Premeditated Mortar Read online

“Okay. Thanks for calling.”

  We finished the call and I looked at Jane. “You got the gist of that, right? Eric has forbidden us to check out the hidden door.”

  “That’s downright authoritarian of him,” she said, only half-kidding.

  Mac hid a smile. “Well, he is the authority around these parts.”

  “But it’s my hotel.”

  I sighed and patted her back. “But it’s his jail cell.”

  Mac just laughed and Jane managed a reluctant smile.

  “But look,” I said. “We can get some work done in the meantime.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Jane asked.

  “I was thinking we could check out the wall outside your future registration office and decide how much we want to take down.”

  “Oh. That’s a wonderful idea.”

  “That’s something we could start work on next week.” I gazed at Mac. “Do you want to join us?”

  “Construction talk,” Mac said. “Always a good time.”

  I grinned. He really was a good sport. “If you get bored you can always go wandering around.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine. “It’s not as much fun without you.”

  “Aww,” Jane said.

  Did I look as happy as I felt? I leaned in and kissed him. “Love you,” I whispered.

  “Love you more.”

  “That’s impossible,” I said, and made silly smooching noises.

  “All right, all right,” Jane said, rolling her eyes as she walked away, leaving Mac and me laughing.

  When we reached the foyer, I walked into the front room and said to Mac, “This is where Jane’s guests will check in. She wants a counter here”—I pointed—“with visitors’ chairs on this side and three or four desks on that side for the front office crew. It’ll be pretty and functional.”

  “It’s a big room,” Mac said. “That window is going to give you a great view.”

  “As soon as we can get rid of that blue paper,” Jane said.

  “I’ve discussed the subject of blue paper with my people,” I said. “And we’ve decided to start removing it as we go along. We thought about keeping the paper to protect the glass, but basically, we need the light. And when we start painting, we’ll have to hang tarps. And if we break anything, we’ll replace it.”

  “Yay! I just can’t wait to see the view when it’s all done.” She turned to Mac. “It’s going to be wonderful.”

  I pulled out my little pink tape measure—instead of my big honking twenty-five-foot classic I had hooked to my tool belt—and handed it to Jane. “I thought we could take away about six feet of the wall and that would give you a nice big entryway for you and your guests.”

  She held it steady at the doorway while I pulled the tape out to six feet.

  “What do you think? Do you want to take more?”

  Jane looked at the tape and narrowed her eyes, trying to imagine that much of the wall gone. Then she nodded. “I think that’s perfect. But isn’t this a load-bearing wall?”

  “Oh, definitely,” I said. “But we’re not taking away enough of the wall to make a difference. And on the off chance that we need to bolster it, we will.”

  Mac stared at the wall, frowning. “I have a question.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You told me a while ago that contractors aren’t allowed to make a lot of changes to these historical buildings. So is it really okay to take out part of this wall? It seems like a significant change.”

  I smiled. “Very good question.”

  He grinned. “Thanks, Professor. I’ve been dating this cute contractor and she knows a lot of stuff.”

  “Good to know,” I said, laughing. “Okay, it’s kind of a quirky rule, but for this specific project we’re able to take out as much of this wall as we want.” I held up my finger to make a point. “As long as the edges of the new wall are still rounded, just like the original.”

  I pointed to the doorway edge. “See how it’s rounded here? There are no sharp edges.”

  Mac stared at the rounded edge and back at me. “That’s amazing. I never noticed it.”

  “It’s subtle,” Jane said, smiling. “The interior corners of the rooms are slightly rounded, too.”

  “The corners?” He walked around and checked out each of the four corners. “That’s just bizarre. No sharp corners either, no sharp edges. What’s that all about?”

  “Just one more way of keeping people safe,” I said. “Less chance of someone hurting themselves. Like Jane said, it’s subtle, but important, I think.”

  “I love that detail,” Mac said. “I need some pictures.”

  I watched him pull out his phone and stroll around taking pictures. It was fun to know that some of these ideas would end up in one of his books someday.

  “It was another one of Dr. Jones’s edicts,” I explained. “I’ve told you most of them, so this was one more. Rounded corners and doorway edges. You know all the others, right?”

  “Yeah, high ceilings and big windows.”

  “Right. And the window recommendations covered everything, right down to the size of the panes of glass in patient rooms.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, genuinely interested.

  “Yeah. They wanted the windows to be large enough to allow a lot of light to come in, but the individual panes of glass are small, about ten to twelve inches.”

  “Ah.” Mac nodded knowingly. “So patients wouldn’t be tempted to go jumping out the window.”

  “To put it plainly, yes.”

  “So this wasn’t a patient room,” he said, gazing around and narrowing in on the big picture window that took up half the wall.

  “No. This first floor was mainly administrative, so there was more leeway here.”

  “Huh.” He snapped another few shots. “Okay. Any more window trivia you want to share?”

  “Always,” I said, chuckling. “So you’ve noticed the wide hallways.”

  “I have,” he said. “And they’re great.”

  “I think so, too.” I idly picked up a scraper from the utility table and began to run it against the surface of the wall. “Well, every hallway was designed with large bay windows along the outer wall to allow in lots of sunlight and ventilation.” I shook my head. “Ventilation was truly an obsession with these guys, not that that’s a bad thing. And all of the patient rooms were located on one side of the hall, opposite the windows.”

  “Was that for safety reasons?”

  “Actually, yes. These halls were called single-loaded corridors. According to my research, they designed it that way to improve the airflow.”

  “Really? They did it for ventilation?”

  “That’s what I found out. But there was also a more mundane, practical reason for the setup. With the patients’ chairs lined up along the same wall as their rooms, the staff was better able to keep an eye on their patients.”

  “I get it. Instead of having to look back and forth on both sides of the halls, the nurses and staff could keep their backs to the exterior wall and basically see everyone under their charge.”

  I nodded. “Pretty much.”

  “Okay, so for historical purposes, you can’t change the windows or the ceiling height or the airflow or a dozen other things. But you can take out this wall.”

  I smiled. “As long as we round the edges.”

  “Got it,” he said. “So you’re ensuring the doctor’s architectural legacy.”

  “Exactly.”

  The front door flew open.

  “We made it,” Chloe said, breathless, her cheeks red from running.

  “You didn’t have to run,” I said. “Where’s Eric?”

  “He refused to run with me.” She laughed. “But I had to, and it felt good. The air is so clear today and the view is awesome.�
��

  “Now that you’re here, I’m going to call Niall,” Jane said. “I’ll have him meet us by the chamber.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s out back, behind the building,” Jane said, “scoping out the patio and spa area.”

  Chloe beamed. “That’s so cool. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind for that space.”

  A few seconds later, Eric walked inside.

  “I beat you,” Chloe said, laughing.

  He smiled, but then got serious. “It’s not dignified for the chief of police to be running around. Unless I’m chasing a criminal.”

  “And you’re always very dignified,” she said primly, and leaned against him, kissing his chin.

  “Okay,” I said, breaking it up. “Let’s go do this.”

  I led the way down the hall and into the passageway. Then I moved aside so Eric could go ahead of me. “You’re in charge here, Chief.”

  “I’m not so sure about that sometimes,” he muttered.

  I grinned and followed him to the opening in the brick wall.

  Mac was talking to Jane about something so Chloe came over and joined me. “Thanks for the fun party.”

  “This party right here? Or last night’s?”

  “Well, this one’s going to be fun, but I was talking about last night.”

  I smiled at her. “But you did all the work.”

  She waved her hand. “It was nothing. Anyway, it was great to see everyone. And did I overhear Belinda inviting us out for a barrel tasting while I’m in town?”

  “You did. We’re supposed to call and let her know when we can do it.”

  “Awesome.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I’m so happy.”

  “I can tell. And I’m so glad.”

  I heard the sound of heavy footsteps and turned to see Niall heading this way, carrying what looked like a pool ladder.

  “I’ve cleared the chamber floor of bricks,” he said, “but I haven’t yet taken down this short wall. So I’ve found a ladder we can use to climb into the space.”

  He hooked the curved handrail over the top of the short wall. “I’ll help you step up onto this small platform, and then you can turn and descend, same as you would a stepladder.”

  “That’s so smart,” I said.

  Jane smiled. “Thank you, Niall.”

  “I can’t have you scrabbling over the top and falling into the pit, now, can I?”

  I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I’ve already done that, thanks.”

  Mac rubbed my back in sympathy.

  I glanced around. “Eric, do you want to go first?”

  “No, Shannon,” he said indulgently. “You go ahead. Your bruises entitle you to be first.”

  I exchanged a look with Jane to make sure she was cool with that and she signaled for me to go. “Okay, I’m going first.”

  “No flying in there,” Chloe murmured.

  I smiled at that, then held out my hand for Niall to hold steady. Stepping onto the little platform, I felt it wobble a bit, but Niall helped me turn around. I clutched the rail and made my way down the ladder and into the pit. Niall had moved the light tree close enough so that I could see most of the space. The floor, the walls, and the low, arched ceiling were covered in old brick.

  “It’s gorgeous in here,” I said. “And it’s also very tight quarters.” It was more of a passageway than an actual chamber, I thought. Less than five feet wide and about ten feet long. I wasn’t sure we would all fit down here, but we would find out soon enough.

  Jane came down next, and then Eric.

  “Watch your head,” I said. “The ceiling’s pretty low.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” he said, and looked around. “I think we’ve reached capacity. Let’s get that door opened and then all of you can take turns checking out the space.” He glanced up at the others. “Okay with you guys?”

  “Fine with me,” Mac said, gazing down at us. “I’ll take a turn once you’ve all seen enough.”

  “Do we have a key for this door?”

  “I hope so.” Jane tried each of the keys on the ring she’d been given, but none of them fit. Finally she grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. She pressed her shoulder against the door. “Big surprise, it’s locked. Or stuck. I can’t tell.”

  Eric reached for the doorknob to make sure. “It’s locked, not stuck.” He glanced at Jane. “Say the word and I’ll break it down.”

  “Wait,” I said in a near panic. “This door is too gorgeous to break. I’ll find another way.” I studied the door for a minute. It was made of old, thick wood, solid and rich. Probably mahogany. It was rounded on top to fit the arched opening. There was a lovely inlaid herringbone panel running vertically down the center. Oh, man . . . I had to take a breath and remind myself that we were on a mission. “The hinges are on the other side, so we can’t remove them. I have a wedging tool, but even if I slip it between the wood and the brick, it won’t go anywhere. And it might chip the wood.”

  “So what should we do?” Jane asked.

  I looked at her for a long moment. “Amanda can always repair the door.”

  “Okay.” Jane nodded briskly. “Let’s get in there. I’m so curious, I can’t stand it.”

  “Me, too,” I said. “I want to know what was so important that they had to erect a brick wall to hide it.”

  “And tried to kill you,” Jane added quietly.

  I suppressed a shiver, then glanced at Eric. “Go for it.”

  Jane and I pressed ourselves against the wall to give Eric enough room. He took three steps back, then charged at the door, slamming into it with his shoulder.

  “Didn’t even budge it,” he said, disgusted as he stretched and adjusted his shoulder from the impact.

  Niall said, “Would you like me to give it a try?”

  Eric looked up at Niall, then back at the door, then back to Niall. “Yeah. But remember, I loosened it up for you.”

  We all laughed at that one.

  “Let me get out first.” Eric climbed up the ladder and over the wall. Then Niall climbed down.

  Niall took up even more space than Eric had. Jane and I exchanged a look, then pressed ourselves even flatter against the wall. I shut my eyes, imagining wood and splinters flying when Niall charged into the door.

  He moved back as far as the space would allow, which was only about a foot farther back than Eric had gone. He grunted loudly and then, as he charged for the door, he shouted out a phrase that could have come from a warrior in the movie Braveheart. It was boisterous, to say the least.

  I heard the loud thud as he rammed the door. He hit it again and that was when we heard a splintering crack.

  I opened my eyes. The door had broken away from the lock and was now open a few inches. I pushed it but it wouldn’t go any farther. I gave Niall an appraising look. “You did it.”

  Jane reached out to touch his shoulder. “Are you hurt?”

  “Ach, I barely felt it.”

  I had to laugh. “I am wildly impressed. You really are one big, strong man.”

  “Aye, it’s true.” He brushed his hands together, a task well done.

  “What did you shout when you ran for the door?”

  “It’s the motto of the Rose Clan,” he said. “‘Constant and True.’”

  I just stared at him. Sometimes I thought maybe he had come from another time and definitely another place—and I was so glad he’d landed here.

  “Well, shall we see what we can?” he said finally.

  Niall’s amazing feat had made me forget what I was doing here. “Oh, yeah. Let’s check it out.”

  I took three steps to the door and tried to push it inward again, but it would only go so far. “It doesn’t open all the way.”

  “I can pull it all the way off for you,�
�� Niall offered.

  “If you can wrangle it out this way, I think that’ll work.”

  “Aye.” He grasped the top of the door with both hands and pulled.

  I had to squeeze my eyes shut, but quickly opened them again. It was the last straw for the poor door. It fell off its one remaining hinge with another sharp crack and Niall yanked it into the antechamber. “I’ll lay it down on its side against the wall.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We need more light in here,” Jane said, trying to see into the formerly hidden room.

  She grabbed for her phone as I pulled my mini-flashlight from my tool belt and aimed the beam through the doorway. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No way!” Jane cried.

  “What is it?” Mac called.

  “It’s another brick wall!”

  I hung my head, feeling defeated. This interior brick wall stood back from the door about three feet and completely blocked any access to the room beyond.

  “What the hell?” Eric’s irritated voice floated down to us. “What are they hiding in there? Plutonium?”

  “This is ridiculous,” Jane said.

  “It’s like a stupid puzzle,” I muttered irately.

  Niall aimed his larger flashlight beam in every direction, but stopped when he got a look at the floor. “Shannon, it’s no puzzle.”

  “Oh my God, no!” Jane cried, and turned to Niall, who grabbed her.

  “Come here, love,” he said. “You needn’t look.”

  I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but look. Then I shouted, “Eric, we need you down here. It’s worse than plutonium.”

  Lying on the cold stone floor in front of the brick wall was a man’s body. His orange hair stuck out from his head like an unruly mop. Up close I could see flecks of gray hair at his temples, making me think he was even older than I’d thought he was. I couldn’t see any blood, but that didn’t matter. Carrot Head, otherwise known as Judson Killian, was dead.

  * * *

  * * *

  Eric immediately took over the scene. He hustled Jane, Niall, and me out of the antechamber as quickly as we could scurry up that ladder. Then he called his dispatch operator for the second day in a row, ordering squad cars and CSI to the Gables stat.