Cozy Mysteries Women Sleuths Series: Box Set III: Books 9-12 Page 4

  Loretta was a morning person, but not that early of a morning person. She usually made an appearance around 7:30 or 8:00. Lacy was the night owl and the one who could easily sleep the day away.

  It was a relief the young girl was taking her chores seriously. Still, there was a nagging in the back of Loretta’s mind that Hannah had a secret.

  She picked up her salad fork and stabbed a tomato wedge. “I’ll run over there to check on her after we eat.”

  The two discussed the trailer park expansion and the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, which was right around the corner.

  The town of Misery held a small ceremony in the park in honor of the veterans and others. The 4th of July holiday was when the town closed Main Street and went all out with a parade, games, contests and to end it all, fireworks.

  This would be Loretta’s second 4th of July in Misery and she was looking forward to the festivities, but that was a long way off.

  “What do you think about having a Memorial Day party for the residents of Breezy Point? We can grill out by the clubhouse with hotdogs, hamburgers, have chips and soda pop.”

  Uncle Ichabod chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. “That’s an idea. You sure you want to take on such a large project?”

  “Yeah. I think I do.” Loretta hopped out of her chair and darted over to the small desk in the corner. She grabbed a pad of paper and pen, and plopped back down in her seat. “Bingo, shuffleboard, invitations sent out,” she said. “I like the idea a lot. Maybe I can get Lacy…err…Savannah to help out!”

  She jotted down a few more notes, tore the sheet off the notepad and stepped over to the bulletin board on the wall. Loretta grabbed a pushpin and hung the note front and center on the board. “This is so exciting,” she rubbed her hands together. “I haven’t planned a party in years!”

  Uncle Ichabod started to warm to the idea and the two of them tossed out several ideas as they ate. After they finished, Uncle Ichabod cleared the table while Loretta rinsed their drink glasses and set them in the dishwasher. She gazed out the window at the teepees. “I’m going to run over and check on Hannah.”

  The day was already hot and humid, and Loretta was glad she’d dressed in a sleeveless shirt and summer shorts.

  She stepped out onto the sidewalk when Savannah Dogwood, Loretta’s friend and Breezy Point resident, dashed out her front door.

  “Loretta!”

  Loretta stopped abruptly and waited for Savannah, who hurried over. Barkley was right behind her.

  Loretta bent down to pat his head. “I haven’t seen you all day,” she told the pooch.

  “He visited first thing this morning. You must’ve already left.”

  Loretta straightened. “I ran down to the library to return some books. Hey! Uncle Ichabod and I are planning a Memorial Day party for residents out back behind the clubhouse with bingo, games and a cook-out.”

  Savannah lifted Barkley and held him close. “Sounds like fun. I can’t recall the last time we had a party ‘round here. I can help,” she offered.

  “Thanks,” Loretta said. “I might take you up on the offer.”

  Savannah nodded her head toward the teepees. “I noticed a girl hanging around here. She seems kind of young.”

  Loretta explained how she found Hannah on the side of the road and how she appeared to be homeless. She told her that she had offered to let Hannah work around the trailer park and teepee rental to earn her keep and stay in one of the teepees. “I checked with authorities to see if there’s a missing person’s report for anyone who matches Hannah’s description but they couldn’t find anything.”

  “How sad,” Savannah murmured. “She’s too young to be out on her own. What about school?”

  Loretta sucked in a breath. “I know. There’s more to the story. I’m on my way over there to see if I can talk to her.”

  Savannah nodded. “Keep me posted on the party.” She set Barkley on the ground, grabbed the end of his leash and the two of them disappeared around the corner of the house as they headed to town.

  The teepee grounds were quiet with no one in sight. Loretta did a quick walk around to check for trash and make sure the lawn was neat and tidy. She stopped at Hannah’s teepee and knocked on the door but no one answered.

  Loretta headed to the common area and found Hannah emptying the trashcan in the shared kitchen. “Hi Hannah.”

  Hannah spun around, clutching her chest. “Oh my gosh! You scared me half to death,” she gasped.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Hannah removed the bag of garbage and tied the end.

  “I’ll take the trash and drop it off in the dumpster on the way through,” Loretta offered as she reached for the clear, plastic bag.

  “Thanks.” Hannah handed her the bag and stepped over to the kitchen sink. She reached underneath and pulled out a bottle of cleanser and a sponge.

  “How was everything last night? Did you sleep okay?”

  Hannah nodded and squirted a small glob of cleanser in each side of the sink. “Yes ma’am. Thanks again for letting me stay.”

  Loretta set the bag of trash on the floor and walked over to the sink. “Hannah. You must have a family. Don’t you want to go home?”

  Hannah paused swiping and then quickly resumed, scrubbing the inside of the sink even harder. “I don’t have a home.”

  Loretta persisted. “No parents? No siblings? Aunts, uncles, relatives…”

  The young girl shook her head.

  “Where did you say you were from?” Loretta knew Hannah hadn’t.

  “Not far from New Orleans,” she replied vaguely. She stopped scrubbing and shifted so she faced Loretta. “If you don’t want me here, I can leave.”

  “That’s not it, Hannah. You’re doing a fine job and are a big help.” Loretta knew the subject was closed. “You can stay for as long as you like,” she said.

  Hannah focused her attention on the sink, and Loretta picked up the trash bag and headed to the door.

  When she reached the dumpster, she lifted the lid and started to toss the bag inside when something caught her eye. It was a flattened deli box. The same deli box had been in the fridge the night before…full of leftover chicken.

  Chapter 9

  Had Hannah snuck into the house and removed the chicken from the fridge? There was no way the young girl could eat all the chicken, unless she was stockpiling food!

  Loretta tried to think back to the evening before. Uncle Ichabod and she had gone out onto the porch to enjoy the cool, evening air. Lacy had left not long after for a rendezvous date with her firefighter.

  Was it possible Hannah had taken the opportunity to sneak inside and steal the fried chicken? That was the only thing that made sense. It was either her or someone else who had access to the shared kitchen and had used the trash to toss the empty container. It could have been just about anyone who was staying there.

  All of the tenants had a key to the building, and every few months Loretta had the lock re-keyed and gave new keys to each of the tenants.

  When she got back inside, she ran upstairs to check on Lacy, who was awake, and grumbling how no one cared if she lived or died and how she was starving to death.

  “I’m sorry Lacy. I checked on you earlier but you were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  Lacy propped up on one elbow. “If it’s not too much trouble, I could try to eat a bowl of soup and maybe one of the leftover dinner rolls.”

  “The dinner rolls are gone, but I’ll bring up some soup and crackers.” Loretta headed back to the kitchen. She mulled over Hannah’s words as she emptied the contents of the soup can in a saucepan and turned the burner on. The girl was hiding something.

  “You still hungry?” Uncle Ichabod shuffled into the kitchen and over to the fridge. He pulled out a pitcher of iced tea and filled his glass before placing the pitcher back inside.

  “No. Lacy is awake and hungry. She asked for one of the dinner rolls so I know she didn’t sneak down here last night and eat th
e food.”

  Loretta stirred the chicken noodle soup, her back to her uncle. “I found the empty chicken container. It was in the trashcan in the shared kitchen next door.”

  She didn’t share her suspicion that perhaps Hannah had snuck in the kitchen the previous night while they were out on the front porch. If it were true, the young girl was watching their house and the thought sent a chill down Loretta’s spine.

  “So you think Hannah was in our kitchen when we weren’t around?” Her uncle sighed heavily and sank into a chair.

  The soup began to bubble. Loretta poured the piping hot soup into a bowl and reached for a clean spoon from the nearby dish drainer. “I hate to admit it, but that’s the only thing I can think of.”

  She carried the bowl of soup to Lacy, and after Lacy was settled and eating, Loretta decided to take a walk to clear her head.

  She slipped her tennis shoes on before heading out the door. Loretta made a quick left. When she reached the clubhouse, she veered off the street and circled the building.

  The back of the clubhouse would be the perfect spot for a cookout and party. Behind the clubhouse was a large, open green area of space and there was plenty of room.

  The trailer park wasn’t huge, and the clubhouse and grounds could easily accommodate the guests, even if every single resident and tenant showed up.

  Loretta rounded the clubhouse and stepped back onto the street. She power-walked to the front and stopped near the bathhouse, located on the other side of the kitchen area. She did a quick inspection of the women’s bath area. It was spotless.

  She peeked into the men’s shower area, which was also clean. Loretta started to close the door when something caught her eye. It was a sock.

  Loretta took a couple steps forward, reached down and picked it up. It was a small black sock…too small for an adult. She turned it over in her hand. None of the rentals were occupied by someone with a child unless…

  She shoved the sock in her pocket and headed back to the house to search for her uncle.

  Uncle Ichabod was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, reading the paper. He looked up when she burst onto the front porch. “I need you to set up some surveillance equipment in the bathhouse.”

  ***

  The plan they put in motion had been simple and flawless. Uncle Ichabod and Loretta had stopped by Hannah’s teepee to tell her they were going to walk to town and to ask her if she needed anything from the small corner grocery store.

  They also told her Lacy was ill and in bed, so if she needed anything they would be back in a little while.

  The two of them then walked down the sidewalk and circled around the block, cutting through an empty field next to the trailer park and then making their way to the clubhouse and Uncle Ichabod’s secret surveillance room.

  Loretta shifted in the chair and stared at the screen. Uncle Ichabod had placed a small surveillance camera at the entrance to the men’s shower room and a second one in the corner of the kitchen, high enough so no one would notice.

  The cameras had an unobstructed view of anyone coming in or going out of both the shower area and the shared kitchen. They watched as Bubba Crawley, one of the tenants, stepped into the room and closed the door.

  “Good thing you didn’t put a camera inside the shower areas!” Loretta joked.

  “No kidding!” Uncle Ichabod tapped the computer screen. “There she is! In the kitchen. Well, will you look at that? You were right, Loretta. Hannah isn’t alone.”

  Loretta leaned forward and peered at the screen. She watched as Hannah peeked inside the kitchen area and then waved her hand.

  Chapter 10

  A young boy, who couldn’t have been more than twelve years old, slowly shuffled into the kitchen and hung off to the side.

  Hannah darted to the fridge, reached inside, pulled out a plain brown paper bag and handed it to the boy. They both quickly exited the kitchen and disappeared from sight.

  “Hannah has someone with her, which is why she took the extra food. She’s hiding him.”

  “We have to contact authorities,” Uncle Ichabod said.

  “You’re right.” She slid out of the chair and made her way to the door.

  When they got inside the house, Loretta made a beeline for her cell phone, tucked inside her purse. She dialed the Collier County Sheriff’s Department and asked to speak with Officer Phil Gatlin.

  “He’s on patrol,” the dispatcher replied.

  “I need someone who can check on a missing person.”

  “Hold.” The operator placed her on hold.

  “Officer Ward Purvis speaking.”

  Loretta groaned inwardly. Officer Purvis didn’t like Loretta for some odd reason.

  “Yes. This is Loretta Sweet. I’m calling to find out if anyone has reported a young boy missing.” She gave Officer Purvis a description of the boy Uncle Ichabod and she had seen on the camera and then told him she guessed he was around twelve years old.

  “Let me check.” Officer Purvis put her on hold and returned a short time later. “We got a report a week ago for a young boy who fits that description. His name is Joey Smocken.”

  Loretta frowned. Hannah Smith…or was it Smocken?

  He went on. “His family in New Orleans is searching for him. Said he was taken against his will by an older sibling.”

  “I…that. Okay thank you, Officer Purvis.” She hung up the phone and turned to Uncle Ichabod. “I think her name is really Hannah Smocken and the boy is her brother, Joey Smocken.”

  Loretta paced the floor. Had the young girl kidnapped her own brother? If so, why? She seemed so quiet, so meek. There was more to the story.

  “We can confront her together,” Uncle Ichabod suggested. “Over at the teepee.”

  Loretta picked up her cell phone again and dialed Officer Gatlin’s direct number. “Hi Officer Gatlin. This is Loretta Sweet. Remember the other day I stopped into the station to tell you about the girl I found begging on the side of the road? Well, I think she may have run away from home and taken her younger brother with her. They’re both staying here in one of the teepees. Okay. See you soon.”

  She started to hang up and then quickly spoke. “We’ll be in teepee unit number six, the end unit.” She hung up the phone. “He said he’s about fifteen minutes away.”

  Uncle Ichabod stood off to the side while Loretta knocked on the teepee door. They could hear shuffling inside and finally, the door opened a crack and Hannah peeked out. “Yes?”

  “Hi Hannah. Uncle Ichabod and I were wondering if we could come in.”

  “I’m not feeling well,” Hannah said and started to close the door.

  Loretta stuck her foot in the crack and pushed with her elbow, forcing her way in.

  Hannah jumped back.

  Uncle Ichabod followed Loretta into the teepee.

  “Where’s your brother, Hannah?” Loretta said as her eyes darted around the room.

  “I don’t know…”

  Uncle Ichabod took a step closer. “We know he’s with you. We saw him.”

  Hannah’s eyes slid to the twin bed.

  “Is he hiding under the bed?” Loretta bent down and tilted her head, catching a glimpse of a small sneaker. “You can come out Joey.”

  The boy crawled out from under the bed and shuffled over to Hannah who put a protective arm around him. “You-you can’t send us back.”

  “Why can’t you go home, Hannah?” Loretta asked softly.

  “Cuz dad hit Hannah and told her to leave,” Joey blurted out. “She wouldn’t leave without me.”

  Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “Please! Don’t send us back there,” she pleaded.

  It was too late! The police were already on the way. Not only that, she…they could be considered aiding and abetting if they hid Hannah and her brother.

  “Loretta.” Officer Gatlin appeared in the doorway. He gazed around and then stepped into the teepee.

  Hannah shrank back, still shielding her brother. “No
! Please no!” she screamed hysterically.

  Officer Gatlin reached out a hand. “Hannah! I called the person who filed a missing person’s report on your brother. Do you have an Aunt Meredith?” He quickly went on. “She is very worried about you and your brother. She’s on her way to the sheriff’s department to pick you up.”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes darted from Loretta to Officer Gatlin. “Dad said Aunt Meredith was dead.”

  He shook his head. “No Hannah. She is very much alive. C’mon. Let’s go to the station. She’s going to meet us there.”

  It was a whirlwind of activity after that. Hannah and her brother gathered their meager belongings and climbed into the back of the police car.

  Uncle Ichabod and Loretta watched the patrol car turn the corner and disappear from sight. Officer Gatlin had assured Loretta he would call to let them know what happened.

  They tidied the teepee’s interior and Loretta locked the door on the way out. “Guess I better get an ad in the paper to get this thing rented.”

  When they got inside the house, a pale Lacy, her hair sticking out all over her head, was sitting at the kitchen table. “Where have you two been? I could have been dying! Doesn’t anyone in this house care about me?”

  “I guess you’re feeling better,” Loretta grinned.

  “No thanks to you two,” Lacy whined.

  Loretta fixed her sister a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of her. “That was the quickest flu recovery on record.”

  Lacy carried on about her “near death experience” while she sipped her tea. Finally, she told them she was still feeling under the weather and returned to her room.

  Later that evening, Officer Gatlin called Loretta on her cell phone to update her on Hannah and her brother, Joey. They found out from the aunt that the children’s mother had died the previous year and the children had been living with their verbally and physically abusive father.