Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
I shook my head eyeing the mound of boxes and packages in the garage that I needed to go through and post on social media. I was giving more and more thought to Ian’s suggestion about getting an assistant. It was probably long overdue. But I needed someone who was familiar with prepping, and that wouldn’t be an easy find.
Ian had suggested it again when he asked me what my day looked like, and I had rattled off a mountain of work.
“Get an assistant or maybe two,” Ian had said before leaving this morning.
I reminded him that Edith, Ian’s personal assistant in Scotland and a blunt, older woman, had yet to find a suitable assistant—her counterpart—for him here in America.
“Edith wants to find the right person for the position, and I trust her judgment. She will find someone soon enough. In the meantime, you might seriously consider how much an assistant could help you,” he had stressed, and I thought he just might have a good point.
He and Beau were busy expanding the business, though neither had given up modeling just yet. They were just a bit more selective in what shoots they chose, which put them in even more demand. Both being motorcycle enthusiasts, they were eager to do the MC series shoots for a NYT Bestselling Author.
Realizing that I would soon sink with the amount of work that I needed to do, I decided to put out a word in the prepper community to find someone who might be interested in a virtual assistant job.
I returned to the kitchen for a second cup of tea just as my phone rang. It was my mom. It had been three days since the incident at Willow Mansion and I was relieved that she was doing well, not that I expected anything less since my mom was, excuse the worn adage, a force to be reckoned with.
“How are you doing, Mom?” I asked as soon as I answered.
“The doctor said I am good to go, and I feel that I am, not that your dad believes it. I need to get back to campaigning, also to the beautification of the Main Street project, and a myriad of other things that require my attention. That is if your dad would trust that I am feeling fit enough to do so.”
“He and all of us worry about you, Mom,” I said, as concerned as my dad was for her. “And he—we—worry that your attacker may still be lurking around.”
I heard her sigh heavily.
“I do understand, and I am grateful to have such a loving family, but I really cannot remain in the house one more day or until the culprit is caught. Your dad said that he’d be okay with me going out if I took Mo with me. Can you spare him for the day?”
“Of course I can, Mom,” I said and looked to Mo stretched out in front of the television intently watching an episode on elephants. His own stuffed elephant toy sat proudly beside him. It was a stuffed toy he did not tear apart. It was as if he looked at it as his friend. “Mo, do you want to spend the day with Grandma?”
He sprang up with a loud bark and I heard my mom laugh.
“I just love my fur grandbaby,” she said.
“I’ll bring him to you, Mom.”
“Not necessary, I’m pulling into your driveway now.”
I shook my head as Mo made a beeline to the door, barking.
Mo had the door open before I reached it and ran out the door to greet my mom. He barely let her out of the car when she lowered herself down to hug and kiss him.
“We’re going to have fun today, Mo, and we’ll have lunch at Zelda’s.”
Mo barked and was about to leap into the car when my mom opened the back door when he stopped, turned, and hurried into the house.
“He realized he doesn’t have his vest and leash,” I explained.
“He’s such a brilliant dog,” she said, smiling proudly. “Your dad said he hasn’t had any luck with the sketch you and Ian worked on with the computer sketch artist, though Kate’s one sketch is a close match to yours. I believe it is the man you first saw unconscious in the mausoleum, then again at the garden center. The man didn’t show up in any of the systems. So, perhaps that means he isn’t a felon.”
“Could be,” I said, knowing my mom and her way of thinking. “But that doesn’t make him any less dangerous.” Mo stood in front of me with his vest and leash in his mouth, looking eager to be on his way. I quickly got him ready, and he raced to jump in the back seat as my cell rang.
“That’s probably your dad,” my mom said, getting in her car. “I’ll return Mo later today. Toodles.”
I shook my head as I answered. “Mom has Mo with her for the day.”
“Thank you, Pepper. I knew I couldn’t keep her in the house too long, but I worried about her being out there on her own without some sort of protection if for some reason she had what someone was looking for. I figured no one would dare try anything with Mo with her.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “She can have Mo as long as you think she needs him, Dad.”
“I appreciate that, Pepper, but the deputies will be keeping an eye on her so I don’t think it will be necessary after today unless your mom feels she needs him. I had her give me her schedule for the next few days so I can keep an eye on her.”
“Wise move, Dad, and how is that app you had Beau add to Mom’s and your cell so you can track her car.”
My dad chuckled. “You should know me better than to think I’d do such a thing without discussing it first with your mom. And she was not opposed to it, though I will worry less with Mo being with her.”
“I guess that means you’re joining Mom and Mo for lunch at Zelda’s to check in on her.”
“Yup, my mouth is already watering for one of her patty melts.”
My cell let me know I had another call, and I was surprised to see it was my mom. Not to worry my dad, I didn’t mention she was calling. “I have to go, Dad, I got another call, talk with you later.” I clicked off, ending the call with my dad and got my mom. “Something wrong, Mom?”
“Everything is good, I just forgot to ask you if you had the keys to the Willow Mansion. I couldn’t find them in my purse.”
A snapshot of them sitting on my kitchen counter flashed through my mind. “I do, Mom. They were in one of the pockets of my cargo pants. Out of habit, I must have dropped them there instead of your purse.”
“No problem. Hang on to them and I’ll get them from you the next time I see you. Toodles.”
I barely ended the call when my cell rang again. I braced for a day of endless phone calls.
“Hi, Pepper, it’s Millie at the church. Those records concerning the Willow family are ready for you to review today.”
“Fantastic, thanks so much, Millie,” I said, excited to view them.
“I can be there shortly if that’s all right with you.”
“That’s perfect. I will see you soon.”
I called Ian. “Please tell me you’re free for an hour or so.”
“That depends on what you have in mind, Pep,” he teased.
I chuckled realizing what he was alluding to and returned his tease. “Something that will definitely excite you.”
“Now you’ve got me going, Pep,” he said, returning my chuckle. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Dusty old files,” I whispered, seductively.
“If I were there, you’d be in my arms right now, you got me so excited.”
That Ian was thrilled to examine dusty old files was one of the things I loved about him. I hurried to explain. “Millie at the rectory called. The Willow records are ready for us to review. I told her I would be there shortly.”
“Hold on,” he said and returned quickly. “I’m free for a couple of hours. I’ll meet you there since I have an important virtual meeting that I can’t miss.”
I was out the door in record speed and reached the rectory before Ian. Millie showed me to the room where I could view the documents and promised to send Ian to join me when he arrived.
I had just gotten through the first folder of documents when Ian showed up.
“Anything interesting so far?” he asked and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Not really. That folder contains the agreement entered into with the church to see to the perpetual care of the Willow Mausoleum in exchange for the surrounding church land to be turned into a cemetery so that the Willow Mausoleum would always be protected.”
“Ignatius Willow made sure to protect his family in perpetuity,” Ian said. “He was wise in granting the land to the church and establishing a cemetery.”
“I wonder why he went to such extreme extent, securing the land so the Willows final resting place would never be disturbed and having his daughter’s tomb permanently sealed. One would think he had a secret he wanted kept.” The thought nagged at me.
I took photos with my cell of a few of the documents while Ian and I carefully perused the remaining files. I intended to upload them to my computer and add them to the Willow file so we could take our time and go over them.
“Disappointed, Pep?” Ian asked when we finished.
“Yes,” I admitted. “I was hoping to find a drawing of the mausoleum.”
“Revealing a secret exit?”
“That would have been far too convenient and easy,” I said, shaking my head and wishing otherwise.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was lost to time,” Ian said.
“Or purposely destroyed,” I suggested.
“Why?” Ian asked, perplexed. “The mausoleum holds nothing more than the final resting places of the Willow family, the beloved daughter of the family being the center of it, the very reason it was commissioned.”
“Then why suddenly the interest in it?” I asked and, but Ian had no answer and neither did I.
After we finished reviewing the documents and Ian left, I headed back home, then thought better of it and gave Amy a call.
“How would you like to search some documents with me at Willow Mansion?” I asked.
“I’m already on the road, I can meet you there,” Amy said.
I loved that Amy was my partner in crime since we’d been young. I had gotten her into endless situations, some laughable, some not so laughable, but she always stuck by my side.
She was waiting for me when I pulled through the portcullis, and I parked right beside her vehicle.
How Amy could make faded jeans and a pink cotton shirt appear elegant was beyond me. Maybe it was the rhinestone and amethyst butterfly pin on her collar or the pink rhinestone sneakers that were what did it, or the hot pink satchel bag that hung from her shoulder. I paled in comparison in naturally faded jeans and a plain blue, sky blue to be exact, knit top, and sneakers that I would need to retire soon.
“Is this where your mom got jumped?” Amy asked, looking around.
“Over there,” I pointed to two parking spots over from us.
“It is so open here. How could the guy get to her without her seeing or hearing him?”
“I don’t know, and she doesn’t recall much. She remembers feeling a sudden pain and then me speaking to her. You would think it was a robbery, but she was still wearing her rings and watch.”
“Maybe the guy didn’t have enough time to rob her.”
“Or maybe he was looking for something specific,” I said and turned my head to look at the entrance to the mansion.
“You think what happened to your mom has something to do with Willow Mansion?”
“There seems to be an awful lot of interest in the Willow family lately.”
“But what would he want from your mom?”
“I’ve been giving that some thought since my mom reminded me that I still had her keys to the mansion.” A picture of the keys on my kitchen counter popped into my head. “Possibly keys to the mansion. The question is why?”
“Maybe to find what couldn’t be found at the mausoleum,” Amy suggested. “What does your dad think of your theory?”
“I haven’t mentioned it to him yet. I only thought of it after my mom asked me if I had the keys to this place. Though I could shoot a lot of holes in the theory upon giving it further thought. Like why not just break into the mansion, though that would alert attention and how did he know my mom would have keys to the mansion?”
Amy offered another suggestion. “He saw you and your mom enter the place. But then what was the other guy doing there? The one you tried to snap a pic of.” Her eyes turned wide. “Ooh, ooh, I’ve got it. The two were meeting here thinking no one would see them since it was closed that day and were surprised when you and your mom arrived.”
“Somewhere in those ideas hides the truth and I intend to find it,” I said determined.
Edna was about to take a group of tourists on a tour of the place when we entered. She handed out pamphlets and told them she would be right back to start the tour and hurried over to us.
“I was so sorry to hear about your mom, Pepper. I cannot believe that happened outside the mansion. I am so relieved that she is all right, but then nothing can keep your mom down. I wish the historical society had the money to install security cameras outside. We decided to install them inside first since some of the pieces here are extremely valuable.”
“You know my mom well and hopefully, Amy and I can help find funding for such cameras,” I said. “Amy and I would like applications to become members of the Willow Lake Historical Society. Amy is an accountant and would be an asset to the society. My mom also mentioned there was a board seat open and I’d like to find out more about it.”
“I’d love to become a member,” Amy said, glancing around with a delightful smile.
I was sure she would, which is why I tossed her name in with mine. Besides, we always do things together and she would have been disappointed if I left her out.
“I can think of at least a half a dozen ideas for fundraisers,” Amy said full of excitement. “Halloween would be a perfect time for a costumed gala with everyone dressed in costumes from the period, servers and all. A special Christmas celebration with decorations of that period and an exclusive invite for a tidy sum to experience an old-fashioned Willow Mansion Christmas would be sure to attract a crowd. And you definitely should have your tour guides in period costumes. It adds to the authenticity of the experience.”
“Oh, my dear, that does sound wonderful but also expensive,” Edna said.
“Volunteers and costumes will be easy to get with Pepper being such good friends with the models at Willow Lake Lodge and I am sure I can get local eateries to donate food,” Amy said, growing more excited by the minute.
“That sounds wonderful, and I am thrilled you both wish to join. I would love to discuss it with you, but I have a tour waiting. I am going to text Doris in the office and have her give you applications to join. Then we can set up a date to discuss things. We really do need some young blood to keep the society going.”
Doris was just as delighted to hear we wanted to join and had us fill out the application so she could get the process started immediately. She said we would receive a letter in the mail officially welcoming us to the Willow Lake Historical Society.
“Will we be able to have access to the mansion files once we’re members?” Amy asked. “I have some great ideas for fundraisers and the files would help me prepare plans to submit to the board for approval.”
“If you head a committee, then you will have full access,” Doris said.
“Wonderful. Is anyone presently in charge of the fundraising committee?” Amy asked.
Doris smiled and shook her head. “No, dear, and the board will gladly appoint you to take charge of it, though they might request that you also examine the historical society’s finances since you are an accountant and we’ve been struggling financially of late. I don’t know how we got in such dire straits. I thought we were doing well.”
“I wish I was a member, then I could take the files with me now,” Amy said.
Doris whipped up a letter on the computer, printed it out and handed it to Amy. Then she pulled out a folder thick with papers and handed it to Amy. “I trust Pepper’s mom and she told me that I could trust you since she expected you both would be joining together. So, that letter gives you permission to access the society’s computer files and that folder holds the files that have yet to be scanned and added to the computer. I do hope it doesn’t have you changing your mind about joining.”
I laughed. “Amy is a wizard at accounting. She will have you on track in no time.”
Doris smiled. “You both made my day.”
I gave Amy a nudge in the arm when we left the private office. “Way to get access to the files I need to look at.”
“Oh, right,” Amy said, slipping the file into her satchel purse.
“Very funny, like you didn’t know I wanted access to those files.”
“I wasn’t the only helpful one. Your mom helped pave the way for us, and honestly, I think I would really enjoy being a member. But I wouldn’t get too excited about finding the files you want on the computer. A brief look at the folder tells me that they are way behind in getting documents scanned and onto the computer.”
“Why don’t we go back to my place, and we can have a quick look, if you’re free.”
“I have time, but first…” Amy grinned.
I shook my head, knowing what she wanted to do. “You want to look around.”
Amy smiled and nodded and set off for the dining room.
We avoided the tour group, and I followed along with Amy as she oohed and ahhed over every room.
“It’s like stepping back in time. I can almost see the servants busy with their chores and Verbena racing through the house when she was young. Can you imagine the entertaining they must have done here? We should find out if anyone of importance visited or slept here. That would attract more people to visit.”
I listened as Amy talked, knowing with all the historical romances she read, being here for her was like stepping right into one of her romance books.
Once again, I couldn’t get over how symmetrical the house was shaped. It was a squared U-shape with some rooms having the exact dimensions like the two suites, baths, and closets upstairs and the other bedrooms. It must have taken quite a bit of time to build with such exact precision.
“You haven’t paid attention to a word I said,” Amy accused once outside.
“I did,” I argued. “And I think you and Beau dressing as Ignatius and Claire Willow for the Christmas gala would be a huge hit.”
Amy turned to give the mansion one last glance. “I don’t know why I haven’t come here before now. This place is remarkable.”
I stared at it myself and couldn’t shake the thought that there was something off about the place. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was something that nagged at me and I was going to have to figure it out before it drove me crazy.
My cell rang and I saw that it was my mom. I never got to say a word. My mom’s voice was frantic as she delivered the news. “He’s gone. He’s gone.”
My stomach took a dive. “Mo?”
“Yes. I lost him, Pepper. I lost Mo.”
“Calm down and tell me what happened,” I said, Mo not one to wander off. There had to be more to it.
I heard. “You’re too upset to talk, Sally, give me the phone.”
The next thing I knew I was talking to Dan, and I was glad he kept it short and to the point.
“Your mom is fine. She stopped at the cemetery to talk with me. Some guy jumped at her and stole her purse. Mo went after him, but he didn’t respond to our shouts, and he disappeared into the woods, and we can’t find him.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said and hung up. I explained to Amy who got right in her car to follow me, then I called my dad. I tried Ian but I couldn’t reach him, so I left him a text.
Then I took off to find my Mo.