Bells & The Bandit (A Willow Crossing Mystery Book 1) Read online

  “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you. I’m on my way to see Hannah, so this will be fast,” he said.

  “No problem. I hope she’s okay.”

  With half a chuckle, he responded, “Oh, I’m sure she will be fine. Hannah is one tough cookie.”

  “I can’t believe this happened.”

  “Well, we will get to the bottom of it. What did you see?”

  “Nothing. I noticed one of the tables was missing a place setting; so I sent Griffin back to get the dishes and silverware, and after a little bit he hadn’t returned. That’s when I sent Lorena back to see what was taking him so long. When we heard her scream, we all ran back there.”

  “Did you see anyone else in the back?”

  “No.”

  “Anyone hovering around who looked out of place?”

  “No, but I was so busy making sure that dinner went well. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

  “Did Griffin have anything against Hannah?”

  “I don’t know why he would. I don’t even know if he ever really knew her.”

  “Everybody knows Hannah, Ru.”

  “Well, everyone knows OF her, but I don’t know that Griffin ever even talked to her. I don’t know what kind of problems he would have with her.”

  “His father still isn’t working, right?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Did you see him around here tonight?”

  “No, I haven’t seen him in, well, I don’t know when I saw him last…months.”

  “Did Griffin tell you what happened?”

  “I haven’t even had a chance to talk to him yet.”

  “Okay, Ru. Thanks. I’m gonna get going. I’m sure Hannah is giving the hospital staff a good run for their money. I’d like to get over there and talk to her before she drives them all crazy.”

  “Give her my best,” Ru said.

  “I will. If you think of anything that might help, please let me know.”

  “I will, Chief.”

  Chapter 3

  Shortly after the police left the reception hall, the party got back into full swing. Even though it was a couple of hours late, Ru, Esteban, Griffin, Julie and Lorena served the dinner without a hitch, and reveled in the success as they watched the guests smile with delight while eating their food. When dinner was over and dancing ensued, Ru couldn’t help but notice the look on Whitney’s face. It was a look she had seen before. It bothered her, but she didn’t know quite why. The catering crew began cleaning up the back room. Even with the rough start, the evening turned out to be beautiful.

  Throughout the reception, guests slowly began saying their goodbyes. After most of the guests had gone, Whitney and Michael left for their honeymoon. Ru was happy to see the bride leave with a smile on her face after such a difficult start to the night. Ru then turned her attention to the next task…cleaning up the tables.

  As she and Esteban cleared dishes off the 24 tables, Ru said, “I really hate thinking like this, but do you think Griffin had anything to do with what happened tonight?”

  Esteban answered, “I really hope not. I know how much you wanted him to fly straight. Would you like for me to talk to him? I could try to get a feel for what really happened.”

  “Would you, please? I would talk to him myself, but I don’t know if I could handle it if he admits to doing such a horrible thing.”

  “Of course, my love.”

  Esteban smiled lovingly at his wife and walked across the room to the table that Griffin was clearing. Esteban knew how hard Ru worked to make sure her students not only did well in class, but that they succeeded in life as well. He really hoped that for her sake, Griffin was innocent.

  “Hey, Griff, how’s it going’?” Esteban asked the young man.

  “It’s going okay,” Griffin answered, trying to sound casual.

  “Well, that was quite an evening, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he answered, continuing to pick up silverware.

  “Now that it’s quiet and the guests are gone, why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  Griffin’s eyes grew wide and he said, “What do you mean, sir?”

  “When Lorena found you and Ms. Levitt; what happened?”

  Stuttering, Griffin answered, “Well, s-sir, I went in back to get the place setting, just like Mrs. Delgado asked me to.” He stopped and just stared at Esteban.

  “Was Hannah back there when you went to get the silverware?”

  “I didn’t see her, but I guess she could have been. I was just in a hurry to get what Mrs. Delgado needed me to get.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I don’t know. I had my back turned, reaching in the containers for the plates and silverware and I heard a thud, like something fell to the floor,” Griffin said, and then paused, gulping in air.

  “I turned around and didn’t see anything, so I finished getting what I needed. When I walked into the small room that leads to this room, there she was, lying on the floor. I rushed over to her, and just as I was …” He abruptly stopped what he was saying.

  “Just as you were what?” Esteban urged.

  “I thought she was dead, sir. All I did was grab her wrist to check her pulse, and that’s when Lorena came back and saw.”

  Griffin dropped the silverware he had picked up off the table. The sound startled Ru and she hurried over. She could tell Griffin was really upset, and figured it would be better to talk to him after he calmed down a bit.

  “It’s getting late, Griffin. Why don’t you go home? You only have 20 minutes until curfew and I don’t want to get you in trouble for being out so late. It’s been a long day; go get some rest.”

  Ru tried to sound pleasant and caring, but deep inside she worried; she saw how out of sorts the boy was.

  He picked up the silverware that had fallen on the floor, brought it to the back room, and then left for the night. Ru looked around and saw Lorena placing the last of the desserts into containers. She went over and sat Lorena down.

  “Lorena, sweetheart, what happened tonight?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I went in back to look for Griff, and there he was, hovering over Ms. Levitt. When I screamed, he dropped her hand and stood straight up, as if he were caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. It was weird.” Lorena started to shake and cry, and Ru held her hand.

  “She looked dead, Mrs. Delgado. It was so scary.”

  “It’s okay, now. Ms. Levitt is fine, and I’m sure they will find her bracelet. It probably fell off in the limo or in the parking lot.”

  Ru’s words sounded convincing, although secretly she doubted what she was saying.

  “You and Julie can go home now. Mr. Delgado and I can finish the cleaning.” Ru smiled and Lorena wiped away the tears.

  When they were alone, Ru and Esteban finished up the last of the cleaning, loaded their van, and drove home. Since it was late and they both were exhausted, they decided to unload their equipment in the morning and instead went and sat in the backyard. At night they had a perfect view of the stars above, and it helped them to relax.

  The night air was pleasant and slightly cool. It reminded Ru of the nights they would spend camping on the banks of the river when they would go on their kayaking trips. With the house behind her, and the yard filled with trees, looking up to the sky she almost felt like she was out in the wilderness. Just as she was imagining the sound of the river rushing by, her husband spoke, breaking the silence.

  “Did you see Kirk Enders tonight, looking as smug as ever?” Esteban asked quietly, hoping to get Ru’s mind off of Griffin.

  “Really, Esteban, can’t you let this thing between the two of you go?”

  Instantly Ru was brought back to the time when Kirk Enders started the whole riff between the two men. Kirk was one of just a few antique dealers in town. He was always in search of the latest treasure. When Esteban brought an heirloom figurine to Kirk’s shop so it could be restored, he never imagined Kirk would scam him out of so
much money. He charged Esteban a pretty penny for the restoration…money that had to be paid up-front…and then while the figurine was in his possession, he sold it.

  “No, Ru, I really can’t. Besides, did you notice how many times that man went into the back room to smoke his cigarettes? He easily could have stolen Hannah’s bracelet.”

  “I didn’t see him there when Hannah was robbed, did you?”

  “No, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t…it just means we didn’t see him.”

  “As much as I’d like to think your opinion of him is clouding your judgment, I have to admit that it would make sense. That bracelet was probably worth a small fortune, and we both know how much Kirk loves money.”

  They sat in silence for another minute or two and then she spoke again, “I just really hope that it wasn’t Griffin who took the bracelet. Not only because it means he is stealing again, but because it means he also assaulted her. I would be so sad.”

  “You don’t really think he would knock out a defenseless old lady, do you?”

  “I sure hope not. It doesn’t seem like something he would do, but who knows what his dad has convinced him is okay.”

  “Now that is a man who really gets my goat.”

  “Yeah, there’s nothing pleasant about Mr. Carlin,” Ru pauses and then totally switches gears, “Oh, did you notice how strange Whitney was acting?”

  “What do you mean, Mama?” Esteban asked.

  “Well, during the whole reception she was just weepy and seemed to be on edge.”

  “You mean to tell me you don’t remember how nervous and emotional you were on our wedding day?”

  Ru thought for a moment and then said, “I guess you’re right, but I can’t shake the feeling that something more was going on with her. Every time we made eye contact, this look came over her face. I feel like I’ve seen that look before.”

  “I’m sure it was just nerves.”

  “Probably,” Ru replied. They went inside, tired from the celebration and all of the night’s craziness.

  Chapter 4

  At the hospital, Chief Putnam grew impatient. He had been waiting there for hours, hoping to get a chance to talk to Hannah. She had been assigned a room, but had yet to be brought in; so he sat, watching the door for her to be brought in. He stood so he could stretch his legs and then went out into the hallway and flagged down a nurse.

  “Excuse me, do you know how much longer it will be until Hannah Levitt is brought to her room?”

  “It shouldn’t be much longer. Before you see her, though, the doctor would like to talk to you.”

  “That’s fine. I wanted to talk to him anyway.”

  “He should be here in a minute.”

  She pointed to a chair against the wall just to the right of Hannah’s room and said, “Go ahead and have a seat and I’ll let the doctor know you are waiting.”

  “Thank you,” Chief Putnam said, trying to sound pleasant.

  Waiting around doing nothing was never his strong suit, and he didn’t know how much more waiting he could tolerate.

  “Chief Putnam?” The doctor asked.

  County hospital sits just outside of Willow Crossing, in the center of the county. Unlike in his small town, people around there didn’t know who everyone was, and for a brief second it struck the chief as odd that the doctor didn’t know who he was.

  “Yes, that’s me. How is Hannah?” He asked as he stood up to shake the doctor’s hand.

  “Ms. Levitt will be just fine. She took a pretty good hit to the skull, and she has a concussion, but other than that, she is tough and will be fine.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “At first we just assumed she fell and when she hit the floor, she hit her head and knocked herself out.”

  “Now you don’t think that?”

  “It looks like she was hit in the head with something.”

  “Can you tell what she was hit with?”

  “Not specifically. It was something small. The bruise isn’t what you would see if she simply had hit her head on the floor. Something hit her.”

  The chief made a mental note of that and then asked, “How long will she be staying with you here?”

  “Oh, she will just have to stay overnight. We need to make sure she doesn’t develop any swelling in the brain. She should be good to go sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

  “That’s great to hear. Will I be able to see her soon? I need to ask her about what happened tonight.”

  The doctor checked his watch and then replied, “She should be up shortly.”

  Just as he finished his statement the doctor looked down the hall and pointed the chief’s attention toward the elevator.

  “There she is now.”

  “Great, Doc. Thanks for everything.”

  “It was my pleasure, Chief Putnam. That lady is one heck of a woman!”

  The chief knew that the doctor meant that she gave him what-for, and that made him laugh, “Yes, that she is.”

  Once Hannah was in her room and comfortably in her bed, the nurse said, “Hannah, you have a visitor.”

  “A visitor? I just got here.”

  “You must be popular!”

  “Hardly, dear…just old.”

  “Oh, Hannah,” Chief Putnam said, “You’re not old!”

  “Chester!”

  “How’s my favorite lady?” He asked with a smile.

  Hannah was the only one who called the chief by his first name, and he liked it that way.

  “Can you believe they are making me stay here all night?”

  “They just want to make sure you are okay, Hannah.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine. You have a concussion and you’re…” he paused, not wanting to state the obvious considering he just scolded her for saying the word.

  “…old,” Hannah said, a sly grin on her face.

  “You got me,” the chief said and chuckled.

  “I didn’t come here just to visit, Hannah. I need to get your statement. Do you think you’re up to it? If you’d like to get some sleep I can come back in the morning.”

  “Sleep? You’re kidding, right? Between my bracelet being stolen and the eight million times they will come in here tonight to check my blood pressure and temperature, who’s going to sleep?”

  The nurse made some final adjustments and then said, “Hannah, I’m going to let you two be alone to talk. If you need me, just push the button on the bed next to you.”

  “Yes, dear, thank you.”

  When they were alone, Chief Putnam asked, “So, pretty lady, what happened this evening?”

  “Oh, it was stupid, really.” She was embarrassed to tell him what she was doing when she got knocked out.

  “However stupid you think it is, I need to know.”

  “When I walked into the reception hall, I could smell the glorious dinner the Delgados had made and I was curious. I wanted to see everything before everyone else did.”

  “You were being nosy?” Chief Putnam teased.

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Well, I went into the back room. I knew that’s where they were preparing the meal for serving. I saw they were all out in the hall getting everything set up, so I figured it was my chance to sneak back there.”

  “Then what happened?”

  He knew if he didn’t urge her to continue, the story would take well into the morning hours.

  “I don’t know. When I went through the door I didn’t see any food. I looked around the small room, and just as I was about to go into the next room, everything went dark.”

  Hannah paused and then said, “I must have fainted or something. All I know is when I woke up I had a huge headache and a bump on the back of my head. I must have hit the floor pretty hard.”

  “Hannah,” Chief Putnam started, “It looks like someone hit you over the head with something.”

  “That’s silly. Who would do a
thing like that?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out. How long after you came to did you notice your bracelet was missing?”

  “Oh, it was about half an hour or so. The Delgados took such good care of me and then Esteban and that Griffin boy helped me to my seat. When Whitney and Michael were dancing, that’s when I noticed it was gone.”