6
Emma was just gathering her things to leave for the day. "Emma call the police. Linda Veech has been kidnaped."
"Kidnaped! Oh my goodness! I remember when the Lindburgh baby was kidnaped . . . " I slammed my office door.
Someone was in my office. Cigarette smoke was rising from the top of my chair which was turned away from my door. The chair spun around. Lois Adams was in it "Mrs Adams. We need to talk."
"Please call me Lois. Let's talk over dinner."
"I can't. I'm waiting for the police."
"Why? Has something happened?"
"Yes. Someone's been kidnaped."
"I know. Linda Veech."
"How did you know that?"
"Word travels fast in a small town. I've even heard a rumor as to who did it. You wanna know who?"
"Sorry to bother you, Mr Taylor," Emma said while opening the door. "The police are already on the case. Sergeant O'Malley said to tell you that you are slowing in your old age. He said you would understand that. Do you understand it? I sure don't." she turned her head to leave. "Boy you police do stick together--talking in code and everything else." She shut the door.
"Is she always like that?" asked Lois.
"Oh yeah, that's just Emma but she's the best secretary a man could have. Do you know Linda Veech?"
"I know she was George's sister but I never met her. They never talked to each other; at least not in the time I was with George. I do know she wanted his money."
"How do you know that?"
"She told him. She was mad because she wasn't in Tim's Will and wanted what was rightfully hers.
"What do you mean?"
"George had a different father. George and Tim were only half brothers. Julia, their mother, was married, had a baby and widowed by the time she was nineteen. George's father was plowing a field when he fell off a cliff. Some say he jumped to get away from Julia because the horse and plow were found safe and sound. Others say Julia pushed him so she could inherit the land. To this day the land just sits there; she hasn't sold it or rented it out. Can we go to dinner now?"
"No. Is Julia still alive?"
"Oh yeah. Alive and well, too well, and living at BlackWater."
"Are you going to let her stay there? You don't sound so enthused about it."
"I don't know. I was going to, being she has no place to go, but I'm not so sure now. The rumor is that she had Linda kidnaped."
"Why would she have her own daughter kidnaped?"
"She thinks Linda killed her precious George. I loved George and all, but she does have a daughter. I don't think she loved her second husband so she doesn't like her children by him."
I walked over to the window to think about this. "Linda could never kill anybody." I said aloud but to myself.
"That's right," Lois said, "You know Linda pretty well. It's probably in your best interests to find her alive."
"What do you mean by that? Yes I know her. She was my partner's wife."
"That's right. She was his wife. He's dead now. You killed him so you could have her all to yourself."
"That's not true. It was proven that he was shot from the right side--not from behind. Besides that, I never had an affair with her."
"That's why you killed him. Get him out of the picture so you can take his place."
"Look lady, if you want me to stay on this case and not turn you in for murder and kidnaping, you had just better keep your trap shut. Go on home to your BlackWater and Sam the valet and let me do my job in peace. I'll stay on the case because Linda is involved. Don't cross me again or you'll live to regret it." With that she stood up, snubbed out her cigarette on the desk top with her head held high. Boy did I need some sleep.
7
The next morning I didn't want to get out of bed. I needed to go to BlackWater and I wasn't looking forward to it. I needed to talk to Julia and get some stories straight.
I decided to snoop around the grounds so I parked my car at the bottom of the hill and started walking. About one hundred feet in I came upon a retaining wall with a door in it. I checked the door and it was unlocked. "Gee! Somebody could just walk right in here whenever he wanted too." I said aloud and went in.
Before I closed the door behind me, I found a torch hanging on the wall and lit it with my matches. I couldn't see too far beyond the glow, but the hallway went to my right and left. I went to the right because it seemed the house was in that direction. After about fifty paces, I stumbled upon a flight of stairs going up. I didn't see a handrail so I steadied myself with the wall. It was wet. The river must be close by here. When I got to the top of the stairs, there were only twenty-two, the hall turned to the left and slanted down. The concrete floor was slippery and I fell a couple times. The last time I fell my hand landed in water. I met the BlackWater River.
I stood up and looked around as much as possible and found that I was in a cavern. A wood bridge spanned the river which was about twenty feet across. I started crossing the river and at about two-thirds of the way, my right foot fell through the bridge. The wood was soft and rotting from the constant moisture. When my feet hit the wet concrete at the end of the bridge, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.
I followed the hall through turns and slight hills. I saw several intersections with other hallways but stayed on the same path and walked for about ten minutes when my torch went out. I tried to relight it but it just didn't work. I started walking feeling my way along the walls. I went around a right-hand turn and saw a sliver of light just ahead of me. I walked to it and heard voices. The light was coming from the bottom of a door. I listened to try to recognize the voices. The man's voice was definitely Sam Johnson the valet. The female voice was unfamiliar. "He's getting too close," the woman said. "I want him out of the picture."
"No problem," Sam said. "I'll have it taken care of."
"Good. See that it is done correctly this time."
"Who do you think hired him?"
"Lois did. I saw her come out of his office last night. We'll have to take care of her too." An animal ran across my feet and I let out a small noise. "What was that?"
"Probably just one of those river rats come up to get scraps of food. I'll tell Wolfgang to stop feeding them again. We can't kill Lois. The cops will think it too coincidental that both of them died in the same week."
"Not if we make it look like a suicide. Go cut the brake lines on her car or something like that. You know what I mean."
"But mother, I think it's too soon. The police will see through it."
"No, they will not. We'll tell them she had been quiet and kept to herself after her husband's suicide. She just couldn't live without him."
"Okay mother. If you insist. You are always right anyway. I'll take care of it. Love you momma." I heard the smack of a kiss on the cheek and shortly after the door shut with a click. So Sam's mother is in on this. I felt the wall for the way to open it. When it did open, the room was empty.
I was in a woman's bedroom. The dressing table was to my left with the wardrobe next to it. A huge canopy bed was to my right. The room was red. Everything was a shade of red. A person could get sick in this room.
I slowly opened the hallway door and peeked out. Nobody. I decided I would take the self tour of the house.
I went to the right and walked past a shiny suit of armor. It must be polished at least once a week. Mirrors were everywhere. All shapes and sizes; most with frames, a couple were just glass on the wall. There were no portraits of family history--not even one of George himself.
I reached the end of the hall. It was a short hall for such a large house. I must be on the third or fourth floor. I'm going to be here a while. A door was at the end of the hall. I decided to see what was in there when I realized that the hallway was black and grey. The carpet was black as was the trim around the walls. Such a shame to paint all of this beautiful wood. The wallpaper was a medium grey, about the color of steel, with a fleur de lis motif accented in a darker but shiny grey. I tried the door. It was unlocked. When I opened it, a dank musty odor overtook me. I stepped to the side of the doorway, out of the bad air, so I could catch my breath.
The room was dark so I got my book of matches from the inside pocket of my trenchcoat. The cover of the book had a picture of a palm tree with a flamingo standing under it. Across the top was the word 'Oasis' written in bright green block letters. This was the bar that I often patronized. A hole in the wall just a block away from my office. The liquor was cheap and the people friendly. A brawl would erupt every so often, but it was usually two drunk men fighting over whose turn it is to throw darts.
I lit a match and walked into the room. Before the match burned my fingers, I saw that the room was a bedroom with Cowboys and Indians on the wallpaper. I couldn't tell for sure what color this room was but it looked as if it was mainly white or beige. A ball cap was hanging on one of the bedposts at the foot. A slingshot lay on the bed. The match burned me so I shook it out and lit another one. I looked for a light switch or a lamp but couldn't find one. The room was full of cobwebs and the dust was thick.
A noise that sounded like someone stumbling made me spin around and quickly close the door. I blew out the match and waited. Footsteps were getting louder. When I could hear them no longer, I peeked out into the hallway. Nobody was arouynd. The stairs going down were to my left and I decided that's where I should go.
The top of the stairs was at the end of the hall. All one needed to do to go down was keep walking stright when he got to the end of the hall. Two doors were on either side of the steps. I checked and these were empty closets.
When I was down about ten steps, the walls on either side of the stairs disappeared and banisters took their places. I stopped to see if anyone could see me. I didn't see anyone so I continued slowly and as quietly as I could. Each stair creaked as I stepped on it. Moving to one side seemed to take care of that annoying little problem. My brother had shown me how to sneak up and down creaky stairs when I was twelve years old.
Charlie was two years older than me. He had been sneaking out of the house at night for a couple months when he taught me how to do it. He said I should get out at night and work for some man he had met down on the pier. He had been running numbers and was getting rich for a boy at that time. I didn't know what running numbers was but I thought I might like to have some money so one night I went out with Charlie.
Our family was pretty well-to-do and could afford a house on the edge of town. Charlie led me down the stairs and out the back door. We walked down the street and went around the corner where a car was waiting for us.
The driver took us downtown to a rundown building. We went up several flights if stairs and into a waiting room outside an office. I sat there by myself while Charlie went in the office. When he came back out, about a half hour later, Charlie told me I would be carrying brown paper sacks from business to business downtown. These bags would have food in them, but they would also have a list of numbers. I wasn't told anything else. I wasn't even told who I worked for.
I did this job for several months until I began getting bigger jobs. Bags of money were given to me to carry. With these I would go in the back doors of businesses. When I was fourteen I became a bartender in a speakeasy. I was with the men who participated in the 'St Valentine's Day Massacre.' I was the driver of the getaway car. I would stay in the business for a couple more years, but the massacre is what made me become a police officer.
At the bottom of the stairs the bannisters ended with a winged dragon on each side. I pushed on the dragon at my left. I did this for fun; I saw it in a movie. I heard a door slide open somewhere. From where I was standing I couldn't see an open door so I went around the left side of the steps. There it was. An open door leading under the stairs. Because I wasn't finished with my tour of the house, I pushed on the dragon to make the door close. It didn't work. The other dragon didn't even move so I couldn't get the door to close.
I turned around and walked away quickly down the hall. I could've gone the other way but this way made for a faster getaway.
This hallway was also black and gray with the same wallpaper pattern. Ahead of me were two doors to my left and more stairs going down. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes lined the walls. It was an eerie feeling-as if someone was watching me. I would not have been surprised if somebody was.
I opened the first door I came to and it was an empty room. Not very big. While closing the door, I heard someone talking behind me. As I went down the stairs I hear someone say "This door is open again. Those kids better not be in there. I told them yesterday it was off limits."
The steps had two landings and did a horsehoe turn to the left. I stopped on the second landing to check out the situation. Two steps led down from the landing to the floor. There was not a door at the bottom and I could smell fresh baked bread. My stomach growled.
I looked around the door jam into the kitchen. What appeared to be the head cook, Wolfgang, was talking to the other cooks. I heard him say, "Dieses Brot ist nicht gut! Schweinhund!" Behind me the voices were getting louder. Obviously they were coming to the stairs and I had nowhere to go. I had to think fast. I went into the kitchen. "This place is a mess," I said while waving my hands."Clean it up and don't forget to get under the stoves and iceboxes."Wolfgang started translating for the other workers and they began to scramble. I left through the swinging door and found the dining room.
This room was white with gold accents. The dishes on the table were white with gold trim. The flatware had gold handles. The centerpiece was white carnations with a gold ribbon running through it and five gold candles of different heights. Everything was white with gold trim. A very nice room.
I went through the french doors and ended up in the ballroom. It was huge. This room also was white but it had silver accents. Three chandeliers hung overhead. The big one in the middle with a smaller one at either end of the room. The walls were mirrors from floor to ceiling. Chrome chairs with white cushions sat against the wall encircling the entire room.
I went out through what looked like the main doors. They opened to the main hallway. I had seen it before but I didn't notice the grandeur of it then. I was facing the front door, of the house, which looked upon the steps going up to the first level. The steps must have been tewnty feet across. The banisters spread out at the bottom so the first step was about thirty feet across. Everything was black and gray as before. It was beautiful.
As I was standing there looking around, I heard someone running from behind me. He must have talked to Wolfgang. I darted out the front door, closed it and knocked with the lion's-head knocker. Sam quickly answered the door. Either he didn't let on he knew I was the one he chased or I actually made it in time. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I would like to talk to George's mother."
"I'm afraid you can't do that. It is her nap time and we all know how grumpy someone gets without her regular nap."
"May I use your telephone then? My car broke down at the bottom of the hill."
"You walked all the way up here?"
"Sure did. May I at least sit down and catch a breath?"
"OK. You may go into the parlor. There's a telephone in there you may use." He turned and disappeared into the door behind him. I heard the snap of the lock falling into place after he closed the door.
In the parlor, I sat in the brown easy chair. I used the phone to call Emma. She answered on the first ring. What a secretary. "Taylor Investigations," she said.
"Emma, this is Mr Taylor. I don't have much time so listen carefully. I need you to run a check on George Adams' mother. Find out anything you can about her. How old is she, her childrens' names, who she married. I'll be back to the office shortly. Any messages?"
"Two. Lois Adams called. She will meet you at the 'Oasis' tonight at nine. I don't like her Mr Taylor. Don't you go and get involved with her. I wouldn't trust her with. . ."
"The other message Emma," I interrupted.
"Linda Veech called. She sounded anxious and scared. She said something about the ocean then hung up. Wasn't she the one who was kidnapped? When this is all over, you should go to dinner with her. She's a nice one."
"Thank you Emma." I hung up.
Linda called. Why would they have her call me again? The only ransom they could get out of me is quitting the Adams case. How are the two connected? Linda is George's sister but what does that have to do with the price of beans?
The butler finally showed up after about thirty minutes. "Is everything tasken care of sir?" he asked.
"Yes thank you. May I ask what your name is?"
"Franklin. Franklin Beaumont."
"How long have you worked here Franklin? May I call you Franklin?"
"Please sir. I have worked here for fifteen years."
"Was George Adams a good person to work for?"
"Yes. Much better than young Sam Johnson."
"Why's that?"
"Please excuse the harsh word but he is an idiot. He has no idea how to run a house. The only thing he knows is what suit and shoes a man should wear to an occasion. He's in the office now going over the books for the funeral parlors. I say the business will be bankrupt within a year if he is allowed to remain the manager."
"Why is he always in this house if he lives in the guest house?"
"I do not know. I asked Mrs Adams that very question and Sam barged into the room."
"How convenient."
"That is what I thought. If only he would take control of the business with the fervor he ahs for the house. The business just might stay open or at least have a chance."
"Tell me about George's mother. Does she live here?"
"She lives here on the fourth floor. You did not get that far on your little tour."
"You knew about that?"
"Who do you think followed you speaking loudly? I did not want you to get caught. Wolfgang spoke of a man he had never seen before. Sam suspected you were the imposter so he ran after you. Stroke of genius sir-going out the front door and knocking. I only wish to have seen Sam's expression when he open the door."
"Now that you mention it his eyes were wide open."
"Mother Adams is old. She moves slowly and never leaves the fourth floor. She is sharp as a tack. Sam does not like her but he keeps an eye on her. I believe it is because he wants her to die so he can take BlackWater from Mrs Adams."
"How would he do that?"
"By marrying her. He is alredy trying to court her. She has told him many times she is not interested."
"I could've told him that."
"Yes, I know. You have a meeting with her tonight at nine. If I were you, sir, I would go. I don't know you very well, but I am fond of Mrs Adams. She was the best thing that ever happened to Mr Adams. They simply adored each other."
"I heard they'd been fighting for some time before his death."
"Nonsense! They never disagreed about anything the entire time they were together." He glanced at the clock. "You had better go now sir. Sam has an appointment with his masseuse in ten minutes. I'll have the driver take you to your car."
"Thank you Franklin. If you think of anything else to tell me, stop by or give me a call." I gave him my card.
"I will sir. The car will be around shortly. You should wait outside." He walked me out the door. "Goodbye and take care."
The car arrived five minutes later. The driver wouldn't talk but I tried to get him to. I even told him he looked stupid in the hat he had to wear while on the job. No comment from him at all.
8
Emma was still at the office when I got there. "Any more messages Emma?"
"Lois Adams called three more times. She sure wants to meet you tonight. Don't forget Mr Taylor, nine o'clock."
"I thought you wanted me to stay away from her."
"I changed my mind. A woman that determined to get at you is allright in my book. She just might be the perfect woman for you. She sure is pretty. After all she just adored George Adams. They were the ealk of the town when they got married.
"The wedding was beautiful. It was at BlackWater, of course, in the gazebo at the clearing. Her dress must have had a fifty-foot train. One of her neices was the flower girl. The darlingest little boy was the ring-bearer. I think he was one of her nephews but I'm not sure. I didn't know who the matron of honor was and nobody else knew her either. George's best man was Sam the Valet."
"How do you know all of this Emma?"
"I was there. My brother works in one of the Adams Funeral Parlors and all the employees were invited. He didn't have a date so I went with him. Nobody there that day knows I am his sister. John didn't want to be embarrasses so please don't tell anyone. It would just kill him.
"George's mother wasn't at the wedding. She refused to go if Lois' parents would be there.Seems they just don't like each other. I remember, oh it must have been a month before the wedding because that's when I painted my front porch. John, my brother, came running up my front sidewalk. . ."
"Emma, is this story going anywhere? I need to get ready for my meeting with Lois."
"Are you two on a first name basis already? Boy you are a smooth one."
to be continued...
© StreetTales
What should happen next? E-mail me with your suggestions or maybe even a chapter.