06 Dead Men Don't Eat Cookies, page 27
No one moved. Robbie raised his more substantial hammer enough to suggest a threat. Jack’s protective arm tightened around Alicia’s shoulders as she snuggled closer to his chest.
“Do hurry, everyone,” Lenora begged. “Dawn will be here before we know it. The Chatterley collection is in these ancient walls. I can sense it.” She strode toward the door, pajama legs flapping. “If I must, I shall unearth the collection all by my—” As Lenora flung open the door, her silk scarf unwound from her neck and slithered downward. She made no attempt to fling it back over her shoulder. Instead, she stumbled back as Kurt Kurtzel stepped into the room.
Kurt was dressed all in black, minus the knit face mask he had worn when he’d forced his way into the Gingerbread House kitchen. Kurt’s confidence was understandable given the weapon in his hand—a knife with a long, thin, and undoubtedly lethal blade. Olivia was fairly certain it was a switchblade, though she’d never seen one before. How did he manage to obtain a weapon like that on such short notice? Just hours earlier, he’d had only a pocket knife.
Kurt stepped into the room, slamming the door behind him. “Don’t anyone move.” His eyes darted about as if he expected weapons to come flying toward him. “Alicia, come over here and stand next to me.”
“No,” Alicia said.
“Not a chance, kid,” Jack added. Olivia heard a quiet firmness in his voice, as if he were accustomed to dealing with hotheaded delinquents.
“You belong with me,” Kurt said.
“You stay away from my daughter,” Crystal said. “You killed her father.”
“Oh, come on, everyone,” Lenora pleaded. “Let’s please get into the spirit of our treasure hunt.”
Kurt gave Lenora a disdainful glance up and down. “What are you supposed to be?”
Lenora straightened to her full five-foot-three-inch height and planted her fists on her prominent hip bones. “I, young man, am Lenora Dove, star of stage, screen, and television commercials.”
Kurt stared at her, his dark blue eyes nearly black against his pale skin. “You’re nothing but an old has-been. Nobody will miss you.” He aimed his knife at Lenora’s throat.
Evidently, Lenora had mistaken Kurt for an actor with whom she was sharing an impromptu scene. Resting her right hand at the base of her throat, Lenora said, “I have but a little neck.”
Only Olivia heard Maddie’s faint chortle. “Lenora thinks she’s playing Ann Boleyn,” Maddie whispered. “We must save her from herself. Diversion time.”
Several chunks of plaster lay at Olivia’s feet. She scooped up two pieces and quickly tossed one. It hit the wall behind Kurt’s back. When he spun around, knife at the ready, Maddie rushed toward Lenora. Olivia threw the second hunk of plaster, hitting the wall above Kurt’s head. As he looked up, bits of plaster fell on his face. Maddie had just enough time to grab Lenora around her tiny waist and yank her out of reach. Lenora, thank goodness, was too startled to make a sound, melodramatic or otherwise.
They had rescued Lenora for the moment, but Olivia had no idea how to subdue Kurt. Robbie would be no help. He leaned against the wall near the door, his arms crossed over his thick chest, seemingly content to let the intruders exhaust themselves until only he and Crystal were left standing.
Kurt had dropped his knife but quickly scooped it up. Olivia was out of ideas, as well as handy bits of plaster. However, her petite, exercise-addicted mother took the reins. Ellie stretched her arms toward the ceiling and executed several perfect forward flips while managing to avoid the clutter dotting the floor. Her acrobatics brought her to Kurt’s side. His lower jaw went slack. Without hesitation, Ellie kicked her leg straight up and whacked Kurt’s extended arm. His knife flew from his grip and landed amid the detritus on the floor.
Kurt, however, had come prepared. He reached into the pocket of his black jeans and produced a pocket knife. His face twisted with rage as he lunged at Ellie. Olivia’s peripheral vision caught movement on her left as Jack raced past her. Jack was a full head taller than Kurt and far stronger. His upper arm muscles bunched impressively as he grabbed Kurt’s wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. Kurt cried out in pain and dropped his knife. Jack kicked the knife toward Olivia. Robbie lunged toward the knife, grabbing it before it could reach her.
“Well,” Lenora said, clasping her hands together like a delighted child, “I’m so glad that’s all settled. Now, can we all move on?”
Jack’s weather-beaten forehead furrowed in confusion. “Shouldn’t we call the police and wait here for them?”
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport.” Lenora waved her claw-like hand dismissively. “That silly boy only had a knife.”
“What if he used a knife to kill my father?” Alicia shivered. Jack held Kurt’s upper arm and searched his pockets for more weapons. He found none. Kurt yanked his arm free and ran from the room.
“There, you see?” Lenora said. “He’s merely a silly boy showing off. I’m sure the real killer is long gone, my dear. You must move on with your life. Now we really should explore more rooms. I simply know there’s a fortune in antique cookie cutters hidden throughout this old monstrosity of a building.”
“Yes, why don’t we at least take a look around?” Crystal sounded chipper, as if she were proposing a pleasurable excursion. She shot a quick glance at her husband.
“Excellent idea.” There was more than a hint of command in Robbie’s voice. “I suggest we split up. We’ll clean up in here while the rest of you wait for us in another room of your choice. However, to make sure no word of the treasure leaks out, please hand over your cell phones.”
“Keep your hands off my cell phone,” Lenora said. “That’s my private property.”
“She is correct.” Ellie, still a sixties radical at heart, pumped her fist in the air. “We know our rights!” More angry voices joined in as Ellie began to chant, “Hands off our phones!” Olivia was familiar with her mother’s tactics. Ellie was creating a diversion.
Red blotches spread across Robbie’s face. His fists tightened. Crystal touched his arm. Robbie shook off her hand. When he picked up the brick hammer he had brandished earlier, Olivia punched 911 into her cell phone. The call didn’t go through. She searched frantically but saw nothing that might serve as a weapon.
Lenora showed no interest in the battle escalating around her. Tilting her head like a curious sparrow, she peered through the hole in the wall. She reached inside with both thin arms and lifted out a piece of wood about a foot and a half long. It looked as if it might have been split lengthwise, leaving a splintery, jagged edge. Lenora shrugged and slid the wood back through the hole.
“Why aren’t you joining the riot?” Maddie whispered in Olivia’s ear. “It might be our only chance to overpower those two.”
“Keep up the good fight,” Olivia whispered back. “I might have a couple ideas.”
Maddie nodded and rejoined the chant.
Olivia turned her back and tried her cell phone again. Still no signal. She’d been able to call from the kitchen, but maybe the tree branches outside were dense enough to interfere with the signal. So much for that idea.
Robbie and Crystal were arguing with each other, so Olivia sneaked away to join Lenora at the damaged wall. “Mind if I take a look at what you found inside that wall?” Olivia asked.
Lenora shrugged. “This is just a broken board or something. There’s no treasure in there.”
Olivia peered through the hole in the wall and saw nothing but broken plaster. The piece of old wood Lenora held might make a good weapon, though. Olivia assumed she was looking at the back of room eight’s closet area. It seemed odd to find open space between the plaster wall and the back of room eight’s closet, but she knew nothing about construction.
Lenora’s thin, penciled eyebrows pinched together as she studied a darkened area along the broken edge of the wood. She shrugged, and said, “I hoped to find a secret message carved into this board, but this is probably just an old water stain.”
“May I see that board for a moment?” Olivia asked.
Lenora released an Oscar-worthy sigh as she handed the wood to Olivia. “In a movie, everything is important. Life simply cannot compete with the theater.”
While Robbie and Crystal argued, Olivia quickly examined the wood. As a weapon, it might be awkward. Robbie’s hammer would easily smash it. The stain looked old, so Lenora was probably right. Only in fiction were puzzling details important.
Despite Ellie’s efforts, the protest had begun to wind down. Olivia slid the board back through the hole in the wall. As she turned around, she saw Crystal watching her.
Robbie opened the door to the hallway. “The fun is over,” he said. “Time to leave.”
“Hah!” Lenora said. “You want all the treasure for yourself.”
“There is no treasure.” When no one budged, Robbie’s jaw worked as if he were grinding his teeth.
Ellie stared him down. “I own this building,” she said. “You are the ones who must leave.”
“You want to bet on that?” The brick hammer was still in Robbie’s hand. He lifted it. “Get out of this room, all of you,” Robbie yelled. “I don’t care where you go, but don’t let me see you again. Search the other rooms, tear the building down, I don’t care. Just leave.”
Drained of her adrenaline-fired energy, Olivia felt confused. Something seemed off to her. Robbie wanted them gone from the room, that was clear. However, why wasn’t he chasing them out of the building? What was he trying to accomplish?
“Well,” Lenora said, “I, for one, intend to search other rooms before the night is over. There’s nothing in here.” She sashayed toward the door as if adoring fans were watching her. Jack and Alicia followed.
Olivia frowned at the damaged wall. Why had Robbie smashed a hole in it? The narrow enclosure had looked empty except for the stained board, which was probably accidentally walled inside during construction. Unless . . . Olivia glanced toward Robbie and saw him check his own cell phone. He smiled and slid the phone back into his pocket. She guessed he might be relieved to find no signal. Was he hoping to disappear?
Ellie had plunked down cross-legged on the floor. With his free arm, Robbie grabbed her around the waist and carried her out the door.
Maddie sidled up to Olivia. “What just happened here?” she asked quietly. “Robbie gave up on confiscating our cell phones too easily.”
“Just what I was thinking. Come on. We won’t have much time before they realize we stayed behind.” Olivia hurried over to the hole in the wall and pointed to the board. The narrow wall cavity was backed with strips of plywood. Why was there a cavity in the first place? Calliope might know, but that would have to wait. “We must be looking at the back of Horace Chatterley’s closet.”
Before Olivia could stop her, Maddie lifted the broken board out of the enclosure. “What’s this?” she asked in a whisper.
Crystal poked her head into the room. “What are you two still doing in here?” She blanched when she saw the board in Maddie’s hand. “Where did you get that? It shouldn’t be—”
“What’s going on in here?” Robbie pushed past Crystal and closed the door behind them.
“Robbie?” Red splotches appeared on Crystal’s ashen face. “Robbie, you promised you’d gotten rid of—”
“Be quiet!” Robbie grabbed Crystal’s frail upper arm and shook her.
Crystal struggled fiercely and broke his grip. “You promised. You said you’d protect me, that you would fix everything so I’d never be blamed. You said you’d take care of everything so . . . so we could be together.”
“Stop talking, Crystal.” Robbie spoke in a low, firm voice, as if he were hushing an excitable child. “You need to trust me.” Crystal quieted down, though fear and confusion showed in her eyes.
Olivia’s mind raced as she tried to understand what was happening . . . and what to do.
“I’ll take that,” Robbie said, reaching toward the board.
“Sure.” Maddie handed the board to him. “I was just curious to see the other side of Horace Chatterley’s closet.” Her cheeks flushed as Robbie studied her face.
The snake tattoos on Robbie’s arm slithered as his muscles tightened. “This is just some junk that got left behind when this place was built. No builder is perfect,” he said with a faint smile. He turned the board in his hands until he saw the stain.
“Robbie?”
“It’s too late, Crystal,” he said. “They know. Leave the room. I’ll take care of things. I always do.”
“Robbie, no, please.” Crystal touched his arm with her fingertips. “Can’t we just disappear?”
“And leave my construction company? Don’t be stupid. What would we live on? Trust me, Crystal. Haven’t I always taken care of you?” Robbie headed toward the door of the room. On the way, he scooped up his hammer. A shiver of dread coursed through Olivia’s body as she watched Robbie take several long nails from his pocket. He nailed one end of the stained board to the door jamb and the other end to the door. He had nailed the four of them into the room together. But why? Did he intend to kill Maddie and her and then disappear with Crystal?
Olivia suspected Robbie had blocked the door behind the others as well. Eventually, they would break out, but it might be too late.
Crystal’s words echoed through Olivia’s mind. One phrase, in particular . . . something about Robbie promising to make sure Crystal wasn’t blamed . . . for Kenny’s death? “That board . . .” Olivia pointed toward the blocked door. “Is that what killed Kenny? Is that the stain from Kenny’s blood?” She watched Crystal’s face blanch.
“Don’t say anything, Crystal,” Robbie said.
“Kenny must have done something unforgivable,” Olivia said. “He wasn’t careful with money, was he?” Her sympathy felt strained, but it seemed to work. Crystal nodded as tears filled her eyes.
“Those stupid schemes of his . . .” Crystal’s delicate features twisted with resentment. “He was always on the verge of getting rich from some scheme or other, but he always lost money . . . money that I earned.”
“It would sure make me furious if Lucas did that to me,” Maddie said.
“I was furious, all right.” Crystal’s fingers curled tightly. “What’s worse, he was turning our daughter into a dreamer like him. Alicia loved him more than she ever loved me, even though I was the one trying to feed and clothe her.” Crystal swiped at a tear with her fist. “I despise cookie cutters. I wish that wretched Chatterley collection never existed.”
While Crystal vented, Olivia surreptitiously watched Robbie. His silence puzzled her. The hint of a smile softened his features as he listened to Crystal vilify her dead husband. Perhaps it stoked his ego to hear her lambaste his predecessor. Did he believe Kenny’s murder was justified? Is that why he’d gone to such lengths to protect her?
“Did Kenny really think he could track down the Chatterley collection?” Maddie sounded genuinely aghast at the thought.
“Oh yeah,” Crystal sneered. “That was Kenny all over. You know what really made me mad?”
Maddie shook her head, wide-eyed.
“Kenny told me he’d already found the Chatterley collection.” Crystal tossed up her hands in angry despair. “He wanted me to come here with him and see for myself,” Crystal said. “His plan was for us to dig those beat-up old things out of the wall at night, and then we’d find a way to sell them to rich collectors. It didn’t occur to him that we’d be seen . . . or that we’d have to leave Alicia alone at night. She was still a kid!”
Maddie nodded in sympathy. Robbie, Olivia noticed, had begun to look impatient.
“I was at the end of my rope with Kenny,” Crystal said, “but he wouldn’t drop it. He’d gone to the boarding house to sleep off a drunken bender, as usual. He woke up in the middle of the night when he heard noises, probably mice. There was a hole in the wall, covered with plywood. It was attached with some sort of old, disintegrating adhesive. Kenny took it down so it wouldn’t fall and wake him up. He was using a flashlight, which shone on the cookie cutters inside the wall. Then he found bones.”
“Crystal—”
“I need to tell them, Robbie. They have to understand.” Crystal turned back to Maddie. “I didn’t believe Kenny, but he wouldn’t back down. He said he’d found the Chatterley cookie cutter collection, that we’d be rich. He’d brought one home. I told him I was leaving him for good. I’d had enough of his schemes. Kenny begged me to stay. He came back here to collect more of the cutters to prove he was telling the truth.” Crystal took a shaky breath. “After Kenny left, I looked over the cutter he’d brought home. It was tarnished and dented. I figured it was just some junk he found at a flea market. I was so mad, I followed him back to the boarding house.” Crystal shivered and hugged herself. “I found him collecting a bunch of old, dirty cookie cutters. Then I saw the pile of bones in that closet. It creeped me out seeing Kenny pawing through dust for cookie cutters while that skeleton lay there watching him.”
“It’s getting late, Crystal,” Robbie said. “I need to find a safe place for you. I’ll come and get you when . . . when everything blows over.” There was a chill in Robbie’s quiet, rational voice. Olivia shivered.
“Just let me finish explaining, Robbie.” Crystal ran her fingers through her tousled hair. Olivia noticed dark roots had begun to show. “I want them to understand why I . . .” She turned again to Maddie. “I didn’t mean to hit Kenny so hard. He just . . . He could be so stubborn, especially when he was caught up in one of his crazy get-rich-quick fantasies. I needed to get away from him and make sure he never came back.”
Olivia glanced sideways at Robbie, expecting him to silence Crystal. He stared at the floor, expressionless.
Crystal grabbed Maddie’s hands. “You understand, don’t you? I couldn’t take it anymore. Kenny destroyed all my chances at life. He refused to be a responsible husband and father, even though Alicia adored him. I was so angry, I . . .” Crystal broke into sobs and threw herself into Maddie’s arms.
