The Labyrinth of Blue Towers:
The Disappearance of Jack Arneson
(A Sewing Box Mystery)
Chapter 1: Friday, June 10, 2011, 7:21 pm
Chapter 2: Saturday, June 11, 2011, 8:38 am
Chapter 3: Thursday, June 28, 1984, 10:10 am
Chapter 12: Saturday, June 18, 2011, 8:00 am
Chapter 19: Saturday. June 18. 2011, 4:55 pm
Look at the time. Sweat was starting to trail under Missy’s arms and down the sides of her body. How in the world was she ever going to pull this off?
The blouse was a bit more sheer and matronly than she would have liked, not that she’d had a lot to choose from. It had been this blouse, or something which resembled a bridesmaid’s dress. Yes, the selection at Bainbridges Boutique left a lot to be desired. For a clothing store it was strangely bereft of fashion. It made the stuff Jeanette brought along seem positively fashion forward. But after having gone through the clothing her aunt had jammed in the trunk, Missy determined that it was all too casual for a meeting with Kathleen Tollefson. She wanted to come across as professional, not as a tourist who shops the discount racks at Wal-Mart. That realization brought them to Bainbridges Boutique in downtown St. Petersburg, where they met the ever-bubbly Rae-Lynne Bainbridge.
Rae-Lynne was a sweetly-dimpled woman whose face was held in a perpetual state of glee. She bustled about the shop with a great deal of energy, defying both her age (at least ten years north of Jeanette’s) and stature (short, squat, and a tad overweight.) Based on her dress, she obviously took her role at the shop very seriously, for she was wearing a smart little suit with a pleated skirt, an outfit she’d obviously owned for quite a long time, as it appeared to fit her a little too snuggly. Still, it gave her body a definite shape; something Grandpa Tom used to refer to as a 'butter bottom'.
Entering the store. Missy knew she did not have a lot of time to find something appropriate. She mentioned this to the effervescent Rae-Lynne several times. Still, the shop owner seemed much more interested in dishing about Abe Longren’s ‘suicide’ than finding anything suitable for Missy’s pending meeting. “He was so old, you know. When I last saw him in the waiting room at Dr. Furbet’s I didn’t think he looked good. Not good, at all. All puffy, he was. and struggling to catch his breath. I sensed that he didn’t have a lot of time, and so I put him in my prayers on Sunday. What doctors can’t cure, the good Lord takes care of, am I right? I bet he got some bad news from the doctor; that was probably the thing that sent him over the edge.”
Missy desperately wanted to correct the woman and tell her exactly what had happened, if only to prevent the gossip mill from spreading lies about Abe’s death, but she and Jeanette had talked about it on the way to the boutique and they mutually agreed that it was in their best interest to simply play along with whatever the Sheriff said - at least for now. Maybe he had some specific reason for shielding the truth from the locals, like he didn’t want to spook the killer or panic the townsfolk. Or maybe he just wanted to keep it out of the news.
Whatever his motive, the women agreed to believe that the ruse was being perpetrated for the good of all and not as part of some diabolical cover-up.
In any event, Abe’s death certainly seemed to invigorate Rae-Lynne. She stated more than once how “tickled” she was to have, in her store, “the two gals that were right there when the whole thing happened,” and how they could have knocked her over with a feather when Missy and Jeanette walked through the door. Ten minutes after having met Rae-Lynne, Missy deemed something a lot heavier than a feather was called for.
However, Rae-Lynne’s incessant chatter did not have the same effect on Jeanette. In fact, the two behaved like best gal pals who had simply never met. Missy made a point to remind Jeanette a number of times that they were there to get in, get something, and get out. And while Missy’s busy, practiced hands and eyes whipped through the racks of clothing, rejecting almost everything on first sight, Jeanette took her time, pulling numerous items for careful consideration.
In the end. Missy ended up with a basic pencil skirt (a size smaller than she would have liked) and a blouse that had a ridiculous bow on the front and made her look like Margaret Thatcher. Jeanette, on the other hand, scored big with a smart pants suit that was just retro enough to pass as cool. When they informed Rae-Lynne that she needn’t bother with a bag and that they would be wearing their outfits immediately, she didn’t seem surprised at all.She was just happy to make a sale.
Taking note of the state of Missy’s hair, Rae-Lynne cheerfully suggested a visit to Pearl’s Curls, a salon right around the corner. Missy didn’t know how to respond and simply glared at the woman until Jeanette swept in and explained to Rae-Lynne that they were simply too pressed for time.
Oblivious to Missy’s icy glare, the shopkeeper wrote up their receipts by hand, gabbing like a gadfly the entire time. Rae-Lynne filled in Jeanette on all the ‘must-sees’ in St Petersburg. These included the college, the opera house, and the Oswig mansion. “Of course, you know, it’s not like it used to be. Seen better days, don’tcha know. I guess you could say the same thing about the Oswigs themselves. It’s just the three girls now. No patriarch laying down the law. There was a time when they used to rule this little community. Old man Oswig actually scared the bewickens out of a number folk who thought any differently than he did. That man was a tyrant. I remember, as a little girl, my Mom saying to me, ‘Rae-Lynne, you best behave yourself, or old man Oswig is going to sneak into your bedroom at night, drag you down to the banks of the River Tees, and feed you to that evil hag. Peg Powler.”
Jeanette was enchanted “Peg Powler? Who’s that?”
Rae-Lynne’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’ve never heard of Peg Powler? Oh, my goodness. When we were children...”
At that moment, the bell above the store door rang. All three women looked over to see a tall, slender, elderly woman enter. She carried herself rather regally and there was something the tiniest bit off about her clothing, no doubt because she shopped at the Bainbridge Boutique. But that wasn’t the whole story either. She appeared to be from a different era. Even the way she entered the store, stopping short once the door had closed behind her, as if waiting to be acknowledged and served, suggested someone living in the past.
After studying the woman a moment longer. Missy realized what it was about her clothing that appeared so odd - it was all the layers. Despite the rather warm day, the woman was covered from head to toe, wearing a three-quarter length skirt and a high, lace-edged, collared blouse. On top of that she sported a button up cardigan and over that a crocheted shawl. All the fabrics looked far too heavy given the season and the leather, lace-up, mid-calf boots she wore only added to the impression that the old woman hadn’t stuck her head out to check the weather before dressing that morning, or in the last century, for that matter.
Missy and Jeanette turned to Rae-Lynne, expecting to get the 411 on Miss Holly Hobby. Instead, they found Rae-Lynne’s smile had inexplicably vanished. From that moment on she was all business, hustling Jeanette and Missy out of the store as swiftly as possibly. In fact, her eyes never met theirs for the rest of their time in the store. As they were leaving the shop they noticed a couple of women whispering to each other as they peered into the window of the dress shop “Yes, that’s her .. Mary, I believe. She’s taller than the others,” Missy heard one of them say. Drawn in, she was dying to question the two women, but realized it was already much later than she’d anticipated Something told her it would not be in her best interest to keep Kathleen waiting even a moment.
They arrived in the parking lot of B&T Breads at about 5:20 pm. It was bare bones basic, flat asphalt with brilliant yellow lines and a circular drive drawing them to the main entrance. As Missy got out of the car, she marveled at Kathleen’s dedication to her job; there certainly wasn’t anything at Missy’s place of employment that would keep her there much past 4:30, if she could help it.
The B&T building was a rather classy affair; the high sheen of its smoky blue/grey glass exterior acting as mirrors to the sky. Something about it seemed horribly out of step with the rest of St. Petersburg, but then, based on what little Missy had learned about the Tollefsons so far, that seemed true of the family as well.
Much to Missy’s chagrin, Jeanette insisted on bringing her oversized purse with her. It just seemed so out of place. “Really, must you?” asked Missy, as Jeanette walked toward the entrance.
“Yes,” snapped her aunt mimicking a snooty old woman, “Yes. I really must.”
Pulling open one of the heavy glass doors, Missy welcomed the rush of air-conditioning that met her. Stepping into the entry way, she walked over to a small metal podium which contained a key-pad and a card swipe. She stared at it for a moment before pushing the large red button marked ‘Security Desk’. An authoritative male voice boomed forth asking if he could help. After explaining who they were and whom they were there to see, another massive glass and chrome door slowly opened allowing the women to enter.
For a bread company in the middle of nowhere, the lobby was quite impressive. Both women’s necks craned back skyward taking in the panoramic glass ceiling that hovered four stories above them. Carefully manicured ferns and healthy fichus trees, in tiers and groupings, were everywhere. A floor of smooth steel grey-colored tiles led to a large, round black marble desk, where Missy and Jeanette presented their picture ID’s in order to gain guest badges. Missy’s heart went out to Jeanette, who looked horribly uncomfortable as a young security guard rummaged through her bag. It also struck Missy as odd. All this security? Really? For a bread company?
From behind a flank of foliage appeared Adam the Admin. He was cute as a button and almost exactly as Missy had pictured him. Everything about him screamed ‘boy band’, from his carefully gelled coif, right down to his pointy, expensive-looking dress shoes. This was a boy with whom you did not want to share a bathroom. And if you did, you’d want to make sure to get your butt in there in the morning before he did, because he was going to be a long, long time. With an elfish glee, Adam aimed his ultra-bright pearly whites in Missy and Jeanette’s direction.
“Hello!” he sang “And welcome to B&T. You must be Missy...” Adam stepped forward and offered his hand to shake - a firm, yet unaggressive, grip. “And this is?” He repeated the formality with Jeanette, adding a comment regarding how much he liked Jeanette’s name. “No problem finding the place? No, not at all, of course not. It s not like there’s a lot of places to get lost, here in St. Petersburg. This way, ladies.”
Once in the safety of the expansive elevator, Adam’s tone dimmed. He leaned into Missy and said “So I see you’ve been shopping at Bainbridge Boutique. Amazing, isn’t it? Like a polyester museum.”
“Oh, do you think I look all right?”
“Absolutely. With your cheekbones, you could wear a table cloth and still look better than 80 percent of what we have walking around here.” The doors opened onto the fourth floor and Adam strode off the elevator, resuming his professional tone. “This way, ladies...”
The women hustled past a cherry wood reception console and down a wide hallway with a polished cement floor. One side of the hallway opened expansively to the lobby below, while the other featured a gallery-lit wall lined with tiny, framed illustrations from a children’s book of some kind. Missy had seen such things on the sixth floor of Dayton’s in downtown Minneapolis, many years ago when Grandma Jean had taken her to the store during the holidays to see a diorama featuring ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’. The hallway dead-ended into a pair of large wooden doors. Adam paused, rapped lightly on one of the doors, before opening both with a theatrical flourish. He called out as he swept inside, “Kathleen? Missy and Jeanette are here to see you. Ladies, have a seat.” He indicated two smart-looking upholstered chairs. Missy couldn’t remember the name of their designer, but she knew they were way out of her personal price range. “May I bring you anything? Water, coffee, tea?” Both requested water. Adam disappeared behind a milk glass screen on one side of the room before reappearing with two bottles of water and a pair of drinking glasses. He set the glasses on the coffee table before them, securing coasters under each, and then proceeded to pour the water for them, like a waiter. As he did this he spoke “Kathleen will be with you in just a moment. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to make your visit as pleasant as possible.” Not waiting for an answer or acknowledgement, he strode over to the wide double doors. Framed in the massive doorway, he turned back to face the women “It is now 5:36 pm Kathleen has a 6:00 pm meeting. So, I’m afraid your visit may be truncated quite a bit. I know she was hoping to give you the grand tour, something that, if you are interested in, I am most certainly available to do. Enjoy your visit. ” With that, the whirlwind that was Adam stepped back and closed the doors.
Twenty-four minutes. Plenty of time. Missy leaned forward and took a sip of her water. She noticed that above the couch, opposite them, hung three framed illustrations, no doubt part of the same series that populated the wall of the hallway they had just walked down. She rose to get a closer look. They were from a children’s book and appeared rather religious in nature. The children depicted reminded her of old Dick and Jane books and she wondered if they were from that same era. She was about to sit down when her eye caught a bookcase full of books. From their tall spines and relative thinness she could tell that they were children’s books.
Missy was about to walk over and investigate, when Kathleen suddenly appeared from a door, left of the desk.
“Missy? Jeanette?” Her eyes moved from one woman to the other trying to determine just who was whom. Jeanette, who was closest, rose and shook Kathleen’s hand. “How do you do. I’m Jeanette And this is my niece, Missy.” Missy followed suit.
“Welcome. Shall we take a seat?” Kathleen sat in the center of the couch, crossing her shapely legs at the ankle. At first glance, she appeared chic and very well put together, but upon closer inspection, Missy could see the impact of stress on her face, something not even her carefully applied make-up could completely conceal. She was thin - too thin. Also her hair (much too long for her age and too big for an office setting - or any setting, except maybe a Whitesnake video) and clothing seem stuck in a different era. ‘Career Barbie’ immediately sprang to mind.
“First off, just let me apologize for my behavior the other day on the phone. That is so not me. I’m a much nicer person than that. When it comes to B&T Bread well, it is my Father’s lifework, and his father’s before him, so I have a tendency to be incredibly vigilant when it comes to anything that might mar its reputation. I may have over-reacted. Perhaps we both did.”
Missy wasn’t sure if she was waiting for a response or not, but the fact was, she had none, so she let it pass. Kathleen continued “Have you been enjoying your visit to St Petersburg?”
Jeanette and Missy exchanged a look. The expression on Jeanette’s face definitely indicated to Missy that it was her turn to do the talking. Missy spoke hesitantly, “Well. I don’t know if ’enjoy’ is exactly the word for it, but it sure has been interesting.”
“Ah, yes, that terrible business out by Maiden’s Rock. So heartbreaking, that poor man’s passing. Abe Longren, wasn’t it? Such a pity. What in the world brought the two of you to his doorstep?”
Again, Missy and Jeanette exchanged glances. Was it time to let someone in on their little secret? And if so, was the person to confide in Kathleen? Summoning up her courage. Missy decided to go for broke “The same thing that brings us to yours.”
This reply seemed to catch Kathleen off guard “What?” she asked, breathlessly. For a brief moment Missy could see her as a little girl, one full of fear. She appeared frightened and that made her appear childlike. In that brief moment she seemed to shrink, but in a flash ‘Career Barbie’ returned. “I mean well, what do you mean?”
“Should we tell her?”
Jeanette shrugged “You want to, or should I?”
Missy smiled “I got this.”
Missy briefly explained about Grandma Jean, the dreams, the list, and the map. keeping it all very high-level. As the story unwound, Missy could see a range of emotions and thoughts transpiring behind Kathleen’s carefully constructed face: intrigue, utter disbelief, derision, and discomfort all paraded their way behind Kathleen’s eyes. If the woman ever played poker, her peepers would surely give her away.
Mid-story, Jeanette got up and wandered over to the bookcase of children’s books. Her fingers wandered from spine to spine, her head tilted at an angle in order to read the title of each book. In the middle of the second shelf, she paused. Her eyes then moved to the three prints hung on the wall above the couch where Kathleen sat. It’s at that point that Missy noticed Kathleen’s attention shifting from her to Jeanette, as Kathleen’s eyes began to dart back and forth between the two women. Jeanette’s gaze returned to the book shelf. As she removed one of the books from the shelf, Kathleen stood up abruptly. “I really wish you wouldn’t.”
But it was too late, Jeanette had already opened the book. She turned to face Kathleen, her face, non-reactive.
Kathleen physically moved herself between Jeanette and the case, taking the book from Jeanette as she did so. “These books are quite old and some, quite valuable. I really would prefer that you not touch them.”
Jeanette smiled politely. “Of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any harm. It’s such a lovely collection.”
“Yes, yes, it is. One I’ve been working on for quite some time They they mean the world to me.”
Jeanette moved towards the front of the sofa where Kathleen had been previously seated.. “And these prints. They’re from one of the books on that shelf, aren’t they? As are the ones lining the hallway to your office?”
“How astute of you. Yes, that’s correct.” Kathleen turned towards the case, and, after re-shelving the book, began caressing their spines with her well-manicured fingers, as if to reassure the books and herself that their condition and order remained undisturbed. “Some of these books," she murmured, “they were my only friends when I was growing up. I found such comfort in their pages. And still do.” She then turned to face the ladies, her posture rather chastened, embarrassed even. “1 suppose you find that to be rather silly, but that is the case. Some women collect dolls; I collect children’s books.” She returned swiftly to her seat on the couch, once again crossing her legs at the ankle and resuming the air of a business woman. “Now, you mentioned something about a list. May I see it?” Jeanette dutifully retrieved it from her oversized purse and then sat next to Kathleen on the couch. Missy watched as Kathleen’s body reacted to this small act of familiarity. The woman’s spine flexed like a frightened cat, her tight face barely masking her discomfort. Gingerly, she plucked the piece of paper from Jeanette’s hands before easing her body a little to the right in an attempt to create a bit of distance between the two of them. Jeanette knew exactly what was happening and seemed to actually take a bit of pleasure in Kathleen’s distress. Kathleen studied the list and then dismissively handed it back to Jeanette. “Nothing None of it makes any sense to me.”
Jeanette’s brow furrowed, puzzled “But how can that be? Look here Brother’s Bread, surely you recognize that...”
Kathleen stood abruptly “Ladies, I want to thank you for your time I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here in St. Petersburg.” She moved to the front of her desk and pressed a button. “As I’m sure Adam mentioned, I have another meeting I need to get to.” The double doors opened and Adam appeared. Jeanette and Missy both stood slowly, completely mystified. Kathleen grabbed a small pile of manila folders from her desk, turned back and fixed the room with a tight, practiced smile. “Take care. It was so nice to meet the two of you.” She then walked briskly toward the double doors without so much as a glance back. Adam dutifully stood aside in order to allow her to pass.
Jeanette looked at Missy, one eye brow raised and a slight smile playing on her face “Well, I guess we should get going.”
“This way, please,” Adam gestured toward the hallway. Missy led the way out, followed by a bemused Jeanette. They were about halfway to the elevator when Jeanette announced, “Oh. wait a minute I forgot my purse!” She hurried back down the hallway, disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared with the bag in question. “Seriously, I don’t know what I would do without this bad boy. I know it’s not exactly fashionable, but it sure comes in handy.”
As they stood waiting for the elevator to appear, Adam asked, “Do you ladies want the grand tour? They give out free samples at the end.”
Missy was about to accept, when Jeanette overruled her. “Oh, no, we couldn’t possibly. We need to get back to the hotel. I’m... I’m expecting a phone call.” Missy fixed her aunt with a skeptical grimace. The doors to the elevator opened and the trio stepped inside, as Jeanette clarified, “My dogs. I have dogs. And I know it sounds silly, but I feel bad about not being there - at home - for them. We hadn’t expected to stay here overnight, and now that we are.”
As the doors closed on them. Adam turned to Jeanette and said, “No need to explain. I have a friend who has a cat. We try to get away for a weekend now and then - the friend and I, not the cat - and that cat... Mittens, makes it next to impossible. He worries about her the whole time.” He paused slightly before adding, “I kind of hate that cat.”
The doors opened to the lobby. Adam shook their hands. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you both. Enjoy your stay. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you around town later. Here’s my card. Give me a call if you get bored. This town doesn’t offer much, but we do manage to entertain ourselves.” He then leaned in towards Missy and said in a confidential tone, “And I just bet you can’t wait to get out of that little costume of yours. God save us all from the Bainbridges. My suggestion - hit Shopko - at least the t-shirts and jeans were constructed during this millennium.”
They said their good-byes and the ladies exited the building. Once in the parking lot, Jeanette began scurrying quickly toward the car. “Hurry, hurry We need to get out of here.” Missy rolled her eyes. Was her aunt really that worried about her dogs? Missy unlocked the car. Once inside, Jeanette breathed a dramatic sigh of relief. “Okay, we really do need to get going, before security runs out here and stops us.” From her purse, held carefully by one corner between the tip of her thumb and index finger, Jeanette pulled a thin, well-loved children’s book. With her other hand she produced a large zip-lock bag. With a great deal of caution, she placed the book in the bag and zipped it shut.
She then looked at Missy and said, “I guess kleptomania runs in the family, huh?”
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Next week: Chapter 20
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1 comment:
Hahaha
So THAT is what the bag was for?
So the book and before that the ashtray?
What are you up to, Upton??
XOXO
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