Shadow in the Pines (13 page)

“You want me to have this cat?”

She’d never owned a cat in her life and wasn’t sure she wanted one now. But if it helped assure she’d have no more reptile visitors, that was a definite plus.

“I thought it might be good,” he said. “Unless you don’t like her.”

“No,” she took the purring bundle, amazed at how soft and silky it felt. The cat settled right into the crook of her arm like she was used to pampering and looked up at her curiously with eyes that were startlingly blue. “I’ve just never had a cat before.”

She sat down on the couch and watched, amused as Bandit sniffed the cat’s tail. With an attitude she could only describe as haughty, the cat tolerated Bandit for a few minutes, then reached out a paw and tapped him soundly on the nose, sending him scurrying to the kitchen.

“She’ll be fine with him,” Mike said. “Her name’s Charlie, like Charlie Baltimore.”

“From that movie?” Dani asked, smiling. ‘Long Kiss Goodnight’ was one of her favorites. “Sit down,” she urged, realizing he was still standing, restlessly shifting from one foot to the other.

“I can’t stay. It’s late,” he mumbled.

“Mike, I really want you to tell me what’s going on,” she said.

Charlie slid off her lap and kneaded herself a comfortable place on the couch and proceeded to bathe right there between them.

“I don’t know,” he said, with the most honest expression she’d seen on his face up till now. “Friday, I locked the lab and everyone else was gone. What time did you get home that day, anyway?”

“I think it was just a little past seven,” she said. “I stopped at the store to get some dog food and came straight here.”

“I left right after you did, so that doesn’t leave much time for someone to get back in the lab and get out here. I’ll check around and see what I can find out, though,” he shuffled toward the door. “Let me get her litter box and food, I’ll be right back.”

Dani stroked the cat absentmindedly while she waited. It was nice that he brought her a cat. It was nicer still that he was opening up to her and seemed willing to help her figure this out. She could use an ally at Ophidian.

“Thanks, Mike,” she waved at him from the porch as he walked back out into the darkness. When she closed the door behind him, she felt a little less alone, and, after situating the cat dish and warning the two animals to behave, she went back to her bath.

***

For once, there was no one Dani knew in the cafeteria as she sat her tray of mystery meat down on a remote table. The week had been hectic. It seemed like she ran from one place to the next. From the looks of it, she might enjoy thirty minutes of uninterrupted time before lab.

It didn’t take long to wolf down her food, some kind of turkey she hoped. Pushing her tray aside, she took out the spiral she kept close to jot down notes as they occurred to her. Noah had been busy most of the week. She’d only had dinner with him once. He’d finally got his hands on the old employee list from Ophidian and had been diligently tracking them down for questioning. As far as she knew, he hadn’t uncovered any new evidence, but if there was anything there to find, she was sure he’d find it.

Dani was more interested in Mike’s opinions about who might have put that snake in her house. At first, she’d thought it would be simple. Who had keys to the labs? Then she’d learned that almost anyone who passed through the lab could have picked the keys up. It’s not like the snake labs were burglar magnets. Dr. Crane had keys, of course, and Mike. Emil and Jeff had keys, but master keys of all the labs were hanging just inside Dr. Crane’s outer office, which was rarely locked. She’d checked and none were missing, but that didn’t mean someone didn’t take it and put it back later. Nobody should have had keys to her house, but Noah assured her the locks he’d replaced wouldn’t have presented much of an obstacle to someone who knew what he was doing.

Mike had said something else that nagged at her. One day, when they were alone in the file room, he’d mentioned something about Dr. Crane’s wife leaving him right after the students disappeared. From what she’d learned, Mrs. Crane still lived here in town, but they’d divorced later that same year. Dani couldn’t think of a good reason to pay her a visit, but, since she was actively involved in the Rose Festival, she hoped maybe she’d get a chance to talk to her at the Rose Dance.

With a sigh, she tucked her note pad away and gathered her dishes. If she left now, she’d have a little extra time to set up in the lab before the students arrived.

***

“Do you have to go now?” Dani whined, leaning on Noah’s shoulder. They’d enjoyed a simple dinner and a movie on the DVR. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to spend an evening with him, he’d been so busy.

“I’ll be back before the dance on Sunday, I promise,” he said, looking down at her with eyes that melted her soul. “I really want to get a look at Atkinson’s place for myself.”

After dinner, he’d filled her in on the research he was doing on Dr. Atkinson, but mentioned that he’d yet to speak to the man personally. When he left here six years ago, Dr. Atkinson had opened his own laboratory facility in Atlanta. Apparently he’d been there ever since and was reasonably successful and well respected in his work.

“You promise?” she asked. “The lab probably won’t even be open tomorrow.”

“I promise, and yes, it will. I talked to the secretary,” he assured her. “But I better get to the house. I haven’t even washed my clothes yet and I still have to pack. My plane leaves at the crack of dawn.”

Reluctantly, she got up from the couch and walked him to the door. “I don’t know why it’s so important that you go there tomorrow,” she said, still pouting.

“So I can spend some time off with you next week, silly,” he touched her nose. “Besides,” he looked down at Bandit wiggling at his feet and Charlie watching them suspiciously from her place on the couch, “you’ve got plenty of company.”

“I’ll miss you,” she said as he kissed her good night.

“I’ll call you tomorrow night, and you have my cell number if you need me,” he said.

She closed the door with a sigh after she watched him go, then headed for bed determined to keep the time between now and Sunday’s dance as full as she possibly could.

***

In keeping with her plan to keep the day full so time would pass quickly, Dani decided on an early morning shopping spree. She hadn’t splurged on a new formal in years, and she’d sold most of what she used to wear before she left Austin. With a sense of purpose, she headed for a nearby mall and fully expected to spend most of the day shopping for something special to wear tomorrow.

The annual Rose Dance was a black tie affair, one of the biggest events of the season. As luck would have it, she found the perfect dress in the first store, an ice blue satin off the shoulder number with a tight fitting bodice and swirling full skirt that fit like it had been made for her. An hour later, she had new shoes and accessories and a whole day to kill. She wandered the mall aimlessly for a while, but was still home before noon.

The day was mild, so she spent some time in the garden, but the ground cover had pretty much taken care of the weeds and it didn’t take long to have it in shape. With the day and the night stretching interminably before her, she decided to tackle something more challenging. The one thing she’d been meaning to do, but always found a way to avoid, was cleaning out the cellar.

Before she could talk herself out of it yet again, she gathered a pail, a sponge, a broom, and an armful of trash bags and headed for the back yard. She’d forgotten the padlock, and had to set her things down on the ground to retrieve the key, but a few moments later she was on her way. Two steps down, the fresh, crisp autumn air was replaced by a cold, damp, musty smell that tickled her nose. The lone light bulb, stuck to the ceiling like an afterthought, had an opposite effect than its intended use. Instead of the warm glow of a reassuring beacon shining light into the darkness, it revealed shapes and shadows in all the crevices and corners that screamed for illumination.

After the initial chill and sense of foreboding, she gradually became accustomed to the dim light and worked hard at emptying and scrubbing the shelves, humming to herself to chase away the silence. The shelves were wide and deep along one wall, sturdy enough to hold the weight of filled canning jars to last throughout the year. She had to go back up to refill the water bucket several times, but, little by little, she saw progress.

Once she finished all the shelves and carried the trash up to the street, she went back into the cellar determined to clean the floor. She might never use the place again, she didn’t have that much to store and the thought of canning fruits and vegetables far exceeded her culinary skills, but at least she could lock the door and know it was done.

With a scrub brush in hand and a fresh pail of Lysol water, she attacked the floor with a mixture of annoyance and enthusiasm. The knees of her jeans were wet and muddy, so she worked backward, cleaning as far in front of her as she could reach, then scooting back, grateful that at least there was a visible difference between what she’d done and what she hadn’t.

As she rocked back on her heels to give her back some relief, Dani felt the boards move beneath her. Shifting her weight, she felt them move again. Curious, she turned around and pressed down on the board with the palms of her hands, surprised to see the boards come up on the other end. There was a whole section of floor in the corner that wasn’t fastened down.

Unwilling to leave a job half done, she scurried up the stairs again for a tool box from the garage and a flashlight to help the dim bulb with illumination. When she returned, she set to work, using the biggest screwdriver she had to pry up the first board, hoping to locate the joist so she’d know exactly where to place the new nails. Buoyed by the fact that she’d seen few spiders or bugs all day, she flipped the board over as soon as it was loose, then fell back as a rank, decaying odor hit her in the face. Something was under the floor!

Squinting the same way she did when trying to shield herself from a scary scene in a movie, she crept back up on her knees and shone the flashlight beam down into the hole. What the hell was that?

The board was about four feet long, but only six inches across. She couldn’t make it out, but whatever it was, it was big, covered with cloth that was covered with mud. A little leery, she pulled up on the next board, which came right off in her hands. She still couldn’t quite identify the stench, but she knew what the cloth was - it was a sleeve, and that was a hand coming out of it!

It took a minute to realize the screaming she heard was her own voice!

In her haste to get out of the cellar, she slipped and fell three times going up the stairs. When she reached daylight, she had to stop for a moment and get her bearings. Rubbing a trembling hand over her eyes, she ran to the back door and grabbed up the phone in the kitchen.

The message on his answering machine reminded her that Noah was out of town. Damn him! He wouldn’t be much help from Atlanta. Still shaking, she dialed 911 and tried to keep her voice from quivering as she explained the situation to the operator. That done, she grabbed her purse and sank down on the couch and dialed Noah’s cell phone number.

“Russell,” he barked into the phone.

“Noah,” even to her, it sounded like a wail.

“What’s wrong?” the bark turned tender.

“Noah, there’s a dead body in my cellar!”

“What?” he thundered. “Dani where are you?”

“I was cleaning the cellar and the floor was…”

“Are you still in the house? Have you called the police?” he sounded frantic.

“Yes, I’m still here and they’re on their way,” she said, taking slow, deliberate breaths.

“Jesus H. Christ!”

A wave of reality washed over her as she closed her eyes, hearing the frustration in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” his voice took on a more controlled tone. “Tell me what happened.”

“I was cleaning the cellar and some of the floor boards were loose,” she said, wishing she could see him while she told him. “I was just going to nail them…”

“You couldn’t have waited until I was there?” he interrupted, volume increasing with every syllable.

“Noah!” she yelled back at him. She didn’t call him to do this. “Why can’t I clean my own damn cellar?”

Dani walked a fine line between enjoying the feeling of being protected by him and being annoyed that he acted like she was helpless. Bandit followed her to the door as she heard sirens coming closer.

“They’re here, I’ll talk to you later,” she peeked out the curtains.

“No! Hold on,” he said. “I want to talk to them.”

“Just a minute,” she carried the phone out on the porch as the first squad car drove in and parked behind her car. Was she imagining it, or had the sunlight ducked behind an ominous bank of clouds? Was she seeing everything through a dingy, brown filter of death?

“Ms. Jones?” the officer asked as he approached. Tall and stern, he reminded her of a State Trooper she’d once tried unsuccessfully to talk out of a speeding ticket.

She nodded. “Noah Russell wants to talk to you,” she handed the phone to him.

“Russell?” he spoke into the phone as Dani rubbed her arms to fight the chill that came from inside. “Yeah, I just got here……………okay ……… …okay………no,” he looked up at her. “Roger that,” he handed the phone back to her.

“What?” she asked into the phone, wishing like hell Noah was here.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. You know where the key to my house is. Why don’t you wait for me there?”

“They’re not running me out of my house,” she said, aware that the officer was waiting. “Noah, I’ll talk to you later.”

After answering a few basic questions for Officer Wylie, she led him through the back door and out to the door of the cellar. He motioned for another officer to join him from the driveway and soberly instructed her to wait as they proceeded down the stairs. As if she could be coerced to go back in there.

“They’re in there,” she pointed to the cellar door as yet another officer rounded the corner of the house. Bet they didn’t have this kind of fun every day.