The Mandie Collection (13 page)

Mandie was near a window on the back side of the house. Suddenly she realized she heard voices and horses in the backyard. “I believe I hear Uncle John and Uncle Ned outside,” she told Joe as she started toward the steps.

“Mandie, wait. You can't leave that cat down here,” Joe told her as he picked up his lamp.

“He'll come upstairs when he gets ready if we just leave the door to the steps open,” Mandie replied as she continued toward the stairs.

“You'd better hope he does,” Joe said as he followed her.

By the time the two reached the back hallway, Uncle John was there replacing his rifle over the door. They blew out the lights in their lamps and placed them on the table nearby.

“Uncle John,” Mandie called to him as she and Joe hurried to catch up with him. “Nobody knew where you and Uncle Ned went.”

John Shaw waited for them and said, “It was a quick errand. Every minute counted. Let's go find your mother.” He walked down the hallway toward the front of the house and the two young people followed.

He hung his hat and coat on the hall tree and they found Elizabeth and Mrs. Taft in the parlor. As he entered the room, Elizabeth took a deep breath and asked, “John, where in this world have you been? You've had us worried.”

John stepped over to the chair she was sitting in and bent to kiss her. “I'm sorry,” he said as he sat nearby. “I didn't have time to explain to anyone.”

As Mandie and Joe sat down on the small settee, Uncle Ned came into the room and joined them.

“Well?” Mrs. Taft questioned.

John Shaw quickly glanced at Mandie, and then looking back at Elizabeth, he said, “Gus Bohannon, you know Gus, he owns the feed store downtown, well, he came by in a big hurry and caught me and Uncle Ned in the backyard and told me that Zack and Etta Hughes had been to see Jeff Singer early this morning and were trying to get Jeff to buy Amanda's father's property over there in Swain County—”

Mandie quickly interrupted, “They can't do that, can they?”

“No, they can't, Amanda. As long as this has not been settled in court, no one can sell the property,” John replied, and then turning back to Elizabeth, he continued, “Gus said he knew where the Hugheses were, but he didn't know how long they'd be in town, so Uncle Ned and I went looking for them.”

“All day?” Elizabeth questioned him.

“It turned out to be a wild-goose chase,” John replied. “We went to several places where they had been, and we even went up the mountain. People had seen them earlier, but we never could catch up with them.”

“Did y'all talk with Mr. Jeff Singer? He lives out on Burningtown Road if I remember correctly,” Mrs. Taft said.

“Yes, he still lives out that way, even though he keeps buying up property here and there, and we did go out to see him,” John replied. “He didn't know the property they were trying to sell belonged to Jim until Gus had talked with him. So the Hugheses were supposed to return later to discuss the matter further, but they never did show up.”

Mandie quickly told John Shaw about her and Joe seeing Zack and Etta on the road near the Burnses' house that morning. “And he was complaining to Etta that she had left him somewhere or other too long, that he could have been caught,” she said.

John Shaw frowned as he thought about what Mandie had said. “Had they been to see Jake and Ludie? I wonder,” he replied.

“No, sir, we went back to the Burnses' house, and Grandmother went with us,” Mandie said. “She asked them if they had seen Etta and Zack, and they had not.”

“But they acted awfully strange,” Joe added.

“Strange? In what way?” John Shaw asked.

Joe shrugged and said, “Just strange.” He looked at Mandie.

“They didn't seem to want to answer anything that Grandmother asked them,” Mandie explained.

“No, they were not very cooperative,” Mrs. Taft said. “I felt as though they were wishing we'd just hurry up and go.”

John thought about that for a moment and then said, “That is strange for Ludie and Jake to be acting that way.”

Mandie looked at Uncle Ned and said, “We couldn't follow them because we had two large baskets of food Mother was sending to the Burnses. I just wish you had been with us. You would have gone after them.”

“But, Papoose, they not making trouble, why follow them?” the old Indian asked.

“They never have lived here that I know of, and I'd like to know what they were doing in Franklin since my father's will disappeared and we don't know who took it,” Mandie replied.

“Amanda, those people couldn't just walk into this house, take that will, and get back out without someone seeing them,” John Shaw reminded her.

Mandie thought of Liza telling her that her uncle's office door had stayed unlocked a whole day. She glanced at Joe who was looking at her, and he shook his head. She decided not to mention it.

“John, we certainly can't eliminate anyone from being a suspect, because the will was stolen. You said so yourself. And we don't have any idea who took it,” Mrs. Taft reminded him.

“Joe and I had just started searching the cellar when we heard you and Uncle Ned come home,” Mandie told her uncle.

“Don't forget Snowball was helping, too,” Joe said with a grin.

Mandie frowned at him.

“How much were Zack and Etta asking for the property?” Mrs. Taft wanted to know.

“They didn't mention a price. They told Jeff it could be bought cheap,” John said. He stood up. “I think I'll run down and speak to Jake Burns, find out if he has seen anything of these people.”

“Uncle John, Mr. Burns said you had told him you were coming by the mine today but that you never had shown up,” Mandie said.

“Oh, that's right. I forgot all about it,” John said.

“Aren't you hungry? You weren't here for the noon meal,” Mrs. Taft asked.

“Uncle Ned and I grabbed a bite to eat down at Gus's house about noontime,” John said. “I'll be back in time for supper, that's for sure.”

“I want to go with you, Uncle John,” Mandie said as she rose from the settee.

“No, Amanda, we may talk some business, and I'd rather you didn't go,” Uncle John said. Then turning to the old Indian, he asked, “Coming with me?”

“Yes, I come,” Uncle Ned said as he got up.

“Just be sure you two do return in time for supper,” Elizabeth said. “And don't go running off somewhere else unless you come back and let me know.”

“We won't, dear,” John promised.

When the two men left, Mrs. Taft said, “Those Hughes people will do anything, won't they?”

“Looks like it,” Elizabeth agreed.

Mandie looked at Joe and said, “Well, I suppose we might as well go back to the cellar and get to work.”

“You mean we'd better go and check on Snowball,” Joe whispered.

Mandie quickly put her finger on her lips and whispered back, “Don't you dare say anything.” She glanced at her mother and her grandmother and saw that they were not listening as they continued to talk. Loudly she said, “Mother, we're going back to work in the cellar.”

“All right, but stop in time to get cleaned up for supper,” Elizabeth told her.

“Yes, ma'am,” Mandie replied as she and Joe left the parlor.

They hurried down the hall to the cellar door. Mandie stopped and stared at it. “It's closed. I know we left it open.”

“And somebody else closed it,” Joe agreed.

“Now I don't know whether Snowball came upstairs or not,” Mandie said.

“He couldn't get in here with the door closed,” Joe told her.

“I'm going in the kitchen to see if he's in there,” Mandie said as she quickly walked in that direction. Joe followed.

When Mandie pushed open the door to the kitchen, the only one there was Liza, who was folding a stack of napkins and tablecloths piled on the long table.

“Liza, is Snowball in here?” Mandie asked from the doorway.

“Ain't seed him, Missy 'Manda,” Liza told her. “Not since we fed him at noontime. Do he be missin'?”

“I'm not sure, Liza,” Mandie said. “We left him in the cellar when we came upstairs, but we left the door open to the steps so he could come back up in the house, and now someone has closed it.”

“You left dat do' open, Missy? Don't you be aknowin' dem rats in de cellar gwine come up dem steps and git in de house?” Liza said as she stopped and put her hands on her thin hips.

“Are there really rats in the cellar, Liza?” Mandie asked.

“ 'Course deys rats in de cellar. Where else would dey be livin'?” Liza replied.

“Have you actually seen rats in the cellar?” Joe teased.

“No, and I ain't gwine down in dat cellar, neither. I keeps de do' shut so dey cain't come in de house,” Liza said with a big shiver.

Mandie looked at the girl and said, “Liza, I was going to ask you if you want to help us search the place down there.”

“Whut fo' you go in dat cellar?” Liza asked.

“We're looking for the will. Don't you remember? We've been searching all over the house for it,” Mandie said.

“Well, I ain't gwine down dere,” Liza said, turning back to folding the linens. “I got work to do.”

“So you're the one who closed the door to the cellar,” Joe said.

“Yep, and I close it agin if'n you leaves it open,” Liza said with a shrug as she looked at him.

“We won't leave it open, but if you see Snowball please let me know,” Mandie told her as she turned back into the hallway.

When Mandie and Joe got back to the cellar door, they picked up the lamps, lit the wicks, and started back down the steps into the cellar.

“Snowball ... Snowball, are you down here?” Mandie called as she descended the stairs.

Mandie and Joe stood quietly for a moment. There was not a sound in the cellar.

“He probably went upstairs before Liza closed the door,” Joe said as he went ahead to the shelves he had been searching.

Mandie slowly walked around the area at the bottom of the steps, moving her lamp to look around. “I suppose so,” she finally agreed.

She went back to continue working on the shelf she had begun. The two worked without talking, and the only sound was the click of the glass jars as they moved them about.

Mandie opened her mouth and was about to say something to Joe when suddenly a loud squeal filled the air, a sound like Snowball made if his tail accidentally got stepped on. Joe heard it, too, and looked at her.

“Snowball is in here somewhere,” Mandie said, standing still.

Joe picked up his lamp and started looking around. “It sounded like it came from the corner over that way,” he said as Mandie brought her lamp and followed him.

Mandie was still shaken up from hearing the noise, and she tried to steady her voice as she called out, “Snowball, where are you?”

“Snowball,” Joe called.

They listened and in a moment they heard a loud meow, then a series of meowing sounds. Joe led the way as they tried to locate the sound. They held their lamps high to light the place.

“Snowball!” Mandie called again.

This time Snowball seemed to meow right above their heads. Both of them looked up at once. A piece of white fur was visible between the boards in the ceiling.

“He's up there,” Mandie exclaimed, trying to see overhead.

Joe held his lamp up to light the place and then he said, “Evidently he climbed up there and got stuck. If I can find something to stand on, I'll see if I can get him down.”

Together they searched the place but couldn't find a thing for Joe to step up on.

“We've got to have something somewhere,” Mandie said impatiently.

“I know,” Joe said. “Abraham keeps a ladder in the barn, doesn't he? I'll go get it.” He started for the steps.

“I'll come with you,” Mandie said, quickly following.

Joe looked back and grinned at her. At the top of the steps he set his lamp down and said, “You just stay right here by the door to see that he doesn't get out somehow, and I'll be right back with the ladder.”

“Well, all right,” Mandie reluctantly agreed.

As soon as Joe was out of sight, Mandie quickly pulled the door shut and stood in the hallway waiting.

Liza came down the hallway with her arms full of the linens she had been folding. She stopped when she saw Mandie.

“You jes' standin' dere waitin' fo' sumptin'?” she asked.

“I'm waiting for Joe to come back with the ladder. Snowball is stuck in the boards overhead down there in the cellar,” Mandie explained.

“How he done git in de boards?” Liza asked.

“I have no idea, Liza, but he sure is up there now, meowing like he'd gone wild,” Mandie said.

Joe came back with the ladder, and Mandie opened the cellar door for him. Liza stood there watching.

As Joe went down the steps, Mandie looked back at Liza and said, “Now don't you go closing this door while we're down here, you hear?”

Liza didn't reply, but stood there holding the linens.

Mandie held her lamp up for Joe to see as he positioned the ladder under the place where the cat was stuck.

“Don't get too close with that lamp, just in case I drop Snowball or tilt the ladder or something,” Joe warned her as he began climbing up.

Mandie stepped back and watched. Joe tried to pull Snowball out, but all he could get hold of was his tail.

“He's all the way between the boards,” Joe said as he looked down at Mandie. “I'm going to have to pull him out by his tail, so watch out.”

Before Mandie could reply, Joe had yanked the cat out by his tail.
Snowball angrily tried to swing back and scratch Joe's hand. Joe leaned down a short distance and dropped him to the floor.

“Snowball, you—” Mandie started to say as she bent over when the cat landed on the floor. She jumped back and almost dropped her lamp. “He's got a rat in his mouth!”