“So, what did you tell her was your reason for being there?”
“That Maureen is correct in believing he’s missing.”
“Her reaction?”
“She laughed. Even after I explained our reasoning and she believed there was a genuine cause for concern, she said, ‘Well, maybe the bastard is finally getting what he deserves.’ While it’s not reason to believe she’s involved in his disappearance, she certainly offers no sympathy to him.”
“True, but wouldn’t she have acted concerned if she were indeed responsible?”
“My first thought as well. But she is clever, clever enough to know we would think exactly that. Being Maureen’s mum, she would have to be,” Charlie said. “So we assume nothing.”
“And rule out no one.” I thanked the server for the plate of shepherd’s pie that she set down in front of me and picked up my fork and knife. “Did she say anything else that offered you insight?”
Charlie chuckled. “Only that I was looking in the wrong direction if I was considering accusing her of something underhanded.”
“So, did she point you in another direction?”
“Aye, that she did. Directly toward—let me see if I can get this right—the unscrupulous second wife Evelyn, the greedy ex-girlfriend Chantal, and, what did she call Aileen? Och, aye, I remember now, the rebel rouser jailbait.”
“Interesting descriptions. I’m more curious than ever to meet Evelyn now. Tomorrow morning?”
“Aye. Nine o’clock.”
“So, is that all you wanted to discuss with me?” I asked.
“I made several calls to business associates. No one has heard from Eddie in nearly a month.”
“The Canadian job?”
“A few weeks now. That probably concerns me more than anything else.”
“Aye, understandable. So where does the job stand?”
“They’re moving ahead with it as planned. He’s provided them with enough to proceed for the time being, but if he doesn’t respond to them in the next couple weeks, they’ll be forced to hire someone else.”
“Well, let’s hope that’s not necessary.” The least of our worries, in truth.
Charlie pulled some papers from his briefcase that lay on the bench beside him. “And these are of interest as well.”
Before indulging in a second bite of my mashed potatoes, I set down my fork and knife and took the papers that appeared to be telephone records of Sharkey’s home numbers. I did not even want to know how he had obtained them. It didn’t take me but a minute to recognize that not only were there no phone calls from Thailand or Sharkey’s cell, but the only calls to the house in over three weeks were the ones from Maureen and Charlie and me.
“So, Sarai is definitely lying. As if we didn’t already know that. I handed the papers back to Charlie and dug into my meal. “So what do we do now?”
“After we go to see Evelyn? We confront Sarai.”
Chapter 18
Evelyn Shelton could not have been over thirty five which meant she had been dangerously close in age to Sharkey’s children—her step children—when they were in their impressionable adolescence. Her legs were even longer and shapelier than Aileen’s. And her perfectly proportioned figure put Moira’s to shame, a challenging task at that. Tiny waist, sumptuous hips, and generous breasts that she made little effort to hide in her skimpy summer dress that was inappropriate at the best of times, let alone on a blustery October day. She had that lovely reddish blond hair that resembled Maureen’s and wore it flowing down over her shoulders. Sparkling blue eyes as deep as the sea smiled at us—at least until she learned our reason for being there.
Sharkey certainly knew how to attract them, I thought, then remembered our conversation when he had complimented me for choosing women wisely. It was just after he’d met Jenny.
Charlie asked more direct questions than I’d heard him ask recently. Either her personality required a more direct approach or Charlie was growing impatient. The other possibility was that he was overcompensating for the lustful expression that seemed to be permanently imprinted on his face. He began by pulling out his PI license and stating, “We’re here to ask you some questions about Edward Sharkey.”
The vibrancy left her face as quickly as it might by an announcement that someone she loved had just died. “What? Why? Has something happened to Eddie?”
“He’s missing.”
“What do you mean missing?”
“No one has seen or heard from him in several days.”
“But why would you assume he’s missing? He often goes off for days, even weeks, at a time.”
“This time we have reason to believe that he did not leave of his own volition.”
“What reason—? And why would you come to see me? I haven’t heard from Eddie in over what—five years now?”
“We’re speaking with everyone who might—might possibly know something about his disappearance.”
Her understanding came slowly as did her smile. “You think I might have something to do with it. Why? Did his brats sic you on me?”
“Brats?” Charlie played dumb well.
“Yeah, like you don’t know who I’m talking about.” Well, maybe he didn’t play it so well. “Maureen and Declan. Or was it the charming Moira? Did she point you in my direction? Well, if I were you, that’s where I’d be looking. She still hasn’t gotten over his leaving her for me.”
“Ah, so he left her for you,” I said.
Her smirk was easy to interpret. It said, quite loudly, “Wouldn’t you?”
I contained a chuckle. Her initial beauty was fading quickly from my beholder eyes. “So, you and Eddie haven’t remained in contact over the years?” I asked.
She shrugged. “For a while we did, until he got involved with that controlling greedy bitch Chantal. She didn’t let him so much as take me out to lunch. Like spending money to buy me lunch was more than she could tolerate. What’s a little time and lunch between friends for God’s sake!”
If it really was only time and lunch.
“Why did you part ways?” Charlie asked, finally able to speak without having to overcompensate for his drooling.
As if acknowledging that this would take a while, she motioned for us to have a seat at her island counter while she pulled a pitcher of what appeared to be iced tea from her refrigerator. Not a drink either Charlie or I fancied, but not wishing to appear rude, we accepted.
After filling three glasses, she selected the stool next to Charlie’s, pushing it just a wee bit closer to him as she sat down. The McNair charm had won her over. Or perhaps it was his more direct manner. Then again, it could have simply been that she appreciated his appreciation of her beauty and outstanding figure.
“As they say, we simply grew apart,” she responded to Charlie’s question, leaning in closer to give him a clearer view of her breasts that were ill-contained in her skimpy dress. He blinked hard and struggled to maintain his composure. I quickly realized that I might have to take over the questioning. “With a little help from the brats,” she continued. “They never could stand me.”
“And why do you think that was?” Charlie asked, his voice suddenly raspy again.
“Because their father dumped their mother for me?”
“So you never got along with Maureen and Declan?” I asked.
“They were immature adolescents who wanted all of their father’s attention and resented every minute he spent with me. And that witch of an ex-wife did everything in her power to provoke their animosity.” She was nearly breathless by the time she finished her statement.
“How long after you split up, did he meet Chantal?” I asked.
“Oh, he’d known her for quite a while, but she didn’t dig those pretentious nails of hers into him until I had moved out. I suppose I should give her credit for that.”
“And she didn’t like his seeing you at all?” Charlie asked, his voice almost back to normal now.
“That’s right.”
“Nope, but she had her hold on him. She was the new flavor of the year. Whatever it was, the last time we got together, he told me it was pretty much the last time.”
“So, if not for Chantal,” I said, “Do you think you would have remained friends with Eddie?”
She smiled. The best I could tell it was a genuine smile. “Oh, yeah. I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Eddie. We may not have had the smoothest of relationships but I adored him. He was very good to me—for the most part.”
“The most part?” I knew Charlie wouldn’t let that minor afterthought slip by.
“Yeah. He was good to me. Other than when he let his brats turn him against me.”
* * *
“Tough interview,” I said as we walked through Evelyn’s rose garden toward my car.
“Tough? In what way?”
“Just a wee bit distracting?”
“And you weren’t distracted? You have to admit, she’s a looker.”
“Perhaps she is, but my eyes are monogamous.” I laughed. “If I didn’t know you better, Charlie McNair, I’d say it only took one minute for you to be smitten with the lassie.”
He glowered at me. “Not so, Malcolm. Not so. She’s far too young—and beautiful—for the likes of me.”
“Ah, don’t underestimate that McNair charm of yours. She was as charmed as you were.”
“Dinna exaggerate, Malcolm.”
“I suppose you did not notice how she kept giving you a lovely view of her . . . assets?”
“Aye, of course I did notice that. But I assumed she was attempting to distract me.”
“Which she successfully did,” I said. “If that was her motive. I didn’t find her so bad actually, at least not as bad as I had expected. I do wonder why Moira called her unscrupulous, and the . . . ‘brats’ said they’d learned the art of mistrusting people from her.”
Charlie shrugged. “Well, she does work for an attorney.”
I laughed, probably harder than I should have. Most likely because Jenny’s ex-husband was an attorney.
“So, do we dare take her at her word?”
“She painted quite a different picture from the one Maureen and Declan painted,” I said.
“She did indeed. She made Maureen and Declan out to be the saboteurs of her marriage and Moira, the witchy ex and Chantal, the greedy controlling seductress bitch. Did I get that right?”
“Close enough. But fair is fair,” I said. “Didn’t Moira call her the unscrupulous second wife and Chantal the greedy ex-girlfriend? To say nothing of what she called Aileen. While I think I could resist hearing Aileen’s nicknames for the others—my ears being far too innocent for the word choices she would be inclined to use—I would be curious to hear what Chantal would call the others. I would not mind meeting her as well.”
“Unless you have an urge to fly to Portugal, that’s not likely to happen.”
“Ah, so she does live abroad.”
“Aye, for several years now. Her residence seems to be in Portugal but she does appear to enjoy a life of leisure traveling and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.”
“So, she’s out of the picture then.”
“Aye, it appears that way, but the next time I’m on the continent, I might just look her up—curiosity you know.”
“Of course, Charlie, of course.”
“Our Eddie certainly has led an interesting life.”
I exhaled a deep breath. “That he has. And let’s keep hoping he continues to do so.”
* * *
I stared at the rain-slick road as I wound my way back to West Seattle. Charlie was as pensive as I was. I didn’t know where his mind was, but the number five kept reverberating through my brain. Wasn’t that the number of years that Aileen and Sharkey had been together? If that was the case, then did that mean that after Sharkey had dumped Chantal, he had taken up with Evelyn again? At least until Aileen had tightened the noose around his neck and put a stop to it?
I pulled into my driveway and put my car in park. Charlie and I sat for a moment, both of us dreading, I was sure, what came next. Confronting a gentle sweet woman who was clearly lying.
Charlie’s cell rang. “Declan,” he said, putting it on speaker.
“Hello, Declan. What can we do for you? Malcolm is here with me as well.”
“Hello, Charlie, Malcolm. I just wanted to let you know that I told Susan what’s going on. She wants to help. If you need her to, she’ll get you a list of Dad’s assets.”
“Does she handle his account?”
“No.”
“Then it’s far too risky, Declan. Even if she did handle his account, it would be. Either way she could lose her job.”
It was silent for a moment and I had a suspicion the young lad was swallowing tears. “Okay, but if you have no other way . . . ”
“We’ll find one,” Charlie assured him. “And we’ll find your father.”
He hung up his cell, opened the passenger door, stepped out, looked at me and said, “Let’s do this.”
Without hesitation, we walked the short distance to Sharkey’s house. It was a relief that the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. Anything to lift the spirit, I thought.
“Mr. Charlie, Mr. Malcolm,” Sarai greeted us. “You want come in?”
“Yes, Sarai,” Charlie said as he walked through the open door with me close behind.
“You like have tea? Or something . . . more strong?”
“No, thank you, Sarai. We need to ask you some questions. How are you doing?”
“I okay. Alone.”
“Lonely?” I asked.
She nodded.
“When did you last hear from Eddie?”
The usual hesitation when we asked that question. Then the eyes looking anywhere but at us. Then the lie. “He call some days ago. Last week maybe.”
Charlie coughed and I cleared my throat. Nervous habits, both.
“Tell us the truth, Sarai,” Charlie said in as soft a voice as he could manage.
“The truth?” She braved a glance in his direction and then mine.
“We have obtained phone records and know that no calls have come in from Eddie.”
For a moment I thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen. Heat rose in her cheeks and she seemed to be gasping for air. I helped her to a chair where she sat down and Charlie fetched a glass of water.
After she took a couple sips and her breathing had returned to normal, she said, “I not know what you saying.”
“Then why did you nearly pass out?” Charlie asked.
“I not use to being told I am liar.”
“I’m sorry, Sarai, but we have proof. We know Eddie has not called from Thailand. Or anywhere else. Where is he?”
“I not know what you ask.”
“We’re asking where he is, Sarai.” I pulled a chair up beside her and sat down so we were at eye level. “We know you care about him very much.”
She gulped and quickly took a drink of her water. Her hand was trembling now and tears were brimming over in her eyes.
“You need to help us find him,” Charlie said.
She shook her head vehemently, spilling water into her lap. “I know nothing.”
“You know something,” I said gently. “You know that he has disappeared and he has not called you in a very long time.”
“I not know this.”
“Then why do you look as if you have been crying every time we see you?” Charlie said.
Again the shake of her head as her hand went to her face to wipe the tears that were betraying her.
“Sarai, if you’re frightened that you may be deported, we will help you.” Her eyes widened and Charlie continued. “We will protect you. But you need to help us.”
“Help you?”
“Help us find Eddie.”
She stared down at her lap, her hands clenching her glass so tightly I thought it might
break from the pressure. After a long silence she said, “I know nothing.”
“Why did you lie to us, Sara? Why did you tell us you heard from him?”
“I hear from him,” she said, after some thought. “He say he in Thailand. I believe him.”
Exasperated, Charlie turned away to pace in front of the fireplace. Equally exasperated, I stood up and stared out the window at the Sound. It was so peaceful. Too peaceful to suspect any crime had been committed here. So quiet. Too quiet. Far too quiet for a man with dogs.
I walked over to the kitchen door and opened it. Nothing. No barking, no water dish. Nothing. I walked outside onto the deck where they liked to sit and whine to be let in. As I made my way around the deck and down the stairs to the back of the house, my focus widened. Not only were Sharkey’s dogs missing but so was one of his boats.
“Where are the dogs?” I asked, more harshly than I’d meant to.
Sarai jolted upright and stared at me as I stood in the doorway. Charlie left the comfort of the fireplace and joined me. “The dogs are missing?”
I nodded and repeated my question.
“I not know,” Sarai said, trembling.
“How could you not know? You’ve been taking care of them.”
Stammering, she said, “I th-think m-maybe they get out.”
“Why didn’t you call us? When the dogs disappeared?” Charlie asked.
“I not want bother you.”
Charlie and I looked at each other, easily reading the other’s mind. And he didn’t even know about the boat yet.
“Sarai, where is the Innisfree?” I asked.
“What? The Innisfree is gone too!” Charlie ran out the kitchen door and took the same path I had taken.
She shook her head. “It gone?”
“Yes, it’s gone!”
“I know nothing,” she said, almost as if she were a doll who had been programmed to speak only those words. Suddenly I realized this was useless. The woman was terrified of something. Whatever or whoever it was, it had a strong enough hold on her to guarantee her silence.
* * *
“Shit!” Charlie was pacing again, only this time it was in front of his own fireplace. He stopped long enough to sigh in exasperation. His face was flushed now, a dramatic contrast to the pallor I had noticed when we’d realized the boat and the dogs were missing. It wasn’t often that I saw Charlie McNair in a rage.
Saving Sharkey Page 22