A flood of yellow light shot in through the cracked door, sharply highlighting the furniture in its beam of illumination. The edge of the desk was now visible, as well as the distressed floorboards covered by a worn carpet; and the cabinets against the wall. The silhouette in the doorway appeared to be that of a man’s; and Jane gasped silently in the dark when he opened the door further to shine light on the curtains that she stood behind.
Josh had rolled Zack’s chair out of view behind a coatrack, hiding alongside of him; and Jane wished now that she had had time to retreat someplace more concealed. The man reached his arm in to flick the light switch on the wall; but with the lamp unplugged, nothing changed when he flipped it.
Jane sharped her ears as she stood deathly still in the shadows. She could hear the man in the doorway step into the room.
Her fear of being discovered grew more intense; and she racked her brains to think of a diversion; but could think of nothing.
The man then broke the silence abruptly, and called out in to the dark room:
“Zack?”
Josh covered Zack’s mouth with his hand for fear of him speaking out; and Jane could see from around the side of the curtain, the silhouette in the middle of the room had turned on his heel towards Zack.
With the room in almost complete blackness; she couldn’t help but wonder what made him look at them. Her only explanation was that he must have heard them, and instinctively moved in their direction to investigate.
It was then that a sobering shout came from somewhere down the hall; and a wave of relief poured over Jane when she saw the man stop in his tracks, turning slowly and yet in such a way as to suggest a sudden situation; he strode towards the door.
“Mr. Baker!” The shout came a second time.
The following moment she found herself somewhat weak as she relaxed her tense muscles, and put a hand on the nearby table from around the side of the curtain. The man had left the room, pulling the door to; leaving only a sliver of light to shine in.
“What is it?” she heard his gruff voice call down the hall.
Heavy footsteps could be heard; and it wasn’t from one pair of shoes, but many.
“I found these two lurking around outside, and with a dog,” the other voice responded. Jane concluded that it must be another security guard on duty, and she shot a concerned glance at Josh in the dark.
“Lurking around outside, huh? Well, bring them over here!”
Closer the footsteps came, and the man who had previously occupied the room gave a low chuckle and called out jovially to the oncoming persons:
“Margaret- why, what are you up to young lady! And with a German Shepherd, what a surprise! If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was Trooper!”
His tone was startlingly convivial, and not the least bit unfriendly.
“I approached them from behind, sir- they gave me a bit of difficulty at first but I brought them in since they were acting suspicious.”
“If you please,” Margaret’s voice cut in, “you’re squeezing my wrist, let go!”
“Do as she says and let the lady go, Arthur.” He commanded to the security guard with authority. Then he continued:
“Now, what were you—wait” and there he paused as if recalling something he remembered, “am I mistaken, or are you Ted Hayden?”
An uproar followed, and Jane gave a start when she heard what sounded like a struggle between Ted and the security guard; evidently breaking free of his hold and dashing down the corridor, sending a piercing sound of shattering glass and splintering artifacts.
“Come back here!” the security guard bellowed, and the racing footsteps and scampering paws faded off.
“Margaret,” the older man, – presumably Mr. Baker – began quietly, “in case you were unaware, that man is a criminal. I saw his picture in the newspapers reporting of his escape. I’m sure you have a good reason for being here with him?”
Margaret’s hesitation could be heard even in the darkness, and Jane swallowed loudly for fear of her friend not coming up with an answer.
“Ye-Yes. I came across him at the same time I found that dog that was here; I recognized the dog as the museum’s security animal, and suggested that we bring it back here and report it. I-I’ve never seen the man before in my life.” She said with a hint of desperation.
“Well, don’t trouble yourself over it. It’s not your fault, you had the best intentions at heart. I wish that dog hadn’t fled away like that, it certainly looked a lot like Trooper; it could have been his twin brother.”
“He convinced me!” Margaret’s tone of voice was audibly nervous.
The security guard who had sped off after Ted Hayden a few moments prior had returned; out of breath and exhausted.
“He, he got away-“ the security guard gasped between breaths, “I couldn’t get him, he was just too fast. He made a colossal mess of an urn display case in the next room, some of it is irreparably damaged.”
“I can help clean that up!” Margaret chimed in, and Mr. Baker laughed condescendingly.
“No need for that, little lady. Your parents are probably wondering where you are, and we can handle this small inconvenience ourselves. I’ll drive you home.”
“I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Mr. Baker; I can take myself home.” Margaret objected.
“I insist, with that criminal running loose, I think your parents would prefer it if someone saw you safely home. My car is right outside.”
With that last sentence, Jane could hear Mr. Baker pass by the security room once more and pull the door shut, supposedly accompanied by Margaret, when he called back over his shoulder to the security guard:
“Arthur, keep a look out for Zack. He seems to be missing.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was pitch dark with the door pulled shut; and Jane pushed back the curtains to let in the subtle moonlight. She approached Josh with a concerned expression, and swiveled Zack’s chair to face them both.
“Zack,” she whispered, as she untied the ropes that bound him to the chair, “if what you say is true; then we will need your help to expose this gang.”
“On my word of honor, I’m innocent.”
Josh strode to the door and kept a lookout whilst Jane unfastened the cords; and Zack was soon on his feet again.
“We can’t speak here anymore; meet us at Josh’s camera shop tomorrow afternoon, and we will fill you in on what we know. You might be able to help us piece together this fragmented mystery.”
“I’m more intrigued than ever, Jane; and thank you for believing me.”
Josh closed the door back that he had cracked, and turned to Zack.
“Is there a way out of here?” Josh inquired.
“Through the window, it’s the best option. Arthur’s on the prowl and he might see you if you try to leave through the door.” Zack moved freely to the window and unlocked it. “Skirt along the building and try to stay under the windows, I’ll help distract him if-“
A sound from the outer corridor cut him off, and Jane pulled at the window frame, pushed it up, and swiftly disappeared into the evening mist; followed closely behind by Josh.
…To be continued, on Sunday, January 16th! Jane Darcy needs your help to solve the hair-raising mystery surrounding Pinecrest; keep your magnifying glass handy, and don’t miss the next exciting chapter!