Chocolate-Covered Crime (21 page)

It creaked open. I flung out an arm to keep from falling and found myself staring into a black abyss where a face should have been.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The wraith reached for me with skeletal hands. Okay, human hands but every bit as frightening. I leaned back against Aunt Eunice and kicked, pedaling with both legs. April screamed loud enough to bust the windows. The door slammed as she escaped out the other side.

Aunt Eunice bent over me, flailing her arms in an attempt to punch the silent attacker. “In the name of Jesus! Be gone! Be gone! Angels protect us. Heaven help us!”

Red eyes glowed from beneath the hood.

Red eyes?

When its hands closed on my ankles, it felt like ice shackles burning into my skin. A nightmare from hades come to torment me. The evil monster from every horror movie I’d watched without permission as a child. Why hadn’t I listened to my elders and stayed in bed? Too many times, I’d sneaked downstairs after my aunt and uncle were in bed and huddled in front of the television.

The
thing
pulled and dragged me by the feet from the truck. My head bounced off the seat, banged against the rim around the door, and I landed with a jolt on the gravel driveway. The air left my lungs in a painful whoosh. The demon continued to drag me over the gravel drive. Rocks sliced into my hands as I fought to grab. . .anything.

Small as I was, I never considered myself weak. I’d always compared myself to Mighty Mouse, but this silent aggressor hauled me as if I weighed nothing. My heart lodged in my throat. I locked onto the shape of my aunt’s face as a safety anchor.

My shrieks joined Aunt Eunice and April. Aunt Eunice launched herself toward my attacker, missed, and fell with a cry to the ground. She pushed to one elbow and pointed. “Unmask yourself. Show your face like a man.”

Then, like the phantom it resembled, the black-shrouded figure disappeared.

“Hey!” Ethan sprinted toward us. Sparing a glance to the departing attacker, he helped me rise. “Are you all right?”

“I’m—fine. Other—than having—a heart attack.” My breath shuddered
. Get a grip, Summer
. “Go after him. If you catch him, we’ll have solved our mystery.” I grabbed his hand and tugged.

“Summer, you’re bleeding. You’re scraped. We aren’t going anywhere.”

“My hands are cut, too.” Aunt Eunice held them up from her position on the ground. Ethan pulled her to her feet.

He cast one more glance to where the phantom disappeared into the trees. Desire to give chase clearly fought with staying to care for us. Ethan sighed. “Come on, ladies. Let’s get you cleaned up. April, you can stop hiding now.”

She poked her head around the front of the truck. “I wasn’t. I was getting ready to run for help, but Joe told us to stay together.”

“Good thing we did.” Aunt Eunice straightened her shirt. “If I wasn’t here to save Summer, she’d be a goner for sure. April just screeched like a cat who’d got its tail stuck in the screen door.”

“I think I handled myself pretty well, considering the attacker woke me,” I mumbled. Except for the freaking-out part and reliving a nightmare. When my adrenaline subsided, my hands stung. Small pebbles were embedded in my palms. The bone at the base of my spine ached, and I knew I’d be walking like an old crone for the next few hours. I lifted a hand and winced at a bump rising on the back of my head.

Ethan herded us toward the house and into the kitchen. “The officers finished questioning everyone, and I had headed outside to look for you when I heard the screaming.” He turned on the faucet and stuck my hands beneath the flow. “Joe’s going to be—”

“What?” Joe entered the room. “I’m going to be what?”

“Livid,” I answered. “The three of us stayed together like you told us and took refuge in Aunt Eunice’s truck to stay warm because your officers wouldn’t let us come in the house.”

The water soothed my scraped hands. “Someone dressed in a black, ghost-looking robe thing dragged me out. A wraith, I think. I’m lucky to be alive, you know.”

Joe’s mouth gaped. “Right under my nose? With police officers in the house?”

“He’s either brave or foolish.” Aunt Eunice took my place by the sink. “I’m pretty positive it was a man. I know they wore a robe, but there weren’t any, uh, you know—up top.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. A dimple winked in his cheek.

Joe’s face reddened. “Good grief, Aunt Eunice.”

“I’m just telling you what I noticed.” She dried her hands on a clean towel. “It helps, doesn’t it? Knowing you can rule out women from your suspect list?”

“Did
you
notice anything?” Joe turned to me.

“I was too busy trying to survive, but, considering the strength in those hands, I’d say it’s a man. In a Halloween costume. He didn’t seem to have a face, and the eyes were red.”

“Of course it’s a costume!” Joe rubbed his head. “Wraiths don’t roam the streets of Mountain Shadows. Especially without a face. The killer must be getting desperate to attempt abducting Summer with people around.”

“Everyone was in the house. Except for the three of us in the truck. And we were sleeping.” I gasped. “Maybe he meant to sedate me, but I woke up too soon.”

Uncle Roy bolted in to join us and rushed to Aunt Eunice’s side. “Are you hurt? Did we catch ’em? Do I need my gun?”

“We could’ve used it a bit ago. Almost lost our lives to that killer who likes to split up couples. And, no, he got away.” Aunt Eunice laid her head on his chest. Uncle Roy wrapped his arms around her and murmured.

“I’m going to make coffee.” April reached for the pot, apparently realizing she could actually be useful.

I mentally chastised myself. She couldn’t be blamed for going all paranoid. The faceless wraith shook me up, too. I smiled. “That would be great.”

Joe ducked into the hall for a minute and returned with an older officer sporting a salt-and-pepper crew cut.

“This is Officer McHale. He’s going to take notes so we can make sense of this madness. Summer, you first.” Joe pointed to a kitchen chair. “I need to know anything you might have gathered by snooping tonight.”

“Nothing, really. Like I told you earlier, all my suspects were out of sight during the time Edna was murdered. The last person I saw her with was Hubert. Then he came outside still expecting to be playing some lovers’ game of hide-and-seek. That could just be a ruse, of course. But”—I smiled a thank-you to April when she handed me a mug of coffee. The warmth seeped into my aches—“Bill Olson’s fired up. I think he knows about Renee’s affair. Mason scattered as soon as he laid eyes on him. He could be angry enough to commit murder. Maybe Edna got in the way.”

“My turn.” Aunt Eunice practically shoved me from the chair to take my place. “I learned you don’t take naps in an unlocked vehicle during a murder investigation.” She crossed her arms. “I also learned that Larry Bell doesn’t spill his guts when questioned, and that Hubert cries like a girl. No offense, he did just lose a loved one. When we eavesdropped from the cellar—”

She froze, her mouth forming a perfect O.

I rolled my eyes. The woman never could keep a secret. Joe stabbed me with his gaze. I threw up my hands. “It wasn’t my idea. I just wanted to gather info. Aunt Eunice suggested the basement.”

Officer McHale’s lips twitched. Very few people on the face of this planet escaped beto A my suspecing entertained by a few minutes in the company of my family. I’ve often thought script writers should model a sitcom after us.

“The only thing we know for sure is that Sherry is missing and someone likes to send threatening letters with words cut from magazines.”

I lowered my face over my mug. I’d just remembered where I’d seen a stack of magazines. And not just one. Since my brain was on a roll, I wondered whether Sherry had a computer and an alias.

I glanced up to see Ethan watching me. It wouldn’t take much for him to figure out I was up to something. Hopefully, he’d be willing to go with me, if for no other reason than to watch over me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“‘Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.’ Leviticus 19:11.”

The pastor’s words scraped across my spirit. I’d been trying. Honestly. I’d hardly skirted around any questions asked about my investigative plans. But, and it was a big but, I knew Ethan would be busy after church today with the men’s luncheon. The perfect time for me to do more snooping.

Ethan’s presence beside me confirmed my decision. I flipped over the church notes and wrote, “I’m going back to Sherry’s apartment after church, okay? I think we missed something.”

He grabbed the pen from my hand and answered, “Don’t go alone.”

“I won’t. I’m also going to—”

Aunt Eunice tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a slip of paper. “Writing notes in church like a teenager. The two of you ought to be ashamed.”

What did she think
she
was doing? Not passing notes? Ethan winked and straightened in his seat.

Right before the closing prayer, Ethan rose, whispered in my ear that he’d see me later, and left to finish preparations for the luncheon. After the prayer, I grabbed Aunt Eunice’s arm to prevent her from leaving.

“I need you to go somewhere with me. Can you?”

“I guess so. Your uncle’s staying for lunch. Where’re we going?”

“Snooping.”

She clapped her hands. “Wonderful. And thank the Lord, we’re going in the daytime. I don’t want any more black ghosts sneaking up on us.”

We stopped at the coffee bar, loaded up on icy caffeine drinks, then slid into Aunt Eunice’s truck. It wasn’t until we were halfway to town that I realized I’d never told Ethan about my second destination. I’d text him.

I dug my cell phone from my purse and sent him a quick message. There. No deceit or lies. I was in the clear.

“Thank You, Lord.” Aunt Eunice cut the truck’s engine. “I was so afraid there’d be police tape around her apartment. I really didn’t want to get arrested again.”

“That was six weeks ago, and since Sherry hasn’t been involved with a crime—that we know of—there wouldn’t be any tape.” I shoved open my door. “Come on.”

We climbed the stairs and peered into the messy apartment. I leaned against the door and almost fell as it swung open, unlocked. Aunt Eunice and I exchanged surprised looks and stepped inside. A sour odor greeted us. “Still doesn’t look like she’s been back. And who would have left the door unlocked?”

Aunt Eunice shrugged and pulled the neckline of her blouse over her nose. “I’m thinking something had to have happened to her.”

“That’s my thought.” I led the way inside. “I’m looking for her computer.”

“I’m going to clean up.”

I stared at her. Was she nuts? “You can’t. If something did happen to her, the police will need things left as they are for evidence.”

“Like you aren’t going to leave fingerprints on the computer?”

“I—” She was right. There was no way around it. Besides, I’d already been here once. “We won’t touch anything except what’s necessary.”

“What are we looking for anyway?”

“Anything that might have to do with Mae Belle or Renee. Especially anything with the name Lola.”

That stopped my aunt in her progression to the kitchen. “Who’s that?”

“Larry Bell’s Internet love.”

“You think Sherry is Lola?”

“Maybe.”

The woman was involved somehow. I wasn’t buying her earlier story of needing a job at A Dream Wedding. Okay, maybe she needed a job, but no one was that obsessive over one. Then after I heard that Mae Belle knew about Larry’s computer fling, I knew Sherry had to be involved, or at least the woman knew something.

Aunt Eunice bustled to the kitchen and slammed open cabinet doors. “Nothing here. Oh wait.” She reached beneath the kitchen sink. “Here are some rubber gloves.” She tossed me a pair. “Are you sure I can’t do these dirty dishes? Or take out the garbage? The stench is making me sick.”

“Just leave it alone, Aunt Eunice.”

I stretched the gloves over my hands and headed to the bedroom. Sure enough, a computer sat on a corner desk, the surface around it piled with papers. “Aunt Eunice, come help me.” I sent her to work reading through the mountain of paper while I tried to gain access to the computer.

Ding after ding announced my failure, and I felt an overwhelming urge to throw the monitor through the window. Why couldn’t I have been a computer hacker?

Half an hour later Aunt Eunice gasped and tossed a sheet of paper on the bed. “My eyes are burning out of my head! We’re supposed to be careful of what our eyes see, and mine are not meant to see that X-rated garbage.”

Curious, I grabbed the paper. My face heated as I read the very intimate, and graphic, love letter from Lola to the man who made her heart beat faster. I dropped the note like it would burn me. “Oh boy.”