switch.
Without warning, something hit her on the side of her forehead. Pain seemed to
burst into star shapes as she slumped to the hard wooden floor.
***
Minutes later Lili came to. Tami
was bathing her face with a cold, wet paper towel. Light from the main part of
the store streamed through the open storeroom doorway.
“Tami! Ooh, my head! What
happened?”
“Thank goodness you’re awake!
What happened is my question! Are you all right? Do you hurt anywhere
besides your head?”
Lili sat up, trying to focus her
eyes through the dizziness. “No, I guess not. Someone must have been in here
waiting for me.”
“Obviously,” Tami said dryly.
“When you didn’t come back out, I came in and found you. Is there a light
switch in here? I could only find the lights in the main part of the store.”
“Behind you, on that wall. Did
you call 911? Whoever hit me may still be nearby.” She tried to stand, then,
feeling woozy, quickly sat back down on some boxes of canned goods.
“Yes. You were out cold. Ah,
that’s better,” she said as she flicked on the overhead lights. She disappeared,
then returned carrying a plastic bag of ice cubes. Ripping it open, she wrapped
some ice in a paper towel and handed it to her. “Put this on your forehead.
That’s a nasty lump. You’re going to have a beaut of a bruise. What did he hit
you with, anyway?”
“Probably that can of soup,” Lili
said, waving a hand toward a lone can lying on the floor nearby.
“Hello in here? Police ! ” a voice called from the other
room.
“Thank goodness. Back here,” Tami
called back. A moment later two uniformed officers appeared, introducing
themselves as Sam and Jean from the county sheriff’s department.
Tami and Lili repeated the story
and answered questions while Sam took notes and Jean checked Lili’s wound and
pupils.
“I’ll take a look around outside,
just in case. Jean, check the rest of the inside of the store. Did either of
you see anyone?” asked Sam, stuffing his notebook back into his pocket.
“No,” Lili said.
Tami shook her head. “I just
followed Lili in when she didn’t come back out. I turned on the lights when I
came in. You wouldn’t catch me wandering around in here with only the night
lights on. It’s eerie.”
“ You always were afraid of the
dark. ‘A bogeyman’ll get you if you don’t watch
out!’” Lili repeated their childhood chant.
“Fun — ny ! You must be feeling better,”
Tami said. “Besides, the bogeyman did get you this time.”
“I don’t think it was a
‘bogeyman,’” Jean said, frowning. “Whoever it was obviously left through that
back door after you surprised them.”
“No sign of forced entry,” Sam
said, returning from outdoors. “Either they were already inside, or they had a
key. Say, this door can be opened without a key from the inside, can’t it?”
“Well, yes, it’s just barred and
bolted. Anyone could open it if they were already inside,” Lili admitted. “I suppose
it would be possible to hide in here during the day and then leave later. But
few people ever come back here, so not many people would know that.”
“But anyone who has ever worked
here would?”
“Yes, of course.”
“How about delivery people,
salesmen, company reps?”
“Yes,” Lili said slowly. “I see
what you mean. I’ll see that it is padlocked as well as barred after this.”
“I’ll just take this soup can to
check for fingerprints, in case we got lucky. Most burglars know enough to wear
gloves, though, from watching television.” He shook his head.
“Lili, do you feel up to looking
around to see if anything is missing?”
“Sure,” Lili said, getting to her
feet. As the room whirled, then settled down, Tami took her arm and said, “I’ll
go with you.”
They walked through the now
brightly lighted store, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Lili checked
the change fund, and the tills at the front of the store.
“Nothing seems to be
Without warning, something hit her on the side of her forehead. Pain seemed to
burst into star shapes as she slumped to the hard wooden floor.
***
Minutes later Lili came to. Tami
was bathing her face with a cold, wet paper towel. Light from the main part of
the store streamed through the open storeroom doorway.
“Tami! Ooh, my head! What
happened?”
“Thank goodness you’re awake!
What happened is my question! Are you all right? Do you hurt anywhere
besides your head?”
Lili sat up, trying to focus her
eyes through the dizziness. “No, I guess not. Someone must have been in here
waiting for me.”
“Obviously,” Tami said dryly.
“When you didn’t come back out, I came in and found you. Is there a light
switch in here? I could only find the lights in the main part of the store.”
“Behind you, on that wall. Did
you call 911? Whoever hit me may still be nearby.” She tried to stand, then,
feeling woozy, quickly sat back down on some boxes of canned goods.
“Yes. You were out cold. Ah,
that’s better,” she said as she flicked on the overhead lights. She disappeared,
then returned carrying a plastic bag of ice cubes. Ripping it open, she wrapped
some ice in a paper towel and handed it to her. “Put this on your forehead.
That’s a nasty lump. You’re going to have a beaut of a bruise. What did he hit
you with, anyway?”
“Probably that can of soup,” Lili
said, waving a hand toward a lone can lying on the floor nearby.
“Hello in here? Police ! ” a voice called from the other
room.
“Thank goodness. Back here,” Tami
called back. A moment later two uniformed officers appeared, introducing
themselves as Sam and Jean from the county sheriff’s department.
Tami and Lili repeated the story
and answered questions while Sam took notes and Jean checked Lili’s wound and
pupils.
“I’ll take a look around outside,
just in case. Jean, check the rest of the inside of the store. Did either of
you see anyone?” asked Sam, stuffing his notebook back into his pocket.
“No,” Lili said.
Tami shook her head. “I just
followed Lili in when she didn’t come back out. I turned on the lights when I
came in. You wouldn’t catch me wandering around in here with only the night
lights on. It’s eerie.”
“ You always were afraid of the
dark. ‘A bogeyman’ll get you if you don’t watch
out!’” Lili repeated their childhood chant.
“Fun — ny ! You must be feeling better,”
Tami said. “Besides, the bogeyman did get you this time.”
“I don’t think it was a
‘bogeyman,’” Jean said, frowning. “Whoever it was obviously left through that
back door after you surprised them.”
“No sign of forced entry,” Sam
said, returning from outdoors. “Either they were already inside, or they had a
key. Say, this door can be opened without a key from the inside, can’t it?”
“Well, yes, it’s just barred and
bolted. Anyone could open it if they were already inside,” Lili admitted. “I suppose
it would be possible to hide in here during the day and then leave later. But
few people ever come back here, so not many people would know that.”
“But anyone who has ever worked
here would?”
“Yes, of course.”
“How about delivery people,
salesmen, company reps?”
“Yes,” Lili said slowly. “I see
what you mean. I’ll see that it is padlocked as well as barred after this.”
“I’ll just take this soup can to
check for fingerprints, in case we got lucky. Most burglars know enough to wear
gloves, though, from watching television.” He shook his head.
“Lili, do you feel up to looking
around to see if anything is missing?”
“Sure,” Lili said, getting to her
feet. As the room whirled, then settled down, Tami took her arm and said, “I’ll
go with you.”
They walked through the now
brightly lighted store, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Lili checked
the change fund, and the tills at the front of the store.
“Nothing seems to be
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