by Maria Pease
“Yeah. That’s why we’re here. We found this in the planter by the man who fell down the stairs.” I lied.
“Hmm. How did we possibly miss that?” She lifted a brow.
I knew she knew I was lying through my teeth, but unless she called me on it, I’d continue with the charade. After all, we were all just trying to do our jobs. Besides, I hadn’t stolen the phone… this time; that had been Alana’s handiwork. I was just protecting her. Well, that’s what I was telling myself anyway.
Back at the office, Alana left to get a bite and to do her homework. She was due back before dark so we could stakeout the lake for our text message case.
I was at my desk, filling out reports when Frank came in. “What was that about today?”
“What?” I tried to look innocent.
“That shit about the phone?”
“I was making lemonade out of lemons, Frank.”
He shook his head and went to his desk. “I don’t know how you do it, Sammy.”
I looked at him and smiled.
We were both working quietly when the door flew open, and Chuck stumbled in. With just a glance, I could see that he was a mess. He staggered over to his desk, collapsing into his chair. “Hey,” he said, looking at Frank.
Frank and I glanced at each other. I shrugged.
“Chuck, you okay?”
“Oh yeah! Good, good, good,” he slurred.
“Maybe I should drive you home.”
“No, no. I’m gonna do some work.” He shuffled papers around on his desk. Perplexed, he looked at me and mumbled something under his breath.
I couldn’t quite make out what he said, but I knew it probably wasn’t very nice. I wondered what was going on with him. Coming in trashed wasn’t like Chuck and this was his second infraction, though this time, he didn’t bring a date.
“What are you doing here? Everything was going really, really great. Then you showed up.”
The fact that he didn’t like me was no secret, but I was taken aback by his comments. I knew he didn’t approve of how I became a PI and he made sure everyone knew it. He and Frank had both been on the force, and for some reason, he considered that a prerequisite for the job.
Frank shook his head. I could see the vein throbbing in his temple. Frank hated when Chuck and I got into it.
I took in deep breaths, remaining silent. I knew better than to talk to Chuck in this condition.
Frank stood up. “Let’s go, Chuck. I’m taking you home.”
Chuck leaned forward to get up and lost his balance. He dropped to the floor, sending papers flying on his way down.
As Frank moved toward him, I stood, checking to see that he was okay.
Chuck moaned, struggling to get up.
Frank helped him to his feet, then escorted him toward the door, glancing back at me on the way out.
Once they’d disappeared, I picked up the chair, gathered all the papers, and went back to my desk to finish my reports. I logged onto Facebook and went through all the posts. Alana had been busy. She regularly posted updates and photos, making Katy Smith come alive. As I read, it amazed me how personal she seemed. Alana had really tapped into the troubled teen persona. She wrote about living with her single mom and even gave her mom’s abusive boyfriend a name. She called him Gordon. I sat back in my chair and smiled. I wasn’t ready to admit it, but I was beginning to like Alana.
My phone buzzed on my desk. “Sam Parker.”
“Hey. I just got Chuck home. I’m going to stop and grab a pizza. You going to hang around for a bit?”
“Yeah, sure. That sounds great.”
As I continued to scan Facebook, a message came in. It was Wally asking Katy to meet him at the mall. I stared at the screen, wondering how I should answer when the bells on the door rang, and Alana came in.
“Hi.”
“You’ve got to see this.”
She dropped her large bag on the floor and pulled up a chair. “Did that just come in?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what do we do?” she asked.
“I don’t think we’re ready for this. We don’t know what the hell he’s up to.” I told her.
“Maybe having Katy meet him would help us to find out,” she said, staring at the message.
“Alana, there’s only one problem. Katy doesn’t exist.”
She looked at me, surprised. “Wow! I totally forgot about that.”
“That’s because you’re doing such a good job at bringing her to life.” I laughed.
Once I started, Alana joined in. By the time Frank walked in, we were both hysterical.
“What’s going on?” He asked, setting the pizza down on his desk.
As I attempted to tell him, we laughed even harder. I pointed to Alana who was laughing so hard, tears ran down her cheeks. I closed my eyes and took in slow, deep breaths, trying to gain control. When I thought I had pulled it together, I opened my eyes and saw Alana. We both looked away immediately, but it was too late. We doubled over again.
It took a few minutes, but we were finally able to get a grip on ourselves and explained the whole story to Frank. While he was amused, he didn’t find it quite as funny as we did. Then again, he didn’t see the humor in a variety of situations.
“Hold off on setting anything up with Wally, okay? Just make up an excuse,” he said, taking a bite out of his slice. “Girls that age are pretty flakey anyway.”
Alana looked at me and shrugged.
It was getting dark, so we finished our pizza and went back to Harveston Lake. We pulled in and parked along the lake, this time closer to the boat ramp. If the guy came back, I hoped to get a clear photo of him. I reached over and snapped the zoom lens onto the camera then called Ted to get a report on any new activity. With no news to report, I didn’t expect to see any action, but we decided to stay for a while just in case.
It was cold out, and despite the bright full moon, we didn’t see many people out. I grabbed my coat and stepped outside while Alana chose to stay warm in the Jeep. I walked along the path towards the boat ramp, gazing at the shimmering light on the water. I wasn’t sure what I hoped to see, but I felt the need to walk along the tree-lined path.
I passed the gazebo and noticed a couple sitting on the bench. They were wrapped in blankets, staring at the moon. Seeing them made me think of Jake. I hadn’t had any contact with him since he’d gone undercover, and I missed him. A shiver ran through me.
Approaching the boat ramp, I moved to where I’d seen the guy standing that night, then walked over and looked into the lake as he’d done. Even in the light of the bright moon, there wasn’t much visibility. There was a gradual concrete slope where the boat trailers released the boats, and a few slips by the dock where someone could attach their boat, but that was it. After another look around, I turned back.
The piercing cold wind had picked up. I quickened my pace and hurried into the Jeep. The warmth inside engulfed me.
“Did you see anything?” Alana asked.
“No.”
“What now?”
“Now we give it a little time,” I said.
After several hours with no action, we called it a night. I dropped Alana off, and although I’d planned to head home, I felt compelled to check on Wally. I found his Boxster still parked in the garage.
I pulled into a nearby spot, checking to see if Wally was still in the car, but it was empty. He was probably looking for Mr. Seersucker and the girl.
The casino was bustling with activity. I walked through the smoke-filled room, keeping an eye out for Wally. I moved up the staircase, looking over the side to get a better view. I finally caught sight of him across from the bar.
He looked like he was in an argument with some guy.
I watched, wondering what was going on. It seemed a little heated, so I moved closer, hoping to find out more.
The other man was yelling through clenched teeth, pissed off about the girl. “Well, they couldn’t have just disappeared!”
“I told you, I don’t know what happened. I’ve scoured every inch of this place, and they’re just gone.”
“That’s not good enough!”
I got the impression that the other man was in charge, and Wally was working for him. I just had to find out who he was and what was really going on.
When the arguing stopped, I moved back across the bar. I slipped out my phone, carefully, snapping shots of both men. After a few moments, Wally went one way, and the mystery man went another. I made the decision to follow the man.
He moved through the gaming area and into a bar. Glancing over his shoulder, he made a call. I watched his mouth and made out four words - he lost another one. He ordered a Scotch on the rocks and a burger and sat deep in thought.
I could barely keep my eyes open. After a half an hour, I went home, took a quick shower to wash the smell of smoke out of my hair and crawled into bed.
Chapter 14
Waking early to a clear, sunny day, I brushed my teeth, put my hair up, and went down for coffee. Flipping on Good Morning America, I took out my case notes to update my index cards and files with the new information I had. Then, off to the gym, where I punished myself with a forty-five-minute kickboxing class.
As I drove up my street, I spotted Jake’s car parked in front of my house. Parking, I sprung out of the Jeep and ran to him.
“We wrapped up the case,” he said, as he took my hand and led me upstairs.
“So, what happened?”
“Let’s talk about it over dinner tonight. Are you working today?”
“Yeah. We still haven’t found the teen boy, Michael Carson, and we’re still getting information on Wally Mason. I may have a new lead.”
“Do you need to go in now?” he asked, flashing his adorable smile.
“Well, I have to take a shower first. Want to join me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
As the hot water moved over us, Jake nibbled on my neck then headed south. After some additional gymnastics, we stepped out of the shower and toweled each other off. I was deciding on what undies to wear when Jake tackled me to the bed, and the romp continued.
By the time I made it to the office, I was more than late. I took the stairs two at a time and pushed the door open and rushed inside, breathless.
“Good morning, Sammy.”
“Good morning, Frank.”
Frank stared at me and smiled, raising his brow the way he does when he thinks he knows something. I winked at him, and he sent me an approving nod.
“What do you have for today?” he asked.
“Well, I want to find out who this is,” I said, showing him the picture I took of Wally and the mystery man.
“Where’d you take this?” He asked.
“When I checked the tracking on Wally last night, I found his car was still in the lot at the casino, so I went to see what was happening. I figured he might be looking for Mr. Seersucker and the girl.”
“Did you say, tracking on Wally?”
“I, um… well…yeah.”
Frank rolled his eyes.
“The point is that I found Wally and this man in an argument. The guy was pissed off that Wally had lost the girl and the old man who was with her.”
“He doesn’t know that Mr. Seersucker is dead, and the girl’s in the hospital?” Alana asked.
“Nope. I don’t think he has any idea. The man was yelling at Wally for not having any answers.”
“Who is he?” Frank asked.
“No idea.”
“Any chance that he could be Wally’s boss? Maybe old Wally is just following orders.”
“That’s what it sounded like to me, but I don’t know.”
“You did this last night?” Alana asked.
“Yeah. I went over after I dropped you off.”
“Oh.” Alana looked disappointed.
“Anything else?” Frank asked.
“Yeah. I followed him to a casino bar and listened as he made a call. It was weird. All he said was, he lost another one.”
“He lost another one? What the hell does that mean?”
“No idea,” I said.
“Okay. What else do you have on your agenda?”
“We’re going over to the hospital to talk to the girl. Maybe she can tell us something.”
“Okay, good. Let me know what you find out.”
“We will.” I glanced at Alana. “Are you ready?”
Alana grabbed her bag. “Where to first?”
“The hospital. We need to talk to the girl.”
I pulled into the Temecula Valley Hospital parking lot, and we went inside where a frail-looking older grey-haired woman in a coral pantsuit, matching floral blouse, and large square glasses staffed the information center. She pointed us toward the nursing station where a tall, husky male nurse with a shiny bald head and black-framed glasses flipped through a file.
“Excuse me.” I looked up at him. “We’re here to see the young girl who was brought in yesterday from an emergency call at the casino.”
He looked up from his file and stood even taller. He stared down at us. “Name?” His voice was deep.
All I could think about was how big and scary he was. I couldn’t help but wonder how patients reacted when they woke up and saw him in their room. I imagined a lot of screaming might be involved.
“Name?” he asked again.
Alana nudged me.
“Oh, uh, I don’t know her name. I’m Sam Parker, I’m a private investigator. This is Alana Foley. We are working on a case and need to speak with the girl,” I told him.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said.
“But…”
He glanced over at a couple of security guards standing by the elevator and sent a nod. Before we knew it, we were standing outside the hospital doors, straightening our clothes. Alana and I looked at each other, bewildered.
“I’ve never been thrown out of anyplace before!” Alana said, excited.
“Well, you may as well get used to it if you’re going to be working with me.”
As we sat in the Jeep, I watched the doors and thought about how I could get in to talk to the girl. I called Monique, hoping she’d give me the girl’s name, but was forced to leave a message.
“So, what now?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. We need to talk to the girl.”
I watched as an old black Chevrolet Nova Coupe pulled into a handicap space and an old man struggled to get out. “I’ve got it! Be right back.”
I jumped out of the Jeep and approached the man as he struggled to get out of his car. “Can I give you a hand?”
He looked up at me and smiled. “I’d appreciate that. I’m here to visit my wife and I’d like to get in there before visiting hours are over.”
I held out my hand, and he grabbed it. I gently pulled him up and out of the car. He leaned in to get his hat and a bouquet of yellow tulips. As he stepped away from the car, he lost his balance, so I took him by the arm.
“May I escort you to your wife’s room?”
“You would do that?”
“Of course! You have to get in there before visiting hours are over, right?” I smiled at him. “My name is Sam, by the way.”
“Sam? How did a pretty girl like you get the name, Sam?”
I laughed. “My name is Samantha.”
“That’s more like it. I’m Nelson.”
“Nice to meet you, Nelson.”
“Likewise, Samantha.”
I scanned the area for the large man-nurse and was relieved that he was nowhere to be seen. Still, I remained alert.
“We’re going to need to take the elevator up to the third floor,” he said.
“Okay.”
The doors opened, and we made our way down the hall to Nelson’s wife’s room.
“Thank you, Samantha. I appreciate you making sure I arrived safely.”
“My pleasure. Enjoy your visit with your wife.”
> I turned and walked back toward the elevator, peeking into rooms as I passed. This was going to take a while. I needed help.
I stepped into a small lounge area and put in another call to Monique. She said she’d get right back to me with the information on the girl. Then, I called Alana, knowing she’d be upset if she missed anything. “Meet me on the third floor. I’m in the lounge.”
Monique called back, and before Alana could step out, I got in. We headed up to the fifth floor.
“Who was that man?”
“His name is Nelson. He’s here to see his wife.”
“That was nice of you to help,” she said.
I looked at her, expressionless. “I was trying to avoid getting kicked out again.”
“I know, but it was still a nice thing to do.”
“I like him. He reminds me of my grandpa,” I told her.
We got off on the fifth floor, looking for room 515 as I kept watch for hospital personnel.
“She may not want to talk to us,” I said, adding, “her name is Melody.”
Locating the room, we peeked in to see if she was awake. She was hooked up to an IV and some type of monitor that beeped periodically. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. As I watched her, I was struck by how young she looked. I heard voices and glanced down the hall.
“We’d better go. It looks like our nurse friend is heading this way.”
Chapter 15
We slipped out of the room and turned towards the gift shop. Alana helped me choose an adorable grey squirrel stuffed animal with a big fluffy tail and some sour candy. There was no sign of the man-nurse on our return, so we quickly slipped inside the room. We were surprised to find her awake, staring at the television.
“Melody?” I asked.
She gazed at me for a minute, expressionless. “Did he send you for me?” she whispered.
“Who?” I asked gently.
“The man.”
“No, Melody. The man didn’t send me. I’m Sam, and this is Alana. We’re here to help you. Can you tell me who the man is?”
She shook her head and began to cry. “I can’t.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“They said never to tell. They told me if I did, they’d hurt me and then go after my mom and my baby brother. They said they were watching me.”