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“We can only stay for an hour,” Grandma said. Grandma and Grandpa finished cleaning the showroom and then decided it was time for them to go home and take a rest—I knew it meant a late afternoon nap.
A customer arrived after they left. She walked the length of my showroom floor and asked plenty of questions while pulling on her ear, Carol Burnett, I thought. She asked a few questions and then left, leaving me alone once again. Fortunately, the rest of the afternoon sped by quickly and I’d just finished logging out from my accounts when Inga came in, wearing a huge smile.
“Let’s hear it.” I got up and said, “I’ll get a chair. You should have come by earlier. Grandma and Grandpa were here.”
“Nahh. They stopped in a few minutes ago, so they already know.”
“Know what?” I unfolded the chair for her and then went around the counter to my chair and did the same.
“A pawn shop contacted the police and told them they’ve found the TR figurine.” She cocked her head. “It’s funny. I never expected to take such an interest the items stolen from my store. To think that they sent out notices for it.”“True. There has been a lot of strange happenings around that darn thing. Did you go down to the station to identify it?”
“Yes, and it’s the right one. They’ll call when I can have it back.”
“Do you have a picture of it?”“No.”“Hmmm. I wonder if I could ask Aaron to take one down in the evidence room?” Inga shook her head. “Do you think Aaron could do that?”
“Probably not. He might get into trouble.”
“Shoot! You’re right.” I reached for the purse and set it on the counter. “I put a photo of this purse and the pistol that was inside it. I’ve put the picture on my website, and I plan to put it in the bank with the figurine.”
“Good plan.” She nodded to the purse. “Ever take a good look inside?”
“No.” I reached for it and opened it. I carefully ran my fingertips along all seams and frayed edges of the inside nylon lining. “There’s a little catch right here.” I showed it to her. “What do you think?”
“I wouldn’t rip it open.”
Peering closer at it, I said, “It appears to be the same thread color. I think it’s from the manufacturer.” I set the purse back inside of the sales counter display. “Here I thought I was onto something.”
“I know—it’s all a mystery. I asked my contacts about the lawyer who died, and they hadn’t heard if it’s a murder or not. They are waiting on the autopsy results.” She shook her head. “It makes me wonder if this is connected to TR? Are both deaths because of something that happened over a century ago?”
“I wondered about that.” I scratched the top of my head. “I think it’s a land deed we’re after, but I’m not sure. I bet the symbols from the grass bowl and my jingle dancer figurine hold clues as to its whereabouts.”
“My figurine must also have a relevant symbol somewhere on it.” Inga raised a brow. “I wish I could remember.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ll let you know when I get it back or if something else happens.” Inga stood. “Time for me to go. I’m beat.”
After Inga left, my thoughts went back to the purse, so I brought it out for a closer look, but again, I saw nothing that really stood out or seemed odd. I placed it back inside the cabinet, and glanced at the clock. It was time to close up shop. I got up to lock the front door. As I did, the store phone rang. I answered, “White House Dollhouse Store, how may I help you?” No one answered, and so I hung up. An eerie feeling crept up inside of me and made me anxious to leave and go home.
As I walked toward the back rooms, I heard a noise again from down below. I hurried to leave. With the lights shut off, I grabbed my bag and opened the backdoor. Suddenly, someone caught my arm, and muscled me inside. They moved so fast, that I never caught a glimpse of him. Or was it a woman?
I started to scream, but in an instant a ski mask covered my head, backwards so that I couldn’t see anything. I felt what I guessed was a pistol against my forehead, right between my eyes. I fought to speak through the ski mask. “You’ll never get away with this.”
“Where’s the deed?”“Deed for what?’“I’m not playing games.”The voice seemed familiar, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Better run fast! I’m married to cop,” I said.A crack on my head was all I got in return.It knocked me out for a short while. Fortunately, I wasn’t tied up and I was able to pull the mask up and over my head. My headache worsened when I looked around the room. Splattered paint and tipped over boxes holding small items were scattered all over. I pulled out my phone and called my Aaron. Within a few minutes, I heard sirens outside my door.
“Liv?” Aaron raced inside with Tim right behind him.
“My God what happened?” Tim called it in to the precinct as I sobbed in Aaron’s embrace.
“I...” I gasped. “Just leaving... and... this person came from out of nowhere... and...” I collapsed into a chair. “I need water.”
“Okay.” Tim found a fresh water bottle and opened it for me.
“Thanks.” I took a long drink. “Something horrible happened.
“Like what?”
“One person, a woman walked through, then left without buying anything.” I blew my nose. “I didn’t recognize her, but she seemed legit. Oh, and there was a phone call a little while ago, but there was no one on the other end.”
“Anything else?” Tim asked with his pad and pencil out.
“I’ve heard noises coming from down below, the basement, that is, lately.”
“We’ll check into that.” Aaron kneeled before me. “Honey, don’t worry. Where are Marie and August?” “They left after cleaning the shop. Inga was here for a short while and then I was going home right afterwards.” My head throbbed and I held the cool bottle on the knot on my forehead. “Good grief.”
“The detectives are on their way.” Aaron reached to help me stand. “Let’s move to the showroom. This is a crime scene now.”
“Ahh jeez.” I sighed and let him help walk me out where I sat behind the counter. “I’d like to go home.”
“It’ll be a few, but I’ll ask them to let you leave as soon as they can.”
It seemed to take forever for them to arrive, but it really took only about five or ten minutes for the two detectives to appear. By that time, I still had moist eyes, but was through sobbing.
“Here we go again,” I said to Detectives Erlandsen and Mergens. “Now I’m the target.”
“I see that. Your forehead is getting pinker by the minute.”
“This has to end.” I held the cool bottle against my forehead.“What did they want? What did they say?” Mergens said.“Something about a deed. The threat that my husband is a cop and he should run must have scared him.”
“Sure it’s a ‘him’?” Erlandsen said.
“Nope.” I started to shake my head but the throbbing stopped me. “Please. I want to lie down and get ice on my head.”
“Can you think of anything else?”
“Not at the moment.” I looked down, and my eyes flashed open. “The purse is gone. This can’t be for real.” I jumped up and sat right back down again. “Oh, no. the pistol!”
“What?” Detective Mergens asked sharply. “Purse? Pistol?”
“I was just going to bring Alice Roosevelt’s pistol into the station. Her purse was right here, and now it’s missing. I must check if the pistol is still where I left it,” Aaron said. “I’ll be right back.”
“It’s hidden in the work room,” I said, as we watched him walk away. Every slight movement made my head pound. All I could think of doing was lying down with a bag of ice on my noggin after taking a couple aspirin.
“It’s gone,” Aaron said when he returned. “Tim’s taking over. I’ll drive you home and stay with you.”
I noticed my bag. “I need my bag. It’s right there.”
Another squad car parked, and two uniformed officers entered.
“Okay, we’ll make a note of that. Aaron, we want all that you have on it,” Mergens said.
“Will do.”
“Oh for the love—.” Holding on to Aaron, we walked out to the car and he opened the side door for me to sit, and then shut the door.
We drove home silently. I held my head and tears streamed down my cheeks.
“We’re going to the doctor to get you checked out,” Aaron said.
“I’m fine. I need ice for the noggin and blankets to curl up under.”
“We’ll get you comfy on the sofa and then I’ll call Marie to let them know what’s happened.” Aaron stated as he drove down the main drag. “You can’t be alone. Why did they leave early?”
“They’d been cleaning and the day was almost finished.”
“What about Max?”
“He’d just been with me putting together a new house since I’d just sold one.” I blew my nose. “I don’t think it could’ve been prevented.”
“Yes, it could’ve.” Aaron frowned. “It’s happened once, so now we have to be more careful.” He put on the blinker for our street. “The detectives will be over later. They’ll have more questions, and I’m sure they’ll want to discuss the purse and pistol some more with you.”
“Oh yes. That, I am sure of.” We parked in the garage and Aaron came around and helped me from the car and walked me inside of the house.
“I’m going to the sofa,” I told him.“I’ll get ice and aspirin.”“Thank you. Bring the bottle.” I and covered myself with the nearest throw, very slowly, and sunk onto the sofa pillow, which gave me a crick in my neck. Aaron came downstairs a minute later and swapped it out with my bed pillow, and I sighed. The aspirins, I hoped, would soon shoo-away my pounding headache. The ice on my forehead seemed to numb the bump. I hunkered down and reached for the remote, and switched on Are you a Good Dancer? I was just drifting off to sleep when my arm was nudged. I opened my eyes and saw rumpled pant legs. I looked up and saw Detective Mergens. “You’re back.”
“Yep, Liv.” He half-grinned. “Can’t be helped.”“I know. Where’s your side-kick?”“He’s got plenty to do.” He shrugged. “Now, about the purse and pistol?”“Tell Aaron to get me my phone. Where is he anyway?”“Right here, honey.” Aaron entered bearing a water bottle and handed it to the detective. “What?”
“Please get my phone. The images of the purse and pistol are on it.” “Right.”
“Start from the top.”“From today?” I sat up and stared at him. “Today.”I gave him a brief outline of how my day went, and who came into the store. He asked about my late afternoon browser.“What’d this person look like?”“Nothing spectacular, but she reminded me of Carol Burnett because she was pulling her ear all the time. Sort of medium height, medium age.”
“And the person who assaulted you?” He took the offered phone from Aaron and glanced at the images. “Send them to me.”
Aaron took the phone and started pressing buttons.
“He seemed like a male. Tall—course anyone is taller than me—but his arms were strong. Immediately he swung me around and I had the ski mask covering my head and eyes. I warned him that I was married to a cop. He hit me on the head right after with, I guess, the pistol butt.”
“You think that scared him?”
“It seemed like it. I don’t think I was out more than a couple of minutes. The store was quiet when I woke up. Then I pulled off the ski mask and dialed Aaron. I didn’t touch anything.”
“The purse and pistol?”
“I purchased the set from Inga—you know who I’m talking about—and they once belonged to Alice Roosevelt. It was under the sales counter. As for the pistol, I’d put it in a special drawer for safe-keeping. I had planned to take it home but had forgotten to place it in my bag as I left.”
“He caught you as you stepped out and the door was still open?”
“I was midway. We have had the building checked for security.” I waited a moment. “Something else. You might want to go down below again. I keep hearing noises.”
“It’s sealed. Not possible. Must be mice.”
“If you say so—but I’m not so sure. They can get in via the restaurant on the other end. Their trap door still is open.”
“We’ll check it out.” He folded his notepad and placed it inside his pocket. “Thank you, you’ve been a big help.”
Aaron opened the door for him and then sat on the opposite end of the sofa, placing my feet on his lap. He massaged my feet while we watched television, and I drifted off to sleep.