Watson Manor Investigations (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 3)

by Ronald S. Craig

  "I'm finding shock, to be an understatement Eden. How is it possible that I'm that senior in high school, standing in the street, watching your father drive you away from me?" he asked, sinking slowly into the chair in front of her desk.

  She smiled and said, "I think it's because we shared something beyond just a first love."

  "Eden, I have to say it feels so strange to be saying your name and to be looking at you. It took me awhile to find that loving portrait of family, your family so long ago. Her name is Jenny and we have a daughter, Madison is fourteen months old. I hope you have been as fortunate."

  "That's wonderful, Charlie. How long have you been married?"

  "Two and a half years. We've built Watson Manor together, a B and B, and now Watson Investigations."

  "Only two and a half years? Your first?"

  "No, I tried to fill that hole left inside of me in college, but it didn't last a year. When I lost my scholarship due to an injury, she was gone. Enough about me, Eden. How about you?"

  "Like you, driven more by hope than reality, I got married in my second year at Stanford. A frustrating year and a half. When that failed, I focused on getting through grad school. My daughter remains my core and greatest blessing through it all," she said. Charlie noticed her warm brown eyes soften.

  "Eden, I know the person you are inside and I have to say beyond my own belief, you are more beautiful than I remember. How are they not lined up around the block?"

  She sat there a moment, her expression unreadable. Charlie realized his comment came from deep within and he should have run it through his mind before letting it slip past his lips.

  "I'm sorry Eden… "

  "No, thank you Charlie. That was sweet. You're looking pretty good yourself," she said moving around to the front of her desk. "I'm sorry to say deadline approaches and I have mounds of work as editor."

  Charlie stood quickly and wished for the moment to be awkward, but it wasn't and seemed natural when she moved in for an embrace. "I didn't realize all those things were still there in me. It's been an amazing experience," he said. He noticed the framed photo behind her desk of her beautiful daughter with sky blue eyes. He let his arms relax and they slowly dropped to his side as he moved away from her. A single tear ran down her cheek and this was the awkward moment coming too late.

  "Silly me, I'm sorry. I'm feeling like that young girl looking over the back seat of my father's car as we drove away. I look forward to meeting your family one day, Charlie."

  "Good Bye, Eden … I'd … better go," he said grabbing his note pad and walking away. He didn't turn back as he headed toward the front doors to see her standing in the doorway of her office watching him leave because he knew she was there. He got in his truck and drove away not giving in to the desire to look back as he had resisted the desire to kiss her. He was scared. Frightened by the power of all those feelings he had thought were long gone and buried. He knew he didn't want those feelings. They didn't push his love for Jenny from his heart and before he would allow himself to cross a line with Eden, he'd rather die than betray Jenny's trust. But the feelings for Eden did cloud his focused love for Jenny, not in a questioning of that love, but rather like static noise on the radio, obscuring the crisp, sharp tones of your favorite melody as the station goes out of range.

  Maybe I'm overreacting to this…but to what?' he thought. 'Was it love or remembering back to a nostalgic time when my eyes were first opened to love and to my future ahead playing football? Then her words that her daughter was a blessing that got her through it all, not a blessing she took from a failed marriage. Are those sky blue eyes of her daughter's mine? I vowed no secrets from Jenny and, God help me, I'll never act on what I feel, but would it crush Jenny to know these feeling I'm fighting are within me? My God, how do I deal with this? Please help me Lord to push them aside. I can't hurt you, Jenny and I'll fight this with everything I have!'

  He pulled into Watson Manor and shut off the engine, feeling strangely out of place like a ship rocking in a stormy sea. He grabbed his phone, needing to reach out to his core, his blessing for strength.

  "I'm home, Jenny," he said. "How's our Madison?"

  "The fever is gone, thank God. Are you down stairs?" Jenny asked.

  "Yes, I just got back. Were we going to visit Rosalyne tonight?" Charlie asked.

  "I wanted to stay in, keep an eye on Madison tonight. How did it go with Lacy?"

  "I think she's safe from this. I'm coming up and will fill you in. I love you, Jenny." He clicked his phone off and entered Watson Manor. At the top of the second floor landing a thought hit him that stopped him cold. His love for Jenny went from zero to 'over the top' in four days. Is it possible, he thought, did Jenny open that emotion-filled box in his heart that had Eden's name on it? He recalled, when he was back on the road, after sharing his first kiss with Jenny, he felt the rush of emotion and related it to memories of Eden. Was Jenny, then, a woman so like Eden, he could transfer a love held for Eden to Jenny? Even if that were the case in the beginning, he reasoned, his love for Jenny over the last two and a half years was uniquely their love, not a facade of Eden. He knew that to be true as thoughts of Eden never again flashed through his mind, as his love for Jenny grew, until today, he thought.

  He climbed the remaining two flights of stairs, confident in the truth of his love for Jenny, but still in fear of that other heart and possibly the physical form it took in those sky blue eyes in a picture frame. When he entered their residence, he went directly to Madison's bedroom.

  "I see the Watson spunk is back," he said, lifting Madison out of the crib. After a big hug and kiss he set her down to play with a zoo of stuffed animals lining one wall.

  Jenny was in the rocking chair and rose slowly watching him. "Is something wrong Charlie?"

  He turned to her and moved from a kiss into an embrace. "No Jenny. I've spent the return trip thinking about the importance of not taking our blessings for granted. Henry expected Rosalyne to walk through the door late three days ago and today is waiting to see if his wife will return from a coma. Timmy and Julia were close to being separated forever, and now Dave." He moved back to look into her face. "And if our dear friend Avery hadn't thought we would be perfect together or hadn't taken the steps to make that happen."

  "I agree. It's just that you don't often call from our parking lot to say you love me."

  "I thought those were words incapable of redundancy?"

  "Very true. Why don't you take Shadow down and I'll start dinner. Then you can tell me all about Lacy."

  "Works for me." Shadow was at the door waiting and they went down to his patch of grass and favorite bush behind Watson Manor. After a few minutes Charlie's phone rang.

  "Hello."

  "I love you too," Jenny said.

  "See, it works," Charlie said laughing. "If I get run over by a bus before getting back up the stairs that fact won't be in question."

  "Then look both ways, Charlie. We're not done lovin' you."

  During dinner, Charlie brought Jenny up to speed on his conversation with Lacy about them looking into a shady land deal in Marina concerning a hotel and movie theater.

  "You mentioned from the City Council minutes something about running utilities to some land," Jenny said.

  "They were trying to make the land more attractive to developers, but I didn't see who the developers were."

  "Tomorrow morning we can look at the June minutes and I'll search her computer notes for anything related."

  "Any word from the Chief on Dave Reed today?"

  "Only that Detective Miller was investigating it. I did call his editor to get some background on Dave. He's been with the San Jose Herald a couple of years, graduated from Arizona State. This was his first job in journalism," Jenny told him.

  "Sounds like in his eagerness for a story, he threw caution to the wind. Jenny, before we start digging into the other people involved here, we need to know what happened to Dave. I always hated you at risk before, and no
w we have daughters to consider."

  "I agree, Charlie…wait, you said daughters?"

  Charlie didn't even realize he had said daughters. He thought it had helped to distance that young girl with the sky blue eyes, because it was a question and she had no name. "Madison. You know what I meant. We still don't have the complete story on what happened to Rosalyne and, if in fact, it is directly tied to Dave."

  "Ok, we can focus on Dave tomorrow. Tonight you have me thinking about working on daughters, plural concept."

  "Shadow doesn't count at balancing the gender in this family. Let's think son tonight."

  "What do you think, Maddy, a little brother… or… sister? Jenny asked and then delightfully added, "Did you see that smile, Charlie when I said sister? I'm thinking our little psychic agrees with you on a sister!"

  Charlie almost choked on his dinner, but after following a swallow with a drink of water he was able to concentrate. "Well, I'm thinking son tonight, but either way I do love the process."

  Chapter 8

  Charlie called Detective Miller first thing the following morning from their Watson Investigations office downstairs, while Jenny sat at the desk beside him, and busy searching Rosalyne's computer for clues.

  "No sign of foul play," Charlie reported. "Dave's studio apartment was apparently vacated without prior notice to the landlord. He left a note indicating the security deposit should cover the 30 day notice."

  "Did Miller talk to his editor?"

  "Got the same blank we did. Dave took off in a hurry, but took the time to pack up his things. If he tried to contact Rosalyne on her missing phone, we'll never know."

  "Where would he go, his parents or other family's home?"

  "He's mid-twenties, maybe. He went to college at Arizona State University."

  "I can try to locate his parents address looking at his driving record or the Arizona Motor Vehicle records," Jenny said keying in data on her computer.

  "That'll be a place to start. The University would have a permanent address for him, but the best we'll get there though, even as prospective employers would be confirmation of his degree and GPA. Wait a minute … the San Jose Herald probably has an emergency contact number on his application."

  "Sure, I'll call him. We spoke before about Dave." Jenny went through her phone log and called Dave's Editor.

  "Jim Butler."

  "Hello, Mr. Butler. This is Jenny Watson of Watson Investigations again. We spoke about Dave Reed."

  "Hello Jenny, I spoke with Detective Miller yesterday. I still haven't heard from Dave."

  "I know. We were also in touch with Detective Miller this morning. I hope you can help, did Dave have a contact person listed on his employment application?"

  "Yes, his sister. I called her a couple of days after Dave didn't show up in the office. She told me she hadn't talked to her brother in over a year, said they weren't close."

  "Can I have her name and contact information anyway?"

  "Pam Boxer, number is 510-555-3625. Don't have an address, but again she wasn't able to help us."

  "Thanks, we'll give it a try anyway. Mr. Butler, was Dave a good employee? What I mean is, could he have been worried about losing his job there?"

  "Dave was a slow starter. Kind of timid, I thought, for a reporter. And he did a lot of research for us his first year here. When his confidence caught up with his desire to be a reporter his second year, I saw real promise. So, no, he was doing well here."

  "Thank you. His DMV report shows a '95 Red Toyota Tacoma, a small pickup truck. Is that what you recall him driving?"

  "Yes, that's his truck."

  "Was he close to anyone there?"

  "Another dead-end I'm afraid, Jenny. Professionally, yes, but no personal friendships within the office. I've spoken with everyone here about his possible whereabouts … nothing."

  "Thank you again, Mr. Butler. I'll let you know what we find out."

  "I'd really appreciate that. I liked Dave, and the way he suddenly left concerns me."

  Jenny hung up the phone and turned to her computer. When the reverse-lookup program came up she entered the phone number and wrote down the information.

  "His sister lives in Fremont. If something spooked him here, that may be where he went."

  "You have her number; let's call her."

  "They already have. The story from her is they haven't spoken in over a year."

  "That would be my logical comment if I was hiding him there. So we go looking for a red truck at that address?"

  "I think it's worth a shot after we check in at the hospital on Rosalyne."

  *****

  They went in to see Rosalyne. Her color was much better and she looked to be resting comfortably. Henry, on the other hand, was worn out with worry and appeared to have aged ten years. He invited them to have lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

  "They're hoping for tomorrow," Henry said. "They started today cutting back on the sedative and then it's up to her."

  "Henry, I wish we could make this easier for you," Jenny said offering a hug he accepted.

  "They tell me Rosie is a lot stronger… physically that is, but mentally… we have to wait."

  Charlie set their lunch tray on the table and said, "We're looking for Dave today and will be around tomorrow to see Rosalyne."

  They all ate in silence for a while and Henry said, "I do hope Dave is OK. I never realized the danger in what Rosie did. I don't know how I'll deal with that in the future."

  "That’s good. It sounds like you're very positive Rosalyne will return to one hundred percent," Jenny offered with a smile.

  "It's the only way I can let myself think, now. It's after I take her home and see that spark hit again down the road… that's the unknown feelings."

  "Believe me Henry, I understand," Charlie said. "There have been many times I've wished Jenny was safely miles away from situations we've faced, but being directly involved is who she is. The hardest thing to accept is that her being there in harm's way is her choice, and not mine to make."

  "Even more important for us, Henry, is that we face it together, as you and Rosalyne will also."

  "I know one thing; there will be a great deal more conversation when those sparks hit again!"

  "You are already halfway there, my friend. We'll call you tomorrow," Jenny said, as they left the table.

  Chapter 9

  Charlie and Jenny drove out of the hospital parking lot and headed north to Fremont on Interstate 101. Jenny had printed directions to Pam Boxer's home address before they left the office that morning.

  "It's about eighty miles, Charlie. After we pass through San Jose, look for Interstate 880."

  "Do you have Detective Miller's number at San Jose PD in the event we need a reference so she'll talk to us?"

  "Our last reference call from San Jose PD, Detective Nicole Eberhart, is doing a multiple life sentence. Damn, I forgot to send that malicious bitch a birthday card again this year."

  "Wow, Jenny! When did you get so bitter? It's not like she succeeded in killing us," he said laughing.

  "You laugh about it now. It wasn't even the shock of discovering she was so evil, it was the shattering of our trust in her. Trust is everything to me. She sure had us fooled and stole that part of me, that simple open-arms part of me with people. Now I find myself looking for clues to resist trusting others, and I hate it!"

  "Jenny that was over two years ago. You sound like it just happened."

  "Because it's in my face every day, when I fight back little doubts…" Jenny said with a tightening in her throat.

  "We're surrounded by great friends, more like family I'd say. That should have allowed you to rebuild your ability to trust," Charlie said.

  "I know how blessed we are. I just can't seem to get beyond ninety-five percent with anyone besides you anymore."

  Charlie's thoughts flashed to Eden and her daughter and the realization that Jenny's faith and trust in him was a precious gift he valued above all else, but
then he felt it was also fragile. Was it enough, he wondered, that his draw to Eden would not be explored? Would the confession to Jenny that those feeling existed, inside of him, for Eden do more damage than good to strengthen that trust? No, he decided, he'd not risk that. The discussion with Jenny would follow the truth about Eden's daughter.

  There's that look again, Jenny thought, as she watched him slip away into deep thought. Undecided, in her thoughts, whither to press it or wait until he was ready? Or was this feeling of separation only her increasing doubt invading the one bond she held without question? Anger filled her from the questions consuming her thoughts and the loathing of Eberhart, for planting them there.

  "Charlie, I'm thinking about that day in Hawaii when you spoke of us on opposite sides of a mountain, do you remember what you told me?"

  "Of course I do, why are you bringing that up?"

  "You told me how looking away from each other and shifting our priority that we would gradually slide down opposite sides of that mountain and lose sight of each other. As you asked me to, I am reaching out to you as I feel you slipping away."

  "Jenny, you and Madison are my priority. Nothing will ever change that."

  "I refuse to wait and let whatever is pulling at you get a stronger hold. Moments ago and several times in the last couple of days, I've felt you move out of reach. It scares the hell out of me, Charlie! Together, remember always together."

  Charlie was silent as he moved the car to the shoulder of the road and turned the engine off. He released his seat belt and reached for her hands and said, "I have been distracted Jenny. I won't lie to you and tell you it's nothing, as I am trying to understand the impact it has had on me."

  "Have I done something?" Jenny asked.

  "My God, no, Jenny. I've told you about being married in college for almost a year, before I lost both her and my football scholarship due to my knee injury."