The Mystery of the Red-Brick House Read online

  Jeanie stood up and looked around the room, then back at Ann and Cindy. “We better get out of her.”

  Cindy and Ann caught their breath. Where was he hiding? He certainly isn’t up here. Unless there’s a secret hiding place somewhere. “Let’s get out of here,” Jeanie repeated, trying to act confident, when she really knew they were in grave danger.

  They quickly descended into the dark passageway. They slowly descended the ladder, and upon reaching the bottom, climbed down the rope ladder to the porch below. They sat down on the concrete. Their arms and legs ached from the long climb up and back down.

  Cindy rubbed her arms vigorously to ease the cramping. She pointed to the mud prints. “Those footprints only go one way. He’s still here.”

  “I know.”

  Ann shuddered. “But where? He could be watching us right now.”

  “Come on. Let’s check the walls in the attic. There has to be a secret room.”

  “No. Jeanie,” Ann said. “I’m tired.”

  “You can rest in the attic.”

  “What will do if we find him?” Cindy asked.

  “It’s three against one, remember?” Jeanie answered as she grabbed the rope ladder and began climbing up the secret passage. Cindy sighed, got up and followed.

  “Hey. Wait for me,” Ann yelled after them. She had no intention of being left alone.

  Cindy sneezed again, and it echoed up and down the passage. “Hold your nose,” Jeanie whispered.

  “I can’t breathe.”

  “We’re nearly there.” Jeanie pushed the trap door up a crack, and seeing no one in the room, crawled onto the attic floor. Cindy climbed in next, then Ann. Just as they stood up, Ann whispered, “I know where he’s hiding.” She could hardly speak the words.

  “Where?” asked Cindy and Jeanie. They looked around the room cautiously.

  Ann pointed a shaking finger to the trap door in the corner of the room, just as it began to creak. Two hairy arms appeared, pushing the door upward. A beam of light from the room below lit up the attic..

  “It’s him,” Ann cried. “It’s Blacky.”

  ####

  Chapter 21: Lurking Danger

  Cindy sprinted forward, literally diving at the trap door. Her years of rigorous ballet lessons had trained her for such fast movements. Jeanie and Ann ran after her and jumped on top of the opening door just after she landed. The hairy arms disappeared as the weight of the three girls pushed the door down to the floor. They heard a loud thud, then a moan, and the cursing intruder fell to the floor below.

  “It’s him. It is Blacky,” Ann gasped.

  “We did it,” Jeanie responded, triumphantly. “He’s trapped down in Miss Briggs’ room.”

  “Can’t he get out the bedroom door?” Cindy asked, still breathless from her dive through the air.

  “No. It’s padlocked from the outside,” Ann answered. “Miss Briggs locked it before she left. Probably so Jeanie and I couldn’t go snooping in her room.”

  “Now Blacky’s trapped inside,” Jeanie laughed. “It kind of backfired.”

  Blacky growled in the room below, obviously very upset. “You think he’s hurt very bad?” Cindy asked.

  “I hope so.”

  “I hope he broke a leg.”

  “Well. If he isn’t hurt, he’ll be trying to get through this trap door again.”

  “We better nail it shut. Then we’ll call the police.”

  “I’ll get the hammer and some nails,” Ann said, she headed for the secret passage. She was no longer frightened, but ready for action.

  “Hurry. I don’t know how long we can hold this door down. We were just lucky that he fell down. He wasn’t expecting us. Now he knows we’re here.”

  “Okay. I’m gone,” Ann replied she sprinted down the wooden ladder to the porch below.

  “Ann. Call the police while you’re in the house,” Jeanie yelled down the passageway.

  “Okay,” she responded.

  “What about the windows? Couldn’t he get out that way?” Cindy asked

  “That’s a possibility,” Jeanie responded. “But he’s on the third floor. He could break his neck. But if he gets desperate he might try it.”

  That didn’t satisfy Cindy. She was convinced Blacky would find a way to escape. “He could tie some sheets together to make a rope, and get out that way.”

  “If he thinks of it,” Jeanie agreed.

  “Trapped animals find a way to escape. Even chewing off their own leg. And he’s an animal.”

  Blacky interrupted their conversation with loud cursing. When he became quiet, Jeanie became anxious. “He’s up to something,” she said.

  They put their ear against the trap door. “Sounds like he’s taking sheets off the bed,” Cindy whispered. “I told you.”

  “Wish Ann would hurry up,” Jeanie said just Ann poked her head into the attic.

  “Hey. I’m back,” she announced. She handed the hammer and nails to her sister, and watched as Jeanie deftly hammered nails into the sides of the trap door.

  “There. That should keep him trapped until the police get here.”

  “Oh. Jeanie,” Ann said, her face turning ashen. “He must have cut the lines. The phone is dead.”

  “Bet he was expecting Miss Briggs to be home,” Jeanie commented. “He’s probably wondering what happened to her.”

  “Do you think her leaving messed up his plans?”

  “I don’t know. Probably. But we better get out of here and get some help.”

  “We can wake up my Dad. He’ll call the police,” said Cindy.

  They climbed down the dark passage to the porch, and rushed across the yard toward the gate. Cindy glanced back at the red-brick house just as Blacky was lowering some sheets out the third-floor window.

  Grabbing Ann’s arm, she cried out, “He’s getting away. He’s getting away.”

  ####

  Chapter 22: The Pursuit

  “Come one,” Jeanie yelled. “Don’t stop. We don’t have a minute to lose.” She rushed toward the mansion. Ann and Cindy sprinted after Jeanie as she crossed the street.

  The girls reached the front gate of the mansion just as three police cruisers and an unmarked car screeched to a halt. Police officers and plainclothes men jumped out. When the three girls rushed up the driveway toward the front door, they were ordered to get back.

  “Hey,” Jeanie called out when she got her breath. “We got Blacky.”

  “He’s trying to get out the window,” Cindy added.

  “You kids get back,” a young, red-headed officer yelled to the girls. “Go on home. It’s too late for you to be out.”

  “He’ll get away,” Ann yelled at the top of her voice. She jumped up and down, and pointed to the red-brick house across the street. It could barely be seen for all the tall trees lining the front yard.

  The other officers ignored the girls and entered the front door. A captain looked back at the young officer. “Come on, Ryan.”

  “Go home,” he admonished, leaving the girls and following the other officers into the house.

  “Come on,” said Cindy. “Let’s go in the side door.” She led them through a patio garden and into a room full of green plants. “This way,” she said. She opened a door into the living room where her mother and father were pacing the floor and shouting at the police.

  “Do something. Our child has been kidnapped. Do something.”

  A man in plain clothes answered as calmly as he could. “Please get control of yourself, Mr. Ralston. We need some details. How tall is your daughter?”

  Cindy ran to her parents, yelling, “He’s getting away. He’s going out the window.”

  Her mother and father seemed momentarily stunned. Here was their missing child, screaming at them.

  The police officers looked at each other in astonishment. Was this the missing child?

  “Where have you been? Did anyone hurt you?” They kept popping questions at her, and all she could say was “He’
s going to get away. He’s going to get away.”

  Finally the captain spoke up. “Everyone please quiet down for a moment. Please.”

  Jeanie and Ann stood in the corner out of the way of all the chaos. They began to fidget because they knew Blacky was climbing down the sheets and making his escape. He’d never be seen again. Ann decided to act before it was too late. “Please listen,” she yelled out from the corner of the room. The frenzy stopped, and they all turned toward the two girls standing unobtrusively in the corner.

  “Who are you?”

  “We caught the jewel thief,” she answered quickly, ignoring the question. There was no time for introductions.

  Cindy jumped in. “We trapped Blacky in Miss Brigg’s room. Only now he’s going out the window.”

  “Who’s Blacky?”

  “The jewel thief.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Across the street,” Jeanie answered, relieved that they had their attention at last. She stepped out of the corner. “Come on. I’ll show you.” She headed out the side door, hoping they would follow and quit asking questions. Ann turned on a dime and followed, leaving Cindy with her parents, still trying to explain who Blacky was. When the two girls left the yard, they could hear Cindy saying impatiently, “No. He didn’t kidnap me.”

  When Jeanie reached their front yard, she pointed to the sheets blowing in the light breeze against the side of the red-brick house. “He got away,” she cried out. “He’s gone.”

  Jeanie lead the way into the house, where they sat down with the officers and gave them all the details they could about their suspicions. The details were so jumbled, with both girls talking at once, that the officers stopped taking notes, and just listened. They told them about the shadowy figure that Liz saw coming out of the basement the day they moved in. Then the mud prints on the porch, and the voices in Miss Briggs’ room in the middle of the night.

  When they told about the water-soaked note with the word ‘midnight’ and signed by ‘Blacky’, the officers began to piece the details together, and started to believe the girls were on to something.

  “And don’t forget,” Ann interjected, “that Miss Briggs knew Cindy’s name.” She looked at the officers and added, “We didn’t even know her last name ourselves.”

  One of the officers took out his pad and began to write. “So what makes you girls think this guy who’s in your house is Blacky?”

  Jeanie looked at Ann. “We just know it.”

  The officer, trying to hide his grin, replied, “Okay. I guess we have enough details.” Jeanie and Ann could tell he didn’t believe their story. He handed them his report and asked them to sign it at the bottom, and date it.

  “Mind if we look around,” the captain asked when the girls handed back the signed report. Jeanie nodded yes.

  “Let’s take him up to Miss Briggs’ room,” Ann suggested, hoping they would break the padlock so she and Jeanie could do their own snooping later, when they all left.

  “It’s padlocked,” Jeanie responded. “Let’s take them up the secret passage to the attic.”

  “They could break the padlock,” Ann said as she followed her sister and the officers out the front door. They climbed up the passage to the attic, and s Jeanie entered the room, she heard loud pounding on the other trap door.

  “Sh-h-h,” Jeanie said as they entered after her. “He’s still down there.”

  One officer flashed a light around the room. “Where’s this trap door to Miss Briggs’ room?”

  Jeanie pointed to the trap door, where the pounding had stopped momentarily. “He’s still down there. He didn’t get out the window.”

  “Where is this room located that he’s trapped in?” an officer asked.

  “I’ll show you,” Ann offered.

  “No. It’s getting too dangerous. He may be armed. Just give us directions.”

  “Go up two flights from the living room staircase. It’s the first room on the left,” Ann explained patiently.

  “It has a padlock on the door,” Jeanie reminded them.

  Before leaving, the captain thanked the girls for their bravery in trapping the man below. “Ryan, take these young ladies to the Ralston’s estate where they’ll

  be safe. And stay with them until we get there.”

  Jeanie and Ann were reluctant to leave with the young officer. After all, they had trapped Blacky all by themselves. They didn’t like being treated like they were helpless children, needing protection.

  It didn’t seem fair somehow.

  ####

  Chapter 23: The Capture

  As it turned out, Blacky really was the jewel thief. He was apprehended with the Metro diamond in his duffel bag along with all the missing jewelry. Being very pragmatic, and hoping to cop a plea bargain, he readily implicated Miss Briggs in the heist.

  The captain put Blacky in custody of the officers, who drove him to the county jail. He returned to the Ralston’s estate, where Jeanie and Ann were sleeping soundly on two sofas in the living room. Officer Ryan stood guard, looking somewhat sleepy himself.

  The captain decided to let the girls rest, and call their mother at the farm in the morning after sunrise. He talked to her shortly before breakfast, and advised her they would be coming out in a police cruiser to arrest Miss Briggs for her complicity in the jewel theft. After her initial shock, Mrs. Grayson agreed to keep Miss Briggs occupied so she wouldn’t see the cruiser when it arrived.

  Mrs. Grayson took Liz into another room where they couldn’t be heard. “I need your help, Liz. But you must promise not to tell anyone. Not even your little brothers. Can I trust you?”

  Liz was immediately intrigued. It sounded so mysterious. “I promise to my dying day not to tell a soul,” she answered, crossing her heart and hoping to die. She also put on her most trusted look, with eyes wide and innocent.

  “I want you to lure Miss Briggs out to the barn. Think of some way to get her out there. I’ll be feeding the livestock nearby. When you get her way back in the barn, run as fast you can. I’ll be at the door to lock her in. Okay?” Liz knew from the look on her mother’s face this was very serious business. “I’m depending on you, Liz.”

  Liz went back to the dining room where Miss Briggs was serving scrambled eggs and biscuits to the boys. She sat down, and tried to eat, but the biscuit just stuck in her throat. She tried not to look at Miss Briggs, who was seated at the head of the table, nor at her two brothers. She could actually feel her eyes dilating with excitement, and was afraid they would know she was up to something.

  “Aren’t you hungry this morning?” Miss Briggs asked in a phony voice, trying to act concerned.

  Liz continued to fumble with her eggs. “No ma’m,” she answered just as sweetly. She needed to think. And she just couldn’t do it under Miss Briggs’ probing eyes.

  “Could I eat my breakfast later, please?” she asked.

  Miss Briggs stiffened, but her answer was pleasant. “Certainly, Liz,” she purred. “You can eat later when you feel better.”

  Liz continued to fiddle with her eggs. “Miss Briggs. Could you go with me to the barn to see if Bossy had her calf last night?” She still didn’t trust herself to look up.

  “Oh, Child, of course I’ll go with you. How exciting. I didn’t know Bossy was ready to give birth.” She succumbed to Liz’s shy behavior, never suspecting a thing. “Come on. Let’s go right now.”

  Liz could hardly contain herself. She even grabbed Miss Briggs’ hand as they walked out the back door and toward the barn, hand in hand. Ricky and Neil jumped up from the table and ran after them. Oh no, Liz thought. What do I do now? If they go into the barn with us, they might get locked in with Miss Briggs.

  With all these thoughts going through her head, Liz did manage to stay calm on the outside. She slowed her pace, and began to dawdle, trying to think of some way to divert her brothers from coming with them into the barn. Luckily, her mother came to the rescue. She was slopping the pigs outside the b
arn when she spotted the two boys running to catch up with Liz and Miss Briggs.

  “Boys,” she called. “Come slop the pigs.”

  When Liz entered the barn with Miss Briggs, her two brothers were busy feeding the pigs with her mother. “I can’t see,” Liz complained to Miss Briggs. “Can you get in front and lead the way?”

  “Child, I’ve never been in this barn in my entire life.”

  “Well. It’s straight ahead of us. Way in the back. Over there,” she said, pointing in the general direction where she wanted Miss Briggs to go.

  “Just hold my hand real tight,” Miss Briggs said, as she ventured forth.

  “I’ll hold on to your apron strings,” Liz suggested. “That way I’ll be right behind you.”

  Miss Briggs dropped Liz’s hand, so she could grab her apron strings. When they reached the back of the barn, Miss Briggs said, “I smell hay, but I don’t see any cow back here.”

  Liz knew it was time to get out of there. She dropped the apron strings, and rushed toward the entrance, hollering, “April’s fool, April’s fool.” When she reached the door, her mother and the two boys were waiting. They quickly shut the door and braced it from outside.

  Miss Briggs was trapped inside the barn. They heard her screams, “I can’t see. Liz, where are you? Help me. I can’t see.”

  When the cruiser arrived shortly after, Mrs. Grayson hustled all three children into the house until they had Miss Briggs handcuffed and taken away. But she let them watch from an upstairs window. Ricky and Neil waved as the cruiser drove off with Miss Briggs in the back seat.

  “Did you see that?” Liz asked her brothers. “Miss Briggs waved back.”

  ####

  Chapter 24: The Aftermath

  Back at the Ralston’s estate, Jeanie and Ann awakened to the smell of bacon and eggs. Cindy’s father had enough food catered to feed all the police officers, the plain clothes men, and everyone else who happened to spend the night there. He wasn’t sure of the number, so he said he wanted to feed a house full of people.

  “Let’s eat,” Cindy said to her two friends. “I’m starving.”

  They ate in the formal dining room, at the longest table Jeanie and Ann had ever seen outside of the movies. Everyone talked at the same time, especially the police officers. They each had their own version of how Blacky was captured. But they did agree on one basic undisputed fact. When Blacky realized he was outnumbered three to one, he gave up without a struggle. He admitted trying to escape out the window. But the sheets only reached the top of the first level, and he didn’t want to break a leg. After his capture, he wished he had tried anyway. But it was too late.