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Before I could get a firm grip on the box, Kevin asked, “Is that what you were looking for?”
“It’s got to be,” I said as I pulled it out. It was extremely light, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it was empty. It took all I had in me not to open it immediately.
Kevin noticed my reticence. “Go on, take a look.”
“I’ll check it later,” I said.
“Eleanor, you’re either going to open that box, or you’re going to have to give it to me so I can do it myself. It’s still private property, at least until the auction. I’m doing this as a favor for you, but I can change my mind any second.”
I knew I’d pushed it as far as I could. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my hands as I lifted off the top. Hopefully he didn’t see me as I slid the photographs in my hand inside before I opened it.
I needn’t have bothered.
Besides the pictures I’d just dropped inside, the box was completely empty.
I showed it to Kevin, who barely glanced inside. “It’s not much, but I guess it’s something.”
He started to reach for the photo on top, one of Joe and me on the Outer Banks just after our honeymoon. I pulled the entire box away out of instinct more than anything else, and he had the decency to look a little sheepish.
“Sorry about that, Eleanor. Old habits die hard. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“It’s all right,” I said, still starkly disappointed that we hadn’t found anything inside.
“After you get your pictures out, let me have the box.”
“Why? What are you going to do with it?”
“Put it back in the car, unless you want it.”
“I might as well take it with me,” I said. “I can use an empty box, and it’s better than just throwing it out.”
“You’re green through and through, aren’t you?”
“It doesn’t hurt to save the environment, even if it’s one small step at a time,” I said.
“Fine, take it.” He locked the car up, then the police chief escorted me out of the lot.
“Thanks for letting me look,” I said.
“Not a problem. If Steve ever shows up, be sure to tell him where he can find his vehicle.”
“I’ll do that.”
I walked back to the car, and I waited until Kevin was gone before I got in beside Maddy.
Trent nearly attacked me from the back as he pulled the box out of my hands. “It’s empty,” he said, letting the box and lid fall to the floor of the car in back. “What did you find inside? Did the police chief take it?”
“No, it was empty when we opened it,” I said. “Whatever was in there once is long gone.” I handed their photographs back to them, stowed mine in my wallet where they belonged, and then I turned to Maddy. “There wasn’t even a suitcase inside the car. The trunk was full of trash, and if there was something useful in the mess, I don’t know what it might be. It’s just another dead end.”
The back door of the car opened, and Trent started to leave.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked.
“As far away as I can get. You’re no good to me anymore,” he said.
Before I could say anything else, he was gone.
“I can’t believe he just left us like that,” I said.
“Really? I’ve been trying to think of how to get rid of him since he got in, so as far as I’m concerned, he just did us a huge favor.”
“Aren’t you worried about him?”
Maddy shook her head. “No, I’ve got a feeling that Trent can take care of himself. I’m sorry about the box.”
“Me, too,” I said. I reached into the back and retrieved the box and its matching lid. “I wonder what was in it.”
“We’ll probably never know,” Maddy said. “Where should we go now?”
“We might as well go to the pizzeria,” I said. “I need to get started making dough, and we’re getting low on pizza sauce, so I have to make some of that, too.”
“The Slice it is,” she said.
As she drove, I pulled the lid off again and stared into the box. Maybe there was some kind of remnant still there that might help us. As much as I looked, though, it was still as empty as when I’d seen it earlier with Kevin. I was about to slide the lid back on when I looked inside the top.
Written in light pencil, nearly impossible to see, were the letters and numbers, “E, 127, HC, TS.”
“Pull over,” I told Maddy.
“Why? We’re not even close to the Slice yet.”
“I need your full attention.”
She did as I asked, and I handed her the lid. “What do you make of that?”
She glanced at it for a second, and then she casually handed it back to me. “It matches the box, and it’s as empty as Kevin Hurley’s head. Why?”
“Hold it up to the window. You need good light to see it.”
She did as I asked, and then softly said, “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if you know Steve. He loved puzzles, so it doesn’t surprise me that he left me a note in one.”
“How are you so sure it’s for you, Eleanor? There are a lot of people with E in their first name. That could be for Emily, Earl, Edna, Edith, or Erwin. It doesn’t have to be Eleanor.”
“Maybe not, but the 127 kind of gives it away.”
“Enlighten me, sis.”
“Come on, you see those numbers every time you pick me up. That’s my street address. Steve must have left me a clue when he was there the last time. Let’s go to my house and see what we can find.”
“You’re making a big deal out of a few faint pencil lines; you know that, don’t you?”
“What else have we got to go on?” I glanced at my watch, and then added, “Besides, we don’t have to be at the pizzeria for another hour. Why don’t we make good use of our time?”
“You mean as opposed to going back home and taking a nap?” Maddy asked.
“Pull over and I’ll walk the rest of the way if you don’t want to go,” I said as I reached for my door handle.
“Don’t be such a drama queen, Eleanor; it doesn’t become you. Don’t worry. Of course I’ll take you home.” As she drove, she asked, “What does the rest of the code mean, assuming that’s what it really is? It’s HC, TS, right?”
“That’s right. I think we’d be safe eliminating the S. That’s got to stand for Steve.”
“I suppose that’s possible,” Maddy said. That just leaves HC and T. I don’t have a clue what he’s trying to say.”
“I don’t, either,” I admitted.
Maddy grinned at me. “Well, we can’t give up that easily. What can HC stand for? And how about T?”
“If it were WC, we could look in the bathroom.”
Maddy nodded. “No water closets, though.” She paused a moment, then asked, “How about under one of your sinks? HC could mean hot and cold running water.”
“Then why not use HCW?” I asked.
“Hey, I don’t have all of the answers to this crazy game you’ve suddenly invented, but you have to admit that it’s worth a shot,” she said as she pulled into my driveway.
“I’m willing to look wherever we can think of if you are,” I said. “Let’s have ourselves a scavenger hunt.”
Maddy pulled back the doors to the kitchen sink, and then peered into the gloom. “Have you ever thought about organizing this mess a little better?”
“Are you actually telling me that your cabinets are in better shape than mine?”
“I could, but I’d be lying. I just thought every aspect of your life was as neat and orderly as you keep things at the pizzeria.”
I laughed. “Let me tell you, you have no idea.” I stepped beside her, then added, “The only way we’re going to be able to tell if he stashed something in there is by taking everything out and putting it back in, one item at a time.”
“This sounds more like cleaning than hunting,” she said.
“Call it what you’d like, but it has to be done. If you don’t want to do it yourself, I’d be happy to do it.”
“And let you find the clue I figured out on my own? I don’t think so.”
I nodded. I didn’t care who looked, just as long as one of us did. “While you’re doing that, I’m going to check both bathroom sinks.”
Maddy said, “Hang on a second. How am I going to know what belongs under here and what doesn’t?”
“Use your imagination,” I said. There was nothing out of the ordinary under either vanity sink, so I rejoined Maddy in the kitchen. She was just finishing stowing away a cylinder full of trash bags when I walked in.
“Any luck?”
She shook her head. “No, and I’m guessing you drew a blank, too.”
“It was a good idea at the time,” I said. “What else could HC stand for?”
“Let’s see. Harry Connick, maybe? Where are your CDs?”
“You think he’d mention a musician’s name if he meant music in general. I’m not even sure I have any Harry Connick,” I admitted.
“It can’t hurt to look. Maybe he left us a computer disk and stored it in the CD case. It’s possible.”
“You know what? That’s absolutely brilliant,” I said.
“Of course it is,” she said with a smile. “Hang on a second. Were you talking about Steve or me?”
“Both of you. The CDs are over here.” I pulled out a drawer in the living room and quickly scanned the album titles.
I had no Harry Connick music.
“What about your other CDs? It could still be in one of those cases.”
“It can’t hurt to check,” I said. We spent the next ten minutes popping open cases to make sure the correct music was matched with the right case, and after we were finished, we had matches for every CD, with no computer disks among them.
“Now what do we do?” Maddy asked as she slumped down on my living room couch.
I sat beside her, and started looking around to see if there was anything that might mean HC in Steve’s mind. He’d been pretty limited to right where we were when I’d left him to get our coffee, so I should be able to see his hiding place, unless Maddy and I were completely off base. But I didn’t think so. It made too much sense, knowing the way Steve thought.
I was about to give up when I realized I’d been staring at another HC since we’d come in the front door.
As I got up, Maddy asked, “Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to say anything just yet. I’m sure it’s just another dead end,” I said.
“I still want to know.”
I pointed to the door without opening it. “HC could mean Hall Closet.”
“I don’t know,” Maddy said. “That’s kind of lame, isn’t it?”
“It’s worth a shot. He might not have had much time to come up with something better.” The door was normally locked, but a jiggle of the handle opened it. Joe and I had never gotten around to fixing it, and the lock barely kept the door in place. It was easy enough to disarm. I opened the door and saw the jam of coats inside. Most of them were Joe’s. My husband had a passion for jackets, and would buy one whenever he spotted one that struck his fancy. He wouldn’t buy new pants or blue jeans at gunpoint, but show him a windbreaker or a hooded sweatshirt, and he had his wallet out like he was in the Wild West drawing his revolver.
“You really should do something about this,” Maddy said as I started handing her jackets.
“They were Joe’s,” I said.
“That’s pretty obvious, but they’re taking up valuable real estate,” she said.
“I wear some of them now and then,” I said, probably a little too defensively.
“Show me three jackets that you’ve worn in the past two years,” she said.
I grabbed three quickly, and then said, “I can show you three more, if you’d like me to. I love roomy jackets.” What I really loved were the faint traces of Joe still on them, the way one would smell, or the memory of cozying up next to him while he’d been wearing another. It was more than a closet full of coats, at least as far as I was concerned. It was a closet full of memories that I had no intention of evicting.
“There’s nothing here,” Maddy said when we finally had emptied the closet.
“It was a good guess, though, wasn’t it?”
“Maybe it still is,” Maddy said. “There was a T on that note, too. What if it means Top, and Steve hid something up there?” She grinned as she added, “Then again, it might not be Steve’s signature at all. He could have been telling you to look on the Top Shelf.”
“There’s just one way to find out.”
The top shelf of the closet was in even worse shape than the rest of it had been in, but it didn’t make sense to ignore the possibility that Steve had left something there for safekeeping even after I’d refused his request.
“That’s odd,” I said as I spotted one of Joe’s hats. I’d told him that it made him look like Indiana Jones, a bit of a joke that quickly went bad. After that, I couldn’t get him out of it, and it was all I could do to keep him from getting his own whip to go along with it.
“What’s wrong?”
“That hat belongs over there,” I said, pointing to a stack of Joe’s other purchases that hadn’t made the cut into his wardrobe, including a cowboy hat bent down in front and back, and a straw hat that looked more appropriate at a yard sale than on my husband’s head.
I reached for the hat, and was surprised to see that there was something hiding underneath it. If we hadn’t had the directions from Steve, I probably wouldn’t have touched that hat for years, but now that I had, I could see that it had been disturbed fairly recently.
Tucked under the brim, I found an envelope folded up.
“What’s in it?” Maddy asked.
“I don’t know yet. Give me a second.” On the front, my name was hastily scrawled out, and the word insurance was written beside it. Tearing the envelope open, I was surprised to find several photographs and papers inside.
There was one that caught my attention right off the bat. Paper-clipped together were a pair of photos on top of the rest of them. The one we could see featured Missy Plum to the far right, and barely in the photograph was the person she was clearly following, Doc Parsons.
Maddy was looking over my shoulder, and the second she saw it, my sister said, “Missy’s really obsessed with him, isn’t she?”
“Maybe she has a reason to be,” I answered. “Sure, it looks like she’s been stalking him lately, but how do we know if he encouraged it at first?”
“Are you saying that he asked her to stalk him?”
“Don’t be silly,” I said. “But Doc Parsons knows how to flirt. Who’s to say Missy didn’t misinterpret his behavior as something more serious?”
Maddy slid the second picture out of the clip, and then showed it to me. “Can you explain this away, too?”
It was a photo of Hank Webber, clearly taken without his knowledge. The fact that he was sitting at a table at the Slice eating his lunch sent shivers through me. Ordinarily there wouldn’t be anything disturbing about the shot, except for the bright red X that had been marked over his face.
Maddy handed me the photo. “You take it. I get chills just holding it.”
“It looks like Missy knows how to hold a grudge.”
“But why would she do anything like this in the first place? Was she trying to warn Hank away, or was it more of a plan to get rid of him? I can’t imagine her killing him, can you?”
“If Hank was a threat to what Missy thought of as a real relationship, it’s hard to say what she might do.”
“We should warn Angie,” Maddy said.
“You’re right. If Missy thought Hank was a problem, just think how she must feel about the man’s pregnant wife.”
“I’m not sure he was ever her man,” Maddy said.
“I think you’re right, but in Missy’s mind, how much does reality play a role?” I stuffed the photos and everything else into my purse. “We need to go right now.”
“Where are we headed? Are we going to talk to Missy?”
“I want to warn Angie first,” I said. “Do you want to drive, or should I?”
“I’ll drive. That way you can tell me what else is in the envelope.”
As we hurried toward Doc Parsons’ office, I took the rest of the papers we’d found out of my purse.
“What else was in there?” Maddy asked.
I held two slips of paper in the air. “They look like IOUs from Bailey.”
“Who did he owe money to?”
“One’s for five thousand dollars. It’s made out to Steve.”
Maddy whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”
I held the other one out where she could see it. It was for twice the amount. She said, “So, he owed Steve fifteen grand. That’s probably a reason for killing him, but I’m not sure where Hank comes in.”
“It wasn’t made out to Steve. The second IOU has Hank’s name on it,” I said.
“Then how did Steve get his hands on it?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe he bought it off Hank. He had some cash when he got to town, remember?”
Maddy frowned. “But why throw away good money after bad? If Bailey couldn’t pay five thousand back, he surely couldn’t repay fifteen.”
“I don’t know,” I said, tapping the papers. “I sure wish we could ask Steve why he had these.”
Maddy patted my arm. “We can’t, but what we can do is the next best thing. Let’s talk to Bailey. If nothing else, you should be able to collect the money he owed Steve.”
“How on earth would I be able to do that?” I asked, clearly surprised by her suggestion.
“As far as I know, you’re his last living relative. If they belonged to Steve when he died, you’re entitled to every dime of it now.”
“I’m not sure Bailey would see the logic of that any more than I do,” I said. “I’ve got a feeling that the debt dies with the man. And even if you’re right, I don’t have the faintest notion how to go about collecting it.”
“Talk to your friend Art Young. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting it for you.”
I shook my head. “No way am I going to do that. I don’t want to be involved with that part of his life.”
“Then sell the debts to him at a discount. That way everyone wins.”
I stared out the window as I said, “Everybody but Bailey.”
“Hey, if you can’t afford to lose, don’t gamble.”
“Gosh, Maddy, you’re all heart.”
“I know, but sometimes life is tough.”
We got to the doctor’s office only to find a hastily scrawled sign taped to the front door.
“They’re closed,” I said.
“Has something happened already?”
“I honestly have no way of knowing that. We should go straight to their house.”
Maddy shrugged. “That suits me just fine. Hang on a second, though.” She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Information. After Maddy got the Parsonses’ home number, she dialed it, and a few minutes later, she hung up. “They’re not at home, and I’m not exactly sure when they’re planning to come back.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“The message on their machine directs calls to an on-call doctor in Lenoir. They’ll be gone for a week, from the sound of the message.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about them,” I said.
“How can you be so sure about that?”
“If they aren’t in town, there’s a good chance Missy isn’t going to be able to find them, either.”
“I don’t know. I’d still like to talk to them,” Maddy replied.
“We’ve got other things to worry about right now. We need to find Missy and ask her about these pictures.”
“This might not be a bad time to call Kevin Hurley.”
“Do you really think we need the chief of police with us just to ask a dance teacher a few questions?”
Maddy shook her head. “We can’t afford to underestimate her. If we’re even close to being right, she may have already killed two people. I don’t think it makes sense to take her for granted.”
“You’re right.” I pulled my phone out as Maddy drove, and got Kevin at his desk. “I need some help.”
“I’m not moving any furniture for you, Eleanor,” the chief of police said.
“Why, would that be too undignified for a man of your stature? I could always get your son to help.”
He seemed surprised by my answer. “Is that really the reason you called?”
“Of course it isn’t,” I said. “Maddy and I are going to go speak with Missy Plum, and we’d like you there to back us up.”
“Forget it. I won’t be your dance partner, either.”
“No worries there; I’ve seen you dance before, remember? There are a few dozen men in town I’d call before your name would come up if I wanted to dance.”
“Then why should I meet you at Missy’s studio?”
I took a deep breath, then said, “We think she might have had something to do with Hank and Steve’s deaths.”
The other end of the line grew silent, until a few seconds later, he said softly, “How did you know it was Steve in the fire? I just found out from the FBI myself. They managed to track down his dental records in California, and they were a perfect match to the body we found in the explosion.”
I’d done it now, and there was no way to undo it. “Trent came by my house.”
That got his attention. “When did you see him? Is he still there? The FBI is extremely eager to talk to him. Eleanor, I know you don’t always respect my opinion, but trust me when I say you don’t want to mess with these guys. They can ruin you seven ways to Sunday.”
“I have no idea where he is right now. He came by my place last night, and that’s when he told me about Steve. This morning he wanted to see what Steve was hiding in that shoe box we dug out of his sedan.”
“So there weren’t family pictures in there after all?”
I was digging myself into a hole deeper by the minute, but it was not the time to hold back on Kevin now. “There weren’t any photos there until I planted them myself. I had to tell you something. You never would have let me look otherwise.”
“But the box was empty,” he said.
“That’s not entirely true, either,” I admitted.
“Eleanor, maybe it would be easier if you just told me anything that you’ve said to me in the last month that was actually true.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lie to you, but you wouldn’t believe me.” Maddy pulled up in front of Missy’s studio. “We’re here. Should we wait for you before we go in?”
“Eleanor, listen to me carefully. Don’t take one step toward that door. I’ll be there in one minute. Have you got that?”
“I understand,” I said. “We’ll wait for you out front.”
Maddy looked at me with an expression of awe. “I can’t believe you told him how many times you’ve held back or outright lied to him just now. You’re a braver woman than I thought you were.”
“We can’t take any more chances, can we? If Missy’s a murderer, we need him here with us, and I couldn’t figure out any other way to get him to come.”
“I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when he gets here.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled about it myself,” I said, “but I’ll deal with it. This is too important.”
Kevin Hurley was as good as his word. He slammed the cruiser into Park as he pulled in beside us.
“Thanks for not using the lights and siren,” I said as Maddy and I got out. “We wouldn’t want to scare her off.”
“Trust me, that’s the only reason I’m not dragging you both out of the car and throwing you in the back of my squad car. You and I need to have a talk, Eleanor.”
I nodded. “I understand that you’re angry with me, and I can’t honestly say that I blame you, but let’s talk to Missy first.”
He held out a hand. “It will wait. I want to see those two photos Maddy mentioned before we do anything else.”
I reached into my purse, moved the IOUs to one side, and then retrieved both pictures. Kevin took them from me, studied each of them for a few seconds, and then he put them in the shirt pocket of his uniform.
“You told him about them?” I asked.
“Sorry,” Maddy said, and then she turned to Kevin and said, “Hey, we want those back!”
He didn’t even answer. Kevin just stared at her until she broke eye contact. I myself wouldn’t even have had the guts to ask, but then again, Maddy was known for her bold behavior, even when it wasn’t in her best interests.
“Now, why don’t you two wait right here while I go talk to Missy.”
“Forget it. You wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for us. We’re going in with you,” I said.
“Eleanor, don’t make me get tough with you.”
“Say anything you want to,” I said, “but we’ve at least earned that much. If Missy did it, we should be there when you bust her for it.”
“Nobody’s getting busted based on the flimsy evidence you’ve given me so far.” He studied me a second, then Kevin asked pointedly, “You two aren’t holding back on me, are you?”
“Maddy and I told you everything we know,” I said.
“Is that true?” he asked my sister.
“I’d swear it on your life.”
“You mean your life, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “No, I was pretty careful about the way I phrased it. Are we going to stay out here debating something you know you can’t possibly win, or are we going to go talk to Missy?”
“I meant what I said. You both are going to stay here, or I’ll arrest you and lock you up.”
“On what charge?” I asked.
“Obstruction of Justice sounds like a good place to start. Stay,” he commanded.
Maddy started to protest when I put a hand on her arm.
“We’ll stay,” I said.
“Both of you?”
Maddy nodded, and then Kevin said, “Why don’t I feel good about this? I’ll be back shortly.”
“What do we do now?” Maddy asked me once he was gone.
“We wait,” I said.
“Some plan.”
“Sorry, but it’s all we’ve got.”
Chief Hurley was back in thirty seconds.
“What happened? Did you change your mind about including us?” Maddy asked.
“No, that’s not it. She’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone? Are you talking away from the studio, or is she dead?” An image of her dead body sprawled out on the floor of her studio injected itself into my mind, and I couldn’t get rid of it.
“I meant that she’s not there. Come on, you might as well see for yourself.”
Maddy and I followed Kevin into the dance studio and found a sign posted on the front door.
We are closed for business as of today. It has been my privilege to serve the Timber Ridge community over the past years. Thank you for your patronage.
Missy Plum.
“That’s kind of abrupt, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Businesses go under and shut down all of the time,” Kevin said. “That might be all that it means.”
I couldn’t believe it. “You don’t honestly think this is a coincidence, do you?”
Kevin grinned at me. “I don’t trust coincidences, and you know that. I’m going to go by her apartment to see if she’s really left town yet.”
“We’ll follow you in my car,” Maddy said.
“You’ll stay right here,” Kevin answered.
“You can’t stop us,” she countered.
“Maddy, would you like to know how many ways that’s not true?”
I stepped in between them. “Fine, we’re done arguing about it. Maddy and I are going to go to work pretty soon, but could you at least let us know if you find her?”
“Eleanor, I’m not giving up that easily,” Maddy protested.
I took her shoulders in my hands and forced her to face me. “Maddy, enough already. We need to let Kevin do his job.”
“I’m glad at least one of you still has a little common sense,” he said.
I turned to him and snapped, “If you don’t keep us updated, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your natural-born life. I can promise you that.”
“Goodness knows I wouldn’t want to jeopardize our friendship by intentionally misleading you or not keeping you informed,” Kevin said.
“Save your sarcasm,” I said. “Just be sure you call me.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said. He got into his cruiser, and I noticed he lingered at the stop sign for a few moments to be certain we weren’t tailing him.
Maddy must have noticed the same thing. “Good, he’s gone. Let’s see if we can get to Missy’s before anything good happens.”
“We’re not going,” I said.
“Where are we going then? Surely we’re not going to go make pizza. If ever there was a time to use your reserve of frozen crust, this is it. We’ve got plenty of time before we need to be there. Eleanor, this is too important.”
“I agree with you.”
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?”
“You heard me. We need to talk to Bailey. I want to wave these IOUs under his nose and see what he has to say.”
“You told Kevin we were going to go work.”
“I said soon, I didn’t say immediately. Besides, don’t you think our investigation is work, too? Sometimes there’s more to life than making pizza. I need to see Bailey’s face when we show him those IOUs.”
Maddy grinned. “You’re right. That could be fun.”
“Have I ever told you that you have the oddest ideas about what’s fun?” I asked as we drove toward Bailey’s office.
“I like to think that it’s part of my charm,” she said.
“If that helps you get to sleep at night, then I’m all for it,” I said.
“What do you think Bailey’s going to say when he sees those markers?”
“I’m not sure. Do you have any idea?”
“No, but I’m all aquiver with anticipation. Maybe we should both call in sick today. I’ve got a feeling things are coming to a full boil soon.”
I glanced at my watch and saw that we had plenty of time before we had to be at the pizzeria. “We don’t have to make that decision just yet. Let’s go see Bailey.”