by J A Whiting
The young woman and the two cats left the family room together and Angie went to the foyer to wait for Jenna and Mr. Finch.
Angie, Jenna, and Mr. Finch were ushered into the conference room of the police station to wait for the chief and they took seats around the old scuffed table under the unnatural brightness of the harsh, fluorescent lights.
Mr. Finch hung the crook of his cane over the table top. “The unpleasantness of this room makes me want to confess to whatever I’m being accused of just so they’ll move me elsewhere.”
“I think that’s the reason it’s like this in here, so they’ll get a quick confession from the suspect.” Jenna removed her coat and joked, “If the chief accuses you of anything, demand a lawyer … and some softer lighting.”
“I heard that.” Chief Martin swept into the room and closed the door behind him. He sat down at the head of the table. His eyelids drooped at the corners. “The commissioner is on me like a bad smell. We’re running another search group of volunteers and officers through the woods off the road between Silver Cove and Mission River. That area was searched the day after Ryan Allen went missing, but we’re doing it again. Someone called in saying they saw someone wrapped in a sleeping bag out there and the guy took off when he was approached. I doubt it has anything to do with Ryan, but another search will appease the commissioner.”
“Why did you ask us to come in?” Jenna asked. “Do you need us at the search?”
“No, no.” The chief looked at Angie. “Did you talk to Mr. Finch?”
“Oh. No. Not yet.” The call from the chief came in before Angie had a chance to talk to Finch about taking a look at the ring.
The chief folded his big hands over his leather folder and turned his attention to the older man.
“What do you need?” Finch asked. “I’ll be glad to do whatever it is you need.”
“Thank you, Mr. Finch.” The chief cleared his throat before going on. Clearing his throat had become a habit whenever he was about to mention anything paranormal. It was as if the strangeness of the out-of-normal abilities caused the very words to stick in his throat. “Angie had the idea earlier this afternoon to have you take a look at the ring that was recovered at the scene of Ryan Allen’s car. We thought it might help if you had a look at … or touched the item.” The chief pushed his shoulders back and moved a bit in his seat, clearly uncomfortable talking about things he was unsure of. When discussing “skills,” he often stumbled with his words trying to choose the correct phrasing necessary to get his thoughts across.
Finch gave a nod. “I’d be happy to help, Chief Martin.”
Relief washed over the chief’s face. “May I get it? Are you able to do it now?”
Mr. Finch nodded and the chief left the room to get the ring from the evidence lockers.
“I didn’t have a chance to bring it up with you.” Angie faced Mr. Finch. “I was going to talk to you about it at dinner. Then the chief called and asked us to come down. I got flustered that they might have found Ryan’s body or something and the ring slipped my mind.”
“Not to worry, Miss Angie. I’m very happy to be of service.” Finch smiled. “In fact, this afternoon’s lovely musical interlude has me feeling refreshed which perhaps may influence my skill to have clearer access to any available impressions from the ring.”
No one other than the Roselands would have any idea what Mr. Finch was talking about, but to Jenna and Angie, the man’s meaning was as clear as a bell.
Chief Martin returned with the evidence bag, a piece of plastic that looked like a placemat, and two pairs of surgical gloves. He pulled the gloves over his hands and then handed the other pair to Mr. Finch who put them on. The chief placed the plastic mat in front of Finch and reached for the bag containing the ring. He unzipped it and gently put the ring on the mat. “There it is.”
Everyone stared at the object as if it might rise into the air or maybe, get up and leave the room of its own accord.
“So.” The chief swallowed and raised his eyes to Finch. “Is there anything I should do?”
“Would it be possible to lower the lights?”
“Um. They’re not on a dimmer.” The chief looked about the room.
Finch asked softly. “Could we switch off the bank of lights directly above us?”
Chief Martin hurried to the light switches and flicked some of them to create a darker environment. He looked to Finch for approval.
“Very nice.” Finch moved his eyes to the ring.
Angie, Jenna, and Chief Martin slid their chairs to cluster in a corner of the room so as not to distract or interfere with what Mr. Finch was trying to manage. Several quiet minutes went by.
Mr. Finch picked up the ring and closed his hand over it. He shut his eyes and began to breathe slowly and deeply to calm his mind and open it to what might come. The chief’s own breathing began to match the older man’s rhythmic breaths and Angie thought the quiet and unhurried breathing might be good for the man’s stress level.
After ten minutes, Mr. Finch gasped and Angie and Jenna leapt to their feet to rush to the man, but then stopped themselves, understanding that Finch was in no danger and should not be roused from whatever he was experiencing. Keeping close watch on the man for any further signs of distress, the girls sat back down.
During the next few minutes, Finch alternated between shifting around in his seat, gripping the table, and leaning forward at an awkward angle as if he were experiencing a troubling dream. Suddenly, his body jerked and his eyes flew open.
Angie and Jenna jumped up and hurried to him. Angie knelt at his side. “Are you okay, Mr. Finch?”
Finch still clutched the ring in his hand. The chief eased the man’s fingers open and removed the object from Finch’s grasp.
Drops of sweat rolled down the side of the older man’s temple. His breathing was rough and ragged. The chief hurried to get a glass of water for him. Jenna gently patted Finch’s hand.
“Just take easy breaths.” Angie’s soothing voice reassured Finch that he was safe and encouraged him to relax.
Finch sipped the water and then held the glass against his temple. “Much better now.” He set the glass on the table and rubbed his right shoulder. “Yes. I’m able to tell you now. Can we leave the lights off just a bit longer?”
Jenna, Angie, and the chief gathered around the dark table.
“I was in Ryan’s car. It jerked and bumped and it felt like the tires left the ground for a moment. Then we hit with a great force which tossed us about in our seats and then we rolled down the hill and came to an abrupt stop. It was difficult to see anything … mostly I experienced the sensations without being able to make out any images.” Finch paused for a few breaths. “I could hear a phone ringing waiting to be picked up. I heard a young man’s voice curse and then the phone ringing to be picked up again. Someone answered. A young man’s voice explained his situation and asked to be picked up. The call ended. A car door opened and closed. I heard voices, two voices this time. The tone became angry, there was a fight.” Finch looked off across the room. “I woke up.”
“So Ryan had a fight with someone.” Jenna watched Finch’s face.
“It seems so.” Finch spoke haltingly, he seemed to be processing slowly, drained of energy.
“That opens other questions,” Chief Martin said.
“The ring must have fallen off Ryan’s finger in the fight.” Angie rubbed Finch’s hand.
“Yes.” Mr. Finch’s eyes were only half open. “The ring came off in the fight. But….” He coughed and took another sip of water. He raised his tired eyes to the people hovering around him. “But the ring didn’t fall off Ryan’s finger. It fell off the other person.”
Angie’s jaw dropped.
It wasn’t Ryan’s ring.
14
Mr. Finch sat at the kitchen table cutting up tomatoes on the small cutting board Ellie had put in front of him. There was a teacup and a pot of tea on the table and a small plate of chocolate bisc
uits. Courtney had brought in a cashmere blanket and placed it over the man’s legs. She put a small pillow behind him in the chair so it fit snugly against the small of his back.
Finch had wanted to be useful in preparing the dinner and even though everyone assured him that he had done enough that day to be helpful when he was at the police station, they gave him the chopping task to make him happy. Circe had curled up in Finch’s lap and Euclid sat in the kitchen chair next to Finch pretending to supervise the chopping, but in reality, was watching to be sure that the man did not overdo.
“What more could anyone wish for? I am warm and happy. I have a purpose. And I am surrounded by the people,” Finch looked down at the cats, “and the felines that I love. I am blessed.”
“You mentioned the word love.” Courtney was at the stove preparing the rice for dinner. She turned and gave Finch a wink. “Then you’d better mention Betty, too, Mr. Finch, even though she isn’t here at the moment.”
Finch’s eyes sparkled. “And I have Miss Betty in my life. I am a most fortunate man.”
Angie was making two pies, a blueberry and a lemon meringue. Reaching for the cream of tartar, she said, “We’re lucky to have you as well, Mr. Finch. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“And your skills.” Jenna worked at the stove warming the falafel patties. The group had decided that dinner would have a Greek theme which was really only due to the ingredients that were available in the refrigerator. “Your abilities have been crucial many times in uncovering important clues.”
“It was most disturbing to discover that the ring that Circe found did not belong to Ryan Allen.” Finch frowned. “It means that someone was there with Ryan and the argument I heard when holding the ring probably actually happened.”
“Which brings up the question … was Ryan hurt in the fight?” Courtney stirred the mixture in the pot and turned down the flame.
Ellie sliced a cucumber for the yogurt-cucumber sauce. She held the knife suspended in the air for a moment. “Or,” Ellie hesitated. “Was Ryan killed in the fight?” A shudder ran through her body.
Although Angie had held out hope that Ryan was alive and unhurt, her optimism was beginning to wane. “Alive or not, we need to find him.” Determination caused Angie to stand taller with her shoulders thrown back. “Let’s review what we know. Ryan hung out with Henry that night. They parted ways and on the way home, Ryan’s car went off the road and into a ditch. Chief Martin said that records indicate that Ryan made texts to Henry, but it is unknown if Henry saw them. Ryan also made a call to a prepaid phone and the person who answered the call was in Silver Cove. The call lasted about a minute.”
Courtney added some information. “Ryan also called his parents to come and get him. He was mistaken about where he was and the parents couldn’t find him.”
Jenna said, “Mr. Allen got annoyed from driving around and around without being able to locate his son. The Allens were talking to Ryan as he walked to meet them.”
Mr. Finch finished the chopping. “The young man cursed and the call ended. Perhaps he cursed because he was frustrated with his parents. He may have hung up on them.”
“Or,” Courtney offered. “Ryan saw someone or met someone on the road that he wasn’t thrilled to see. He cursed about it and ended the call with his parents.”
“There were two voices, both male.” Mr. Finch recalled what he’d sensed when he held the ring. “An argument ensued. The ring came off of the other person and Circe found it when we were called to the scene.”
Jenna thought things over. “So either Ryan had someone in the car with him or he met someone as he walked along the road.”
“The person must have been someone he knew because that person was wearing the vine ring,” Courtney said. “So that narrows down the suspects.”
Angie’s eyes brightened. “We need to have the chief ask Mrs. Allen where the ring was purchased. Then we can visit the jeweler and ask if the ring was custom made or not, and how many the jeweler might have made and sold.” Reaching for her phone, she sent the text to Chief Martin.
Jenna smiled. “Maybe we can even get the jeweler to tell us who bought the ring.”
“Definitely worth a try.” Mr. Finch wiped his hands on the towel Ellie had brought to him. She carried away the tomatoes and placed them in a serving bowl.
Courtney took the falafels out of the oven and tipped the baking sheet so they would slip onto a serving platter. Syrian bread and wheat wraps were arranged in a wicker basket and there were five decorative bowls containing the yogurt-cucumber dip, shredded lettuce, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and feta cheese. The four sisters carried the food into the family room and set the items on the buffet table near the windows. Ellie had already placed a stack of blue and white plates, silverware, and napkins at one end of the side table next to the large bowl of rice. Glasses and a pitcher of ice water with slices of lemons and limes had been set on placemats on the buffet.
The family picked up plates and constructed their falafel wraps with toppings of their choice.
“Smells delicious.” Courtney made two wraps bursting with the tasty items.
When everyone had traveled along the buffet and had settled on the sofas and chairs with snack tables set up close by the seats, discussion continued about the case.
Angie bit into her wrap and a bit of the yogurt dip dripped onto her plate. “If we can find her, I’d like to talk to Ryan’s former girlfriend, Charlotte Breeze. Who knows if she could shed any light on things?”
“Anything’s worth a try at this point.” Jenna dabbed her lips with her napkin. “This is yum.”
“What about speaking more with Mr. Darren?” Finch gave a piece of falafel to each cat. Euclid preferred that his piece not have any yogurt sauce on it. “He has known Ryan for a long time. He might know something, even if it seems inconsequential to him, that could shed some light on things.”
“You’re right, Mr. Finch.” Ellie got up to pour some water into her glass. “We have all been charmed by Darren. Maybe we should be more cautious with him. Maybe we need to ask him some hard questions.”
Courtney’s eyebrow shot up. “I wasn’t expecting that from you. You usually don’t want to get involved with this stuff.”
“A young man is missing,” Ellie sniffed. “What in the world has happened to him? It bothers me terribly.”
The cats looked up, turned their heads to the door, and trilled. Tom’s voice was heard in the hall. “Where is everyone?” The cats flew out of the room to greet the man.
Jenna stood up and went to the doorway to peek into the hall. Beaming a wide smile, she hugged her fiancé, took his hand and led him to the buffet table in the family room. “I bet you’re hungry.”
“Smells great.” Tom greeted the family and proceeded to the table to make a plate for himself. “I have good news. The carriage house is on track to be finished by the end of next week. The crew finished up early at another job and those guys are coming here starting tomorrow to help out. So the timeline has changed for the good.”
“Maybe you and Jenna should move into one of the apartments when they’re done,” Courtney suggested.
The pretty diamond of her engagement ring sparkled when Jenna put her hand on Tom’s arm. “We’ll have to talk about it.”
Ellie said, “Well, the price is right. It would be free to live there.” She looked at Tom. “Maybe you could sell your house and then use some of those funds to speed up the renovations on the new house. It might be a financially smart move.”
The renovations on the house Tom and Jenna had bought were moving at a glacial pace and the two of them were getting impatient for their wedding.
“I think you might be right about that.” Tom smiled at the lovely brunette sitting next to him. After complimenting the family members for putting together such a delicious dinner, he asked, “Anything new with the case?”
They took turns filling Tom in on the recent developments.
“Any thoughts?” Jenna glanced at her sweetie.
“Well.” Tom put his plate on the snack table and sat back against the sofa cushion. “Is anyone speaking to the former band mates of Vine?”
Angie gave a nod. “The police are interviewing some of them. If anything comes up, Chief Martin will ask us to talk to them, too.”
“What about the friend? Henry.” Tom rubbed his forehead. “Could he know more than he’s saying?”
“Why do you bring him up?” Courtney cocked her head.
Tom reached for his plate. “Louisa told Angie that her sister dated Henry and thought he was a pain, kind of controlling, always monitoring her. A person like that seems like he might focus closely on details. Henry might know some details that he thinks nothing of, but could lead to some clues. Maybe you should talk to him again.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Angie thought over what Tom had said. There was something about Henry that made Angie think that he was holding back on some things. Another chat certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Angie’s phone buzzed. “It’s Chief Martin. He has the name of the jewelry store where Mrs. Allen bought the ring. It’s in Silver Cove.”
Jenna gave Angie a wink. “I’ve been wanting to visit that jewelry store in Silver Cove. I’d like to bring them some samples of my designs, see if they might like to carry some of my work.”
“Maybe we should go there tomorrow?” Angie smiled.
The cats stood up and trilled.
15
Jenna drove her old bomb of a car north towards Silver Cove with her twin sister sitting in the passenger seat. Angie looked out the window at the frozen landscape. Even though winter had never been her favorite time of year, she had to admire the beauty of the frosted tree limbs and silvery dusted grass sparkling in the afternoon light.
“Where could Ryan be, Jenna?” Angie almost shivered imaging Ryan somewhere out in the icy woods. “He can’t be hurt or wandering around in this weather. He wouldn’t survive the cold.”