Dead Men Don't Eat Cookies (26 page)

The driver’s side window lowered, and Maddie’s head poked through. “Come on, Livie, move those legs. It’ll be dawn before we know it.”

Spunky yapped happily as he and Olivia slid into the backseat. “This better be really important,” Olivia said as the little car took off.

Maddie turned on her bright lights. “Ellie will explain. I’ve got to concentrate. We need to get there fast.”

Ellie twisted backward to face Olivia. “We’re heading for the boarding house, Livie. Something is going on there. I saw two lights, you see.” Ellie nodded emphatically.

“Two lights . . . Okay, but I don’t see. And, Mom, bear in mind it’s a short trip to the boarding house, so be concise.”

“I’m always concise, dear, but apparently I’ll need to start from the beginning.” Ellie loosened her seatbelt so she could turn more easily. “You see, it all started with Ida. She was on her way back to town for her evening shift at the diner when she saw a car hit a cat. The car drove on, but Ida stopped, of course. She’s hard as an over-baked cookie, but she loves animals.”

“Sure, Ida’s a softie. Whatever you say, Mom.”

“No need to be sarcastic, Livie. However, in the interests
of time . . . The cat was injured but alive, so Ida took it to Chatterley Paws for emergency care. It wasn’t far out of her way. Ida was walking back to her car when Lenora caught up with her and begged a ride to Pete’s Diner. Business is business, Ida told me, even though she suspected Lenora would wangle a free meal out of Pete.”

Olivia bit her tongue to keep herself from interrupting.

“Dear Lenora . . .” Ellie rolled her eyes heavenward. “She neglected to mention to Ida that she hadn’t told Herbie and Gwen where she was going. Naturally, they would have been horrified.”

Olivia couldn’t stop herself. “Horrified at the thought of Lenora eating at the diner?”

“In a minute, Livie, all will be clear. You see, Lenora was, in fact, responding to Binnie’s afternoon blog post, which I suspect you haven’t had time to read.”

Olivia shook her head.

“Well, Ida had read it, of course, so she got suspicious when Lenora began to prattle about her play. Ida wondered if Lenora had some wild notion about hunting for more bones or maybe treasure. When Lenora left the diner, it was dusk. After that, the diner was so busy Ida forgot all about the blog and Lenora.”

“The blog, Mom?”

“Yes, of course, the blog post is vital,” Ellie said. “Binnie hinted . . . well, actually she came right out and insisted that the old boarding house was full of hidden treasure. Well, not treasure as in gold and silver, but she did mention the Chatterley cookie cutter collection . . . and maybe another skeleton or two. No one takes Binnie seriously, of course.”

Spunky yapped as Olivia sank back against the seat. “No one except Lenora. Are you sure she hasn’t finagled a ride back home by now?”

“Positive,” Ellie said. “I called Herbie and Gwen to check. They are frantic. They had no idea she’d left until they’d finished surgery and begun to prepare dinner. By then, it was
well past dark. So they called me, and I told them that Ida had given Lenora a ride to the diner. So they called Ida. She said Lenora had left the diner an hour earlier, alone.”

“So you think Lenora sneaked off to the boarding house to search for the Chatterley cookie cutter collection?” Olivia tried to visualize the tiny, elderly woman ripping down a wall.

“I hate to interrupt,” Maddie said, “but we have arrived.” She slowed the Volkswagen to a crawl as it crunched over the disintegrating remains of a private road that once had led around to the back of the Chatterley Boarding House. Calliope and her workers had cleared away much of the debris around the abandoned property. However, they’d yet to tackle the trees that had sprouted behind the building and grown tall over the decades. Maddie killed the engine. “This is as far as the car can go,” she said. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

“Wait a minute.” Olivia scooted forward to poke her head between the front seats. “I want to be sure I understand what we’re getting ourselves into here. You said you saw two lit windows, right, Mom?”

Ellie nodded. “At opposite ends of the top floor, which consists of a corridor between two rows of rooms. There’s a bath in the middle of each side. Come on, I’ll show you.” She stepped out of the car and signaled to Olivia and Maddie, who followed behind, cracking small branches along the way. Olivia kept Spunky close to her chest. There had to be dozens of squirrels nearby. It was a miracle he hadn’t yet gone berserk.

With the aid of a small flashlight, Ellie led them along a circuitous route through dense trees. They soon arrived at an opening several yards from the building’s back entrance.

Olivia saw the two lighted windows on the second floor. “Are you sure no one can hear us?” she whispered. “What if Spunky starts yapping?”

“The windows are closed, dear.” Ellie doused her flashlight. “They are good, thick windows. Dear Imogene made sure that Horace provided the very best construction materials for the Chatterley Boarding House.”

Olivia loosened her stranglehold on Spunky’s little jaw. “Good for Imogene, but doesn’t that mean we can’t hear anything? What can we possibly accomplish out here? In fact, why are we here at all? Are we sure Lenora is even in there? The workers might have left those lights on.”

“You forget, Livie . . . I’ve been here once already this evening, looking for Lenora.” Ellie pointed toward the upper left corner of the building. “When I arrived, only that one light was on. I figured it had to be Lenora, and I was just about to go into the building when the other light went on.”

“But, Mom, haven’t you been checking the building at night for Jack and Alicia? They might be sneaking in to stay warm. They probably think no one would be out looking for them at night.” Olivia couldn’t keep the exasperation out of her voice.

“Olivia Greyson, I’ll thank you to remember that I am not an idiot. “

“I didn’t call you an—” Spunky silenced Olivia with a whimpering yap. “Okay, that’s it,” Olivia said. “I’m locking you in the car, young man. Maddie, I need the keys.”

“We might need Spunky’s protection,” Maddie said as she handed Olivia her car keys. “Take another look at the boarding house windows.” She pointed toward the upper floor of the building.

“Oh, my,” Ellie said. “Now there are lights on in
three
rooms. Is the entire town of Chatterley Heights planning to tear down my
walls?”

Olivia felt uneasy about locking Spunky in Maddie’s VW. His sad brown eyes pleaded with her through the closed window. He would yap unhappily for a while, afraid he’d been abandoned, but at least he would be safer. Olivia pulled her sweatshirt tighter as she made her way back through densely packed trees to rejoin her mother and Maddie behind the Chatterley Boarding House. A wet leaf plopped down on her head, quickening her heart rate. She was relieved to find Maddie and Ellie where she’d left them. As they watched, a light appeared and disappeared in a corner window.

“Maybe it was a trick of the moonlight,” Olivia said.

“No,” Ellie said. “I think someone with a flashlight just left the kitchen.”

Maddie said, “I’ll bet that was Jack and Alicia. They were probably hungry.”

“Then I’m glad I restocked the refrigerator,” Ellie said. “I wonder if they realize they aren’t alone. I’m not sure how far sound carries inside the building. The original construction is quite solid.”

Olivia glanced up at the two lighted windows on the second floor. She saw no movement, but the windows were high, and those rooms were generously sized. “Okay, then. Let’s start with the kitchen.”

“You want to go in there?” Ellie’s eyes seemed to widen in the moonlight. “Shouldn’t we call Del or . . . or someone?”

“It might be a good idea to let Del know there’s something afoot at the boarding house.” Olivia whipped out her cell phone and punched in the code for Del’s number. She was sent directly to voice mail. “Del, it’s . . . Well, I’m not sure what time it is, but it’s dark. Mom, Maddie, and I are in the woods behind the boarding house. It appears to be occupied, perhaps by several people. Otherwise, all is—”

“Livie, look up there.” Maddie pointed to the top floor of the boarding house. The light had gone out in the corner room. Within moments, the room next door lit up. “Someone is moving from room to room. What do you want to bet it’s Lenora searching for the treasure Binnie mentioned in her blog post?”

Olivia scanned the building’s upper level. “So who is in the room at the other end?”

“I realize you two are more experienced in these matters, but isn’t it time to alert the Twiterton police?” Ellie asked. “I do own the boarding house, and no one has my permission to be in it right now.”

“That’s no fun.” Maddie checked the time on her cell phone. “If you’re scared, we could call it a night and leave Lenora to fend for herself, but that wouldn’t be right. I vote we go inside and find out what’s going on. Livie?”

“I think it’s too early to call in the cops,” Olivia said. “Most likely it’s some gullible readers who fell for Binnie’s silly post.”

“Won’t they all discover each other at some point?” Ellie asked. “The promise of treasure can turn decent people into greedy monsters.”

“Or they might have a treasure hunting party,” Maddie said.

“Let’s find out what’s going on.” Olivia signaled them to follow her. “Luckily, we can use your key to get inside, Mom. We should start with the kitchen. If Jack and Alicia have been eating our sandwiches and cookies, they owe us an explanation.”

“Yippee!” Maddie whispered.

The three women tramped through wet weeds toward the building. As they approached the kitchen, Ellie whispered, “Stop a moment. I’ve been wondering how all these people got into my tightly locked building. There might be an answer just ahead of us.” Ellie pointed toward steps leading below ground to a small door. “I haven’t had a chance to replace this door, so I padlocked it, thinking no one would even see it.” She grabbed the door’s primitive handle. “The padlock is missing. I should have checked more often.”

“Well, then,” Olivia said, “let’s join the crowd, shall we?”

“The hinges are rusty, so the door doesn’t fully open.” As Ellie slid through the narrow space, Olivia and Maddie exchanged a doubtful look. Maddie cringed as she scrunched herself through the opening, and Olivia, who was taller, barely made it. “I think part of my shoulder scraped off,” Olivia whispered. “I intend to leave by the front door, like a normal person.”

Maddie nodded in agreement. “We will look back on this as an adventure . . . eventually.”

“Where are we, Mom?” Olivia smelled earth and mold.

“This is an old earthen cellar below the kitchen.” Ellie switched on her flashlight and aimed it toward the ground. “Be quiet and follow me.” She took Olivia’s hand. Olivia reached back with her free hand and felt Maddie grab hold of it. Ellie must have explored every inch of the building because she seemed to know exactly where she was going and how to get there.

“Will we reach the kitchen soon?” Olivia didn’t like the scratching sounds she was hearing.

“We’re almost there,” Ellie said. “Livie, do you happen to have a gun with you?”

“You know I don’t own one, Mom. I’d only shoot myself in the foot.”

“You could get professional training, dear. You might want to think about it.”

“Couldn’t I just take martial arts at your new school?” Martial arts sounded painful but potentially less fatal.

“I have a black belt, Livie. A gun is faster and more efficient.” Ellie sighed audibly. “I suppose you are right, though. You’d probably trip and shoot yourself in the foot. Okay, here we are. I oiled the hinges on this door, thinking I might want to use this cellar for storage. That was before I got a good look at it.”

The door opened so quietly that Olivia was surprised when a sliver of light shone on the stone steps below. Her mother poked her head into the kitchen. “No one is here. Follow me.” She held the door for Olivia and Maddie.

Olivia glanced around the room she and Maddie had organized and tested on Monday, only three days earlier. “I’m sure we didn’t leave this room looking so neat. Mom, did you clean up after everyone left last Monday?”

“Don’t be silly, Livie. I had too much to do. I didn’t even think about it.”

Maddie felt the towel hung neatly near the sink. “This is damp. Looks like you were right, Ellie. Alicia and Jack must be hanging out here. I’ll let Lucas know this place isn’t as secure as he thought.”

Ellie opened a cabinet door to find nonperishable items organized by category. “My goodness, I’m certainly not responsible for such precision and order, and I didn’t observe such a quality in Alicia, either. When this unpleasantness is all over, perhaps I’ll hire Jack as building caretaker.”

“Good idea,” Olivia said. “Always assuming Jack isn’t an ax murderer.”

Maddie put a finger to her lips. “I hear something,” she whispered, pointing toward the kitchen ceiling.

Olivia heard pounding, then a cracking sound. “I think
someone is taking down a wall, and I doubt it’s Calliope. I’m going up there. Maddie?”

“I’m in. Ellie, why don’t you stay here and call someone. If you can’t find Del, call Lucas.”

Ellie’s hazel eyes darkened. “You forget, Maddie, that I’m the black belt here. Someone is vandalizing my future craft school, and I’m going to stop them.”

They heard a loud thud above their heads. Ellie sprinted toward the kitchen door. Olivia and Maddie were close behind.

“Any idea what room is directly above us, Mom?”

“Room seven.” Ellie poked her head into the hallway and signaled the others to follow.

Olivia led the way up the rickety staircase. She chose speed over stealth, hoping the racket on the second floor would drown out the inevitable squeaks and groans from the old steps. As they neared room seven, Olivia realized the door was slightly ajar. She put her finger to her lips. As she reached toward the door, it slammed shut.

Olivia whispered, “Do you think they heard us?”

“There are no working locks on these inner doors,” Ellie said. “Perhaps we should—” Her next words were drowned out by a piercing shriek that trailed off with . . . The phrase “dramatic precision” came to Olivia’s mind. “Was that
Lenora
?

“Such a distinctive voice,” Ellie said. “Lenora so excelled as the captive maiden in horror films.” As if she’d heard Ellie’s compliment, Lenora performed an encore, followed by a feeble cry for help. Ellie’s eyes narrowed as she twisted the doorknob and opened the door.

Five startled inhabitants stared at the intruders. Alicia stood in a corner of the room near the window, her pale face framed by tangled long hair. A tall, thin man stood next to her, a protective arm around her shoulders. Olivia assumed he must be the mysterious Jack. Robbie and Crystal Quinn stood together. Pale blue bits of plaster dotted Crystal’s
honey-brown hair. Robbie’s powerful hands opened and closed repeatedly, as if he were preparing to make a fist. They stood in front of a jagged hole in the wall, which the broken plaster had once covered.

Dressed in black, Lenora perched on a wide ledge that might once have been a window seat. She reached out one thin hand as if she needed help getting down. When no one budged, she curled into a tight ball. “Oh, Livie,” Lenora said in a stage whisper, “I’m so glad you’ve come. I knew you would rescue me.” Olivia wondered if she had downed a fortifying tumbler or two of Pete’s merlot before making the trek to the boarding house.

Olivia stiffened as Robbie lifted the nasty looking hammer he was holding. She didn’t know the implement’s proper name, but she’d heard Jason call it a brick hammer. He’d used the sharp end to break up an old stone walk at Calliope’s farm. As a weapon, that hammer might not be as quick as a gun, but it could do as much damage. The powerful muscles in Robbie’s upper arm tightened and bunched as he took a step toward Olivia.

“Robbie, no.” Crystal’s tone reminded Olivia of her own mother’s voice when she had reached her wit’s end with her children. Robbie made no response, angry or otherwise. Crystal reached out to him, one small palm upturned as if to receive the weapon.

Robbie frowned but said nothing.

“Come on, honey, we can share with these good people.” Cajoling now, Crystal made it sound as if unexpected guests had shown up at their private picnic. “We probably won’t find any antique cookie cutters in there, anyway.”

Robbie hesitated a moment before his angry expression dissolved. “Sure, honey, why not.” He lowered the hammer.

“How utterly delightful!” Lenora clapped her hands. “Now I’ll be able to finish my play. I’ll just peek inside this wall to make sure there’s no—”

“There is no treasure in there,” Robbie said.

“You might get your lovely outfit all covered with dust and dirt,” Crystal added.

When Lenora slid off her window perch and tiptoed through the plaster, Olivia realized the aging ingénue was wearing black silk pajamas and a flowing black scarf around her neck. Olivia shivered as she imagined Lenora trekking over to the old boarding house in such thin clothing.

“Isn’t it exciting, Livie?” Lenora clasped her hands together under her chin. “This evening is turning out even better than I’d hoped.” She poked her head through the hole in the wall and withdrew it quickly. “Ugh,” she said. “Nothing but dust and broken wood. So disappointing. However, I shall persevere. We will simply try another room. I’m so glad I won’t have to search for the Chatterley treasure all by myself. It would have taken me all night with only my little hammer.” She waved a dismissive hand at a small hammer on the floor. Olivia wondered if it had come from Lucas’s hardware store.

“All right, then, it’s settled.” Crystal clapped her hands like a kindergarten teacher calling her noisy class to order. “Robbie will clean up in here, while we explore another room.”

No one moved. Robbie raised his more substantial hammer enough to suggest a threat. Jack’s protective arm tightened around Alicia’s shoulders as she snuggled closer to his chest.

“Do hurry, everyone,” Lenora begged. “Dawn will be here before we know it. The Chatterley collection is in these ancient walls. I can sense it.” She strode toward the door, pajama legs flapping. “If I must, I shall unearth the collection all by my—” As Lenora flung open the door, her silk scarf unwound from her neck and slithered downward. She made no attempt to fling it back over her shoulder. Instead, she stumbled back as Kurt Kurtzel stepped into the room.

Kurt was dressed all in black, minus the knit face mask he had worn when he’d forced his way into the Gingerbread House kitchen. Kurt’s confidence was understandable given the weapon in his hand—a knife with a long, thin, and
undoubtedly lethal blade. Olivia was fairly certain it was a switchblade, though she’d never seen one before. How did he manage to obtain a weapon like that on such short notice? Just hours earlier, he’d had only a pocket knife.

Kurt stepped into the room, slamming the door behind him. “Don’t anyone move.” His eyes darted about as if he expected weapons to come flying toward him. “Alicia, come over here and stand next to me.”

“No,” Alicia said.

“Not a chance, kid,” Jack added. Olivia heard a quiet firmness in his voice, as if he were accustomed to dealing with hotheaded delinquents.

“You belong with me,” Kurt said.

“You stay away from my daughter,” Crystal said. “You killed her father.”

“Oh, come on, everyone,” Lenora pleaded. “Let’s please get into the spirit of our treasure hunt.”

Kurt gave Lenora a disdainful glance up and down. “What are you supposed to be?”