Page 5

Carlita held her breath, watching as Dernice jiggled and wiggled her way into the rectangular air duct.

“It’s tight,” her voice echoed.

“And a good thing the vent is secured by support braces,” Carlita muttered.

Pete adjusted his stance, leveraging his body to give her the extra “umpf” needed to crawl the rest of the way inside. “Have you given any thought to how you’re going to get back out?”

“Maybe a big old suction tube,” Dernice joked. “Hang on. I can almost reach it.”

Her voice grew faint, and Carlita could hear her mumbling under her breath.

POP! A loud popping noise, almost like an air gun going off, blasted through the air.

Carlita’s eyes widened as an entire metal panel groaned under her weight. She gritted her teeth, waiting for Dernice to come crashing to the floor.

“I got it!” she hollered. “It’s a piece of purple fabric. Help pull me back out.”

Pete grasped Dernice’s right ankle while Carlita grabbed hold of her left. On the count of three, they both pulled.

Dernice grunted. “Ouch.”

“I’m sorry,” Carlita apologized. “I thought you were ready for us to pull.”

“I’m hung up on a metal band.” The wedged woman began panting. “There’s not a lot of air in here. I’m feeling a little claustrophobic.”

“I bet.” Carlita released her grip. “What are we going to do?”

“We should have greased Dernice up before she crawled in,” Pete joked.

“Something told me this wasn’t going to end well.”

“What’s going on out there?” she asked. “Are you gonna keep pulling?”

“We’ll pull on three. One…two...” At the count of three, Pete and Carlita both tugged, to no avail. The woman was literally stuck.

“Great.” Dernice wiggled wildly, causing the ductwork to pop and bang. “I feel like Augustus Gloop.”

“Who is Augustus Gloop?” Pete asked.

“From Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” Carlita said. “He was the chunky boy who drank from the chocolate river, fell in and got stuck in the pipe. You’ve never seen it?”

“Never,” Pete said.

“We’ll have to watch it sometime. The movie is a lesson about a lot of things—greed, gluttony, overindulgence, all caused by parents who spoiled their children.”

“Hellloooo,” Dernice hollered. “Can we discuss the merits of Willie’s movie some other time? I’m feeling a little lightheaded.”

“I might need to get a hacksaw and cut her out.”

“Carefully,” Dernice said.

“Of course.” Pete turned to go, nearly colliding with the officers who were tromping up the steps.

Jonkers held what appeared to be a grabber tool, the kind used for picking up trash on the side of the road. She came to an abrupt halt when she spotted Dernice’s sneakers sticking out of the vent. “What’s going on?”

“Dernice thought she would save you some trouble and retrieve the potential clue herself,” Carlita explained.

“I got it,” she confirmed.

Jonkers made a clicking sound with her teeth. “It looks like you got something else.”

“I hate to admit it, but I’m afraid I’m stuck.”

“We won’t need these.” The cop waved the grabber tool in the air.

The second officer stepped closer, assessing the situation. “She’s wedged in there like a sardine.”

“Before we resort to our extraction tool, let’s try pulling her out,” Jonkers said.

Carlita cleared her throat. “Pete and I have already tried, but you’re more than welcome to give it a go.”

“Gently,” Dernice said.

The officers each grabbed an ankle. Working together, they pulled hard, freeing Dernice to within an inch of her knees. But that was as far as they got.

Jonkers placed her hands on her hips. “She’s jammed in there. How did she get wedged in so tightly?”

“It wasn’t easy,” Dernice joked. “So, now what?”

“I could run home and get my hacksaw,” Pete offered.

“It’s a thought.” Jonkers motioned her partner off to the side and they began talking in low voices.

“What are they saying?” Carlita whispered.

“I have no idea.”

“Hey. It’s getting quiet out there,” Dernice said. “What’s going on?”

“We’re trying to come up with a plan,” Pete said. “Hold tight.”

“No worries. I’m not going anywhere.”

Thump…thump…thump…thump. A dull thumping sound ensued.

Carlita tiptoed closer. “What is that noise?”

“Me trying to keep calm. I’ve never been claustrophobic before, but I’m feeling a little uptight.”

“On the plus side,” Carlita said. “We’ve confirmed whoever was crawling around in there was fairly thin.”

“And agile,” Pete added. “Did you see the way they scaled the side of the pawn shop? It was a rookie cat burglar move.”

“But why Walton Square? I mean, if I was going to break into businesses, I would target a more upscale side of town,” Carlita said.

The conversation ended when the cops finished consulting one another. “Officer Jonkers and I have been given special clearance to use Heidi.”

“Who is Heidi?” Pete asked.

“Not who, but what.” She looked Pete up and down. “Heidi is hefty. We might need to borrow your muscle to get her up the stairs.”

Pete and Carlita exchanged a concerned glance. “We can’t leave her there,” she finally said.

“True.”

She tapped Jonkers on the shoulder. “What exactly is Heidi?” she whispered in her ear.

“A special tool used only in dire circumstances.”

Carlita didn’t dare ask any other questions. Instead, she attempted to distract Dernice, whose foot was now twitching. “Are you gonna be all right?”

“I hope so. Well, I guess I can knock this little adventure off my bucket list.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Carlita chuckled. “You had getting stuck in an air vent on your bucket list?”

“No. I was trying to make a joke.” Dernice shifted, causing the ductwork to pop again. “My hand is going to sleep.”

“Where is your hand?”

“Under my armpit.”

“How did? Never mind,” Carlita said. “Hopefully, you’ll be free soon.”

Jonkers, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. “Or stuck in there until we can get the fire department over here.”

“What would the fire department do?” Dernice asked.

“You don’t want to know. We’ll make the call as a last resort.”

The men arrived, carrying what looked like a huge pair of pliers. They set them near Dernice’s point of entry. The cop reached into his pocket and handed Carlita a pair of earplugs.

“What are these for?”

“Heidi is loud.” Officer Jonkers tapped on the metal. “Hey, Dernice, we’re going to start working on getting you out of there. Are you able to plug your ears?”

“I can plug my left ear with my finger. My other hand is wedged under my armpit.”

Carlita’s level of anxiety ramped up a notch when she noticed the officers exchanging a somber glance. Something told her Dernice would deeply regret her impulsive decision to crawl into the narrow vent.