04 Once Upon a Thriller (9 page)

She walked me to my car and warned me to be careful.

“I know Avondale has a peaceful facade, but one never knows what lies beneath.”

Even though it was warm outside, Lacey's words chilled me to the bone.

Another exhausting day. I drove back to town, looking forward to the quiet of my room at the inn. Now I had to write the article, and by the time I was done with it, I realized I hadn't solved a thing and had actually created more questions than I had answered.

Just after seven thirty, I hit send with my article to Ned. Then I called to let him know it was on its way.

“You sound beat, Nancy,” Ned said. “Maybe I should drive to Avondale tomorrow and help you out.”

“I'm fine. If I can't figure this case out in the next two days, I promise to turn it over to the sheriff,” I told him. I was about to hang up, when there was a knock at my door.

“Hold on a minute, Ned. Let me see who this is.” I padded past the Dr. Seuss chair and opened the door.

Nobody was there.

But on the ground was an envelope with my name. I opened it, wondering what it could be, a thin slip of paper fluttered out. I picked it up and read the typewritten note:

STOP PRESSING YOUR LUCK. IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL GET OUT OF TOWN NOW.

“NED, I'LL CALL YOU RIGHT
back,” I said, and hung up.

I peered at the note and realized it had been typed on an old-school typewriter rather than printed out from a computer. I looked at the letters closely and realized that all the
T
s were more faded than the other letters, as though that key on the typewriter didn't work quite so well.

I looked up and down the hallway and didn't see or hear a soul.

Suddenly my phone rang, and I jumped. “Hello? Who is this? What do you want?”

“Nancy? It's me, Ned. You said you'd call back in a minute—what happened?” He sounded panic-stricken.

“Ned! I'm sorry—but I think I will take you up on your offer. Can you come to Avondale first thing tomorrow?” I said.

“Of course I'll come. But are you all right tonight?” Ned asked.

I assured him I would lock my door, not open it for anyone, and meet him at the Avondale Diner at eight a.m. We said good night and I got into bed, still tired and now a bit scared.

Not surprisingly, I had trouble falling asleep. A million thoughts filled my head. I must have been closer to who was behind this mystery than I realized. Who'd left that note, written with a typewriter?

I sat up in bed. Typewriter . . . there was one right on the desk in my room. I turned the night table lamp on and walked over to the desk. I took a sheet of the Cheshire Cat Inn stationery and put it in the roller.

I typed the same words in the note:
STOP PRESSING YOUR LUCK. IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL GET OUT OF TOWN NOW.

I ripped out the paper, inspected the
T
s, and almost started crying, but from relief: This wasn't the same typewriter used to write the note sent to me. I'd been so worried that someone had snuck into my room. But maybe, just maybe, if I found the typewriter that was used for the letter, I would find out who was behind the crimes.

The next morning I was already on my second cup of tea, reading my article in the
River Heights Bugle
, when Ned arrived at the diner. He listened closely while I filled him in on everything that had happened—everything I hadn't written about in the article, that is—over the last few days.

“So you've talked to Paige, Lacey, Alice Ann, and Mr. Tate. It could be any of them, Nancy,” Ned said.

It was great seeing Ned. And great to be able to bounce theories off him. After we talked, we both were in agreement about two things: We didn't think Lacey was the culprit. And in order to find who was, we had to find the broken typewriter.

I figured we'd swing by Paige's Pages first, and then stop at the Cheshire Cat Inn. Both seemed to be likely spots for an antique typewriter. But the bookstore was dark and the web of police tape still decorated the front door. I cupped my hands around my face to block out the bright sunlight and peered inside, but the store looked deserted. I realized I didn't know how to reach Paige other than by stopping by the shop, but then I remembered Alice Ann. Maybe she would be able to tell me where to find the bookstore owner.

“Nothing?” Ned asked as I backed away from the darkened window.

“Nope,” I replied, shaking my head. “Let's walk up the street to the Cheshire Cat Inn. Wait till you see this place.”

When we entered the inn, Alice Ann was front and center behind the receptionist's desk, chatting with someone on the phone. When she saw me come in, her face lit up. She gestured that she would be just a moment, and I nodded before Ned and I ducked into the gift shop.

“Wow, she sure has a thing for cats,” Ned remarked as he took in the array of cat-shaped knickknacks crammed into the tiny space.

“Mm-hmm,” I replied absently as I surveyed the space for typewriters. Antiques and old-looking memorabilia were everywhere. My eyes took in a shelf of antique scissors (strange items for an inn gift shop, I thought) and old-fashioned writing devices like fountain pens and quills. In addition to the spinner rack of paperbacks that housed all of Lacey O'Brien's books, there was a shelf of dusty old dictionaries, encyclopedias, and Avondale High School yearbooks. But there was no typewriter.

“Nancy!” a voice cried out behind me, and I turned to see Alice. Shockingly, she grabbed me and gave me a friendly hug.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. “Hi, Alice. Good morning.”

She laughed. “I hope you had a restful night. I was looking for you this morning, but you were out bright and early. But now I can thank you in person.”

“Thank me?” I asked, genuinely perplexed. “For what?”

“Ever since your article was published in the
River Heights Bugle
this morning, my phone has been ringing off the hook,” Alice replied, a huge grin on her face. “We've had a tough summer at the inn, and it's been hard to book rooms. But it seems that people all over the county are curious about Avondale and Moon Lake since your story came out. We're completely booked for the next three weekends, and I imagine we'll be full for the rest of the summer by the end of the day. It seems people want to make a weekend trip to Avondale so they can retrace the steps of the copycat criminal. And relax by the lake, of course.”

“That's a little disturbing,” Ned replied, a troubled look on his face.

“Well, yes, I suppose it is,” Alice admitted, and her brow wrinkled for a moment in dismay. Then she shrugged. “But it's been great for business.”

At that moment the phone rang again, and Alice dashed back to the reception desk to answer it. Ned and I continued to browse the shop while she finished the call. About fifteen minutes later she returned.

“Sorry about that,” she explained a bit breathlessly. “Now, what can I do for you two?” She studied Ned carefully and raised her eyebrows questioningly at me.

“This is Ned Nickerson,” I replied. “Ned, this is Alice Ann Marple.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Alice said as she shook his hand.

“You too,” Ned replied. “Nancy told me about your little shop, and I know how much she loves antiques.”

“Actually, I was really looking for an old-fashioned typewriter,” I jumped in. “Would you happen to have any of those?”

I watched her closely to see her reaction, but Alice Ann barely blinked.

“No, I'm afraid not,” she replied. “But I do have some vintage typewriter ribbon tins. They're very collectible.” She pointed to a shelf of colorful lidded tins.

I shook my head. “But who buys the ribbons without the typewriter?” I asked. “I was really hoping for a typewriter. I couldn't recall whether you had one in here or not.”

I smiled, and Alice did as well. She didn't seem rattled at all when I mentioned looking for a typewriter.

“You might try Memory Lane on Oakwood,” she suggested. “Stephen Grey is the owner, and he might have something like that in stock. Just tell him I sent you.”

“Okay, thanks,” I replied. “I appreciate it.”

“It's no problem at all,” Alice Ann gushed. “I really am so grateful for your article. Not that I'm pleased about the crimes that have taken place, of course,” she added, her face growing serious. “I hope you don't think I'm an opportunist like all these tourists who have been calling this morning.”

“No, no, not at all,” I murmured.

“I mean, I'm not at all happy about the reason I'm seeing so much new business. It's just that the inn has been struggling so much recently I've thought about throwing in the towel and retiring early. But this new business should be enough to keep us afloat at least through the end of the year, which is when we usually see a bump thanks to the ski resort in nearby Sugarville.”

“I understand,” I told her. “Don't worry, we don't judge you.”

“Well, thank you,” she replied, her cheeks reddening a bit. “I'm a little embarrassed to be profiting from the crimes, but what can you do? It is what it is.”

Ned and I nodded in agreement. Truthfully, I did agree with her. If she hadn't committed the crimes, then it wasn't her fault that was the reason tourists were flocking to the Cheshire Cat.

“Well, thanks for your time,” I told Alice as we headed for the door. “Oh, one more thing. Any idea where I can find Paige Samuels? I wanted to ask her when she thought the bookstore would be reopening and if she was going to reschedule the Lacey O'Brien signing.”

“Really?” Alice Ann replied, looking more than a little curious. “Well, she often has lunch at the diner, so you might try to find her there. Or you can swing by her place. She lives in an apartment on Oakwood Lane, right above the antique shop, in fact.”

Alice prattled on. “I don't know where she's been keeping herself. I know the fire put her store out of commission for a time, and she's probably mad as blazes at Lacey . . . for so many reasons dating back to high school that I couldn't even begin to tell you about, but, no, I haven't seen her.”

“Thanks, Alice Ann,” I said. I was grateful when the phone rang and Alice Ann stopped gossiping.

Ned and I headed out into the warm morning.

“Well, she sure is something,” Ned said softly as we left the inn. “Doesn't want to profit off the crimes, huh?”

“How can't it be Alice Ann?” I whispered to him. “We've got a motive now—her business was suffering and now it's booming. She doesn't particularly like Lacey or Paige, either.” I paused. “But we still need actual proof. We've got to find that typewriter.”

Ned nodded.

As we walked past my car, he plucked a piece of paper from the windshield and held it out to me. “Hey, what's this?” he asked.

Oh no! Not another note. Again, it was typed in all caps: