Page 69 of A Spot of Tea
I need to talk to you, please.
She waited a minute. Two. No response.
Rude.
“Maybe we shouldn’t drive in this storm.” Granny turned from the window. “I’ll just call Margie.”
“I’m going to find Eliza.” She trotted through the open door, rain blowing in. “Eliza! E-liz-a!”
What were the chances Stacy was still sniffing around, looking for her? She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and pressed on.
The hill sloped down to the water, and Eliza stood like an apparition, her skin milky white, her lips pale and tight.
The wind blew Mackenzie’s hood down as she ran to her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“Stacy came looking for you at the tea shop. Granny sent her away.” She looked over her shoulder. There was nothing but the ocean, white-capped and angry. “I think she was looking for the bag. I think she might’ve tried to plant it on you.”
Eliza looked up. “It’s raining.”
“Uh yeah.” She stepped closer. “We should probably throw the bag into the ocean. Get it out of here.”
Her gaze floated back down to Mackenzie, her eyes unfocused. “It’ll just wash up on shore.”
“I was joking.” She nodded toward the house. “Granny said she knows someone who can help. Do you want to go talk to them?”
She hesitated, then nodded, and Mackenzie led the way back to the cottage.
Inside, they shut the door and peeled off their coats. Mackenzie’s skin radiated heat. At least they were safe in here.
“Girls!”
They walked into the kitchen. Mom and Granny were seated at the table, Granny’s cell phone laying face-up.
“I’ve got Margie on the line,” Granny yelled a bit too loud. “She’s my friend – I told you about her. Her husband is Chief Hank.”
“Hello, ladies!” Margie’s voice was clear on the speakerphone, but Granny fussed with the phone, making it even louder. “Patty just filled me in. Nasty business, isn’t it? I didn’t like this robbery from the moment I heard about it.”
Mom smiled. “Really? Because we all just loved it.”
A laugh cackled out of the phone. “I’m going to call my brother, Mike. He retired from the FBI, but he still has contacts. He can help.”
Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Granny to have FBI friends. She thought it was going to be someone at the library. She took a seat. Eliza hovered next to her.
A quieter voice said something indiscernible on the phone.
“Oh, that’s my daughter,” Margie said. “She’s going to help me do a three-way call. Hang on to your hats!”
Mackenzie pretended to put an invisible hat on her head and made a face at Eliza. She offered a weak smile.
The line went quiet for a minute before returning. “You still there?”
“I’m here,” a man’s voice said.
Granny leaned in. “We’re here, too.”
“I did it!” Margie shrieked. “Okay, Mike, say hello.”
