Where's Hansel and Gretel's Gingerbread House?: A Gabby Grimm Fairy Tale Mystery #2 (12 page)

Marge sent me on three calls before lunch,
including a possible shoplifting incident at Voneger’s Bridal. They
thought they might be missing a veil with a silk taffeta headband,
although it was possible it was misplaced when they had a crowd in
from Westford Corners over the weekend.

“Speaking of weddings, when are you and the
Hunk tying the knot, Gabby?” That’s the downside of living in a
small town. Everybody seems to have an opinion on your love
life.

“Gosh, Fran, I couldn’t tell you. But if you
hear anything, let me know.” I gave her a wink to let her know I
wasn’t taking her snooping to heart. She threw her head back and
laughed.

“Well, you be sure to come see me for that
wedding gown. We have all the latest fashions right here. No need
to go traipsing off to the big city.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do.”

I grabbed a quick bite at the Watering Hole.
They were offering minestrone soup and grilled cheese for the lunch
special. Carol Findley asked me if I had seen the tree decorations
over on Willow Brook Road. I had to admit I hadn’t.

“Definitely check it out, Gabby. It’s worth
the trip.”

Sure enough, it was. Someone had plastered
the faces of the junior high and high school faculty on the heads
of Santa’s reindeer. I was still chuckling when I got back to the
office.

I checked in with Annette when I got back
home. She insisted she was doing fine, but it sounded like she was
holding something back. I applied a little pressure to shake it
loose.

“What’s wrong? You want me to call the
special agent-in-charge and complain?” I figured that would get her
in a tizzy. I was right.

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just...it’s
just... well, Kevin Frist is a real creep!”

“Because....” I waited for her to fill in the
blank.

“Did you know that he hired Joe to seduce
me?” she demanded. I noted her use of Will’s cover name and decided
not to correct her. Better she should maintain the fiction, just in
case Frist got curious and bugged her calls. I didn’t give her a
direct answer. It didn’t seem like she was looking for one. She was
just really mad.

“That really stinks,” I commiserated.

“God, this is so unfair! What am I going to
do for a job when this one ends?”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” I asked.
“Good heavens, Gerhard was just saying that he thought you could do
a lot better, given your talents as model-maker. He said there are
several architectural designers who would love to use your
services. You know, he still has a lot of contacts in the city. He
could set you up.”

“Oh, you’re just saying that to make me feel
better,” she replied.

“Actually, no. He really does think you have
a gift. Of course, Ervina thinks you should open your own cookie
company. She even mentioned something about the fact that if you
were ever interested, she could use you for the winery and the gift
store, although that’s not really your thing.”

“It could be.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I think I want a change,
Gabby. The city’s not for me, especially now that my boss is such a
creep.”

“Well, you just say the word and we’ll help
you any way we can.”

“Oh,” I heard her sigh. “Who am I kidding? I
still have the condo. What would I do with that?”

“You could rent it out,” I suggested.

“And where am I going to find a decent place
to live up there, let alone make enough money to support
myself?”

“Well, funny you should mention that, because
Ervina was just saying the other day that bookings at the bed and
breakfast on her farm are down. I’m sure she’d let you rent a suite
for as long as you want it. It’s not like she runs the place for a
profit. She just enjoys sharing the whole farm experience with
folks. And if you did decide to go into the cookie business, that
place has a real baker’s kitchen.”

“Cookies? I don’t know, Gabby. That’s a lot
of work. I doubt I’d make any money at it.”

“You’re probably right,” I said smoothly,
letting the seed dig itself into the fertile ground. Let Annette
talk herself into moving to Latimer Falls. I wouldn’t push her one
way or another. I would let her make up her own mind. I knew how
much she enjoyed her visits to the farm, even when she was fleeing
from embarrassing debacles in public elevators. “Listen, I’ll be
coming up on Friday with the car and your suitcase. Maybe we could
do something fun. Take in a movie or go out to dinner. What do you
say?”

“That sounds good. What time are you planning
to come?” she wanted to know.

“I’d like to avoid that rush hour traffic.
The sheriff approved my request for a vacation day, so I thought
I’d head out early. I’ll probably get there by three. If you’re
working, I can drop the car off in your garage and go explore the
city.”

“Why don’t you come by Frist and Company?
I’ll give you my key.”

That was the plan. Funny how things don’t
work out the way they should.

On Thursday, I got in touch with Will in the
FBI field office, to make sure I was up to speed. We went back and
forth on some of the developments. He didn’t expect any problems
over the weekend, especially if Nettie and I were out having a good
time.

“Call me when you get there, just in
case.”

“Will do,” I promised.

When Friday rolled around, I threw my
overnight bag and purse in the Toyota Corolla. My bruises and
contusions had begun to fade, from deep purple to mauve to a
Christmas-y green, so I settled my tushie in the driver’s seat for
the ride back to Manhattan. The clouds were heavy with moisture and
I held my breath, hoping we wouldn’t get snow until I was a lot
closer to the city. I really didn’t relish six hours of
knuckle-biting driving.

By two, I was sitting in bumper-to-bumper
traffic, listening to New York radio stations as I waited to cross
the bridge. By two-thirty, I was pulling into the parking garage
for the building where Frist and Company had their office. Before I
went in, I gave Will a quick call, to see if he had any
instructions for me.

“Things seem fairly copacetic, Gabby. Just
keep an eye out. And feel free to share your impressions of the
place.”

“I’ll be happy to do that, Will. You call me
if you need anything. I’m here for the weekend.”

“Good to know.”

I made my way up the elevator and out into
the foyer of Frist and Company. A twelve-year-old receptionist with
spiky blond hair sat at the desk, looking bored. She was texting on
her cell phone.

“Hi, I’m here to see Annette,” I announced
cheerfully. She never bothered to look up.

“Not here.”

“She’s expecting me,” I smiled.

“Went out for a meeting. You can wait.”

“Did she say when she would be back?”

“No.”

“I’m her cousin, Gabriella Grimm. Did she
leave something for me?”

“No.” Those black-rimmed eyes looked at me
with resentment. I was interrupting her electronic word chat.

“Where is this meeting?” I asked, suddenly
apprehensive. Annette knew when I would be arriving. She also knew
that she would be giving me her condo key. This wasn’t like the
overly efficient woman I knew.

“At 1423. She and the boss are inspecting the
place.”

My heart dropped to my feet. Nettie never
said a word about any meeting, and certainly Will didn’t seem to be
expecting this when I spoke to him earlier. I dialed Annette’s
phone. My unease grew as the call went to voicemail. She always
left her phone on.

“Can you please point me to the ladies room?”
I smiled as pleasantly as I could, even as I fingered my cell phone
in my trouser pocket. “I just had a long drive.”

“Down the hall and on your left.”

“Thanks,” I called over my shoulder. Pushing
on the door, I went in. No other feet under the stall doors. I made
sure before I dialed Will’s number.

“Did you know Annette was inspecting 1423
today?”

“What?” he demanded. I repeated the question.
“Oh, geez!”

Chapter Thirteen --

“’Oh, geez?’ That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not. I’ve got to get over there. I’ll
call you.”

“Hey!” It was too late. Will had hung up.
Well, the hell with this, I thought to myself. I asked the
receptionist for a brochure for 1423, telling her I was interested
in Phase Two. She reluctantly went to a display counter and pulled
one out of a drawer, offering it to me like I was a contagious
leper.

“Anything else?” Again with the attitude. I
decided she must be someone’s kid, maybe even Kevin Frist’s.

“No, thanks. You’ve been so helpful.
Toodle-loo,” I tossed over my shoulder as I pushed the button for
the elevator.

“Whatever.”

Even as I left the building, I was punching
the addresses into my Smartphone for directions. At every
intersection, whenever the traffic slowed to a halt, I did my best
to memorize the map of 1423. Where were the entrances to the
complex? Where was the Phase One building? Where should I park?
Worry raced through my head like a rat in a lab maze trying to find
the all-important cheese. My fears flamed up as I became consumed
with the image of Annette alone at the new condos with her boss. I
tried to calm myself. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I was just
overreacting. She’s probably fine. Then again, maybe Annette was in
real danger. At least Will was already on his way. If anyone could
mobilize an emergency response, it was he. I could count on him,
couldn’t I? I tried hard to shove those doubts out of my head as I
closed in on my destination. I was almost there. I was so close.
Another few turns and it would be over. I would know Annette’s
fate, one way or another.

I expected the parking lot to be filled with
cars, trucks, and heavy equipment when I arrived at 1423. I
expected the sound of hammers and power tools throughout the
complex. I expected to see workmen coming and going as they moved
materials in or rubble out. Instead, there was an almost eerie
calm. The deserted development was devoid of any signs that it was
an active building site. This was Friday afternoon. Where was
everyone? Had that teenage receptionist got her information wrong?
Was Annette already back at the office? I tried her cell phone
again. She was still not answering. I checked the map again. I was
close to the Phase One building. Pulling the Toyota into a slot, I
parked. Once the engine was off, I unlocked the glove compartment
and pulled out my Glock. Lock and load time. No one was going to
get the jump on me. Where the hell was Will? Shouldn’t he have been
here by now? At the very least, he should have sent someone to make
sure Annette was okay.

As I got out of the car and headed towards
the building in the center of the complex, I couldn’t shake the
feeling that something was very wrong. What was it giving me the
heebie jeebies? It wasn’t just the long, uninterrupted silence. It
was the feeling that I wasn’t alone. There was someone else here,
someone dangerous. A watcher. I went back over my thoughts again,
sifting through. No other cars on a Friday afternoon. What time was
quitting time? We were coming up on four. It was possible they left
early. But where was Nettie? I had her car. How did she get here?
Did Kevin Frist give her a ride? If so, where was his car? Was
there another way into the development? I didn’t see one on the
brochure.

And then I saw it. A furtive movement on the
second floor, third window from the right. A brief glimpse of a
face and then it was gone. There it was again, this time in another
unit. I could see a man systematically working his way through the
building. What was he doing? Had he seen me? I didn’t think so,
because he was still visible, still going through the condos. Logic
suggested that if Nettie was here, she was most likely to be in one
of the first places he stopped, if she was still alive and in
danger. I headed for the door to my right, realizing as I went that
in a place like this, especially on the weekend, there should have
been a security guard. Considering the amount of construction
materials here, especially if they were using copper piping on the
plumbing, Frist and Company stood to lose a lot of money, should
they be robbed. With Phase One almost completed and the next two
phases just about ready to start, there should have been at least
one guard, if not more.

I let myself in through the side door,
pausing long enough to listen hard for sounds of activity. There
was nothing. I could have been on the moon, for all the distance I
felt between me and the next guy on the planet.

The first two condos were unlocked and
unoccupied. They appeared to be mirror images of each other. The
third was incomplete, still without a functional kitchen and baths.
The fourth was pay dirt. I needed only to step into the room and I
knew this was the place. How did I know? Annette’s perfume. It
clung to the air with a desperation borne of fear. Where was she?
The combination living and dining room was empty, as was the
kitchen. The master bedroom was empty, too. The second bedroom
didn’t have a door yet. It was here that I got the strongest
impression that Nettie was just out of reach.

“Annette?” I kept my voice low. “Are you
here?”

The thud was barely discernible. Enough to
capture my attention. Not enough to direct me. Where could she be?
I had checked every room, even the bathrooms. What hadn’t I
checked? I went back over the condo, looking for the mechanical
room. It was just off the kitchen, with a couple of hook-ups for a
laundry center. Where else could she be hidden? The master
bedroom’s walk-in closet revealed nothing. Dead end.

“Nettie? I can’t seem to find you. Can you
bang again?”

Sure enough, this time I heard the sound more
clearly. It sounded like it came from that second bedroom. I gazed
around the big, empty room.