Found and Destroyed: The Second Sarah Martin Mystery

by Danelle Helget

  My blood was flowing again. After I caught my breath, I walked quickly past him with my clothes in my arm. I grabbed my makeup case and didn’t come out until I looked fabulous, or at least as good as I got in jeans and a sweatshirt. My hair was its usual look. There wasn’t much else I could do there. Derek was sitting at my computer when I came out.

  “Come here,” he said urgently.

  “Cory accepted your friend request,” he told me.

  “Really? I friend-requested him just before I showered.”

  “Yeah, and he came up on chat and asked how you knew him. I’m chatting with him now.”

  I looked over his shoulder and watched their conversation.

  Cory: Hey, Katie, how do I know you?

  Katie: You don’t. I just saw you on a few of my friends’ pages as a mutual friend. I thought I’d check you out.

  Cory: So you’re a student?

  Katie: Yup, and a stressed one at that. I have way too many classes. It was a dumb idea. I get home and just want to hang, ya know?

  Cory: For sure.

  Katie: I need to drop some classes. I’m failing most anyway ’cause I don’t get the work done. But I don’t care. It’s my parents’ money, not mine, and there’s more where that came from.

  Cory: Wow, well maybe you and I should hang out together sometime.

  Katie: Sure, sounds great. I heard through the grapevine that you might have something to help with the … stress, ya know?

  Cory: Yeah, we’ll see if I can help. Who gave you my name?

  I looked at Derek and he looked disappointed. I think he was hoping for a meet up.

  Katie: I don’t remember the guy’s name off hand. Real cool though! I’d love to meet up with you sometime soon. When are you available?

  Suddenly the chat box showed him “offline.”

  “Damn it!” Derek said slapping the table.

  “Okay, we’ll give it a day or so. He knows I’m interested and knows I have money. He may come around,” I told him. “You did great.”

  Derek slipped into his jacket and I followed suit. We jumped in Derek’s Jeep and drove to McDonald’s for a drive-through breakfast and coffee. After that we stopped at the hospital, but Kelly wasn’t in her room. She had been taken for more testing. We told Derek’s parents and Kendall that we would be back later. We climbed back into the Jeep and looked at the paper that Derek had with addresses on it. He handed it to me, then unclipped the GPS from his dash and handed that to me as well. I was instructed to get us to the three places on the list. The first one was Cory’s apartment. It appeared empty. Crime scene tape was still over the door.

  The second one was Cory’s parent’s house. I went up and knocked on the door. An older woman answered. When I asked if she knew where Cory was, she said she hadn’t heard from him in years and hoped she never would again. Then, she slammed the door in my face. Duly noted.

  The third was Cory’s brother’s apartment. It was an old four-plex on the outskirts of town. And Kyle, Cory’s brother, was living in the unit on the left side of the building. There was only on-street parking, and I didn’t see Cory’s old blue Chevette anywhere. I went up to the door and knocked. A gross, smelly, drugged-out man in his late twenties answered.

  He reeked of pot and b.o. He was missing a tooth, two back from the middle, and the rest of his teeth were small and yellowish-brown. His hair was brown and dirty and needed a haircut about four months ago. He was unshaven and shirtless. He had on long blue shorts that looked like they’d seen better days, and that was it. He was large. About six-foot-four and about 280 pounds of fat.

  When he swung open the door, his angry face spooked me a bit. I had to remind myself why I was doing this and that Derek had a loaded gun with him and was sitting in the Jeep across the street. I knew that Derek had my back, so I wasn’t too worried. Still this guy was creepy.

  “What?” he bellowed before the door was even all the way open.

  Then he looked me up and down like I was a 2:00 a.m. Taco Bell nacho platter.

  “I mean … heeeelllo,” he said sliding his slimy eyes across my body.

  “Hi, I’m looking for Cory. I was told I might find him here. I really need to talk to him,” I said, trying to sound desperate, like I needed my next hit.

  “He ain’t here, but you can come in. I can help you out with anything you need. In fact I insist,” he said opening the door wider and reaching for my arm.

  I jerked away from his grasp and took a step back.

  “No, that’s okay. Just tell him that Katie stopped by. When do you think he’ll be back?” I asked, hoping he’d tell me that he was staying there.

  “Girl, if you come in, we can talk about it. I ain’t giving you anything until you give me something first,” he said grabbing his crotch. His face was angry again. “Get in here, so we can talk!”

  “Thanks, but just tell him that Katie stopped by, okay?” I said and walked away quickly.

  “Whatever, bitch!” he yelled and slammed the door shut.

  I jumped into the Jeep and Derek drove away. I told him our exact conversation and that I couldn’t see whether Cory was in there or not.

  “That guy was scary,” I told Derek. “His eyes were evil, and I have no doubt he would have hurt me, had I gone in.”

  “Thank you for doing that. You’ve been a big help in this. I appreciate it. And remember you can tell me if you aren’t comfortable doing anything okay?”

  “Okay. I wasn’t too scared. I knew you had my back,” I said with a weak smile.

  We went back to the hospital and spent a couple hours in Kelly’s room with the family. Kelly had opened her eyes a little longer and a little wider today. Everyone was so grateful. She tried to say, “Hi,” but her voice was really hoarse. We cheered for her efforts and told her not to push herself. The nurse came in and told us she needed to rest for a while, so we left for lunch. We all met at Pizza Hut and decided on the buffet. Derek and I told his parents and Kendall about our meeting this morning with Cory’s brother Kyle.

  “Be careful around him,” Kendall said. “Kelly told me that he scared her the first time she met him, too. Kelly never talked a lot about Cory and what they did together. She closed right up after they met, and she was never home anymore. I do remember her saying that she’d met his brother, though, and that he was scary.”

  “Did she ever say anything else about him or any other friends that he had?” Derek asked Kendall.

  “No. I told you everything I know, which isn’t a lot. After she met him she was always gone. That’s why I called Mom and told her that we needed to get her away from him. Everyone on campus knows he’s into meth. He buys, uses, and sells it. But that’s all I know.”

  “Okay, but if you remember, or hear anything, even the tiniest detail, I want to know about it. Every little bit helps,” he said, reaching out and rubbing his sister’s back.

  We all finished eating and parted ways for the day. Derek told his mom that we probably wouldn’t be back to the hospital tonight, but he would be there first thing in the morning. After we got back in the Jeep, I asked Derek what his thoughts were for the rest of the day. He leaned back in his seat, and stared out the window, gently shaking his head.

  “I don’t know. I really want to go searching for this guy, but I’m crossing a lot of lines and I don’t want to get caught by the Morris P.D. I just can’t sit here and do nothing though. I’m going to swing by the department quick and see if any new information has come through, then we’ll go from there.”

  He put the Jeep in gear and pulled out of the lot. When we arrived I told him I’d wait in the car. I needed to call my landscaper and reschedule or let him know that I wouldn’t be around. Derek went in. I scanned through my contacts until I found the number for C.S. Landscaping.

  “Yes, who is this?” The same rushed, Mexican voice from the first time answered.

  “Hi, this is Sara Martin calling. I had an appointment to get my yard done. A family emergency cam
e up, and I’m not home. I’ll be out of town for a few days, so I need to reschedule,” I told him.

  “No, no! You don’t need reschedule lady. You out of town, not your trees. Ha ha ha! I send my men to clean your yard. You pay me when you get back to town. You pay in cash or credit. Yes?

  “Ah … okay. Yes.”

  “Ha, ha. Okay, lady, bye,” he said and disconnected.

  I was laughing too by the time I hung up the phone. He was funny. I couldn’t wait to see what he looked like. I sent a text to Blake to confirm our dinner meeting and told him I’d have to be done by 8:30 p.m. He immediately responded: “Yes, that’s fine, looking forward to it.” Then I called Kat and told her to pick me up Saturday at Applebee’s and I was hers for the evening after 8:30 p.m., but I didn’t get a response back from her. Derek jumped back in and seemed annoyed.

  “Well, nothing’s happening here. It makes me so mad. They got three guys in there talking about the case, but only one officer out there actually looking for Cory.” He threw the Jeep into drive and swung a left out of the lot. “I don’t know what else to do besides go look for him. My ideas have run out, so we’re going to sit outside his brother’s apartment.”

  “That’s fine with me, I’ll do whatever you want to help out,” I said. We drove to the neighborhood and circled the block. Derek parked the Jeep adjacent to the apartment and shut it off. The blinds on the patio door were open and the lights were on inside. The TV was flashing pictures. “I don’t see Kyle,” I said.

  “Me either. Someone’s there, though.”

  “What are you going to do if he shows up?” I asked.

  “Sit here and watch him until the cops get here. The most I could do, legally, is a citizen’s arrest, but I’d want the force here for back up anyway if he showed up. If he and his brother are on meth, I’m not taking them on alone,” he told me while staring out the window.

  About two hours later, Derek looked over to me and slapped my leg, waking me up.

  “Well, sweetness, this isn’t doing it for me. How about we go get some dinner and head back to the hotel and check out the hot tub.”

  “Yeah, that sounds great,” I said wiping my eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “It’s okay. You didn’t miss much,” he told me with a smile.

  We went back to the Holiday Inn to change into nicer clothes and freshen up. Then we went to Chili’s and ate some really good Mexican food and drank margaritas. While we were eating, I told Derek about my conversations with the Mexican landscaper. He got a kick out of it. The food was great, but I was a little concerned about my swim suit fitting after the big platter I’d finished.

  Back at the hotel we changed into our suits. Derek grabbed the room key and two towels, and we headed to the hot tub. There was an older man and a young couple with a lot of piercings in there already. Other than that, the place was pretty quiet. Derek tossed the towels on the table to the right, where we also dropped our flip flops. Derek stepped in first and slid onto the bench under the water. I stepped down two steps and had to wait a moment and get used to the hot water.

  Everyone was looking at me. The older man was smiling sweetly, and the Goth couple were just staring. I looked over to Derek who gave me a come-here head nod. I smiled, and went to take another step towards him, and completely missed the step. I went under with a huge splash. A few seconds later, I found my footing and came up for a breath, trying not to look panicked. I was mortified! I thought I’d make it look like I’d planned it, so I came up with my head back and smoothed my hair out, then I squeezed the water out and fluffed it up quick.

  “Awww, feels great,” I said to Derek as I sat down.

  He looked at me in shock, then smiled a close-lipped smile and looked away. I couldn’t see his face but his shoulders were shaking. I looked around the pool and everyone’s eyes were huge.

  “Nice try, sweetness,” Derek said and everyone busted out laughing. I shrugged. “Only you,” he said.

  It was true. I was an accident waiting to happen. We stayed in there for about an hour, then stopped by the bar for a night cap to bring back to our room. When the drinks were gone, we snuggled into bed and talked about the next day’s plans, then fell asleep.

  Friday morning I woke up and went with Derek to the hospital. Kelly was sitting up and trying to talk. She was alert and recognized us when we walked in. Derek went up and gave her a big hug. She said hi in a rough voice. Derek introduced us, and she waved a small wave. Derek’s parents were both there too.

  “This is Sara. She was there that night and saw the whole thing happen. She called 911,” his mom said.

  I looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

  “I heard. Thank you,” Kelly said to me, strained.

  “No thanks needed. I’m just so glad you’re alive and that you’re doing so well. You look great today,” I told her. She smiled.

  Kathy told us that the doctors were going to take the feeding tube out in a little while, and that they said her vitals looked great and if they stayed that way, tomorrow they would start physical therapy. They expected a full recovery, but weren’t sure how long it would take until they see what she can do on her own. The numerous wounds from the bullet entry were healing nicely and there was no sign of infection anywhere in her body.

  We left around 11:00 a.m., so that Kelly could rest, and went to Perkin’s for lunch with Doug and Kathy. Kendall was at work all day so she wasn’t there, and Derek’s brother and his family weren’t coming up until the next day. Doug told us that he was driving back that night to sleep in his own bed for a couple nights because his back was really acting up. Kathy was going to stay a couple more days and then just stop in for visits as Kelly got stronger. They had no idea if it would be days or months. Everyone was kind of in the same boat, and it was a long drive back. At least Kendall was close by so she could stop over daily and keep us posted.

  When we were done eating and had said our goodbyes, I drove with Derek back to the Holiday Inn and packed my things. My plan was to go to my apartment, do some cleaning, and then get ready for my meeting with Blake and my night out with Kat. I told Derek goodbye, loaded all my stuff into my Jeep, and drove back to Bloomington. The apartment looked the same as when I’d left it, but it needed fresh air. I went from room to room and opened the windows all the way, then turned the heat up. It was sixty-two outside, and sunny but windy.

  I turned the radio on and got out the cleaning supplies. The place wasn’t dirty, but things needed to be wiped down and the toilet scrubbed. After I finished with that, I jumped into the shower. As I was toweling off, I heard my phone ringing in the dining room. I wrapped a towel around me and ran and answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl! It’s Tannya. How are ya, love?” she asked.

  “I’m good,” I said nervously.

  “I’m calling ’cause Faith keeps throwing up. Every time she eats, she pukes. It’s doesn’t bother me none, but I wanted to be sure that I shouldn’t be concerned about her health. Does she normally throw up a lot?” she asked.

  “Oh, no! No, she’s never thrown up. There must be something wrong with her. Is she still playful or does she seem weak?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call her playful. She walks around but mostly just wants to lie on my lap and be petted.”

  “That’s not like her at all. I think I need to bring her to the vet to be looked at. Shoot! I’m in the Cities and just getting ready to go to a meeting and out with a friend. Man,” I whined, “how am I going to do this?”

  “Well, honey, I’ve got nothing going on for the next two days, including tonight. If you give me a place to stay tonight, I’ll bring your cat down to ya,” she told me.

  “Really? You’d drive all that way?”

  “On one condition,” she said in a sly tone.

  “Anything. You name it.”

  “You bring me with you on your outing tonight, and buy me one of them fancy drinks in the martini cups.”


  “Ha, ha, ha. You got it! I will buy you all the drinks you want. You can stay with me here at my apartment and I’ll pay for your gas here and back. Thank you so much, Tannya! This means the world to me! I’ll call the vet and get an appointment first thing in the morning.”

  I gave her directions to my apartment and told her I’d leave a key with Jamie, the manager. I told her I’d come pick her up after my business meeting and take her out with me and Kat. She was very excited. This will be interesting, I thought as I hung up.

  I called an after-hours vet and got a Saturday appointment for Faith. I felt bad for her, and wondered if she was scared and missed me and that’s why she was throwing up.

  After I finished my hair and makeup, I dressed in a satin, v-neck, sleeveless shirt and strappy, black high heels. I added jewelry and a wide belt to complete the look. I threw my purse over my shoulder and ran out the door. I was running late, so I hoped Blake was too.

  Chapter Twelve

  I heard my phone ring and picked up to Derek’s voice. “Hey. Kelly’s doing fine. The family’s all heading home for the night. I’m going to come back to my apartment for the weekend. There’s not much going on here, and I need to show my face at work. What are you doing tonight?” he asked.

  “I’m headed to a meeting right now. Then Kat and I are going out.”

  “A meeting? What kind of meeting?” he asked in his cop voice.

  “A monthly meeting with my financial adviser,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah, I think I remember that from last time. You were three martinis in by the time I saw you back at your apartment.”

  “Yuppers, that’s the one.”

  Awkward.

  “So are you staying out all night?”

  “I don’t know yet. Tannya is bringing my sick cat to me as we speak, and she’s going to join Kat and me, too.”