Trapped!

Chapter Fifty-six

Janelle drew in a sharp breath.

In the darkness she couldn’t see a thing, but she recognized that voice!

         “Aunt Ida?”

         What was Ida doing here? Wasn’t she going senile?

         “Yes, it’s me, Nellie. And you found my money.”

         “Your money?” Janelle had to get the woman talking. “Why is your money hidden back here? And why didn’t you know where it was?”

         Ida huffed out a breath. “It was that conniving Jed Thorne’s fault. When he became CEO of the company, he cut my husband’s bookkeeper salary in half. Frank deserved more than he was making, so he began taking what was rightfully his.”

         Helga’s words came back. Frank never got his numbers right. The money yust seemed to disappear. “So Frank was embezzling money from the company accounts?”

         “Embezzling?” Ida’s voice grew louder. “That money was his! He hid it in this passageway, and we lived on that money. After he died, I searched this place for years and finally found it, just a few months ago.”

         “But then you lost it?”

         “No! That awful Jed Thorne discovered me in the passageway and took it! He didn’t know about Frank’s embezzlement, but he took the money, claiming it belonged to him. Well, it didn’t!”

         Janelle’s palms began to sweat. She had finally discovered the murderer, but now she was shut up in the passageway with this unstable woman. If only Janelle could call out to Ben, but he was on the phone. How could she let him know? Why hadn’t she called the sheriff this morning, when she had a chance? What if Ida whipped out a bra to strangle her?

         Better to keep the woman talking.

         “So, you really aren’t losing your mind, are you, Ida?”

         “Ha! It was just an act. Who would think an old senile woman capable of murder? I knew Jed had hidden the money somewhere in this passageway, and after I killed him, I began searching. Now you’ve found it for me, Nellie.” Ida’s voice came closer. “You and I are the only ones who know, and I have a gun.”

         Janelle gasped. “But…but it’s dark! You can’t shoot in the dark.”

         “Do you think I’m stupid?” Something clicked, and a pinpoint of light shown in Janelle’s eyes. “I always have my flashlight. I can see you just fine.”

        

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Things look bad for our heroine! Until tomorrow…