Gone without a Trace

by Patricia Bradley

  Livy walked into the noisy atmosphere of Johnny B’s and glanced around the half-full restaurant. She didn’t see Robyn. Her heart sank to her knees. What if the kidnapper had gotten her somehow? Stop it. Her cousin had to be in the back.

  Johnny B sat at his regular place by the cash register. She nodded at him. “Have you seen Sharon?” She’d almost said Robyn. Again. She’d be so glad when they closed this case.

  “She took a break.” He jerked his head toward the back.

  Livy pushed the swinging door open and then walked down a short hall to the small room where the employees’ lockers were. It was where they also went to put up their feet and rest. The room was empty except for Robyn. She sat at a table, her face pale, her eyes closed. She must know about the body. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  Robyn tossed an envelope on the table. “This was on the table when I came in for my break. I decided to talk about having a daughter, and I think this is the result.”

  So she didn’t know about the dead waitress. Livy used a napkin to pick up the envelope that looked the same as the one she’d seen at the sheriff’s office. “It’s from him?”

  “I think so. It’s similar to the one I received before.”

  Livy carefully extracted the note card and read the words. This is a warning. Make sure you heed it. Go home to your daughter. Quit the job at Johnny B’s or else.

  “We’ll run prints.”

  “He’s too smart to leave anything on the envelope or note. This is what we wanted, right?”

  Livy squeezed Robyn’s hands. “Yeah.”

  Robyn gave her a shaky smile. “One of the truckers came in, said they found a body in a black bag. Is it Samantha Jo?”

  “I don’t think so.” Livy looked away, back toward the swinging door.

  “You’re not telling me something.”

  Livy licked her dry lips. “How soon do you get off? Can you leave now?”

  Robyn shook her head. “One of the waitresses had to go home—stomach virus . . . along with the cook. I can’t leave Callie shorthanded.”

  “Okay. I’ll stick around until you get off. Have you learned anything today?”

  She took a shaky breath. “Johnny B doesn’t drive a semi anymore. I marked him off my list. And you don’t have to stick around. I heard him call Alex in to work. I’ll ride home with him.”

  Robyn had suspected Johnny B? “Talk to anyone else?”

  “Jason, at breakfast. He makes short runs, but mostly he likes to trap and stuff animals—as in a taxidermist.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did you ever see the place where he does it?”

  Livy nodded. “Yep. I think I went with you and Charlie once when we were kids. All those animals . . . still gives me the willies to think about it. Do you think Jason. . .”

  “Kidnapped me? I don’t know. I didn’t see a tattoo on his hands or his arms when he took his coat off and rolled up his sleeves.” She checked her watch. “He hasn’t been in for lunch yet, but he ate a late breakfast. You can question him and see what you think.”

  “Has he triggered any memories like riding in the semi did?”

  “No. Callie and Bobby Cook say he was in love with Samantha Jo, but I suppose he could have kidnapped her if she didn’t reciprocate his love—he is a little old for her.” She leaned forward. “You never did answer my question.”

  “I know.” Livy rubbed the tight muscles in her neck. “Wade thinks the body in the lake is a waitress.”

  Robyn sank back in the chair with her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes again.

  “Are you going to be sick?” Livy looked around for a washcloth or waste can.

  Robyn shook her head, still not speaking. After a minute, she opened her eyes. “Are you sure it isn’t the girl Alex is looking for?”

  “It’s not Samantha Jo,” Alex said from the doorway. “And you two really need to watch where you talk. I could hear you from down the hall. And the public restroom is just across the hallway.”

  Livy’s stomach dipped. She hadn’t thought that someone might overhear them. What if the kidnapper—now murderer—worked at Johnny B’s? She stood and shut the door. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the airport.”

  “Got called in to work.” He turned to Robyn. “What time do you get off?”

  “Five. You?”

  “Seven.”

  Robyn looked too stressed and tired to wait two hours for a ride home. They had to do something about getting her a car. “I’ll come and pick you up,” Livy said.

  “Thanks.”

  Livy handed the envelope and note to Alex. “It was on the table when she came for her break.”

  He looked it over. “Anyone could’ve put it here. A worker, a customer who goes to the restroom . . .”

  “It’s been so busy this afternoon, I’m sure no one even noticed it,” Robyn said. “It could’ve been here for a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll check with the other workers, see if they noticed it.” Livy wrapped it in a napkin and put it in her bag. “Do you know who came into the restaurant before you took your break?”

  “Lots of truck drivers have stopped in this afternoon, some I know, some I don’t. As for the regulars, Johnny B, Bobby, Timothy. Jason hasn’t been in since breakfast. But I’m sure most of them are gone by now, although a few may be back for supper.”

  Livy ran her hand through her hair. Bobby Cook was a salesman, but she’d seen him driving a big, expensive pickup. “Are you certain the man who took you was a truck driver? And that you were in the cab of a semi? You know, some of those double cab pickups are fancy. Could’ve given you the sense of a semi cab.”

  Robyn slumped even farther into the chair. “I’m not sure of anything anymore. What if this goes on for weeks? I don’t think I can go much longer without telling Mom and Dad and Abby who I am.”

  “I know. It’s killing me too.” Livy hugged her. “We’re going to catch this guy.”

  Alex tapped Livy’s arm. “Ben’s out front, and he wants you to help him question the customers who are here.” He turned to Robyn. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Robyn lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I have to be. I can’t sit in here and have a pity party. There are customers to be waited on, but at least I don’t have to work in the morning.”

  “I’m scheduled for four tomorrow afternoon.” Alex tilted his head. “Same time as you?”

  “Yep.”

  Livy stood. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything,” she said and walked down the hallway.

  Johnny B shot a curious glance toward Livy when she reentered the dining room, and she took out a pad and pen as she walked over to him. Might as well start with him. Before she said anything, he held up his hand.

  “Done talked to the sheriff. Don’t know anything.”

  “You don’t even know what I’m going to ask you.”

  “Tell you what, fill me in on why you’re here asking questions, and it might trigger something I didn’t even know I remembered.”

  She tapped the pen against her notepad, trying to decipher his convoluted sentence. “There’ve been a few waitresses kidnapped. We think it’s an over-the-road truck driver doing it. Two women have disappeared from—”

  “I knew it! I never thought Robyn left of her own accord. Tell you the truth, I thought that husband of hers might’ve done away with her.”

  Livy stiffened. “You never said that before.”

  He shrugged. “Would you have given any credence to my theory?”

  “I don’t know. I do know that Chase had nothing to do with her disappearance. Any other theories?”

  Johnny eyed her over his cup as he lifted it for a sip. “Nope, just that one,” he said and drained his cup, then plunked it on the table. “Are you thinking one of the truckers killed that waitress and dumped her in the lake? I understand she wasn’t from here.”

  As far as Livy knew, nothing had been said about the victim in the lake being a waitress. “How did
you know she was a waitress?”

  “My cousin Gilley was in the boat that brought her up. He was there when Wade cut into the plastic. It was awful, he said. But he saw enough to know it wasn’t Samantha Jo and that she wore a waitress uniform.”

  The joys of small towns. But she should have expected it. The search and rescue team was made up of fishermen and hunters—the good ole boy network—what one knew, they all knew.

  “Got any more questions, Olivia?”

  “Yeah. How long since you drove a big rig?”

  His eyes widened. “Five, six years. You don’t think I’m your guy, do you? Why, if I did something like that, my mama would skin me alive.”

  Livy glanced at the portrait on the wall. “How is Mrs. Baxter?”

  “This part of your investigation?”

  She laughed. “No. I just remember how she stopped by the house when I was a little girl to visit Kate.” And scared her to death. The woman was stern. Not a funny bone in her body. “She made good cookies.”

  “That’d be my mama. She’s doing poorly. Hardly ever gets out of bed. But she’s eighty and had a good life.”

  Livy tapped her jaw with the pen. “You know these truckers better than anyone. Any of them capable of kidnapping or murder?”

  He looked out toward the dining room, and she turned to follow his gaze. “Those are good men out there. They carry a lot of responsibility, and sure, some of them are strange, but it’s hard to believe any trucker I know could do something like that. Let me think on it a couple of days.”

  Livy turned back to him, and he evaded her eyes. She waited. He might not know anything, but something was bothering him. Perhaps he had a hunch he didn’t want to share. She reached into her pocket and took out a card. “If you think of anything, call me on my cell phone.”

  He took the card and stared at it, then looked up. “I’ll do that, Detective Olivia Reynolds. You never said why you’re involved in this case.”

  “I didn’t, did I.”

  Robyn leaned against the counter, resting her back. Four o’clock. One more hour. The front door to the restaurant opened, and Jason Fremont sidled in with his head ducked low. The poor boy was so shy. Her gaze followed him to his regular spot. He and Bobby Cook and Timothy Nolan, all regulars and all hometown boys, formed a triangle. They’d frequented the restaurant when she worked here before, usually coming for at least one meal a day on the days they were in town, and then for coffee at least once between meals. She used to kid them that they just wanted to get caught up on the latest gossip.

  She looked over the room, trying to remember how many of the other truckers sitting at the tables had been regulars back then. Only one or two, and Livy and Ben had interviewed them before they left an hour ago. A deputy remained behind to get information from the next wave of drivers, but Livy would be back to pick her up when she got off.

  Callie breezed by her. “Did you get Jason’s order?”

  She shook herself from the past. “Getting his water first.” After she filled a glass, she grabbed the coffeepot and a cup and added them to the tray. Jason would want coffee, and Timothy probably needed a refill. “You want the usual?” She set Jason’s cup down and filled it three-quarters full, then pulled a couple of creamers from her apron.

  He removed his camouflage cap and hooked it on the back of a chair at the table. “You sure catch on quick.”

  She froze. “I, ah, Callie mentioned you always ordered the same thing.” Moving to Timothy’s table, she refilled his cup. “Dessert?”

  “Whatcha got?” He smiled at her.

  “Your favorite, caramel cake.” The words slipped out again. She must be tired to make two mistakes that close together. “And your other favorite—chocolate pie.”

  “No, the cake is my favorite.” He stirred cream into his coffee. “What brought you to our little town? You look like a big city girl.”

  “Don’t be tying up all her time, Timothy.” Bobby raised his cup, letting her know he wanted a refill too. “She doesn’t want to fool around with no Marine.”

  “Well.” Timothy drawled the word out. “She sure doesn’t want to hang out with an old army guy.”

  Robyn put her hand on her hip and eyed them both. “She doesn’t want to hang out or fool around with anybody. Y’all got that?”

  “Yes ma’am.” Bobby grinned. “But you said you weren’t married, and I haven’t seen a boyfriend, so a man can dream, can’t he?”

  Bobby was very observant. Too much so, and he didn’t forget anything. “This is regular Colombian. That okay?”

  “Honey, anything you bring me will be just fine,” Bobby said. “Did you talk to your daughter today?”

  “Not yet.” She glanced at her watch. Thirty more minutes and she could go home. Maybe Abby would be there.

  “Hey, Bobby, let her get my cake, if you don’t mind.” Timothy leaned back and looked pointedly at the man.

  “Be right back with it,” she said. These three had not changed at all. She’d learned one thing, though. Timothy and Bobby were retired military, something she’d forgotten. She hurried to the computer and entered Jason’s ham on rye, and then she cut Timothy a piece of caramel cake and took it out to him. “Here you go, sir.”

  “Thank you, Sharon. Don’t let that bozo over there get too friendly.”

  “I don’t think he means any harm.” She tilted her head. “So you were a Marine. Been out long?”

  “Ten years.”

  “And you’ve been driving a big rig ever since?”

  His eyes warmed. “Yeah. I have my own truck and used to drive full-time, but since Mother’s stroke, I’ve cut back a lot.”

  She tried to remember his mother, and a recollection of a thin woman with rouged cheeks and red hair surfaced. She’d ask Livy about her.

  “Sharon, think I could get another refill?” Bobby winked at her.

  “She’s waiting on me,” Timothy growled.

  A customer brushed past her, and a familiar scent brought memories of June mornings and fresh-cut grass. Someone was wearing the same aftershave Chase wore. She turned, and a small gasp escaped her lips. Not someone, but Chase. He still used the aftershave she’d picked out just before . . . Robyn straightened her shoulders. “Be right with you.”

  In a daze, she walked back to the kitchen to check with Alex on Jason’s order. Not ready.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Chase just came in.” She filled another glass with water for Chase and set a fresh pot of coffee on her tray for Bobby. Chase would order tea, not coffee. She’d bet the rent on it. First she refilled Bobby’s cup, then after smoothing her apron, she pasted a smile on her face and walked to Chase’s table. “Surprised to see you here tonight.”

  “I told Livy I’d pick you up, and since I haven’t had lunch, I thought I might as well eat while I wait.” He sat back in the chair, and his grin sent her heart into orbit.

  “You’re going to take me home?” Her insides wouldn’t be still. And that green sweater looked so good on him, making his hazel eyes almost the color of the sea. Sitting next to him in a vehicle was not a good idea.

  “Thought I would. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

  “No, just wondered what happened to Livy.” She twisted a strand of her hair on her finger, then tucked it behind her ear.

  “She’s tied up with Ben. She said you’d be off in . . .” He glanced at his watch. “Less than thirty minutes. Figure that’ll give me time to eat one of Johnny B’s famous BBQs. Unless you’d like to grab a bite somewhere after you get off. I could wait.” The grin on his face faded. “I mean, it wouldn’t be a date or anything. No. I’m sorry, you probably didn’t even think . . . I really shouldn’t have said anything.” He closed his eyes. “I’m making it worse.”

  “Yeah. I think you are. But don’t worry. I had lunch an hour ago, so I’m not hungry.”

  Relief showed in the lean lines of his face. He’d lost weight since she’d been gone. Was it po
ssible she’d read him wrong, and he’d actually grieved for her? Callie elbowed her as she passed. “Jason’s order is ready.”

  Robyn jumped. “Oh, thanks.” She turned back to Chase. “You want the BBQ and tea?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Robyn felt his gaze on her back as she walked to the computer and entered his order. Thank goodness this day was almost over. So many mistakes, someone was going to catch her. After she delivered Jason’s order, she retreated behind the counter with a cleaning cloth.

  “You’re going to rub the top off that counter,” Callie said several minutes later as she filled a water glass. “And your BBQ is ready.”

  “Thanks. After I take it to the table, I’m clocking out.”

  “I don’t blame you. It’s been a long day.”

  That it had. She picked up the plate and took it to Chase. “I’ll be ready when you finish.”

  “Why don’t you put it in a to-go box, and I’ll eat it at Kate’s?”

  “You don’t have to do that. I need to make sure my customers are taken care of before I leave, anyway.”

  She stopped by Jason’s table first, and when he didn’t want dessert, she left his ticket on the table. Next she checked on two truckers in the back and took their orders. “I’m not sure who’s taking my place, but Callie will make sure your meal gets to you.”

  One of the truckers tucked a five-dollar bill in her hand. When she protested, he held his finger up. “That’s just for being so nice. See you next trip.”

  Her mood elevated, she laid Timothy’s ticket on the corner of his table and turned to Bobby. “Anything else for you?”

  “How about I take you home?”

  She patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, but Chase is doing the honors. Maybe next time.” Yeah, right. Like she’d get in a truck with any of the men in the restaurant.

  18

  Chase chewed thoughtfully on the messy BBQ. Three tables over, Sharon talked with Bobby Cook. He’d known Bobby all his life. Usually easygoing, but he could show a temper. The look in Bobby’s eyes indicated more than a casual interest in Sharon, but she seemed to be brushing him off as she turned to another customer.