Valise in the Attic (10 page)

“She sure did,” Kate said with a laugh. “And she’s already texted me three times to see if Logan Larriby happened to come by the shop and ask about her. I am certain she would have kept that up all day, but Robert told her that there was a law against texting in a moving vehicle.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just for the driver,” Annie said.

“Vanessa tried to tell him that, but apparently he was adamant.” Kate laughed. “It could be he was trying to help her stop thinking about that actor. She’s going to drive her grandparents crazy by the time they get back.”

Annie felt a surge of relief. “I’m sure they remember what it’s like to be young and hyper-excited about things.”

“I’m not sure I can picture Robert Stevens ever being hyper,” Kate said, and Annie could hear the fondness in her tone. “That man is like a Zen garden in fishing gear. I wish Harry had taken after him a bit more.”

Annie didn’t quite know what to say to that, so she asked if Kate and Mary Beth had any more ideas about the possible Christmas party at A Stitch in Time. “We’ve had a few ideas, but we figured we’d save them for next week’s meeting,” Kate said. “Why? Did you have any thoughts?”

“Not really,” Annie said. “The last couple of days have been so busy.”

“Well, don’t go getting starstruck on us with all that movie stuff,” Kate said. “One girl with stars in her eyes is enough around here.”

“I know I won’t be running away to be a star anytime soon,” Annie said. “Movie making seemed mostly cold—very cold.”

They exchanged a few more light remarks before Annie hung up feeling much better. She got up and walked out to the front room and began taking the yarn out of the small canvas-covered valise and putting it into her project bag. The fine, soft yarn came in the most lovely, soft sherbet colors.

The sudden ringtone from her phone made her jump. She fished it back out of her pocket and checked the small screen. It was Alice. Smiling, Annie put the phone to her ear, expecting to hear her friend’s bright voice.

Instead, the voice on the phone was definitely masculine and gravel-rough as it whispered into the phone. “I have your red-haired friend,” the voice rasped. “If you want to see her pretty head without a hole in it, you’ll bring me the valise.”

11

Annie’s throat closed in horror, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. Finally she managed to swallow and choke something out in a thin, high voice. “The valise?” The hand holding the phone shook, making the edge of the phone tap her ear. “But it’s just an empty suitcase. What could you possibly want it for?”

“Don’t concern yourself with why I want it!” the voice snarled. “Just give it to me.”

“OK—of course,” Annie whispered. “Just don’t hurt Alice, please.”

“She’ll be fine as long as you do what I say. I want you to bring the valise to me tonight at midnight. I’ll call back at eleven to give you exact directions so you can’t set up any little traps. Be ready to leave when I call. If you follow my directions exactly, you’ll get your pretty friend back in the same condition I found her. If not, you won’t like the condition she’s in when you see her again.”

“Please, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“No cops. And don’t think I won’t know if you call them. It would be a shame if your friend spent Christmas in the hospital or the morgue.”

The man on the other end of the phone coughed then, as if the hoarse whisper was hard to maintain. Finally he said, “I’ll call back around eleven. Don’t wander too far from your phone until then.” With that, the call dropped.

Annie stared at the phone in her hands as she fought back a bubble of nauseous fear. She wasn’t sure what to do. The man made it clear he’d be watching for any sign of the police, but Annie didn’t want to face this by herself. She looked at the phone in her trembling hand, and then she took a deep breath and dialed Ian Butler.

Ian answered on the third ring and his voice sounded pleased. “Annie! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“Ian?” Annie said, embarrassed at the tremble in her voice. “Something terrible has happened.”

“Annie, what’s wrong? Should I come over? Where are you?”

“I’m at Grey Gables,” Annie said. “A man just called. He said he’s kidnapped Alice.”

“What?” Ian’s voice jumped to a low roar. “Why would a kidnapper call you?”

“He wants the valise I carried in the movie,” Annie said. “It must be the same man who tried to steal it from me. And I guess it’s the same one who tried to force us off the road.”

“Forced you off the road? When did this happen?” Ian said.

“Last night,” Annie said. “We didn’t know it was related. Then Alice went this morning to get some estimates to fix her car. I didn’t hear from her after that, but I got a call from her phone—only it wasn’t her. It was a man with a horrible, raspy voice, and he said he wants the valise.”

“Just stay calm,” Ian said. “I’ll come over, and I’m bringing Chief Edwards.”

“No!” Annie yelped. “The man said not to call the police. He might be watching the house. I don’t want him to see any policemen. He might hurt Alice.”

“OK. Look, I’m going to tell Chief Edwards, but I’ll tell him that he has to stay away from your house,” Ian said. “Then I’m coming over. Tell me exactly what the kidnapper said so I can relay it to the chief. Did he demand you do something right away?”

“No,” Annie said. “Not until midnight. But Ian, there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“That man wants the valise I carried in the film, and I don’t have it,” she said. “I loaned it to Vanessa to take on an overnight trip to Vermont with her grandparents.”

“I don’t remember the valise all that closely. Is it an unusual-looking piece?”

“Not really,” Annie said. “The prop master had one just like it.”

“That’s the answer then,” Ian said. “We’ll get the one from the prop master. I’ll pick it up and bring it to your house. Now, go over exactly what the man said so I can make that call to the chief.”

Annie closed her eyes and concentrated on exactly what the horrible man had said on the phone. She described the raspy whisper and repeated the man’s words as close to verbatim as possible.”

“He sounds awfully melodramatic,” Ian said. “Almost like a script from a bad movie.”

“I know,” Annie whispered, “and I feel like I’ve tumbled into a horror movie.”

“Try not to worry,” Ian said. “We’re going to take care of this. I’ll be there as fast as I possibly can.”

“Thank you, Ian,” Annie said softly. “I appreciate your help.”

“It’s going to be all right, Annie,” Ian said. “I’m sure of it. Hold tight. I’ll be there soon.”

“OK,” Annie said.

Annie put the phone down with shaking hands. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She hoped Ian would be able to get the other valise. Then her eyes fell on the canvas-covered bag Alice had carried in the movie. It was about the same size, though it was the wrong color. The valise the kidnapper wanted was covered in leather. Still, at midnight, it might look close enough. Or maybe there would be another one in the attic. Somehow, she would have something to give the kidnapper. She had to.

Then she stopped and gave herself a little shake. There was no point in borrowing trouble. Samuel Ely had the second valise, and Ian was going to get it. She wouldn’t need to find anything else. She had to calm down. She tried to concentrate on letting the nervous energy go, but finally just gave in and jumped up from the sofa.

She paced back and forth in the front room. Boots walked into the room and hopped up onto the small sofa, curling into the spot left warm from Annie’s body. The cat watched her pace for a moment, and then meowed at her. Annie stopped and scooped the cat up in her arms.

“Oh, Boots!” she said. “I’m scared.” She held the cat close and closed her eyes, saying a quiet prayer for protection for Alice.

She has just opened her eyes when she jumped at the wet sound of tires biting slushy gravel in her driveway. She wondered if it could be Ian, and she hurried to the long windows beside the door. “That was quick,” she murmured.

An unfamiliar gray car rolled to a stop. Annie took a step back from the window so she wouldn’t show from outside. The driver’s side door swung open, and a man heaved himself to his feet. Annie took one look at the tousled silver hair and broad shoulders, and recognized the man instantly.

She put Boots quickly on the floor, and then threw open the front door. “Jim Parker!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Jim walked toward her with the slightly swinging gait from his leg prostheses as he leaned on his long cane with each step. “Didn’t Alice tell you I was coming?”

At the mention of Alice’s name, Annie’s stomach clenched again. How could she tell him about Alice? “She didn’t know,” Annie managed to stammer.

Jim stopped. “I sent a letter, a package really. Must be the crazy holiday mail. No wonder she wasn’t home when I stopped. Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“Jim,” Annie said, softly. “You better come inside where we can talk.”

Jim’s blue eyes darkened like a storm. “What do we need to talk about?”

“Alice,” Annie said. “Please, come in.”

Jim followed her in, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, he said, “All right, I’m in. Where’s Alice?”

Annie led him over to the sofa, in case he needed to sit suddenly. Then she looked into his eyes. “Alice has been kidnapped.”

“What?” Jim’s deep rough voice boomed.

“Someone took her from her car, I think. At least, that’s what I’m guessing since I think it’s the same man who tried to force us off the road yesterday.” Annie knew she was jumbling the story badly. “The man wants something … a small valise I found in the attic.”

“So, this is another of your mysteries?” Jim said, frowning slightly. “What’s in the suitcase?”

Annie shook her head. “Nothing, Jim. Not one single thing. It’s empty and even the locks are broken. Alice and I looked it over carefully when someone first tried to steal it. There is nothing hidden in the lining. It’s just an old, cheap suitcase, but the kidnapper wants it.”

“And you’re going to give it to him?” Jim asked.

“I don’t exactly have it,” Annie said. “I loaned it to Kate’s daughter for an overnight bag. But we already know there is nothing unusual about it, so I’m borrowing a valise that looks just like it. We’re going to give the kidnapper that.”

“We?” Jim echoed.

“I called Ian,” she said. “Right after the kidnapper called me. He’s contacting the police, but he’ll tell them to stay away from the house. The kidnapper shouldn’t know they’re involved.”

Jim began to pace, his cane thumping on the hardwood floor with each step.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “Why would someone grab Alice for something with no worth?” He stopped and looked at Annie intensely. “If they hurt her, I’ll find them. I don’t care about the police. I’ll find them.” His normally sparkling eyes had turned as gray as a nor’easter.

Annie swallowed nervously. She hadn’t realized the charming, easy-going man could be so fierce. “We’ll get her back, Jim.” Then Annie was blinking away tears. “I’m so sorry that I got Alice involved in another stupid mystery. When this craziness started, we had no idea it was connected to that little suitcase. First the mugging, then someone trying to force us off the road. Then the strange message in the mail. We couldn’t see how they were related until now. And now Alice is in danger, and it’s all my fault.”

“Alice would never want you to keep her out of any adventure,” Jim said, stopping to pat Annie’s arm awkwardly. Then he smiled a little and shook his head. “I know Alice well enough to know that you don’t want to try to keep her out of trouble. My Alice is fearless. Don’t blame yourself. The only one to blame is whoever took her. Now, tell me everything you know about this.”

Annie nodded and began to pour out the whole story of the film, the suitcase, and every detail of what they’d experienced in the past few days. When she began to describe the frightening message scrawled on the creepy CD, Jim burst into laughter. Annie stared at him, baffled.

“Sorry,” he said, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his eyes. “It’s just funny about the package. I didn’t mean it to be scary. I sent that with some photos from the last shoot. In the letter I explained that the songs were a ‘ghost hunting’ mix some guy gave me in Tucson. I thought she would think it was funny.”

Annie smiled. “I’m sure she would have if the package had gotten here intact.”

Jim nodded, and his face grew solemn again. “Well, I’ll explain it to her as soon as we get her back. And we will get her back.”

12

Annie turned when she heard the bite of tires on gravel again. This time it was Ian. He jumped from his car and hurried up the steps to Grey Gables. Annie had the door open by the time he reached it.

“Where’s the valise?” she asked.

“I called Maplehurst Inn,” Ian said. “The prop master didn’t answer his room phone. I think we should drive over there. Then if we can’t find him, we’ll have Linda open the door for us, and you can pick out the right case.”

“And just take it?” Annie said.

“This is an emergency, I’ll pay for a replacement if it comes to that.” As Ian spoke, the soft thump of Jim’s cane on the wood floor drew his attention, and he looked around Annie. “Jim Parker? I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just got here,” Jim said. “Landed right in the middle of it. Annie’s brought me up to speed. We should go get the valise.”

Ian smiled. “I’m not sure we need to made a group effort of it.”

Jim nodded. “That’s fine. You stay here then. Annie and I will go get the case.”

Ian took a deep breath, and Annie could tell the two men were going to end up butting heads again. Something about Jim seemed to bring out the bullheaded streak in the normally easy-going mayor. “Look, we don’t have time to fight,” she said. “Let’s all go get the valise.”

“If that’s what you want,” Ian said. He looked toward the photographer. “Is it all right for us to take my car? It’s the easiest to get out of the drive.”

“Good plan,” Jim said, smiling charmingly as he thumped past both of them and walked out to the porch.

“You should be careful about letting strange men in your house,” Ian muttered to Annie as he helped her into her coat. Annie chose just to ignore him for the sake of keeping the peace. She couldn’t imagine why Ian acted jealous of Jim considering it was clear Jim only had eyes for Alice.

Annie insisted that Jim ride in the front seat so he would have an easier time getting in and out of the car. She jumped quickly into the backseat before the moment could turn into more conflict. She leaned back against the seat and tried to relax a little. It wouldn’t help Alice if she couldn’t calm down and think clearly.

They made the short ride to the inn in silence, each of them deep in their own thoughts. Annie spotted the lanky prop master standing on the front steps of the inn, leaning against one of the columns. She hopped out of the car almost before it came to a complete stop.

“Samuel,” she called as she hurried up the steps. “I am so glad we found you.”

Samuel blushed slightly and dropped a cigarette onto the steps and crushed it with his foot. Then he picked up the butt. “You caught me,” he said sheepishly. “I’ve been trying to quit, but …” He let the sentence fade away, and then shrugged and rubbed the fading scrapes on his face.

“You’ll be glad when you finally do,” Annie said. “But right now, I really need your help.”

Samuel smiled. “Sure, what can I do for you? You got your suitcases back, didn’t you?”

“Actually I did,” Annie said. “That’s part of the problem.”

As she spoke, Ian and Jim climbed the steps behind her and stood next to her. Samuel looked from one tall frowning man to another. “Hey,” he said, “I’m not in trouble with you guys, am I?”

“No, of course not,” Ian said, forcing a smile. Jim kept the same grim stare, not even trying to put the young prop master at ease.

“We need to borrow one of the other suitcases,” Annie said. “The little valise that looks like mine. Someone really … needs it, and mine is out of town right now. It’s really important, or I wouldn’t ask.”

Samuel shrugged, still looking a little confused. “Sure, no problem. We won’t be using the cases for any of the other scenes. You’re welcome to it. Come on up to the room. I’m cohabiting with the props right now. This movie has turned into a prop master’s nightmare with the unexpected change in location and the way they keep changing scenes. Just when I think I have all the stuff we’re going to need, they make a change, and I’m back to haunting thrift shops.” He led the way into the inn and started up the long stairs to his room.

“Jim,” Annie said, laying a gentle hand on her friend’s arm, “why don’t you wait down here? If his room is crowded with junk, it’ll be easier with fewer of us. Ian and I have both seen the case.” She knew Jim would have trouble with the long flight of stairs and didn’t want to wear her friend out. They might need him later.

Jim nodded. “I’ll go warm my old bones by the fire.”

Annie hurried up the stairs to catch up with Samuel and Ian. They reached the young man’s room and waited while the prop master opened the door with an old-fashioned metal key. Maplehurst Inn liked to keep things as vintage as possible.

Inside Samuel’s room, suitcases and small bits of bric-a-brac covered every surface and were piled in every corner. He swept an arm out toward the mess. “Have at it,” he said. “If you can find the case you need, you’re welcome to it. In fact, you can borrow ten or fifteen if you want. Then I might be able to put my feet on the floor when I get up in the morning.”

Annie and Ian looked over the piles carefully.

“Is this it?” Annie turned and found Ian holding up a small brown suitcase with brass trim.

“No,” Annie said. “It looks a lot like that, but the trim is caramel-color leather with silver caps on the corners.”

They poked at piles a bit longer until Annie caught sight of chocolate-color leather peeking out from under the edge of the bed. She slipped through the piles, glad for the practice she’d had slipping through the attic at Grey Gables. Then she tugged the bag out from under the bed. “This is it! It looks exactly like mine.”

“Oh, I wonder how that got under there,” Samuel said, scratching his head. “This room is just a lost world. You’re welcome to use it, but as I remember, that one is locked shut. I didn’t bother forcing the locks, but I don’t have a key. Will that matter?”

“It shouldn’t,” Annie said. “We don’t need to get inside it.” Then she took a deep breath. “It’s possible something could … um … happen to it while we’re using it.”

“Happen to it?” Samuel echoed.

“Like we could lose it.”

“Oh,” Samuel looked at them in confusion. “Well, I have the receipt around here somewhere for what I paid for it at the thrift shop. I guess if something happened to it, you could just reimburse the movie company. Like I said, the director promised me that we’re done with the suitcase scenes.”

“Oh, good. That’s great then.” Annie impulsively kissed the young man on the cheek. “You’ve been a huge help.”

Samuel’s look of bewilderment hadn’t changed much. “Good. Glad to help. Have fun with it.”

Ian thanked Samuel again, and then ushered Annie out of the room. “Now we just have to wait for the kidnapper to call again,” he said.

“Yes,” Annie said bleakly. “That’s all we have to do. Oh, poor Alice. She must be so scared. I hope she’s warm enough. What if he crammed her into a car trunk? They do that all the time on television.”

Ian put his arm around Annie, giving her a brief hug. “This isn’t television. She’ll be fine. We’ll get her back.”

“I know. We have to.”

They drove back to Grey Gables in the same heavy silence as the trip to the inn. Annie’s stomach knotted up at the thought of Alice being held somewhere by the same person who tried to force them off the road. Over and over she ran through the mugging and the frightening struggle on the highway, trying to remember some clue that would help them go find Alice right now! But each time, she came up empty. They just had to wait for the kidnapper.

At Grey Gables, Jim and Ian both hustled Annie onto the sofa in the front room.

“I’ll go get you a cup of tea,” Jim said.

“Oh no.” Annie began to rise. “You’re my guest. You shouldn’t be waiting on me.”

Jim held up his hand. “These are extreme circumstances, and you’re shaking like a leaf. I know my way around a kitchen pretty well. I’m sure the mayor wouldn’t mind if I left the two of you alone for a little while.” Jim shifted his eyes to Ian briefly, and then thumped out of the room.

Ian sat on the sofa beside Annie. He took her icy fingers between his two large warm hands. “I need to go and call Chief Edwards,” he said. “If I don’t keep him apprised of the situation, he’s not going to be willing to stay away. It took some serious talking to get him to go along with this in the first place. It’ll just take me a couple minutes.”

Annie nodded. Ian let go of her hands and stood up. She had to fight the urge to call him back. She was just so scared for her friend. Reconnecting with Alice after moving to Stony Point had been the first step in really feeling at home in the village. She’d had some tight moments with the mysteries they kept falling into, but nothing had scared her as much as this, nor made her feel as helpless.

Annie jumped as a warm bundle of cat was piled into her arms. She looked up in surprise at Ian. “Boots will help warm you up until I’m done on the phone,” Ian said with a smile.

Annie smiled gratefully and hugged Boots close to her. Boots seemed to sense Annie’s worry because the cat put up with the squeezing stoically and even purred. The warm rumble began to unknot the fear in Annie’s stomach a bit.

At the soft thump of Jim’s cane, Annie was pulled back into the moment again. She gave herself a mental shake. She couldn’t keep drifting away like that. She needed to stay focused, though she wasn’t sure what she should focus on.

In one hand, Jim carried a small wooden tray Annie kept in the cupboard. On it he balanced three steaming mugs and a plate of cookies. He set the tray on the coffee table in front of Annie and then sat beside her on the sofa.

“If I know my girl,” Jim said, squeezing Annie’s hand, “she’s giving that kidnapper heck. You never know, she might show up here with the kidnapper tied up in Princessa necklace chains.”

Annie smiled a little. She could clearly imagine Alice giving the kidnapper plenty of trouble, but was that good or bad? What if the kidnapper had a gun? What if he’d already hurt Alice for being hard to handle? Annie hugged Boots a little tighter until the cat protested with a cranky meow and a lot of wiggling.

“Sorry Boots,” Annie said, setting the cat on her lap. Boots gave her an accusing glare, and then settled into Annie’s lap.

Ian joined them minutes later. “The chief is still not happy, but he promised to keep away from the house. As soon as we know the drop plans though, I have to pass along the information.”

“So he can spook the kidnapper?” Jim demanded, straightening up to his full height as if he were getting ready to fight over this.

“Chief Edwards is better than that,” Ian said quietly. “We need to trust him.”

“The only person I trust with Alice is me,” Jim said.

Annie patted Jim’s arm. “I believe Chief Edwards won’t do anything to endanger Alice,” she said. “He’s a good man too.”

Jim made a sound that sounded a lot like a growl and paced across the room. “I’m not really good at waiting,” he said. “It’s frustrating not to have something to go and do about this. I feel like I should be out looking for her. Or throttling someone.”

“Where would you look?” Ian asked. “Who would you throttle?”

Jim’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. You know the area, where would you hide someone if you were a kidnapper?”

“Well, if he’s still driving the SUV he used to force Alice and Annie off the road, he could just keep her in the vehicle,” Ian said thoughtfully. “Though if this is someone local, he could also have simply taken her to his house. Chief Edwards could begin a house-to-house search, but that would be likely to tip off the kidnapper.”

“What about the DMV?” Jim said. “Can the police track down local SUVs? How many can there be?”

“Actually it’s the BMV in Maine,” Ian said. “The Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Heavy four-wheel drive vehicles are fairly popular up here with all the snow, but that is one of the things the chief said he’s checking out.” He looked at the other man’s lined face in sympathy. “Waiting is hard on us all.”

Jim forced a smile. “I guess we need to look for a way to pass the time. Anyone want to play cards?”

“Sure,” Ian said. “But not for money. I have the feeling you’d soon have my house, my car, and my dog.”

“I could use a good dog,” Jim said. He chuckled but the normally warm sound was forced.

Annie got up to look for a deck of cards. She was pretty sure she’d seen a deck in the junk drawer in the kitchen. She looked at the bright sun shining in the kitchen window and groaned. Midnight seemed so far away. How would she survive the wait? Then she felt the chill in the pit of her stomach. Could Alice survive the wait?

Time passed as slowly as Annie had expected. Ian and Jim seemed to bond a bit over the few rounds of gin rummy they played. She made sandwiches and heated soup for them all, but no one had much appetite. Normally night rushed at Annie in the New England winter, but today she couldn’t see the end of daylight fast enough to suit her.

Finally, when she was almost sure the waiting would make her scream, a ringtone from her pocket startled her. She put it on speakerphone and set it on the table with trembling hands.

“I saw the mayor at your house,” the raspy whisper said. “Alice says that’s your boyfriend. Who’s the old guy with the cane?”

“I’m Alice’s boyfriend,” Jim roared. “And if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“Calm down, old man,” the whisper sounded amused. “I can’t believe that hot redhead can’t do better than some old cripple. She’s quite a firecracker.”

Ian put a restraining hand on Jim’s arm and leaned close to whisper in his ear. Jim settled back down, though his face stayed flush.

“How do I know you haven’t hurt Alice?” Annie asked.

“She’s well enough to tell me the mayor is your boyfriend,” the kidnapper said.

“But not well enough to identify her own friend?” Annie responded. “I am not doing another thing until I hear Alice’s voice and know she’s all right. Not one thing.”

“You’ll do what I tell you,” the man snarled, his voice raising above a whisper for the first time. A nudge of recognition pushed at Annie, but it was too fleeting to catch hold.

“Let me talk to her.” Annie was proud of how calm and even her voice sounded. She wasn’t sure how she’d managed it since her hands were shaking.