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After pulling myself together, I went out to the showroom, telling myself that it’d been neighborhood pranksters.
I checked for new messages, and scrolled down and found Grandma’s. She couldn’t make it because Grandpa’s car broke down. I responded by telling her that everything is fine.
“Girls! I’ll be rearranging the houses, so don’t be worried. You’ll be fine. Mrs. Kennedy? Mr. Kennedy loves you completely. He adores that pillbox hat style.”
I started for the back room to begin carrying out new dollhouse sections for display when the front door opened.
“Ida?” My eyes opened wider since I hadn’t expected to see Gina’s aunt. “Is that really you? I didn’t expect to see you so soon after the gathering at Pracna. I thought you’d be in North Dakota helping to close up Gina’s estate.”
“I have plenty to take care of concerning Gina’s estate,” Ida said. We met half-way across the floor.
“What brings you here?” We sized each other up and down. “Would you like a tour of the houses?”
“I sure would.” She glanced toward the stool behind the counter.
“I’ll bring one out for you. Hold on a sec.” I hurried into the back room and returned with a folding chair. I set it up in front of the sales counter. “Here. I’m afraid I don’t have anything to offer to drink, though there’s a café just down the street.”
“I’m fine.” I went behind the counter to get comfortable while she sat on the offered chair.
“A lot of people attended the funeral. It made me feel good.” Her phone rang, but she let it go to voice mail, and then put it on vibrate.
“Who attended? I assume that Harry and Sunflower were there. Do you suppose Gina left her estate to them?”
“Neither my son nor my daughter would murder anyone, if that’s what you’re insinuating?” She huffed, and stood.
“No, no, I was just making conversation. I’m sorry.” Why was she so touchy about it? “I’m still trying to understand what happened. Sit back down and relax.” I smiled. “Tell me, were any of the expo impersonators there? Annie Oakley or John Muir, for instance?”
“They all pretty much were.” She shrugged, sitting down. “I mean the few from the Teddy Roosevelt time. Even Buffalo Bill showed up.” She smiled. “It was nice of them to show their respect like that.”
“It certainly was,” I agreed, though inside I was wondering why.
“Especially, since I know that she wasn’t one of them. She was a simple girl who worked hard. She was just tired of the ranch life.”
“Why not sell it?”
“She didn’t want the oil companies exploiting the land.”
“Oh.”“Did you ever find that ledger book? Any books?” I didn’t want to lie to her, but also didn’t want to admit I had them. “If any were there, the police would probably have them.”
“Possibly.” She glanced around the room. “Nice store.”
“Thanks, but can you tell me whether or not there’s a land deed that Teddy Roosevelt may have given to either Alice or First Lady Edith? I’m curious, actually,” I asked. The look on Ida’s face made me want to seek shelter, it frightened me so. Obviously, there was more to the story than she was letting on.
“I don’t know anything about such things,” Ida said. Her eyes looked like fireballs. She stood. “I’ll stop back sometime and you can show them all to me. I just wanted to know where you’re located.” She stared at me. “I’ll invite you out one of these days.”
“Sure.” I watched her leave, and shivered, before removing my phone and typing in the information I’d just learned onto my notepad. At least now I had confirmation of the location of all known suspects.
Afterwards, I sat down and did an Internet search on favorite recipes of Edith Roosevelt. I found two in the Timeline site and printed a copy of each. One recipe was called Fat Rascals, which were a type of hot biscuits, and the other Sagamore Hill Sand Tarts. I read that President Roosevelt, TR, not Franklin, gobbled cookies like there was no end to them. Maybe I’d give the recipe a try. Since learning to make a Mary Lincoln cake, I’d become braver in the kitchen.
Aaron arrived just as I was about to close the store down for the day. “Hey you.”
I greeted him with a big kiss. “Guess who just left?”
“No clue.”“Gina’s aunt.”“Did she say anything about the attorney?” Aaron asked. “Nope.” I shook my head. “I didn’t ask, either. I still don’t know why she stopped by.”
“Snooping around, most likely.” He hesitated before continuing, “We discovered the drug that killed Gina. It’s brand new to our knowledge.”“Tell me more.”“It’s an odd one. It’s almost unknown in this country.”“Oh my gosh.” I glanced at the clock. “It’s five. Closing time.”It didn’t take long for us to lock the store and jump into our car. On the way home, I told him about the found recipes and we decided that on Sunday, we’d bake the biscuits and invite my grandparents over for a meal. I enjoyed surprising Grandma with my culinary feats.
“I thought you worked tonight?” I asked while we drove into the garage.
“I took it off. That’s why I’m late. A few extra things to do.” He finished parking the car and we climbed out as the garage door lowered.
No sooner had we walked into the kitchen than both our phones jingled. It was our friends Tim and Maggie. We invited them to drop by for a visit. They quickly agreed and told us they would bring a pizza. Talk about great friends.
Aaron went to take care of a few things, while we waited for Maggie and Tim to arrive. I used the time to made another notation on my cell phone pad to check out unknown killer drugs. I also made notations next to the suspects as to whether or not they had traveled recently, and put in a bold question mark. I slipped it back into my pocket.
I filled the wine glasses for the ladies and set out the beer mugs for the guys, and took mine with me down the hall to the bedroom. They arrived soon after I changed into more comfortable clothes. Soon, the four of us were sitting out in the cool air and enjoying good pizza and conversations with best friends. All- in-all, it was a lovely evening.
As soon as we’d gobbled up the pizza and had a few drinks, it was time for them to leave. All four of us had places to go in the morning so they said their early ‘good-byes’ and left.
“I’m hitting the sack,” I said yawning, right after they’d left. Aaron followed me to bed, where I spent quite awhile thinking about the few pieces of information I’d obtained during the day, and wondered what it all meant, before finally drifting off to sleep.
The sun shone through the windows, promising another pleasant summer day. It didn’t take long before I’d dressed and met Aaron down in the kitchen. Aaron had to leave for a morning shift, so couldn’t go with me to the store. Instead, Grandma planned to stay with me through-out the day. I wished Max would get back soon, because at least he wouldn’t stay inside the store the entire time. He left me alone to do his thing, working on various projects.I grabbed the Alice purse and the small pistol before leaving for the store, driving rather than walking. I’d wanted to go for another run but because of the circumstances, I felt it unwise. It wasn’t long before I entered the main drag and was soon at work, parking behind in the small lot. As I approached the back door I realized that the garbage company had already taken care of emptying the dumpster. I recalled finding the young woman inside of it during the middle of winter, half-frozen. I shivered at the thought. It took a couple tries before the door opened, which didn’t make sense since the company had just gone through the security system. I chalked it up to the heat causing trouble.
The door closed behind me, and I entered the workroom. I set my bag down and removed the purse and pistol. I took them out to the showroom and turned the computer on.
“Morning ladies!” I grinned. “Mrs. Clinton, I’d like a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies to devour, if you don’t mind.” I chuckled remembering her remark about staying home and baking cookies.
It didn’t take long for the computer to boot up, and I logged into my website. I took a few photographs of the purse and pistol, but only placed shots of the purse on the website. I added a note to them, explaining that it once belonged to Alice Roosevelt, and would be on display for two weeks. Maybe that would draw out the killer. I checked my email but was disappointed when there wasn’t a reply from the person who’d written before about Teddy Roosevelt stealing a ranch from his family.
“Weird,” I murmured. “Doesn’t make sense.” Maybe it’s not suppose to? My response was: Too bad you feel that way. I moved the message to another file. I shook off the shivers, and logged out from the webmail. There was a sudden, loud sound, a sort of screech, which seemed to come from the basement. As fast as it came, it went away.
After opening the front door for business, I began my daily stroll around the houses to make sure that they were ready to face the day. “Mrs. Hoover, you must look your best even though you’d rather be outside.” I smoothed her gown out because somehow, it’d become wrinkled. “Did the Mister chase you around the house?” As soon as I’d finished walking around and straightening things, I heard the back door open, and walked toward it.
“Max, it’s so good to see you,” I told Max as he entered the room.
“Good to see you, too.” He smiled, and his eyes twinkled. “It’s great to be back. What’s been happening?”
“Well—,” I continued filling him in about Pracna’s barmaid who visited the shop wearing a costume. I also told him about Gina’s uncle being found dead. “Gina’s aunt stopped in yesterday.” I crossed my arms. “The poor guy may have been murdered, and Aaron said the drug used to kill Gina is unknown in this country.”
“What’s your thoughts on all of this?” Max asked.
“I believe it’s connected to Teddy Roosevelt. From what I’ve lately discovered, it has to do with land, and possibly the oil companies.”
“The family may be fighting over rights.” He reached for his smokes, and flicked one out, holding it between his fingers. “But can this have anything to do with them?”
I placed my hands on my hips. “I believe it’s actually about Alice or something that maybe Edith hid for her. Teddy, as an attorney, would’ve made sure that all ‘t’s’ were crossed and all the ‘i’s dotted.” I shrugged. “I haven’t searched drugs yet, I just found out that she was poisoned.”
“Now that I’m up-to-date,” he scratched his head, “I don’t know what to say. You’ve left me speechless. Costumed people, impersonators, another murder and probably by the same hand, Inga broken into—and I’m sure you have more to tell, but they’ve slipped your mind.”
“I’m glad you’re home.” I smiled. “I’ve sold a few houses and figures, so I need more heads, and I’ve got sewing to do. Oh, and Grandma’s coming soon to be my bodyguard.”
I sat down by the computer once more after Max left for the workroom. I heard the back door open, and knew he was having his smoke, and would soon carry his bag upstairs. I felt safer knowing he was nearby.
I wanted to research drug trafficking before starting my sewing. I clicked into a search engine and placed a request for new drugs entering the U.S., and only a few sites popped up. The most likely was a drug that caused muscles to twitch and stopped the victim’s breathing. I bookmarked it, even though I wasn’t sure if it was the right one. Reaction to this drug was rapid, unlike the other two possibilities, and that gave me some confidence. I closed out of my computer and started for the workroom, when the front door opened and a customer entered.
“Hello. How may I help you?” She looked familiar.
“Just looking,” the older woman responded. “I was at the expo and loved looking at the miniature houses you had displayed.” Bingo. That was where I had seen her. She continued, “It made me start thinking that I should invest in a dollhouse. I mean, why not? Right?”
“Right!” I smiled, loving this woman already because of her zest. “Why not? Life’s too short to not enjoy it while you can.”
“I’ve always wanted a dollhouse.” She looked at me through watery eyes. “I can always leave it to my granddaughter.”
“They all thought I was silly when I mentioned buying one of these.” She looked around her before continuing in a more quiet voice. “I don’t think they want me spending their inheritance.”
“Well,” I shot back. “You deserve to enjoy yourself.” A notion struck, and I asked, “Did you go to Roosevelt High School?”
“Yes, as a matter-of-fact.”
“Then let me show you the Edith Roosevelt White House,” I said. “It’s right over here. Edith remodeled the White House living quarters. She added a kitchen, and so forth. I’m sure she needed to do that because the children were younger. Did you know that the children roller skated and bicycled all over the house?” We stopped next to the house. “She did a remarkable job. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“They sure were active, just liked their father. I love this house,” she said. “You’re right. Wrap it up.” She winked. “My grandson’s right outside waiting. I’ll go out and get him.”
After she left the store, I sent Max a message asking him for some much needed help. The number of pieces that came with the Roosevelt house was amazing—well they all were—and it was always nice to have help boxing them up.
Max came straight away. I said, “TR house.”
“Should I use the boxes in back or do I need to fetch some from down below?”
“There should be enough in the store room.”
I busied myself bringing the dolls—Mr. and Mrs. President— from the workroom, and then pulled out the inventory list for that particular house, and began checking all the pieces. Wrapping each piece individually and placing them inside the box took a little while. I went to the front with the box and found my customer and a young man waiting by the counter.
“Max, my woodworker is boxing the house. Instructions are in the box if you have trouble. I also placed a small list in the box that explains where the furnishings belong. If you happen to be short anything, let me know. I’ll either send it or deliver it in person.” I loved this woman, she reminded me of grandmotherhood personified.
“Thank you, dear.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll put it together for her.” The grandson’s smile covered his face and his face was lit like a two hundred watt bulb.
Max and the grandson carried the boxes with the grandma and me following out the door, and to a car parked near the door.
My bodyguards arrived as they drove away from the curb. Max waved goodbye and hiked up the outside stairs to his room.
“Hey Grandma, Grandpa,” after giving each a squeeze. “Thanks for coming. I hope that it wasn’t too much of a bother.”
“I’m sure we can manage.” Grandpa grinned.
“We’re gonna clean this place up for you.” I had wondered why Grandma wasn’t dressed in a snazzier outfit. “Okay?”
“Sure. I have work to do. If anyone happens in and I don’t hear the bell, come and get me.”
I checked out a few things on the computer, including my personal e-mail account and the website’s webmail. As yet, no one responded about the purse image. I took the pistol back with me and placed it inside the drawer where I hid valuables and extra keys. I put away the boxes and went out to the showroom to make clear and make ready a table for the next dollhouse.