Trip to Murder 13
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"Matt, are you sure this is the only way?" Kitty looked about her apprehensively as they made their way, after dark, through the chilly shadows, back to the warehouse.
"Kitty, I told you to stay at the house with Herman. You didn't have to come back with me. Look at you shivering. You should've stayed at the house where it's warm." Matt worked hard not to sound irritated.
"And leave you to do this on your own? Not on your life, Mister. It's not that cold and besides, you get yourself shot too easily. Someone's gotta be along to haul you out when that happens."
Matt grinned. "So far, I've been the one hauling you out of trouble this trip."
Kitty shot him a look of irritation. "Actually Sean has been the one hauling us both out," she countered a little pleased at the look on his face.
"Come on." Matt grumped, no longer trying so hard to hide how rankled he was. He still, however, tried valiantly not to show how concerned he was.
When they had returned to Herman Schneider's house earlier that day, he and Kitty had gone over everything that happened in the last twenty four hours. They had few facts. A man was murdered. Whoever did it, knew Kitty had seen him and knew who she was. And that 'whoever' was out to get her.
The rest of the information they had was legally little more than conjecture. Owens' treatment of her could be nothing more than a stubborn law man who didn't believe anything he hadn't seen with his own eyes. Sean's story of his father's murder could be nothing more than that. A story. As could be the speculation of several other high ranking officers involved in illegal activities. The identity of the dead man could be Frank Peat or perhaps some bum who had stumbled into the wrong place.
But Matt knew better and he was determined one way or the other to prove it. For Kitty's sake if for no other reason. As Matt saw it, the proof or at least a key to the truth lay in that warehouse and to get it, they needed to get in. The two front doors were locked and out in the open. They'd be seen if they tried to get in that way, even at night.
But the small door in the back was hidden even in the daylight and almost invisible at night. It offered their best chance of getting in, and out, of there without being seen. And Matt really didn't want them to be seen.
That was the reason behind his and Kitty's return trip so late in the evening. Herman had suggested they wait for Sean Flannery and let him go, but Matt bristled even at the mention of his name. Kitty understood and agreed with Matt, vowing to go herself, despite the two men's objections.
They arrived back at the warehouse while it was still quite dark out, the moon having not yet fully risen. Moving stealthily through the shadows, hand in hand, Matt found the door, in the back, hidden well by shrubbery. The knob, when tried, was of course locked but that was little deterrent. Reaching in his pocket, Matt pulled out his pocket knife and began to work on the knob. He had the door opened in no time.
"I didn't know picking locks was in the line of being a law man." Kitty remarked with a touch of awe in her voice.
"You'd be surprised what's in the line of a law man." Matt answered as he grabbed her hand and led her into the building.
Once inside, Matt closed the door and drew his gun, pushing Kitty behind him. "Stay behind me," he whispered, "and if I say run, you run."
Kitty nodded but she knew she'd never leave his side, under any circumstances, regardless of what he said. For better or worse they were in this thing together.
For several minutes the two stood still and silent as their eyes adjusted to the dark and they listened to make sure no one else was in the cavernous building with them. Finally satisfied, Matt pulled out a match from his pocket and lit it. It gave him just enough light to locate a lantern hanging on a nearby wall. Stepping over to it, he pulled it down and lit it.
"Come on." He whispered to Kitty as he led them deeper into the building. They didn't have to go very far. A few feet in, Matt saw what he was looking for. A small room in a corner, hidden by crates. Quickly, he and Kitty went over to the plain wood door and tried the knob. It was locked. Pulling out his knife, Matt picked his second lock of the night.
"If I ever decide to take up burglary, I'll be sure and bring you along." Kitty grinned up at him. "You're pretty good at that."
Matt returned the grin. "That's not all I'm good at but I can't show you that, here."
"I'll take a rain check." Kitty smirked as she followed him into the little cubicle of a room.
The room was small and full. A miniscule desk sat against the front wall with a hard backed chair behind it and the back wall was lined with filing cabinets. Sitting the lamp on the desk, Matt opened the one drawer in the desk, finding nothing but a broken pencil and some blank paper.
Kitty went to the filing cabinets and starting going through them. Matt stepped up beside her and started on the opposite side. They were getting close to the middle, when Kitty pulled out a large file and took it over to the desk. Reading over several pages, she looked over at Matt. "Bingo!"
TBC