He threw his hands in the air. “Okay, okay. I’ll search the closet and Officer Dawlins can search the dresser.” He turned and opened the walk-in closet door. He found the light switch and began his search.
I sat down feeling vindicated to a point. I won a small battle with the Chief, but the war was still proceeding in my own home, store, and vehicle. Clark texted that Detective Berg was methodically searching each book. Clark said he was making sure Berg was careful, and they didn’t find anything in my Explorer. Of course not, there isn’t anything to find. After the books, Berg was going to check out the cellar under the store. I stifled a giggle. We never use it. It can get a little damp down there in the summers, and that’s not good for books. Occasionally, when the weather people tell us that a tornado warning is imminent, Laci, Aunt Irene, and I will go to the store and wait it out on a bench in the cellar. The house and Aunt Irene’s cottage are too close to the lake for a dry cellar, so my grandparents never dug one. I don’t think I’ve been down there in two years. I hope Berg has fun.
Carolyn looked through my things. Emptied the drawers on the bed. Looked under them and banged on the bottom looking for secret panels I’m sure. She felt around the inside and Clifford tipped it up a bit so she could look under and behind it. She repeated the process with my chest of drawers, two night stands, and jewelry armoire. The Chief tackled the guest room and bathroom. He climbed into the attic while Carolyn searched Laci’s nearly empty room.
“All clear,” Carolyn told the Chief. Looking at me, she added, “Sorry for the mess, Annie.”
I nodded figuring it was a good time to straighten out my drawers now that all the contents are strewn on my bed.
The Chief and Carolyn walked down the stairs empty-handed. “Sorry, Annie. I meant it when I said I don’t think you’re guilty, but Berg convinced the D.A. to ask for a warrant. It’s my job.”
“I know and you do it well. I just wish you would do it somewhere else.” I held the door open for them.
They hurried out; I closed the door and leaned against it. I took a deep cleansing breath and looked into the living room. I forgot Georgie was still here. She was popping pieces of Aunt Irene’s chocolate pecan brittle in her mouth. She smiled at me.
“Hey, that’s for Aunt Irene,” I said smiling back.
“Oops, she won’t notice. Want a piece before I close the bag again?”
I nodded and grabbed a big piece. Chocolate was what I needed.
“Sit down,” Georgie said. “We need to talk.”
I dropped down next to her and asked, “What’s up. I should go upstairs and clean up my room.”
She grabbed my arm. “You can do that later. I have news. When Bill came downstairs after the Chief’s dressing down, he looked as if he lost his best friend. I wanted to lift his spirits, so I asked his advice about my list.”
“The suspect list?”
“Yeah, he liked the list and all the notes I added. We made a quick copy in your office, and he said he was going to do some digging. He’s worried Berg is like a dog with a bone and will keep hounding you until he makes his case.”
I felt the room close in on me. “I need some air and I should get Yummy from Aunt Irene’s.”
“Wait, one more tidbit. Dot called before I got here. Rumor has it that the docs think Mags may have taken the poison to throw off the cops,” Georgie smiled. “If they can prove that, then she’s the killer.”
“I thought it would be Mags or maybe Douglas, but how crazy is it to poison yourself?”
“She swears she didn’t,” Georgie added.
“I wonder what really happened. We seem to have too many suspects here. At least one murder and possibly one attempted murder. We need to figure this out because Berg isn’t looking at anyone except me.” I felt my world deflating.
I walked out on the patio. Aunt Irene’s cottage was dark. I walked to the end of my pier where I do my best thinking. Georgie followed.
“Hey,” she whispered. “Mags won’t be released from the hospital until tomorrow or the next day and Douglas is staying at the bed and breakfast, right?”
“That’s what I heard. Why?”
“Look,” Georgie said. “There are lights on at Inga’s and I see at least two shadows behind the drapes. Someone is there snooping. Let’s go see who it is.”
“That won’t work. We can’t get close enough with a car. They’ll hear us, and if we park far enough away, we’ll have to find our way through the trees in the dark.”
“No problem,” Georgie said as she tugged on my arm. “We’ll take your canoe. Let’s go.”
This is not a good idea. Why am I following Georgie? Because I always follow her. I followed her that night in high school when we took a bus into the city. Georgie lost our return tickets, and we were out of cash. My dad did not appreciate the drive into the city at eleven at night even though it was only a little over an hour drive. We were supposed to be at the movies with Paul and Steve. Here I was once again following Georgie. I always follow Georgie. She is my best friend and always has been. We always get out of any trouble we get into. We’ll be okay. I hope.
“Annie,” she whispered. “Wake up and help me get this canoe in the water.”
Before I knew it, we were rowing across the lake toward Inga’s mansion.
Chapter Fifteen
Walking to the store or on my treadmill may be great exercise, but it’s not helping to strengthen my arms. I have rowed across the lake before, but this is work.
