“What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to somehow get on the topic of cat food, mention their brand, and hope she starts talking about work.” Yeah, lame, and Gran’s expression made it clear that she agreed. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll mention knowing Sissy.”
“Why don’t you tell her the truth?”
“Because she might not talk to me.”
“She might be more willing to talk to you. Why would she tell a stranger work secrets for no reason?”
“Supposedly she’s a gossip.” But maybe Gran was right and honesty would be the best policy. If Casey’s attempts to get Wilkins to open up failed, admitting that she’d hadn’t run into her accidentally wouldn’t engender trust. “I’ll see how she comes across to me. If—”
“What the hell is that?” Gran bellowed, drawing looks.
Casey followed her gaze, then hurried after her when Gran marched up to the two women glaring at her.
“This, Madam, is a Sphynx,” one of the women said, her nostrils flaring. “This is my cat, Felda.”
Casey studied the hairless cat standing on the metal table, and resisted whacking Gran across the head with the program. One of these two women was probably Donna Wilkins.
“It doesn’t have any fur,” Gran said, stating the obvious.
“Of course she doesn’t.”
“Actually, she’s not completely hairless,” said the other woman.
“I don’t see any fur,” Gran said. “What the hell is the point of a cat without fur? Cats purr and have fur. It’s what makes them cute. A cat without fur is like a porcupine without quills, or a beaver without teeth.”
“A giraffe with no neck. A camel without humps,” the other woman offered. She winced when Felda’s owner whirled toward her. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“You’ve heard of hairless cats,” Casey said to Gran, hoping to calm the situation.
“Hearing about something and actually seeing it are two different things. I said as much to your grandfather on our wedding night,” she said out of the side of her mouth to Casey.
“Aw, Gran!” Jesus, she could do without the mental image Gran’s words had conjured.
“What? I’d never seen the penthouse suite at the hotel before. When one of my friends described it to me—she spent her wedding night there, too—I thought she was exaggerating. Gold-plated toilet seat, my ass. But it was true.” A smile played across Gran’s lips. “What did you think I meant?”
Casey pressed her lips together and shook her head.
Gran turned back to the cat. “Most of us want to hide our wrinkles. Now I understand why some people think they’ve seen aliens. If I saw this in the house, I’d call the police.”
“Gran!” Casey barked. The cat blinked at her.
“It’s all right,” said Felda’s owner, but her thin lips and tight face said otherwise. “I see times like this as an opportunity to educate. The Sphynx originated not far from here, you know. In Toronto.”
“A cat with no fur in our winters? Whose brilliant idea was that?” Gran asked, making Casey cringe.
“They don’t go outside,” the other woman said.
“What’s their temperament like?” Casey asked. Shifting their attention to her wouldn’t help, but she’d try anyway.
Felda’s owner almost smiled. “They’re very extroverted and affectionate.”
“They’re also highly intelligent,” her companion said.
Gran’s brow furrowed. “The cat doesn’t have any fur and lives in Ontario. How intelligent can it be?”
Casey wanted to cry. It was too late to pretend that she and Gran didn’t know each other.
“Can I touch it?” Gran asked.
“No,” its owner said immediately.
“Oh, come on, Donna. Let her stroke Felda,” the other woman said.
Donna? Casey inwardly groaned.
“She might pass on germs,” Donna said.
Gran’s eyes bulged. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t take it personally. I don’t let anyone touch Felda at these shows.”
When Gran drew breath, Casey quickly stepped in. “Why don’t you go to the vendor’s hall?” she suggested, figuring her chances of talking to Donna might climb to 0.000001 percent if Gran wasn’t nearby. “I’ll meet you there.”
Gran frowned. “I don’t even know where it is.”
“Here.” Casey tapped the map page in the program, then thrust it toward Gran. “It’s near the entrance.”
“Why don’t I take you over there,” said Donna’s companion. “I want to get some air.”
As Casey silently thanked the woman, Donna tutted and shook her head. Casey nudged Gran’s arm. “Go with her. I won’t be long.” Especially since she suspected her conversation with Donna would consist of Donna telling her to f-off.
“This way,” Donna’s companion said, taking Gran’s elbow.
Gran slapped her hand away. “I can walk on my own!” she snapped.
Casey could see Gran’s head moving as they strolled away. The poor woman with her was getting an earful, but about what? Hairless cats? Gran’s opinion of the cat show? The sitcom she’d watched last night? When Casey turned back toward Donna, she froze. The cat was gone, along with Donna. She let out her pent breath when she spotted Donna putting Felda into a nearby cage.
“What a horrible experience for you,” Casey heard Donna say as she approached her. “Don’t pay any attention, Fel. They’re ignorant, all of them.” Felda’s eyes closed when Donna stroked her under her chin. Okay, so Felda sort of looked cute right now. Casey wouldn’t deliberately go out and get a hairless cat, but if one was in trouble or needed a home, she wouldn’t turn it away. Neither would Gran.
“Oh, my little Fel-fel,” Donna cooed.
Casey cleared her throat. Donna looked over her shoulder. Her voice hardened. “Oh. You’re still here.”
“Yeah,” Casey said, throwing out Plans A and B, which would be useless now. “You’re Donna Wilkins, right?”
Donna closed the cage door. “That’s right.” She peered curiously at Casey.
“I was hoping to run into you here. I’m looking into Jackie Rose’s disappearance. Someone said you might be able to give me the rundown on the office politics in her department.”
“You working for the hospital?”
“No, her daughter.”
Donna’s eyes bored into Casey. “If I wasn’t so fond of Jackie, I’d tell you to shove off.”
“I’d understand why. Sorry about my grandmother.”
“Your grandmother, eh?” Donna smirked. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you have my sympathies.”
Casey’s back went up. In exactly what way was she supposed to take it? But she held her temper. After the disaster with Gran, she couldn’t blame Donna for wanting to take a shot at her. Gran had insulted Donna’s cat, for god’s sake.
“Who told you to talk to me?”
Casey hesitated. “I’d rather not reveal my source. I’ll just say it’s someone who doesn’t work for the company anymore.”
Donna pursed her lips. If she suspected Kenny, she wasn’t saying. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You said you’re fond of Jackie. Were you friends?” Casey had the impression that Sissy was Jackie’s only work confidante.
“No, but she never caused problems. Never made trivial demands. Came in every day and did her job, which is more than I can say about some others in my departments.”
“I’ve heard that there might have been problems in Jackie’s department. I know you’re under a strict confidentiality agreement—”
Donna waved a dismissive hand. “Our competitors don’t care about who doesn’t get along with whom.” Her brows knitted. “Do you think Jackie’s disappearance has something to do with work?”
“I don’t know,” Casey said levelly. “I’m trying to gather as much information as I can.” She could see that her response hadn’t stopped Donna’s wheels fro
m turning.
“For Jackie,” Donna murmured with a sigh. “Mike is going nuts, because Jackie is his top scientist and he’s under the gun to produce a new formula right now. This might sound horrible, but it’s amusing to see him make it appear that he’s freaking out because he’s concerned about her well-being, when we all know things weren’t great between them and he’s really upset because his job is on the line, along with everyone else’s in his department.”
“It’s that bad?”
Donna gave Casey an indulgent look. “This is a cut-throat business. We’re neck and neck with our closest competitor, and we haven’t brought out anything new in almost a year. I’m under a lot of pressure to produce a meal that Fluffy will devour, and that means my employees are under the gun too, especially Mike. Feline nutrition is his baby. If he doesn’t come through, he’s history. And let’s just say…no, I shouldn’t tell you that.”
“What?”
Donna shook her head. “I can’t.”
Casey struggled to restrain her frustration. “Donna, you said you want to help Jackie. If there’s anything you know…if you think Mike might have something to do with her disappearance—”
“No. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Donna moistened her lips. “Without Jackie, I doubt Mike’s team will meet their deadline. Jackie was the lynchpin, for everyone. The last thing Mike would have wanted was for her to disappear. The coma was bad enough. I think he called the hospital five times a day to see if there were any signs that she was coming out of it.”
A thought sprang into Casey’s mind: maybe he wanted to make sure she wasn’t coming out of it. That possibility ran counter to Donna’s belief that Jackie’s presence at work was invaluable to Mike, but ever since the meeting with Sissy, Casey’s gut had told her that Mike had something to do with Jackie’s stomach cramps. Now she wondered if her instincts were leading her astray. Mike’s insistence that he drive Jackie and Sissy to the hospital had aroused her suspicions, but he might have wanted to ensure that his top scientist received the best care possible. “Have you replaced Jackie with anyone?”
Donna frowned. “Replaced?”
Bad word choice.
“Mike hired a junior scientist to round out the team, but everyone knows it’s temporary—at least, we hope it is. We want Jackie back. Does that sound naïve, that we still expect her back?”
Maybe. “No.”
“What could have happened? Who would take her away?”
“What do you think happened?”
Donna’s eyes widened. “I don’t know. The most popular theory seems to be that someone who cares about her wasn’t satisfied with her treatment and moved her to another clinic. But why the secrecy? Why not tell her daughter?” She lowered her voice. “Do you think we’re kidding ourselves? She’s not coming back, is she?”
“I wouldn’t lose hope yet.” Casey was determined to find Jackie—hopefully alive. “Who’s in charge now—among the scientists, I mean?”
“One of the other senior scientists who worked closely with Jackie. But he doesn’t have Jackie’s initiative. She drove everything in that department. They’re building on what she started. Whether they’ll produce a worthy formula, and on time, remains to be seen.”
“When did you hire the new scientist? After Jackie disappeared?”
“No, a couple of weeks after she went into the coma, when it became clear that she wasn’t going to be on her feet anytime soon. Even if she had come around, she’d have needed time to recover. Mike came to me and said he’d definitely miss the deadline with one person down, so I approved the hire.”
“And he did the hiring?”
Donna nodded. “It is his department. He would have had at least one of the scientists interview the prospects, though. I haven’t had any complaints about the new guy.”
“What’s his name?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Donna said. “Sorry.”
“Anything else you can tell me that you think might help?”
“No. Jackie was a model employee. Why would anyone want to kidnap her? That’s the real mystery, isn’t it?”
Yes, it was. The why would lead to the who, but Casey was more confused now than she had been before speaking with Donna. Was Mike a good guy or bad guy? Did Jackie’s disappearance have anything to do with work, or had she hidden a part of her life from her daughter? Heck, was Jackie a random victim? Who would want a comatose woman? Medical researchers? Satanic worshippers? Some sick psychopath? But what about the handwriting on the power of attorney? It had to be someone who knew Jackie, or at least had access to a handwriting sample. “Thanks for talking with me,” Casey said. “Especially after my grandmother.”
“Do you have a cat?” Donna asked.
“Yeah, but she’s not a pedigree.”
Donna’s mouth pinched. “I see.”
Casey could hear the sniff.
*****
“Now, don’t take anything she says personally,” Ellen said nervously as she led Casey up the path to Jackie’s sister’s house. “When she runs off at the mouth, we just nod and smile.” She hovered her finger over the doorbell. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Casey said, not sure what to expect.
Ellen rang the doorbell, and put on a strained smile when the door swung open. “Aunt Joan,” she said.
Joan squinted at them. “You’d better come in.”
The moment Casey stepped into the house, the stench of stale cigarette smoke assaulted her nostrils. In the living room, an overflowing ashtray sat on every available surface, including the end table next to what was obviously Joan’s favourite chair. An open pack of cigarettes and a lighter were also within arm’s reach.
“Sit down,” Joan growled, plunking into her own chair. She waited until Casey and Ellen had settled onto the sofa, then said, “I don’t know anything.”
“Then why did you agree to meet with Casey?” Ellen asked, failing to keep the exasperation out of her voice.
“Because I wanted to see who you’d hired.” She slid a cigarette from the packet, lit up, and took a long drag. “All I can say is, God help us. Or, rather, God help Jackie.” Joan blew smoke in Casey’s direction. “How old are you? Twelve?”
Ellen gasped. “Aunt Joan!”
“You must be getting desperate.”
Casey’s hands clenched. Nod and smile. Grin and bear it.
“Casey’s already found out that the spa weekend contest was a sham, which is more than the police did,” Ellen said.
Joan scoffed. “I figured that out myself, ages ago.”
“You did not!”
“Did too.”
“Why didn’t you say anything, then?” Ellen snapped.
“I wanted to see if any of the idiots would figure it out.”
“No, it’s because you didn’t figure it out.”
“What do you think?” Joan said to Casey.
Nope. She wasn’t falling into that trap.
“If you suspected the contest was a sham, you would have told the police,” Ellen said. “You want to find Mom as much as I do.”
“Have you told the police?” Joan looked at Casey.
Ellen drew breath.
“I’m talking to your sidekick,” Joan bellowed. “Is she mute? She hasn’t said a word since she came in.”
Wishing she could leave, since Joan apparently couldn’t help, Casey forced herself to answer. “Yes, I told the police. They noted the information.”
“Ha! Noted the information.” Joan took another drag of her cigarette. “Idiots, all of them. They’re not looking for your mom, Ellen. If the solution doesn’t drop out of the sky and whack them on the head, they move on. That’s why I didn’t tell them about the contest. What would have been the point?”
“Oh, please.” Ellen let out a long, heartfelt sigh. “Did Mom say anything to you, or not?”
Joan waved her cigarette at Casey. “I thought she would be asking the questions.”
“Did Jackie seem upset ab
out anything before the night she fell into a coma?” Casey asked, doing her best to sound as if she were interested.
“Nope.”
“Did she say anything that sounded strange to you?”
Joan cackled. “You haven’t met Jackie, have you? Jackie always sounds strange.”
“No, she did—doesn’t.” Ellen folded her arms.
“Anything that set off alarm bells, I mean, or made you wonder,” Casey said.
Joan flicked a lengthy piece of ash from her cigarette into the ashtray. “Nope.”
“Do you have any theories about what might have happened to her?”
“Oh god,” Ellen murmured.
Joan’s eyes narrowed. “Of course I do. Do you want to hear what I think?”
Casey braced herself. “Yes.”
“She has a secret lover. She didn’t want this one to know,” she cocked her head toward Ellen, “because she didn’t want to upset her. Ellen’s excitable.”
“No, I’m not! I’m not excitable!” Ellen shrieked. “Jesus, Mom’s missing, and all you can do is take shots at me. Do you understand the hell I’m going through? Where were you when she was in hospital? Did you visit? What are you doing to find Mom? Secret lover? Bullshit. Mom has never hidden any boyfriends from me.”
Joan appeared unfazed by Ellen’s outburst. “You wouldn’t know if she had, Ellen. Think about it.”
“What do you mean? But—” Ellen’s forehead furrowed.
“Why would a lover take her from the hospital, especially without consulting Ellen?” Casey asked.
Joan shrugged. “How the hell should I know? All I can say is this: according to the idiots, he had a legitimate power of attorney. He knew she was in the hospital. He knew this one would jump at a free spa weekend. She’s always gone on and on and on about how she’d love to be pampered at a spa, but doesn’t have the money.”
Really? Casey mentally stored away that interesting tidbit.
“It’s someone who knows Jackie, right? Isn’t that obvious, or am I really the only one who isn’t an idiot?” Joan took a final puff of her cigarette, squished the stub into the ashtray, and pulled another cigarette from the packet. “That’s why I’m not too worried. Wherever she is, she’s safe. Christ, if someone wanted to hurt her, a little injection into her IV would have done the trick. He wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of kidnapping her.”
The Missing Comatose Woman Page 10