"If we had an ax, we could hack our way out of here." Robin knocked his head again and again on the wall behind him. "I'm thirsty. And hungry. And tired."
Mandie thought maybe she could hack that door down with just a butter knife if she had one. Pretty soon they might start getting on each other's nerves.
"Wait a minute." She moved over to the desk and rummaged through the drawers. "I remember seeing a screwdriver. If it fits in the handle's screws, maybe we can take the knob off."
Robin scrambled up and rummaged through the drawers on the other side. "What good would that do?"
"The chair is probably cocked against the knob on the other side, if we take it off, the chair won't have an anchor anymore, and we can push the chair away easily."
"Got it!" Robin handed Mandie the screwdriver. and Mandie rushed to the door. It was a smaller screwdriver than the heads, but she was able to twist the screws out with extra patience. She pulled the knob on their side out then prodded at the other side of the handle with the screwdriver. When something clunked on the other side, Mandie shoved and the door opened, the chair screeching across the floor.
"Maybe we won't have to tell Anna after all?" Robin grinned sheepishly at Mandie. Before she could respond, the front door of the bookstore opened and in stalked Mr. Barnes.
They stared at one another a full fifteen seconds in silence, then a scowl gathered like dark clouds on Mr. Barnes's face. "You lock picked the door!" Robin tried to duck behind Mandie, but Mr. Barnes reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "You've gone too far this time. We're going straight to your sister after you tell me what you're..." His gaze drifted behind Robin to the knob-less door, then the office where all the papers they'd gathered were stacked on top of the desk. "I ought to turn you both over to the law right now." He shook Robin's arm for emphasis.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Barnes," Mandie said. "But it isn't what it looks like. Someone came into your store while you were gone—"
"Obviously."
"Besides us," Mandie continued. "And they went through all your office, then locked us in there. Call the authorities and maybe they can catch him yet. Robin and I both know what he looks like."
"Mr. Barnes let go of Robin and darted into the office to peer at his safe, which had been left untouched. He opened his cash box and rifled through the money but seemed satisfied as he clacked it shut again.
"Does anything appear to be missing that actually belongs to you?" Mandie asked.
Mr. Barnes rifled through a few of the papers. He looked up at Mandie. "Why do you say it like that? I don't care for your tone. Why did this so-called fellow lock you in my office anyway?"
Mandie filed away his quick brush-off of her question for later. "Please contact the authorities, and we'll explain then. The more time we delay, the longer the man can get away."
"Next door has a telephone," he grumbled. "I'll be right back, and you'd better still be here."
Mandie wrinkled her nose as he left. It must be trying to come to a mess like this, but that didn't excuse his rude behavior. Robin had good reason not to trust him.
After Mandie collapsed into bed that night, she thought she'd fall asleep right away as tired as she was. The police had taken down her and Robin's account of the man and promised to be on the search.
"Are you sure nothing seems to be taken?" the officer had asked Mr. Barnes.
Mandie had raised her eyebrows pointedly at him as she stood nearby with Robin.
Mr. Barnes had cut his gaze to the ground and shook his head. "Must've been an act of vandalism is all." He'd laughed nervously.
Mandie had stopped short of demanding he tell her whether the letter addressed to Anna had been taken. At her continued hints, he'd told her to let well enough alone and quit hounding him after all he'd been through. He looked careworn and weary enough that Mandie had relented. For now.
The hum of Snowball's purr as he lay curled next to her on the pillow lulled her enough to close her eyes.
Elizabeth and Uncle John, like she thought, had been too relieved she was all right to scold her. They seemed of the mind to put almost all the blame on Robin, but Mandie in good conscience knew better. She'd wanted to look through Mr. Barnes's things as much as Robin, and it had caused her to be too lenient with Robin.
Joe would know she could have handled the situation more responsibly. It didn't matter how indulgent or caught unawares others might be, Joe always seemed to know what she was thinking. Of all her friends, he called her out the most for wrong actions. His disapproval was irritating. That's all there was to it, but she kept thinking about his opinion anyway.
While she'd been wrapped up in the break-in, he'd called to say he'd be back tomorrow. That's all he'd related to Uncle John—probably wanting to tell Mandie his full news personally, but it didn't make the suspense any easier.
Mandie blew out a breath and rolled onto her side. If only she knew what to make of Mr. Barnes. Uncle Ned's constant reminder to think before she spoke had saved her from accusing him of destroying the letter, but the fact remained it was missing, and he refused to talk about it. If he knew the man who'd broken in today had taken it, he ought to say so. Joe will help me get him to talk, as long as he's not too mad at me.