Hermina Romunda Guadalupe Lizet Villanueva has dreams as grand as her name. That’s why she was sitting in the Hydrangea bush beneath the Maitland’s dining room window. The Maitlands were thieves. Hermina knew it and she was going to prove it.
Saturday afternoon Mina had secretly followed her sister, Maria Celeste, to the Church Street Post Office. Maria had told her parents she was going to the movies with her girlfriends, but she didn’t go anywhere near the mall. Instead, she pretended to post a letter, and “accidentally” encountered Roger Finklemeyer outside his dad’s clothing store.
Roger worked for his dad on the weekends and was on his way to Burger King for lunch. Maria decided to join him. Mina was all set to take pictures of their rendezvous with the camera on her mother’s cell phone. That’s when the Maitland’s caught Mina’s eye. Mr. and Mrs. Maitland were standing in the the front window of LaVive Art Gallery where a huge painting depicting an old-fashioned horse and carriage complete with groom was on display. The Maitlands, however, were looking into Mrs. Maitland’s satchel. Mina heard Mrs. Maitland say, “I can’t believe we really did it.” and Mr. Maitland answer, “I think we should get it home and out of sight as quickly as possible.”
Whatever was in the bag, it must have been heavy — and very distracting. It took both of the Maitlands to carry it, and they walked right past Mina without even recognizing her! The old couple had no sooner disappeared than Mr. Finklemeyer came running out of his store yelling he’d been robbed. Roger jumped up out of the booth where he’d been playing footsie with Maria, and ran to his dad. The two of them disappeared into the store arguing about who was supposed to be watching the merchandise.
Mina was so busy trying to figure out what was going on, that she forgot to hide and was standing square in the middle of the sidewalk when Maria came out of the hamburger joint. Luckily Maria was staring after Roger. Mina hurried around the corner and hid behind a tombstone on the grounds of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. Mina wasn’t Catholic, but just the same she said a prayer for the person whose tombstone provided her cover. After a few minutes, Maria stomped by and Mina followed her home — keeping a safe distance of course.
That night at the dinner table Mina told her father that she thought the Maitlands were thieves. Her father told her not to go spreading tales like that without proof and gave her a lecture on “bearing false witness”. Mina didn’t quite understand what he meant because she hadn’t told any tales about bears, but she did understand that she would need proof if she wanted her parents to listen.
That’s how she ended up in the Hydrangea bush with her mother’s cell phone in her hand. She needed a picture of whatever it was the Maitlands stole — but she hadn’t stuck around outside the Finklemeyer’s store long enough to hear what had been stolen. She’d tried asking Maria, but Maria had just socked her in the shoulder and told her to keep her creepy, spying eyes away from Roger Finklemeyer.
Mina listened intently. The window above her head was open. She could hear a lawn mower down the block, cars passing out on the boulevard, the slight whisper of wind from the trees, but not a sound from the Maitlands. Their car was in the driveway so she knew they were home; what she didn’t know was where inside their house they might be.
Slowly Mina raised her hand until the camera lens of her mother’s cell phone cleared the window sill. She clicked a quick picture and jerked her hand down. There on the tiny cellular’s screen was Mrs. Maitland, looking right at the camera in obvious surprise. Mina erupted from the bush and ran for home without once looking back.
Her mother was waiting for her on the front porch. “Alright, young lady,”she said. “Give me my cell phone.”
Mina reluctantly handed it over.
Her mother opened the menu and scrolled straight to Mrs. Maitland’s photo. She shook her head and then shook her finger at her youngest daughter. “Edith called and said you were poking around in her bushes. I told her she must have you mistaken with some other girl. She was going to the window to look out and tell me what you were wearing, when you apparently popped up and took her photo. You nearly scared her to death. Exactly what were you up to?”
Mina shrugged.
“You were playing spy again weren’t you?” Her mother demanded.
Mina looked at her shoes and didn’t answer.
“Very well,” her mother said, “You may play spy in your bedroom for the rest of the afternoon — and don’t come out before supper!”
Mina sat on the side of her bed dangling her feet. What kind of super spy got sent to her bedroom? What kind of a super spy even got caught? Mina puckered up her mouth and stuck out her chin. “I’ll show them,” she thought.
Maria sashayed into the room. “My little sister the spy,” she said, and rolled her eyes. She perched on the edge of Mina’s bed. “Can’t even watch two little old people without getting caught.”
“Well I watched you,” Mina said. “All gushy and big-eyed, ‘Oh, Roger,’” Mina mimicked her sister’s voice, ‘Fancy meeting you here.’ Like it was an accident when you’d been waiting for him right outside his father’s store for like a half hour.”
“Oh!” Maria let out a shriek, jumped up off the bed and grabbed Mina by both of her black, glossy pig-tails. “Listen, Brat-Child,” Maria said. “One word about Roger to Mom or Pop and you’ll regret it! I’m warning you!” She pulled on Mina’s pigtails until the girl was looking straight up at the ceiling, then gave them an extra tug for good measure and flounced from the room.
“Whatever,” Mina mumbled. but she made certain it was quiet enough that Maria didn’t hear.
Monday in school Ellie Haversol told Mina that a miniature carousel had been stolen from behind Finklemeyer’s store. She said it was about twelve feet in diameter, permanently mounted on a flatbed trailer and covered in hundreds of thousands of Austrian Crystals. Mina knew there was no way the Maitlands had that in their shopping satchel — so what did they have? While Ellie was going on about the carousel Mina was trying to remember what other stores were near Finklemeyer’s Clothing. There was the Post Office, Burger King, St. Anne’s Church, and Emmerson’s Gem Stone Emporium. Mina wondered of Emmerson’s was missing anything. She didn’t have to wonder how to find out. Tara Emmerson was in her 5th period class.
“Mina!” Ellie snapped impatiently, “Have you listened to a word I’ve said?”
“Yes, of course,” Mina answered. “You said Finklemeyer’s had a miniature carousel stolen from behind their store.”
“Oh!” Ellie stamped her foot. “I also told you that old man Finklemeyer, Roger’s father, is in jail. He is suspected of stealing it.”
Mina was confused. “Why would he report it stolen if he’d stolen it in the first place?” She asked.
“He didn’t steal it!” Ellie said. “He was watching it. The carousel was imported from Austria. Old man Finklemeyer’s cousin is some rich, muscle bound, movie-actor, Governor or something or other — I’m not quite sure about that part — and he had this carousel shipped in for his kid’s birthday party. The thing is supposedly decorated with thousands of dollars worth of Austrian crystal, brass, copper, and silver. Not only that, but the brass rings aren’t brass. They are solid gold — each one worth a fortune. Roger Finklemeyer said so.”
“Oh wow!” Mina snapped her fingers. “That’s it!” She sprinted for the door, calling back over her shoulder, “Thanks, Ellie! I gotta go!”
Hermina Romunda Guadalupe Lizet Villanueva left the school without a backward glance. She shot through the double doors and barreled down 11th Avenue as fast as she could run. She paused at the corner of Eleventh Avenue and Church Street, realizing that she couldn’t just march into Finklemeyer’s Store — if it was even open. Was Mr. Finklemeyer still in jail?
Mina stood with her bottom lip between her teeth, her hands on her hips, and tapping her foot. She needed a plan. A patrol car rounded the corner and the policeman inside slowed down and took a good look at her. It suddenly occurred to Mina that every other kid in town was in school right now. The police car was moving slow. Mina could tell the officer was looking at her in the rear view mirror. Any second now, his tail-lights would flash. He’d throw the car in reverse and come back to question her. Mina didn’t fancy being taken home to her mom in a patrol car. She’d already landed herself in a big enough can of worms when she charged out of school.
Mina wanted to run, but she knew it was time to stop acting scatter-brained. She pivoted on her foot and looked at the building behind her. Until that moment, she hadn’t thought much about where she was.
“Excuse me, young lady.” The officer had left his car in the middle of the road with the driver’s door open. He walked toward Mina. “Is there a problem?”
Mina just shrugged and pointed at the sign. DENTAL CLINIC.
“Ah, I see,” the officer said, grinning. “Why don’t I just wait right here while you march yourself in there?”
“It’s okay.” Mina said. “I don’t want to trouble you.”
“No trouble,” the officer said. “It’s my job. Come on. In you go.” He put his hand on Mina’s shoulder and escorted her to the door, which he opened for her.
The receptionist, one of her mother’s friends from church, looked up in surprise. “Mina! What are you doing here?” She looked at the officer standing outside the glass doors. “Are you in trouble?”
“No.” Mina shook her head, but the answer was obviously, yes! “I’m a …. I’m a ….” Mina shrugged her shoulders.
“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist asked. She was frowning at her computer monitor. “I don’t remember seeing your name.”
Mina couldn’t remember the woman’s name and walked forward to read her name tag. Audrey. No last name. Big help that was. “Listen, Mrs. -”
“I’m sorry, Mina.” Audrey interrupted. “I have a broken computer monitor and not even CPR can reserrect it. And you don’t seem to be in the appointment book, either, dear. Are you certain you have the right day?”
Mina shook her head. “Not really,” she said, and chanced a glance over her shoulder. The officer was gone. Mina relaxed. A grin split her face from ear to ear.
The receptionist, Audrey, smiled to. “Today is your lucky day, Mina,” she said. “No appointment.” Then she added, “I’ll ring your mother in just a bit and have her reschedule.”
“Gee, thanks,” Mina said, but her smile was effectively gone. She turned and walked to the door, her eyes searching the street for the patrol car. Neither it nor the officer were anywhere in sight.
Mina left the dentist’s office aware that she couldn’t just walk down the street in broad daylight. It was barely past noon and people were certain to notice a kid out of school. She circled the building, and headed for the service alley.
This was more like it. No traffic, no prying eyes. Just Mina, the dumpsters in their little brick enclosures, and a stray cat here and there. She walked briskly, stopping just a block from Finklemeyer’s. She was behind Rona’s Five and Diner. Rona had a love of folk music. A song about burning draft cards was pouring into the alley mingling with aroma’s that reminded Mina she’d had no lunch.
Finklemeyer’s store was on the corner right across the street. There were no lights on inside. It didn’t appear to be conducting business, but someone was there. The back door stood wide open. Mina rushed across the street, away from the tantalizing aroma’s at Rona’s, and into the dumpster enclosure behind Finklemeyer’s. The aromas there weren’t in the least bit enticing.
Once inside the enclosure, Mina slipped behind the wooden gate and peeked out through the gap between the door and the wall. It was too dark inside the store and she was too far away to see anything. She was going to have to move closer.
If Finklemeyer was in jail, then who was in the store? And was Finklemeyer in jail? Why would he fake stealing the carousel — unless part of it had been stolen and he was stalling for time trying to get it back? That’s what Mina suspected. The Maitlands had stolen the golden rings, and Finklemeyer faked the theft of the carousel because … Mina wasn’t certain. Finklemeyer didn’t own the carousel, so he wouldn’t get any of the insurance money. If he faked the theft to gain time to find the real thief, he probably wasn’t having a lot of luck finding them from behind bars.
Mina sprinted from the cover of the dumpster enclosure. Darting across the alley, she came to a stop crouched below the loading dock. That put her just beside and below the open back door. She wished for her mother’s cell phone so she could take a picture of what was aroud the corner. Of course, the last time she’d done that, it hadn’t turned out so well.
Mina listened intently. She could hear the traffic out of the street, snatches of music from Rona’s, and bits and pieces of other neighborhood noise. She didn’t hear anything from the store. Nor did she hear the foot-steps of the man who slipped up behind her. The first clue Mina had that she wasn’t alone, was a hand clamping over her mouth.
Mina tried to wiggle free, jabbing with her elbows and kicking backward. Someone seized her right braid, wrapped it around his fist, and shook her. Mina tried to scream. Nothing emerged but a squeak. Her head was shaken again. She kept fighting, trying to turn to get a look at her attacker.
Her hair was released. Mina twisted and saw … nothing but a gunny sack as it came down over her face. The hand over her mouth remained, but even had it not, Mina wasn’t certain she could have screamed. The bag reeked of motor oil and mildew, causing her breath to catch in the back of her throat.
Mina heard the unmistakable sound of duct tape peeling from a roll. She flayed backward with her hands, trying to hit her captor. She’d show him that Hermina Romunda Guadalupe Lizet Villanueva wasn’t that easy to subdue! She reached up and dug her fingernails into the hand across her mouth.
“Holy crap! Stop her!” The man holding Mina snapped. Her wrists were seized. She tried to pull away, but whoever held her was much stronger. Her right wrist was wrapped in duct tape. And then her left, securing them tightly together in front of her.
She felt a hand close around her ankle and kicked as hard as she could. Her foot sink into a soft body part. Score!
“Shit! Hold the little brat still!” Her captures were men, and Mina didn’t recognize their voices. She kicked out again, but her foot struck only air. A hand covered the top of her head. The hand over her mouth tightened. The man holding Mina leaned into her, applying his weight to her back and shoulders. Her knees buckled.
Mina was forced into a crouched position. She was not allowed to sit, nor was she pemitted to stand. She was in no position to kick, either. In short order, her ankles were duct taped together, then Mina was lifted and carried away.
They didn’t go far. Mina heard a heavy door open. Her feet were dropped to the floor and Mina was stood upright. With her feet taped she couldn’t balance on her own. She was pushed roughly from behind and pitched onto an icy floor.
“That ought to take care of the paragon of virtue and her playmates.” The voice was bitter cold — and female. Mina didn’t recognize it, or understand her meaning. “Come on,” the woman said, “We’ve got work to do.”
Mina heard the door close. “Help!” She shrieked, belatedly realizing the hand no longer covered her mouth. She screamed again. “Help!”
Hands reached out, grabbed her arms and lifted her to a sitting position. “Hush, dear,” and gentle, female voice urged. “It’s no use. This place is sound proof.”
The bag was lifted from Mina’s head. She was in a gray, cold room. And she was with the Maitlands. “Where are we?” Mina demanded.
“We’re in a walk-in freezer,” Mr. Maitland answered.
While Mrs. Maitland picked at the tape around her ankles, Mina turned her head and stared at the freezer door.
“Locked from the outside,” Mrs. Maitland said.
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t have an air tight seal,” Mina thought.
“It has an air tight seal,” Mr. Maitland said.
“Do, hush, Bernie!” Mrs. Maitland scolded. “You’ll scare the child.”
“What? You want me to lie to the girl and tell her we’re in no danger?” Bernie Maitland rubbed his arms briskly and stomped his feet. “Still, she did do us a good turn. When they brought her in here they opened the door and refreshed the air. Might have even raised the temperature by a degree or two.”
“What is going on?” Mina demanded. “Who were those men and why did they put us in the freezer?”
“It’s a long story, dear,” Mrs. Maitland said. She paced two steps and turned, paced two steps and turned, back and forth. The freezer wasn’t big enough for much more than that. The unit was maybe five feet by eight feet, with shelves all the way around. Empty shelves, save one, which housed little, butcher paper wrapped packages — all the exact same size.
Mina reached out and grabbed one. It was surprisingly heavy, and whatever was inside wasn’t frozen. Something sifted and moved within the package. Mina looked at Mrs. Maitland, who was staring at Mr. Maitland, who shrugged.
He raised his hands and his eyes as though he were speaking to the ceiling and asked, “What difference does it make?” Then he shrugged and nodded toward the package. “Go ahead, kid. Open it up.”
Mina loosed the paper and unrolled a plastic zip-seal bag.
“Snow and Ice,” Mr. Maitland said. He took the bag from Mina and opened it, then he motioned toward her hand. Mina obediently raised it and Mr. Maitland filled it with bright light and glitter.
“Bernie, this isn’t wise –” Mrs. Maitland began.
Mr. Maitland interrupted. “What’s she going to do, Edith? Say something to the wrong person? Tip the bad guys off that we’re on the them? I think they know.”
“Sarcastic ass.” Mrs. Maitland muttered.
“Are these diamonds?” Mina queried, her voice full of awe.
“Indeed.” Mr. Maitland answered. He waved his hand at the other packages. “Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, peridot …. all the Austrian crystals on that carousel were really precious gems.”
“And the brass rings were really solid gold,” Mina said.
Mrs. Maitland gasped. “How did you know?”
“That’s why I am here,” Mina said. “Roger Maitland has been spreading it around school. I was trying to figure out why his dad would steal the carousel if it already belonged to him, then I remembered you two standing in front of the store looking into Mrs. Maitland’s satchel. I knew by the way you were acting that you’d stolen something.”
“Well, I’ll be!” Mrs. Maitland put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
Mr. Maitland laughed. “You’ve got good instincts little one,” he said. He pointed at Mrs. Maitland, “Edith and I are amateur detectives. We knew the carousel was being used to smuggle something, but we thought it was drugs. We got into Finklemeyer’s warehouse and were snooping around the carousel.”
“I found a work bench covered in fake gems and bottles of jewelry cement and figured out it was jewels being smuggled.” Mrs. Maitland said.
Mr. Maitland nodded. “So we took a diamond crusted hoof off one of the horses — .”
“We were going to take it to the police,” Mrs. Maitland interrupted.
“But before we did, we wanted to make sure they were real diamonds,” Mr. Maitland continued. “So we brought it home and pried one off.”
“But by the time we’d done that, it was time for me to start cooking dinner, and Bernie’s favorite news program was on.” Mrs. Maitland finished.
Mina was almost dizzy from looking back and forth between the two of them. She poured the diamonds back into the plastic bag, rubbed her hands together, then tucked them in her arm pits. “So how did the two of you end up in this freezer?” She asked, hoping their story would distract her from the cold.
“Ask him!”
Ask her!”
The Maitlands both spoke at once, each of them pointing at the other.
“My brilliant wife,” Mr. Maitland said. “Decided we needed a jewelers evaluation of the stone.”
“It wasn’t my idea to go to Emmerson’s store! There are dozen’s of jewelry stores in this city. Why did you have to pick the one next door to our suspect?”
“So,” Mina queried, “Mr. Finklemeyer saw you go into the jewelry shop and got suspicious? Did he follow you in and overhear your conversation?”
“Oh no,” Mrs. Maitland said. “Gallina Emmerson is Finklemeyer’s sister. It seems the jewelry glue is her own special mixture. She recognized it and the stone instantly.”
“That woman might be named after a chicken,” Mr. Maitland said, “But she is pure vulture! She must have phoned her brother from the back room because while she was back there supposedly running a clarity test — ”
Mina interrupted, “But they do that with the customer! They use a gem loupe, this little, hand held, magnifier …”
“How were we to know that?” Mrs. Maitland huffed.
Mr. Maitland pointed at Mina, “A ten year old child knows for petesake!”
“Don’t snap at me,” Mrs. Maitland said. “You didn’t know either!”
“Anyway,” Mr. Maitland said, “While we were waiting for Gallina to return, Finklemeyer and his goon — ”
” — Mr. Emmerson –” Mrs. Maitland supplied.
” — came in through the front door, stuck guns in our backs, and marched us into the alley.” Mr. Maitland finished.
“But how did you end up here — in the freezer?” Mina asked.
“Finklemeyer wanted to know where we’d stashed the horse’s hoof. We refused to tell him.” Mr. Maitland supplied.
“Emmerson was all for beating it out of us,” Mrs. Maitland said. “He was going to start with me and make Bernie watch.”
“Then Finklemeyer said that somebody would be sure to hear us scream, and that’s when they decided to stuff us in here.” Mr. Maitland said.
“But where are we?” Mina asked. “In the diner? Is Rona in on this, too?”
“Not Rona!” Mrs. Maitland was horrified. “Oh, I hope she’s not part of this! Aside from those hideous curtains on the windows, I love her diner!”
“She’s part of this, too?” Mr. Maitland wailed. “How can someone who makes such incredible vegetarian chili possibly be evil? Well, except for her curtains, they’re down right scary, especially when they’re blowing in the breeze!”
“So we are in Rona’s freezer?” Mina queried.
“No,” Mr. Maitland said. “We’re in Finklemeyer’s warehouse. “This place was an ice cream parlor and kiddie arcade before he made it over. We’re in the old ice cream freezer.”
“So how do you know Rona is in on this?” Mina was confused.
“Well, because you said so!” Mrs. Maitland accused. “You said –”
“I asked,” Mina corrected. “Asking isn’t the same as telling.”
Mr. Maitland nodded his head. “She’s right, dear. It isn’t.”
“Now you’ve confused me!” Mrs. Maitland wailed.
Mina shivered. She pulled her arms from her sleeves and tucked them inside her shirt. “I’m cold,” she said. “But I’m not really freezing. This place isn’t cold enough to keep ice cream.”
“They don’t want us dead,” Mr. Maitland said.
“Right now they’re searching our house,” Mrs. Maitland interjected.
Mina was getting used to their tag-team talking, but standing between them was a bad idea. She was definitely nauseous from all the head cranking. She stamped her feet and shifted around a bit until she was at the far end of the freezer and the Maitlands were standing together.
“They won’t find it.” Mr. Maitland said. “We knew better than to hide the jewels in our own house.”
“And when they don’t find it,” Mrs. Maitland said, “They’re going to come back here –”
” — to beat it out of us,” they finished together.
“Then they’ll kill us,” Mr. Maitland said.
“They’re not going to kill us,” Mrs. Maitland said. “According to my premonitions …”
“Premonitions, schmenonitions!” Mr. Maitland groused. “If your premonitions were any good, you’d of had them before we got locked in the freezer!”
Mrs. Maitland continued as though her husband hadn’t spoken. ” — Mr. Emmerson and Mr. Finklemeyer haven’t got the stomach for killing. Gallina gets so mad she grabs her husband’s revolver –”
“Now that I believe,” Mr. Maitland muttered.
“– and accidentally shoots him in the process.”
“Mrs. Emmerson is going to kill her own husband?” Mr. Maitland grinned.
“In your premonition, what were we doing when all this was happening?” Mina asked.
“Watching,” Mrs. Maitland said, surprised. “What else could we do?”
“Well, I’d rather not just stand here waiting to get shot!” Mina said.
“We’re locked in a freezer,” Mr. Maitland said. “It’s not like we have a lot of resources.”
Mina grabbed one of the empty freezers shelves and tugged. The shelves had two parts, wire support racks, and removable polished stainless steel trays. They weren’t heavy. They certainly wouldn’t stop a bullet, but they might be just the thing for creating a distraction.
After removing several stainless steel trays, Mina realized that the shelving units were free standing. The walk in freezer was simply a five by eight room with the door set slightly off center of the five foot end. Mina smiled. Some room redecoration was in order.
“I have a plan,” she announced. “First, we need to move all these jewels.” They stacked the jewels in a tower, one bag a top the other, in the corner to the right of the door, almost diagonally across the room from where they’d been. Next, they gathered all the stainless steel trays, and moved the shelves. “We need to tip this shelf on it’s side,” Mina said, “And put it across the door so they can’t just walk into the room, but leave this end back a bit, because if this works, we’ll be going around it and out.”
“They’ll be able to see it,” Mr. Maitland grumbled. “And us, too. We’re still going to end up dead.”
“Oh hush, Bernie” Mrs. Maitland scolded. “I’d rather die trying to save myself than just stand around waiting to get shot. Besides, this is kind of exciting, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, exciting like a house fire.” Mr. Maitland grumbled, but even so he helped move the heavy racks and arrange the stainless steels trays just so. When their handiwork was done, the shelves on the back wall had been moved several feet forward, with one tipped on its side about a half foot inside the door. The stainless steel trays had been carefully balanced at the back of each shelf to stand on end. They made a murky and distorted mirror.
Mina and the Maitlands studied their handiwork. Finally, Mrs. Maitland said, “Mina, I am sorry, but I think my Bernie is right. This isn’t going to work. When they open the door they’re going to see right away what we’ve done and just order us to come out.”
Mina pointed at the lightbulb on the ceiling. “That’s why I need to unscrew that.” She looked at Mr. Maitland. “Do you think you can pick me up?”
Mr. Maitland looked startled. He glanced at his wife, then back to Mina. “But if you do that it will be dark!”
Mrs. Maitland reached out and grabbed her husband’s arm. “It’s okay, Bernie. If you hold on to me, I’ll be okay.”
“When do we have to turn the light out?” Mr. Maitland asked. “Edith doesn’t see well in the dark and it makes her anxious.”
“We can’t hear them coming,” Mina said. “For all we know they could be standing outside right now. The sooner the light goes off, the better.”
“It’s okay, Bernie,” Mrs. Maitland repeated. “There’s nothing in here to see anyway.”
“My wife the comedian,” Mr. Maitland said fondly. “Hold on to my belt now and I’ll lift Mina up there to unscrew the bulb.”
“Remember,” Mina said as they took their places in the shadows. “Once that door opens, the safest place to be is flat on the floor.”
The floor was too cold to sit, so they stood behind their make shift barrier, huddled together sharing body heat and comfort . And they waited.
Eternity passed. Mina began to wonder if they hadn’t been left in the freezer to die of hypothermia. Besides, she had to go to the bathroom.
And the door rattled. Mina whispered, “Floor,” and tossed the lightbulb toward the far wall.
The lightbulb exploded, two guns fired, a woman screamed, the man at the door lurched forward and fell over the tipped shelving and Mina yelled, “Now!” She shot through the door and into the main room of the warehouse with the Maitland’s right behind. They piled to a halt just at the edge of the freezer door. “Now if that don’t beat all!” Mr. Maitland said. “Your premonition worked!”
Mr. Emmerson sprawled on the floor, a red stain spreading out from his side. Mrs. Emmerson was holding his head, rocking back-and-forth, stammering, “I’m s-s-sor-ry, I’m s-s-sor-ry!” A revolver lay on the floor beside them. Mina kicked it away. Mr. Maitland walked over and put his foot on it.
“We need to call the police.” Mrs. Maitland reached for the cell phone visible in the side pocket of Mrs. Emmerson’s purse right beside a puce flier asking, “Do you own your own home?”
“Freeze!” Mr. Finklemeyer’s voice brought them all to a halt. Still on the freezer floor, he held a revolver pointed straight at Mina. “Hands in the air, all of you!” He ordered. Mina and the Maitlands complied.
“Gallina, tie them up!” Finklemeyer ordered.
“My Cliffy is hurt,” Gallina sobbed.
“You shot me!” Clifford Emmerson accused his wife. “Is there a doctor in the house?” he yelled and tried to sit up.
Finklemeyer looked toward his brother-in-law, and Mina closed the freezer door. “Call the police,” she said. And Mrs. Maitland did.
Epilogue:
That night Mina’s mom tucked her safe in a warm bed, having fed her soup and seventeen don’t-ever-do-anything-like-that-again lectures. Mina was almost asleep when her door opened and the light snapped on. It was Maria.
“Listen, little miss pampered kitty, don’t get to thinking you’re all that. They haven’t held your coronation yet.” Maria lifted a heavy book from Mina’s desk and tossed it on the floor. “You go on reading anthropology, capturing jewel thieves, and thinking that you can change the world. All you’re going to get for it is ulcers and a sleeping disorder!” And on that high drama proclamation she swept from the room, leaving the light on.
Charlene L. Amsden
all rights reserved
