Handbags & Hooligans

by Laina Turner

“I don’t think I did, but I guess I could have.” He shook his head. “I don’t really remember either way.”

  I stepped one foot over the threshold. “Hello, anyone here?” I looked at the guys and shrugged. “We might as well go in,” I said, walking the rest of the way through the door and motioning for Jesse and Jared to join me.

  “Not much of a Suzie Homemaker is she?” Jared said to me in a hushed voice, not wanting to criticize Ashley’s cleaning skills in front of Jesse.

  “I’m not so sure this is a matter of her housekeeping.” I looked over my shoulder to my brother. “Is this what it looked like yesterday, Jesse?”

  He stood there staring into the room in front of him. “What the fuck?” was all he could get out.

  The room had been torn to shreds. Someone had obviously been looking for something. It explained the door being open. “I guess you didn’t forget to lock up,” I said.

  “Oh my God, Presley,” Jesse said. “What happened? What does this mean? No, it didn’t look at all like this yesterday. Oh my God, something terrible must have happened to Ashley. Look at all this blood.”

  “Jesse, calm down.” Of course, I was freaked out, and having him freaked out wasn’t helping. Ashley’s apartment wasn’t only trashed, but it looked as if someone had been playing the dizzy game with an open can of red paint. You know the game where you twirl around and around until you are so dizzy you can’t stand. There wasn’t as much when you looked closely, but it was spattered all over the walls.

  This was not the work of average vandals. Or at least the work I thought average vandals might do. Besides, this wasn’t your average apartment complex and surely had security measures in place. I wouldn’t figure it for a random target for theft.

  We gingerly walked through the room looking around at the mess. The cushions on what had been a beautiful cream leather couch had been slashed, lamps broken, the coffee table smashed in two, everything had been pulled out of the cabinets, TV knocked off the entertainment center … it was an absolute disaster. Although, I could still see Ashley had great—and expensive—taste. Nothing in that apartment was less than name brand quality. The real stuff. I could tell.

  “This was a beautiful place,” Jared said to me. “She either has a good decorator or great taste.”

  “She did it all herself,” Jesse interjected. “She wanted to be an interior decorator, but her parents convinced her that being a teacher was a more stable profession. I can’t imagine who could have gotten in here to do all this damage.”

  “Jesse, are you sure she doesn’t have any enemies? I can’t imagine someone just broke in here and did this.”

  “Presley, I’m sure. Someone must have kidnapped her. What if she’s hurt?” Jesse sounded frantic, “we need to call the police.”

  “Does she keep anything valuable here that someone would know about?” Jared asked.

  “Not that I’m aware of. I just can’t believe this. Who could have done it?”

  “Do you know any of her neighbors? Maybe we can ask if they heard anything?” I said.

  “She was friendly with them to say hi and such, and I’m sure they would recognize me. I’ve spent a lot of time here and have met most of them on multiple occasions.”

  “Why don’t you go see if anyone is home and ask, while Jared and I look around?” I had no idea what to even look for. And even if something was amiss, I wouldn’t know it, since I hadn’t ever been here before, but I thought it might help if Jesse didn’t have to be in the middle of this mess.

  “But…” I could see he was upset looking at the room.

  “Just go. It will only take you a few minutes and Jared and I will be right here.” I pushed him toward the door. Jesse walked out, and I turned toward Jared.

  “What the hell do you think happened here?” he asked.

  “I have no idea, but it sure seems weird. First, that she would live in an apartment like this on a teacher’s salary and then that someone obviously trashed her place. Do you think this is blood?” I started to walk through the apartment, and it was clear, even to me, someone had been on a mission here. There wasn’t anything left untouched. I walked into the master bedroom, and after I got over the feeling I was invading Ashley’s private space, I grew curious to learn more about her by looking in her closet. You could always tell so much about a girl by her clothes. And shoes. And accessories.

  “Look at this, Jared. Her closet is almost as big as our entire apartment.” I was so in awe I almost forgot we were supposed to be looking for clues.

  “Girl, look at all these clothes. There’s thousands of dollars worth of stuff here.” Jared fingered a silk dress that screamed expensive. “Some of it still has tags. What I wouldn’t give for the money to buy these kinds of clothes.” He sighed.

  “No kidding.” I stared at the packed closet not really sure what I was looking for, but for some reason something didn’t seem quite right. “Does anything seem odd to you, Jared?”

  “What do you mean odd?”

  “I don’t know. Out of place. I mean, the obvious is that it’s as trashed as everything else in the apartment, but the clothes don’t really seem to fit.”

  “You’re still losing me, Presley.”

  “You said it yourself. There is thousands of dollars worth of stuff here. How could a teacher afford it, much less where would she wear it? Certainly not to teach, and I hardly think Jesse is taking her to such nice places she needs this kind of wardrobe. Not unless my parents send him money, too, and even then.”

  “Good point, but maybe she just has great taste in clothes, and Jesse said her parents helped her out.”

  “I don’t know, Jared. It just seems weird.” I continued to look through the closet, moving the few remaining clothes on hangers aside and rifling through a pile that had been flung to the floor. Underneath an armful of clothes were some boxes labeled fall and winter. But, instead of the expected fall and winter clothes, whatever that might look like for Vegas’s fall and winter, spilling out of the boxes were leather bustiers of all colors and matching thongs. I picked up what looked like a nurses uniform—but not one any self–respecting nurse would wear.

  “Jared, look at this.”

  “Oh my. Looks like little Miss Ashley has quite the fun side. No wonder Jesse is so in love.”

  “Jared, stop,” I said, hitting him on the shoulder. I heard Jesse coming back into the apartment and was hoping he hadn’t caught any of our conversation.

  “Of the neighbors who were home, no one heard anything unusual or loud over here yesterday,” Jesse said, walking into the room. “In fact, they said the opposite. That’s it’s been unusually quiet.”

  “You and Ashley must have had quite the fun sex life,” Jared said, teasing Jesse.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “All these clothes Presley found. Like to play dress up did you?”

  “I have never seen those before. Those can’t be Ashley’s,” Jesse said, eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  “Oh geez, Jesse, I’m sorry. I was teasing to cheer you up. I never thought…”

  “If she didn’t wear them for you, Jesse, what are they doing here?” I asked my brother, trying to get his mind off Jared’s comments.

  “I. Have. No. Idea.” Jesse sat on the edge of the bed, resting his head in his hands. I wasn’t liking Ashley much right then for putting my brother through this. “Maybe they aren’t hers?” he said hopefully. “They could belong to friends? Couldn’t they?”

  “I hate to say it, bro, but it’s not likely,” I said. These skimpy outfits and lingerie weren’t the type of thing one normally had a girlfriend hold onto.

  “I’m so confused. None of this makes sense. Where could she be? And why all this?” He waved his arm around.

  “Does it seem like anything is missing?” I asked him.

  “Not that I can tell, but to be honest, it’s so trashed in here I’m not sure I would notice, anyway.”

 
“We need to call the police,” Jared said, thumbing a number on his cell phone. “This is definitely more than just a missing person issue now.” He stepped away to make the call, leaving me to console Jesse. I hadn’t seen him so upset over a girl since Mandy Lark in the sixth grade, and that was only because she was the best kickball player next to him, and once they broke up she wouldn’t play on his team anymore, breaking his winning streak.

  “Jesse, we have to stay positive. I’m sure she is okay, and now the police will get involved and they will find her.”

  “But what if she’s not okay? What if someone killed her and dragged the body God knows where? She could be out in the middle of the desert for all we know.”

  That thought had already crossed my mind, but I wasn’t going to voice my fears. Jesse was already a wreck. Plus, it seemed a little on the dramatic side.

  Jared walked back to us. “The police are on their way,” he said, slipping his phone into the case he had on his belt. “They said not to leave until they get here.”

  “Obviously,” I said.

  “Pres, what if they think we did it? What if they think we killed Ashley?”

  “Jesse, they won’t. I mean, why would they? You called and tried to report her missing, and you wouldn’t have done that so soon if you had something to do with it. And Jared and I just flew in.” I tried to sound like I wasn’t worried, but I had also said these very words to myself once before, and it didn’t go exactly as planned that time. I had eventually been cleared of any wrongdoing, but I sure had a few moments where I was scared I was going to get in trouble for something I didn’t do. Cops were just naturally suspicious, though I supposed in their line of work they had to be.

  There was a quick courtesy knock on the front door of Ashley’s apartment, and then two plainclothes cops walked through the door. Detectives, I assumed. That hadn’t taken too long.

  “Hi. I’m Detective Grady, and this is my partner Detective Eaton. Which one of you is Jared?”

  The cop who did the introductions was short and stocky with a dark complexion. He might have been Hispanic, but with a name Grady, I wasn’t sure. He seemed to be in his mid–forties and a no–nonsense type of guy.

  “I’m Jared; I’m the one who called. That’s Presley and her brother, Jesse.” He pointed in our direction. “She and I just flew in from Chicago.”

  “Are you here for vacation?” Detective Grady asked. The other detective had yet to speak, so maybe he was more the silent observer. He was fair and lanky.

  “No. Sort of. A friend of ours came out here to get married, and we’re in the wedding. This is Jesse’s girlfriend Ashley’s apartment, and he tried to report her missing earlier today, but you guys said he had to wait. He was worried, and so we came over here to see if she’d left a note or something.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “So when was the last time you saw Ashley?” Detective Grady asked. “And what’s her last name?”

  “Griffiths,” Jesse said. “I last saw her yesterday. I had to work a double shift at the Palazzo, and she was supposed to go to the bachelorette party with my sister and her friend, but she never showed. I was supposed to call her in the morning. I did, but she didn’t answer. Still hasn’t.”

  “Do you have contact information for her family and friends, her work, anyone she might have gone to see or contacted?”

  “Yes,” Jesse said. “I have called everyone I can think of, and no one has seen her.”

  “We’ll need a list of all those people and will follow up,” Detective Grady said.

  “I can do that.”

  “Any enemies you know of? Anyone who would want to bring her harm?”

  “No. She was a sweet girl. Nice to everyone. She is an elementary school teacher.”

  “Where at?”

  “North Oaks over on Douglas”

  “I know where that’s at,” Detective Eaton said to Detective Grady. “My wife’s sister used to work there.”

  As soon as the cops shut the door behind them, I said, “I think we should go to the school she works at. How far is it from here, Jesse? Can we make it before school lets out? It would be nice to talk to some of her co–workers.”

  “Yep. It’s just a few minutes away. Let’s go,” Jesse said.

  Chapter 5

  Pulling into the school parking lot later than anticipated because of traffic, I worried no one would be left at the school to talk to. There weren’t many cars in the lot. Since it was a Friday, there wasn’t a guarantee all the teachers would stay after the end of the school day. I was somewhat surprised not to see the detectives. I thought for sure this would also be their next stop and was a little apprehensive about running into them here. I didn’t think they would appreciate us doing our own investigating.

  “See any cars you recognize, Jesse?”

  “I’m not sure I would, anyways. But that blonde walking out, that’s one of Ashley’s friends. We’ve had drinks with her and her boyfriend before. Her name is Morgan. Morgan Thompson.” Jesse jumped out of the car. “Morgan! Hey, Morgan!”

  The blonde looked up. It took her a second to realize who it was, but once she did she smiled. “Hi, Jesse. Have you heard from Ashley?” Morgan looked concerned.

  “I called Morgan this morning when I was looking for Ashley,” Jesse explained to Jared and me. “Morgan, this is my sister, Presley, and her friend Jared. No. That’s why we’re here. We wanted to see if anyone here had heard from her.”

  Morgan nodded hi to us. “No we haven’t, and she needs to call soon. Mr. Strong is livid Ashley didn’t show up and hasn’t called. She’s about to lose her job. Have you talked to Angela?”

  “No. Why? Has Angela heard from Ashley?” Jesse asked.

  “No, but she told me today during lunch that someone called the front office looking for Ashley and left a number. Maybe if you got the number you could call?”

  “Thanks, Morgan. Have the cops been here yet?”

  “No. Should I be expecting them? What’s going on?

  Jesse looked at me, and I shook my head. I didn’t think we should be telling too much information.

  “I just called them about Ashley and wondered if they had been by yet.”

  “I understand. Listen call me the minute you hear from her. We’re all worried sick.”

  “Will do. Thanks again, Morgan. C’mon guys, let’s go find Angela.” Jesse started off toward the building.

  “This sure brings back memories,” Jared whispered to me as we walked into the elementary school. “Nothing has changed. This is exactly as I remember it from the school we went to. Just smaller. It even smells the same.”

  I agreed, looking at the art–lined hallways and grabbing a view of the classrooms as we went in search of the office.

  “Over there, guys,” Jesse said, pointing to the sign that said ‘office’ above it. “Angela is the assistant to the principal; she’ll be in there. Let’s just hope she hasn’t left already.” Crossing the hall in large strides, he pushed open the door and stepped in. I could see him start to panic a little, as he looked around not seeing Angela. “Is Angela still here?”

  “She sure is,” a plump blonde woman in her mid–thirties replied. “She just walked back to the copy room. She will be back in a sec.”

  “Thank goodness,” Jesse said with a sigh, turning to Jared and me. The blonde looked at us sort of strangely, but they were spared any other conversation by Angela strolling back into the waiting room.

  “Jesse,” Angela said, surprised. “What brings you here?” She was a striking woman, probably late twenties, dressed in what one would consider a typical teacher’s outfit. Gray trousers and a pink sweater set. Conservative, yet attractive.

  “I’m looking for Ashley. Morgan said someone called for her and left a number, and that you might be able to give it to me.”

  “I take it you haven’t heard from her, then?” Angela said, looking concerned. She started to rifle through some papers and Post–its sitting on the
counter.

  “No. Neither has anyone else, it seems.”

  “I can’t imagine where it would be. Now I know I had that number sitting right here.”

  Presley looked at Jesse, who was getting more and more anxious as Angela looked for the number. He seemed about ready to jump out of his skin.

  “Ah–ha. Here we go. It’s a seven–oh–two number, so it’s local.”

  I could see Jesse’s surge of excitement. He seemed barely able to hold himself back from snatching the paper out of her hand. Hopefully this would be the key to finding where the hell Ashley was.

  “Thanks, Angela,” he said as he turned and rushed out the door.

  “Let me know when you hear from her,” Angela said to our backs as we followed him. “And tell her to call us here ASAP. She’s in hot water.”

  “Slow down, Jesse,” I called. Jared and I were almost running to keep up with him. Jesse ignored me as he pulled his cell out of his pocket. “Jesse..,” I started to say.

  “Shhhh,” he said, turning and giving me an irritated look.

  By the time we made it to the parking lot, Jesse was leaning against the car with the phone to his ear. I could hear it ringing. The other end must have picked up because Jared and I watched as the blood drained from his face. Pulling the phone away, he just stared at it and disconnected.

  “Jesse, what’s wrong?”

  He just looked at me, his mouth opening and shutting with no words coming out.

  “Dammit, Jesse. Who answered the phone?”

  He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “It was the number to The Pink Pony.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad.” I glanced at Jared, eyebrows raised.

  Jared looked back and just shook his head. “You are so naïve sometimes. That… sounds like what one would call a gentlemen’s club.”

  “Oh.”

  “Jared’s right,” Jesse said. “The Pink Pony is an upscale gentlemen’s club on the Vegas strip. Why would someone from there be calling Ashley at work?”

  I didn’t know the answer to that, but I guessed it might explain those skimpy clothes and costumes in Ashley’s apartment. I could tell Jesse had come to the same conclusion by the pained look in his face. But how could that be without Jesse’s knowledge? That seemed like a pretty big secret to hide. This whole situation was getting stranger and stranger.