Virgil looked at Jamie. “How did they know about the phone call, Jamie?”
Jamie felt her throat squeezing shut. She closed her eyes, wanting to stop the painful memories of that long-ago night. She took several deep breaths, slowly, one after the other. “Because I told them,” she said tightly.
“Do you recall anything she said?” Virgil asked.
Jamie shook her head. “I think Penny took me to my room when my mother started yelling into the phone.” She shrugged. “Problem is, I’m not sure if I’m guessing or actually remembering.”
Quint glanced at Virgil. “I think we’ve covered everything.”
Virgil nodded. He reached across the table and patted Jamie’s clenched hands. “I’m sorry if this feels like an interrogation, but we needed to jog your memory.”
“I hope I never have to go on a witness stand in front of you. You’re good.”
Virgil laughed. “That’s what all the women say. How about we go for a drive and see if we can find Penny’s house, if it’s still there. It’s the only thing I can see that the police neglected to do. They did a search for a sitter but I can’t see any notes that suggest they ever located her. Probably nobody they talked to knew who she was. Or maybe they believed you were actually alone the whole time. Your old address is in the file and I have a city map in the car. Are you going to be all right going there?”
Jamie nodded. “Of course. I want to find out what happened.”
“God, I love a good mystery,” Stephen said, jumping off the sofa. “You read the map,” he said to his brother. “I’ll drive.”
* * * *
Stephen stopped the SUV in front of an emergency health clinic. Three-forty-two East Chestnut was printed in bold letters on the glass front door.
Virgil looked from the clinic to his notes and back to his map. “Damn, this is definitely the correct address and the right street.”
“They must have torn the apartment building down to build a clinic,” Jamie said from the back seat. She looked up and down the block at the rundown houses clustered close together, many with unkempt yards, most in need of repair. With the exception of the clinic and a modern duplex across the street, the entire development appeared to be at least sixty years old. “I don’t remember this being such an impoverished neighborhood.”
“Kids rarely see things the way they really are,” Quint said. “If you were happy here, you weren’t poor. How old was Penny?”
“I suppose about fourteen or fifteen,” Jamie said. “That would make her around thirty-eight.”
“It’s doubtful that she’d still live here,” Stephen offered.
“Start circling the blocks,” Virgil said. “We’re looking for a white house with a porch.”
Silence filled the vehicle while Stephen drove. He drove around the clinic block, then widened the search to the outlying blocks using the clinic as a starting point each time they turned in a new direction. Forty-five minutes later they were parked back in front of the clinic.
“Maybe it was torn down,” Jamie said. “It was such a pretty little house,” she added sadly.
“Do you think we covered enough area?” Virgil asked.
Jamie nodded. “I’m positive it wasn’t more than two blocks and we walked thorough an alley between the houses.”
“Which direction did you walk when you came out of your apartment?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Let’s trade places,” Virgil said to Jamie. “You sit in the front. We’ll go around again. Look for landmarks…a fence, a big tree, a house you might have passed while walking. Remember trees get bigger and houses get older. Other than that, few things change in these neighborhoods.”
Jamie got out and took Virgil’s seat beside Stephen.
“Let’s go the opposite direction this time.” Stephen suggested. He made a u-turn and started circling again.
“Maybe we should watch for houses that are newer,” Quint said. “In case Penny’s was torn down. If we don’t find it this time around we’ll go back to the clinic and ask questions. Penny isn’t a real common name. It’s a long shot but it might work.”
Jamie leaned forward in the seat, watching intently for anything that might trigger her memory.
“Stop here.” She pointed to a brown bungalow. It was hardly new, but not nearly as old as the surrounding houses. “See the mailbox?” she said excitedly. “It has a rusty iron rooster on top of it. I’ve seen that rooster before. I think Penny’s mailbox had one just like it.”
“The house isn’t white and it doesn’t have a porch, but it’s worth a try,” Stephen said, pulling up in front of the bungalow.
When Jamie opened her car door, Quint reached over the back of the seat to touch her arm. “You want me to go with you?” he asked.
Jamie nodded. “Yes, but just you. We don’t want to intimidate anyone.”
Virgil and Stephen watched from the car as an older woman with a hunched back and thick glasses answered the door. She wore a floral cotton housedress, her gray hair pulled back into a tight bun. They talked for a few minutes, the woman smiled, went back into the house and returned a moment later with a pen and paper. She handed both to Jamie. Jamie jotted something on the paper and gave it back to her. The woman waved as they turned and headed back to the car.
Jamie was smiling.
Quint was shaking his head.
“Well?” Stephen asked impatiently as she got in beside him. “Did she give you an address?”
Quint answered from the backseat. “She wanted Jamie’s autograph.”
“That old lady watches NASCAR?” Stephen quipped.
“The Richmond track has been open since 1946,” Jamie said, as though that explained it.
“Unbelievable,” Virgil said to Quint. “A decrepit, half-blind old woman recognizes Jamie. You and I stood right in front of her, helped her change a flat tire, and didn’t have a clue.”
“Well you did recognize her from the centerfold,” Quint said grinning.
Virgil groaned. “Don’t even bring that up.”
“So are we back to square one?” Stephen asked.
“No,” Jamie said laughing. “That decrepit half-blind old woman was Penny’s mother. Penny is a nurse at the new clinic. She lives right across the street from it.”
“Christ, we drove past it thirty-five times,” Virgil said, “you were certainly right about one thing, this place is less than two blocks from where your apartment was. Did they build a new house?”
“The old one burned down about fifteen years ago,” Jamie said, as Stephen drove the short distance back to the clinic. He stopped in front of the same duplex she had noticed earlier as being newer.
“Maybe I should go in alone,” Jamie said, hesitating.
“It’s your call,” Quint said, “but I’d like to see one of us with you to take notes and help remember details. That’s providing she’ll talk to you since she didn’t choose to come forward to talk to the police.”
As Jamie got out of the car a woman came out of the clinic and started across the street, heading directly for the duplex. She wore a stained white uniform and walked with her head down, trudging as though she were tired. She was a pretty girl, taller than Jamie, slightly built; she appeared to be in her mid thirties.
When she walked past the car, Jamie called her name. “Penny?”
Penny stopped and looked up with tired eyes. “Yes?”
Jamie smiled, genuinely happy to see this woman linked to her past.
“You probably don’t remember me,” she said. “I used to live in the apartments across the street. You were my babysitter.”
Penny’s face brightened. “My God, you’re Jamie Devon, aren’t you?”
Jamie nodded.
When Penny realized there were three men with Jamie her smile faded. “Are they police officers?”
“No, no, they’re friends. They were helping me look for you.”
“Oh… I’m so glad you found
me. I’ve often wondered what happened to you. Come inside and we’ll talk. Invite your friends. I work so many hours I rarely take time for company.”
As the Douglas men stepped out of the car, and Jamie introduced them, Penny’s face lit up. “My goodness, you have handsome friends. Come around to the back. We can sit on the patio. I have some real lemonade made just this morning.”
She led them around the side of the two-story duplex, which was lined with red and purple bougainvillea that climbed trellises to the upper windows. On the other side of the walkway, along the fence, mammoth red, white, and yellow roses gave off a pungent pleasantly powerful scent. Morning glories and impatiens surrounded the latticed flagstone patio. The patio itself was forested with hanging greenery and floral fragrances. Multicolored geraniums, white gardenias, and assorted herbs filled overflowing pots placed at random around the fence.
Penny beamed when Jamie commented on the landscaping, explaining that she shared a love of growing things.
Their host settled them around a big glass-top table, excused herself and promised to be back shortly with refreshments. As she went inside, they heard her phone ringing.
“I hope she’ll stay friendly when she realizes why we’re here,” Virgil said quietly. “Maybe we should lead up to it. Draw her out a little bit first.”
“Just give her one of your charming smiles,” Jamie said.
“Won’t work. She’s a brunette.”
Jamie laughed when Quint raised an eyebrow at his cousin.
Ten minutes later Penny came hurrying out with a tray full of drinks. “Sorry that took so long,” she said apologetically. “That was my mother calling.” Penny set the tray down and looked at Jamie, a delighted grin fixed on her face. “She told me you’re Jamie LeCorre, the NASCAR driver. I had no idea you were the same Jamie I used to sit for. Your last name used to be Devon. Did you marry?” she asked, pouring lemonade from a blue plastic pitcher into tall blue glasses. She set a glass in front of each guest, took one for herself and sat down next to Jamie.
Jamie explained about changing to her father’s name. Then she asked about Penny’s work at the clinic. It seemed that Penny was instrumental in getting the clinic built. It catered to the needs of the people in the neighborhood who couldn’t afford healthcare. There was one doctor on staff while several other doctors volunteered their services. Penny had even arranged for specialists to come in periodically.
As Penny talked with pride about the clinic, Jamie made a mental note to have her accountant make a generous donation.
Penny suddenly became quiet, and looked at Jamie with sad, tired eyes. “You came here to ask me about the night your mother died, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Jamie said softly. “I was hoping you could fill in some blanks for me.”
Penny averted her eyes. “Please keep in mind I was barely thirteen years old myself.”
Jamie’s eye’s widened in surprise. “You were just a child!”
Penny smiled. “I had three younger brothers. I was very responsible when it came to taking care of kids.”
“Can you tell me about that day?” Jamie asked.
Penny took a deep breath. “Your mother called me early in the morning to come and stay with you. She said it would only be until about five o’clock; she was going to the race and it would be over by four. When she got home at five-thirty, she said she wanted to go out to dinner and asked if I’d stay another couple of hours. She ordered a pizza for us before she left.
“She didn’t get home again until almost nine. The phone rang while she was in the process of paying me, so she motioned for me to wait. It was embarrassing because she was yelling at whoever was on the other end of the line. I took you into your room, but she was being so loud we could still hear her. When she hung up, she came into the room and said she had to go out again, and asked if I could stay longer. I told her I had school the next day, so she said if she was longer than an hour, I could just sleep with you and go home the next morning. She promised to get me up in time for school and pay me by the hour for the whole night.” Penny smiled. “It seemed like a good deal to me because babysitting was my only spending money.”
Jamie glanced at Virgil as though to say, I told you my mother wouldn’t have left me home alone. He nodded and touched his lips with his index finger, motioning her not to interrupt Penny’s story. He had his yellow pad out and was rapidly taking notes. She noticed that Quint was writing too, on a smaller pad.
“I put you to bed shortly after she left, then I sat down to watch television. I must have fallen asleep because I woke up around midnight. That’s when I realized I hadn’t called my mom to tell her I’d probably be staying overnight. When I tried to call the line was busy—later I found out one of the boys had accidentally left the phone off the hook. I knew I could run home and be back in fifteen minutes, so I checked on you, you were sound asleep, and then I ran as fast as I could, to tell my mom not to worry. It took me longer then I intended because I couldn’t get my key to work at my house, and I had to wake my brother, who always slept with his window open, to let me in. In all, it was closer to half an hour until I got back.”
Penny paused, took a deep breath, blinking rapidly at the moisture pooling in her eyes. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she started up again.
“There were police cars everywhere. I had been running, so I was out of breath, and at the sight of the flashing lights I was close to hyperventilating. I thought something had happened to you and I was really scared.”
She gave Jamie a sad, soulful look. “I managed to peek though the curtains and saw you talking to a police officer, so I knew you were okay. That’s when I did the thing I’ll regret for the rest of my life. I turned around and ran home.”
Tears slipped down Penny’s face when she added. “I went back the next day after school but there was yellow police tape on the door. I didn’t know your mother had died until two days later, and I had no idea what happened to you. I lived in fear for months that the police would come and arrest me. To this day I get panicky when I see a police car.” Penny pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Jamie put her arms around the softly sobbing woman. “There’s nothing to forgive. I didn’t even know you were gone. Your being there wouldn’t have changed anything.”
After a few minutes Penny managed to dry her eyes and give Jamie a tentative smile. “Thank you Jamie, you’re so kind to say that.”
“It’s true. I have a feeling some good came out of it all.”
“What do you mean?” Penny asked.
“The clinic,” Jamie said. “I don’t think it’s was a coincidence you lobbied to build a health facility to help underprivileged people on the very site where our apartment was.”
Penny stifled a sniffle, nodding.
“And all your flowers,” Jamie continued. “You knew how much I loved flowers, even as a little girl. You used to take me home and let me pick daisies in your mother’s garden to give to my mom.”
Penny nodded. “All the flowers you see are for you. I prayed you’d come back and forgive me. You’ve answered my prayers today, Jamie.”
Virgil cleared his throat. “Penny, do you think you’d be up to answering a few questions?”
“Of course,” she said, “I’ll tell you anything I can.”
Jamie moved back into her seat. “I’m trying to clear up my memory of my mother. You’re the only one I know who can help me. Virgil here is my lawyer, and I promise that nothing you say will get you in any kind of trouble.” She gave Virgil a direct look. “Am I right?”
“Certainly,” Virgil said quickly to reassure her. “I’m just here helping Jamie get some facts straight.”
“All right,” Penny said, absently fingering her blue lemonade glass. “It’s the least I can do. What would you like to know?”
“First of all,” Virgil asked, “do you know who Katherine left with that day?”
�
�You mean the first time or the second time?”
Virgil exchanged a look with Jamie.
“Both,” he said.
“Well, first she went to the race with a man she called Dexter, after that she went out to dinner with Wally.”
By now they all knew Wally’s name was in the file as Walter Price, but there was no mention of a Dexter.
“Do you know Dexter’s last name?” Virgil asked.
“No. Dexter may even have been his last name for all I know. And come to think of it, I’m not even sure if I’m pronouncing it correctly. She never actually introduced any of her boyfriends to me.”
“There were others?” Quint asked.
Penny glanced sympathetically at Jamie. “A few. I knew because of phone conversations she had, but the only ones I ever actually saw were Dexter and Wally. Oh, and a guy who picked her up at the curb once. I only saw him because I followed Jamie to the window where she went to wave goodbye to her mother.”
“Can you describe the man at the curb?” Virgil asked.
“He was about her age, medium height, and had sort of a barrel chest, dark hair. One thing was odd though. He got out of the car and came around to the passenger side to open the door for her. I thought he was being chivalrous, until he shoved her because she wasn’t getting in fast enough.”
“When was that?” Jamie and Quint asked at the same time.
Penny shrugged. “Oh, maybe four months before she died. My parents went out to the Speedway that day because there was a NASCAR race. Back in the old days, before it got so popular, it didn’t cost as much, so they could afford to go. They only have two races a year here.”
“Did he take her to the race?” Jamie asked.
“No, he came after the race was over. My parents were already home when she called me to sit.”
“How often did you sit for Jamie?” Stephen asked, chiming in for the first time.
Penny answered Stephen but she smiled at Jamie. “A lot. In two years I made all my spending money and saved enough for my first year of nursing school.”
“My God,” Jamie said, shocked. “You started when you were only eleven?”
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