by Kathi Daley
“So if the three boys weren’t friends, what links them?” I asked. “Other than being the same age and attending the same high school.”
“Deputy Todd isn’t sure at this point,” Parker said. “He did say that all three boys had been exhibiting deviant behavior in the weeks leading up to their disappearance, but they were fifteen-year-old boys. I suppose deviant behavior comes with the territory.”
“Does Todd have any actual clues?” Josie asked.
“Deputy Todd has the paddleboard Zane left the house with. It’s not much of a clue, but it’s something. We don’t know when the paddleboard was placed into the water, so we don’t know if Zane actually did head to the water to meet friends Saturday or if he just used the idea of paddleboarding to get away from the house.”
“And Kalen’s dirt bike?” I asked.
“It was parked at that lot across from the marina. Todd had it impounded.”
“And Todd didn’t find friends of any of the boys who might have seen them?” Josie asked.
“No. Zane and Kalen left home on a weekend of their own free will and presumably headed out to meet up with friends, but never did. Deputy Todd sees their disappearance as differing from Trevor’s since Trevor hadn’t been heading out but heading home when he went missing. At one point, Deputy Todd thought that maybe Zane and Kalen had simply gone off somewhere together.”
“Are Zane and Kalen friends?” I asked. I’d asked Jemma this before but figured it would be good to get a different perspective.
“Not really,” Parker answered. “At least not anymore. Zane is a jock. He plays all the sports and is super popular, so he tends to hang out with the popular crowd. Kalen used to be athletic, but after his parents split up, he began to cut practice in favor of hanging out with a group of kids who are into cars and street racing.”
“And Trevor?” I asked.
“I actually spoke to Trevor’s counselor today,” Parker said. “She’s a friend of mine and told me that Trevor is really smart and that his math, science, and computer skills are off the chart, although academically, he’s been struggling lately. Not because he’s unable to do the work, but because he’s basically stopped turning anything in. My friend said that, in her opinion, Trevor is having a hard time balancing his intellectual needs with his social needs.”
“So it’s unlikely the three hung out with the same crowd,” I said.
“Very unlikely,” Parker agreed.
“Given the timeline, I think we need to assume that all three boys are missing for the same reason,” I said. “They all could have been kidnapped, which I hope isn’t what is going on, but does seem possible given the fact they’re the same age.”
“What does Deputy Todd think happened?” Josie asked.
“At this point, he’s going with the kidnapping theory,” Parker said. “I guess I get that. If they have been detained by someone, then they are probably in real danger, and finding them is critical, so that’s where he’s focusing his attention at the moment.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked.
Parker frowned. “I’m not sure. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if we poked around a bit. Maybe even talked to some of the boy’s friends. If they did take off, it’s possible that the boy’s friends lied when they were interviewed by the police.” Parker got up to take a call. “Let me poke around a bit, and I’ll let the three of you know if there’s something you can do.”
Apparently, one of Parker’s confidential informants had something for her, so she left to meet up with her CI and then head home. After she left, Jemma, Josie, and I grilled our steaks. Once we’d eaten, we sat down to compare the list of runners Jemma had previously pulled up with the list of reading champions Kendra had emailed to me.
“There are seven names that overlap the two lists,” Jemma said. “I recognize two of the seven. Both Heidi Vargas and Olive Brown live in town. I guess we can start by talking to them. Even if the bracelet doesn’t belong to either of them, they may recognize it.”
“Do you have their phone numbers?” I asked.
“I can get them. I’ll try to get contact information for the five names I don’t recognize as well. Do you want to meet up in the morning to go over things?”
“I do,” I answered.
“I’m afraid I have to work,” Josie said. “I have an early shift, so I’ll get off early. If there’s anything interesting going on, I can jump in then.”
“What time should I come over?” I asked Jemma.
“Actually, maybe mid-morning. I really should check in with work first thing.”
“Is ten-thirty okay?”
“That’s perfect,” Jemma agreed.
After I got back to my cottage, I called my client with an update. She was thrilled with the progress I’d already made. She’d spent the day walking up and down the boardwalk, showing the bracelet to vendors who worked the area, but so far, she hadn’t found anyone who remembered someone from twenty-five years ago wearing anything like it.
It wasn’t surprising no one remembered anything. There were a few cart vendors who’d been around back then, but by and large, the group of men and women who worked the boardwalk tended to have a large turnover. The work was physical, for one thing. Since you couldn’t simply lock up your wares at the end of each day, the inventory displayed had to be packed up each night and then brought out again each morning. It was a cycle that most folks tired of after a few years, hence the turnover.
After I’d washed up and put on my pajamas, I opened one of the boxes that Warren had sent me and began to sort through it. Looking at the old photos and mementos was emotionally draining, but it was helping me to get to know the couple who’d bore me. My father had a crooked smile and tended to wear the most out-of-date argyle sweaters I’d ever seen. I really had no idea what was in style in Italy during the nineties, but they were definitely out of date here in the States now.
My mother was beautiful, petite, and blond. She had a soft smile in comparison to my father’s wide grin. She tended to prefer stylish yet conservative clothes. I supposed that made sense given her position in society, but hadn’t the woman owned a single pair of blue jeans?
The longer I looked at the photos, the more the couple, who at one point must have meant the world to me, began to feel real. It was odd to know that we’d been a family. It felt strange knowing that I’d been a completely different person for the first three years of my life than I’d been for the next twenty-five years. I felt like I should feel something when I looked at photos of Avery and me as babies. I did feel a bit of a connection toward Avery, but when I looked at photos of myself, I felt like I was looking at a stranger. I thought back to my dad, the man who’d raised me. I could remember his crooked grin and sense of humor that was often offbeat. I remembered the way he’d roll the ice around in his whisky for a good minute before taking a single sip, and I also remembered the strong arms that held me tight when life proved to be cruel and my heart or spirit was harmed in some way.
My dad was real to me when I thought of him, but when I looked at Arthur and Adora, they mostly felt like strangers. I wondered if that would ever change. I supposed that even if I ended up finding all my answers, I could never really know them. Not really. Not the way I’d known the cop who’d raised me. It was sad that my parents would always be a mystery to me, but I supposed that given their deaths when I was so young, that inevitable fact had been sealed early on. Even if Marilee hadn’t taken Avery and me away, even if we’d stayed in our childhood home, our memories of the man and woman who’d bore us would have been limited to what others shared rather than what we’d experienced.
Setting the box aside, I headed into the bedroom. It was late, and I was tired but also discontent. I really wanted to feel something when I looked at the photo of my mother. Anything. Maybe if I fell asleep picturing my mother’s face, I’d be able to remember something, even if that memory did exist only in my dream space.
Chapter 7
As I ran along the bay trail, I thought about my plans for the day. I’d meet with Jemma this morning, and I supposed that what I did next depended on the outcome of that conversation. If she was able to put together some clues relating to the charm bracelet, I supposed I’d spend the rest of the day tracking down those clues. Ellery was leaving town Sunday, and I really hoped that we would have found an answer before she left if there was an answer to be found.
As I climbed up onto the point, I thought about the charms. The shoe and the book seemed to have offered us the best chances to actually track down the person who at one point had owned the charms. Jemma had said there were seven names that she found on both lists. Seven was actually a reasonable number of people to track down and speak to. When Ellery had come to me with her quest, I’d wanted to help if I could, but to be honest, I hadn’t held a lot of hope that we’d actually be successful, but now it seemed that we might come out of this investigation with a name. What she did with that name would be up to her.
I really thought that the lists we had would give us our answer, but if not we’d need to turn our attention to the remaining charms. As we’d speculated the previous evening, I was pretty sure that the Ferris wheel charm had most likely been a token from the annual carnival. I wasn’t sure what more we could do with that clue. The carnival wasn’t even in town, so trying to find employees who were around back then probably wasn’t a realistic goal.
And then there was the ice cream cone charm. We all agreed that the charm was too general to be of much use unless we could tie it to a specific ice cream shop. It was a long shot, but I supposed if we were able to do that and the ice cream shop was still around, it might lead us to someone who would remember the bracelet.
The rose, like the ice cream cone, seemed too general to provide much information. We’d discussed that the rose charm might lead to a florist, although there were other possibilities as well. There were lovely gardens in the area and when we’d visited the museum, I noticed that rose bushes were planted along the building. I supposed we could look around for other gardens, or perhaps a hothouse or nursery was the link we needed to find.
And then there was the ship. It could represent any boat or even the ferry, I supposed, but the charm looked more like a Navy ship. Could Ellery’s father have been in the Navy? Perhaps her mother had entered into a summer romance with a boy she’d met in Gooseberry Bay only to find that he’d shipped out for a tour overseas at the end of their time together. I had no idea how to follow up on a theory such as that since we didn’t have a name for either parent. Still, an explanation that included a summer love with a military man might explain why Ellery’s mother felt she was unable to keep her.
After I’d turned around at the fence and started back toward my cottage, I let my mind drift to the missing boys. I really hoped that there was news that all the boys had been found safe by the time I checked in with Jemma. I knew that the longer they were missing, the less likely it was that they’d be found alive. I had no idea how I could help, and I certainly hadn’t been asked to, but the knot in my gut that wouldn’t quite let me walk away was getting more intense with each day that passed without a resolution.
After I returned to the cottage, I fed the dogs, gave them fresh water, showered and dressed, and then headed to meet with Jemma. When I arrived, she opened the door and motioned me in, although I could see she was on the phone.
“Yes. I understand. I’ll get on it right away,” Jemma said to whomever she was talking to. “It won’t be a problem. Look for it in three or four hours.” With that, she hung up and looked at me. “I’m sorry. That was my boss. He needs a last-minute adjustment to some code I wrote months ago. I’m afraid I won’t be able to go with you to speak to the women on the list we’ve come up with.”
“That’s no problem. Is everything okay at work?”
She sighed. “Yeah. It’s fine. Even though I worked while I was away, I guess being gone for a month put me behind more than I thought. The changes my boss is looking for aren’t all that complicated. I can probably knock them out in a few hours, but he does want them today.” She handed me a piece of paper. “These are the phone numbers for the two women whose names I recognized from the list. Heidi Vargas works at Pretty in Pink, that cute little boutique on Seventh Street with the pink and black sign. I already called her and briefly explained what we were after. She said she’d be happy to talk to us if we wanted to stop in. I’ll text her and let her know you’re coming alone if you want to speak to her.”
“I’d like to speak to her. If she did the Bay to Boardwalk Run and Brewster’s Books Reading Challenge, she might know the woman we’re looking for.”
“Maybe. Heidi is around fifty-five, I’d guess. Since she was already married with children during the summer of ninety-six, she may not have been in the same peer group as the mother of your client. That’s assuming that your client is even on the right track and the woman who owned the bracelet actually was her biological mother, and we’re correct in our assumption that your client’s biological mother was actually younger than twenty-two at the time of your client’s birth. At this point, we’re operating on a lot of guesswork that we have no way of verifying.”
“Yeah. There really aren’t many, if any, known facts at this point, but I think it’s definitely worth having a chat with Heidi.”
“I thought you could take both lists along with you and ask her about some of the other names as well if she isn’t too busy.”
“Okay. I can do that. Did you also speak to Olive Brown?”
“I did. Olive works at the mini-mart down near the marina. She’s willing to speak to us too, although she sounded less certain that she’d remember anything. She was just seventeen during the summer of ninety-six, which in my opinion, most likely puts her closer in age to the owner of the charm bracelet, so maybe something will come to her.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said after accepting the lists and slipping them into my pocket. “Good luck with your work stuff today.”
“Thanks. Call me later,” Jemma said. “I’m interested in how everything works out.”
“I will. And thanks again.”
Deciding to head to Pretty in Pink and speak to Heidi first, I checked on the dogs one more time and then headed toward the parking area. Pretty in Pink was a cute boutique with light pink walls and black accents, providing a chic and sophisticated feel. I’d thought about checking the place out a few times in the past when I’d driven by, but, so far, I never had.
“Heidi Vargas?” I asked after entering the shop.
“You must be Ainsley.”
“I am. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me.”
“Nineteen ninety-six was a long time ago, but if there is anything I can do to help you find the woman you’re looking for, I’m happy to help.”
I quickly explained why I was interested in women who’d participated in the Bay to Boardwalk Run and Brewster’s Books Reading Challenge in nineteen ninety-six and then showed her the photos of the charms.
“I can’t say that I remember anyone wearing a bracelet such as this. There was a group of us who earned book charms for meeting the top goal. I didn’t even have a bracelet and just tossed my charm into a drawer. I suspect that the majority of winners from that group did the same.”
“Jemma identified seven names that were on both the list from the run and the list from the reading challenge. I wondered if you’d take a look at the list and see if you recognize any of the names.”
“I’d be happy to.” She held out her hand, and I handed her both lists. The seven names that showed up on both lis
ts had been highlighted. “I see you have my name highlighted as well as Olive Brown’s. Have you spoken to Olive?”
“I’m planning to head there next.”
She seemed satisfied with that and looked back down at the lists. “Nancy Bayberry is listed as having participated in the run and completing the reading challenge.” Heidi looked up. “Nancy moved away at least a decade ago, but we knew each other when she lived here. She was married to a man named Ted in nineteen ninety-six. They had three sons. I’m fairly certain that she isn’t the person you’re looking for if the person you hope to find would have been pregnant in nineteen ninety-six.”
“Okay, thank you. That helps. Now I just have four names on the list who we’ve yet to track down. Caroline Grant, Brandy Heffner, Rosalie Watts, and Naomi Potter. Do any of those names ring a bell?”
She slowly shook her head. “No. I can’t say that any of those names sound familiar. You need to keep in mind that while the reading challenge was mainly local, folks came from all around to do the run. If the woman you’re looking for simply purchased or was gifted the book charm from a friend who completed the challenge, she may not have even lived in the area.”
“I suppose that’s a possibility, but the fact that the woman who abandoned her baby in a church left the bracelet with the infant leads me to believe the bracelet meant a lot to her. I can’t see that person simply buying or accepting charms that represent someone else’s accomplishments.”