My head reeled, wheels spinning. “Detective, do you think she’s connected to the murder?” It would be a great relief if Susan’s arrest set Doc free from suspicion.
“I don’t see any connection.”
“We’re not close to making an arrest in the case. But you don’t have to worry. I just wanted to call and inform you of Susan’s involvement. This should put your mind at ease concerning the break in. Now you take care of your knee and leave the investigating to us.”
“Thank you for calling. This definitely makes me feel safer.” The click on the other end of the phone did not make me feel any better about Doc.
“What was that all about?” Dee Dee stood so close to me I could smell toothpaste on her breath.
“You’re not going to believe this.” Nana sashayed in my bedroom dressed in a Victoria’s Secret nightie. “Susan Gray was behind the robbery yesterday. She hired those two men to steal the book from you.”
“Why in the world did she want an old book?” Nana vied for a place beside me.
“The book is old. It’s a signed, first edition and it’s extremely valuable. The author was one of the Andrews’ Raiders. She wanted to sell to the highest bidder to bolster finances for the bookstore. The detective said she’s the one who broke into Dora’s the other night. I can’t believe she was so desperate.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Dee Dee said. “Come on, girls. Let’s get dressed and ride into town for a big breakfast. We deserve a little pampering.”
Nana gingerly sat down so as not to jostle. “Trixie, how are you doing today? Is your knee any better?”
“It’s sore, but better than yesterday. I can’t wait to get home and see the orthopedic surgeon.” Did I really just say that?
“Well, take your time getting ready, and we’ll go have a humdinger of a breakfast.”
An hour later we pulled onto the road. Though my knee was better, I still wasn’t up to driving. I’d have to endure another day of Dee Dee’s racecar antics. We voted unanimously to eat at Kountry Kousins. Velma seated us and took our orders.
“I’ll have eggs, grits, bacon, toast, and coffee.” Nana said. How did Nana eat like a dog with worms and never gain an ounce.
“You want to share with me?” I asked.
“No, I don’t. You can get your own.” She unwrapped her utensils and floated her napkin into her lap.
“In that case, I’ll take the same thing she’s having.” They say a hearty breakfast starts your day off right.
“Just make that three, Velma,” Dee Dee said.
“What do y’all think about Susan being the killer? She’s got my vote.” Dee Dee spread strawberry jam on her toast.
“I’m not so sure she’s involved. Robbery is one thing; murder is a whole different ballgame. I’m not counting her out though. As we’ve said before, people will kill for the most insignificant reasons.” I grabbed my fork and scraped my plate, foregoing etiquette. Hands down, this had to be the best breakfast I’d ever tasted.
“Ahhh, a good breakfast, the case is almost solved and while I rested last night I came up with a hook for the article. Things are really going well, except for the old knee.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Let’s head over to the museum and tell Doc the news about Susan. This could be the break we’ve been looking for.” Dee Dee reached for her pink flowered purse and withdrew her new lipstick, Pink Pansies. She swiped her lips and pursed them together. Her pink lips matched her pink outfit. I smiled.
“You girls go on out to the car,” Nana said. “I need to visit the little girl’s room. I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”
We paid our bill and stepped into the bright sunshine. I looked forward to having a productive day.
“Look how this van parked,” I observed. “They didn’t have to park so close.”
“Yeah, crazy drivers. Let me help you in.”
Dee Dee came around to my side to assist me. The door on the white van next to us flew open and a man jumped out and grabbed me. Another grabbed Dee Dee. Before we could shout for help, someone shoved us rudely into the back of the van. Another man pointed the barrel of a gun at us.
“Jeffrey? What are you doing?” Dee Dee asked incredulously. “Where are you and Sammy taking us?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Now shut up.” It seemed like forever, but it could have been a few minutes. Time moved in slow motion.
Dee Dee and I exchanged frightened glances. What would Nana think when she couldn’t find us? Were they going to grab her, too? It was all starting to make sense. I knew without a doubt these two men were involved in the murder.
When the van stopped, and the door opened again, we were in an old warehouse, darkened windows kept out any light. A dim glow came from bare light bulbs dangling from the ceiling. The building was empty, save for a few wooden crates scattered here and there. Within minutes we were forced to sit in straight back chairs with our hands tied behind our backs and our legs bound at the ankles. My knee throbbed.
Dee Dee whispered the obvious. “Trixie, I think we found the killers.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Y’all need to keep your traps shut. Your big mouths got you in trouble in the first place.” Jeffrey stomped over and tested the ropes wound around our wrists.
“Hey, you didn’t have to pull so hard,” Dee Dee said. “That hurt.”
“It won’t make any difference in a little while. Your pain will be irrelevant.”
Yikes. I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Sammy, why did you kill Jacob?” I thought I knew the answer, but I wanted to keep him talking. Hopefully Nana recognized something terrible had happened and called 911.
“He didn’t kill Jacob. I did.” A chill ran down my spine; I recognized that voice. I turned my head to confirm my suspicion. There stood Steven.
“Jacob’s death was most unfortunate. I never planned on killing anyone.” He walked in front of us. He didn’t appear so handsome now that I’d discovered he was a murderer.
“Then why did you?”
“Shut up! You don’t have to tell them anything.” Sammy hadn’t said much up until now. I couldn’t believe these three successful men had thrown away their futures.
“It’s doesn’t matter. They won’t be able to talk to anyone when we finish with them.”
I had to keep them talking. Our lives depended on Nana attaining help in time. “Sammy, I think I’ve figured out why you and Jeffrey are involved, but I don’t understand why Steven would kill Jacob.”
“Go ahead and tell us why,” Sammy said. “I’d love to hear your theory.”
“I haven’t put all the puzzle pieces together, but I’ll give it a try. Sammy, you told us you owned a majority of the downtown property. I think you wanted the museum for the property it sits on. And since Jeffrey is a loan officer, he planned to give you a loan to buy it.”
“She thinks she’s pretty smart doesn’t she, Sammy?” Jeffrey’s sneer filled me with fear.
“Steven, you seemed like such a nice young gentleman. How did you get mixed up with these two?” Dee Dee asked.
“It’s your fault.” Wasn’t it just like a crook to blame someone else? “I was there to scare you off the night you were at the museum. I never intended to kill anyone. When I discovered Jacob at the museum he startled me. I couldn’t take a chance on him telling anyone I’d been there.” He clinched and unclenched his fist. He resembled a wild animal.
“We were in the Andrews’ Room, so I grabbed the gun with the bayonet on it from the display. It all happened so fast. But what’s done is done. I can’t bring him back.” As Steven paced back and forth in front of us, I wondered if he’d be the one to kill us.