Unveiled Treasures (6 page)

“Dad, oh it’s so good to hear from you. How are you?” Kicking off her shoes, she flopped down on the couch and got comfortable.

“Can’t complain, I was just checking on you two. The roof hasn’t fallen down around your ears yet, has it?” He chuckled.

“No” she said indignantly. “I was shocked by the outside appearance when we first arrived, but believe it or not, the interior is cleaning up very nicely.”

“I was afraid your expectations were going to be too high. Have you bitten off more than you can chew this time?”

“Not at all,” she answered sincerely. “I went to the hardware store earlier and was given a slew of recommended contractors.”

“That’s good to hear. How is that overgrown lap dog of yours handling the great outdoors?”

“He absolutely loves it. He’s been chasing squirrels, barking at deer and splashing through the creek. He’s in seventh heaven out here.” Changing the subject, she became even more animated. “Dad, this place has so much potential. I’ve been working on it non-stop since I got here but it’s terrific. My plan is to make it exceptionally terrific.” She paused. “Why did we stop coming up here?”

“Your mother’s work schedule interfered with a lot of weekend getaway plans, kid, you knew that. Besides, she wasn’t much for the rustic cabin life, too far away from the malls. We’d given considerable thought to selling the place, never got around to actually doing anything about it though… It’s funny; you always think there will be a tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s one of the reasons I’m here now.” Looking around the room, she sighed and continued. “I’m going to start painting the living room later today. I just returned from the hardware store with my supplies. I’m going to be sanding and sealing the floors too.”

“That’s my girl. Get that place livable and I just might come to visit you. I bought you a housewarming present,” he teased.

“You bought me a present? What is it? Are you going to bring it up here to me, or do I have to come down to Phoenix and pick it up?”

“Hold on, girl! I was going to surprise you and come up next weekend but I should probably tell you so you don’t go out and buy one. I got you a garage door opener. I know it’s not the typical housewarming gift but then again, you’re not a typical daughter.”

“Thank you so much! I’ve only been out in the garage once since I got here but you’re right. I was planning on getting one. Speaking of the garage, I was wondering about something. Why is the house empty but the garage is full of some really great stuff?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The garage was empty, Rachel. Some old junk on the shelves maybe, but the garage should have been empty enough to pull your truck in.”

Rachel didn’t say anything for a minute. She frowned and sat chewing on her lower lip. “That’s really weird, Dad, ’cause there’s a bunch of boxes and pictures, no, not pictures. More like pieces of artwork. The garage is full of it.”

“Maybe you’ve got a packrat with designer tastes.”

“Very funny, Dad, I don’t have packrats, I’ve got raccoons. The sheriff was by the first day I got here and he mentioned something about burglaries in the area. You don’t suppose…of course, it would make perfect sense. Oh God. Dad, I have to go. I need to call the sheriff right away.”

“Rachel, is something wrong? Tell me what in the hell is going on!” her father demanded.

“If my suspicions are correct, I think I may have a garage full of stolen property. I promise I’ll fill you in as soon as I know for sure. I need to call the sheriff’s office and see what I can find out. I’ll call you back. I love you. Bye.” She hung up the phone with a shaking hand. She considered dialing 9-1-1 and then decided against it. This wasn’t a life or death emergency. Picking up the receiver again, she dialed information to get the phone number to the sheriff’s office.

After jotting down the number, she dialed the office and paced the living room. Waiting for the call to connect, Rachel breathed deeply trying to calm her nerves. She jumped when the phone finally rang on the other end.

“Oak Creek Canyon sheriff’s office, Deputy Logan speaking, how can I help you?”

“Deputy Logan, my name is Rachel Hardy. Can I speak with Sheriff Bradley please?”

“Sorry, ma’am. The sheriff is out at the moment. Can I take a message or is there something I can help you with?”

“I’m not sure if this is anything serious or not but I have some questions about the burglaries that have happened recently. By chance has anyone reported missing any artwork?” she asked hesitantly.

His tone became more serious. “Yes, there are quite a few pieces of art on the property lists. Why do you ask?”

“I recently moved in to the old cabin just past the Sandstone sculptures on Highway 89A. Are you familiar with the place?”

“If you are referring to the old abandoned cabin on the north side of the road, then yes, ma’am, I am. What does all of this have to do with missing art pieces?”

“I think I might have found them in my garage. When I moved in, there were a bunch of boxes and paintings out there. I thought they belonged to my parents but when I spoke with my father today I found out they’re not his. He claims the garage was supposed to be empty.”

“Ms. Hardy, I’m going to call the sheriff right now. We’ll be there in a few minutes to check everything out. Do me a favor and lock your doors. Don’t let anyone in until we arrive.”

“Yes, Officer. I’ll be waiting for you. Thank you,” she said as she hung up the phone. She was shaking terribly now, trying to calm herself down, she kept telling herself over and over again that she was safe. Brutus was in the house with her. He wouldn’t let anyone harm her. The thought of someone being in her home, using her property to house stolen merchandise was appalling.
What if he comes back?
Brutus curiously watched her run through the house to lock the front door and draw the curtains closed.

* * * *

Deputy Logan was on his way to Rachel’s house when he got a hold of the sheriff. “Todd, I think we finally caught a break in the burglary cases. A woman just called, a Rachel Hardy, she said she found a bunch of paintings and boxes in her garage. Hasn’t that place been empty for the last twenty years or so?”

“Yeah, she just moved in a couple days ago. I stopped by the day she moved in. I feel like a fool, Mike, I checked the place out and never once looked out in the garage. I hope for her sake, she’s wrong.”

“I hope for our sake, she’s right,” Mike countered.

“I’ll meet you there in five minutes.” Hanging up the phone, he shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. Maybe she was mistaken. Maybe it was junk left over from when her parents lived up here. Maybe, just maybe, Mike was right and they were about to get their first break in the case. Turning his SUV around, he flipped on the lights and headed towards Rachel’s cabin.

Todd arrived shortly after Mike did, parking his truck behind him in the driveway. Mike got out of his SUV and walked over to Todd. “Hey, Todd, this place still looks deserted to me. Why would a woman want to live up here by herself?”

“That’s a pretty sexist remark, Mikey. Why didn’t you ask the lady herself?” Todd replied.

“I was waiting for you before I went in, she sounded kinda frightened on the phone, figured it might be easier on her since you two know each other and all.”

“I wouldn’t say I know her. We met the other day. I thought she was a trespasser. I was a little surprised to see she intended to stay out here too. She’s a lot tougher than you’d think she is. Come on, let’s go see what she’s found.”

Todd walked up and knocked on the front door. “Rachel, it’s Sheriff Bradley and Deputy Logan, will you open the door and let us in please?”

Rachel looked out the living room window to verify it was really him. He saw the relief wash over her when she saw him standing there. She rushed to open the door. “Thanks for coming out so quickly. I wasn’t sure if Deputy Logan was going to believe me or not. He sounded a little skeptical over the phone.”

“It’s all right, Rachel. He’s the skeptical one and I’m the suspicious one. It’s kind of a bad cop, bad cop routine. We work really well together that way.” He flashed her that crooked little grin. “Can you take us out to the garage and show us what you found?” Todd asked, trying to lighten the mood of an already tense situation.

“Okay, but I have to warn you, there’s a raccoon family living out there and Mama doesn’t like anyone getting near her kittens.” She led them through the house.

Todd scanned the living room and kitchen as she led them out to the garage. He noticed the prepped walls and partially sanded floor. He had to admit, he was impressed with what she accomplished in such a short time. “The place is coming along nicely. You’ve already done some really great work in here,” he said as she stopped in the laundry room with her hand on the garage door knob.

“Thanks, I still have a long way to go, but I can envision it when it’s all done. It’s amazing how much better a place looks when you remove an inch of dust and dirt.” She gave him a weak smile and opened the door. “After you left, I came out here to switch on the lights and thought it was strange to find all this,” gesturing with her arms, “stuff out here and so little in the house. When I talked to my dad today, I asked him about it and he said they left the place all but empty with the exception of some old stuff on the shelves.”

Todd walked around the boxes and stopped. Just like she said, there was Mama Raccoon guarding her nest of babies. Teeth bared, she sat there growling at him. Slowly backing away from her, he turned to Mike. “Get on the radio to animal control, have someone get out here ASAP. I’m not risking either of us being attacked by a protective mother. Too bad she can’t talk. Something tells me she’s our only eyewitness.”

As Mike walked back out to his patrol SUV to make the call, Todd pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. “Here is a list of pieces stolen from homes in the area. I’m not an art buff, but some of this seems to fit the descriptions. We’ve got pictures from the insurance companies as well. We’ll wait for animal control to get the raccoons out of here and then go through everything. How are you holding up, Rachel?” he asked while walking towards her.

“I’m okay, I think. What if he comes back and this is gone? Do you think he will come after me?”

“I don’t know. So far in his illicit career, no one has been hurt or even threatened. To tell you the truth, no one has seen him. He slips in and out without a trace. He hits houses when no one is home. This place has been vacant for years. It’s far enough back from the road that he wouldn’t be worried about someone spotting him. If it’ll make you more comfortable, I can call Jessica to stay with you tonight or you could come in to town and stay at a hotel. Or better yet, I could stay here…”

“Thanks, but I don’t really think that’ll be necessary. I’m not going to be run out of my home because I found some stolen paintings. Now on a more personal note, as flattering as your offer is, I don’t think I’m ready to make that jump. Brutus will keep me company. He is a valiant protector.”

“Brutus? Who in the world is Brutus?”

“My dog, you haven’t met him yet. He was out running around when you were here earlier.”

Mike chose that moment to come back in the garage. “Animal control is on the way, Todd, said they’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

“Good. Let’s start going through some of the boxes over here, away from Mama.” Turning back to Rachel, he said, “I would very much like to meet this canine companion of yours. But for safety’s sake, don’t bring him out here until the raccoons are picked up.”

Todd and Mike started going through boxes and identified paintings on the property list while avoiding the raccoons. Realizing that Rachel was right and she had found the cache of stolen goods, Todd went out to his truck to call for backup. “Jessica, hey it’s me. I’m out at the Hardy place with Rachel. I can’t get in to a lot of detail right now but can you come out here? Yes, I’m serious. Don’t you freak out on me. I’ll explain more when you get here. Okay, see you in a few minutes.” He disconnected the call as animal control pulled up in the drive.

While animal control gathered and collected the raccoon family, Rachel went inside the house to make coffee. Todd came in to the kitchen and found her there.

“How are you handling all this?” he asked.

“I’ll be alright, just get that stuff out of here. I want no reason for him to come back. This is a small town and if he lives in the area, he’ll know by morning that everything has been found.”

“Rachel, once the media finds out about this, your privacy is going to be shot. Everyone is going to know you’re living up here.” He moved to stand behind her at the stove, running his hands up and down her arms.

“I’m not a famous celebrity. I write books. This cabin has been in my family for years. Like I said earlier, no one is running me out of my own home.” The vehemence in her voice wasn’t as convincing as she’d hoped for he guessed. Shrugging her shoulders, she sighed and leaned back against his chest. He smelled of musky cologne and male, it was…comforting. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around so she was facing him. She looked up at him with fear and concern in her blue eyes.

“You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to have to kiss you again. I’m finding it difficult to maintain a professional perspective here.” He let go of her arms before making good on his claim. “I need to get back out there with Mike. Is that coffee you’ve made?” he asked, adding a look of hope to his features.