Found and Destroyed: The Second Sarah Martin Mystery

by Danelle Helget

  “Bart Williams, ma’am. Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming in,” a man said, shaking my hand fast and firmly.

  “Hi. Sara Martin. Nice to meet you too.”

  “So, you’re looking for a pontoon trailer?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.

  He was short, in his late sixties, and round all the way to his feet. He had a lot of fluffy, gray hair and full gray beard. His eyes were bright blue. He reminded me of Santa, only shorter. His black suit was of nice quality, and he wore loud, black, shiny shoes. “Most of our trailers are outside. Looks like you’re dressed for a tour, so let’s go out the back here and stop by my office for my coat,” he said turning on his heels and waving for me to follow.

  He asked me all kinds of questions about what I’d be doing with the pontoon, how often I’d be traveling with it, where I’d store it, and what my budget was. We looked around the lot and decided on a Yacht Club bunk trailer. We went back into the building, did all the paper work, and then I paid for it. I asked if they were open this weekend and if I could pick it up then. They were and had no problem with that. I didn’t know if I could park it in Derek’s lot and, since I was just a visitor, I didn’t really want to ask.

  When I got back to Derek’s it was 3:30 p.m., so I grabbed a pop out of the fridge and curled up on the couch with the blanket and pillow by the coffee table. Faith and I watched cable until 5:00 p.m. when I finally got up and touched up my hair and makeup and straightened up the couch.

  At 5:30 Derek came through the door with a hot pizza and a case of beer. We spent the rest of the evening on the couch. It was nice and relaxing. Derek reached for his third piece of pizza and turned to me.

  “Will you stay Friday and Saturday night with me too?” he asked sweetly, with puppy-dog eyes.

  I didn’t really have anything going on so I agreed. “Sure.”

  “I have to work a half day on Friday, and then when I get off at noon I want to head to Morris and check out this Cory guy, and check in on my sister.” His jaw was clenched tight.

  “Would you want to come with and help me investigate?” he asked.

  “Investigate is a big word, “ I said with a wink.

  “Not when it comes to you, Sara. You might not realize it, but you possess natural skills that many investigators train for years to perfect and never grasp,” he said.

  “Oh, geez! I highly doubt that! I had a crazy dream, or four or five, that helped find a friend, but that’s it. I’d never before experienced that, or anything remotely like it, and I haven’t since,” I said defensively.

  “I know, Sara, and I know that you don’t like to talk about it either. That’s not what I was referring to. I meant that your instincts are good, like when you felt like you needed to go back to the cabin. You didn’t have a reason, you just needed to. And it’s a good thing you did. You have a good head on your shoulders, and it works very well in stressful situations. It doesn’t work like that for most people. If you don’t want to, you certainly don’t have to. It’s just I could use the help and … someone to talk to,” he said seriously.

  I put my hand on his thigh. He looked so worried. “Sure, I’ll go with and help,” I said, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

  He looked at me and gave me a closed-lipped smile. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to his side and fixed his eyes back on the TV. I was pretty sure his eyes were watering. He was really worried. I knew he was close to his family, but I didn’t realize he would be this affected.

  Friday morning I got up when I heard Derek turn the shower on. I went into the kitchen. The coffee was started and, looking into the living room, I could see that the blanket and pillow were already folded on the side of the couch again. He was neat, for a guy. I made scrambled eggs and toast and had it ready when he got out of the shower.

  “Wow. Good morning, beautiful,” he said and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Good morning,” I said, plating his food and handing it to him. “The juice and butter are on the table.”

  “So what are your plans for the morning?” he asked.

  “Well, I was thinking I’d go to my office and clean out my desk so they can give it to someone who actually works there,” I said.

  “Really? So you’re done for good?”

  “I think so,” I said with a sigh. “Moving forward, right?” Derek just looked at me and didn’t say anything. “I mean, I don’t need the money, and it’s kind of a far drive. And I don’t like doing living wills, but I don’t have the time commitment for a big case, so I guess that leaves … done.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” he said, looking at me over his coffee cup. “Are you going to keep your apartment?”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll keep that for a while yet. I like to come here to visit people, and I don’t always want to intrude on them.”

  “You’re not intruding on me. I asked you to come. I want you to stay with me when you come here,” Derek said. I just smiled back.

  “Well, sweetness, I’m off. Thanks for breakfast,” he said standing up. He put his plate and cup in the dishwasher, and I followed him to the door. “See ya at noon. Maybe you want to throw a change of clothes in a bag in case we stay overnight in Morris,” he said.

  I nodded, then he put one arm around my waist and pulled me to him. He kissed me, winked, and walked out the door. I was left standing there in awe once again. Dang that guy!

  I turned on my heels and used my new energy to clean up the kitchen. Then I got ready for the day, taking extra time on my hair, but it wouldn’t quite cooperate with me. When the hair went south, I added extra blush to highlight my cheek bones. If I couldn’t make the whole look work at least I could distract him. I dressed in my favorite jeans and a dark-blue, screen-print t-shirt, and grabbed a gray zip-up sweatshirt for later. I put on my white tennis shoes and packed my bag. I was excited to be going away with Derek, even if it wasn’t under the greatest circumstances.

  I dropped Faith off at Jamie’s, who was the landlord at my apartment. She made me promise to call her to cat-sit if I ever needed it. After I left Jamie’s, I ran up to my apartment and ran water in the sinks and shower and flushed the toilet just to keep it from getting rusty. Then I checked the fridge and freezer and collected some stuff for the dumpster. I dusted quickly and locked back up. My apartment was really nice. I wished I could take parts of it with me sometimes, but the location of the cabin was unmatchable. I will own that until I die.

  I tossed the bag of smelly food in the dumpster and angled into the Jeep. After gassing up at the Super America, I went inside. I grabbed a pop and some snacks for the road. At the till I was offered a free car wash with the purchase of one. I looked over the guy’s shoulder and out the window to my dirty Jeep, and decided that I should take it.

  Once in the Jeep, I tossed the bag of goodies in the back and drove to the car wash entry. The door was closed and I could see a car inside, so I pulled up next in line, opened my window, and punched in the code I’d been given. After I rolled my window up, I had one of those happy moments when you think about how great your life is and you smile inside and out. I was in heaven: free from money problems, man problems, job problems … everything. Everything was going great. I sighed and smiled bigger when I noticed the door to the wash bay rise.

  I pulled up to the entrance and watched the shiny black Mustang in front of me dry. As it slowly drove away I drove in and both doors went down. When the pre-wash began I looked at my phone. It showed 11:00 a.m. I threw it back in my purse and turned on the radio. When the song ended, I realized that the pre-wash was still soaking. It seemed like it was taking longer than normal. I looked at my phone again and it showed 11:03, just like the clock on the dash. What the heck? I turned the window wipers on and could see the spray bar in front of me off to the right, front side of my Jeep. It was twitching like it was stuck. Great. Now what?

  I figured that they had cameras in there, and was sure that someone inside was keeping an eye on thi
ngs, and that someone had to be in line behind me waiting to get in. I looked at the clock again, 11:05. I was sure that boy at the till would be out there soon to reset it. I waited. At 11:08 I started honking. No one came. I rolled down the passenger window to clear the foam and saw a door leading into the building. I rolled the window back up and I honked some more.

  At 11:11 I decided to get out and walk to the door. Just as I got to the back bumper, it occurred to me that I should probably grab my purse. I opened the driver side door, grabbed my purse, hit the lock button, like I always do, and shut the door. AHHH! I gasped. Shit! Shit! Shit! I’d just locked my keys in! I heard a loud hiss and turned to my left. Water was spraying full bore out of the sprayer bar! The twitching had stopped and it had started moving across the hood of my Jeep. AHHH! I grabbed for the driver door, but it was locked! Duh! I reached for the back one. The back one was locked too. I knew that! I couldn’t think. I didn’t know what to do. The door!

  As I ran to my right, around the back bumper of the Jeep, the sprayer followed close behind me! I picked up the pace, then slipped in the soap and landed flat on my back. I hit my head. Hard. I lay there stunned for a second then scampered to my feet. The sprayer was only a foot away and chasing me around the back of the Jeep to the passenger side. The spray was hitting me, and I was getting really wet. I ran, the best I could, in the slippery soap to the door. Panicked, I slammed my body up against it. I was soaked from head to toe and covered in foam. I turned the knob and it was locked! I started pounding as hard as I could and screaming as loud as I could. I looked over my shoulder and the sprayer was coming back around again. I pounded harder and yelled louder.

  Finally the door flew open and I fell flat on my face, spread eagle, with purse still in hand into the coffee and hot snacks area of the Super America. Quickly I tried to get to my feet, which proved a challenge since I was covered in pink and blue foam and the floor was tile. The young guy from the till rushed over and tried to help me up, asking over and over if I was okay.

  “No, I am not okay,” I said out of breath, trying my best to straighten my outfit and fix my wet and foamy hair. “The car wash thingy was stuck and no one came to help. And, well, now it’s not stuck, and I’m locked out of my vehicle!” I told him as I hastily shoved my purse back onto my shoulder. I looked around at the four people who were drop-jawed staring at me. I turned to the guy and asked, “Could I get a towel, or three, please!” in a not-so-friendly voice.

  “Of course. I’ll be right back,” he said nervously and ran to the back of the store.

  “Ah, no. I’m coming with you to a back room, somewhere out of sight,” I informed him.

  Then I heard another voice, “Ma’am, oh ma’am! I’m so sorry!” I turned behind me and saw another employee frantically following me. “I’m Calvin, the day manager. I heard about the situation. I am so sorry. Are you okay? Please let me help you. What can I do?” he asked.

  He was out of breath and looked extremely nervous. I almost felt bad for him. “You can make sure my Jeep’s clean and you can get someone to unlock it for me for starters …” I said and took a few more deep breaths to calm myself.

  A half hour later I walked out to my freshly washed Jeep, which was unlocked and pulled around to the front of the store. I was wearing a Super America Employee polo shirt, and my hair was a combination of pink and blue and stiff. I had no makeup on, wet jeans, and wet shoes. I put a few plastic bags, which the store so graciously lent me, down on the driver’s seat and drove back to Derek’s. I waited in the Jeep until I didn’t see anyone moving in the lot, then I ran up to his apartment. I was just unlocking the apartment door when it swung open.

  Chapter Four

  Sweetness … dare I ask?” Derek said, holding the door open, with a half freaked out and half amused look on his face.

  “Please don’t,” I said very calmly. “I’ll need to take a quick shower before we leave, if you don’t mind.”

  “Be my guest,” he said swinging his arm toward the bathroom and stepping aside.

  I took off my dripping wet shoes and socks and handed them to him.

  I tipped my chin up, whispered, “Excuse me,” and sauntered confidently to the bathroom.

  I avoided the mirror and got into the shower with my clothes on and thirty minutes later we were in Derek’s Jeep and on our way to Morris. He never asked what had happened, and I never offered until we stopped about half way there and got a bite to eat at a Pizza Hut. That’s when his curiosity got the best of him.

  “Okay, I gotta know! What the heck happened?” he asked.

  He looked like he was fighting off a giggle. I stared at him, straight faced for a couple seconds.

  Then, tipping my chin in the air a bit, I told him, “I’ve earned a lifetime, unlimited pass for free car washes and coffee at any Super America in Minnesota.”

  And I left it at that. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch and his eyes narrow as he lifted his glass to take a drink. I was pretty sure he was trying to hide the laughter.

  We got to Morris at 5:00 p.m. Derek pulled off at a Super America for gas and asked if I wanted a coffee. I slapped his arm and exited the Jeep. He pumped gas while I went in and used the bathroom. When I was finished I got a pop. I wasn’t sure if my coffee card was activated yet. Derek also used the bathroom and grabbed a pop. He paid and we walked back to the Jeep. Once inside he pulled out a manila envelope and looked through the papers inside. He handed me one with a picture of Cory. It must be his driver license picture. Cory Deltone age thirty-one, six-foot-one, 190 pounds, green eyes, no glasses. The address was listed as an apartment in Morris. Derek punched it into the GPS and off we went.

  “So do we know anything else about him?” I asked.

  “No. The guy doesn’t have a criminal background on file, so nothing showed up in our database.”

  “What’s the plan then?”

  “Well, I think we’ll go and check into the hotel, and then we’ll stop over at Kendall’s to see if she’s seen or heard from them, and if she knows Kelly’s work schedule. Then we’ll go stakeout the house and see if they come or go from there at all,” he said shrugging his shoulders.

  “All right, detective.” I said.

  We drove past Cory’s address first. It was an apartment in an older part of the city on the west side. The building was plain, with very basic construction. There were two buildings. Both were two stories and had sixteen apartments each, eight up and eight down. There was no landscaping at all. The cars in the lot were mostly rust buckets or older models. It was far from charming. My lip curled at the sight of it. I glanced over at Derek and he looked angry.

  “She’s better than this,” he said.

  We drove around both units and figured out which one was his. He was in number 104. It was on the ground level and had a small patio and sliding glass door that faced the street. The curtains were drawn. On the patio there were two resin chairs and a large coffee can on the ground, I imagined it was full of cigarette butts. Derek took a left onto Main Street and drove to the Holiday Inn. We walked in and went straight to the reception desk to check in. The guy started typing and looked for available rooms.

  “One king or two queens?” he asked.

  “Two queens,” Derek said.

  “Smoking or non?”

  “Non,” he answered.

  Derek covered the room cost. I tried to pay, but he said I was his guest. We got two key cards and headed back to the lot. After pulling around to the door that was closest to our room, we grabbed our stuff from the trunk. We each had one bag, and Derek had a pillow. He said he was “pillow picky.” The room was nice. We were on the ground floor, near the hot tub. There were patio chairs and a table outside the sliding door on the pool side. The big pool was down about eight rooms and to the left. There were kids there, but the hot tub was empty. Derek came up behind me and peeked over my shoulder.

  “The hot tub looks inviting. We’ll have to make sure we use that,” he said.

>   “Um, I didn’t pack a suit,” I told him, completely bummed.

  “What? You didn’t? Too bad for you,” he winked.

  We drove over to Kendall and Kelly’s apartment. Derek had told Kendall that we were coming. I was a little nervous to meet her. Derek parked in the lot and we walked into the building, which was not secured. We went down one hall, took a right, and went halfway down the next. Derek knocked on the door. He looked at me, smiled, and grabbed my hand.

  “She’s gonna love you,” he said and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

  The door opened. There was Derek, in a woman’s body. The resemblance was incredible. She was tall and thin with tan skin. Her thick, long, dark hair shone in the light and was curled up at the ends perfectly. The makeup on her eyes was tasteful, with dark shades of browns and some black eyeliner and mascara. Her lips were painted a nude color that went great with her outfit. She had on black dress pants and a tan shirt that was a rayon mix and had buttons down the front. She looked great.

  “Hey!” she said and gave Derek a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re doing this.” She looked at me, and Derek made introductions.

  “Kendall, this is my friend, Sara. Sara, this is my sister, Kendall.” I was about to extend my hand when she wrapped her arms around me.

  “Ohhh! It’s so good to finally meet you. We’ve heard so much about you. You’re even prettier than he described,” she said.

  “Oh, gosh. Thanks. You’re gorgeous. Is this what you always wear to school?” I asked.

  “Oh, heaven’s no. I had an interview for an internship earlier. I just got in. In fact, I’m going to go change right now. You two make yourselves at home. Derek there’s drinks in the fridge and snacks in the cupboard if you’re hungry.”

  We both said thanks and watched her disappear into the back room. Derek asked if I wanted anything. I said no, so he got a pop for himself. A few minutes later, Kendall returned to the room in jeans and a UMM sweatshirt with her hair in a pony. She still looked gorgeous. We sat down at the table, and she and Derek talked about what they thought they should do about Kelly. Kendall tried to text Kelly again, she didn’t respond. Kendall said that she had not heard from Kelly, or seen her since she stopped by to get her things that night nearly two weeks ago. Then Kendall decided to tag along with us on our stake out.