Something shady, p.30
Something Shady, page 30
part #2 of Stoner McTavish Mystery Series
“The thing that frustrates me,” Stoner said, “is nails and screws. Every time I have to replace a screw, it’s a size I don’t have. What this country needs is a good, all-purpose screw.”
Ione smiled. “Babe, you might not have noticed, but that bunch in Washington has been giving this country a good screw for the last six years.”
Stoner dropped her spoon in the mayonnaise.
“Look me up when you get out,” Ione went on. “My husband says I’m an all-purpose screw.”
“You know what that makes him, don’t you?”
“What?”
“An all-purpose screwdriver.”
Ione slapped her shoulder and hooted. “I swear, you’re a breath of spring.”
“Never. Spring has forsaken Shady Acres.”
“Well, it’s a strange place, all right. I still can’t get over how cold your room was last night.”
Stoner toyed with her sandwich and wished Ione hadn’t brought that up.
“And that’s not the only funny thing,” Ione said. “When I was sneaking into your room, I could have sworn there was someone on the stairway behind the fire doors. Only a shadow, but it sure looked like a man. Or a woman.”
Stoner felt her pulse quicken. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m probably mistaken. The light was dim. But there shouldn’t have been any light at all. Nobody goes there. The doors are locked. Do you think I imagined it?”
“I doubt it.” She tried to control her excitement. “Is that all you saw?”
“That’s all. It was probably just my fancy. I’d been sound asleep, and you started screaming your head off. Well, it was right startling.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Stoner said. “I have nightmares.”
“Lordy, don’t we all? Dr. Tunes says I have to start accepting my life, instead of always wanting something.”
“She would.”
“But even Robert E. Lee was always wanting something. He said that once, ‘I’m always wanting something.’ If it was all right for Robert E. Lee, it ought to be all right for me.”
“What do you want, Ione?”
“I used to want to be a country singer. With a white fringed skirt and shiny white boots and my name spelled out in sequins on my guitar. But I wouldn’t call myself Ione. I’d call myself Patsy or Lureen or Suellen. Roseann Tinklepaugh played the flute. She was double-jointed. Her thumbs bent backward. So did her elbows. Maybe her knees did too. Maybe if you shot her up in the air, you wouldn’t be quite sure which way she’d landed.”
She saw something beyond the fire doors. It might have been Claire, but what would she be doing out there?
“What’s beyond the fire doors?” she heard herself ask.
“Nothing. Just the stairs.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, I’ve never been there. I gave it some thought when I first got here. I was feeling kind of bored and desperate, I guess. But those doors are locked, and I’m too old to go climbing out on the fire escape.”
Stoner looked at her. “Could you get out on the fire escape?”
“Sure. It’s right beside my window. You can almost touch it if you lean out. But it’s coated with ice most of the time, and, anyway, I’d probably get caught, and I’m not all that fond of thorazine.”
“But there was someone on the stairs last night.”
“I can’t be sure. Why so interested?”
“Well,” Stoner said reluctantly, “there might be something going on. I really can’t talk about it until I’m sure…”
“A scandal? Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“Not particularly. Look, Ione, can you forget about this conversation?”
“Probably not. But I won’t mention it.”
“Especially not to Millicent Tunes.”
“All right.”
“If she were to suspect... Well, it’s just better not to talk about it.”
“I won’t.”
The old men creaked to their feet and shuffled away toward the garbage cans.
“I hope,” Stoner said. “Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee don’t talk.”
“If they do, no one’s ever heard them.”
Stoner punctured the jello salad, with little apparent impact. “You see, I think I’m onto something here, but it wouldn’t be fair to you if I said too much.”
“I understand,” Ione said.
“So you shouldn’t ask questions.”
“No questions.”
“It’s nothing personal.”
“I won’t take it personally.”
Stoner felt strangely let down. She spread her daub of transparent mayonnaise around the rim of her plate. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Sure, but you told me not to ask questions.”
“You see,” she said insistently, “things aren’t what they seem around here.”
“I see.”
Her let down feeling deepened into hurt. “Darn it, Ione, I could be in danger. Don’t you care?”
Ione looked at her. “If I didn’t care, 1 wouldn’t have crept down the hall last night to comfort you, would I?”
Embarrassed, Stoner glanced away.
“But,” Ione went on, “you told me not to ask questions.”
“You didn’t have to do what 1 said.”
“Do you want me to ask questions?”
She knew she was blushing. “I do and I don’t.”
“Well, when you make up your mind one way or another…”
“I’m not really here as a patient,” she said. “I’m under cover.”
Ione laughed. “Sure. That’s what they all say.”
“I’m serious. I’m working for Claire’s sister. She thinks the people here have done something to Claire, and 1 want to find out what and why.”
“No kidding?”
“I can’t tell you more than that. A lot of people are involved, but I’m not sure who.”
“Son of a gun,” Ione said. “I knew there was something fishy about this place.” She took Stoner’s hand and gave it a little shake. “Look, Babe, I don’t mean to tell you your business, or to criticize, but I don’t think you should talk about this so freely.”
“I’m not talk…”
“You practically begged me to pry it out of you.”
“Did l? 1 guess I did. Oh, God, my judgment’s slipping.”
“I don’t know why I did that. It isn’t like me.”
“Then you’d better be careful not to take any more of their drugs. It strikes you funny.”
“I didn’t take any this time.”
“Thorazine isn’t aspirin. It has a half-life of about two days.”
They were the last ones in the dining room. Hank watched them impatiently.
“I think we’d better go,” Ione said. “But not together. Give me a five-count lead.”
Stoner watched her walk away. Two days? And tomorrow night it’s fondue and firelight with Millicent Tunes.
If 1 know old Millicent, it won’t be just firelight and fondue, it’ll be drinks before, wine with... and before 1 know it I’ll be spilling my guts.
She tried to shrug it off. What the heck? 1 always do my best work with a deadline.
***
“Did you make the map?” she asked, pretending to study the bookshelves.
“Look in Jamaica Inn,” Jerry mumbled out of the side of his mouth.
She took the book down and extracted the map. Or maps. There were three of them, one for each floor, with an insert of the cellar and notations of compass points and scale. Each room was intricately drawn, neatly labelled by occupant and/or function, and showed the location of each piece of furniture. If Jerry’s conscience had allowed him to search through closets and drawers, he undoubtedly would have listed their contents as well.
Now that’s what I call grounded. Solid. Precise. Of the earth.
They had a calming effect.
“These are beautiful,” she said. “How did you do it so fast?”
“Fast? It took me last night and all afternoon. I had to check some of those rooms two and three times.”
“Why did you have to check them?”
“To see if I got it right, for Pete’s sake.”
She looked toward the solarium windows. The light was sharply angled, and smeared by fog. “What time is it?”
“4:03.”
She had lost more hours. Sitting in her room, staring at nothing, immobilized.
I have to get out of here before I turn to stone.
She gathered up the scattered threads of sanity and turned her attention to the maps. “What about the staff quarters?”
“They’re on page one, where they should be. Do you think I’d put them on the roof?”
She looked them over, paying special attention to Gladys Grenier’s room. But it was only a floor plan, no different from the others except that, beneath the woman’s name, Jerry had written “slob.”
Stoner tapped it with her finger. “Editorializing?”
“I couldn’t help it. She makes me so mad.”
“You know, Jerry, when we finally solve this thing, it’ll be the biggest disappointment of my life if she isn’t involved.”
“Fat chance.”
She looked back at the map. “No empty rooms?”
“Just Claire’s.”
“What about the fire stairs?”
“Can’t you read?” He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. “It says, ‘Uncharted Territory’.”
“I wish you had a key to those doors.”
“Well, I don’t. Are we going to get on with this, or what?”
“Give me a minute to think.“
“You always want time to think. Do you have mud in your head or something?”
She tightened her grip on her temper. “I’m sorry, Jerry. I don’t feel well.”
“Again?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Gee,” he said, “is it that time of month or something?”
“I’m drugged, remember?”
He peered at her. “Yeah, you look kind of stupid.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey,” he grinned, “it’s a great cover.”
“It would be, if it were only a cover.” She folded the maps. “I need to show these to Lily before…”
His hands twitched. “Why Lily, for crying out loud?”
“Because she knows the house. She can tell me if there are rooms you aren’t aware of.”
“You mean I spent all that time making these so you could find out if there’s something missing? Why didn’t you have her do it?”
“Because,” she snapped, “I knew it would keep you from going off half-cocked. Any other questions?”
He seemed about to have a fit. “I could have been looking for her.”
“And alerting everyone within a ten-mile radius.” She took a deep breath. “Jerry, I understand how you feel…”
“You don’t understand how I feel,” he pouted. “Nobody understands how I feel.”
“If it were Gwen we were looking for, I’d be berserk. And I wouldn’t use good judgment. When you’re in love…”
“Who said I was in love?”
“Nobody had to say it, Jerry. It’s obvious.”
He turned the color of a flamingo. “Well, so what?”
“So I think it’s very nice.”
“It isn’t nice,” he said miserably. “Everyone’ll laugh at me.”
She touched his arm. “I dare them to try.”
“Well...” He shuffled his feet. “Well... well, when are we going to get her out of here?”
“Soon.”
“When’s ‘soon?’ Next Christmas?”
“Soon.” She shook her head. “Jerry, this is hard enough…”
“You haven’t done a thing all day,” he groused, “except sit around talking to some girl.”
“That girl was my FBI contact.”
“Oh,” he said sheepishly. “Girls do all kinds of things these days, don’t they?”
“You’re getting the picture.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“No, Marylou’s peculiar, but she isn’t queer.”
“Can I meet your girlfriend?”
“I hope so. Did you notice anything happening today?”
“Just you loafing around like a sick dog.”
Stoner shoved the maps into her hip pocket. “Jerry, you are the rudest individual I’ve ever had for a partner.”
His eyes lit up. “I’m your partner?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Far out! What do you want me to do next?”
“If you could look for those files…”
He tossed his head. “You’re obsessed with files. It isn’t healthy.”
“I told you, we need hard evidence.”
“I’ll bet there aren’t any files.”
“There have to be,” she explained for what seemed like the thousandth time. “If the police came here looking for Claire, and someone mentioned those names, they’d have to produce files.”
“Not if the guys left.”
“Real hospitals keep files for years, in case the patients come back.”
“They don’t have much faith in their cures, do they?”
“If we don’t find the files, our only chance of proving anything is to catch them in the act. And that could be months from now.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“So,” Stoner said, “what do you say we sneak into Dr. Tunes’ office after she leaves tonight?”
He hung his head and stared at the floor.
“What’s wrong now?”
“I have to turn in the keys at three. I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted you to think I was a big shot.”
She squeezed his hand. “It’s all right. I still think you’re a big shot.”
“Naw, I’m just a big shit.”
Her heart went out to him. “You’re brave, and you’re loyal. That makes you a big shot in my eyes.”
“It makes me sound like a German Shepherd,” he said with a little smile.
“And I’ll bet you kept one eye on the doors all day, to see if anyone tried to sneak Claire out.”
“Yeah, I did. They didn’t.”
“Get much cleaning done?”
“The halls are perfect. The rooms...” He grinned and shrugged.
“I knew I could count on you.”
“Are we going to stand around forever?” He was starting to twitch again.
She could feel herself reaching a decision. “Jerry, the drugs they’re giving me make me do strange things. I lose track of time. I talk too much...”
“Who to?”
“Just Ione, and she’s safe. But I’m supposed to spend tomorrow evening with Millicent Tunes...”
“You’re not going to talk to her, are you?”
“I didn’t plan to talk to Ione. I couldn’t help myself.”
Jerry pondered the floor. “I’ll bet they’re giving you more than thorazine.”
“Do you think so?”
“Unless you’re accustomed to blabbing…”
“No, I’m not.”
“Hey, look, Chief, I don’t want to scare you, but…”
“Go ahead, scare me.”
“...has it occurred to you you might be being set up?”
Stoner nodded grimly. “It’s entered my mind.” She looked at him. “Whatever we’re going to do, I guess it’s time to do it. If you want to back out now...”
“Me?”
“...I won’t hold it against you.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“All right, for better or worse, we’re in it together.”
He squared his shoulders. “When’s it coming down?”
Stoner drew in her breath and committed them. “Tonight.”
CHAPTER 12
She looked around the O.T. room. Becky was nowhere in sight. Lily stood in her usual place behind her easel.
“I hope you don’t want me to dirty your shirt again,” Lily said under her breath... It’s a terrible waste of paint.”
She shoved the maps into Lily’s hands. “Just look at these and tell me if Jerry’s left anything out.”
“He’s very thorough,” Lily remarked... It’s a fine quality in a young person. Of course, when he reaches my age, it’ll be interpreted as a sign of derangement.” She looked at the pages from all angles. “Quite complete.”
A ripple of disappointment went through her. “There’s nothing missing?”
“Not that I can... wait.” Lily’s forehead puckered in a puzzled frown. “There used to be a little room... a storage room, right about...” She pointed to the third floor Uncharted Territory. “...there.”
“Beyond the fire doors?”
“And under the eaves, on the attic level. I played there as a child, but I haven’t thought of it in years. We used to call it the Tower.”
Of course, the Tower. Aunt Hermione’s Tarot reading. “I should have known. That’s where they’re keeping Claire.”
“Oh, I hope not. It’s very small and quite uncomfortable. An adult could barely stand. And it isn’t heated.”
“She has a coat. Is there a door to the fire escape?”
Lily took a pencil from the pocket of her smock and filled in the map as she spoke... It opens into a connecting hall, here. Then the stairs begin... what they call the fire stairs. They were only the back stairs to us. Coming in from the fire escape, the Tower room would be just a few feet in, on your left.”
“The fire escape door, is it locked?”
“Probably. But, as I recall, the lock was rusted out. It’s at that southeast corner, and takes quite a beating from the sea winds. They might have fixed it.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Better take a screwdriver instead. Stoner, what are you planning to do?”
“Climb up the fire escape and get her.”
She shook her head... It’s coated with ice, and the drop to the pavement...”
“I don’t know any other way, Lily. Do you?”
“No,” Lilly said. She fumbled with the hem of her smock. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea. Not a good idea at all.”
***
She had to pretend to eat, even though her stomach was a rock of anxiety, and her hands shook, and little black dots swam and darted in front of her eyes.
