Down the Hatch Read online

  Being in the kitchen was my signal to come down the stairs which were far away from the kitchen. As I reached the bottom, I glanced back at the kitchen. I heard Jennifer on her phone. I couldn’t help but note the conversation...well, half the conversation.

  “I don’t care what anyone says,” Jennifer said. “I’m going to live my life the way I see fit.”

  And she came out of the kitchen. I had two choices, and neither one seemed very good. I could hide in the dining room or the family room. I chose the dining room. After all, Jennifer would watch TV or something, wouldn’t she?

  Before Jennifer reached the moment of decision, I did the only thing I could think to do. I used a visibility spell to make myself invisible. It wasn’t a powerful spell. Had I been outdoors, I would have cast a shadow. Indoors, I had to note the light source. And the spell was not long-lasting. I needed to get out of the house soon. I waited, and my luck ran out. Jennifer entered the dining room...and sat. I was trapped.

  Making myself invisible did not make me any thinner than I was already was, or any shorter, or any anything. All it did was make me invisible to someone looking at me. And since I was in the corner by the china cabinet, and there was no room to squeeze past Jennifer. If I went the other way, I would have to move the chair, and she would certainly notice the chair moving, wouldn’t she? I knew my spell wouldn’t last until she decided to go to bed, so I was stuck. The only way to get past her was to crawl under the table.

  I was petite and thin, but that didn’t mean I could go wherever I wanted. I sank to my knees and every so slowly started to crawl.

  I managed to ease myself past the first chair and about to negotiate the next one, when Jennifer stuck out her feet, as if stretching her legs. I had to stop, her feet inches from my face. And the worst thing about the entire exercise was smelling her feet. Oh, lawd! She needed better shoes. It wasn’t enough to make me faint, but it wasn’t a pleasant I experience. I fought the urge to sneeze. That’s all I needed—a sneeze. I pinched my nose and held it, as she chattered about some sort of dress or something. That didn’t matter. What mattered was getting past her. I told myself to be patient which was easy to say and hard to do.

  A few moments later, Jennifer pulled back her feet, but she didn’t leave the chair. I moved again, mindful of chair legs and table legs and all the stuff one might run into under the table. Of course, at that moment, I just happened to disturb a big, black spider that dropped down in front of me. It took all of my will power to keep from making some kind of sound, a yelp or shriek or something. I did gasp, but as Jennifer was busy talking, I don’t think she heard. I waved my hand through the spider silk, and the big spider headed away from me, a very good thing. So I followed the spider.

  To the edge of the table.

  Because at that point, Jennifer got out of her chair and stomped on the spider. I didn’t have time to turn away. Poor spider. Of course, that was exactly what I would have done. I had no love of spiders. At that point, Jennifer sat again. I started moving again. And this time, I moved quickly. Once out from under the table, I stood and fairly ran for the door. As I went, I used the lock spell to make sure the door was unlocked. As I reached it, I heard the chair scrape. I had no time. I jerked open the door and shut it quickly.

  Not quickly enough.

  I heard Jennifer coming, and I did the only thing I could think to do. I flattened myself against the wall, even as the door opened. Jennifer stepped out, phone to ear.

  “That’s odd,” Jennifer said. “Oh, I thought I locked the front door, and now it’s unlocked. I must be getting old. A senior moment, yeah.”

  She closed the door and locked it. I took the opportunity to dash off the porch and head for the sidewalk. As I stepped on the concrete, I felt the invisibility spell stop. If Jennifer were looking out the window, she would have seen me suddenly appear out of nowhere. Well, she would just have to believe it was another “senior moment”. I laughed, as Andromeda appeared.

  I could have used some help back there.

  You saw her in the kitchen.

  Yes, but you could have given me a bit more warning.

  You’re saying I should have been outside?

  No, no, you did just fine. No harm done.

  We walked along, and I considered what I had found out.

  Do you know anything about Jennifer and a lover?

  I’m a cat, not a marriage counselor.

  You know what I mean. Don’t you talk to other cats?

  No.

  I laughed. I suppose you don’t for sure. In any case, there were a number of love letters in the office, and I don’t know if they’re from Thomas or to Jennifer. Any suggestions?

  Who do you consider more careful?

  I don’t know. Jennifer, I suppose. I mean, Thomas drank to excess. Drunks aren’t known for discretion.

  Then, they were to her, and she made sure they wouldn’t implicate them if they were found.

  That makes sense. Unless, Thomas wrote them for the same reason. To keep his lover from being discovered.

  Women always seem to know.

  Yes, they do, don’t they. Jennifer must have known if Thomas was having an affair, despite his constant flirting.

  We walked in silence for a bit, as I ruminated on what I had learned. Not that much. Jennifer and Thomas suffered from the usual problems in a marriage. Alcohol, money, infidelity, any one of them was enough to cause a divorce. If all three were present, the marriage was doomed. I told myself to remember that, should I ever get married. Of course, I wasn’t considering that any time in the near future, but the times were changing.

  By the time we reached the house, Andromeda had disappeared. I expected no less. He lived on his own schedule. I locked all the doors and went to bed, trying to devise a method whereby I could discover who the letters were meant for. Sleep took me before a plan formed in my mind.

  The next morning, I packed up the Tiffany lamp, which made Roxanne cry. She mumbled that the lamp was her favorite, and I shouldn’t be selling it. Orchid and Zephyr tried to convince Roxanne that sooner or later all the items inside Richardson’s Antiques would be sold and moved out. Besides, if I didn’t sell them, I would starve, and they wouldn’t have a happy home.

  Gwen arrived to take over the store for the short time it would take to deliver the lamp. Gwen had no patience for Roxanne and little patience for Orchid and Zephyr. So, Gwen banished them to the upstairs, promising to send them outside for the soul reapers, if they stayed on the first floor. The ghosts disappeared in a hurry.

  “I should try that more often,” I said to Gwen.

  “You are far too kind to them,” she answered. “Not that they don’t need a modicum of kindness. Especially Roxanne. She doesn’t seem to be getting better.”

  “She’s been doing the same thing for a couple hundred years. I wouldn’t expect her to change.”

  “Pity. Hurry back.”

  “As soon as I pick up the check.”

  I drove to Jennifer’s house in my little Toyota. I had a pickup truck I used for larger items, but the lamp was small enough to go in the back of the SUV. As I lifted the box from the SUV, I heard Jennifer...SCREAM.

  Chapter 9

  I almost dropped the box right then. While I had packed the lamp carefully, it wouldn't have been good dropped onto concrete. Instead, I hurried to the front door. I didn’t take the chance of facing a locked door, so I used a spell to unlock the door, even as I pressed the doorbell. Having given warning, I pushed open the door and entered.

  “JENNIFER!” I called out.

  “IN THE KITCHEN,” she called back.

  “ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?”

  I hurried forward and found myself in the kitchen, where Jennifer was sweeping something into a wastebasket tipped on its side.

  “I THOUGHT I HEARD A SCREAM,” I said.

  She pointed at the waste basket. “You did. I reopened a box of Cheerios and found a nice little nest of baby mice. That’s enough to make anyo
ne scream.”

  “I’m with you,” I said. “No one would want that.”

  “So, now, I have another problem on my hands. Because where there are baby mice...”

  “There are adult mice,” I finished.

  “You brought the lamp?”

  “I did, and you know what? While I was cleaning up a letter desk I want to show you, I ran across an old love letter left in one of the cubby holes. Imagine that.”

  “Was it really syrupy?” Jennifer asked. “Lots of eyes like limpid pools and lips like red cherries?”

  “More like you are my sunshine, and your beauty excites me. Pretty cliché, if you ask me.”

  Jennifer offered an odd look for a moment. “Don’t tell me the letters were unsigned,” she said.

  “How did you know? I mean, they were signed, but the writer ended with yours always. Pretty trite, no?”

  “Whoever wrote that must have taken lessons from Thomas,” Jennifer said.

  “Thomas wrote you love letters?” I asked.

  “Once upon a time. Not lately. He wrote some for a woman I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. He must have written them by the dozen, because I found a bunch of them in his desk. No date, not a signature, no names. They could have come from some website.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. It had to hurt.”

  “It did sting...a lot. But I got over it. And now, he’s gone, and he did me the best favor ever. He kept up his life insurance. And he didn’t change beneficiaries. That’s a blessing I hadn’t expected. I bet you want a check.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “As long as I don’t have to answer it.”

  “Did Thomas really have affairs? I mean, he was always chasing women. Did he ever catch any?”

  Jennifer eyed me for a moment, as if sizing up the question.

  “I get it,” she said. “You found the body, and the police think maybe you shot that arrow. Well, to answer your question, yes. Thomas did have real, live contact with some women. Not as many as he might say, and certainly not anywhere close to the number of women he propositioned. I think you might be familiar with that. And his philandering was one reason I filed for divorce. I wasn’t so much upset by his antics, I was scared he would bring something home. You know how wicked sexually transmitted diseases can be. I wasn’t going to risk my health so he could run with the fillies. I’ll be right back.

  While I waited, I unpacked the lamp. I wanted to make sure it hadn’t suffered any ill effects during its short ride. I set it on the table and plugged it in. When I turned it on, the bright colors came to life. It was truly a wonderful piece of art. I knew I would miss it, but I was sure Jennifer would take good care of it.

  “Here you are,” Jennifer said and handed me a check. “And I’ll tell you one more thing about Thomas. It seemed as if he had finally found a woman he could love. Don’t get me wrong. He still chased skirts, especially when he was drinking, but I sometimes found him staring off into nothing, as if daydreaming. That was different. Thomas was not a dreamer. He was a chaser.”

  “Any idea who that woman is?”

  “Not a clue. But if she’s the jealous type, she might well have done something about her inconstant lover.”

  “Thanks for the business,” I said. “I’ll let you know when the letter desks are suitable for viewing.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  As I drove back to the store, I thought about Jennifer. While she talked as if she didn’t much care for Thomas, I had a feeling that there was a deep green, jealous streak in her. She might well have been angry enough to do away with Thomas, especially since he had a hefty insurance policy that would come to her. In fact, she had a small window in which to claim the money, since they were divorcing. If she found those letters and surmised that Thomas was really in love with another woman, well, even Jennifer could go off into the deep end.

  I was coming upon MAUDE’S FLOWERS, when I spotted Andromeda examining some potted flowers on the sidewalk.

  You might want to stop.

  Why?

  Someone in the shop is interesting.

  Before I could ask another question, Andromeda scampered off. While I knew I should go straight back to the shop, I couldn’t ignore Andromeda. He wouldn’t say anything if it didn’t mean something. I found a parking spot and walked back to MAUDE’S. I supposed Richardson’s Antiques needed some sprucing up.

  I walked into the shop and was overwhelmed by the scents of the flowers and plants. It was overwhelming and enticing. I had forgotten just how wonderful a flower shop could be. I browsed, as the man from the bar at the SHIFTY BEAR was waiting on a customer. I pretended to be in no hurry, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that man was not what he seemed. I knew there was only one way to make certain he was a magical, and that was to perform a bit of magic. I put on my sunglasses to hide my silver eyes and whispered a spell. The aura was stripped from the man, and I was looking at a spirit. He was a fey spirit, a Cupid of sorts, complete with silvery wings. I was familiar with the type. They were spirits that made people fall in love. And they used...

  Arrows.

  That automatically put him on the list of suspects. Any person who could handle a bow was a name on the list. Of course, I couldn’t allow him to know that I knew. He used an aura for a reason. He didn’t want to be recognized. I sniffed flowers and took off my glasses. He finished his business with the other woman and smiled as he walked over.

  “Hello,” he said. “Welcome to Maude’s flowers. I’m Eric, and what can I do for you today?”

  “I’m Helga,” I said. “And I’m looking for something that will make my musty old antique shop smell better.”

  “I know who you are, and I apologize for what happened at the SHIFTY BEAR. People had no reason to badger you.”

  “Well, I did discover the body, and some people automatically jump to conclusions.”

  “Not me. And if you really want to make your place welcoming, try some potted jasmine. The scent is pure heaven, as you must know. Many a young woman has fallen in love while under the spell of jasmine.”

  “I’m not looking to fall in love,” I said. I pointed to a bow and arrow wrapped in ivy and red roses that was mounted on the wall. “What about that?”

  “Ah, you have a fine eye. Roses smell like infatuation. But I’m afraid I can’t sell that. It was a gift.”

  “Well, I will certainly take a few jasmine plants.”

  “Do you want to take them with you, or should I deliver?”

  “I’ll take them. By the way, you seemed to know something about the man who died. I mean, from what you said at the BEAR.”

  “Yes, well, I knew Thomas from NOBODY’S INN. I hang out there some, and Thomas was a regular customer, or should I say woman chaser. I watched him become infatuated with any number of women. It was almost like a game for him.”

  “Just infatuated?”

  “Yes, which struck me as odd. I mean, how many times can a man chase down a woman and make contact, only to back off for some reason. I know some of the women were quite put off by it. Come with me.”

  I followed him to the back where he pulled out a box and began to fill it with potted jasmine. I sensed a bit of anger in Eric. As a Cupid, he wasn’t accustomed to people ignoring his efforts. Was he unhappy enough to put an arrow into Thomas’ chest?

  “Some people can never follow up on the breaks they’re given,” I said. “They’re their own worst enemies.”

  “That was Thomas. Those women were very nice too. It wasn’t as if they were undesirable.”

  “I’m sure,” I said. “NOBODY’S INN is a nice place to wile away a few hours.”

  “I know my hours spent there are productive. Say, you’re single, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” I admitted.

  “You should stop by. You might find someone who tickles your fancy.”

  He smiled, and I had the feeling he was going through the regulars at NOBODY’S INN and
determining which might be suitable for me.

  “I’m far too busy for a relationship at the moment,” I said. “I have the store and the house, and well, I don’t have the energy for anything more.”

  “You would be surprised,” he said. “A partner could do half the work. A second person would double the number of shoulders.”

  I laughed. “You have a point, but sometimes those two extra shoulders take more work than they’re worth.”

  He picked up the box and carried it to the counter, where I paid for the jasmine I wasn’t at all sure I needed. Then, he carried the box to the SUV.

  “Remember,” he said. “Stop by the INN. You might be surprised.”

  I watched him return to the shop, and I wondered just how upset he might have been with Thomas. Some Cupids had been known to be surly at best. Creating loving couples wasn’t as easy as some people thought. I was about to climb behind the wheel, when I heard someone call my name.

  “Hey, Helga.”

  I turned, and Jacob smiled at me.

  “Hey, Jacob.”

  “Want to take a walk?”

  “Why not.”

  As we passed the flower shop, I noticed Eric at the window, grinning at us.

  “Did you know that Thomas was a regular at NOBODY’S INN?” I asked.

  “We are aware, and I have been there more than once. But I’m not encouraged. It seems Thomas was fairly well liked. A number of women had been interested in him, although not a one ever said they had a date with him. And without a few dates, I can’t see jealousy as a motive. But I’m not writing off the people at the INN. You never know when someone snaps.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “In fact, we’ve hit a wall of sorts. We didn’t get any DNA input from the lipstick, and I was really hoping for something. We found no prints or trace DNA on the arrow either. And it’s a common arrow. There are literally a million of them around the country, around the world. That’s a dead end. So, we’re at a standstill. The number of viable leads has been reduced to one.”