Voices From Within (Book 2)

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Morning Revelations

It was after seven when the sun rose over Carlisle. Reggie and his father were awake and dressed. They re-packed their satchels, knowing they would leave after breakfast. Reggie was eager to see Charlotte this morning. They had made plans to meet early in the morning and take the coat to the sheriff's office as evidence against her father's aide.

The plans were to come back to the hotel with the sheriff and arrest Mr. Albright for the murder of Ivan Polansky. Charlotte told Reggie she didn't trust him, and she thought he was involving her father in get-rich schemes under the guise of the government.

Reggie checked his appearance in the mirror and left the room to knock on Charlotte's door. He knocked quietly for the first time and listened for any noise. He knocked again, a little louder. No answer.

Reggie ran his hand through his wet beard in contemplation about what to do next. Then he rapped louder on the door. Nothing. No sound of movement. He ran down the staircase, looking for Charlotte, leaving his father in the hallway.

"Marge, have you seen Miss Randolph this morning?"

"No, sir. She has not been down for her morning tea."

Marge looked at his worried face and left the dining room with her keys in hand. Reggie followed her up the stairs. The two men stood behind Marge as she checked the door to her room. It wasn't locked.

"I stood in the hallway last night until Miss Randolph locked her door, to be sure she was safe," explained Reggie.

When the three of them walked into the room, they discovered she was gone. Marge rushed to the bed and saw the bloodstains.

"Oh, it's all my fault. I should have told her no."

Then Marge told the men everything about how she opened Mr. Albright's room and allowed Miss Randolph to search his room. She found the coat with the missing cuff. She saw Miss Randolph hide the coat in her trunk and locked it. Reggie looked at the lock as Marge looked for the small velvet bag that held the key to the trunk.

Reggie's father saw the ransom note with blood on the envelope. He opened and read the letter addressed to Senator Randolph. Then Gordon stepped over to the locked trunk. He tipped it on its backside, exposing the bottom of the trunk. Carefully, he ran his hand over the wooden trim, and he found the carved notch. He moved the piece of wood, exposing the extra key.

"How did you know?" asked Reggie, bewildered by his father's knowledge.

Gordon stood up and said, "You forgot, my son. I have traveled many miles with your mother."

Reggie shook his head in disbelief. Gordon knelt in front of the trunk and inserted the key into the lock. The trunk latch popped open, and Gordon stood up as he raised the lid. Marge quickly dug through the clothes until she reached the coat. She pulled out the coat and handed it to Reggie. He saw the missing cuff, and he folded it over his arm.

"I'm taking this to the sheriff."

"Wait a minute, son."

Gordon handed him the ransom note. Reggie held onto the coat and read the letter with disbelief that turned to rage. His father locked the trunk and put the spare key back in its place. Then he sat the trunk upright. Marge saw Reggie's reaction to the letter, and she was afraid to speak, but he needed to know.

"Mr. Reggie, you need to know that Kaiser is gone and hasn't come back this morning."

"What are you talking about?"