The Road to Wrinkle Ranch

by Nick Russell

  “Okay, fair enough,” John Lee said. “But did you know anybody who might have something in for Lonnie?"

  “No, I don't. But if he was getting his dick wet someplace else, that's where I’d start if it was me."

  “Mr. Agosti, I appreciate your time."

  He stood up and Agosti said, "Yeah, whatever,” dismissively as he took another drink from the bottle, ignoring John Lee.

  Chapter 9

  “That Agosti guy is a real piece of work, isn’t he?” John Lee said as he buckled his seatbelt and started the Charger.

  "He's definitely proof that money doesn't buy class, isn't he? What an idiot. Do you think Darci was right? Could he be involved in whatever happened?”

  “He puts off this vibe like he’s some kind of retired mafioso,” John Lee said. “I think we at least need to look into his background.”

  “So, what next?"

  “I guess we go talk to Sonny Rittenhouse and see what he can tell us.”

  “I hope we get a better reception there than we did here," Maddy said.

  "Me, too," John Lee said as he backed out of the Agosti driveway.

  ***

  Sonny Rittenhouse was a big, stocky man who seemed to have been reduced to a shell of himself with the news of the accident that was believed to have taken his wife's life. He was sitting in a recliner, wearing some kind of cut-off jean shorts and a light green T-shirt with a picture of a swordfish jumping out of the water on the front.

  "Sonny, I'm John Lee Quarrels and this is Maddy Westfall. You probably remember us from back in the day."

  “Yeah, I remember. How you doin’?"

  "We're okay. The question is, how are you doing, Sonny?"

  The man shook his head and leaned his forehead into the palm of his hand. “I just can't believe this. I can't believe it." His voice choked up and he couldn't say anything else, just shook his head.

  "Do you know for sure that it was Audrey in that wreck? I guess we know it is her, but I keep hopin’ there’s some other reason she hasn’t come home or called."

  "No, ma'am, not yet," John Lee told the woman who had identified herself as Sonny's mother and was just as distraught as he was. “It would help if you could give us something that might have Audrey’s DNA on it. An article of clothing that hasn’t been washed, or maybe a hairbrush?”

  “Hang on.” The woman went into another room and returned with a hairbrush with several strands of red hair in it. “Will this do? It was in Audrey’s bathroom.”

  “That will be perfect,” John Lee told her, putting the brush into an evidence bag.

  “When will you know something?”

  "We’re not sure how long it’s going to be before there's an official notification. Sometimes these things take a while.”

  The woman sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands as she sobbed. "Audrey didn’t come home yesterday and her boss hasn't seen her, and Sonny hasn't heard from her. If she wasn't in that wreck, where else would she be?"

  "We really don't know, ma'am," John Lee said. “We're hoping that Sonny could give us some information."

  "We want to do whatever we can to help,” Mrs. Rittenhouse said. "What do you need to know?"

  John Lee hadn't planned to interview Sonny's mother, but it looked like she was going to take the lead. Trying to get the interview back on track, he turned to Sonny and said, “I know this is hard for you right now, Sonny. Let me take that back, I can’t imagine how hard it is, to be honest with you. When was the last time you saw Audrey?"

  “She was asleep when I left yesterday morning," he said. “I make deliveries for the dairy and I have to leave early."

  "What time did you leave your house?"

  "Right after 4 A.M. It takes a while to get the truck loaded for the different stores. We try to get to them as quickly as we can."

  “And you said your wife was still asleep when you left?"

  "Yeah, I kissed her on the forehead and told her I loved her. That was the last time I saw her." He started sobbing and his mother came over and leaned down to put her arms around him.

  "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do without my Audrey?"

  “It’ll be okay,” the woman said. It’ll be okay, Sonny."

  John Lee and Maddy looked at each other, both uncomfortable, but knowing that they had to ask the questions they needed answers to.

  "Sonny, do you know if your wife and Lonnie McBride were working on a real estate project together?"

  “Lonnie McBride? I don’t know why they would be. He's probably her biggest competitor."

  “I don’t think an agent can work for two different companies, but is there a possibility that they might combine their efforts to sell a property or something like that?"

  Sonny shook his head and said. “I have no idea. That stuff is way above me. I just drive a truck and deliver milk. Audrey was always telling me about that stuff, but I didn't understand closings and percentage points and commissions and all that. I just know Audrey is damn good at it and was raking in the bucks."

  “Do you know of any problems she was having with anybody?"

  "Problems? No. Who would ever have a problem with Audrey?"

  “Do you know where she was going to be yesterday?"

  "I know she had a closing sometime yesterday that she was all excited about. When she was closing on a place, it was like she was on one of those game shows where you win prizes or something. She was always super excited. She's been talking about buying a Lincoln Navigator and she said that with this commission and another she’s got coming up, she was going to be able to swing it with no problem. I told her we didn’t need no Lincoln Navigator, but she said she needed it for her work, and who was I to argue with that? Like I said, she was making more money than I was by a long shot."

  "Sonny, it's not all about money," his mother told him. "You're a good provider. It wasn’t like you were living off of Audrey’s money."

  “I know that," he said. “I did the best I could.”

  “So money wasn't an issue between you and your wife?"

  "No, no way. Yeah, she made more money than I did. A lot more than I did. But it didn't really matter. It was all our money, no matter whose name was written on the paycheck. I was proud of her for doing so good."

  “Sonny, you said Audrey was going to buy a Lincoln Navigator. What kind of car does she drive now?"

  “It's one of those…" He looked at John Lee and said, "Her car? Where's her car?"

  "I don't know, Sonny. What kind of car is it?"

  “It's a 2018 Impala. A white Impala. I never felt comfortable in it, I’m a pickup kind of guy but Audrey needed it for hauling clients around and stuff like that.”

  “Do you know the license number?”

  Sonny thought for a moment, then said, “No, I don’t.”

  “Do you have a copy of your insurance policy? It should be on that.”

  “Audrey handled all of that. I wouldn’t even know where to look,” Sonny said.

  “No problem, we can find it,” John Lee told him. “You said she had a closing yesterday. Do you know where it was or who it was with?"

  "Not really. I think they usually do them at the real estate office, but I’m not sure. You’d have to ask her boss, Alice, about that.”

  “That's okay, we'll figure that out," John Lee said. You said that your wife’s car was fairly new. Do you know if she was having any problems with it? Maybe something that would make it break down or she had to take it to the dealer, anything like that?"

  Sonny shook his head and said, “Not that I know of. Usually she would tell me about something like that. but I don't recall anything. She bought it over there in Lake City. You might call the dealership and ask them. I wonder if she said anything to Alice about that. Have you talked to her boss?"

  “That will be our next step," John Lee said. “We wanted to touch base with you first and see if you could tell us anything at all."

  "I just don't know," Sonny said. "
I can’t believe any of this. Audrey can’t be dead. No, she's got to be someplace else and…"

  He started to cry again and his mother moved to his side from the couch, leaning over to hug him and said, "Honey, you may have to accept the fact that something terrible did happen. I know you don't want to believe it, and neither do I, but you've got to be realistic."

  "No! I'm not gonna believe that. Not until I see her. Not until I see Audrey. She didn't get killed, Audrey can’t be dead. She’s somewhere and I need to see her."

  He was crying hysterically at that point. John Lee looked at Maddy who subtly shook her head.

  “Listen, we don't want to bother you any more than we already have," John Lee said. “We’re going to get out of your way and we’ll be in touch, okay, Sonny?"

  If the shattered man heard him, he did not show it. John Lee looked at him again, feeling the anguish emitting from his body, then shook his head and they left.

  Chapter 10

  “I just can't believe this is happening," said Roger Bentley from behind his massive oak desk at Somerton County Land and Homes. "Lonnie was my best producer. He had a gift. That boy could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo."

  “When was the last time you talked to Lonnie?"

  “The night before last at about 7 o'clock. He told me that he had a couple of prospects that he was going to meet with yesterday morning and said he didn’t know exactly when he'd be in the office. Lonnie didn't spend a lot of time here. He always said you can’t make any money sitting at a desk. He liked to be out there in the field, showing houses and properties to people and making them happy with what they found."

  "Mr. Bentley, Lonnie's wife indicated that she had some suspicions about him stepping out on her. Do you know anything about that?"

  “Lonnie? I don't think so. The man was a workaholic. When would he have time to do something like that?"

  “She said something about Lonnie supposedly going away to some kind of seminar and there was some confusion about it.”

  “Some kind of seminar?”

  “That’s what she said. I guess there was confusion about whether or not the seminar actually took place, and whether he went by himself."

  Bentley was a heavyset man with big jowls and bushy eyebrows that he raised. “Oh, that. That was Darci getting all crazy over nothing again. Yeah, there was a seminar I sent Lonnie to down in Ocala. I forgot all about it because it was scheduled weeks in advance. When Darci called and asked me about it, I just drew a blank. I'm sorry if I caused them any grief, but I guarantee you, Lonnie wasn't messing around behind her back."

  “What do you know about Audrey Rittenhouse?"

  "Audrey? I know she's a bitch."

  "Really? Why do you say that?"

  “Because she is. That woman's a snake, pure and simple. She'll do anything to sell a house. Whatever it takes to close a deal, she'll do it.” He looked at John Lee and Maddy and then added, "When I said she would do anything to close a deal, that's exactly what I meant."

  "Are you saying…?"

  "Yes, ma’am," he said, nodding his head at Maddy. “I don't mean to be crude, but it happens in this industry sometimes. Nobody could sell as many places as Audrey did without offering a little extra to the deal once in a while to sweeten the pot."

  “Do you know that for a fact or is it suspicion?"

  "Did I ever see her doing anything like that? Of course not. But word gets around in this business, especially in a small county like this."

  “Do you know how Lonnie and Audrey got along?"

  "No, not really. I’m sure they crossed paths a lot, but I don't know that there was any animosity between them. Or anything else if that's what you think," he added.

  “What else can you tell us about Lonnie?"

  “I know he was the best real estate salesman I ever met. I know that he brought a lot of money into this office and we’re damn sure going to miss him."

  “What about him as a person? What did you think about him?"

  “I don't get involved in the personal lives of my employees," Bentley said. “Just like when Darci called me, with all that wild nonsense about Lonnie taking some woman out of town. I told her I'd made a mistake and there was a seminar and that was it. That was as far as I wanted to get involved."

  "Level with me," John Lee said. "Was there really a seminar, and was Lonnie there by himself?"

  "Yes. I've got no reason to lie to you."

  “You said something about Darci getting crazy again,” Maddy said. “What did you mean by that?”

  “Darci is a fine-looking woman. Beautiful. Her and Lonnie made a great pair. But I guess she’s not wrapped too tight.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Like I said, I don’t get involved in my employees’ lives. But she was always calling here looking for him, and a couple of times I heard him telling her he was working and couldn’t come home and hold her hand just because she was feeling jealous or insecure.”

  “What about a woman named Wanda Coleman? I understand she worked here with Lonnie for a while and now she's gone," Maddy said.

  "Yeah, they come and go in this business. We get a lot of moms doing the empty nest thing. Kids get off to school and mom wants to do something besides sit around the house all day, so she decides to become a real estate agent. About 99% of them fail at it."

  “What about Wanda Coleman? Was she a good salesperson?"

  "I think she brought in two deals in all the time she worked here, which was about six months, give or take,” Bentley said. “They work on commission, so it wasn't costing me anything to have her here except for the cost of some business cards. I knew she wasn't going to stick around."

  “What about her and Lonnie? How did they get along?"

  “If you’re asking if they were playing footsie in the office, no, I never saw anything like that. But like I told you, I don't get involved in the personal lives of my agents."

  “Anything else you can think of that you might be able to tell us? Anything at all?”

  "Not really, ma’am. I’ve told you everything I know."

  "Well, thank you for your time," Maddy told him. “We may be in touch again."

  “Whatever. I'll be here, I’m not going anywhere."

  ***

  "I’m just heartbroken. I can't believe that Audrey is dead," said Alice Shaw, shaking her head. “I keep pinching myself, thinking it's just a bad dream. One of those nightmares where you wake up and it’ll be okay in the morning. But it's not going to be okay, is it?"

  “I understand that Audrey had a closing on the house yesterday and she didn't show up for it," John Lee said.

  "Yes, and that was not like her at all. Audrey never missed a closing, never missed an appointment of any kind. She was fanatical about that."

  “How long had Audrey been with your firm?"

  “Three years. Three last month."

  "From what I hear, she was pretty successful at it," Maddy said.

  "Successful? That doesn't even begin to say it," Alice replied. “She was just phenomenal. From the time she walked in the door and asked me how she could get into the business and I explained to her what she needed to do to get her license, she hit the ground running and never looked back."

  “How did she stand out compared to other agents that you have or have had in the past?"

  "Stand out? In terms of sales, nobody ever came close to Audrey. She was a superstar."

  “How did she get along with the other agents in the office?"

  “I'm not going to lie to you, Deputy. There are some people that were very jealous of her and all she accomplished. Not just in this office, but probably in every real estate office in the county."

  “What can you tell me about Lonnie McBride?"

  A look of distaste came over the broker's face and she said, "Lonnie's an idiot."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "He's a pretty boy who relies on his looks and his charm to close the deal."

&n
bsp; "And that's a bad thing? From everything I've heard about Audrey and from the pictures I've seen of her, she was drop dead gorgeous. Don't you think that her looks and personality played a role in her success, too?"

  The broker looked hard at Maddy and said, "Whatever you’re thinking, you can drop that right now."

  "I beg your pardon?"

  “That's misogynist thinking that I'm surprised to hear coming from a woman," Alice said. "You don’t think a woman can make it on her own merits? That she has to resort to her looks to sell something?"

  "No," Maddy said. "But isn't it true that it can't hurt? Everything I have ever read about sales and things like that says you’ve got to present yourself as a professional in every way. I don't think that being a good-looking woman would take away from that. Not in the least."

  "I guess you're right," Alice said. “It's just that…"

  "Just what?"

  “People talk, okay? And there are some jealous people who were jealous of Audrey's success sometimes. Rumors got started."

  "Rumors? What kind of rumors?"

  “Do I have to spell it out for you?"

  "If you would."

  The broker shook her head with exasperation and said, “Just forget I said anything, okay?"

  "But you did say it, and from what I heard from somebody else, there might be more to it than just rumors or supposition," Maddy replied.

  “No! Maybe Audrey would smile and flirt a tiny bit to close the deal, but it was just harmless. And I'll tell you right now, as good an agent as she was, as powerhouse a salesperson as she was, if more than that was happening and I found out about it, she’d have been gone right now. I’m a Christian woman and I wouldn't tolerate anything like that. Not for a minute!"

  "Okay, fair enough," Maddy said. You mentioned that some people were jealous and petty. Does anybody stand out in your mind as someone who might want to do something to harm Audrey?"

  “Harm her? I thought she was in an accident?"

  “We don't know anything for sure at this point," Maddy said, “We’re just covering all the bases."