Moans, Mummies, and Murder (The Dead-End Drive-In Series Book 2) Read online

  “There it is,” Anna announced, pointing.

  “What am I looking for exactly?” Belle asked.

  “Sammy is of Egyptian descent.”

  “Oh.” Belle paused. “I’m sorry, I’m still lost.”

  “Earlier, I saw an ankh hanging in her car. I didn’t think anything of it then because lots of people wear ankh jewelry or use them for decoration, but then I got thinking about the sign at the Prop Palace office. There was an ankh there as well.”

  “So?”

  “So, maybe this is her family emergency.”

  Belle thought this over for a second. “Wait, you think that she meant the mummy was a family emergency? Do you think she has some sort of sentimental attachment to it because of her heritage?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

  “That still doesn’t mean she is controlling the mummy or is a murderer,” Harlem noted.

  “And honoring your heritage isn’t exactly a motive for murder.”

  “And why would it be a family matter if it was just a prop?”

  Anna sighed. “Because she never had a prop mummy. She stole the mummy and was planning on filing it away as a prop so as to not draw suspicion. Maybe her driver tried to dump it off and she killed him?”

  “That’s a pretty long shot, don’t you think?” Belle said.

  “I really think I have something here.”

  “Maybe you do,” Harlem offered his support.

  “But, how could she be the murderer? She was at the office this morning. She would have been in New Orleans when that murder took place,” Belle said.

  Anna’s eyes lit up with recognition and she looked over at Harlem. “Maybe not.” She snapped her fingers. “I think I might know how we can figure it out. Grab your coat, Belle. We need to track down Sammy.”

  “Guys? Before you go, maybe you should have a look at this,” Harlem interrupted.

  “What?”

  “Look at Samantha’s direct family members.”

  Leaning down to look at the computer screen, they both gasped.

  Samantha Bartleby had two brothers listed. Pax Bartleby and Martin Bartleby.

  “That can’t be a coincidence,” Belle said.

  “Let’s go. We need to find this woman,” Anna insisted.

  “But first, let’s call Dan,” Belle suggested, not wanting to make the same mistake twice. As the Chief of Police, this was something he’d want to know.

  Anna nodded her firm agreement.

  CHAPTER 16

  * * *

  When they were finished with their research session, the drive-in and restaurant had completely cleared out of its nightly patrons. The small crew of investigators came down the stairs, slipping into their jackets (with the exception of Harlem, of course) planning on heading out into the night to search for Samantha Bartleby.

  A sudden shuffling noise drew their attention toward the sarcophagus in the corner where a shadowy figure was hunched.

  “Who’s there?” Belle demanded.

  After a second’s pause, the crouched figure stood up and walked out into the dim light of the dining room.

  “Sammy,” Belle exclaimed.

  “What are you doing here?” Anna asked.

  “Looking for my mummy,” she demanded.

  The sister’s looked at each other while Harlem, invisible to the woman, shifted around the room to be closer to her.

  “Those men your town calls a police force refused to listen to me, so I’m here to find my property on my own.”

  “Are you sure it’s your mummy and not your brother’s?” Anna asked straight out, getting to the point.

  The slightest moment’s hesitation—causing recognition to appear in her face—gave her away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she snapped.

  “You weren’t in your office this morning when we called. You were already in Sunken Grove,” Anna accused.

  “Why would I be here? I had no reason to be.”

  “Your younger brother was here making a delivery,” Belle added.

  “I don’t have any brothers,” she defended herself.

  “No, they both must have changed their last name so that other people wouldn’t know you and Pax were related or you and Martin Freeman?”

  “I’ll call the police. I know you two stole that mummy,” she threatened, not acknowledging the line of questioning.

  “All three of you are siblings. All of you had plans for that mummy, correct?” Belle asked

  “What happened?” Anna continued the questions. “Did your guys plan to steal the mummy from the museum and it backfired? Mr. Freeman got Pax in and out without ever setting off the alarm. Pax was supposed to deliver the mummy to you at the prop office, right? The three of you would split the cash from selling the jade beetle?”

  “You girls won’t get away with stealing my mummy,” she harped on the same subject, trying to take the heat off herself.

  “Did Pax loose his gumption and try to pawn off the mummy on us?”

  “I was nowhere near Pax when he died. I was in the office at New Orleans. I couldn’t have murdered him.”

  “What was your brother scared of that he got rid of the mummy?”

  “I told you, I wasn’t anywhere near him.”

  It was then that Belle pushed a button on the phone in her pocket. Seconds later a ringing noise came from the purse clutched in Sammy’s hands. Squeaking in surprise, she dropped the bag to the floor and the phone came spilling out.

  “Your office phone rings through to your cell phone, doesn’t it? That’s how you were here in Sunken Grove this morning but were still able to answer the phone,” Belle pulled out her own phone and held it up, showing she’d just dialed the Props Palace office number.

  Crouching to the floor, Sammy grabbed up her phone and tossed it in her purse. As she bent over, the gold chain around her neck slipped out of her shirt revealing the green stone in the shape of a beetle on the end.

  Both sister’s gasped in realization, whispering at the same time. “The jade scarab.”

  With a flash of her hand, Sammy gripped the expensive charm and dropped it back in her shirt. “It’s a replica,” she lied, trying to cover her tracks.

  Belle shook her head. “You can’t hide the truth, Sammy. You were here this morning. You killed your brother.”

  “When we were on the phone with you earlier, we heard you shuffling papers around. That was the fake prop file you created for Ammoth spilling everywhere in your car. You were driving while we were talking to you. The honk of a car horn in the background clued us into that.”

  “My office is on a main street. That’s why you heard cars going by.”

  “I was there earlier today. It is on a quiet and secluded backroad.”

  Sammy frowned, an angry grunt escaping her throat. She knew she’d been caught.

  “The sign on the door said you had a family emergency. Was that because you had to stop your brother?”

  “He was a scared fool,” she barked, finally breaking her charade of lies.

  “What was he scared of? The mummy?”

  “As a matter of fact, he was,” came a low voice from behind the girls.

  Spinning in surprise, they spotted Martin Freeman standing there, gun trained on them.

  “Mr. Freeman,” Anna gasped.

  “Our younger brother was afraid of the mummy once we’d finally figured out how to awaken it.”

  “Figured it out? You mean you wanted to wake up an age-old mummy?” Anna blurted.

  “Of course. After all, we are the descendants of Ammoth himself.”

  Both sisters were silent with shock.

  “As his direct descendants, it was our job to bring Ammoth back to life and reunite him with his long-lost love, Princess Annika.”

  They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. “All of the talk to the newspapers about mob involvement?” Anna asked.

  “Simply cover-up for our true purpose and goal. Pax broke his
oath to Ammoth and had to be punished accordingly.”

  “You mean you two planned to kill him,” Anna stated.

  “I strangled him with one of the bandages that were left behind. A fitting end for a fool,” Sammy informed them.

  “And what about the gas station attendant? What did he do to deserve death?” Belle jumped in.

  “That was an accident, pure and simple,” Freeman informed them. “We’d not gained full control of the mummy at that point and he killed a man.”

  “No wonder Sammy was scared,” Belle muttered.

  “Why wait until now? Why not raise the mummy at a different time? After all, you yourself said you would do it if you knew how,” Anna pointed out.

  “I realized that no matter how much I studied, I myself couldn’t bring the mummy to life. So, I gave the jade beetle to my dear sister.” He motioned toward her, moving slowly across the room—gun trained on them the entire time—until he stood next to his sister in front of the sarcophagus.

  Harlem, still invisible to them, also lurked behind them.

  Then they noticed something else, something standing in the shadows of the stage. It was tall and dark, looming with the faint scent of decay.

  “Samantha is the reincarnated Princess Annika. Only she may utilize the scarab’s power to grant the mummy life.”

  “Our fool of a younger brother didn’t like the fact that we didn’t have a hold on controlling the mummy yet, and he was planning to ditch our great ancestor here with you. Unfortunately, I caught up with him, but not before he had handed over the mummy,” Sammy spit.

  “It’s a shame you two had to get involved.” Freeman smirked. “Luckily for us, it means we have the necessary sacrifices to gain full control over the mummy.”

  The sisters glanced at each other. “You mean, you still don’t have control of the mummy?” Belle asked.

  “If we did, he would be here with us already. Unfortunately, he wandered off and Sammy has spent the last few hours looking for him. A sad fact that will be remedied shortly,” he said, brandishing the gun toward them.

  “But now, the mummy could be anywhere doing anything?” Belle pressed, keeping an eye on the shadow. A quiet shuffle indicated movement.

  “Enough talk. Sammy, tie them up so they can’t get away while we locate the mummy.”

  “Right,” she nodded, turning to grab the pile of ropes hidden behind the sarcophagus.

  As she did, Harlem took his chance. Focusing his spiritual energy, he swung his transparent arm and knocked the gun from Freeman’s hand, sending it skidding across the floor to Anna’s feet.

  “No!” he screamed.

  Anna quickly bent and grabbed the gun, pointing it at them.

  At the same instant, a dry groan echoed through the room. The two criminals spun to face the stage where the mummy stood tall, his arms outstretched towards them.

  “Ammoth, here you are,” Freeman shouted.

  “We are here for you, Ammoth,” Sammy praised.

  The mummy seemed uninterested in their idle speech and stepped down from the stage with a loud thud, ancient dust raising up in a cloud around him.

  “Ammoth, no,” the museum curator shouted.

  Raising one large bandaged hand, the mummy swung, hitting Freeman in the face and leveling him to the floor unconscious.

  “Ammoth, don’t you recognize your own princess?” Sammy begged, putting up her hands in a defensive position.

  Pausing a moment, he tilted his head at her.

  “Yes, it’s me. Princess Annika.”

  In a flash of unexpected speed, the mummy gripped the gold chain around her neck and ripped the jade pendant from her neck.

  “No,” she screamed.

  With one mighty shove, Ammoth pushed her back into the sarcophagus. Using inhuman strength, he picked up the stone lid from nearby and slammed it shut, sealing her scream off into silence.

  Admiring the green stone in his hand for a moment, he brought it forward and slipped it between the bandages of his chest, hiding it away inside his own decaying body. Almost as soon as the stone was in place, he folded his arms over his chest and froze in place.

  Ammoth had gone back into his death slumber.

  “What’s going on?” Dan shouted, bursting into the room with Rod behind him. He instantly noticed the man lying on the floor, groaning. Additionally, a muffled crying and scratching came from inside the sarcophagus.

  “We just might have your murderer and mummy thieves right here,” Belle beamed, motioning across the room where.

  “They threatened to kill us with this,” Anna said, handing over the gun. “And they brought the mummy back along with the stone.”

  Dan looked at the girls with raised eyebrows. “All right, call it in Rod.”

  CHAPTER 17

  * * *

  It was a rush of customers from all over town and many from out of town as well, all coming up to the concession window at the back of the kitchen at once. The movie premier of The Mummy’s Bandages was about to start and the entire drive-in lot was filled to capacity with cars.

  Everyone wanted to get their tasty mummy themed snacks before the movie started. Most popular was the donuts with the raspberry filling, and Belle had to rush to get another batch out last minute.

  Additionally, they were selling popcorn like mad. It was easily their busiest night ever, and they were already raking in the money.

  “Your specialty treats are really killing it,” Belle told Val.

  “I did have a little help,” the older woman admitted with a smile, running one of two cash registers in the window.

  At the other register was Anna, sweating a little while she assisted customer after customer. “Two more Mummy Donuts,” she called.

  “I’m working on it,” Belle insisted, grabbing the sifter and sprinkling the misty white sugar over the hot donuts. “Tell them they’ll be out in just a minute.”

  “It’ll be just a minute,” Anna smiled at the customer. The young teenage boy nodded and stepped aside making way for the next customer. “How can I help you,” she smiled, looking up from counting the money from the previous patron. Instantly, her eyes widened with shock.

  A bald-headed man stood there with a warm, yet somewhat sheepish, grin on his face. It was the security guard from the museum. Only this time, instead of his clean-shaven face, he had a slight scruff that only made him more handsome.

  “What are you doing here?” she blurted out without thinking.

  The man rose one eyebrow. “I’m here to see the premier of the movie, of course. My name is Pete Morrissey.”

  “Oh, this is a little awkward,” she mumbled under her breath. “Of course, you are. How silly of me.”

  “The director is a personal friend of mine. He invited me.”

  “I see. My apologies. What can I get for you?”

  “Can I have some of those little mummy sausages?”

  “C-coming right up.” She punched in the cost of the dish. “Anything else?”

  “Actually, do you get a chance to watch the movie tonight?” he asked.

  “Well, I’ll be here watching from the concession window. Why?”

  “Oh nothing, I just have an extra seat in my truck and I didn’t know if you wanted to watch it with me.”

  “Of course, she does,” Belle chimed in, stepping to her sister’s side.

  “Wait, I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Why do you want me to watch the movie with you? You were turning me away the other day from the museum.”

  Belle raised a suspicious eyebrow at her sister. “A museum guard?”

  He sighed, giving her a half smirk. “I wanted to apologize for the other day, for trying to shove you out the door. Things were a little tense, to say the least.”

  “But, you were just doing your job.”

  “We all thought Mr. Freeman was a great upstanding man, but I guess you knew better than any of us.”

  “I didn’t, really,” she admitted.

  �
��Still, if you can manage to get away from the booth for a while, I’d appreciate your company and a chance to properly say I’m sorry.”

  “Go, on. As your boss and your sister, I insist,” Belle said with a wicked smile.

  Anna hesitated. “Oh, all right. When the movie starts, I’ll come find you.”

  “Great,” he beamed. “I’m parked in spot A-Fifteen.”

  “See you then.”

  He quickly paid for his food, took the little basket of sausage mummies, and walked back to his car.

  “Who was that?” Belle pressed in a teasing voice.

  “No one,” Anna snapped. Still, she couldn’t hide her smile.

  “He’s cute.”

  “You know, sis, one of these days you’re going to find some guy to fawn over and I’m going to relish in making fun of you.”

  “But today isn’t that day, is it?” Belle laughed, heading back toward the donuts.

  * * *

  A few minutes later, the parking lot lights dimmed down and turned off while the screen lit up. That was Anna’s cue. Excusing herself from the concession window, she headed for the car parked in spot A-Fifteen.

  Loud Egyptian music blared over the sound system and the title The Mummy’s Bandages came up on the screen.

  Anna didn’t usually enjoy horror movies, but she might enjoy this one.