“But who could it have been?” I glanced around at Mildred in the bergère by the fireplace, Lillian on the edge of a straight chair and Deputy Tucker standing in the middle of the living room, asking questions and taking notes.
Through the tall windows, I could see other deputies beating the bushes out on the lawn. Mildred had turned on the floodlights, so it was like daylight out there.
Nobody answered, which was no surprise since we were still suffering from shock, and I was just prattling out loud to ease the strain.
“Mrs. Allen,” Deputy Tucker said, “with a nice house like this, you really ought to have a burglar alarm.”
“Oh, I do,” she said, as I jerked my head up in surprise. “Horace had it put in for me. He’s so handy with things like that. We just forgot to turn it on.”
Mildred had reverted to her languid Lady of the Manor mode, seemingly unperturbed that the mere flip of a switch could’ve kept us safe and her wall unscathed.
“Well,” he said, jotting a note on his pad, “guess it’s a good thing Lieutenant Peavey had me watching the house.”
Hardly, I thought, since he’d only shown up after the crisis was over. But why had the lieutenant posted a guard in the first place? Did he know something we didn’t? Well, that was highly likely since he was so close-mouthed, nobody knew what he was thinking.
“Mildred,” I said, “you need to get somebody over here to repair the damage.”
“Oh, I will, in the morning. I doubt anybody’ll try breaking in again, not with all the activity out there.”
“One more question,” Deputy Tucker said, trying to get the interview back on track. “We found a ladder on the ground under the window. Would that be yours?”
“Possibly,” Mildred said. “You might check the shed behind the garage, or you can ask Ida Lee. She’ll know, but she’s in the hospital.” After a minute of thought, she went on. “The gardener could’ve left it, but I can’t think why he would. He knows I don’t like sloppy work.”
“Some ivy was pulled off the wall, too. Did you tell him to do that?”
“Absolutely not.” Mildred sat up straight. “It’s not the time of year to trim ivy.”
“Okay, then let me ask you this. You have a permit for that shotgun?”
“It’s a sporting gun, Officer,” she said, taking immediate umbrage. “I’m sure I don’t need a permit to shoot skeet.”
As Deputy Tucker opened his mouth to set her straight, I intervened. “Mildred, you may need a permit to shoot intruders. I’m sure the deputy will help you get one as soon as possible. Then you’ll be legal the next time somebody tries to break in.”
Deputy Tucker stared at me for a long minute. I gave him a brisk nod, and he turned back to Mildred. “You think you might’ve hit him?”
“I hope so,” she said. “People like that need to be taught a lesson. But since you haven’t found anybody on the grounds, I guess I didn’t.”
“I don’t think you did, Mildred,” I said. “From where that hole in the wall is, you aimed too high.”
She sighed. “I always track too high.”
After another few minutes of absorbing this information, Deputy Tucker closed his notepad. “I guess that’s it then. We’ll check the hospital, see if anybody’s come in with gunshot wounds, but looks like we’ve done all we can do tonight. Lieutenant Peavey may want to talk to you tomorrow—today, I mean, since it’s so late.”
“Well, I certainly hope he has some news for me,” Mildred said. “Lillian, will you see the deputy out? And while you’re up, I could use some tea.”
I rose and said, “I’ll get it. It’ll give me something to do. I’m too nervous to sit still.”
I went out to the kitchen, turned on all the lights, made sure the back door was locked and put the kettle on. Standing by the stove, I tried to make sense of what had happened. To tell the truth, I was feeling somewhat guilty for having opened that window. That could’ve been an open invitation to the prowler. Whoever it had been saw an easy way in and jumped, or rather climbed, at the chance.
Thinking back over my actions from the first moment I’d entered the room and readied myself for bed, I suddenly realized that the window had not been locked. I distinctly remembered the sash sliding up so easily that it had taken no effort at all to let in a little fresh air. In fact, the window had gone up so slickly that I’d had to ease it back down a few inches to get it to the right height.
What did that mean? The more I thought about it, the more I thought it had to mean something. After all, there were dozens of windows on the first floor which were much more accessible and so far from the bedrooms that a little noise wouldn’t have been heard.
I made tea for the three of us and took a tray into the living room. Depositing the tray on a table beside Mildred, I glanced out of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. I walked over to it, pretending to look outside. Checking the lock, which was so tight I couldn’t move it, I said, “My goodness, they’ve even got some police dogs out there.”
I walked to three other windows, pretending to survey the yard activity while surreptitiously examining the locks. They were all securely closed. “I expect that prowler is long gone,” I said, covering my investigation. “They’d have found him if he was still around.”
“Come have some tea, Julia,” Mildred said. “I’m missing Tonya terribly and just don’t want to think about prowlers any more. Except for hoping I peppered him good.” She took a sip from her cup, then brightened. “But maybe I did. Maybe he’s running or even hiding somewhere while blood from a dozen pellets is leaking out all over the place.”
Lillian swallowed hard and pushed her cup away.
But my mind was on something other than an unknown prowler. Ignoring the cup of tea that Mildred had poured for me, I said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to run upstairs.”
As Mildred began directing me to the downstairs powder room, I hightailed it across the foyer and up the stairs. Running swiftly across the landing, I went back into Horace’s room where the temperature had dropped considerably from all the fresh air that Mildred had let in.
Going to the window on the side wall, I pushed aside the curtains and checked the lock. It was closed tight and wouldn’t budge when I tried to open it. Working quickly, I ran my hand along the window frame. Yes, there was the wire for the alarm. Then I went to the back window, stepping carefully so as not to grind glass into the carpet, and did the same thing to that one. No wires!
I stood there for a few seconds, contemplating this turn of events. Why had this one window been unconnected to the alarm system that had the entire house wired up? Had that been Horace’s doing? On purpose? And if so, why?
Hearing the doorbell, then voices in the foyer, I retraced my steps, wondering if the deputies had been successful in their search. As I started down the stairs, I saw Lillian talking to Sam. He’d obviously dressed in a hurry, for his pajama top was halfway stuffed into his pants and his feet were sockless. With his hair uncombed, he looked as if he’d jumped out of bed and come running. It did my heart good to see how worried he was. Take that, Helen Stroud.
“Julia!” he said, looking up at me. “What in the world is going on? Something woke me up and when I looked out, all I could see was a line of sheriff’s cars. Are you all right?”
I hurried to him, feeling immensely relieved to have his arm around me. “We’re all right, but we’ve had an eventful night, to say the least.”
Lillian said, “Somebody come breakin’ in an’ Miz Allen, she run ’em off with her shotgun.”
“Mildred has a shotgun?” Sam’s eyebrows went up. “Good Lord, did anybody get hurt?”
“Only the wall,” I said, holding on to him, “and the window, but both can be fixed. We’re all fine, Sam, a little rattled, maybe, after such a scare.”
Lillian frowned. “I’m more rattled than a little. I don’t like people come climbin’ up a wall an’ tryin’ to sneak up on people who sleepin’ in they beds like they ought to be doin’.”
Sam patted her shoulder. “I don’t blame you, Lillian, but with all those deputies out there, you’re safe now.” Turning to me, he said, “How’s Mildred?”
“Sam, you’d have to have seen her to believe it. I’ll tell you all about it later, but for now, she’s back to her old complaining self. Walk in and speak to her.”
The minute Sam went into the living room and walked over to her chair, Mildred began telling him about Tonya’s leaving and thanking him for letting Lillian and me keep her company. I didn’t say anything, but a lot of thoughts went through my mind. For one thing, I couldn’t believe that Mildred assumed that Sam had let me do anything. Coming from her, who ruled the roost in her own house, the thought was laughable. And a little insulting, if you want to know the truth.
Assuring Sam that we were safe for what was left of the night, I walked into the foyer with him. He wanted to stay with us, and I would’ve felt safer with him there. But I told him I’d rather he be with Hazel Marie and Lloyd.
“There’re deputies all around,” I said, “and I’m sure Lieutenant Peavey’ll leave someone here the rest of the night. This’ll probably be the safest house in town. But, Sam,” I went on, lowering my voice, “I’ve discovered a few things I want to talk to you about. But not here. I’ll be home early, so don’t go anywhere.” And certainly not to Helen’s.