Scones, Skulls & Scams (11 page)

Nans had turned to face the side of the tunnel, her flashlight pointing straight in front of her. “Girls, I think our theory was correct.”
 

Lexy craned her neck to look around Ruth whose body blocked her view as the four ladies huddled together in front of whatever Nans had found. Lexy stood on her tiptoes, so she could look above Ruth’s head, her heart skipping when she saw Nans had discovered a small room … and it wasn’t empty.

There was an opening in the cement sides of the tunnel, and a cave-like room had been carved into the earth beyond. The room measured about ten feet square and was set about two feet above the ground level of the sewer pipe. Lexy assumed that must be above the water line, which would allow the room to remain dry.
 

The beam of Nans’ flashlight illuminated a pile of faded, dirty fabric. The room also contained an old chair, some papers and a few pallets.
 

Nans hopped up into the room and started poking through the debris. “Maybe the money is in here,” she said excitedly.

“I think if a million dollars was stacked up in there, it would be obvious,” Ida replied.

“Yeah, looks like nothing but old clothes,” Ruth added.

Nans turned to them. “But this proves our theory … someone
was
down here.”

“Probably just vagrants,” Ruth said.

Nans shook her head. “No. Look at the hat. It’s from the 1940s.”

Nans shined her light on something that lay in the corner. Even in its dilapidated state, Lexy could see it had the same shape and style as the hats they’d seen in the 1948 newspaper ad.

Lexy heard a muted
bang
and felt a vibration on the tunnel floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a piece of concrete crumbling loose from the side of the tunnel.

“Look out!” She pushed Ruth aside just before the piece of concrete smashed to bits on the floor.

“Oh my,” Ruth looked down at the bits of rock and dust. “Thanks Lexy. That would have hurt.”

“You’re welcome. What was that noise?”

“Noise?” Ruth’s brows knit together.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear a noise and feel the floor shaking before the cement fell?”

Ruth raised her brows at the other ladies who all shook their heads.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Nans said. “But we’re right under the street. I bet a bus going by could cause a noise and vibration.”

Lexy chewed on her bottom lip, glancing back down the tunnel uncertainly. “I suppose so, but I thought it came from back there.”

“Well, we don’t have time to investigate that now.” Nans came out of the room back into the tunnel. “I feel we’re hot on the trail of the money.”

Nans proceeded up the tunnel, a little faster this time. Lexy brought up the rear, her stomach tight with anxiety as she kept her eye on the ceiling of the tunnel waiting for another chunk of concrete to fall.

Lexy wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and suddenly she stepped on something soft and squishy. A small furry body ran across her foot and she let out a screech that echoed loudly down the tunnel.

The four ladies swung around to look at her, their faces etched with concern.

“What happened?’

“Are you okay?”

Lexy hopped around on one foot, her heart thudding in her chest. “Yes. But I think a rat ran across my foot!”

“Eww.” Helen and Nans both made faces of disgust and trained their flashlights on the floor of the tunnel.
 

“I don’t see any rats,” Helen said.

“Me either.” Nans waved her flashlight around to expose every nook and cranny of the floor.

“I tell you, something ran across my foot,” Lexy said.

“Well, there’s nothing here now.” Nans turned to face forward. “Let’s keep going.”

They fell in step behind Nans. Lexy kept an eye on the tunnel behind her. Did she hear something back there? She strained her ears, but couldn’t pick out anything except the sound of dripping water. It had sounded like footsteps. She hoped it wasn’t more rats.

A few yards up, they came to an intersection. The main sewer tunnel continued ahead, but a smaller tunnel branched off to the right.

“Which way?” Nans shined her flashlight down one tunnel, then the other.

“I say we take the cutoff,” Ida said. “If I was gonna hide stolen bank robbery money, I’d hide it down one of the side tunnels as opposed to in the main tunnel.”

“Good thinking.” Nans started down the tunnel off to the side.

“Wait a minute!” Helen said causing everyone to stop. “We should mark the path, so we can find our way out. This place is like a maze down here and if we take too many turns … well, we could get lost in here and end up as skeletons just like Midas Mulcahey.”

She swung her arm in front of her and snapped open her purse.
 

“Let’s see… What do I have in here we could use?” She motioned for Ruth to hold the items as she plucked them from her purse. “Masking tape, scissors, breath mints, a scone wrapped in a napkin, a lighter … oh here’s something—lipstick. We can make a mark on the side of the tunnel so we’ll know which direction to go in when we come back.”

“Good idea,” Nans said.

Helen sprinted to the section where the side tunnel cut off from the main one and made a mark, then sprinted back and opened her purse so Ruth could dump the items she’d been holding inside.
 

Okay, let’s keep moving.” Helen snapped her purse shut and they continued down the side tunnel. After a few feet, Lexy heard a crunch then saw Nans jump back and point her flashlight at the ground in front of her.

Ruth, who had been right behind Nans, gasped.
 

“Holy bone fragments,” Ida said. “How many skeletons are down here?”

Lexy looked at the floor in front of Nans where the bones of a full skeleton lay.
 

“This one has its head,” Helen said. “So it’s not the rest of Midas.”

“I wonder who he is?” Ruth mused.

“I think you mean
she
.” Lexy pointed to the wrist, which still wore a cluster of bangles.

Nans bent down. “Well, I’ll be. Looks like Midas might have had female company down here.”

Ruth crouched at the head, turning it slightly.
 

“And looks like she met the same fate,” she said pointing to a hole in the side of the skull.

“She must have been shot right here and Midas was shot further down in the main tunnel.” Helen glanced back at the main tunnel. “That’s why she’s intact. Her body is in the offshoot here where the water doesn’t rush through, so her bones didn’t get washed down like Midas’ did.”

“So you think she was shot along with Midas?” Ruth raised a brow at Helen.

“That makes the most sense.” Helen bent down to inspect her bracelets. “These look like bangles from the 1940s era. They’re made from that old plastic—Bakelite. It’s very collectible today.”

Lexy could see the twinkle in Nans’ eye as she aimed the beam of her flashlight into the dark tunnel.
 

“This is a good sign. I feel like we’re getting closer.” Nans practically skipped down the tunnel she was so excited.
 

Nans’ excitement must have been contagious, because Lexy could feel a tingle of anticipation working its way through her veins. What if the money really was down here after all these years? Would they be able to solve Midas’ murder? And find out who the other skeleton belonged to?

As they continued, the tunnel grew narrower. They were forced to stoop over and it looked like they’d eventually have to crawl. Lexy felt the enthusiasm draining from her.

“I don’t think I want to crawl down there,” she said. “And isn’t it getting late? I told Jack I’d be home by supper.”

“Maybe we
should
turn back,” Ida said.

“But I was sure something would be down here.” Nans’ face fell and Lexy’s heart crunched at the dejected sound in her voice.
 

“Maybe we can come back and explore another tunnel later,” Helen said as they all turned.

“Yeah, I guess you guys are right.” Nans gestured with her flashlight for them to turn around.
 

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexy saw the beam from Nans’ flashlight glint off something on the wall.
 

“Wait a minute, what’s that?” She grabbed the light from Nans and pointed it at the side of the tunnel. The original concrete of the tunnel had obviously been chipped away at some point and new concrete patched up in its place. The new concrete was crumbling away on the edges and it looked like something was behind it … something that glinted like gold.

“Hold on.” Nans lifted the flap on her giant purse and rummaged around inside coming up with a Swiss army knife. She flipped out the blade and approached the crumbling wall. Working the blade behind a crack, she wiggled and pushed until a fist-sized chunk of concrete fell out.

Lexy held the flashlight to the hole and peered in, her stomach fluttering with excitement. “There’s something back there. It looks like a small room or hiding place … it’s hard to tell, it looks like I’m looking through a window or something.”

“Let me dig out more,” Nans said and stabbed at the concrete with the knife.

“I can help.” Ida rushed over with her own Swiss army knife.

“Me too.” Ruth attacked the concrete with a nail file.

Lexy watched as they crumbled away the concrete, revealing a door with a small window near the top. The window Lexy had looked through with the flashlight earlier.

Nans reached for the door handle and, much to Lexy’s surprise, the door swung open.
 

Lexy’s eyes widened.
 

Nans, Ruth, Ida and Helen gasped in unison.

They were staring at a room filled with stacks of money and gold bars.
 

The five of them stood silent for several heartbeats. Nans was the first to speak. “We found it! We found the money! I knew it was down here!”

Click!

Lexy whirled at the metallic sound that came from behind her, her heart jerking when she came face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. Her stomach sank when a voice spoke out from the other end of the gun.

“I knew it was down here, too, but thanks for doing all the hard work and finding it for me.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lexy wrenched her eyes away from the barrel of the gun and into the cold, shark-like eyes of its owner.

Caraleigh Brewster.

“You! I knew your bakery was a scam!” Lexy said.

Caraleigh laughed. “I still got more customers than you.”

Lexy simmered with anger. “Yeah, well, with your grocery store pastries, I bet none of them were repeats.”

“Really? If you weren’t worried, then why did you steal my ring and try to frame me?”

Lexy’s brows knit together. “Steal your ring? Why do you keep saying that? We know you broke in and dropped it; there’s no sense in pretending now.”

Caraleigh narrowed her eyes at Lexy. “Shut up. None of that matters now, anyway.”
 

Nans held up her hands. “Well, now I think we can come to some sort of agree—”

“Zip it, old lady,” Caraleigh cut Nans off and took a menacing step forward, waving her gun at all five of them. “Get in the room.”

Lexy, Nans and the other ladies backed up slowly into the money room.

“Did she call me an old lady?” Nans whispered indignantly.

“Okay, listen up. You’re going to load the money onto that cart.” Caraleigh gestured toward one of the old metal-wheeled wooden carts that sat on the side of the room, already partially loaded with gold bars.
 

“And then what?” Ida asked.

“My brother, Harvey, is right behind me and we’re going to wheel this money out of here, just like we planned.” Caraleigh sneered at Ida.

“And what will you do with us?” Lexy asked.

Caraleigh laughed, then looked at her gun. “Harvey’s gonna help me finish you ladies off. I don’t think a few more skeletons down here will be a problem.”

Lexy’s blood froze as she heard footsteps behind Caraleigh.

That must be Harvey coming to finish them off
, she thought, but then her grim thoughts turned to a stab of surprise when a gun appeared, pointing right at Caraleigh’s head.
 

Click.

Caraleigh’s face froze in a mask of confusion. “Harvey?”

“Nope. Harvey won’t be coming to help you.”

Lexy’s heart skipped when she recognized the voice. She craned her neck to see past Caraleigh’s shoulder to verify her suspicions.

“Victor! Thank god,” Nans gushed.

Victor ignored Nans, his hand snaking around to Caraleigh’s gun hand. “Now give me the gun nice and slow and I won’t have to hurt you.”

Caraleigh’s eyes darted from side to side, the gun wavering back and forth in her hand.

“I know you’re thinking your brother is gonna come up behind me, but I took care of him back in the basement. He’s not going to come and save you,” Victor said.

“What did you to do him?” Caraleigh whirled around, and Victor, with surprising agility for a man of his age, grabbed her gun and pushed her into the room.

He stood at the doorway, a gun in each hand.

“Oh, Victor! Thank you for saving us. How did you know?” Helen rushed toward Victor only to stop short, a look of confusion on her face as he aimed one of the guns at her.

“Get back!” he yelled.

“Victor … what is going on?” Nans asked.

“I didn’t come here to save you, you nosey old biddies … I came for the loot!”

***

Lexy, Nans, Ruth, Ida and Helen stared open-mouthed at Victor.

“Hey, you’re the guy who stole my ring.” Caraleigh crossed her arms on her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

Lexy swiveled her head toward Caraleigh. “What? How could he steal your ring?”

Victor chuckled. “She’s right. All my pick-pocket training as a young lad paid off.”
 

“You mean the ring they found in my bakery after the break-in?” Lexy asked.

Victor nodded. “I lifted it right off her finger when I was paying for one of those god-awful stale muffins. Then I broke into your place and planted it so it would look like Caraleigh was the one who broke in.”