Chapter 21: They're in the Glovebox

Peter Coffman’s shooting proved quite inconvenient for the Lawrences.  As the only four witnesses to an attempted murder, they had to tell the police what happened.  That meant going down to the police station, which meant they were nowhere around when Mr. Hallett got done looking over property records.  The worried couple dialed Drew’s cellphone number.

“Sorry,” said Drew, “I should have told you.  We’re at the police station.  No, we’re not in trouble.  It’s OK.  We’ll probably be another twenty minutes.”

They were, plus another six minutes after that.  Once they could leave, they were very happy to get home.  It wasn’t the first time they’d seen someone get shot, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant.

“What were you doing at the police station?” Mr. Hallett asked.

This was one of those times when Drew was really glad to be a spy.  “Oh, you know!” he said.  “Stuff.  Important stuff.”

“It’s not anything you need to know,” Carol reassured the couple.

The Halletts knew better that to ask any more questions, so they didn’t.  “By the way, Drew, I went by Broadman and Sons.”

“Really?” said Drew.  “What did you find out?”

“Nothing, I’m afraid.  They were closed.”

“Oh, I see,” said Drew.  “That’s too bad.  We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Drew and his siblings weren’t mentioning the shooting to anybody, in order to keep the shooter from finding out they’d been there.  Had they been spotted?  It was possible.  If not, though, they certainly weren’t going to give it away.  They acted as natural as possible when they got back to the house.  “Phew, it’s hot out there!” said Drew.  “I’m going back to our room to set the thermostat to sixty.”

Carol laughed.  “You’ll get too chilly,” she said.  “I’ll just have a glass of lemonade.  Want one, Renee?”

Renee shook her head.  “No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.”  Carol wandered off to the kitchen.  She popped open the refrigerator door and found a nice, large container.  “Minute Maid,” she muttered to herself.  “Good stuff.  I think I might have a snack, too.”

“I’d better go tell Steve what I found out,” Mr. Hallett told his wife.  “Then, naptime for me.”  He headed down the hall towards his boss’s office.  Mrs. Hallett, meantime, headed back into her room, nearly running into Schlegel on the stairs.

“Oh, excuse me!” she said.

“Quite alright,” said Schlegel.  “Ladies first.”

Blaine’s door was open, and Mr. Hallett wandered in.  “Come in, John!  Tell me what you found out.”

“Well, it’s just what I’d expect with a property like that…” Mr. Hallett spent the next ten minutes telling his host about his findings.  The last owner had died intestate (without leaving a will), and there were five siblings that all had to agree if the course was to be sold.  However, the property tax hadn’t been paid for some time, which opened another possibility for getting a hold of the property.

“Fascinating,” said Mr. Blaine.  “I’ll think about it.  I think I’d like to just get all the heirs to agree.  Then, we can go ahead and buy it.”

“Sensible,” said Mr. Hallett.  “Just keep in mind that that’s easier said than done.”

“I certainly shall,” said Mr. Blaine.  “Take the rest of the day off.  You deserve a break.”

Mr. Hallett laughed.  “This is turning into quite a vacation for me.  Thanks, Steve.”  He closed his host’s door and turned to go back upstairs.  Right at that moment, he heard a voice.  It came from Schlegel, who was on the phone just down the hall.

“Tonight,” he said.  “I’ll put the plans in the glovebox.  They’ll be here when you arrive.  Sounds good?  Got it. Goodbye.”

Mr. Hallett nodded to the German diplomat and started back up the stairs, whistling to himself.  “Hmm,” he thought.  “The weather’s beautiful today.  I wonder if Sally’ll want to go for a walk tonight after dinner.”

He didn’t notice Schlegel staring after him as he mounted the stairs.  As a matter of fact, he’d already forgotten Schlegel’s little conversation.  He was just a retired lawyer.  It wasn’t his job to notice things like that.

But John Hallett hadn’t been the only guest in the area.  Down at the other end of the hallway, Carol had finished her snack.  She’d heard every word of the conversation.

And she wasn’t going to forget it.

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BOOK 9 in THE ANDERSON FAMILY MYSTERY SERIES now available!

When Nancy Anderson went to visit a girl who’d been in a coma for six months, she had no idea she was getting her family into another adventure. It soon turns out, however, that the girl’s family has disappeared without a trace. The exciting search takes the Andersons to Charlottesville, VA, where it’ll take more than addresses or car registrations for them to track down these relatives. Secrecy meets them at every turn. Read their exciting new adventure in THE FAMILY THAT DIDN’T EXIST!

Available at  https://www.amazon.com/Family-That-Didnt-Exist-Anderson/dp/1536977640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474283208&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Family+That+Didn%27t+Exist+Zisi