In the Running Page 16

  “Stay behind me,” he ordered Reenie as they began their search of the storage buildings. Jeff was nowhere to be found. Nor was anyone else.

  “The dogs sound as if they’re over between the machine shop and the apartment,” Reenie said.

  “I saw a raccoon over there a couple of days ago,” Matt said. “I’ll check it out after I take you back to the house.”

  “We’ll check it out,” she countered quietly.

  A dark pickup truck that had been speeding along the road swerved into the marina driveway and roared up to them. A furious Jeff Franklin barreled out of it.

  “I swear to God, if I ever find out who did this, I’ll wring his neck.”

  “What happened?” Matt asked him.

  “Some guy called about six o’clock and said Donna had collapsed in the parking lot of Elsie’s Restaurant. He said she’d had some kind of seizure.” He mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. “I drove there like a crazy man but when I got there nobody knew anything about it. So I took off to the hospital. I raised hell, but nobody knew anything about Donna being treated.”

  “So where is she?” Matt asked.

  “At home. She had my supper on the table and was wondering what was keeping me. I tore over here to let the dogs out.”

  Matt told him about hearing the dogs and letting them loose.

  “Reenie and I checked the storage barns. We’d better search the rest of the property.”

  When they reached the marina shop, the dogs hadn’t stopped barking. They were sniffing around the shop door and running up and down the outside staircase to the apartment. A couple of hundred yards away, Pete was standing in his doorway peering out into the night.

  “Jeff and I will search this building, Reenie,” Matt assured her. “If there’s anyone here, we’ll find him. Before they made a glorified accountant out of me, I was trained to do this. What I need you to do right now is go in there and calm Pete down.”

  She wanted to object to being relegated to a traditional woman’s role, but Pete looked so old and frail outlined against the light from inside the house that she agreed.

  About an hour later, Matt sent Jeff home to his well-deserved meal. Pete and Reenie were sitting on the couch drinking hot herbal tea when Matt arrived. Both seemed relatively calm.

  “I won’t say what this stuff looks like,” Pete said, “but it doesn’t taste bad.”

  Matt refused a cup. It would take something much stronger than herbal tea to get the metallic taste of fear out of his mouth. He reported that he and Jeff had found no sign of an intruder but didn’t mention he could tell from the dogs’ behavior that someone had been around the apartment. From the flicker of anxiety he caught in Reenie’s eyes, he figured she had reached her own conclusions. Pete, however, was more indignant than concerned.

  “What kind of person would play a trick like that on Jeff?”

  He went on a bit deploring the state of the world where so many crazies were allowed to run loose. Eventually, he ran out of steam and went to bed.

  It was almost midnight when Reenie and Matt set out at a brisk pace for the apartment.

  “Whoever made that call knew exactly what to say to make Jeff tear out of here without giving a thought to letting the dogs out of the run.” Reenie got right to the most disturbing fact.

  “I wish I knew what the caller was doing while the dogs were penned up,” Matt muttered. “Lotte was most interested in the outside stairs to the apartment. She has a keener nose than Berta. I checked inside but nothing seemed to have been disturbed. I hadn’t left any papers around, and I couldn’t see that anyone had been digging around in my computer files. I didn’t take time to check more than the obvious security measures I installed, but if the guy did get into the apartment, he can’t have been in there long.”

  “Maybe I should get out of here,” Reenie said.

  Grabbing her hand, Matt stopped dead. He jerked her around to face him.

  “Not alone,” he decided. “Once and for all, Reenie, you and I are together in this. Yes, someone was snooping around here tonight. But we can’t go off half-cocked. We have a lot of expensive equipment around here. The intruder could be a thief getting the lay of the land.”

  “What if he wasn’t?” Reenie’s face was pale and earnest. She almost looked defeated. “What if he’s someone who wants to kill me and doesn’t mind taking out you and Pete while he’s doing it?”

  “A guy I served with runs a security service. I’ll get him here tomorrow to beef up the alarm system. Up to now, we were mainly concerned with protecting the boat storage. Meanwhile, we have to go on the offensive. We need solid evidence that will put Casen away. Where are your keys to Driftwood Lodge?”

  “I left my bag in the pickup,” she said, perking up visibly.

  “Come on,” he said starting to run towards the storage barns where he’d left the truck. “While you were talking to Pete, I retrieved my handgun from the gun cabinet. Do you need anything in the apartment?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “These clothes are dark enough that no one should spot me going around to the back.”

  “You don’t have to come right to the lodge,” he said. “I’ll get in and out faster if I’m alone. We’ll find a motel somewhere between Grand Rapids and the lodge. No one will look for you there, and you can get some rest while I go and see if I can’t find that backup disk.”

  “You’re doing it again!” Now, she was really steamed. “What happened to ‘you and I are together in this.’? If it’s going to be your way or the highway, I’ll take the highway.”

  He started to open his mouth, then closed it.

  “Sorry,” he said, with a grin that wasn’t terribly contrite. “We are together on it.”

  Conversation was sparse during the long drive to the shores of Lake Michigan. Reenie described the layout of the lodge, the off-season security patrol and the exact location of the filing cabinet that she hoped contained the disk.

  “If it’s not there, I should be able to get us into Danny’s office. But I’d think Jon’s checked every inch of that already.”

  “We’re getting in and out as quickly as possible, Reenie. If the disk isn’t in the drawer, we’ll have to find another way to get the information we need.”

  One glance and she knew arguing this point would be futile.

  Following Reenie’s instructions, Matt pulled off the road about half a mile past the lodge at a closed service station and parked alongside the dozen or so vehicles that were obviously awaiting repairs. She assured him that no one would arrive to open the station until at least eight o’clock the next morning.

  As she followed Matt down the strip of lawn between the driveway and the woods, it seemed to Reenie much longer than nine days since she’d fled from here, terrified, not daring to turn on the headlights of her jaunty little Mustang. But nothing was the same. Tonight, she wasn’t alone, and scudding clouds obscured the sky only part of the time. That black night, she’d had no idea that a man like Matt even existed. Now she couldn’t stand to think what her life was going to be like without him.

  The grounds were dark. The only cottage that showed signs of being occupied was the one closest to the main lodge. Wilson was home. You couldn’t miss the dark blue sedan with its ostentatious wide chrome trim parked in the carport. The only light showing was the one over his front door. Naturally, her own cottage, right next door, was dark and heaven knew what they’d done with her Mustang.

  The only other outside lights visible were the two spotlights trained on the front entrance. The ones that illuminated the flowerbeds and foundation planting during the tourist season weren’t used this time of year. The darkness should make it easier for them to slip undetected around back to the kitchen entrance.

  She could see Matt ahead of her, moving silently and stealthily along the edge of the woods beside the long driveway. He stopped suddenly and signaled her to do the same. Maura froze in her tracks and peered past him into the d
arkness.

  She heard the sharp rasp of a cigarette lighter, then caught the acrid smell of tobacco smoke. But she could see no flash of flame. The smoker must be around the corner. Focusing on the corner, she caught sight of a dark motionless figure. Had they been spotted?

  Her heart pounding, she followed Matt’s lead and shrank back into the shadow of a scraggly pine tree. The man didn’t move or even seem to be looking in their direction. She didn’t recognize him, but she rarely saw the security people who patrolled the grounds at night.

  If the routine hadn’t changed, there should be a second man with him. Yes, a large man drawing on a glowing tipped cigarette caught up to the first. One laughed. She couldn’t hear what the men said, but they seemed to be involved in casual conversation. From what she remembered, it took the team forty minutes to make the rounds of the cottages and outbuildings and check the lakeshore and the perimeter of the property. If all went well, she and Matt should be far away by the time they came around again.

  When the voices faded into the distance, Matt began to inch forward again. The minute or so it took to reach the back door seemed interminable. He told her in a taut whisper to stay in the shelter of the trees while he darted into the open to unscrew the bulb from the solitary light over the kitchen entrance.

  She knew Matt was armed, but to see him draw the revolver from his belt and to watch him move smoothly in that defensive half-crouch that she’d only seen before in the movies made the whole situation seem unreal. Finally, the light above the door went out and he beckoned her over. She unlocked the door and let them inside the kitchen.

  The only sounds in the echoing expanse of stainless steel and tile were the whirring of the fans in the huge refrigerators and the whisper of their own cautious footsteps. The moon chose that moment to come out from behind the clouds and she could see the familiar shapes of long counters and huge stoves and refrigerators. She made her way quite easily through the unlighted kitchen to her office.

  “I’ll wait here,” Matt said, waving her into the tiny windowless room and stationing himself across the way in a deeper shadow between a refrigerator and a high counter.

  When she pulled the door closed, the latch caught with a resounding click that startled her. She thanked goodness there was no one else around to hear it. Pulling the flashlight she’d taken from the glove compartment of the pickup out of her jacket pocket, she shone it around the room. Her desk was as clear as she’d left it. Her books appeared to be in their usual order on the shelves. They were perhaps aligned more neatly than usual, but she couldn’t be sure. She took a deep breath and trained the beam on the filing cabinet. Show time.

  When she pulled out the bottom drawer, it squeaked so loudly that she was sure the security guards could hear it at the other end of the complex. She listened a moment, but heard no sound from the kitchen.

  The box of marzipan bars was still there! She picked it up and opened it. As far as she could see, all the top layer contained was individually wrapped candy bars. Perhaps the disk was between layers. She picked up a handful. Underneath were only more bars. Under that, only cardboard. Damn! Her disappointment was bitter. They’d been counting on the disk being there.

  She looked at the tidy hanging files that filled the drawer. Someone had straightened these since she’d looked through them. She riffled quickly through to see if she could have missed another envelope. The drawer was crammed with invoices but nothing else. If another manila envelope had been there ten days ago, it was long gone. Probably with the disk from the candy box.

  Suddenly, she heard the muffled thud of something heavy hitting the floor on the other side of the door. Her heart leapt to her throat. Had something happened to Matt? She doused the flashlight and, ready to use it as a club if necessary, cautiously opened the door.

  “Reenie!” The harsh whisper had to be Matt’s. “Turn your light on this guy.”

  She thumbed the switch on the flashlight and aimed the beam towards the whisper. Matt was bent over binding the ankles and wrists of an unconscious man with what looked like black electrical tape.

  “Who is it?” Matt asked.

  She peered at the big, bearded, dark-haired man. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  Matt picked up a revolver similar to the one he’d been carrying from the floor beside the bound man.

  “Put this in your bag,” he said, handing it to her.

  She’d never touched a gun before and something in her shrank from touching it now. But she took it from him. It was cold and hard and surprisingly light. It couldn’t have weighed a pound.

  Matt wound a few strands of tape around the man’s head covering his mouth. “That’ll have to do,” he said. “Did you get the disk?”

  “I think someone got here before us. It wasn’t in the box.”

  “Take the box anyway. Let’s get out of here. The security patrol should be back this way any minute.”

  He led the way silently back through the dark kitchen and across the unlighted yard to the shadows of the trees. She tried to be quiet and moved as quickly as she could. When they reached the road, Matt took her hand firmly in his and began to run.

  Reenie swam and hiked and skied when she could and had always thought of herself as being in pretty good shape, but she realized a couple of hundred yards down the road that she’d been deluding herself. Her legs felt like jelly and her lungs burned as Matt hauled her along with him. He’d been right when he’d said he’d get in and out more quickly alone.

  Luckily, they didn’t encounter anyone else on the road in their half-mile race back to the service station. Matt hoisted hr onto the seat and had the truck started and heading up the highway before she had time to fasten her seatbelt.

  “What happened back there?” she asked when she was able to breathe again.

  “I think that guy was expecting somebody. In the front part of the building somewhere. Right after that metallic squawk from the filing cabinet, I heard him moving through the lobby. I guess he saw the light moving under your office door. When he reached for the knob, I put him out.”

  “What did you hit him with?”

  “I didn’t.” Matt didn’t seem to want to talk about it but she waited him out. “I used an unarmed combat move on him,” he mumbled. “He’s probably awake and mad as hell right now.”

  She had to face it. This was not a man who was ever going to be content settling down in a cozy cottage with a cook. Pete was right. This time next year, if not before, Matt would have left the marina behind and be sailing the high seas in search of adventure.

  Neither of them was in the mood for conversation. A bit at a time, Reenie filled Matt in on what she’d observed in her office.

  “Why was that box of candy in your filing cabinet?” he mused. “Maybe what we’re looking for is not a disk. Turn on the dome light, Reenie, and take those candy bars apart.”

  She tore the wrappers off and broke each bar in half. The strong aroma of almonds and chocolate filled the car.

  “Lord, I hate that smell!” she muttered. “What’s this?”

  In the last bar of the bottom layer, imbedded in chocolate-covered marzipan, was a long, thin key.

  “Looks a bit like a safety deposit key,” Matt said.

  “It’s thicker than that. There are letters cut into this side.” Reenie frowned and held the key closer to the overhead light. “The first letter is a U.” She scrubbed at the key with a tissue. “There’s a number on the back. 2-408.”

  Matt pulled off the road. Reenie handed him the key, took the flashlight out of her pocket and aimed it at the engraved letters.

  “U Locket,” Matt proclaimed. “But there are dozens of those franchise storage companies up here. Which location does this key come from?”

  Gloom descended again. Neither of them had an answer.

  “Danny might have used the closest one to the lodge,” Reenie suggested. “There’s a U Locket a couple of miles up the highway.”

  “We’ll check
it,” Matt said, putting the pickup in gear and easing it back onto the road.

  The brightly lit storage facility was situated in a small built-up area between a donut shop and a service station. The sign on the steel gate told them to check in at the donut shop for admittance.

  Matt took the key and, telling Reenie to wait in the truck, strode into the donut shop as if he had every right to demand admittance to the lockers. Two men were seated at the counter drinking coffee and joking with a bright-eyed, blond waitress who looked to be about eighteen years old.

  “I need to get into the storage area,” Matt told the girl when she approached him.

  “Ned,” she called.

  A burly, balding man emerged from what Matt assumed must be the kitchen area.

  “The lock-up?” he asked.

  “My brother broke his leg and sent me to get some of his things,” Matt told him affably. “I hope I’ve got the right place.” He showed him the key.

  “Yep,” the big man said looking at the key. “That’s one of ours. We’re the ‘2 dash’ numbers.”

  And without any further fuss or need for identification, Ned led Matt to the gate and unlocked it for him.

  “Just snap the padlock on the gate when you’re done,” he said. “408’s at the back of the second row - on the top.”

  Matt climbed back into the pickup, drove it through the gate to the back of the second row of storage units. Sure enough, number 408 was right where Ned had told him it would be. It was a four-foot square locker that opened easily with the key they’d found. It contained a single corrugated cardboard carton.

  Matt lifted the box out of the locker and Reenie tore off the masking tape that was holding it closed. She reached inside.

  “It’s the laptop!” Reenie announced.

  Along with the computer was an accordion file stuffed with papers, a small disk box and a plastic box containing a battery charger and some patch cords.

  Matt quickly relocked the storage unit and tucked the cardboard box into the sturdy lock box in the back of the pickup. Reenie hopped out to snap the padlock on the gate to the facility. As they left, Matt tapped the horn in thanks and waved to the obliging Ned who was watching for them to leave from the doorway of the donut shop.