Time Thieves (14 page)

“What’s wrong with
me?” Sari sat staring at the dark deep space in front of her. The hidden cupboard door was propped open with her shoes, and she’d shifted everything from that side of the closet to the other side. There was no sign to indicate where it went or what it was used for. And for the life of her, she couldn’t find her flashlight. She’d used it several times last night when she’d found Madge but not since. She’d searched the shop and the attic. Maybe Ward had accidentally taken it with him when he’d left.

She pulled out her phone and called him. She hated to disturb him again, but she so didn’t want to go into the passage without light. Not that she knew it was a passage. It could just be a storage space, but if so, then why couldn’t she see a back wall? She’d known her house had secrets, but this was getting ridiculous. She wondered if her mother knew…if that’s why her mother had packed up and left, never to return.

“Sari? How are you?” he asked, his tone lightening at her voice. “I was hoping you’d gone to bed and stayed there.”

Sari smiled as his gravelly voice slid through the phone. What a turn on. “I’m good – at least I think I’m good. Still a little tired. How is Madge?”

“Still asleep, but she appears to be doing fine.”

“Do you remember putting my flashlight away somewhere? I’ve been looking all morning but haven’t come across it. And I kinda need it.” Her voice dropped at the end. She really wanted him to come and help her explore, but that was asking a little much. The guy had a job to do, and she’d stolen his sleep as it was.

“I think the last time I saw it, the flashlight was on your bed. It might have dropped and the bed might have been rolled over it when the paramedics arrived.”

“Oh, I never thought of that.” Sari hopped to her feet and walked the few steps to her bed. She bent down, tugging up the bedding. There, high under the head of her bed, was the flashlight. “Oh, it is there. Now if only I can reach it.”

“Roll the bed instead of hurting yourself. I never thought about it – we left your bedroom in a mess, didn’t we? Sorry about that. I left with Madge and honestly never gave it another thought.”

Sari smiled. “Not to worry. Madge was the priority. But you should see what I found just now.”

“What?” His lively voice teemed with curiosity.

“A few minutes ago. I was straightening up the closet and found a cupboard hidden in the back.”

“What? Like a closet?”

“Yeah, I don’t know about that. That’s why I wanted the flashlight. I can’t see a back to this space.”

“Whoa,” he snapped. “Hang on there. I don’t like the sound of this. We were trying to figure out how Madge got into your room, remember? What if that connects to your attic? You were wondering why there was no exit from there in the first place.”

“Oh.” Sari snatched up the flashlight and raced over to the closet. She shone the light inside. “Jesus. I can’t see the back here. It’s so dark. It’s big enough to crawl into.”

“Stop. Don’t you go in there. I’m just leaving the hospital. Put on some coffee and I’ll swing by on my way to the office.”

“Ha. You just want to explore my crazy house some more.”

“You’re right. You also dragged me out of deep sleep, so I need a caffeine hit before I drop.” The laughter in his voice brought an answering grin to her face. “I’m already at the parking lot. Be there in ten. Close the damn cupboard and wait for me. There might be clues about Madge there, so don’t touch.”

Sari rolled her eyes. “So now my closet is a police issue. Right.”

“It was the minute a strange woman showed up in your house.”

“Right. I’m closing the damn door and going to put coffee on. But you’re spoiling my fun, you know. You owe me lunch for this.”

“Done. Actually, it’s almost lunchtime now.”

“Not today.” Sari sighed. “I’m too tired to enjoy going out right now.”

“Coffee. We need coffee. Be there in five.”

Sari hung up and stared at the open doorway, considering. Should she go in and explore?

W
ard pulled off
the main road and turned into Sari’s curving driveway.

He hoped she’d listened. He’d been through enough this morning. According to his partner, there was no one matching Madge’s description in the missing person files for the last year. He’d suggested Jeremy look further back. Madge, although skinny and starved, was relatively healthy. It appeared she’d been someplace where she was taken care of, or at least had been able to care for herself.

He turned off the engine and hopped out. The house rose with spirals and columns. The front shop had a sloping roof all its own. The new roof looked good. The new window looked even better as it shone out from above, the glass panes twinkling in the light.

“Hey, there you are.” Sari stood in the doorway grinning at him. “You were longer than five minutes.”

Ward reached inside and pulled out a white bakery bag. “I stopped off at Nino Bakery and picked up fresh cinnamon buns to have with the coffee.”

She rolled her eyes, looking lovely as she leaned against the door frame. So relaxed; no one would know the mess she’d gone through the night before. She had a natural grace about her. Gentle but resilient. She’d learned how to bend to life’s punches, and still she stood straight.

“Are you trying to fatten me up?”

“You could stand to gain a pound or two. You were skinny as a kid, too.”

“I was a scrawny beanpole back then. Thank God I’ve filled out some.”

“Yeah, thank God,” he whispered under his breath. She’d filled out in a beautiful series of graceful feminine curves. Model thin and centerfold built. A man’s dream girl. At least for him.

Only she heard him. She snatched the bag out of his hand. “You also used to bug me about my bony knees. Did you think I’d forget?”

He laughed. “Why not? I did. But thanks for the memory.”

She grinned as she led the way to the kitchen. “School was fun back then. I hated France in the beginning. My French sucked – I did terrible in school for years, then I finally got over myself and started to do really well.”

He looked at her sideways. “I think you deserved recovery time. I’d have failed every course if I had to do them in another language.”

She grinned. “I could speak French; it was more an attitude adjustment. I hated that we left home…left my dad. I desperately wanted him to come home. Figured if we weren’t here, he wouldn’t come back. Even when I was flying here almost two months ago, I couldn’t stop the spark of hope that he might have come home and would be sitting here waiting for me.” She smiled sadly.

“I’m sorry, Sari. I can’t imagine.”

She looked up at him. “How is your mother? I only remember meeting her once.”

“Yeah, at the spelling bee.”

“Right. The last day I saw my father.”

Silence.

“I hadn’t realized.” Ward stared off into space. “That day wasn’t remarkable to me. I can hardly remember.”

“I beat you in the last round with the word
aquarium
.”

He grinned. “Now I remember. My mother bugged me about missing that one for days. I let you win.”

She gasped in surprise then in outrage. “You did not. I won that fair and square.”

He laughed and laughed. She reached out and clipped him on the shoulder. “Oh, you. You were always the biggest tease.”

“I was sweet on you back then. There’s no way I’d have been able to beat you and live with it.”

She poured coffee and handed him a cup. “Like I’m going to believe that. You might have been sweet on me just so you could come and visit with my father.”

“Your dad was the greatest.” He took a sip of coffee. “I just wish we had answers to his disappearance.”

There was an awkward silence.

He peered at her over the rim of his mug. She wore such an odd look on her face. “What’s the matter?”

She looked like she was about to speak, then changed her mind. She smiled brightly. “Come on. Let me show you the hidden door.”

Knowing she’d held back but not sure he should try to push her to talk about her father’s disappearance, he nodded and said, “Sounds good. Let’s go.”

*

Leading the way
to her bedroom, Sari wondered if she’d missed the right moment. She felt like she needed to tell someone what had happened to her father. Not that Ward would believe her. Like who would? On top of that, her memory was sketchy. It
had
been fifteen years ago. She’d been just a child, and she’d had her memories poked and denied by her mother for all that time. How sad was that?

At her bedroom, she stopped automatically to survey her space. It had been invaded several times.

Maybe it was time to move to the master bedroom. Before that could happen, she’d have a huge mess of cleaning to do. Her mother had literally packed Sari’s clothes, a few personal possessions, and they’d left, leaving all the furniture, dishes, and remaining personal possessions. For Sari, coming home had been like a trip backwards in time.

“Where is the cupboard?” Ward strode to the closet, crouching down in front of it.

Sari, at his side, pointed out the hard-to-see clasp on the bottom. “See, it’s been painted the same color as the wall.”

He bent closer. “Was there anything in front of this earlier? It’s almost directly behind where we found Madge.”

“I know. I don’t know if there was there before. But there is still so much here that was left from before. I’ve got so much going on that I can’t figure out where to start. I should have cleaned this room out before, but every time I start I get sidetracked by memories.”

“Understandable. It’s like a time capsule.”

“I know. It was a bit of a shock returning.”

Pulling the hidden door open wider, he stuck his head in. “Whoever built this did a good job. It’s a hell of a hiding place. I can see the end here. It’s only a few short feet over.”

Sari stilled then winced. “Thanks for that thought. I might never sleep in here again.”

“I’m surprised that finding Madge didn’t freak you out. How is the security system coming along?”

“Oh, I forgot they were still working out there. At least I presume they are – I haven’t seen anyone in a while.”

“The truck is out there. How many doors and windows are you getting done? To do the whole thing would be incredibly expensive.”

“It is, but they said it was a comprehensive system and my mother is paying for it in a roundabout way. She offered to pay for the roof, but I’d just finished paying that bill so I’m applying her money to this.”

“That makes sense.” The door stood open in front of him and he shook his head. “Who’d have thought this house had so many secrets?” He leaned back to survey the closet as a whole then glanced out the bedroom window. “This is the front of the house. You saw me get struck down from that window, so this closet should go into the attic. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“And does it?” she asked sensibly.

“I don’t know. Let’s go see.” With that he crawled into the cupboard, his flashlight showing the way.

Not wanting to be left behind, Sari followed slowly. The closet was barely high enough for her to stand slightly bent over. Ward didn’t bother trying to stand. “The connecting door is slightly open, as if Madge came through and just pushed it closed.”

“There can’t be room in here for it to be anything else.” She could barely see in front of him as he disappeared into the opening.

“It is the attic.” He chuckled. “So that answers the question of Madge.” His voice turned serious. “But there appears to be another door here as well.”

“What?” Sari crowded closer. “This house is a bloody maze. I wish I knew about all these hidden corridors. I hate to think someone could hide in here and I wouldn’t know.”

Ward glanced back at her. “Like Madge.”

“Little terrified old ladies are the least of my worries. There was that break-in last week. What if one of them had been looking to hide out in here?”

“Let’s not think that way. If it really bothers you, it could be boarded up. Sealed off so that no one has access. Or better yet, get someone in here to take down some walls and open the space up. Add it to the attic so you have more space in there. Put a door in from this side so you can access it easily. Make it a sitting room or something. With that new window in there, it’s quite a nice space.”