Louder Than Words

by Brett Baker

  “Hi, is Cooper Oswalt here?”

  The man on the other side of the door smiled, opened the door to reveal that he wore nothing but a pair of navy blue boxer briefs, and said, “I’m Cooper. How can I help you?” He punctuated the final word as if to imply he could have chosen from any one of millions of women to help, but he’d bestowed the honor of his help upon me. The woman at the gas station was right. He was attractive in a sort of boyish, too-young-for-me-but-still-cute sort of way. He was probably used to college women who deemed him worthy of attention, or older women who swooned because he paid attention to them. Despite his glowing smile, intense blue eyes, and chiseled body, I’d brushed off men better looking than him, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that.

  Instead I smiled and asked, “I’m sorry, did I catch you on the way into the shower? You can go get a robe if you’d like. I’ll wait.”

  Cooper laughed, and said, “No, I was just in bed. I hadn’t left the bed yet, but I had a feeling I’d find a pretty lady at the door, so I came running.”

  I ignored his words, and looked to my right where his car was parked next to the garage in the distance. “Is that your car out there? The orange one?”

  The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a look of intense alarm. He stepped toward me, and as I stepped out of the way he looked toward the garage. “Yeah, that’s my car. I thought I left it at the bar last night, but I guess someone brought it home for me. I don’t know. I got a ride home. I think. It’s all sort of a blur.” He looked at me, and I could see the moment on his face when he worried that he might be in trouble. “I didn’t drive it home. I’m sure of that. A couple of ladies gave me a ride home. Two blondes. One with short hair, and one with long hair. I can probably get their names if you need them.”

  Cooper was rambling, and it seemed it hadn’t occurred to him to wait to see what I wanted.

  “That makes sense. I just drove your car here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I drove myself here in your car, parked it next to the garage, and then rang your doorbell.”

  “How’d you get my car?”

  “I found it on the side of the road. I waited to see if anyone was going to claim it, but no one did, so I took it. The keys were inside, in the visor.”

  “On the side of the road? By Miller’s?”

  “I don’t know. What’s Miller’s?”

  “The bar. Out there on highway 19, right by the city limits. That’s where I went last night, and the ladies brought me home. I left my car there. That must have been where you got it. But why not just leave it there? Seems sorta crazy driving it here.”

  “Actually, truth-be-told, I was going to steal it. I’m in between cars.” I chuckled, as if I told him something I hadn’t planned to tell him, and was now unsure whether I’d done the right thing. “I had my eye on this when I left my room, and saw it on the side of the road. So I planned to steal it, but then the lady at the gas station told me it might belong to you, and that your dad’s loaded – which is obvious just looking at the house – so I figured maybe if I returned the car you might offer a reward. That way I’d get a little cash, but also avoid being arrested.”

  “Always good to avoid jail, I suppose. There’s no reward for the car, but if you want to come inside I’m sure we can work something out.” He took a step back to give me room to come inside. He smiled at me, as if that were the key to unlocking my acquiescence to his suggestion.

  “That’s not what I had in mind,” I said. I giggled and looked away, again playing up the flighty airheadedness I assumed he desired. “It’s a really nice car. I haven’t seen another one like it. And I did take a chance in bringing it to you. I could have been stopped.”

  “I’m not giving you a reward for not stealing my car,” he said, showing a bit of irritation.

  “Fine.” I looked to my left and to my right, as if deciding what to do next, and muttered under my breath, “I knew I should have just stolen it.”

  “That would have been a bad move,” he said. “That’s not the sort of car that won’t be missed, and I’m not the kind of guy to let something like that slide.”

  “I guess I’m lucky I didn’t steal it then. Since you’re not giving me a reward, can you at least give me a ride back to my hotel? I’m not sure I could find my way back on foot, and even if I could I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s fine,” Cooper said. “Come on inside and let me get dressed.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll just wait here until you’re ready.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said, without trying to mask his irritation that I had rebuffed him yet again.

  I sat on the top step and rested my elbows on my knees as I waited for him to return. I thought Cooper was one of the stiffs back in my room, but since he still had a pulse I hoped he might help me make sense of what happened in my motel room.

  Chapter 10

  “Not many women say no to me,” Cooper said, as he turned onto highway 19, gunning Jack’s engine, squealing tires, and cutting off a truck in the left lane. The car accelerated so quickly that it pinned me back against the seat for an instant. At first I thought Cooper’s aggressive driving might stem from being denied, but then I remembered the lady at the gas station mentioned that testosterone, rather than brains, fueled his driving.

  “I’m sure that’s not a word you hear often from anyone,” I said. “That’s too bad. It builds character.”

  “I’ve got enough fucking character,” he said. “What hotel are you staying in?”

  “The Pioneer,” I said, naming another hotel I remembered passing when I first arrived in town.

  “That place is a fucking dump. Why don’t you come back and stay with me?”

  “You’re nothing if not persistent,” I said. “How about you just drive me to the motel and stop trying to get me in bed?” He glanced in my direction, shook his head in disbelief, and then turned his attention back to the road. “Do you smoke?”

  “No. Do you think I’m an idiot?” I assumed he meant that as a rhetorical question, and since I needed his help, I declined to answer.

  “I ask because there were three packs of cigarettes in the center console when I got in the car. They’re not yours?”

  “What brand?”

  “Two Marlboro red, short, and Camel, no filter.”

  “Sorry, can’t help you there. Maybe the ladies smoke. I don’t think so though. They never smell like smoke. And those are dude cigarettes.”

  “Who are these ladies that you think brought you home? Friends of yours?”

  “What do you care? Are you jealous?”

  I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at this guy’s never-ending narcissism. “No, I’m not jealous. I’m just making conversation. Do you know them?”

  “I guess so.”

  “You guess so? That’s a half-ass answer if I’ve ever heard one.”

  “It’s not like we’re lifelong friends. They’re drinking buddies. I met them up there last night. They matched me drink-for-drink, which isn’t easy to do. I can drink most people under the table, but they hung with me. I did a body shot off of Jenny’s stomach. Well, I think that was her name. I’m not really sure. Jenny. Jamie. Something like that. Anyway, that’s the last thing I remember until you woke me up.”

  “Were they alone? They didn’t have two guys with them?”

  “I didn’t see anyone with them. I was on my second beer by the time they arrived, and they came in alone. Why are you asking so many questions? Are you a cop or something?”

  “Yeah, I’m a cop staying at the Pioneer. Does that make sense to you Cooper?” He looked at me and then back at the road. “Why aren’t you asking questions? I think if I didn’t remember how I got home, and some lady I didn’t know showed up at my door and told me she had my car, I’d ask a lot of questions.”

  “I guess I’m just not the inquisitive type,” he said.

  “I’
m shocked,” I said, my voice thick with sarcasm.

  He pulled into the parking lot of the Pioneer, and asked, “What room are you?”

  “Just drop me at the office. I have to extend my room for a couple more days, and I want to see if I have any messages.”

  “So you were planning to leave town, but now that you met me you figure you’ll stick around a bit? I’m not surprised.”

  “I’m sure you’re not,” I said. “You’re not correct either, but I suspect you don’t really care about that, do you?”

  “I like hard to get,” Cooper said. “Sometimes the pursuit is the best part.”

  Cooper stopped in front of the office, and I opened the car door. “Thanks for the ride. I’m glad you have your car back. Try to keep an eye on it next time. And if you change your mind about the reward, let me know.”

  “How am I supposed to let you know?” he asked. “I don’t even know your number.”

  “You don’t need it,” I said. “You know where to find me. I’m not holding my breath anyway. I’ve known guys like you my whole life. Gratitude isn’t your strong suit.”

  “Don’t be so sure. I might surprise.”

  “No, you won’t. Thanks for the ride.”

  I closed the door and walked into the office. A portly man with a balding head of long hair, and the thickest neck beard I’ve ever seen greeted me. “Do you need a room?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, and slid it across the counter. “But I do need you to tell me when that car pulls away and leaves the parking lot.”

  “Everything okay?” the man asked. “We don’t like any trouble here. If he’s causing you trouble then I’ll just call the cops and let them sort it out.” He took a step toward a forty-year-old telephone that hung on the wall.

  “No, no, no, nothing like that,” I said, grabbing his hand. “No trouble. Just annoyance, really. When he’s gone, he’s gone. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to come back.”

  The man gave me a side-eye, looked out the window toward the parking lot, and then said, “He’s gone. You’re sure there’s no trouble?”

  “None at all,” I said. “But just to be safe, is there a back door I can leave through?”

  “Sure, come around this way.” The man led me through a set of double-swinging doors that would have looked more at home in a saloon in the 1870s, then down a long hallway until we reached a wooden door with a round porthole. He undid the deadbolt and chain, opened the door, and said, “There’s dense woods back there. Three-quarters of a mile until you reach the next road. You’ll have no problem getting lost back there, if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

  “Something like that,” I said. “Thanks.”

  Chapter 11

  Cooper drove by Miller’s and saw nothing but an empty parking lot. He didn’t know what he was looking for. The two women from the night before were long gone, and anyone else from the bar who might help him remember how he got home, or who took his car, wouldn’t return for a few more hours.

  He drove back to the Pioneer, and rolled past the office at a snail’s pace, hoping to see me inside. I was long gone though, so he left and returned home, parking his car in the same space that I had. As soon as he entered the house, his dad greeted him in the foyer.

  “Have you been out all night?” he asked. “You look like shit.” As usual, his dad, Dirk, an authoritative man with a deep voice, chiseled jaw, and cold eyes, gave Cooper a few seconds of his time before turning his attention elsewhere. He walked past Cooper and into the library on the other side of the foyer.

  “No, I slept here last night,” Cooper said. “I wasn’t out that late. I just had to give someone a ride.”

  “Someone?” his dad asked. “Who was the object of your desire last night? Anyone I know?”

  “I doubt it. I don’t even know her. She just showed up this morning, so I gave her a ride back to her hotel.”

  “What do you mean she showed up this morning?” Dirk asked. “Have you got some sort of fatal attraction situation happening?”

  “No, I hadn’t met her before this morning. She drove my car here. Picked it up at Miller’s last night, and someone told her it belonged to me, so she drove it over here. She was hoping for a reward, but I set her straight on that.”

  “What do you mean she found it at Miller’s? How do you know that?”

  “That’s where I left it,” Cooper said. “A couple of other ladies gave me a ride home. I was going to go back this morning to pick it up, but she brought it to me. Since she dropped it off I gave her a ride back.”

  Dirk stood up from his chair behind the large oak desk on which dozens of papers were always arranged in a sort of organized chaos that he protected. Everyone in the house understood the longstanding rule against touching anything on his desk. He walked around to the front of the desk, and looked Cooper in the eye, which caught the young man off-guard, since his father rarely gave him so much attention.

  “Who is this woman?”

  “I don’t know. I told you everything I know about her. She found my car.”

  “What’s her name?” Cooper looked at his father, and then looked at the floor. “You don’t know her name?” Cooper didn’t respond. His father threw his arms into the air. “A woman knocks on your door, tells you that she has your car, you give her a ride back to her hotel, and it never occurs to you to ask her name?”

  “It didn’t seem important,” Cooper said.

  “It didn’t seem important? A complete stranger violates your privacy like that, and you can’t even be bothered to ask her name? For the love of God, Cooper, you’re so fucking stupid sometimes I can’t stand it. That woman could be setting you up for something.”

  “If she were setting me up for something she wouldn’t give me her real name anyway, so what difference does it make?”

  “What does she look like?” Dirk asked. “Or did you not look at her either?”

  “She’s got dark hair to her shoulders. Tan. Petite. Looks like she stays in shape, but not some weightlifting fiend. Probably around forty, but looks younger.”

  “Where is she staying?”

  “I dropped her off at the Pioneer. She said she was going to extend her stay for a couple of days. If you want to talk to her so bad you can track her down there. I got my car though, so I don’t know what you’re getting so fucking upset about!”

  “Forget it, Cooper. I’ll take care of it, as usual.”

  “There’s nothing to take care of! I know you think that every person outside of this house is a criminal who’s planning to steal from you or murder you, but that’s not the case. And the sooner you get over this ridiculous paranoia, the better.” Cooper left the room, slammed the door behind him, and went to his room, wondering whether a desire to drink so early in the morning indicated alcoholism.

  Dirk walked to the door, opened it to yell something at Cooper, but thought better of it and closed the door. He went back to the desk, picked up the phone receiver on his desk, and pounded seven digits with his finger. The phone rang three times before a man answered, sounding half-asleep.

  “Yes?”

  “I thought you said you were going to take care of her? Has that been postponed?”

  “Who is this?” the man said, sounding no more coherent.

  “Who the fuck do you think it is? Dirk Oswalt. Did you take care of the girl last night or not?”

  “Damnit. Right. As far as I know, yes. I sent two guys over there, and they assured me they’d take care of it. They had strict instructions to eliminate her, and then make sure no one finds her body. So if you’re worried that you haven’t heard anything about a murder, don’t be. She’s not from around here. If no one finds her body they won’t even know she’s dead until someone comes snooping around looking for her.”

  “Well a woman who looks an awful lot like her showed up at my doorstep this morning with my son’s car. And she’s staying at t
he Pioneer. So she’s obviously from out of town. Said she found his car out by Miller’s last night, which is entirely possible since that asshole has a weakness for women and alcohol.”

  “Oh shit,” the man on the other end of the phone said, full of dread.

  “What the fuck does that mean?” Dirk said, standing up from the chair that he’d sunk into.

  “Nothing. Never mind. Let me make a couple of calls and get a status update. I’m sure it’s fine. I have complete faith in these two.”

  “They’ve done this before?”

  “Not quite this, but they’re reliable. This is the biggest job I’ve given them, but they’re full of anger and motivated by money, so I’m sure they did just fine. Let me check and I’ll call you back when I confirm.”

  “I hope I didn’t ask too much of you with this. You assured me that I could trust you with this, and that you’d take care of it. It’s going to be quite unfortunate if that turns out not to be the case.”

  “Give me a few minutes to sort it out,” the man said, and hung up the phone before Dirk could say anything else.

  Dirk grabbed Cooper’s keys from the hook near the front door, and went outside. He unlocked Cooper’s car, opened the door, and examined the inside of the car. I had thrown away the beer cans when I stopped at the gas station in case I got pulled over. But the packs of cigarettes and the Zippo lighter remained in the center console. Dirk looked in the back seat, but found nothing. He looked under both front seats, half expecting to see a monitoring device, but nothing stood out. It occurred to him that he had no idea what he was looking for, and the likelihood of finding something obviously malignant seemed far-fetched. Still, he looked under the hood and opened the trunk. Part of him hoped not to see a dead body in the trunk, but at least then he’d have confirmation that the problem had been eliminated. The trunk was spotless though, and after a brief examination under the car that consisted of just kneeling down and trying to see the undercarriage, Dirk cursed and went back inside.