Black Adagio

by Potocki, Wendy

  “Yes, yes, I did. Made me breathe easier, but I think she’s doing the right thing … only …”

  “Only what? You sound weird Dad.”

  Her father paused, covering the phone to make sure a flurry of whispers wasn’t overheard.

  “Dad? Dad! Are you there?”

  In another second, he was back, exhaling sharply.

  “Look, honey, I’m thrilled you’re coming, it’s just that it’s kind of awkward. I was going to tell you … about Toni, I mean.”

  “Toni? Is that the woman you’re seeing?”

  “Yes, Antoinette.”

  “Well, I’d love to meet her. It’ll just be a little sooner, that’s all.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying, Missy. She lives out of state, and she had some time off for the holidays. So I invited her to stay with me …and, she’s here. Staying here …”

  “Oh,” she responded. Turning on her side, she sat up. Resting her head against the wall, she hadn’t anticipated this. Yes, she wanted her father to meet someone, but this was sudden, and it would mean that a strange woman would be occupying her household. It was going to make things so awkward. Putting her hand on her stomach, she tried to ease the queasiness developing in her belly. Steadying herself, she realized she was being ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Her father had been single for long enough, and they were all adults. She’d just have to deal with the new addition to her father’s life the best she could. The same as he would when she eventually met someone and brought him home to meet dear old dad.

  “You okay, hon?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, Dad. I guess I was hoping to spend time with you, but you didn’t know they’d change the schedule.”

  “No, I didn’t, hon. You’ll love her though. Toni, come here!” he said calling out to his girlfriend. “Here, let me put her on the phone!”

  “Oh, Frank, I don’t know,”

  “Go on! She’s a terrific girl.”

  Hearing the frantic discussion in the background, she became even more anxious about the situation. The phone passed, she braced herself for the worst.

  “Hi, Melissha! It’s-s-s good to meet you!” Toni slurred.

  Parting her legs, Missy dropped her head through them. Thinking that she’d prepared herself, she hadn’t. The woman was drunk. Drunk! Just like her mother always had been. She thought she’d escaped that whole scenario and here was her father chaining her to the past. As if nothing changed, as soon as he got rid of one lush, he brought in the next.

  The raspiness, the elevated good cheer driven through a slightly lazy voice, she could always tell when someone had been drinking. Having had enough practice, she held her head in her hand, unsure what to do. Tears broke through, her nose clogging up with mucous. She didn’t want to play this game anymore.

  “Put my father on the phone!” she screamed, her breathing coming in spurts.

  “What? Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Toni demanded. A haughty air of entitlement in her voice, it was exactly how her mother had always behaved. Never apologizing for her bad behavior, she’d demand respect instead. Her father and Melissa had always tiptoed around her bad moods to avoid a tirade.

  “No, I’m not going to say hello! Now put my goddamned father on the phone!” she shrieked even louder.

  Clipped chatter was exchanged. She caught the drift of harsh words flung in her direction. Not caring that Toni thought she had an attitude, the idea was just so priceless. Flipping scripts was what alcoholics did best; everyone was always in the wrong except for them.

  “Melissa? What was that all about? Toni said you were kind of rude. It’s not like you to act like that. I don’t understand, why …”

  “She’s a drunk!” she yelled, stopping her father short. He started to hem and haw, the way he did when he’d defended her mother.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. She just had a few drinks, that’s all.”

  “No, that’s not all! You’re an enabler! I never even realized it before, but there was something wrong with you, too! It’s why Mom was the way she was!”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say, Melissa. You know that I tried to …”

  “…to do nothing to break up the sick relationship you had with Mom! And now that she’s dead, you’ve replaced her with someone just like her! And you bring her into MY house …” she screamed, her voice shaking. Her father started to object, but she drowned him out. She’d always been quiet, but no more. She’d stop talking when she was finished and not before. “And then you even put her on the phone knowing she’s blitzed out of her mind! What were you thinking?”

  His manner becoming conciliatory, he tried to calm her down.

  “Melissa, I didn’t even think. It’s not the same. It isn’t, honey,” he pleaded.

  “Yes, it is! Damn you and damn the holidays! I won’t be coming home!”

  “What? Now Missy, we got all your presents here. And the tree is up—just how you like it! Toni helped me with …”

  “Well, then Toni can just share it with you! All of it! I hate you! Do you hear me, I hate you!” she screeched, hanging up before her father had a chance to respond.

  Letting her phone drop, she pounded her fist against the mattress as she dissolved into tears.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  After dropping the girls off, Todd drove back to the motel. Entering into the less-than-median-range lodging, “ratty” was the term that came to mind. Adequately describing the furnishings, in an odd way, they seemed to suit the old man that was stuck in the past. His retro appearance was in line with the out- of- date surroundings. He melted into it rather than adding a contrast.

  Placing Todd’s coat over the back of a cheesy plastic desk chair, the haunted face of the man who’d professed no knowledge of what happened to Barbara Moore tried to play courtly host.

  “Could get you some coffee if you like. Vending machine is just down the hall. It’s not that good, but good enough, if you know what I mean,” Mulligan explained, jostling a cup of rancid java.

  Todd fully understood the sentiment. Sometimes what you needed superseded the quality of what you received.

  “I’m good, thanks,” he deferred, waving his hand like a magician wanting to make it all go away.

  The old man’s hair was dyed. No doubt about that. And whatever he used to hold that outdated pompadour gave it a greasy gleam. Apparent even in this dim room, the light on the nightstand was on, as was the bare bulb in the bathroom. The room faced the parking lot. Occasional intrusive blasts of light originating from high beams came chattering in like teeth. Blazing across the aged face, they lit it in diagonal streams reserved for lighting effects in experimental films. Taking a long swig of his stale coffee, Mulligan exhaled with a slight growl for his trouble.

  Mulligan took his time in getting to the point. Rambling, he poured his heart out. Todd chose to go slowly rather than behave like an attack dog. If what he alleged were true, he was also a victim.

  “I appreciate you sharing your feelings, but what you’re saying differs dramatically from what I was told. You see, I was under the distinct impression Barbara left with you.”

  The paper cup hit the tabletop with a clipped, hollow sound. The noise of an engine starting signaled another blade of light penetrating the window like a spotlight in a prison yard. It was an apt analogy. Todd would swear that it was the way Mulligan felt. In prison, and unable to escape.

  “Yeah, you mentioned that. You mind me asking who told you?”

  “Her mother.”

  “Her mother? But how …”

  “Barbara came to see her about six months after she disappeared. Told her that she was happy and to stop trying to find her.”

  “Then she saw her,” he whispered, his lips trembling, his eyes filling with tears. He looked off into the distance as if seeing an apparition. His upper body collapsed on the Formica table. Yellowing and cracked, it had a lot in common with the man resting his arms on it.

  Mulligan
heaved. Lifting his head, he grabbed a coffee-stained napkin, noisily blowing his nose. Wiping at his eyes with his sleeves, he cleared his eyes of the vestiges of tears clinging like dew to his lashes.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice breaking up in chunks of despair. “It’s the first time I’m hearing this. Always wondered what happened. I came back here a few times. Watched her house to see if she was there. I even asked around, but everybody said she was gone. I didn’t know what to think, but based on what you just said, I figure that she ran off with one of those kids she was mixed up with. As long as she’s happy, though. That’s the main thing. Really, it is,” he said staring like a cocker spaniel wanting you to take him home.

  “Well, it might not be that simple, Mr. Mulligan.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because of what Midge Moore told me.”

  “Yeah, well, she lied. That’s all.”

  “Her mother?”

  “No, not her mother … Babs.”

  It was Todd’s turn to ask questions.

  “Why would she do that, Mr. Mulligan?”

  “Because she didn’t want to be found. By lying to her mother about where she was, she was making sure she wasn’t bothered. Even if her mother tried to find her, she wouldn’t be where she thought she was. Oh, it’s so like Babs. She was a smart one. Wild, but smart. There was never a girl like her. Never. I was so crazy about her that I didn’t know if I was coming or going. It’s why when she told me she was dating that other guy, I didn’t even care.”

  “What other guy?”

  “Manny. Manny Jacobs. Guy that owns the diner.”

  “He was dating Barbara?”

  “Yes, he was in that group she got mixed up with. The Innocents.”

  “And what do you know about them?”

  “Not much. She wouldn’t say much of anything other than she’d joined. There was some kind of falling out though.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because she told me. Course, she wasn’t above being creative with the truth, but I believed her. You see, they had regular meetings. Every other Sunday and Wednesday. Then there were the Sabbaths.”

  “Sabbaths?”

  “Yeah, something about them being holidays. I think it mostly boiled down to the solstices, but after whatever happened, she no longer adhered to the schedule. She was available those nights. Made it easier to see her. I had a schedule of my own. I see you eyeing my hair. Everyone does. I’m a musician. You probably saw the guitar case when you came in.”

  “I did.”

  “We were called “Rocket and The Hooligans.” We did fifties rock. Still do, actually. Got some new guys. It pays the bills. It’s how I met Babs.”

  “How did you?”

  “She came to a club we were playing. She told me she was 18, but I knew she was lying. Had fake ID, but then everybody did back then.”

  Falling back, the chair catching Todd let out a creak. This was all getting to be too much. It was like trying to put together a sand painting after it’d been blown to the four corners of the world.

  “You going to be here for a while, Mr. Mulligan?”

  “I guess. I mean, the mystery is over. I know she’s happy with someone else—just don’t know who. And these latest disappearances, well, they don’t really have anything to do with her … or me, right?”

  “No, I guess they don’t.”

  “Look,” he said getting up and rifling through the pockets of his black leather jacket hanging in the half-opened closet. “Here’s one of my cards. It tells where I can be reached—in case you ever need to speak to me again.”

  “Thanks,” Todd replied. Easing his arms in his jacket, he slipped the card in his pocket.

  Mulligan grabbed his wrist as he started to turn.

  “And, you know, I’d love to know if you find anything more about Barbara. I mean,” he added sheepishly, “she could be divorced, or have had a change of heart. You never know.”

  “You really loved her.”

  “Yes, I did. She’s the only one I ever did, and there have been lots of women.”

  “I’ll bet there have.”

  “And I’m sorry about the misunderstanding with those girls. I was just making sure they were safe. Honest. I mean, it was obvious that they went to that school, and that’s where those girls that you’re looking for went, isn’t it?”

  “They did indeed.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t. You have yourself a good night, Mr. Mulligan.”

  “You do the same.” Closing the door, he retreated inside to lick his wounds one more time.

  ChapterForty

  “Nothing beats burgers on a grill,” Ace Cummings extolled. The young agent took another bite of the double patty that was a specialty. Bonnie had helped the newcomers out by making suggestions. It was the least she could do for helping to solve Holybrook’s recent crime wave.

  “I can feel the cheddar hardening into cheese balls,” Angela Murray joked, not letting it stop her from wolfing down the deluxe cheeseburger. As if it weren’t enough of a nutritious disaster, the two pieces of bacon acting as a topping made it equivalent to a beaver building a dam in her bloodstream. “And I don’t know about that girl,” she said as an aside. Licking the grease dripping down the side of her hand, she grabbed a napkin. Catching it before it dripped on the cuff of her blouse, she added, “I believe her.”

  “Thought we weren’t supposed to be discussing the case over dinner,” Ace remarked.

  “I do my best thinking when I stuff my face,” she retorted.

  “Really? Thought it was when you used that nasty right hook on suspects,” Ace teased. Smirking, he vicariously relived the tale he’d heard one more time. He totally believed it. If anyone could blitz out a bad guy with one punch, it was Angie.

  “That story is bogus, Acester. The guy tripped,” the agent assured.

  Scott Hotchkins sat polishing off his salisbury steak. Listening to the banter, he didn’t feel the need to comment. His cell going off, he reluctantly put down his fork. The charred meat was too tasty to leave unattended.

  “Hotchkins,” he answered, blotting his lips. “Melissa? Yes, I suppose I could, but … Okay, if you think it’s that important. I’m leaving right now,” he responded, concluding the conversation.

  “Did I hear you say Melissa? As in Melissa Solange?” Ace asked.

  “Yup, it was her. Wants to meet with me,” he said donning his jacket.

  “Meet you? Now? Why?” Angela asked, psychically touching on the questions swirling in Ace’s head.

  “Haven’t a clue. She just said she needed to show me something.” Standing, he threw money on the table.

  “Don’t you think we should come along?” she offered.

  “Why?” he said, making a face as he snatched his coat. “She’s hardly a threat. And if it turns out to be anything, I’ll give you two a call. If not, I’ll see ya mañana.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Ace agreed. Supposing his superior was right, if anyone was harmless, it was Melissa. Even if she’d wanted to do some damage, it would be hard given her slender physique.

  The diner bell chiming as he exited, Ace turned to Angie, poking her arm.

  “Okay, so the boss is gone.”

  “And?”

  “And?” he said scooting in closer, and lowering his voice, “It’s the perfect time to tell me about that punch.”

  “Oh, you!” she exclaimed.

  Laughing, they dug into their meal as Hotchkins got into his car.

  Chapter Forty-one

  “Gosh, Melissa, I don’t know what to say! I mean, is it all that bad?” Collette prodded, sipping on her breakfast coffee and eating a slice of unbuttered toast.

  “Of course, it’s that bad! Haven’t you been listening?”

  In no mood to give lengthy explanations, with what Collette knew about her, it should be easy enough to connect the pieces.


  “Jeez! I was just asking! You don’t need to bite my head off! I just don’t see where it’s enough to cancel a trip home. There are things a lot worse.”

  “Really?” Melissa retorted, her voice laden with the promise of more sarcasm.

  “Yes, really,” Collette fired back. “Remember that Tina and Brandi are still missing. Think about what their families are going through?” she shot, bristling with indignation.

  “Like I don’t realize that already!” she battled, refusing to bend one inch on this matter.

  Collette frowned, dropping the fork picking through her fruit salad.

  “What can I say? You’re right. Just because other people are going through things, doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to be upset about things happening in your life. And who am I to know how your mom’s drinking affected you? I’ve never danced a mile in your pointe shoes, and don’t really know, do I? It’s just you have so much going for you. You seem to have everything. It makes feeling sorry for you a bit difficult, that’s all,” she apologized as best she could.

  Melissa exhaled a fistful of air that she wished would slam Collette right in her lovely jaw. Sometimes people were so obtuse. Even nice, well-meaning ones.

  “So what are you going to do?” Collette inquired, spreading a dollop of strawberry jam on the last two remaining bites.

  “I’m going to talk to Una. I found out that Dad’s skanky lush is going to leave December 23rd, the day I was originally supposed to arrive. My dad had made sure she wouldn’t be there when I came home. It was the change in schedule that turned this into a hot mess.”

  “How’d you find that out?”

  “He called me back. You should have heard her in the background. She had a snootful. Sounded like she was drinking booze out of a trough.”

  “You paint quite a picture. As for your dad’s sensitivity being the reason of her leaving, I’m not convinced. Most likely she wanted to spend Christmas with her own family,” she added.