“She loves the hills this time of year,” Ida finally said. “Always asked to drive here if we had time.”
“It’s lovely,” Edna said. “Does she like to ski? I see chairlifts on that hill over there.”
“She loved it.”
“Sounds like fun,” Mrs. Janowski said.
“You two would’ve gotten along,” Ida said.
While I enjoyed hearing the tidbits about Ida’s mysterious daughter, I had to wonder why she spoke about her in past tense. The daughter was alive, right?
“Turn here,” Ida said.
Edna turned the car onto a narrow road that curved up a slope. Less than a mile later, the road opened, revealing a large red-brick building with white shutters. There were no signs posted, but from the look of it, it was an institution of some kind.
“What’s the name of this place?” I asked.
“They just call it home,” Ida said. “Park at the door.”
“Won’t I be in the way?” Edna asked.
“They don’t get many visitors here.”
“That’s sad,” Sylvia said.
Ida shook her head. “That’s the way the residents like it. Each one is here of their own free will.”
That made me feel better about going inside. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it helped knowing the residents were of sound mind and had a choice.
We followed Ida to the door. She rang the bell and waited.
A pretty woman with dark hair and kind eyes opened the door. She smiled when she saw Ida. According to her name tag, she was Aly Darby, the house administrator.
“Welcome home, Ida,” she said.
“Thank you. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a few of my friends with me today.”
“Your friends are always welcome here,” she said, yet a wrinkle appeared on her forehead. “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?”
“Of course.”
She led us into a charming sitting room with views of the hills. “Please make yourself comfortable.” As soon as the ladies and I sat down, she took Ida to a room off to the side and closed the door.
I settled in, thinking we’d have to wait, but the door opened only a minute later.
“We have a problem,” Ida said.
“What is it?” Mrs. Janowski asked.
“He’s here.”
“Who?” Edna asked.
“Wade.”
“Where is he?” Edna peered around the room as if expecting him to jump out from behind the curtain.
“No, I’ll explain on the way. Hurry.”
Ida raced out the door, down the hall, up the stairs, and down another hall. For someone who normally kept a slow pace, we were hard pressed to keep up with her.
If Wade was here, shouldn’t someone call the police?
Ida slowed when we reached a door that was labeled “Sandy.” Tapping on the door before opening it, Ida softly called, “Sandy? It’s Mom.”
There wasn’t a response, but it didn’t seem as if Ida expected one. She opened the door wider to reveal a square room with a bed pushed against one wall, a desk on the other wall, and a comfortable rocker that looked out at the treetops.
Huddled in the corner was a small fiftyish woman. She pressed her forehead to her raised knees. It was as if she was trying to curl up small enough that no one would see her.
“Sandy, I brought friends with me. They are here to help.”
Sandy rocked back and forth, banging violently against the wall. The girls and I backed away, knowing our presence wasn’t welcome.
“We can wait downstairs,” I said.
Ida gestured for us to stay. She held onto the chair as she slowly knelt next to Sandy and tried to peek at her daughter’s face, which was still hidden.
“Aly told me you had a bad dream,” Ida said softly. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
Sandy continued to rock.
“Did he hurt you?”
Sandy pointed to the side of her face.
Ida tipped Sandy’s head up to see a small bruise that had formed on her check. She placed a kiss on it and let Sandy rest her head back on her knees.
Mrs. Janowski bristled next to me upon seeing the bruise but didn’t comment.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” Ida asked.
Sandy nodded.
“Okay, honey,” Ida sat next to her, resting her back against the wall. She wrapped an arm around her daughter. Sandy instantly curled into her. Ida murmured soothing words as she stroked Sandy’s back and brushed the hair from her face.
Ida eventually looked up and motioned that we should sit on the bed.
“Are you sure?” Sylvia asked.
“We can come back later,” Mrs. Janowski said.
“Actually, I want you to do something for me,” Ida said.
“Anything,” Edna said.
“Find Wade.”
Chapter 21
Find Wade.
We scooped up the mission without hesitation. Mrs. Janowski was on the phone with the police. Edna and Sylvia called all area hotels and motels. I drew the short straw and had to call Hank.
As we stood in the parking lot, each involved with our task, I waited as the phone rang. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d get, if any. Not only that, but what did I tell him?
“Where’s Ida?” Hank asked as soon as he answered.
“We’re all at Sandy’s house.”
“She told you about Sandy?”
“Nothing personal. Ida told us to find Wade. He entered Sandy’s room last night.”
“Is she okay?”
“She has a bruise on her cheek. Ida’s trying to comfort her now.”
“And she’s positive it’s Wade?”
“I’m positive it’s Wade.”
“Why?”
“He’s looking for the necklace, even posed as a detective to get it. He attacked me when I didn’t have it. I thought for sure he’d find you next, but he came here instead.”
“I’m on the way. I’ll bring the necklace with me. Tell Ida to sit tight.”
“Hank, what’s going on? Ida won’t say a word, and I’m very worried.”
“I don’t know what the hell is going on. My friend went missing, then he was dead, and now he’s alive. The only person who knows what the blazes is going on is Ida. She’s been keeping a secret from me for far too long, and I intend to find out what it is today.”
He hung up.
I waited until everyone had made their calls, then we regrouped to plan the next step.
“The Fearsome Foursome has work to do, ladies.” Mrs. Janowski looked to Edna and Sylvia. “Any leads?”
“Not really,” Sylvia said. “No one could verify that he was staying at any of the area motels. He’s probably using a fake name.”
Mrs. Janowski sighed. “Mars, what did Hank say?”
“He’s on his way with the necklace.”
“Good. If we can’t hunt down Wade, we’ll lure him.”
Edna nervously twisted her hands. “Didn’t you call the police? Can’t they find him?”
“They still haven’t figured out Wade killed the man buried at the Hog.”
“I wonder who the man is,” Edna said. “Seems like a terrible way to go. I don’t see what he could have done to deserve that fate.”
“He loved Sandy,” Ida said from the doorway. She waved us in. “It’s time we talk.”
“How’s Sandy?” I asked.
“She’s sleeping now. Aly gave her a sedative to help her relax.”
We followed Ida into the sitting room and took a seat. Ida remained standing.
“Hank is on his way,” I said. “He’s bringing the necklace.”
“I’ll have to get it from him before he sees Sandy. It’ll only upset her.”
“Why?” Sylvia asked. “Wouldn’t she be happy to have it returned? All of the pictures I’ve seen are of her wearing it.”
“She loved that necklace. Wade gave it to her
for her tenth birthday. She said she was a princess. Wore it every day.” Ida perched on the edge of a chair. “There were so many times I wanted to rip up those pictures so I didn’t have to see that damn necklace again. But I couldn’t. Those pictures are all I have left of my Sandy. Wade took the rest of her.”
The more Ida spoke, the more I started piecing the puzzle together.
“Hank never saw Wade for what he was. In Hank’s eyes, Wade was a hero. Back when they were younger, Hank was driving too fast and swerved to miss a deer. He flipped the car and was trapped. Wade had been passing by at the time and pulled Hank out right before a fire started. They were friends ever since. I couldn’t say a negative word about him or I’d be on Hank’s bad side for a week.”
“What did Wade do that made you not like him?” Sylvia asked.
“He took advantage of women. Many women.” Ida leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “In those days, not many people wanted to deal with a man like Wade. He was a man, doing what men did. They wouldn’t label him, but I did. He was a rapist.”
“Sandy . . . did he . . .” Edna couldn’t form the words.
Ida sighed. “I never had to worry about Sandy. Wade treated Sandy like a daughter. Plus, Sandy had a constant shadow. Reggie followed Sandy around since they were six. He was very protective of her. He was always at our house. I’d forget he wasn’t my kid some days and would have to send him home when I remembered.” Ida stopped to dig through her purse, retrieving her flask with shaking hands.
“Then, when she turned sixteen, her body changed,” Ida continued. “Suddenly, Wade didn’t look at her the same way.” She unscrewed the cap and took a fortifying sip.
“Didn’t Hank know about Wade?” Sylvia asked. “Didn’t he see the risk to his daughter?”
“Hank was blind to Wade’s faults. The man couldn’t do anything wrong.” Ida scrubbed her face. “I told him time and again that Wade was no good. He wouldn’t listen.”
“What happened that night?”
“Sandy had come to the bar after school like she normally did. She’d do her homework and then she and I would go home. Reggie tagged along most of the time. Except that day he had to stay at school and wash the chalkboards. He had gotten into trouble and that was his punishment. While I was finishing up, Sandy went outside to wait for him. They were dating officially then.” Ida pressed her trembling hands to her legs to still them. “I went out five minutes later to find her missing. I searched the parking lot until I heard a muffled cry. It came from out back by the garbage. When I hurried over I found Wade on top of Sandy. I grabbed a bottle from the garbage and hit him over the head as hard as I could.”
“Oh, dear,” Edna said. “How terrible.”
“And then you buried him?” Sylvia asked.
“Not then. I took Sandy home and washed her up. She said he had just pinned her down when I came out. I thanked heaven that I had left the bar when I did. Reggie came home then and took over comforting her so that I could go back to the bar. That’s when I found the blood. I thought Wade was dead, and I wasn’t sorry for it. But I was too afraid to call the police. Plus, I knew they’d question Sandy. After such rough handling, she was in a delicate state. Since Wade was dead and couldn’t be further punished, I buried him and let the sleeping dog lie.”
“So, who was buried in his place?” Sylvia asked. “Who did Wade kill?”
Ida closed her eyes. “I think it was Reggie. When I got home, I didn’t tell Reggie what I had done. He was too young. But he was angry. Furious. He said he’d find Wade and make him pay. I was too tired and worried to stop him. I thought he’d burn off a little steam looking high and low for Wade and then come home.”
“He never came home,” Mrs. Janowski surmised.
Ida shook her head. “I felt so guilty. For years, I thought he was out searching for Wade. When he didn’t come home, Sandy missed him sorely. She became despondent and later we found out she was pregnant. Hank and I had tried to help her the best we could, but she wouldn’t talk to us. She dropped out of school. Didn’t want the other kids to know she was pregnant. They’d think Reggie hated her and ran off. After Jack was born she was still lost without Reggie. Snuck alcohol from the bar. Then there were the drugs.”
Ida fiddled with her flask. “We got her into therapy.” Ida shook her head. “The things she told the therapist . . . I thought she was hallucinating from the drugs. What she said was unbelievable.” Ida took a drink.
“What was unbelievable?” Sylvia asked.
“She said that Wade still visited her at night.” Ida shook her head. “How could I believe her? Wade was dead. I’d killed him myself. He couldn’t come to her in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, my—” Mrs. Janowski stood. “He continued to abuse her, and no one believed her.”
Ida buried her face into her hands and sobbed. Her body shook from the force of her grief.
“We’ll get him,” Mrs. Janowski. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“Damn straight we will,” Sylvia said.
Edna nodded.
“I agree,” I said, hesitating. From Ida’s account, there was a word that caught me as being significant. Still. Wade still visited Sandy at night. I chalked it up to Ida being upset, and rightly so, yet, I wondered. Could Sandy’s abuse have started at an earlier age?
“What’s the significance of the necklace?” Sylvia asked.
Ida sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue from her purse. “I don’t know. I didn’t notice it at the time, but Sandy didn’t have it after that night. I figured it either broke off during the attack or she threw it away afterward. I have no idea why Wade wants it.”
“We need to find out why,” Mrs. Janowski said. “That necklace is our best bet. Once Hank gets here we can devise a plan to catch Wade.”
“Or,” I said, not wanting to be anywhere near Wade again, “we can put the necklace somewhere and tell the cops where Wade will retrieve it.”
Mrs. Janowski frowned. “Well, I guess that’d work too.”
Edna nodded. “I like that plan.”
“You’re forgetting that Wade isn’t currently wanted by the police,” Ida said. “They don’t care about a necklace or a ghost from the past. Until they have reason to believe Wade is a murderer and . . .” Ida stopped for a moment to gather her words, but they failed her anyway. “. . . well, you know.”
“Could Sandy testify against him?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Any defense attorney would rip her to shreds.”
We all fell silent.
“We can worry about that later,” Mrs. Janowski finally said. “Our first step is to get the necklace while protecting Sandy. Since Hank is on the way with the necklace, our next focus should be on Sandy. This place is obviously not safe for her.”
“Do we move her?” Sylvia asked. “But where?”
“We can’t move her,” Ida said. “She’s attached to this place and hasn’t left for over two decades. She’s already unstable. Moving her could push her over the edge.”
“Okay, then we post guards around her room,” Mrs. Janowski said.
“What guards?” Edna asked.
“The ones that are training as we speak,” Mrs. Janowski said. “This will be a perfect introductory assignment for them. They’ll be excited to get work.”
“Work?” Sylvia said. “I hope they don’t expect to be paid. I’m on a budget.”
“Think of it more as an unpaid internship,” Mrs. Janowski said. “Then they can start at B and T Security with an assignment under their belt.”
“As long as none of the men go inside Sandy’s room,” Ida said. “She doesn’t feel comfortable around men.”
“We can work around that,” Mrs. Janowski said. “Edna, you call the senior center and see when the cadets will be ready to join us. Mars, you call Hank. Find out his ETA. Ida, you stay with your daughter. She’ll obviously feel most comfortable with you.” Mrs. Jankowski dug through her
purse and pulled out a whistle. “Keep this in case you need it.”
“You keep a whistle on you?” Sylvia asked.
“I just bought it,” she said. “I thought it’d come in handy for security drills.”
Ida stood and walked to the door. “I’ll go to Sandy’s room now. Call me with updates.”
As soon as Ida disappeared around the corner, Mrs. Janowski clapped her hands together. “Let’s get to work, ladies. We have a criminal to catch.”
Before I could call Hank, my phone rang.
“Where are you?” Emily asked when I answered.
The only reason I answered was because I thought it might have something to do with Brett. Perhaps there was a good reason why Cinnamon was dressed only in his shirt. I couldn’t think of one. “I’m out of town. Why?”
“When are the new employees going to be ready? I need help.”
“They’ll be ready tomorrow.”
“I need them tonight.”
“I know you need help, but they still have training.”
“I just need a couple of warm bodies who can stand post for a few hours. I’m one man down.”
She only had two men working. “Who’s down?”
Emily hesitated before saying, “Brett.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you later. Just send me anyone you can. I already asked Rand, and he laughed at me before he hung up.”
Well, there were twenty remaining students. They wouldn’t all need to come here. We could spare a couple. “How many guards will you need? Keep in mind they won’t be armed.”
“Send five tonight and the rest tomorrow.”
That would leave us with fifteen guards. That was plenty. “I’ll have them sent over as soon as they finish.”
“Thank you.”
Did Emily just thank me? That was unexpected.
“You’re welcome. Tell me what happened to—”
She hung up.
Well, I couldn’t expect much after a rare thank you. But, I did wonder about Brett. What happened? Did he fall over from exhaustion? Did Cinnamon whisk him away? Or did something much worse happen?
After relaying the request to Edna who was on the phone with one of the instructors, I called Hank. He didn’t answer, which didn’t surprise me. He didn’t like his cell phone much, and if he was on the road, then he wouldn’t answer. I didn’t bother with a message.
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