Watson Manor Investigations (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 3)

by Ronald S. Craig

  "That's still good news. I hope that when they find him, and I know Chief Walker and Edwards won't stop until they do, the Chief will find some closure for Sandra's death."

  "Me too. Let's eat, pitching to slugger all day has made me hungry," Charlie said giving Timmy a smile and pat on the back.

  The offering of a dinner menu at Watson Manor had become very popular, and the dining area was filling quickly with hotel guests and chatter about their adventures of the day. They enjoyed Lisa's beef stew and small talk around the table. Jenny was explaining to Timmy how Uncle Charlie was a football star in high school when his phone rang.

  "Hello," he answered.

  "I can't reach my Mom," the panicked voice stated.

  "Slow down Emily, what's going on?"

  "I've called her three times, no answer. Charlie, I'm worried." The table around him fell silent and all eyes were on him.

  "Where are you now, Emily?"

  "My friend Lauren's house. I had dinner with them. Mom was going to pick me up here."

  "Can you stay with them while I check around?"

  "They're flying to Chicago tonight for two weeks. Lacy said she hadn't seen Mom all afternoon…"

  "Ok, we're on our way to get you. Don't worry, we'll find her, Emily. What's the address where you are?" Charlie wrote the address down and turned to Jenny. "Eden is missing, we need to go!"

  Chapter 23

  "Timmy and I can stay and watch Madison," Julia said. "I'll call Stan to meet us here."

  "Thank you Julia," Jenny said jumping up to follow Charlie.

  "She probably shut her phone off accidently again," he said in frustration as they passed through the front door.

  "I hope that’s the case," Jenny replied. He jumped into the driver's seat of his truck and checked below his seat for the pistol. Satisfied, he started the engine.

  Jenny opened the passenger door of the truck. He turned to face her. "Jenny, I need you to bring Emily back here."

  "We can bring Emily back here."

  "I don't know what's going on, but I need to find out. I will not take Emily into harm's way if that’s what we find. Please, Jenny, I need you here."

  She looked at him a moment and realized he was right. "I'll follow you to get Emily and bring her back here, but don't you dare keep me guessing …"

  "You're my world, Jenny. But I need to do this," he told her. She closed the truck door and ran to the other car to follow him. When they pulled into Lauren's driveway, Emily ran out to meet them.

  "I'm so scared," Emily managed to say, with tears running down her cheeks.

  Jenny pulled her into an embrace. "We'll find her, sweetheart."

  "I'll follow you to your house, Emily; then check at her office," he told them.

  The apartment was dark when they arrived. He asked them to wait in the car until he walked through the apartment using Emily's key to get in. Finding nothing out of place he returned to the car for them. "Consider this another vacation, Emily. Grab a few things, and don't forget your swim suit while I track your Mother down and change her flat tire," he said forcing an optimistic smile. He locked up the apartment when she had packed a small bag and gave Emily back the key. He closed the passenger door and walked around it to give Jenny a hug.

  "Nothing stupid, mister," she said and kissed him.

  "I'll keep you posted." He closed her door and as they drove off he called Lacy. "Can you meet me at the office?" he asked.

  "I'm already there and I'll wait," she told him.

  When he arrived at the Salinas Tribune Newspaper office, he saw Lacy and another man at her desk through the front window.

  "Charlie," she called out as he walked in, "this is our Assistant Editor, Paul Thomas."

  "Do either of you have a clue where she is?"

  "I was out of the office when she left," Lacy said. "She told our receptionist she would be back in a couple hours. That was three this afternoon. I called Paul in to get the paper out. This is not like her, Charlie. I'm concerned."

  Lacy followed him into Eden's office. He turned the light on and looked around, and then picked up the note pads to look for impressions. "She has her pocket planner with her, I already checked for it."

  He saw the file labeled Marina Press, "What's this?"

  "She's been looking into replacing our press. She mentioned they have a new one."

  He put the folder back down and pulled her lap drawer open. Finding nothing there he tried the other desk drawers. He turned back in frustration. "Lacy, do you have any idea where she might have gone today?"

  "She was caught up with her editing and waiting for my story for tomorrow's paper. She left without a word about where she was going."

  "Your story didn't have anything to do with Sentinel, did it?"

  "I can assure you Charlie, she is not pursuing that. We are all under strict instructions here that topic is off limits."

  He turned away from Lacy to look behind her desk on the credenza to see if something there would help. Emily's photo was still there and caught his breath with her blue eyes staring back at him. He picked it up and pleaded, "Where are you Eden?"

  "I was there when that was taken, her thirteenth birthday," Lacy said.

  "Thirteen? I understood she was twelve." He set the photo down and turned back to face Lacy. "Are you sure?"

  "February 14th, Valentine's Day no less. As for her mom, I've talked to everyone in the office and no one has a clue."

  Charlie struggled with the truth, they were his blue eyes.

  "Are you OK," she asked.

  "Yes, sorry I got sidetracked. I guess I'll drive around, looking for her car. Call me if you hear anything, Lacy." He switched off the office lights as they walked out. He stopped suddenly and went back into her office. Sitting at Eden's desk he hit redial on her phone.

  "Hello?"

  "Hello, this is Charlie Watson."

  "Hey Charlie, what a nice surprise. How are you and Jenny doing?" Henry asked.

  "Henry, did you receive a call from Eden Downey today?"

  "Rosie did. Is something wrong?"

  "I'm just trying to track her down."

  "I'll get Rosie for you, hold on," Henry said.

  "Hello Charlie. Henry said you were asking about Eden?"

  "Yes, you talked with her today?"

  "Around three, she was interested in the Jensen press we have at the paper."

  "Oh, I know they need a new press here. I was hoping she might have mentioned where she was headed this afternoon?"

  "You can't find her?"

  "I don't want to alarm anyone, she's probably just lost track of time in the mall. Did she say anything else?"

  "Charlie, she didn't ask about our press because they need one there. Honestly, I don't know a press from a city bus. She was fascinated that we have a Jensen press, a massive overkill, to use her words for newspaper production."

  "Thank you Rosalyne. I've got to go now," he said hanging up the phone. He pulled the file with Marina Press Steve Hansen printed on it and looked inside. There was a sales brochure inside for the Jensen Press and when stock and bond certificates were displayed on the third page he ran for the door. Once he was headed back toward Marina he hit speed dial on his phone.

  "Charlie?" Jenny answered.

  "Go directly home. I think Steve Hansen at Marina Press is involved with Sentinel. Have the Chief check it out when they get back. Their press can handle stocks and bonds. I'll call you later. I think Eden walked right into the fire." He disconnected the call and pulled out to pass a couple of cars not matching his ninety miles-an-hour speed.

  The front office area of Marina Press was dark with no cars in the parking lot. Charlie went to the end of the block and turned into the alley that ran behind the newspaper office. There was a man loading bundles of newspapers into a large truck. Charlie pulled beside the truck prepared to stop when he caught the distinctive tail lights of Eden's Volvo SUV turning left out of the far end of the alley. He hit the gas to giv
e chase. A final glance in his review mirror showed the flashing lights of a Marina Police Squad car that had just pulled in beside the truck being loaded. He hoped they were behind him, but shifted his attention to following Eden's SUV. Charlie reached for his phone that he'd set on the seat beside him, "Damn it," he said when he realized it must have slid to the floor during his high speed maneuvering to get there.

  The side street had a stop sign on Reservation Blvd. Cross traffic was spaced just enough to keep him pinned for a safe crossing of both lanes. A safe crossing lost its appeal when he caught sight of Eden's SUV disappearing onto the southbound Highway 1 on-ramp. He floored the gas pedal and the spinning rear tires assisted his left hand turn maneuver into the center lane. Blaring horns rewarded his accomplishment and when he accelerated past the car beside him on the right, he crossed two lanes to catch the on-ramp. He moved to the fast lane to close the distance for a couple of miles then spotted her car. She was following someone, he realized and they were not driving fast, not a getaway.

  He moved over a lane keeping three cars between them and wondered if learning Emily was his daughter had blown his emotions out of proportion and what he feared was not really happening. Was she just following Steve Hansen to see a printing press? He turned on his interior lights and spotted his phone on the passenger side floorboard against the door, way beyond his reach. Frustrated he turned the interior lights off. It occurred to him that he didn't know what kind of cars the Hansen's drove. He pulled back into the left lane and slowly came alongside the Volvo SUV. It was a woman driving, but with short hair it wasn't Eden. His truck was taller and he couldn't see the passenger side of the car. He'd only seen Mrs. Hansen the one time when he and Jenny were in their office looking for Rosalyne. It could be Mrs. Hansen, he reasoned. Without drawing her attention he continued at the slightly faster pace and confirmed the driver ahead of the Volvo SUV, a black BMW was being driven by Steve Hansen. He needed to get a line of sight from the other sides of these cars. Traffic behind him would not allow him to slow down, so he continued the pace passing them until he could move over to the far right lane.

  He still didn't know if the Volvo was Eden's or not and this might all be a wild goose chase of the Hansen's going home. He moved slowly over the two lanes and watched the center lane traffic pass him. He spotted them four cars back and that lane moving just slightly faster was making the wait unbearable. The three lanes were converging into two lanes which only served to increase the distance as the left two lanes slowed while flowing into one. He watched as drivers were moving into the right lane behind him and he feared losing the Hansen's to an exit he would be passing.

  The lane to his left was picking up speed and, with the next exit over a mile ahead, he relaxed a little. The passenger side of the black BMW was empty and when the Volvo passed him he discovered it too was empty. The tinted side windows at night didn't allow him to see into the back seat of the Volvo. He had nothing to go on here. When the Volvo had pulled ahead he spotted the bumper sticker on it. 'Read the Salinas Tribune' it stated. So they are ditching Eden's car. She has to be in one of them, he thought, because they wouldn't have left her at Marina Press.

  The additional realization that Eden could be either alive or dead caused him to shake and his vision blurred with dampness. The left lane was again merging into a single lane and the Hansen's were two cars ahead of him. He didn't know which car Eden was in, the back of the Volvo or trunk of the BMW, so he couldn't run one or the other off the road. He had only to follow them until they stopped. He stayed two cars back as they drove through Seaside. Highway 1 became very curvy as they continued south climbing a grade. He watched as the black BMW and Volvo pulled around a slow moving semi-truck and moved farther away. Traffic was steady on the other side and it took a while for the two cars ahead of him to pass the semi-truck also. On a curve to the left he saw his chance and punched the gas pedal to the floor.

  He was at the crest of the grade when he passed the truck and pulled back into his lane. The road going downhill was still windy, but he could see tail lights a mile ahead. The Volvo tail lights should have been three cars ahead of him. He could see five cars ahead and Eden's Volvo wasn't there. The thought he must have passed them when he drove around the big truck flashed in his mind. He pulled the steering wheel hard left and hit the brakes. He was heading north again. It had to be less than two miles back he thought. He turned on his high beams and watched the ocean side of the highway. There was a pull off ahead at the crest where he'd passed the semi truck. Pulling into the left lane he passed two slow moving cars and dodged an oncoming car as he drove on the ocean side shoulder of the road. The large area ahead was blocked off with construction fencing and he entered where a gate stood open.

  Large construction equipment filled the area and it was sheer luck he saw the Volvo tail lights. He backed up and drove toward the ocean between two large dump trucks. His lights caught two figures running away from the back of the Volvo. He realized it was rolling forward toward the ocean and figured from this height could be two hundred feet below. He raced to put his truck in front of the Volvo and realized there was no way to get there in time and forced his truck into the side of the Volvo to force it away from the missing barrier. Once full side contact was made he continued to force them both hard right into a small hill on that side. He reached over and retrieved his phone and slid it into his shirt pocket. Throwing the driver's door open he reached under the seat for his gun and jumped out. The gun fell from his hand as he reached for the window frame when his feet slipped out from under him off the edge of the cliff. One foot of ground stood between him and the ocean far below. Holding on to the edge of the truck bed he side stepped to the back of his truck then ran to the passenger side of Eden's SUV.

  The interior light came on and she was strapped into the seat belt leaning against the side window. He pulled the parking brake on, shut off the ignition and put her car's transmission into park. He hit 911 on his phone. "911 operator…"

  "Listen, we are south of Seaside on highway one. Top of the grade, it's a construction site off the road. Need an ambulance and police now!" Charlie shouted. The rear window of the Volvo shattered and he heard the loud crack of a gun fired. He tossed his phone on the car dash. Releasing the seatbelt holding Eden upright, he laid her down across the front seat, and ran to his truck. Head lights came on from the far side of the lot as he worked his way back into the driver's seat of his truck. The engine came to life instantly and he backed slowly until he cleared the Volvo and accelerated hard in reverse to intercept the approaching car. The gun fired twice more but missed its target. It was awkward to drive looking over his shoulder, but he couldn't risk letting them get past him to the Volvo if he tried a swing around maneuver. The BMW veered to his driver's side just before impact and Charlie swung the wheel around catching the BMW in the passenger side door. The combination of forward momentum and the side force of impact sent the BMW over and off the cliff. His truck still moving backward toward the cliff, he slammed the transmission into drive. The truck tires couldn't grab enough traction and Charlie pushed the driver's door open to jump out. His truck dropped hard when the rear tires cleared the edge of the cliff, throwing him solidly back across the seat.

  "Watch over them, Lord," he cried out as gravity pulled them both over the edge.

  Chapter 24

  The ambulance pulled through the gate and headed toward the Volvo's tail lights glowing in the back of the construction lot. The two police cars following turned off their sirens and parked giving the ambulance room to maneuver. The officers stood back as the EMT's checked Eden over for injuries and one of them walked around to the driver's side. "Looks like she was side swiped pretty hard on this side." He swept the area with his flashlight noting the wide tire tracks beside the car. "The vehicle that did it looks like a truck but he got away."

  "We might get some tread patterns here in the dirt," the other officer said. "That gravel just beyond this car won't help."
<
br />   "They are long gone. She might know who it was. Run the plate, let's see who she is?" One officer walked back to the police car as the other offered help to pull Eden out of the car. "How does she look?" he asked the EMT.

  "Nothing broken, not even a break in her skin, but I can tell this, there is no way in hell she called 911."

  "It was a male voice, maybe he went for help," the officer said.

  "Or left in the truck that hit her," the other officer said as he approached. "Felt guilty, called it in and ditched her. Hit and run. The license plate is registered to an Eden Downey, from Salinas." They helped move Eden from the car onto the gurney and into the back of the ambulance and it drove away.

  "911 operator, is anyone there?"

  One of the officers heard the call from the dash and retrieved the phone. "This is Officer Taft, Seaside PD on the scene. We have a woman en route to Monterey General. The car is registered to an Eden Downey of Salinas."

  "Thank you and please disconnect the call, officer." He pushed end call and slid the phone into his pocket. He looked back inside the car and found a purse. He called to the other officer, "You wait for our detective and I'll get these back to the station."

  "OK by me. The EMT's think she will be talking within the hour. A mild sedative they figured from her breathing and pulse rate."

  Officer Taft pulled the phone out of his pocket and slipped it into the purse.

  "Sedated gals don't drive. Maybe a lover's rendezvous, she threatened to tell the wife and he decided to off her," Officer Taft offered getting into his car and drove back to the Seaside Police Department. He walked into the small Police Department building. Three old metal desks were crammed into an area designed for two. To avoid the much needed repainting, posters lined the walls. He dropped the purse on the sergeant's desk.

  "This from the 911 call?" the sergeant asked Taft.

  "Yes, the phone in there made the call. I told Jones to wait at the scene, are you sending Rogers out?"