Valise in the Attic (11 page)

The phone fell silent for a few minutes, and then they heard someone cough and Alice said, “Annie? I’m OK.”

13

Annie felt faint with relief.

“Alice?” Jim shouted, lunging toward the phone.

“See, she’s fine,” the kidnapper was back to whispering. “And we’re done with the chitchat. You’re going to bring the suitcase to the small beach across and below you. Put it in the shaved-ice stand. You’ll find directions there for collecting your friend. I want you to drop the case exactly at midnight. And if I see anyone but you, I’ll cut Red’s head off. So you better keep all the boyfriends away.”

“I’ll do as you say,” Annie said. “This suitcase doesn’t mean anything to me. All I want is Alice.”

“Good attitude. I’ll see you shortly.”

The call dropped, and Annie looked at her watch. It was exactly eleven-thirty. She only needed a few minutes to drive down to the beach, which still left them with time on their hands.

“I’ll call the chief,” Ian said.

Jim reached out and caught Ian’s arm. “Are you sure that’s a good idea. I don’t want anything to mess this up.”

“Nothing will,” Ian said. “I’m sure.”

Jim slumped again, taking his hand away. “I hate this.”

“Me too,” Annie said, and she gave the grizzled man a quick hug. Ian frowned slightly at that but didn’t comment. Instead, he stepped slightly away from them into the corner of the room where he couldn’t be seen from any of the windows, just in case the kidnapper was watching them somehow. Then Ian pulled out his cellphone and spoke quietly into it for a few minutes.

Annie stood and began gathering up the half-eaten sandwiches and the soup mugs. She just needed something to do with her hands. Jim followed her into the kitchen.

“I hope I haven’t made this any harder on you,” he said gently.

“No, you and Ian have made it easier,” she said. “I would have gone crazy if I had had to do this alone.”

“I don’t like the idea of you going to the beach alone,” Jim said.

“I’m not crazy about it either,” Annie said, “but it’s what the kidnapper ordered.”

They turned as Ian walked into the room. “I could slump down in the backseat,” he said. “He wouldn’t see me.”

“Unless he’s watching the house now,” Annie said, “and he sees you get into the car. Plus, you’re too tall to hide in the backseat.”

“You’d be surprised at what I can do,” Ian said. “Look, Jim and I are going to have to move our cars anyway to let you out. I could make the transfer then. It’s dark out, and you don’t have any kind of decent security lights.” He paused for a moment. “We need to do something about that, by the way. But this time it’ll work in our favor. I’ll get in the backseat as you get in the front.” When Annie started to speak, he held up a hand. “I’m not letting you go alone.”

Annie chewed her lip. She didn’t want to go alone, but she didn’t want to risk Alice either.

“Ian’s right,” Jim said. “You need someone there in case things go wrong. I’ll create a distraction just as you get in the car. That should draw the kidnapper’s eye to me if he’s watching.”

“What kind of distraction?”

“You’ll see.” Jim’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and Annie was glad to see it. Clearly Jim needed to feel like he was doing something to help too.

All three of them dressed back in their coats and hats. Annie picked up the small valise, and they headed out into the cold again. Ian backed up his car and pulled it onto Annie’s lawn. With the coming of night, the wet ground had frozen hard again, so the tires didn’t sink and there was no danger of the cars getting stuck. Jim pulled his car up beside Ian’s.

Then both men got out of the cars, and Annie saw the flair of light from the cars’ interiors lighting them up brightly. They quickly closed their doors. As soon as it was dark again, Jim shouted, “Hey, you’re too close to my car!”

“I parked first,” Ian shouted back. “You’re too close to my car!”

“Look, I’m tired of you thinking you know everything just because you’re mayor!”

Annie realized this must be the distraction Jim promised. “I don’t have time for any more of this. I’m leaving!” she shouted into the darkness. “You two need to grow up!” She felt a twinge of guilt at what she said, but hoped her friends knew she was just acting for the kidnapper’s benefit.

“Grow up?” Jim roared. “I can’t believe the nerve of you and that swishy mayor!” He continued to rant, his voice climbing with each sentence.

Annie stomped to her car and swung the door open, shouting something that was drowned out by Jim’s booming voice. She heard the soft sound of the back door closing on the car, and she climbed in and slammed her door hard.

“Ian?” she whispered.

“I’m ready to go.”

She pulled out of the drive, leaving Jim ranting at a mayor who was no longer there. Annie drove slowly down the road, keenly aware that the same cold that had saved her lawn from the tires of the two cars was also likely to have left invisible ice on the highway.

What if the kidnapper decided to skip the meeting on the beach and just run her off the road to get the valise? He had practice at that! Her fingers tightened on the wheel as she crept around each curve.

Finally they reached the parking lot of the small beach. “We’re here,” Annie said. “I’m going to go drop the valise.”

“I’ll get out when you do,” Ian said. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t see me. Just make sure you make some kind of noise.”

Annie nodded and opened her door. She stood beside it, bathed in the light from the interior. “If you’re out there,” she shouted, “I’m here! I’m taking the case to the stand.”

Then she heard the soft sound of the back door and slammed her own door. She didn’t look for Ian in the dark, but headed straight across the rocky sand instead. The wind off the water was vicious, making Annie’s eyes water as it struck her face.

The packed sand under her feet was mostly level, but she had to dodge rocks as she walked. They were sharp, and she knew that if she stepped on one, she could end up with a turned ankle. That wouldn’t help anyone. She finally reached the shaved-ice stand and saw an envelope taped to one of the upright posts of the stand. The white of the paper shone in the darkness. Annie pulled the envelope free and dropped the valise into the stand. Then she turned and looked around.

She saw no sign of movement anywhere on the beach or in the surrounding rocks. The cliff side that rose up along one side of the small beach seemed particularly ominous in the darkness, but she saw nothing move in that direction either.

Annie walked carefully back to the car, she kept an eye out for Ian but didn’t see him until it was time to open the car and get in. She spotted him huddled close to the Malibu.

She pulled open the front door and got in. She left the door open while she tore open the envelope. The note was just three words cut from newsprint and glued to the paper.

“Old Seaman’s Rest,” she whispered. “I don’t know where that is.”

“Go ahead and slam your door on three,” Ian’s voice spoke from the backseat. “One, two … three!”

On three, both the front and back door slammed shut.

“Old Seaman’s Rest is down Grand Avenue, past pretty much everything,” Ian said.

Annie drove carefully, though not nearly as slowly as she had before. As they passed the various businesses and the Ocean View Assisted Living Center, Ian finally sat up in the backseat. “It’s not far now,” he said.

Annie nodded, blinking back tears. “Please let Alice be safe,” she prayed, her lips forming the words silently.

Ian pointed just ahead where an old building set back off the road a bit. All the windows were boarded up. “The Historical Society has talked about doing something with this once or twice,” he said. “That’s why it hasn’t been torn down.”

Annie just nodded again, not trusting her voice to come out steady. She pulled up close to the building, but she left the car running and the headlights on for light. Then she pulled a flashlight out of the glove box.

They got out of the car together, and Ian put an arm around Annie. “We have to be careful in there,” Ian said. “I haven’t been inside in years, but I don’t think it’s too stable. Alice won’t be helped if you fall through the floor and into the cellar.”

Annie nodded, but walked quickly to the door. She saw that a hasp and padlock had once kept the door closed. Now the padlock lay on the ground where it had been cut off the hasp.

“Let me go first,” Ian insisted. “He took the flashlight from Annie’s shaking fingers and held her hand. Then he stepped inside with her directly behind him.

“Alice?” Annie called out.

They heard some muffled sounds and loud thumping. Ian swept the room with his light. Alice lay on the floor close to the far wall. She had been bound to a chair with duct tape but had clearly turned herself over. One of the chair’s legs was broken, probably from Alice’s boot heel slamming into it.

Ian and Annie rushed over. Annie gently pulled a strip of duct tape from Alice’s mouth. “Are you all right?” she asked as Ian pulled out a penknife and began cutting her free of the chair.

“Sure,” Alice’s voice sounded rusty. “I could use a drink of water though.”

“I’m sorry,” Annie said. “I didn’t think to bring any.”

“That’s OK,” Alice said with a grin that looked wonderful to Annie. “I try not to complain about rescues.”

As soon as Ian had Alice free, they helped her to her feet. Alice was a little wobbly. “My feet went to sleep,” Alice said. “Actually, my everything went to sleep. I do not recommend spending any time tied to a chair.”

Annie laughed shakily and hugged her friend. “I was so scared.”

“I wasn’t,” Alice said. “I knew you’d come get me. Besides, that kidnapper didn’t strike me as the killing sort.”

“Did you get a good look at him?” Ian asked as they helped her across the room toward the door

Alice shook her head. “He had a ski mask on. But you could look for a guy with seriously banged up shins. My boots have some killer heels. And I bit him on the hand too. I can guarantee that left a mark.”

Ian smiled. “Sounds like the man is probably glad to be rescued from you.”

“Yeah, I wish I’d done more damage. He used that stupid SUV to force me off the road again. Only this time he actually did it. You should see my car!”

“Chief Edwards found it,” Ian said. “He said it looked pretty banged up.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Annie said.

“You were worried enough,” Ian said. “And apparently Alice drove it into a tree.”

“It was that SUV,” Alice muttered. “Did Chief Edwards catch the guy yet?”

“I don’t know,” Ian said. “He hasn’t called. Annie only just dropped off the valise.”

“The valise?” Alice yelped. “He just wanted that suitcase? He wrecked my car and kidnapped me for a stupid empty suitcase?”

Annie shrugged. “Apparently, but you know Vanessa has mine. I borrowed the other one from the prop department.”

They reached the car. By then Alice was able to walk without so much wobbling. They drove quickly back to Grey Gables.

“Jim will certainly be glad to see you,” Ian said.

“Jim?” Alice echoed, her face lighting up. “Jim Parker? He’s here?”

“Didn’t you hear him on the phone?” Annie asked.

“I didn’t talk on the phone,” Alice said.

“But I heard your voice.”

“The kidnapper had me talk into a tape recorder before he left me tied up this morning,” Alice said. “I’ve been trying to get loose ever since. That guy sure loves duct tape.”

“How did the kidnapper know that building was the Old Seaman’s Rest?” Annie asked.

“He asked me what to call it,” Alice said.

“Did you also tell him Ian was my boyfriend?” Annie asked.

Alice shook her head. “Ian didn’t come up in our brief conversation. The guy wasn’t all that chatty. Now tell me about Jim. Is he OK?”

“Jim showed up early this afternoon,” Annie said. “He’s waiting for us at Grey Gables. He’s been beside himself with worry.” She cut her eyes toward her friend and saw Alice run her fingers through her hair and wipe at her dirty face. “He’ll think you look great.”

They pulled up in front of Grey Gables as the front door flew open and Jim lurched across the porch. Alice jumped out of the car the second Annie shut it off. Her friend ran for the porch without a thought toward the icy steps.

“Be careful,” Annie yelled, just as Alice slipped on the top step and tumbled into Jim’s arms.

“I got you, Red,” Jim said. Then he kissed her.

Annie and Ian turned away to give them a moment of privacy, but it was too cold to let them have any prolonged greeting. Annie wanted to be inside.

“I hate to break things up, but Annie is shivering,” Ian called.

Alice slipped her arm through Jim’s and tugged him toward the house. “I didn’t notice the cold,” she said. “Sorry, Annie.”

“I might not have noticed the cold in your situation either,” Annie said.

“We could try it and see,” Ian suggested.

Annie looked at him in shock, and then punched his arm lightly when she saw the twinkle in his eyes. “No teasing,” she said. “I’ve had a hard day.”

“OK, no teasing,” Ian agreed. He took Annie’s hand, and they walked into the house behind their friends.

14

“Why didn’t you let me know you were coming here?” Alice asked Jim as they settled on the sofa in the living room. Annie and Ian gave them some privacy by heading to the kitchen to get some hot cocoa since everyone but Jim was chilled to the bone. “How long are you staying? I thought you were in Arizona.”

“I wrapped up there last week,” he said. “I sent you a letter. I sent you a whole package about it. I understand it had a little accident in the mail.” He laughed. “I included some photos of the ghost town so you could see it and a CD with the playlist I got as a joke from someone. He called it “I’m coming for you” and said it was music to photograph ghosts by.”

Alice laughed until tears streamed down her face. “I got that package,” she finally gasped, “but it was torn up. All I got was the CD with ‘I’m coming for you,’ scrawled on it.”

“Scrawled?” Jim feigned insult. “You could read it couldn’t you?”

“I thought someone was sending me a warning,” Alice said. “We were convinced I had a crazy stalker.”

“You do,” Jim said, putting an arm around Alice and pulling her close. “I’m crazy about you, and I’d stalk you anywhere.”

Alice shook her head and gave him a playful shove. “Now it’s getting thick. So it was your package that scared me half to death. One mystery solved. Tell me, how long are you staying?”

“Trying to get rid of me already?” he asked.

“Not a bit,” she said. “Just wondering if I need to buy you a Christmas present.”

“ Afraid so,” he said. “I’m here until New Year’s Day, but then I have to leave for a shoot at an abandoned state mental hospital in Connecticut. They’ve sold it to some developer, and I’m getting the last photos before it’s torn down. I was hoping you’d come with me. There might be ghosts.”

“Ghosts?” Alice said.

Jim shrugged. “So they say. It also has creepy tunnels, peeling paint, mold, and other disgusting things.”

“Tunnels? In a hospital?” Alice said.

“It’s more than just a hospital,” Jim said. “It was practically a little town. There are all these different buildings, including a church. And old houses where the staff lived. The tunnels join some of the buildings for moving … well, you know, things … in the dead of night. You’ll love it.”

“You do know how to sweet-talk a lady,” Alice said. “I’ll think about it. But before I decide about any trips with you, we need to solve the current mystery.”

“I’m in,” Jim said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Just then Annie and Ian walked back into the room with thick mugs of hot chocolate. Annie handed one to Alice. “Three marshmallows,” she said. “Just the way you like it.”

“Wow, I could get used to this treatment,” Alice said.

A muffled ringtone sounded and Annie fumbled for her pocket until she realized it was Ian’s phone. “Chief Edwards,” Ian said as he looked at the phone. He backed away from the group a bit and took the call.

Annie watched Ian’s face closely, hoping for good news. She wanted this mystery to be over right now. The conversation seemed to go on for a while, but Ian finally returned to the group. He walked back toward the sofa with the weight of all eyes upon him.

“The chief says the man got away. They saw him go after the valise, but apparently he tripped a series of small explosions and escaped in the confusion. The chief said the guy was very athletic.”

“I don’t suppose the guy was limping?” Alice said hopefully. “I was hoping I’d cracked a bone kicking him.”

“Chief Edwards didn’t mention any limping.”

“Explosions,” Annie whispered in horror. She looked around at her friends. “So this guy is some kind of bomb expert too?”

“Apparently they were fairly small explosions,” Ian said. “The chief said they looked like the kind of thing you’d find in a movie. Carefully set for the most bang with the least risk.”

“Does the chief think this guy is with the movie?” Alice asked.

“He might be,” Ian said. “With the bombs and the guy being an athlete, he might be a stuntman. I didn’t think this was the kind of movie to need stunts though. It’s supposed to be more of a mushy sentimental story.”

“Is the chief going to question the movie people?” Jim asked.

“He’s planning to.”

Annie trembled at the thought of the man still being on the lam. Alice looked her way and then stood to give her a hug. “Hey, the guy got what he wanted, right?” Alice said. “So he shouldn’t have any more interest in us.”

“But he didn’t exactly get what he wanted,” Annie said. “My suitcase is still with Vanessa. The one he got was from the movie.”

“Hopefully, it won’t make a difference,” Alice said.

“Is this a valuable piece of luggage?” Jim asked. “It didn’t look like much to me.”

“It isn’t,” Annie said. “None of this makes any sense.”

“Mysteries don’t,” Jim said. “Not until you get all the pieces.”

“I don’t want any more pieces of this one,” Annie said. “I just want a nice peaceful Christmas.” With that, she was suddenly hit with how exhausted she really was, and she tried to fight back a huge yawn with little success.

“You look beat, and I know I am,” Alice said. “Jim and I will head out now. I’ve got plenty of room at my place for one slightly rumpled photographer.”

“Rumpled?” Jim protested. “At least I don’t have spiderwebs in my hair.”

Alice’s hands flew to her hair. “Where?” she asked. “Do you think there are spiders too? I hate spiders.”

“I’ll check you over when we get next door,” Jim said laughing. “Let’s go. Like I said, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

After Alice and Jim left, Annie began to gather up the things, but her feet nearly dragged as she walked. Ian took the mugs from her. “I’ll clean up before I leave,” he said. “And I’ll check all the locks on the windows and doors. You go on to bed before you fall down.”

Annie considered protesting, but she just didn’t have the energy. She smiled gratefully and scooped up Boots before heading for her room. She fell asleep listening to the comforting sounds of Ian moving through the house.

Annie woke to a shadowy room and a chubby cat walking up and down on top of the covers. “OK, Boots,” she said. “I’m getting up.”

Boots meowed, and then settled down on Annie’s pillow as Annie sat up and slipped into her robe. “Today has to go better than yesterday, right?” she asked Boots.

Boots merely blinked at her as if it were Annie interrupting the cat’s rest.

Anne smiled and shook her head. When she opened the bedroom door, she nearly tripped over a body wrapped in a blanket and laying on the floor.

Annie shrieked, and the body jerked into a sitting position and fought itself loose of the blanket. Suddenly, Ian’s head appeared, his short salt-and-pepper hair as rumpled as Annie had ever seen it.

“Ian,” Annie said, “what are you doing on the floor?”

Ian stood, looking sheepish. “I intended to be up before you. After I straightened up last night, I just couldn’t leave you alone. Not with that kidnapper still loose. So I thought I would stay.”

“On the floor?” Annie said. “There’s a perfectly good guest room right down the hall.”

Ian nodded. “But I just felt better knowing anyone wanting to get to you would have to get past me.”

“Or fall over you,” Annie said. “What if I’d had to go to the bathroom in the night? I could have hurt you.”

Ian looked even more sheepish. “It was late. I didn’t say I’d thought it all the way through.”

Finally Annie smiled. “Well, I appreciate the gesture. And for that, I’ll fix you some breakfast.”

Ian raised the sleeve of his shirt to look at his watch. “I don’t think there’s time,” he said. “I promised to deliver you to Chief Edwards’s office this morning. How about I treat you to breakfast at the diner instead, after we visit the chief’s office?”

“That’s fine, but you’ll have to give me a few minutes to shower and change.”

“No problem.”

Annie looked over Ian’s rumpled clothes. “Do we need to stop by your house? Your clothes look a bit like you slept in them.”

Ian shook his head. “At least it’s not a workday,” he said. “I’ll go home and change after we get some breakfast.”

Annie hurried off to the bathroom for a quick shower. Then she dressed in a pair of lined wool pants in a rich burgundy topped by a whisper-soft vanilla sweater. She ran a brush through her hair but left it loose. She’d pull a hat on over it.

Boots hopped off the bed to meow and wind her way through Annie’s legs as soon as Annie got dressed. “Thanks, Boots,” Annie said. “The gray cat hair will complement these pants nicely.”

Boots just rubbed harder, so Annie danced around the cat, trying not to trip, and headed for the kitchen to serve the cat a princess’s breakfast.

“We should take separate cars,” Ian said, “since we’ll be parting company in town. Do you have your cellphone? I want you to call me if you notice anyone suspicious following you.”

“Don’t worry,” Annie said. “I’m not feeling overly brave today. At the first sign of anything, I’ll yell.”

When they arrived at Chief Edwards’s office, the chief stood and took Annie’s hand. “I’ve never met anyone who is quite such a magnet for trouble as you are, Mrs. Dawson.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Ian said as he crossed his arms. “Alice McFarlane may come in a close second.”

The chief chuckled and nodded. “Alice is coming in later to give a statement. I called her this morning and got quite an earful from that photographer she’s taken up with.”

“We’re all a bit on edge from this,” Annie said.

“Well, I’ve heard about the events of the past few days from Ian,” Chief Edwards said as he gestured at a chair for Annie. “But I was hoping you could fill me in directly.”

Annie told the chief about the attempted mugging in the parking lot at the waterfront. As she spoke, she was amazed that that was only a couple of days earlier. It felt like much longer. She went on to describe the attempt to run Alice’s car off the road, and then everything she knew about the kidnapping.

“Ian told me about some package Alice had gotten also,” Chief Edwards said. “Did you see it?”

Annie smiled. “Yes, but it turns out that’s not related. It’s a case of mistaken identity for the poor package. It was actually from Jim, but was so damaged in transit that it looked much more sinister than it was.”

The chief nodded. “It’s good to have one part of a mystery solved. As you know, we had the beach staked out. We saw you drop the valise, and we watched for the pick up. But we had not seen the preparations the kidnapper made beforehand. Once the explosions started, it threw everything into chaos, and the man escaped with the valise. Do you have any idea why the man wanted that particular suitcase?”

Annie shook her head. “It isn’t anything special. We looked it over closely after the man tried to steal it the first time. I have no idea why anyone would want it.”

“It’s my understanding that the case the man got wasn’t the one he wanted? Maybe you could bring the original case in and let my men look at it?”

Annie nodded. “Sure, I’ll do that.”

They chatted for a few more minutes as Annie went over every detail she remembered about the man during the mugging attempt. They were scant enough. The man was taller than her, but she really didn’t know much else.

Finally, she and Ian thanked the chief and left. As they walked across the Town Square, Ian said, “This is where they’re shooting the last scene here in Stony Point tomorrow.”

Annie nodded. “Do you know what the scene is supposed to be about?”

“The town is upset about something Logan Lariby’s character has done,” Ian said. “I believe it’s going to be Logan’s big scene when he saves the day and makes his dad proud of him.”

“Vanessa will like that,” Annie said. “She’s quite taken with that young man.”

“He seems very polite,” Ian answered. “I’m sorry I haven’t met Matt Rusher. I’ve always enjoyed his other movies where things blow up.”

Annie shook her head. “Well, we had the explosions last night apparently, even if they weren’t in the movie.”

“And I missed them.”

“But you were playing the action hero at the time,” Annie said, smiling up at him.

Ian laughed. “I don’t think I’m really cut out to be an action hero.”

“I don’t know.” Annie stopped and made a big show of looking at his profile. “You have the jawline for it. Very rugged.”

Ian just shook his head with a smile as they crossed the street and slipped into the diner. Peggy rushed over to meet them with a bright smile. “Alice is here with Jim. I didn’t know he was back in town,” she said.

“It was a surprise,” Annie said.

“They make such a cute couple,” Peggy said. Annie knew Peggy loved the whole idea of romance. Most of the Hook and Needle Club members did. Annie was just glad to see all that interest turned in the direction of someone else for a change. Usually she was the one getting teased about Ian.

“Do you want to join them?” Peggy asked nodding toward the table where Alice and Jim sat side by side.

“No,” Ian said quickly. “We’ll let them have their privacy.”

Peggy led them to a small table. She glanced back toward the kitchen where her boss was watching her pointedly. “He’s such a grouch this morning,” Peggy whispered as she poured them each a cup of coffee from the pot she seemed always to have in one hand. “What would you two like?”

“My usual,” Ian said. “I’m not feeling very adventurous this morning.”

“How about you?” Peggy asked. “We have some gorgeous banana nut muffins that just came out of the oven. Still warm and huge.”

“You sold me,” Annie said.

As Peggy hurried away, Annie smiled at Ian. “You were awfully eager not to join Jim and Alice. You know, he really is a very nice guy.”

Ian looked at her over the rim of his coffee mug. “Maybe I just wanted to be alone with you.”

“Sure.”

“OK, I think Jim and I just rub each other the wrong way,” Ian said.

“Maybe you are too much alike,” Annie suggested.

Ian’s eyes widened. “We are nothing alike. He leaves the woman he appears to care about so he can traipse all over the country. He has no sense of home or stability. And he actually likes it that Alice takes crazy risks.”