Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 02 - Apple Pots and Funeral Plots (25 page)

“No, it has several holes in the roof.
A person could yell and get attention in this room.”

“But if the person was unconscious or gagged?”

“Then it’s big enough to hold an entire high school band.”
Edith folded up the map and put it into her backpack.
“Do you want to try there first?”

“Yes,” Tom and I said together.

“Turn on your large flashlights.”

We did as she said.
Edith led and we followed.
She never looked back at the map.

We wove through several shafts.
I recognized some of the rock piles and sticks I had constructed when I was trapped.
Finally, we came to a huge open space.

Edith pointed around.
“This is the biggest open space in the mines.”

“But there’s nothing here,” Tom said.
“Where’s the entrance you were talking about?”

“Over there.”
She pointed to the right wall.
“Come on, I’ll show you.”

We followed her out of the room, down a shaft, and then to a wide archway.
It certainly was large enough to back a truck into it. Tom shined his flashlight at the ground.
There were obvious tire tracks.

“Heavy trucks came in here not too long ago,” Tom said.
“They must have picked up their shipment and left already.”

Edith turned to us.
“Where do you want to try next?”

“I have no idea,” I said.
“Can I see the map again?”

“Sure.”
She unfolded the map and set it on the ground.

I looked at the map.
The mine was an intricate maze of shafts.
“Kate knows these mines well, right?”

“Like she was born here,” Edith replied.

“Where would you take her so she wouldn’t know how to get out?”

“Oh, I see what you’re getting at.
If she managed to get away, then where would they put her so that even she would be lost?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”

Edith pointed to the left side of the map.
“This is the most unstable section of the mine.
Not even my dad would go there, and he would have never taken Kate there.”

“Then that’s where we need to go.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Tom said.
“If Edith’s dad wouldn’t go there, then should we?”

“It’s safe enough, as long as you watch your footing and the timbers.
We’ll just have to be careful.”
Edith folded up the map and put it back in her pack.

We followed Edith through several different shafts.
In the outside world I consider myself “directionally challenged,” but in the mine without any land markers and all of the walls looking the same, I was totally turned around.
It was a good thing Kate had come and rescued me when she did because I never would have found my way out.

Edith stopped and Tom and I stood next to her.
“This is the unstable section.”

This part of the mine smelled mustier than the rest.
I hoped the air was good.
The last thing I wanted was all three of us to pass out from lack of oxygen.

I put my hand on Edith’s shoulder.
“What’s that smell?”

“This section has methane gas underneath it.
That’s part of the reason it’s so unstable.
I want you to follow me in a single file line.
Step where I step and nowhere else.”

Tom and I nodded.
Edith started taking deliberate steps; I followed, and then Tom.
It was like one of my single file lines at school.
I always tell the kids to watch the shoes in front of them and that’s exactly what I was doing.

A couple of times, Edith’s foot slid and she’d quickly pull it back, find a new spot to put her foot, and continue.
It was terrifying.
Each time her foot slipped, my heart jumped into my throat and I’d reach for her.
But she never fell.

Edith and I walked close to each other, with Tom a few feet back.
His face was tight and held a huge frown.
I guess mine walking wasn’t one of his favorite pastimes.

I leaned over toward Edith.
There was something I was dying to ask her now that Tom was slightly out of earshot.
“So what happened with the cop?”

She glanced back at Tom and then looked at me.
“Well, in the beginning it was great.
He was so confident and self-assured.
All the things that I’m not.”
She shook her head and shivered.
“And oh, my God, he looked so good in that uniform.
Every time I’d see him in it, my body felt like a volcano ready to erupt.”

It sounded a lot like Tom’s and my relationship, which scared me.
“So what happened?”

“Well, his self-assuredness and confidence started to grate on me and pretty soon he turned into a pompous arrogant ass.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.
After about a year I realized that we didn’t agree on anything.
Not the temperature of the house, not what I should or shouldn’t wear, not what we should eat, or whether I should work or not.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier.”

“So what finally happened?”

She laughed.
“Well, do you listen to country music?”

“Yes,” I said, although I had no idea what that had to do with the ending of her marriage.

“There was a song out a while back about a husband and wife and how they disagreed about everything.”

“I don’t remember it.”

“Well, in the end, their break-up was a matter of religion.”

“Religion?”

“Yeah, he thought he was God and she didn’t!”
She chuckled and I joined her.

Edith’s foot began to slip more and more, as the ground seem to be becoming increasingly unstable.
No one spoke as we all concentrated on our footing.

Then she stopped and pointed ahead of us.
“I think I see something ahead.”

“What?”
I asked.

“There’s a large shape against the wall up ahead and the wall is smooth on both sides of it.”

“Do you think it’s Kate?”
I asked.

“I don’t know.
It’s not moving.”
She put her hand up.
“You two stay here.
The floor is getting more and more unstable.
If we all three go, I’m afraid we’ll put too much weight on this ground.”

“I should go,” Tom said.
“If I fall through, then I’ve got you to rescue me.
If you fall, you only have Liza and me to get you out.
And frankly, we have no idea how to rescue you.”

Edith shook her head.
“It’s too dangerous for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

“Just tell me what to look for to make sure it’s stable.”
Tom went around me and got in front of Edith.

“It’s not what you see, it’s how the ground feels.”
She stuck out her foot and touched the ground.
“Step lightly at first, putting more and more weight on your foot.
If it holds then step there.”
She shined her flashlight on a dark spot on the wall a hundred feet or so away.
“That’s what I see.”

Tom nodded.
I put my hand on his arm.
“You shouldn’t be the one going.”

“Why not?”

“Tom, I love you dearly, but if you fall through the floor, Edith and I don’t have the strength to get you out.”
I patted his broad shoulders.

“Well, you’re not going!” he insisted.

I glanced at Edith for support and she nodded.
“She’s right, Tom.”

Tom shook his head.

“Look, if I fall, I’ve got your strength and Edith’s brain to get me out of there. That’s a better combination.”

“It’s still too dangerous.”
Tom was still shaking is head.

Edith set down her backpack.
“Look, we’ve got all these ropes.
They’re meant for climbing but we can use them as a safety line.
We’ll tie one end to Liza and you hold the other end.
That way if she starts to fall, she’s got you to keep her from tumbling into a hole.”

I was right, and Edith was right, and Tom finally knew it.
“Okay, but tie those ropes really securely to her.
I don’t want to watch her fall into a hole and never see her again.”

Edith got the ropes out of the backpacks and tied them together.
Then she fastened one end around my waist and the other around Tom’s.
Tom took a few steps back and stamped his feet in the ground, making sure he had a good footing.

Edith leaned toward me.
“If you start to fall, cover your face and head with your arms.
Tom will keep you from falling too far, but the hole will have sharp rocks protruding out and you want to protect yourself as much as you can.”

“Thanks.”
I nodded but my stomach was tied in knots and I was sure I
would
lose the dessert I had just eaten.

I slowly stepped forward, testing the ground, and then continuing to walk.
Once my foot fell through to my knee and I gasped.
I heard Tom yell my name.

“I’m okay,” I yelled back.
“I guess I didn’t test that one too well.”

The hundred feet felt like an eternity.
Finally I got to the dark spot and pulled away a tarp.
I could see blonde hair and the same outfit Kate was wearing earlier in the day.

I called back to Edith and Tom.
“It’s
Kate
, but she not moving.”
I reached down and touched her head.
My hand felt something sticky.
I shined the light on it — blood.
I yelled back at Tom and Edith, “There’s blood all over her head.”

Oh no.
Was Kate dead?
I’d found another dead body?
I remembered the shock of the first one, and the nausea at the second.
But this was worse.
I knew Kate.
A cold shiver ran through my body.
My hands were clammy, sweat broke out on my forehead, and I suddenly felt like I was going to faint.

Chapter 24

“Liza!” Tom yelled, bringing me out of my trance.
“Touch her neck and see if she’s got a pulse.”

When I touched her neck, I could feel a nice strong pulse.
Her heart was still beating.
I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“She’s alive! But how
will we
get her out of here?”

Just then Kate spoke, startling me.
“I could have gotten myself out of here a long time ago if I’d had a flashlight.
I was just pretending to be knocked out in case you were one of those goons that put me here.”

Kate stood up and brushed off her clothes.
I gave her a big hug.
“I was so worried about you.”

“Thanks, Liza.”
She pointed back toward Edith and Tom.
“We’ll just follow your footsteps out of here, okay?”

“You’re the expert.”
I handed her my flashlight.
“I’ll follow you.”

Kate shined the flashlight at the ground so we could see where to step.
Within minutes we
both stood
next to Edith and Tom.

She smiled at Edith.
“Thanks for coming to get me, Edith.”

“You’re welcome, Kate.”

“You haven’t been in the mines since your dad died, have you?”

Edith shook her head.

Kate gave Edith a big hug.
“It means a lot that you did it for me.”

“How’d you end up in here, Kate?” I asked.

“I decided to spend part of the day exploring the mines.
I come here when I need to think or just need some peace and quiet.
Ted has been so excited about the eating contests, and I just couldn’t take anymore of his excessive energy and constant discussions about different eating techniques.”
She slapped her forehead.
“I missed Ted’s contest, didn’t I?”

“Yes, he came in third.
He made the finals.”
Tom replied.

“He was devastated when he couldn’t find you,” I added.

Kate smiled.
“Ah, yes.
We didn’t make it to the top of the hill.”

“I’m sure that’s part of the reason, but he really was upset.
We’ve got the whole town looking for you.”

Kate’s eyes widened.
“My dad?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Please don’t tell him you found me in the mine.
He’ll never let me go in again.”

“I don’t think you got yourself into this predicament all by yourself, did you?”
Tom asked.

“No.
It was one of those stupid guards from the fairgrounds.”

As we walked out of the mine, Kate told us the rest of her story.
She’d been exploring the mine when she heard machinery.
No one had used the mine in decades, so it didn’t sound right to her.
She made her way over to where the noise was coming from and saw the taillights of a large truck
pull
away from the mine.
It looked like one of the trucks that came to the big tent to pick up the apple pots.
When she was back at the fairgrounds and Ted went to go eat, she went into the big tent.
That’s when she was introduced to the two snarling dogs and one of the security guards.

“I couldn’t get away from the dogs.
They backed me into a corner by pushing on the backs of my legs.
I was stuck there, afraid if I screamed those dogs would attack.
A few seconds later one of the huge guards came in.
He didn’t say a word.
He just walked up to me, threw a pillowcase over my head, and carried me out of there.”

I thought about the pillowcase the guard
held
when I was in the big tent.
Was I supposed to be next to Kate, lost in the mineshaft?

Kate continued her story.
“The next thing I knew I was getting a very bumpy ride in the back of a truck.
Then the truck stopped and they hit me with something.”
She touched the back of her head.
“I passed out.
The next thing I knew, I was where you found me.
I took off the pillowcase and tarp they’d thrown over me.
I couldn’t see, but the smell in this part of the mines is different, so I knew where I was.”
She glanced at Edith.
“Your dad warned me never to go into this section of the mine.
The ground’s unstable and prone to collapsing.
When I heard you guys coming, I thought it was the guard coming back, so I threw the tarp over my head.”

“Well, we better get you to the police station.
That’s where your dad is and we need to get someone to take a look at your head,” Tom said when she finished her story.

“I’m okay.”

“Let’s let the doctor decide.”

When we got outside the mine, we threw the backpacks into the back and piled into the Jeep.
Edith drove us out of the mine and back through the forest.

When we got to the city streets, Edith said, “I’m going to go back to my house so you can get Kate’s car.
I’d rather not go to the police station.
In fact, I’d rather you not tell them I was even involved, okay?”

I thought about Edith’s ex-husband and wondered if that was why she didn’t want to go to the police station.
It didn’t matter.
But we couldn’t have rescued Kate without her help.
“Whatever you want,
Edith
.
Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome.”
She sighed.
“I have to admit that it was kind of nice to go back into the mines, again.”

Kate smiled at her.
“Once it’s in your blood, you can’t ever shake it.”

“I guess not.”
She smiled at Kate.

“Maybe you and I can do some exploring together,” Kate suggested.

“I’d like that, Kate,” Edith said.

Edith drove us back to her house and we got Kate’s car.
When we all got in I said to Tom, “I think I’ll avoid the police station, too.
I spent enough time there yesterday.
Would you drop me back off at the inn before you take Kate to see her dad?
I want to let
Shelby
out.
She’s been locked in that room for quite awhile.”

“Sure,
Liza
.”
He shrugged.

Tom let me out at the inn and Kate got into the front seat.
I waved at them as they drove off.
It would be a very happy reunion between Kate and her dad.
There’s got to be nothing worse than losing a child.

I walked by the office and down the long corridor to my room.
About half way down a maid came out of one of the rooms.
She was an older woman and not one I’d seen cleaning the rooms in the last few days.

I smiled at her.
“Working late?”

She laughed.
“Yeah, one of the guests opened a bottle of champagne and it erupted all over his bed.
Joe called me so I came over and cleaned up the mess.”

“I haven’t seen you around here.”

“I only work one day a week, usually on Sunday when most people check out.”
She held up the towels in her hands, “And sometimes if Joe needs some extra help at night.
I only live a few blocks away from the inn.”

“Have you worked here long?”

“About twenty years.”

I leaned against the railing.
“Did you work here when Danielle Slammer’s was killed?”

She sighed and shook her head.
“Yes.
That was so sad.
She was such a nice lady.”

“You remember her?”

“Of course.
That was when I worked every day.”
She laughed.
“Danielle used to make her bed every morning.
I’d come in to clean and the room would be spotless.”

I thought about the mess I left my room in everyday.
Maybe I could learn a thing or two from Danielle.
“That must have made her room easy to clean.”

“It sure was.
She was allergic to dust and especially musty moldy smells, so she kept her room very clean.”

“I heard she had some type of allergy attack while she was here.”

“She sure did but it wasn’t from her room,” the maid insisted.
“She was out all day and came back with her eyes swollen almost shut.”

I thought about the musty smells from the mine and wondered if Danielle had been to that section.
Was that why she had an allergy attack?
Then I thought about the missing journal.
“Did you ever see her journal?”

“The red one with the white lacy top?”

“Yes.”

“Of course, she loved that journal.
She was always writing in it.”

“It was never found with her stuff.”

“That’s because she had me mail it to her sister the day before she was killed.”
The maid shook her head.
“I always wondered if she had a premonition about her death and that’s why she sent her most precious possession to her sister.”

That explained how Danielle’s sister got her journal.
“Do you remember anything unusual about the days before she was killed?”

“Not really.
They were just normal days in Clainsworth.”
Then she laughed.
“Except for
Sadie
, of course.”

“That was her beagle, right?”

She nodded.

“What about Sadie?”

“Two days before she was killed, I came in to clean the room and Danielle was still in bed.
She told me that Sadie had barked the entire night and she’d gotten almost no sleep.”

“Then the next day, she’d come home and had the allergy attack, right?”

“Yes.
She went to see Doc Gordon and he gave her something that made her very sleepy.”

“Allergy medicine does that to me, too.”

The maid turned from me.
“Well, I’ve got to go over to the office and tell Joe the room is clean.”

“Thanks for talking to me.”

“You’re welcome.”
She smiled and walked toward the office.

As I headed to my room I thought about the days before Danielle was killed.
Sadie had probably kept her up because of noises she heard outside.
Then Danielle had been gone all day and come back with an allergy attack.
Had she been to the mine?
Then she asked the maid to send her journal to her sister.
That night, she’d gone to see Doc Gordon, gotten sleepy from the medicine, and was dead the next day.

When I got closer to my room I noticed that my door was slightly ajar.
“Oh, no,” I muttered.
“
Shelby
!”
I ran the rest of the way to my room and burst through the door.
“
Shelby
!”
I screamed.
And then I saw her and sighed with relief.
She was lying next to the bathroom sink on the cool tile — her favorite place.

“
Shelby
, come on.
I’ll take you out for a walk.”

She didn’t move.
That was
not
right.
She loved her walks.
My stomach knotted and a wave of queasiness came over me.
Oh, no!
Was she sick?
Or worse?

I ran over and put my head on her side.
It seemed like she was still breathing, but I wasn’t sure.
I lifted her paw and let go –
it
fell back down.
My pulse
raced
and I couldn’t catch my breath.
Panic was setting in.
I needed to get her to a vet immediately.
I ran to the bathroom, got a towel, and then gently wrapped it around her.

Doc Gordon’s office wasn’t far but I didn’t want to take the time to walk.
I needed a car.
The only thing available was Tom’s patrol car.
I’d never driven it, but it was just a car, wasn’t it?
I searched the table next to the bed and found his keys.
As I went back and knelt by
Shelby
, I felt someone behind me.