by Kira Reese
“Angelina seems to believe there is some kind of foul play involved. According to her, she speaks to him almost daily and is not getting a response from him at all. I thought you could give me your take on it. Also, to ask whether or not you know of anyone close to Thornton Grey I should interview.”
“I spend very little time with my father-in-law. We are both very busy businessmen, and though I realize work is no excuse for either of us, it does consume us both. The only person I know of who may be helpful to you is his former business partner, Jim Butler. I do business for him and have his number, if you would like.”
I took the cell number without telling Camden Thomason that the man had voluntarily come into my office about the matter.
“When was the last time you saw Mr. Grey?” I asked.
“It was several months ago when my wife and I ran into him at High Street Restaurant. In fact, Angelina and I both commented how much Thornton hated eating out. I want to correct that. He disliked eating in crowded restaurants.”
“Was he alone?”
“He was with a very attractive younger woman. Angelina has come to accept that about him. Neither of us had seen this one before.”
For a son-in-law who rarely saw his father-in-law and spent time with his family, this told me he and his wife were closer than he led me to believe. I did not swallow that he just happened to hear rumor of Thornton Grey’s disappearance.
“You told me you heard mention of his disappearance, Mr. Thomason,” I said. “Are you telling me that you and your wife have not discussed the matter at all?
“Miss McCauley, it is very possible Angelina tried to tell me and I failed to pay attention. She does get overly excited about the well-being of her father. This is not something new for her to make up her mind that something sinister has occurred to him.”
We chatted briefly about his wife’s reaction, and then I thanked him for his time. Since the tremor remained throughout the conversation, I decided it was his speech pattern and not an indication of an emotional stance.
Chapter 4
Personal Lives
When work was finished for the day, at my request, I asked Nick to take me out for dinner at the High Street Restaurant.
“Let me see what I have in my wallet,” he said. His azure eyes lit with amusement. “That’s quite a place. Should I wear my tux?”
I pushed him on the shoulder. “We can just look presentable. I want to see exactly where it is located and observe patrons.” I told Nick about my visit from James Butler and call to Camden Thomason. When I told him about the bizarre conversation with Camden, Nick raised a sandy eyebrow. That was the encouragement I needed, and so I mentioned the relationship between the Thomason couple.
“I have to agree, Candy, that he wanted you to think he is removed from his family. From what you are telling me, it sounds as if he and Angelina do have something good between them.”
“I suppose they could have gone to the High Street Restaurant to celebrate an anniversary or something like that.”
Nick laughed. “He sounds like someone who would not think of important dates. Of course, she could have reminded him and he had no choice.”
By the time we arrived at the high-class restaurant, I remarked to Nick that I expected more diners. Few cars were parked outside.
“That may answer your observation,” said Nick. He gestured toward a limousine that drove in. “Maybe we should have hired a ride like that one.”
“We’ll be spending enough on food alone at this place,” I said. “I presume you are paying unless your wallet is empty.”
We bantered lightly and then recalled manners expected in an elite restaurant. Both of us were attractive enough and our attire fit in with others. More than once I had been complimented on my auburn shoulder-length hair and smooth complexion. Though I kept out of the sun and abhorred sunning beds, my skin held a light tanned tone that highlighted amber eyes. Nick’s reddish-blond hair was always groomed and added to his good looks. His athletic body was hard to miss, and I was the envy of friends and strangers alike.
When we were given the menus I discreetly glanced around the room as if looking for an acquaintance. I knew no one in there but tuned in to soft conversations buzzing around me. When I heard one comment I knew the expensive evening would pay off somehow.
“Did you hear about Thornton Grey?” the voice said. The male tone was spoken low, but he sat right behind me.
“I know Angelina is most worried,” said a female voice. “He is probably off on the high seas on one of his yachts.”
“He may have found a new girlfriend, and they are on a sandy beach somewhere.”
The couple continued to speak of Thornton Grey. For a split second, I was interrupted by the waiter who patiently waited for my order.
“I will have what Nick is having,” I said.
Nick’s eyebrows raised in question. “Since when do you like oysters?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll have the smoked salmon.” I closed the menu and handed it to the server. Another person appeared with wine and began to pour. When he left the table, Nick leaned toward me.
“You seem distracted. What’s going on?” I whispered to him my distraction. He glanced at the couple and then took a sip of his wine. “Do you know them?” he asked.
“I don’t recognize the voices,” I said, “and I don’t intend to turn around and stare at them. Do you know who they are?”
He shook his head. By now their conversation had drifted to other subjects. Though disappointed I missed more of what they said about Thornton Grey, I did learn something. Word was getting around that the shipping magnate had vanished.
“Let’s just enjoy the ambiance in here,” I said. “It may be a while before we’ll be back.”
“You have that right,” said Nick, “but I don’t mind doing this once in a while.”
This was not the first time Nick and I threw all reason to the wind and splurged. I was doing better in my private eye business and Nick was named Seller of the Year more than once in the real estate arena. We lived modestly and liked it that way.
When we arrived home Nick poured another glass of wine. We sat in the living room in silence. We were comfortable not talking all the time and both looked forward to a night of passion that inevitably followed a night like this one.
In the morning I stopped at the office to let Natalie know I would be at the precinct.
“We’ll discuss what you have so far in the case you are working on, and I’ll update you on the case of the missing yacht man.”
As I closed the back door I heard Natalie speaking to someone on the phone. She did not waste time when it came to delving into cases I handed her.
Detective Ben Johnson could be heard talking to a cop in the hallway. When he saw me, he invited me into his office and closed the door.
“What are you working on now, Candy?”
I told him about Thornton Grey. “His daughter was distraught when she first came into my office about her missing father. Now she seems more relaxed about the matter. I don’t know if that is because she totally trusts me to take her worries over and find him, or if she has come to believe no foul play is involved.”
Ben clasped his hands. His deep red hair tinged with a hint of grey. Faint freckles continued to plague his nose. In our youth, he was teased enough about that feature. I remembered the first time I saw him blush when, as a teenager and six years older than me, a girl teased him about it. He ended up married to her with two sons, who were now ages four and eight.
“Tell me everything you have so far,” said the detective.
I told him all I had. “Do you know James Butler?” I asked.
“As I recall he once worked with Thornton. I don’t know details of the relationship, but I don’t think they are in business together today.” I nodded. “Someone in Thornton Grey’s position has the wherewithal to take off on his own and land anywhere in the world,” said Ben. He paused to look me in the ey
e. “I know you have thought of that already, Candy. What makes his daughter think something is not right about his disappearance?”
I told him of the father-daughter relationship. “She also tells me his bills are being taken care of. I met the gardener, who is maintaining the grounds of his estate.”
When Ben asked if the employee had any ideas about his boss’s whereabouts, I told him he may know but wasn’t talking.
“To be honest with you, Candy, I don’t see where there is a case at this point. He could have left without telling anyone, because he wants to get away on his own without family or other interferences. It is the most likely scenario right now, unless you have reason to think otherwise.”
“I have nothing concrete, but I’m beginning to get a gut feeling that maybe Angelina has cause to worry. It’s just an instinct, so that’s nothing to make it a case of foul play.” I surprised myself when I voiced my thoughts. It was true that I was beginning to side with Angelina’s take on it all.
“I’ll be glad to step in when you have more,” said Ben.
“I may come back when I feel a search warrant is necessary,” I said. Ben had helped me in procuring ones before, but there was no way a judge would grant one on flimsy information. “I’ll keep you posted. It’s good to lay it out to you for a second opinion.”
I left the precinct knowing I had to find something amiss in the life of Thornton Grey. Someone on that financial and business level had enemies as well as friends. Just one person could open the way to eventually solving the mystery of the vanishing Mr. Grey. The question was, who had something against him? And did the grudge go too far?
I called Angelina. “Why did James Butler and your father dissolve their business relationship?” I asked her.
“When it happened my father told me Jim wanted to launch a business in his name only. My father bought him out and they went their separate ways. Why do you ask?”
“I am trying to find anyone who may have held a grudge against your father. When I found out about Mr. Butler and your father’s business relationship I thought there may be a connection in his disappearance.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Jim. As far as I know, it was mutual between them when they did that. I believe they remain friends.”
A doubt in her voice wasn’t lost on me. “Was your father seeing anyone in particular recently?”
She gave a short laugh. “He always had someone on his arm. In the last few years, the women he chose got younger and younger. He paid for anything any of them ever wanted.” Bitterness penetrated her tone. “Word got around that he was a sugar daddy to anyone who asked.”
“I meant was there any particular person in his personal life with whom he may have ended the relationship in a negative manner?”
“There is one who he tried to get rid of. She just wouldn’t let go of him. Even when he picked up with the next one, she continued to hang around him for attention. Her name is Victoria someone. I’ll think of her last name soon. He always referred to her as Vickie, which she hated. She definitely preferred Victoria.”
I asked if Victoria lived on Long Island Sound or New York City.
“She flew in from Canada, as I understood it. When they were a twosome, she literally moved in with my father. I’m sure he asked her to do so at first. He had a hard time getting her out but managed with his connections to finally succeed. I think she went back to Canada, but I’m not sure about that.”
“If you think of her last name, let me know. I’d like to interview everyone who knows your father on a personal level.”
She agreed to tell me as soon as she recalled the full name. I did not let her end the call until I asked her about her relationship with her husband.
“I think that is a very personal question, Candace,” she said. “What does that have to do with anything?”
I knew she was miffed at my intrusion into her marriage. I needed answers, and if she expected me to find her father, I had to ask hard questions. I reminded her of that fact. She told me Camden was very busy. They had little time together, except on occasion they socialized with each other without others around. They attended the theatre or went out to a restaurant. He was very close to their two daughters, ages twelve and eight.
“He pays more attention to them than he does to me, but I understand his work consumes him. It is good that he spends some time with the girls. I know how important a father-daughter relationship is.”
I heard what I thought was a low sniff. Her voice emitted a tremor when she told me that if I needed anything else from her she would be happy to give it to me. So far, she and Camden were on the same track in expressing the ties between them and how they worked their relationship. It could explain why she spent so much time conversing with her father. In that case, it may not be so strange after all.
I opened my laptop and typed in James Butler. He had quite a resume behind him. He was raised in a family of two sons and three daughters. He was in the middle. His older sister was a renowned author, and his older brother accidentally shot himself to death at the age of fifteen. He and a friend were examining a gun owned by the friend’s father. His two younger sisters were married to successful brothers in the textile export business.
As for James, he took over his father’s business that dealt in cloth at the age of twenty-two when his father died of a heart attack. His mother lived in the Hamptons. In time, James sold the business and pursued his own interests that had to do with the sea. That is how he met Thornton Grey, and they became business partners at the startup of the boat building company. Since the breakup of the partnership, James traveled to markets in China and other foreign lands of less significance to sell specific parts of motors for cruise ships. He made a name for himself. There was no mention of his connections with Thornton once they went their separate ways.
I still wondered why they broke up. The business continued to grow, but for some reason James decided to opt out of it.
Weeks passed and I was getting nowhere. Angelina was increasingly agitated when she spoke to me. I had to find something. She was not only the biggest client yet, but if I solved this case, word would spread. The result would be more business from people who thought nothing of paying a hefty amount of money to solve their crimes.
I sat at my office desk and finally closed the website about James Butler. I leaned back and rubbed my forehead. Reaching for the aspirin bottle, Natalie ducked her head in. She handed me the latest findings on her case of yet another missing person. This was a teenager missing for the last few months. No trace of her whereabouts landed on my desk until now.
“I think I may have a new lead on the case of the missing teenager. It is in the file, and I have entered it into the computer already. Maybe she will be found after all.”
I didn’t know what it was about cases of missing people, but for some reason, they brought dead ends to me. Maybe Natalie could crack this one that languished. At the same time, I decided I had no option except to solve the case of missing Thornton Grey.
Chapter 5
Increasing Players
Nick and I were both glad to welcome the weekend. Saturday was warm and the swirling wind gave balm to one’s skin. Intense heat was a few weeks away. We decided to start the day by browsing antique shops. The district was lined with antique and craftsman shops, along with a variety of small cafés and diners. We chose the largest shop. Nick had purchased a table for me that fit perfectly in our foyer several years ago. I smiled, thinking that my garage sale find of the black-figure urn now sat on it. Today, we searched for lamps for our bedside tables. It was unspoken yet known that no conversation about work was allowed this day.
After several shops and no luck in finding the just-right pieces, we sat at one of the tables outside a café. I opted for an iced raspberry tea and Nick chose an unsweetened iced tea. We watched the people strolling in and out of the small businesses for a while. Someone waved to Nick. He waved back and explained it was someone h
e recently closed a house deal for.
A few hours later we headed home. Neither of us focused on any one task for the day. When we glanced at the backyard, Nick went to the small shed and retrieved the lawnmower.
“I’ll put some lunch together and then start weeding the flower bed,” I said.
In the kitchen, my thoughts swung to Thornton Grey and James Butler. Since James was so ready to throw blame on Angelina and Camden, I could not help but think he may have something to do with his former business associate’s disappearance. Was he trying to throw me off? I made plans for immediate action the first thing Monday morning.
Sunday evening, Natalie called me to tell me she would be late coming to work. Her mother had fallen and would be in the hospital for a few days.
“If you need more time, take it,” I told her.
“I won’t need any more time off. They are sending her home by noon. I have to finalize assistance for her when she gets home.”
We chatted briefly before ending the exchange.
A light rain pattered down when Monday morning arrived. The smell of new-mown wet grass was pleasant to my senses. I kissed Nick good-bye for the day as we both got into our cars. When I reached the office I parked in the back and checked the reminders on my phone.
Once settled at my desk, I dialed James Butler. The rich baritone voice answered almost immediately. I asked him for another visit to my office. “If that is not feasible for you, I will be free later today to meet you somewhere else,” I said.
He agreed to come into the office. “I am leaving here in about ten minutes and can be at your office by nine,” he said.
I had my questions lined up for him. The first of which was why he severed the business relationship with Thornton Grey. I planned to get a direct answer from him. It was Monday and I was in a mood to get the week off to a good start.
When the large frame clouded the doorway again, I stood and greeted him without extending my hand. A taut face was immovable, but his eyes seemed friendly enough for now.