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That does it. I stayed lower than the windows, went back to our bedroom and slipped into darker shaded clothing. Armed with my phone, which had a camera, plus a table knife and house keys, I headed out the backdoor. Once in the patio area, I sneaked to the side of the house and hurried to a vantage point behind a large shrub. I silently praised Grandma for planting it, and keeping it watered. The car had moved, and now was parked further down and near the main road. I wondered how to reach it without being discovered. The man’s profile still was unrecognizable. I decided to inch my way closer with hopes of taking a picture of the license plate.
The best way to accomplish my goal was to cross through neighboring yards. I hurried to the other side of our house, and crossed through the yards easily until coming to the very last one, which was fenced. I took a chance and stayed down as I hiked the perimeter until coming closer. Once near, I leaned out from my hiding spot behind a large, old, oak tree and took the picture. I took several, then slipped the phone into my pocket.
I raced the same way back to my house, as I’d come. After fumbling with the keys, I entered and sat down to look at the images. “Yes, gotcha.” I stared at them, but the man’s face was unclear due to the sunshade and the windshield glare. Also, he was wearing sunglasses and was that the beginning of a beard on his chin?
Before getting up, I sent the images to Aaron along with a brief message explaining them. Afterwards, I took a drink and retrieved the letter and figurine from the freezer, setting the items on the living room coffee table. I headed to the back room to get the plat book, Bible, and grammar book.
That’s when I heard the unmistakable sound of the back door opening and closing. I thought it was shut. “Hello?” A chill went up and down my spine. “Aaron?” I took the knife from my pocket, and with sweaty fingers, held it tight. On tiptoe, I inched to the kitchen only to find that the back door was wide open. I must not have shut it tight. I locked it, and took a moment to open and close the broom closet door. Securing both doors, I made my way back to the living room and sat down.
As I held the figurine up for further scrutiny, the phone rang. I dropped the figurine and it landed on the cushion beside me. “Hello,” I said but no one responded. Frowning, I set the phone aside and held up the figurine. The weight of it struck me as odd, I thought it would be heavier. Very carefully I studied each and every jingle bell as well as the painted cloth around the waistline and headband. The painted feathers, which were made to look like an eagle, were well done. The lines were perfect. The flowing dress and the lines painted for the skirt were made by a steady hand. I was impressed. Just a slight crack caught my attention. The only noticeable symbol was the blanket on the base. I set it aside and reached for the letter.
The handwriting certainly appeared a match to the samples given over the internet of Edith Roosevelt’s. The broad strokes and steady hand making her loops were from a strong woman. I picked up the figurine again and compared the strokes from the writing with the paint strokes of the feathers and wondered if they were made by the same hand. I set the pair aside to give it further thought.
It couldn’t have been Edith Roosevelt’s handwriting in the in the grammar book, or was it? That made me wonder who wrote in the book? I wasn’t any closer at figuring things out, but my ideas began to make sense.
The search led me right back to where I’d started and without a conclusion. My phone rang again, only this time the voice was Aaron.
“Hey! I’m stopping at the station to see if Ida has said anymore.”
“All right. I’m looking up things, but can’t seem to pinpoint anything worthwhile. I feel like I’m blowing in the wind.”
“I’ll try to be home soon.”
We disconnected and I flipped through television stations until settling on another old movie featuring the Marx Brothers. I opened the Bible, and noticed notations concerns about property rights in the back of it where family members jotted tidbits about deceased relatives.I stared at the television set until Aaron walked in the door with the plat book.“Great! I want to compare handwriting. Take view the ledgers and the page in this book.”
“Why would someone write a code in these two places? Because of Teddy Roosevelt?” Aaron said. “I have to go back to the station to write up a few reports. I’ll be home in an hour. I had planned to take care of them in the morning, but no such luck. My sergeant told me he needed them asap.”“That’s fine. I’m just going to sit here and look through the books. Maybe I can make some sense out of it all.”
“All right, sweetheart.” Aaron kissed me before he left.
I picked up the plat book and looked at it once again. I knew that the properties were adjoined, but didn’t see why Ida would poison people over the deed.
Had Ida acted alone? Could she have really killed the lawyer plus Gina, and now almost killed Max? I was growing desperate. I typed in a search for the courthouse to obtain the County Treasurer phone number. Were they behind on taxes? As the monitor began displaying the links, I heard the floor squeak from behind.
A shadow flashed across the television screen.
I threw the laptop up and over my head, ducking at the same time as someone reached for my head. I grabbed one of the books and flung it at him as I rolled further from his grasp. I didn’t have time to scream as he reached further and grabbed my arm from behind the sofa. Soon he cornered me from the open area around the furniture, where I’d planned to make my escape.
“What do you want from me?” I scanned the surface of everything, looking for an instrument to throw or harm him with.
“I want that deed.” He wore the uniform of a desperate man, dressed in worn-out jeans and T-shirt with a beer logo on the front. Whiskers covered his chin but behind his sunglasses, I saw the eyes of Harry.
“Why? And what deed are you talking about?” I hoped to keep him talking as I tried to think of what to do. “You did the poisoning, didn’t you?”
“We aren’t selling to no oil companies.”
“Ahh! So that’s what this is about. I thought so.” I crossed my arms. “Oil and greed.” I almost smiled. “What about Gina?”
“She wanted to sell it. The land was rightfully mine.”
“How does Teddy Roosevelt fit into this?”
“Bought it back in the late 1800’s, and never handed over the title. Great-Granddad paid full price, but the deed never showed.”
I kept my eyes on his, and tried climbing over the sofa’s back, but Harry reached out and grabbed my arm. Pulling me close, he tightened his grip by yanking my right arm to my back and making me face him. Instantly, the point of a knife pricked me under my chin.“Ouch!” I wiggled, but the point went in further so I stopped.“You’re gonna tell me,” he growled.My right arm twisted, sending a sharp pain throughout my body. I screamed, and reached for the figurine. Immediately, I managed to hit him on the side of his head. The figurine slashed right next to his eye cutting him. Next the figurine dropped onto the hard table, and broke apart. A slip of paper shown through the pieces. We saw it at the same time, and his eyes opened wide. I bit into his hand and he let go immediately. We scrambled for the paper. I grabbed it, clenching it in my fist.
“Give it to me!” He jerked my arm and started prying my fingers apart.
“Ouch!” I brought my knee high, kicking him in the groin. “You’re not going to get away with this.” I clenched my teeth.
“That’s it for you!”
He lurched after me as I raced toward the door. He grabbed for my arm, but I pulled away. “Oh no you don’t!” I said. My prayers were soon answered when the garage door hummed open. “Aaron’s home. Give yourself up!”
He rushed out the front door, with me hot on his heels as he ran toward his parked car.
“Aaron!” I called. “Get him!”
Aaron chased him, but Harry jumped into his car too fast. Aaron called it in with the license plate numbers as I stood beside him out of breath.
“They’ll get him.” Aaron placed his arm over my shoulder, and pulled me into his chest. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” I looked up at him. “Good grief. You’re bleeding.”
“Come back to the house. I’ll show you what happened.” Together we walked back to the house, and into the kitchen.
“I’m getting a bandage and some ointment for that cut. You’ll have to see a doctor,” Aaron said.
“It stings.” I touched it with a tissue and looked at the blood, and frowned. “I’ve got to catch my breath,” I said, sitting. Soon, he returned and wiped my sore and applied ointment and the bandage. “I feel better now. How about a glass of water?” I drew in a few quick breaths and drank from the full water glass he handed me. “Thanks.”
“It was Harry, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. The dirty bugger followed me all the way home, too.” I sipped the cool water, and stared at the glass. “Yikes. Hopefully, they’ll catch him soon.” My heart pounded, and head throbbed. “He’s after a deed.”
“It’s just as we thought.” I watched him rub his chin. “We’re one step ahead of him.” He smiled. “Where is it?”
“Oh dear God.” I jumped up and headed outside with Aaron right behind me. “I think it’s out here somewhere. I know he didn’t get it.”
“The wind is blowing from the west.” We stood in the middle of the street, scanning the boulevards. “I’ll look on this side, you over there.”
“Okay.” I strode to my area and slowly combed the bushes, trees and flowers while Aaron did the same. My chin throbbed and my head hurt. I reached into a pocket for another tissue, and pulled out the crumpled ball of paper. “Found it!”
Aaron rushed toward me. “Where was it?”“In my pocket. Must’ve forgot.” I shrugged.At the same moment, the detectives turned the corner and drove toward our house. We met them at the door.
“I found it.” I smiled. “Got what he was looking for.” I held it in my hand. “I’ll explain inside.”
“Huh?” Detective Erlandsen said, looking at me. “It’s a crime scene, again. Let’s enter from a different door.”
“You’re right.” We stopped outside of the front door. “I think he must’ve entered through the kitchen garage door, not the back door leading to the patio. I remember hearing a noise, and checking it out and then locking it.”
“What else?” Detective Mergens asked.
“He followed me home from work. I tried losing him by going inside various stores, but he’d always reappear.” I waited a minute, then continued, “I did sneak over and take photos and sent them to Aaron.”
“I showed them to you.”“Affirmative.” Mergens looked at me. “Continue.”
“He must’ve sneaked in the garage and then waited for me to take out these things.” When he got a puzzled look, I said, “The books, figurine and letter.”
“That’s what you were doing?”
“Yes. The TV was on and I was looking through it all. He also must know my hiding place in the freezer.”
At that moment, a squad car parked and the officers walked up to us.
“Secure the living room. Prints from the kitchen and garage door as well as the living room. I’ll call the team. You don’t touch a thing.”
“You two stay right here,” Mergens stated.“Is it all right if we go to the patio and sit?” I asked. “Of course.”Aaron and I walked around the house to the patio and sat, staring off into the distance. I still had the crumpled paper in my pocket, and brought it out. “I don’t suppose the air is good for this, but neither are all the wrinkles.” I waited for Aaron to brush the table top clean of dust. “Your shirt is clean, isn’t it?”
“Don’t we have towels in the basement?” Aaron got up. “I’ll go and get one.”
A shiver raced up and down my spine the moment he left my sight. I glanced around the yard, and searched the nearby yards for a glimpse of Harry. I wondered if he’d been caught? Fortunately, Aaron returned quickly.
“Do you know if Harry’s been picked up?”“Hold on.” Aaron put in a call to his station.I took the towel and spread it out, smoothing out all wrinkles. I removed the deed and carefully began the arduous chore of unfolding it. When he disconnected, I asked, “Have they?”
“No. They’ve got his house staked out and a few other choice places. Don’t worry. He’ll show up.”
“Let’s hope.” I groaned inside. I didn’t care for the turn of events. Harry could pop up at anytime and anyplace. I wasn’t safe. I switched my focus to the deed. Gradually, it spread before my eyes. “You can see how it was rolled and folded into the doll.”“Yes, but is it the deed? The paper’s too small for that.”“Good point.” We both studied it. “It’s getting dark and that makes it harder to read it, but it almost seems like a treasure map.”
“It has bullet points.”
“Yes, like it should be checked off.” It began with the grass bowl. “We’ve got the first. The second is the blanket symbol on the figurine.” I read further down the list. “The cabin is emphasized.”
“Which must be where it’s located?”“I believe so.”“We’re due for a vacation after this escapade.”
“It’s not over with yet,” I reminded him. “Harry needs to be behind bars.”“Let’s plan one week from today for a road trip out to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.” Aaron’s eyes glistened. “Sound good?”
“You betcha.” That man had better be behind bars, I thought, as I rolled the letter inside the towel beside the photo.
It took another forty minutes or more before we were allowed back into the house. The mosquitoes were making a nuisance of themselves, and I was happy when we walked back in. The detectives were just wrapping it up, and we sat down by the kitchen table. I reached for my half-empty glass of water, and topped it off.
“Walk us through what happened,” Erlandsen said. “We’ve had fingerprints lifted from the doors, including the broom closet where he must have hidden. Anyplace else in this room?”
“I don’t believe so.” I finished my water. “We weren’t in here together. I had removed the freezer items and brought them into the living room, as well as the books from the back room. The entire skirmish happened in that room. We heard the garage door open—he had his hand on my arm and yanked me closer before that happened—I took the moment to knee-kick him in the groin. That gave me the chance to break free.”
“When did he try and get the paper?”
“Oh yeah. I also knocked him over the head with the figurine once I’d kneed him. It broke from landing on the table. He reached for it at the same time—then the garage door went up, and he chased out the door with me behind him.”
“He got in the car before I could jump him,” Aaron finished the story.
“Right,” I agreed. “Any news about him?”
“No, not yet.” Mergens shook his head. “The team will make another sweep in the morning. I suggest you two hit the sack, and we’ll call.”
“Good night.” Erlandsen made for the door. “We’ll be in touch.”
Once all the policemen and the two detectives left us alone, we took the advice and got ready for bed. Neither of us had eaten, so we cooked up an omelet before going to bed. Aaron was sound asleep when my head hit the pillow. I’d first showered and checked all the windows and doors-twice-before jumping into the sack.
Sometime during the night, I heard a strange noise, like voices yelling. I reached for Aaron but found his spot empty. I slid my feet into slippers, and cautiously walked down the hallway, following the voices. I stopped at the top of stairs where Aaron’s and Harry’s voices became louder.
I grabbed the frying pan from the stove, and began climbing down the stairs when there was a sudden crash of broken bottles. Aaron groaned. My eyes focused in the dim light coming through the basement window. I inched further until at last reaching the bottom step.
“Give me the deed,” Harry shouted. He had Aaron in a stronghold, and held a small weapon next to his throat.
“Oh no you don’t!” I rushed straight at him and hit Harry on the head with the frying pan, causing him to collapse. Aaron regained his composure and took over subduing Harry.
“’Bout time you got here.” He took the small gun which had dropped on the floor, and slipped it into his pocket. “Call it in, will you?”
“Can’t you knock him on the head or something? He looks too alive.” I left him to his devices and went upstairs and got his phone, and called it in. I’d barely had time to put my robe on before the police returned. It seemed forever until they finally left.
“Case closed,” Erlandsen stated on his way out the door. “That’s what you think.”
At least to them, it was closed, but not to me.