I nodded. “Giving Mum a trial run might work. What do you think, Heathcliff?”
Heathcliff sighed. “You’re joint owner of this shop, Mina. If you think it’s a good idea, I can’t stop you.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” I didn’t, but I needed Heathcliff to come with me to Crookshollow.Mum might be a bit wacky, but she’s mostly harmless. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Totally fine…
* * *
“Oh, Mina, I’m just so glad you’re okay,” Mum beamed down the phone. “And yes, I’d be happy to look after the shop. Although, are you sure you want to leave the village again after what that horrid man did to you?”
“I’m sure,” I hissed. “If I let this guy get to me, then he’s won.”
“I’m proud of you, darling. Stick it to that rotten bastard. When the police catch him, I’ll be first in line to join the firing squad. Howdarehe touch my daughter.” Mum’s voice soared an octave. “Have the kidnappers made any demands? That boyfriend of yours is a very rich man. Now, Mina, you’re not to allow that inspector to talk you into making the drop. It’s too dangerous, and with your eyesight, you’re liable to drop a gold bar on your toe—”
“No demands for gold bars yet, although I’ve prepared some sacks with dollar signs on them just in case,” I smiled. We hadn’t told Mum the whole story, that Morrie was under suspicion of murder. The less information Mum knew about… anything, the better. “I’m sure Hayes will find the guy and bring them to justice.”
“Pfft.” Her voice brightened. “Now, while I’m in at Nevermore, I have a few ideas for improvements. I’ll bring along my craft kit and—”
“No.”
“Oh, but I’ve seen these crocheted bookmarks—”
“No.”
“Well, what about a few nice candles—”
“Candles in a building entirely filled with books? Not happening. Remember, Mum, you’re only looking after the place for five hours – just long enough to sell a few books to visiting tourists and gossip with Mrs. Ellis about my kidnapping. Not enough time to makeanychanges.”
“Really, Mina. Ihaveminded Sylvia’s shop before. I know what I’m doing.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.I pictured the burned-out husk of Sylvia’s storefront as I grabbed the keyboard from Heathcliff’s hand and mashed the keys until a loud, beeping noise emitted from the monitor. “Oh, bother. I have another call. Got to go, Mum. I bet it’s the police with an update on the case.”
“But Mina, what about my crochet—”
“Bye, Mum.” I jabbed the END CALL BUTTON and tossed my phone down with a sigh.
Heathcliff’s fingers closed over my shoulder. “That’sthe woman you’ve put in charge of our livelihood.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” I rubbed my temple. “It’s only for five hours. Everything is going to be fine.”
“But—”
“It’sfine.” I picked up my phone and punched in Hayes’ number. How was it that I knew the Inspector’s number by heart?
Hayes answered on the first ring. “Mina? Are you all right? Has something else happened?”He probably has me programmed into his phone by now.
I tried to make my voice sound weary and upset, which honestly wasn’t even a lie. “No. I’ve had no word from Morrie, or any kidnappers. I just wanted to hear from my favorite detective.”
“I wish I had good news for you, Mina. I’m up in Yorkshire now, and we can’t find evidence of the car anywhere. We’ve scoured the countryside and we can’t find Morrie. There have been no demands, and I just…” he coughed. “Truthfully, this has me completely stumped.”
“Do you still… are you still looking at Morrie as the murderer? If he was kidnapped…”
“I can’t rule it out. There’s a lot of evidence implicating Mr. Moriarty, and this kidnapper might be an accomplice. I know he’s your boyfriend, but he hasn’t exactly been truthful with you about his business ventures.”
No. No, he has not.“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I also wanted to ask if it was okay for Heathcliff, Allan and I to go to Crookshollow tomorrow? It’s only for a few hours, to meet my new guide dog. And we might have to go again – I’ve got a couple of weeks of intense training coming up. We might have to sleep over.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” In the background, someone yelled at Hayes, and a siren blared. “Just give me the address of the kennels in Crookshollow. And whatever you do, don’t go sticking your nose into Morrie’s case. We’ve got a team of experts on this, Mina. We’ll bring the lad home.”
