Chasing Shadows: A Brain Teaser Mystery

By Phyllis Eickelberg

Heather Samuelson is moving through the supermarket checkout line when she encounters her Aunt Myrtle, worrying that her friend, Anna, has not returned from a jaunt across the store for free coffee. Moments later, Heather sets out on a search for Anna that takes her straight into a pitch-black storeroomand a gruesome murder scene.
With one man dead and her aunts friend on her way to the hospital, Heather is once again plunged into circumstances beyond her control, as she tries to discover who killed Michael Santiam and wonders whether the murderer plans to return to finish off her aunts friend. Determined to solve the puzzle before her upcoming wedding, Heather partners with the police department and her fianc detective, Jazz, to search for the identity of Anna, whose memory only goes back two years. Just when she is getting somewhere, Anna suddenly disappears from her hospital bed. Now Heather must determine if Anna is being held captive or if someone is protecting herand if or how the recent turn of events ties into a murder committed twenty years earlier.
In this brain teaser mystery, an amateur sleuth immersed in a complex investigation to solve a murder must find the link between the past and present before a killer strikes again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Nov 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781458212603

Phyllis Eickelberg

Phyllis Eickelberg and Doris Minard are native Oregonians who have known each other since first grade. Eickelberg is a former teacher and a columnist for the Rapid City Journal; a line editor for a Spokane, Washington, magazine; and a newsroom staff member for the Corvallis Gazette Times. She and her husband, Jim, live in Corvallis. Minard is a retired educator and former principal. She is also a mental health advocate who began writing mysteries in grade school. She and her husband, Eugene, live in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Book preview

Chasing

SHADOWS

A BRAIN TEASER MYSTERY

Phyllis Kay Eickelberg

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Copyright © 2013 Phyllis Kay Eickelberg.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4582-1261-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1260-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920727

Abbott Press rev. date: 11/26/2013

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

PUZZLE MENU

Let’s Get Started With A Big Clue

What Was Heather Looking For?

Story Solution Hints

A Little Clue For You

The Search Begins

When Is A Cane Not A Cane?

Red Herring #1

Rachel’s Surprise

Where Is Anna?

Who Will Find Anna First?

And Charlie Is??????

What’s Missing And Who Wants It?

Think Ink

It’s Time For Phonics

What’s In The Envelope?

Lost And Found

Who Was Anna Seeing?

Get Ready To Duck!

Two For The Hospital

Find The Noun

Who Killed A Killer?

What Shows Up Next?

The Secret Room #1

Are You A Good Detective??

Red Herring #2

Who Will Save The Day?

Who’s Watching?

A Warning

The Secret Room: Number Two

Puzzle Solutions

Also by Phyllis Eickelberg

Bearly Hidden

Desperate Measures

Haunting Conclusions

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author wishes to express a special debt of gratitude to her still patient and helpful husband, Jim.

Thanks, too, to proofreaders and consultants Katie Cooper, Stacy Mellem, Peter Saunders, Anne Chaimov, Rosemary Cunningham, Janice Fisher, Carolyn Hegstad, Sam Hall, Doris Cameron-Minard and Frank Yates.

Violence at the supermarket leaves Heather Samuelson tripping over bodies and diving headfirst into the search for a murderer. Chasing Shadows is her attempt to solve a murder committed twenty years earlier and to find answers that will put killers in jail. As Heather searches for the identity of a woman without any memory, the woman disappears. Is she being held captive, or is someone protecting her? To find answers, Heather will have to dig deeper into the lives of those around her.

And where do hired assassins fit into this picture? Can Heather protect the father of the bride when she’s the bride and it’s her father who needs protecting?

LET’S GET STARTED WITH A BIG CLUE

__ __ __ __    __ __ __    __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __ __ __

CHAPTER 1

You’re the one who broke into my apartment, aren’t you? Michael Santiam studied the face of the individual he’d been arguing with for several minutes.

You’ve got that right, but if you’d return things that don’t belong to you, I wouldn’t have to go looking for them. Now then, hand it over.

I already told you. I don’t have it any more.

The Plexiglas door between the grocery store and its storeroom moved aside as a woman entered. Sorry to interrupt, Michael, she said. I just need to get the coffee cart. She walked to the far side of the cart to push it through the doorway.

Michael suddenly yelled, She has what you’re looking for. He pointed at the startled woman, and hurried to her side, grabbing at keys attached to her purse straps.

Let go of my keys, the woman said, slapping Michael’s hand.

Give me those keys. Michael pulled on them and when the woman resisted, he struck her. As she fell to the floor, her purse with the keys attached slipped from her arm.

You can’t hit old ladies. Michael’s burglar lunged at him. A solid blow landed on Michael’s head and caught the only light bulb in the room. The grocery’s storeroom was plunged into total darkness. Michael’s attacker grabbed the keys Michael had stolen.

###

Heather Samuelson moved through the checkout line at Food Country’s MegaStore, then stopped abruptly. Ahead of her, sitting alone on a scarred bench, was her aunt. A troubled frown lined Myrtle’s face.

Aunt Myrtle! Are you all right? Heather rushed to the older woman’s side. She knew Myrtle had recently suffered a serious heart attack.

I’m okay, her aunt responded, glancing at her watch. It’s Anna I’m concerned about. I can’t figure out what’s keeping her. She left more than fifteen minutes ago. Coffee doesn’t take that long to pour.

Heather sighed in relief. Are you thinking about filing a missing person’s report? She leaned over to kiss her aunt.

Myrtle scowled. Food Country shoppers were furnished with free coffee each morning at nine. It was now nine fifteen. Myrtle pulled bags of groceries close to her. If you have time, sit with me until my friend gets back. She patted the empty space beside her.

Heather brushed auburn hair from her eyes and settled beside her aunt with a sigh. She unbuttoned the raincoat she’d worn as protection against the cold March rain. I’m glad you’re meeting your new neighbors.

I’ve only met two so far, but I’m working on it. Anna lives on one side of me and Beatrice Worthington is on the other side. Beatrice can’t get around without her cane or walker so I doubt we’ll do much together.

That doesn’t surprise me, Heather said. You’re basically a vital, energetic woman. You aren’t accustomed to moving at a modest pace. Heather gave her aunt a teasing nudge. Aren’t there any single men in your apartment complex?

Myrtle smiled. None that I’ve come across so far, except for one young college student who has the apartment over my head. He plays the drums. Myrtle looked at her watch again.

Be patient, auntie. Your friend will be along shortly.

I’m so glad I moved to Lewisburg, Myrtle said. You girls are my only family now that your mother’s gone. She added, I miss Mattie.

I do, too, Heather said. We all do. Heather’s mother had drowned a year earlier, and her sudden death still troubled the family.

You and your sisters are very kind to me, Myrtle continued. Sally stops by whenever she gets a break from her police duties, and Rachel invited me to lunch later this week. Seeing you three reminds me that I still have family. For reasons Myrtle never talked about, she had never married.

The girls and I love having you close. Heather was referring to her aunt’s recent move from Boston to Lewisburg, Oregon. She put an arm around Myrtle, noticing how much gray had shown up in her hair since the death of her twin. Are you settled yet? Lamps hung? Drapes in place?

Myrtle nodded, her face lighting up. She had rejected assistance from her nieces, favoring instead whatever help Rachel’s twin sons could give her. Thanks to Tim and Tom I’m settled. Those boys are so grown up and helpful. She laughed. It never occurred to me sixth graders could be so much fun to have around.

Heather nodded in agreement. The boys are growing up fast and they’re very bright. They’ve promised to take charge of my computer company when I’m old and infirm. She sighed and lowered her voice to a whisper. I’m guessing they think anyone my age is already old and infirm.

You’ve got to admit that thirty-some-years is creeping right up on you. Another smile touched Myrtle’s lips, but again it vanished when she glanced at her watch.

You keep checking the time. Do you have an appointment? It was obvious Myrtle was genuinely concerned about something more than just the late arrival of free coffee.

Myrtle smiled and nodded. Anna’s the one with the appointment and she’s going to be late. Getting coffee usually takes only a minute or two. I can’t imagine what’s keeping her this morning.

Maybe the coffee wasn’t ready.

Myrtle shook her head. We don’t wait if it isn’t ready. She pulled grocery purchases closer. Anna was relieved when her dentist was able to work her in this morning and now she’s late for that appointment.

I’ll tell you what. You wait here! Heather got to her feet. You babysit the groceries and I’ll see what’s keeping your friend.

Thank you, Heather. I’d appreciate that.

Heather gave her aunt a quick smile and walked briskly down the aisle to their right. She hurried past canned goods and made a left turn at the produce section, stopping a few steps beyond potatoes and onions.

Just ahead of her was a doorway leading to Food Country’s storeroom. While it was an area for receiving deliveries and storage of goods, it was also the room in which the free coffee was prepared. Each morning when the coffee finished perking it was rolled on a cart into the shopping area for customers to help themselves.

Heather looked around. No coffee cart, no clerks, and no Anna.

She stepped up to the canvas door separating the back room from shoppers and peeked through the Plexiglas window. A few steps beyond the window she could see the murky outline of the familiar coffee cart. She backed away and looked around her. Several shoppers seemed mildly interested in what she was doing, but no clerks hurried over to wheel the cart out. At other times Heather had seen shoppers pushing the cart from the storage area when clerks forgot it. She sighed. I’ll get the coffee, she called waving to other shoppers. She pushed the canvas door aside and stepped into the unlit storeroom.

A tiny prickling skittered up Heather’s spine while she waited for her eyes to grow accustomed to the dim surroundings. In the past when the canvas door had been left open, shoppers had a bright light somewhere toward the back of the storeroom to guide them. Today there was no light. Heather stared into the uninviting gloom as another shiver inched up her back.

She tugged on the cart, trying to pull it toward her, but it didn’t move. Slowly she traced the cart’s outline with her hands, making her way to its far side. Once there she grabbed the sides of it and pushed. It moved forward a few feet, but as Heather stepped forward to give it another push, her foot caught on something. She lost her balance, landing on her knees as her head struck the side of the cart. The fall left her temporarily disoriented. She reached out to move the object she tripped over, then froze. It felt like a body. Had Anna attempted to move the cart and fallen?

Anna? Heather whispered, laying her hand gently against the unresponsive woman’s face. Besides warm skin there was something sticky. Was it blood? Had Anna struck her head as she fell?

Suddenly a tiny noise startled Heather. She paused, holding her breath, listening for the sound to be repeated. Where had it come from? Was it a cough? Was someone gasping for air?

Heather quietly turned in the direction she thought the sound had come from, hoping the noise would be repeated so she could identify it. She fought the impulse to leap to her feet and race from the room. Maybe Anna hadn’t tripped and fallen. Maybe something else happened to her.

Heather inched in the new direction, then discovered her path blocked again. Cautiously she extended a hand to identify the new obstacle. It was shoes. Her hand had come in contact with a pair of shoes. Large shoes!

Shoes with feet in them!

And trousers!

Another body? A man’s body?

Heather stumbled to her feet, giving way to panic. She dashed breathlessly toward the safety of the canvas door and other shoppers.

###

WHAT WAS HEATHER LOOKING FOR?

For answers, add one of the letters below to a word. Include the added letter on the line below the new word to form answers.

A, A, C, E, E, F, F, N, N, O

A

CHAPTER 2

Yellow tape cordoned off the produce section of Food Country where paramedics and crime scene personnel went about their duties.

On the scarred bench at the front of the grocery sat Myrtle Wilson, pale in contrast to the brightly colored clothing she wore under a cabbage green raincoat. Heather was beside her, ready to rescue her if the need arose. She had just returned from having crime scene investigators swab blood from her hands, and allow her to wash up.

Is Anna going to be all right? Myrtle directed her question to the policeman who had been questioning her. When he continued writing in a notebook she reached out to grasp Heather’s arm. Waiting for details was making her anxious.

Sergeant Hiller, a man in his thirties, finally stopped writing and studied the concerned face of the older woman. The medic said she was stable, but they won’t know everything until they evaluate her at the hospital. Can you tell me anything about your friend’s health? His pen was poised to add details to his notebook.

Myrtle frowned. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and patted her eyes before answering. We’ve only been neighbors for two weeks. I don’t know Anna that well.

How about next of kin? It would help if you could give me a lead on who they are and where I could find them.

Myrtle shook her head, trying to recall what she had learned about her new friend. She hasn’t mentioned any relatives, although she wears a wedding ring. She lives alone in the apartment next to mine and we’re only beginning to get acquainted. Myrtle glanced at the crowd of shoppers forming behind the officer as they eavesdropped on details of the attack that had taken place. Myrtle fought the urge to tell the gawkers to move on.

How about Michael? Myrtle asked in a hushed voice. Will he be okay? It was the part-time clerk’s body Heather had discovered near Anna’s.

The sergeant shook his head, responding softly. The paramedics couldn’t help Mr. Santiam. The blow to his head caused too much damage.

Myrtle caught her breath, gulping back tears. What happened in that storeroom? What if I’d been the one to go after our coffee? Would it be me headed for the hospital now?

Heather wrapped her arms around her aunt. Take it easy, Aunt Myrtle. Don’t speculate on what might have happened. We don’t have enough details.

The officer studied Myrtle. He knew she was related to the lead detective in his department. It wouldn’t do to have the old lady collapse as he questioned her. Your niece is right, Ms. Wilson. We’re still collecting evidence. At the moment it’s all guesswork. Has your friend gone into the back room for the coffee cart other times?

Myrtle nodded. Once or twice that I know of. She shrugged, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. The clerks are always busy stocking shelves or running errands. Sometimes they just forget to push the cart out. Do you think Anna walked in on a robbery taking place? She lowered her head and glanced sidewise toward Heather. Why would anyone attack Anna or Michael?

Sergeant, interrupted Heather, patting her aunt’s hands, noting Myrtle had begun to shred the tissue she’d used to dry her eyes. I’d like to take my aunt home. Could you finish questioning her another time?

The officer looked at the upset woman, fatigue evident on her pale features. His countenance softened as he checked her address. Six thirty-two Washington? Apartment six?

Both women nodded.

Okay, Heather. Take your aunt home when she’s ready. We’ll talk to you both later if we have more questions. He tucked his notebook in a pocket and nodded at Heather. I’m sure you know the drill. Don’t either one of you leave town for a while.

The women nodded again.

Myrtle turned to Heather. Before we go I’d like a drink of water, please. Her hand was resting on her chest. My heart is racing. I should sit quietly for a few minutes.

Officer Hiller signaled a buddy to bring water to Myrtle, then turned to go.

Heather said, Sergeant, would you mind if I joined you while my aunt is resting? It looks like my sister, Sally, is one of the investigating officers.

Come ahead, Sergeant Hiller said. Just stay out of the way. With that he hurried to rejoin the activity at the rear of the store.

###

I understand it was you who found the bodies, Sally said as she greeted her sister.

Heather nodded. Aunt Myrtle was concerned when her friend didn’t return with coffee. I was looking for her.

The sisters stepped to one side as medical personnel wheeled a gurney carrying Anna to a waiting ambulance. The injured woman’s head was bandaged and I.V. fluids had been hooked up. She was still unconscious.

Let me get this straight. Aunt Myrtle was worried about her friend so you went looking for her in Food Country’s storeroom? The tall detective brushed short blond hair away from her forehead. Her dark blue eyes were carefully assessing her oldest sister’s responses.

Heather shrugged her shoulders. She seemed embarrassed. Customers get impatient waiting for the coffee cart to be rolled out. When I didn’t see Anna I decided to give the cart a push and then continue looking for her. I didn’t expect to find her on the floor in that storeroom. Heather glanced in the direction the gurney had taken. I hope she’ll be all right. Was the store’s delivery door left unlocked? Is that how Michael’s killer got in and out?

No way, scolded a short balding man who had been standing off to one side eavesdropping. He was wearing a worn denim work shirt, faded jeans and shabby shoes. A canvas apron had been tied around his waist. As he spoke, he stepped forward. It couldn’t have happened that way. He nervously fingered the shininess of a jagged scar on one side of his chin. I’m Hadley Lytle, the store’s manager. There’s no way that delivery door could be left unlocked. It locks automatically. The door can only be opened from the inside and unless the security bar is deactivated, an alarm sounds.

Sally studied the manager’s face. There aren’t any scratches around the lock. It doesn’t look like anyone tampered with it.

If it wasn’t tampered with, then Michael had to open the door for some reason.

Did he smoke? Heather asked. Maybe he opened the door so he could have a cigarette.

Hadley Lytle shuddered. Our employees don’t smoke even in the mall’s parking lot. They’ve signed non-smoking pledges. If Michael opened that door to light up, he’d have been fired for breaking his pledge, just like his predecessor. Hadley stepped back, pulling a buzzing phone from his shirt pocket. After glancing at the screen he said, I have to take this call. If you need to talk, you can find me in my office, upstairs. With that he hurried off to deal with a disturbance at the front of the store.

###

Aunt Sally! Aunt Heather! It’s me, Tom. Running toward the sisters was one of their eleven-year-old nephews. A digital camera with a flash attachment bounced at his