Charms Of Silence

Chapter 2

 Peggy's first move was to make sure that no one knew about the stolen folders, especially not the police. John disagreed. He believed that the police would catch the crook fast, and it would all be over. But Peggy knew that if the police were involved everybody would know. She hoped that there would be no more calls for court cases, and in this, luck was on her side. She arranged for her cousin, a private detective, to help her find the crooks. Her cousin was named Rita, but she went by her middle name, Katherine, or Kate. Ding-Dong. 9:00. Right on time. Peggy hesitated before opening the door. Could she trust her cousin? After all, this was a serious theft, and the police had a right to know. As she reached for the doorknob, she told herself to get over it, of course she could trust Kate, they had always been close. She opened the door.

"Hi Peg! It sure has been a long time!" Peggy jumped. She had forgotten how upbeat her cousin was. "Oh-did I scare you?"

"No. I mean yes, you did scare me. But don't feel bad, I've been very jumpy recently. Kate, I am so happy to see you!" exclaimed Peggy, overcome with old memories. "Come in, what can I get for you?"

"Nothing! The more appropriate question would be, what can I do for you. You called for my services as a private eye, not to have a chat over some tea. What's wrong?"

"It's about my book. Gone With the Wind."

"I read it, and it's amazing! I am so proud to be able to call you my cousin."

"Yes, well, I trust you have heard that people have been trying to get money by suing me for stealing their ideas?" At this Kate frowned. Peggy sighed. Obviously she hadn't heard. This made things more complicated. She would have to explain as nonchalantly as possible about the missing folders, and her reasons for keeping it private. She took a deep breath. "They have been. And just yesterday I was at court with the original manuscript. I came back, and it was gone."

Kate paused. "No."

"Yes."

"Are you sure? Because-"

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have called you. I've looked everywhere- someone must have taken them." Kate's face was impassive. Peggy couldn't tell what the other woman was thinking.

"We will have to start by retracing your steps..." Margaret smiled for the first time in days. This was the girl she had known as a child. She knew that she had made the right choice when she had called Kate. Her cousin was always ready for a challenge. And this was a challenge. Peggy thought about the last court case as she described it to Kate. It had been an easy one - short - the original chapters had been sufficient evidence. She had had the folders then. After the court case, she had taken a taxi to a French cafe. The taxi driver seemed to be wearing normal clothes: a black jacket, black pants and a yellow shirt. Thinking back to the ride, Peggy remembered seeing a flash of blue on the man's wrist, but she quickly dismissed that thought from her mind. Bracelets were normal, right? It was at the cafe that she had noticed. She had walked in, the man at the counter had said bonjour, and she had ordered her food. At the cashier when she reached into her purse for her wallet and saw that the folders were gone. She had paid for the food and come straight back to the apartment.

Kate saw the distraught look on Peggy's face, and decided that that was enough for one day. She took the purse to look for fingerprints, and asked to come back the next day.

Peggy didn't know what to do next. She wondered where John was and when he was coming back. She didn't know how she felt; she was still indignant that he had underestimated her... but she didn't like yelling at him. She missed the times when she had been carefree before she was stuck at home. She thought about when she was young - she felt so old these days - and found herself engaged to five men (Not all at once) and then married to Red. He was an drunk, and that marriage had lasted only three months. Now she was married to John. She wondered once more where he was and what he was doing. He had gone grocery shopping the day before, and he had the day off from work. Suddenly a thought struck her. What if - no. She tried to shoo the thought away, but it kept coming back.

She heard the click of the door unlocking and stood up. She listened to the slam when the door shut, and the clang of keys going back into a pocket. She heard the quiet padding of footsteps walking through the kitchen and into the sitting room in front of her. She looked up. Her worst fears were confirmed.