Chapter 14
Cosmo jumped erratically across the parking lot. I barely noticed the rain-softened, slightly muddy ground anymore. Then again, I only needed to scrape the soles of my shoes, whereas Cosmo’s soft pads were filthy in no time, and clumps of mud stuck between his toes.
At the doorstep, I crouched to wipe his paws with a tissue. “There, all clean. On the way back, I’ll carry you,” I told him.
Inside, all the lights burned but the door was locked. I rang the bell and called out. “Hello?”
The door of the barn creaked open. Bert shuffled to the side to let me in. Cosmo rubbed against him and broke into a low, steady purr.
Bert, who’d been as pale as the bleached pine wood dresser I spotted behind him, regained some color.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“Not too bad,” he lied through his teeth.
Cosmo purred louder.
“Although I was a little shook, seeing that …” He closed his eyes for a moment.
“Me too,” I said. “Which is why I’ve brought this.” I showed him the goodies. “Aunt Violet’s fail-safe against shock. Tea, cookies, and a good talk.”
Poor Bert. I could almost see his stubbornness and pride rise to the surface, to tell me he didn’t need any of that soppy feel-good stuff. None of this stood a chance against the power of the purr. Or against his wife Viv, who’d left the office and caught the end of our conversation.
“That’s very kind. I’m sure we could all use a cup of tea, don’t we, Bert?” She cooed at Cosmo and took us all to the break room plus kitchenette behind the office. The furniture was a selection of cast-offs, too shabby to do up and sell, yet too comfortable to throw out.
Bert settled on a grey recliner with patched arm rests. It groaned as he sank into it. Cosmo jumped up to join Bert.
I spooned tea into a pot while Viv heated water.
“He’s had a rough night,” she confided in a low voice.
“I’ve been telling him that we’ve got nothing to fear about.
It was our bad luck that the body was dumped on us, but that’s all.
I swear, Bex, I’ve never seen him like this.
It’s almost as if he’s scared of a ghost coming to haunt us. ”
She poured boiling water into the pot.
I arranged the cookies on a plate. I hadn’t thought of Bert as being superstitious, but out here, in the woods, it didn’t take much to believe in all kinds of supernatural things. Or in witchcraft.
I gave Cosmo a quick quizzical glance. He thumped his tail twice, meaning no. I’d have to check with him later if he confirmed that there were no ghosts, or that he simply hadn’t sensed any here.
“I wish the police had taken that chest with them,” she said.
“They’ve left it here?” Why was I so surprised? The chest had only been used as a transport unit for Tim, and I assumed that it held little interest, once the fair building had been established as the scene of the stabbing.
“They sure did, after their crime scene unit finished with it, and to be honest, it’s giving me the creeps. I know I’ve promised to let you work on it here, but the sooner it’s out of my sight, the better.” Bert pushed a button and the recliner stuttered into an upright position.
Cosmo retreated to a pouffe as a small tray came out of the recliner’s left arm, and Viv put tea and a cookie on a saucer there for her husband.
I settled on the pouffe with my cup and with Cosmo.
We drank in silence. I came to a decision. “Would you be okay with keeping the rest of Candice’s items here until I’ve taken care of them, if I take the chest away today? I might have to borrow a few tools from you.”
“Whatever you need,” Viv said, before Bert had the chance to do so much as open his mouth.
He nodded. “I’d really appreciate that.”
“That’s settled then.” I wasn’t overly keen either on having the blasted thing in my home (or in this case garage), but Bert and Viv didn’t deserve any of this. It was bad enough for their business to be connected to a body drop, unless they used it as a marketing ploy for thrill seekers.
“I’ll help you,” Viv said. “It’s too big for your car, so I’ll take our van.” She pecked Bert’s cheek. “You sit here and look after the cat.”
Cosmo wiggled off my lap and shot through the door.
“Too late,” I said. “I think he needs to let off a bit of energy, after napping most of the day.”
Viv frowned. “He won’t scratch anything, will he?”
“He wouldn’t dream of it.”
Viv relaxed. I put a second cookie on Bert’s saucer. He looked like he could do with it.
Cosmo waited in front of the locked door to the back room with the chest.
Viv wiped her hands on her jeans. “I don’t mind telling you that Bert won’t be the only one glad to see the last of that thing.”
Her face flushed a little. Had the tea been too weak?
No, I decided, when I noticed how steady her hands were as she turned the key.
After all, my magical treats were only supposed to help Bert and Viv steady their nerves, not to treat a full-blown shock.
That, I’d leave to the professionals like Nick.
Cosmo barreled ahead, remembering to go in a zig zag route, although I had no doubt he knew exactly where to go.
We followed at a more sedate pace. The air smelled differently, less of old furniture, beeswax polish, and musty fabric, and more of chemical agents.
I assumed the crime scene investigators had used all sorts of sprays to examine the chest and the surroundings, to establish once and for all that the barn wasn’t the scene of the crime.
I chuckled, in a nervous reaction. I’d bled more than enough in this place, in my youth, and I was certain Bert and before him his dad had shed their share of blood too. It came with the territory. Splinters, nails, and unwieldy tools took their toll.
Hopefully, modern testing could tell the crime scene technicians how old blood stains were, or they’d be in for a long slog.
Viv stared at me.
“Sorry.” I explained my train of thought.
She chuckled too. “I never thought of that.”
The chest appeared innocent enough. It had been moved a few feet, but otherwise it appeared unchanged to me.
Cosmo circled it. He sniffed the ground. His tail swished to catch my attention.
I squatted next to him and stroked him. There was something, next to his paw. A few crumbs of dry soil, I deduced. I had no idea what made Cosmo so excited about them, but he obviously wanted me to do something.
I turned to Viv. “I forgot to bring gloves. Could you fetch me a pair?”
She bustled off.
I tore off a piece of paper from a shopping list I’d kept among other forgotten items in my pocket, scooped up the crumbs with it and let them trickle onto the rest of the paper which I then carefully folded and secured.
Viv returned with two pairs of thick leather work gloves.
She grimaced as she surveyed the chest. “Solid wood. It probably weighs more than the two of us together. Maybe I should get Bert to give us a hand after all.”
We both stood there, pondering.
“How did the delivery guys manage?” I asked her.
“They’d strapped it onto a trolley and wheeled it in.”
“Can’t we do the same? Lift it with a car jack, strap it on, and wheel it up the ramp until it’s in your van?”
“That might work, but I’m not sure how we’ll cope on your end. The chest is bound to get away from us if we roll it down the ramp.”
“That won’t be a problem.” I considered texting my girlfriends but decided against it.
It would have been ridiculous to call them over, for a few minutes’ assistance.
Sam Hill, the man Ange had hinted at for giving me gardening lessons, on the other hand had the necessary strength, the skill, and hopefully, the knowledge to help me with another task.
Once the chest was safely stowed away in the van, Cosmo and I drove ahead. He’d rolled himself into a ball, in his stroller. Using his power of the purr took a toll on him, even if he’d never admit it.