He spoke sotto voce. “We have a dead line.”
Trixie turned and gave Dan a look that clearly said, ‘you don’t have all the intelligence that I thought you had.’ She stuck out her lower lip and huffed to move that aggravating curl out of her way and with more than a hint of exasperation, replied. “I know we have a deadline. We have been….”
She was stopped by Dan lunging at her and placing his palm over her mouth. “Will you be quiet?” He whispered. “Not a deadline. A dead line! The phone is dead.” He picked up the old-fashioned handset and held it against her ear. Her blue eyes widened as she realized that there was no dial tone.
Dan continued. “Look. I have known you for eight years. I know what you can do. I know that you are studying criminal justice. You just earned your license to carry a weapon, and I know that you are taking self defense courses, but please, PLEASE, don’t try to be the heroine of the hour. You are the most naturally gifted crime solver that I know, but you are still in school, and you don't have anything to prove to me.
“We must be in way over our heads. I am not sure that the Chief, would have allowed you to work with me on organizing these cold case files, if he had had any idea that something would turn up that resulted in the phone line being cut.”
“I think it is worse than just that, Dan. We have barely gotten started. We haven’t even started asking questions. So whoever cut the line, must know that the Chief handed over the files. Do you think it is some rat on the force? Who else would know about this project?
Suddenly, a door slammed down stairs. They heard a lot of crashing and thumping. It sounded like someone was having a heck of a fight. They prepared to barricade the door but gradually, the sounds quieted and then they heard one last thump that seemed to rattle the walls. Cautiously, they went downstairs and searched the stable. They found Regan in the tack room, feverishly working on a leather bridle.
Dan looked around the room. “Uncle Bill? What’s going on? It sounded like you were having a barroom brawl down here.”
Regan grumbled under his breath. “She is lucky she is a mouse and not a rat.”
Then he looked at both Dan and Trixie and said, “I am as much of an animal lover as anybody. But this is too much. There is a nest of mice in the phone box and they have chewed through the phone line. Again! This is the second time this week. I hoped that after the first time, when we moved the babies, that Mama Mouse would move on. But apparently she thinks the phone box is like the Mouse Taj Mahal, because they are back. Mama and all ten babies.
“Well I have news for Mama Mouse. I am giving her a deadline. I don’t know where, but she is moving, permanently, as of this afternoon.”
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