Marjorie Thelen - Designer Detective

“It’s a mystery to me.”

“I’m going back. I’ll do this alone. No sense involving you in breaking and entering. I’ll take the key you have in case I can’t walk in the back door. Who knows what I’ll find.”

“I should go with you. You’ll need back up. You’re weak in backup systems.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. A man without a passport who wants to travel to Australia hasn’t thought about his backup systems. I think of these things.”

“You can’t find your passport.”

That shut me up. I finished my beer, pulled another from the frig and offered him one. We stood leaning against the counter, ostensibly thinking.

Jake looked at the clock again. “It’ll be dark in half an hour. Might as well be on my way. Mind if I use your car?”

“I’ll drive you.”

“Fiona, it’s not a good idea for you to go. Drop me at a car rental place, and I’ll take it from there.”

“I’ll be chauffer. I don’t mind. I think you need backup.”

“No, I don’t.”

I fished in my purse lying on the kitchen counter and dangled the car keys before him. “I have the keys so I have the final say.”

A light was on in the library at the Lodge estate when we drove up. Cody was probably in there scheming. Three windows on the second floor had lights. Was Opal being held hostage? Jake and I decided on the ride over that we’d not do anything sneaky. We would be bold and act like we knew what we were doing. He drove up to the front door and parked. No one came to the door.

“Let’s walk in,” Jake said.

“Wait,” I said. “What about a gun?”

“I don’t have one with me. Do you?”

“Never owned one in my life.”

“Fine, then we walk in like we own the place.”

“What if Cody’s got everybody tied up and is carrying loot out the back door?”

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take.”

Jake tried the front door. It was not locked, and there was no burglar alarm set. We walked in, looked around, peeked in the library. No one appeared.

“Let’s try the kitchen,” said Jake.

We looked in the drawing room, living area, music room as we strolled by but no one surfaced. In the kitchen Hudson was standing at the stove wearing a white, full-length apron, quite the scene of domesticity.

“Hello, Hudson,” I said.

He turned and regarded us with a smile. “How very good to see you. I was making dinner. Have you eaten?”

It never seemed to bother him that we showed up out of nowhere.

“Not yet,” said Jake. “We’ve come for Opal. How’s she doing? Where’s Cody?”

Hudson turned down the heat on a pan of chicken breasts sautéing in garlic and olive oil that smelled heavenly. How could Jake pass on this meal? Hudson wiped his hands on a towel and removed his apron.

“Cody left. He walked out the front door about an hour ago and got into a car that pulled up to the front of the house. Miss Opal, I’m happy to say, has perked up, so I’m making her dinner. Would you care to join her?”

Jake shook his head, no. I nodded mine, yes. Hudson smiled. His cheeks were rosy from cooking. His blue eyes had the twinkle back.

“I like your healthy appetite, Miss Marlowe. I’ll see if Miss Opal will join us. I have a vegetable salad chilling in the icebox. Plenty for everyone.”

“Great,” I said, and he left to fetch Opal.

I smiled at Jake. He frowned and walked to the door to the lower floor.

“Locked,” he said when it didn’t budge.

“I’m sure Cody doesn’t want anyone messing with the goods.”

“I wonder who he left with.”

“I wonder what kind of car it was. Probably black limousine with tinted windows.”

Jake gave half a laugh. “What an imagination. None of that matters anyway. I’ve decided to drive Opal back to Oregon.”

“What?”

“I said I’m going to drive Opal cross country. It’ll take about five days. She might hold up better that way then taking her through airports. Besides, someone might be watching the airports.”

We heard footsteps, and Opal appeared at the kitchen entrance, the perpetual smile on her face. Hudson was behind, urging her in.

“Hello you two,” she said. “Nice to see you again. How have you been?”

Jake nodded. “Are you feeling better?”

“I wasn’t feeling bad. Everyone around here makes such a fuss. Where is everyone?”

Hudson steered her toward the table. “Everyone is out right now. Jake has come to take you back to Oregon.”

“I thought Cody was going back with me.”

Hudson hesitated not a nanosecond and said, “Cody has business to attend to here. He asked Jake to take you back. You’ll be leaving now, won’t she, Mr. Manyhorses?”

“You bet,” chimed in Jake, not missing a beat. “How’d you like to take a cross-country trip?”

Opal seated herself across the table from us. Hudson busied himself setting out plates and silverware. Opal sat smiling, not bothering to answer the question.

“You two are like family.” She smiled wider at the thought.

Jake and I sneaked sideways glances at each other. The idea was not comforting.

Hudson slid a big platter of garlic chicken in front of us as well as a marinated vegetable salad in shiny bright colors. I reached for a serving spoon and helped myself. I was ravenous.

Hudson passed the chicken to Opal. She selected a tiny piece.

Jake said, “Opal, how ‘bout we eat and get you packed. We’ll leave tonight. There’ll be less traffic. We’ll drive across country and take in the sights on our way back to Oregon.”

She helped herself to salad. Hudson poured white wine into her glass.

“My, isn’t this delicious?” she said. “Hudson, you are such a master chef. We will be sad to see you go back to England.”

“Yes, Miss Opal. I’ll be sorry to leave. But I am looking forward to returning to Cornwall. Wine, Mr. Manyhorses?”

Jake shook his head. “Have any beer?”

“Certainly.”

Hudson gave me a good pour of wine. I mulled over the upcoming cross country trip. I would be going alone to Australia, if I ever found my passport.

Jake tried again. “Opal, can you be ready to go?”

“Go where?” She looked up in seeming surprise.

“We’re going to Oregon. I’m driving you back.”

“Is Fiona going with us? Wouldn’t you like to visit the ranch, dear? We’d love to have you. Stay as long as you like. I’m sure Cody will be along soon enough.”

That was true. Cody could fly out and beat Jake to the ranch. “Jake,” I said, “did you consider that Cody would be joining you?”

Jake took a swig from a bottle of Guinness Stout Hudson had placed before him. “We’ll have to see how that goes, won’t we?”

“I reckon,” I said.

“Then you’ll go with us?” Opal said.

“No, actually, I have a trip planned to Australia. I’m leaving tonight.” I checked my watch. “I might not be leaving tonight if I don’t leave soon.” I finished the wine and stood. “Thank you so much all of you. I better get on down the highway so I don’t miss my flight.”

“What about your passport?” Jake asked.

“I’m going by my place to have a look again. It has to be there. I hope you have a delightful trip.”

“I’m so sorry you won’t be going with us, Fiona.”

“Another time, thank you.”

Jake said, “Hudson, will you help Opal pack a light suitcase? We can send for the rest of her things later.”

“Certainly. We’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.” He hustled Opal from the room without protest.

Jake walked me to the front door. As we neared the door headlights turned into the driveway. We both stepped back from the glare.

“Who do you think that is?” I said under my breath.

“I hope it isn’t Cody.”

It was a van, black. Very cloak and dagger looking. Four big men exited. None of them looked like Cody. They came up the front steps. Jake pulled me into the shadows in the library. We waited.

They opened the door, walked in like they lived there, big as you please and headed for the kitchen. They all wore fedoras, looked Anglo, but weren’t speaking English.

Jake whispered in my ear. “Now we know how the rifles go in and out of here.”

“Right.”

“Can you give us a ride to the nearest car rental agency?”

“Me? Why not take one of the Lodge cars. That Rolls is a real looker.”

“For precisely that reason. It stands outs. I can’t believe you are arguing with me. Rental car isn’t as easy to trace.”

“All right, all right.”

“Wait in the car. I’m going upstairs the back way to get Opal.”

“Where is the back way?”

“Through the bookcases.”

“No kidding. How’d you find them?”

“Hudson showed me.”

“I knew it.”

“I’ll be out as quick as I can. We need to leave before those men come back.”

“Right.”

I left through the front door and got in the car. I hoped Jake wasn’t going to kidnap me and take me with them. I really was not in the mood. Before Jake could return, the men in fedoras trundled out with dollies loaded with rifle boxes. I slouched down in the seat so they couldn’t see me. The boxes were ones like we had seen in the basement.

Cody was working fast. Where was he? I hope nothing untoward had happened to him. I still liked him in a misguided way, but his career choices disappointed me.

The men loaded the boxes in the van, got in, and left.

I sat back up. That was strange. They had only taken maybe a fraction of the boxes. Did that mean others would be arriving for more? Maybe they had already gotten the rest.