| |
* * *
Leonard stopped at Amos’ house on the way to Irene’s, tapping lightly on the front door until a light came on inside and the door opened.
“I hope I didn’t wake Victoria,” Leonard said to Amos’ tired face.
“No, she only wakes up when the baby cries, otherwise she sleeps like a log. What’s going on?”
Leonard quickly filled Amos in on the details Irene had given him. Amos dressed quickly and left Victoria a note before rejoining Leonard on the porch. They hurried to Irene’s house.
“Think it might be the same guys who broke into Jack Weaver’s shop and the church?” Leonard asked as they walked together.
“I don’t know,” Amos said. “I didn’t start out thinking the two break-ins were related since we had nothing to tie them together, but now I’m not so sure. This will be the third break-in in less than a month. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen in Elmwood, no matter how many vagrants might pass through here.”
“I don’t think it’s a vagrant at all,” said Leonard.
“You never did, did you?” Amos asked. Leonard shook his head. “Maybe I should have listened to you,” he said and let out a sigh. “Think we ought to get the marshal?”
“No. He’ll just get in our way. We can tell him about it next time we see him, if you want.” The last thing they needed right now was Marshal Decker barking orders at them.
Leonard said nothing as they approached Irene’s house. The front door was standing wide open, and he wished he’d thought to ask Irene whether or not she might have left it that way. If not, then it probably meant whoever had broken into her home was gone. They would have been quite bold to leave through the front door, but then, if these were the same men who had stolen the money out of the church’s poor box, they were bold indeed.
“I’ll go around the back,” said Amos. “Count to twenty then go in.”
Leonard started counting. When he hit twenty, he entered the home and found nothing but darkness. His hand shot instinctively out in front of him, groping around him to make sure he didn’t walk into anything and hurt himself.
He heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. “Amos?” he said in a loud whisper.
Amos appeared in the doorway. “Nothing back here,” he said. They made their way to the bedroom, passing through the living and dining rooms, which were also empty. The bedroom was no different, and altogether it looked as though nothing had been touched. The guest bedroom appeared to be the same except for some drawers which were standing open.
“I’ll check the washroom,” Amos said and disappeared.
Leonard walked over to the dresser drawers and looked inside, not really sure what he was expecting to find except perhaps for some clothes which had been messed up. The top dresser drawer was full of Dr. Harcourt’s personal items. He had no way to tell what, if anything, was missing and resolved to ask Irene about it later. He would need her to go through everything and tell him whether or not anything had been stolen.
The very bottom drawer was the only one not open and he wondered whether the thieves might have been interrupted in their movements. Perhaps that was when Irene had woken and, hearing her movements, they’d decided to run rather than continue searching for what they no doubt hoped would be jewelry or money.
Leonard opened the bottom drawer and inside he found nothing but a few items of clothing and a rather large bag which appeared to be used for storing makeup and jewelry. There was something green and crinkly poking out of its top. He went in for a closer look and was startled to see a twenty-dollar bill staring back at him.
He held his breath then opened the bag the rest of the way. Inside, he saw nothing but paper bills—tens, twenties, fives, and even a couple of fifties and hundreds. He couldn’t begin to say just how many bills there were, only that there were enough to make the bag look plump, a pair of trousers busting at the seams.
“Oh my Lord,” he said, realizing what this meant. All of his fears and doubts suddenly seemed completely founded, and he felt himself to be on the verge of losing his wits when Amos reappeared. Leonard quickly shut the drawer, the makeup bag still in it, its contents almost spilling out.
“No one in the washroom either,” he said. “I guess the house is clean. I found where they got in though. There’s a broken window off the hall.” He stopped talking and looked at Leonard. “You all right?”
Leonard blinked. “Yes,” he said, standing up. “Let’s go and have a look at that window. Maybe whoever broke it left something behind.”
“I didn’t see anything,” Amos said. “Do you know if anything’s missing?”
Leonard shrugged. “No idea. I’ll have to get Irene back here to look around. I think for tonight though, given that her husband’s out of town and all, it’d be best if she stayed with us. I’m sure Lucy won’t mind.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t want Irene here alone after something like this. You know when the doctor gets back?”
“A couple days, I think. I’ll check with her.”
“All right,” Amos said. “Let’s get back then. I don’t want Victoria waking up and worrying about me. She’s likely to go a little off the rails if she finds out I’m not at home.”
“Fine by me,” said Leonard, anxious to get back to his house so he could question the girls, though he doubted very much either of them would answer him truthfully about what he’d discovered.
“All right, let’s go then,” said Amos. “We’ll come back in the morning and go over it again with the daylight. You never know what it might bring.”
Leonard nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
They made sure everything was as secure as they could make it, then each went their separate ways.
* * *
