen. “This investigation is getting weirder and weirder. We’ll contact the Mary Todd Lincoln House and apprise them of the continued situation. These are the only clues we have that may point toward a motive. Talk about perplexing.”
“Why would someone do this to an acorn?” Mergens asked. “Our superiors will have to be kept abreast of the situation.” He took out his phone and went to another room.
“Aaron? How about getting the items from the trunk?” Erlandsen asked.
“It should only take a minute. And while he’s doing that, I’m taking a bathroom break. Be right back.”
On my return, I noticed the detectives were holding the paper with the staircase up against the light, which caused me to cringe. “You must be careful with that. It’s very, very old,” I admonished them and glared at Aaron.
“Sorry,” Mergens said. “Just looking for ourselves.” He put the paper down. “From what I can tell, they do appear to be written by the same person. Very old paper…unlined…brittle…yellowed. The writing is shaky in a few spots, just like on the stairs.” Frowning, he crinkled his brow. “The bear smells old, too.”
“Everyone who has seen this bear mentioned that.” I rolled my eyes.
“The necklace does have a ‘nut’ appearance, doesn’t it?” Mergens picked it up and studied it. “Interesting.” He set it on the table next to the other items. “The lieutenant gave us permission to continue with the investigation as we see fit. It’s a go with the professor.”
“Good. I think Dr. Williams was excited about doing the test.”
“Well, this is sure a hodgepodge of things with nothing concrete to tie them together,” Erlandsen said, fingering the items.
“Just like the last time with the Madison stuff.”
I crossed my arms. “Together, it has to mean something. There’s a newly found letter at the Lincoln library, which I haven’t seen yet. There’s one more thing. In Mary Lincoln’s published diary, there are a few pages
were she drew concentric word puzzles.”
“Well, they say she was a bit off, you know.” Erlandsen scratched his hair. “But, a First Lady doing all this stuff… and with the Civil War going on… maybe she did hide something of his.”
“The bear with embroidery on its butt. Now what could that signify?” Aaron wondered.
“Actually, just about anything. But she must have embroidered it for a reason,” I said.
“Right, there must be a motive behind all this.” Aaron glanced at me. “The hat’s a shredded mess now. The person who broke in must’ve believed there was something hidden in it, don’t you think?”
“Who knows about all of this?” Erlandsen asked.
“Inga, the owner of the antique shop near my store, knows, so I assume Holly, her employee, does too.” I watched as the detectives wrote the names down. “Luke does, thanks to his catering job at Grandma’s, and also Inga mentioned the speech to him. Mikal also knows about it. Luckily the hatbox lid and bear were still in the car—nothing happened to them. The little piece of paper, also.” After a moment, I said, “But the necklace. It’s really only us that know it’s a necklace that we found. They may have suspicions, but that’s all it is.”
“And, the professor,” Aaron said.
“But, how does trashing your kitchen play into this?” Mergens asked.
“That’s the part that doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“Tell you what, you two,” Mergens said as he adjusted his glasses, “take some time in the next few days and go through each drawer. If you find anything missing or unknown, let us know.”
“Good idea. Kitchen drawers are great places to drop things that are soon forgotten.” Erlandsen glanced at us. “I think you spooked the intruder, and he or she didn’t get what they wanted.” He hesitated, and then asked, “Anything unusual around this block—or over near your store? Any suspicious neighbors?”
“One thing, which does seem odd—Luke.”
Word to Death Page 10
