The Missing Dough(78)

“I don’t know,” Greg admitted, “but I don’t like it. Maybe my imagination’s just getting the best of me, but that footlocker was big enough to bury a body in.”

“You think he’s going to kill Samantha before she gets a chance to escape?” I asked.

“That was the first thing I thought of. There’s something else, too. When he was inside the furniture store shopping, I casually walked past his station wagon so I could take a closer look at those tools.”

“You shouldn’t have taken that kind of chance,” I said.

“He doesn’t even know me, though. We never met, remember?”

“So, what did you see?” Maddy asked.

“The tools had been used recently. There was still red clay sticking to both of them. I’ve got a feeling that he’s already dug his hole.”

I felt a chill run through me as he said it. “You really think he’s going to kill her, don’t you?”

“It’s a distinct possibility,” Greg said. “Should we call the police chief?”

“He might already know about it,” I said. “He hinted earlier that he was close to catching someone.”

“What if he’s after somebody else, though?” Greg asked. “If something happens to Samantha and there was anything I could do to stop it, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to forgive myself.”

“Hang on,” I said as the kitchen door opened and Bob Lemon walked in.

He was smiling broadly, as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. “Ladies, I’ve got good news.”

“That’s great to hear, because we could sure use some,” Maddy said after she kissed him.

“The police chief has invited me to join him when he arrests Grant’s killer,” he said proudly.

“You’re off the hook?” Maddy asked, hugging him tightly.

“Yes, I’ve been officially cleared of the crime,” he said.

I didn’t care who solved the murder, just as long as someone did. “Then who killed Grant? Was it Kenny Stout?”

“No, the chief is convinced that it was Bernie Maine. He found Grant’s wallet when he searched Maine’s place a second time, and an envelope with fifteen hundred dollars in it was right beside it. The wallet had a spatter of blood on it, too, and it looks like Maine took it off the body after he skewered Grant.”

“It’s still just circumstantial, though, isn’t it?” I asked.

“You’re not upset just because you didn’t figure it out first, are you? The police chief has advantages and resources that you don’t. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“That’s not it at all,” I said. “How is he going to catch Bernie, even if he believes that he’s the killer? The man has just vanished since Maddy and I chased him down that country road.”

“The chief had an idea, and he was going through some papers of Maine’s and found a Web site address for a realty company in Grayson’s Corners. It seems that old Bernie rented a remote cabin in the woods two weeks ago, and the chief is pretty sure he’s holing up there.”

“Can we come, too?” Maddy asked.

“Sorry. He let me tell you, but I’m the only civilian that’s going to be included. I’ll give you a call when it’s all over, though, I promise,” he told Maddy and then gave her another kiss. “Thank you all for all of your hard work. I’m sure Chief Hurley couldn’t have done it without you.”

Once he was gone, Maddy said, “Well, I guess we were wrong, Sis.”

“I’m not so sure,” I said.

Greg said, “Even if someone else is the killer, I’m still worried about Samantha. Kenny Stout may not have killed Grant, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not capable of murdering his ex-wife. Eleanor, I’d like to go over there and make sure nothing’s happened to her, and I know that Josh is going to want to go, too. Is there any way we can get off early?”

I looked at the clock and saw that we had an hour left on our evening shift, but Greg was right. If we could stop something bad from happening, then we should. “Go on. We’ll handle this. But don’t do anything crazy, okay?”

“We won’t,” Greg said, and then he took off.

“It looks like it’s just the two of us again,” I said to Maddy as we walked out of the kitchen. The dining room was almost empty, with one couple waiting for their pizza.

“I know. It feels as though we’re missing out on all of the action.”

“I’ve got an idea.” I approached the couple and said, “I’ve got a deal for you tonight, one night only. If you get your pizza as a carryout, it’s free, and so are two sodas of your choice. How does that sound?”