by Ronald Craig
"Damn it, Jenny, the risk is too great. What about us, our dreams, our future children?"
"That’s the point. They may not be looking for the camera but they're still selling children. I'm not going to let them stay in business."
"I still have nightmares of seeing a gun to your head, Jenny. Now it seems you are the one holding it. It's not just your life…" Charlie was filled with frustration and realized he needed to leave the conversation and cool down. "Please give the police a chance for now, a week before you get involved," he said and walked back to the construction site.
He climbed the stairs to the fourth floor without comment to the crew as he passed them. It was a side of him they had not seen before and seemed to realize he needed some space. They were all aware of what was going on with the video as Bob the foreman had spoken with them earlier. Charlie stood on the balcony looking out toward the ocean and recalled their dinner there and all the wonderful hope for the future that filled them that night, their private world, a focus on them alone. Was that selfish he wondered. There would always be evil, there would always be a child taken from their parents, a battle that could never be won. To try and win that war would consume them completely at the expense of their dreams.
There would always be blessings also, he thought; wonderful gifts from God beyond our expectations. He knew that to be true in his own life with Jenny. He thought of his comment to Pop, about being pulled into strange situations but then, as his mind drifted back to releasing Cindy from the restraints of her captor, it wasn't being pulled in, but rather an opportunity. They were not being called to win the war against evil; they were given a battle in that war that could be won. Not a payback for his own great fortune, he realized, but a gift to be God's instrument in blessing someone else. With a decapitated Jane Doe in the morgue, the risk of loss this time was all too clear and demanded a strength of faith that Charlie was still seeking.
He walked back into the living room on the fourth floor and approached Joe and Larry hanging drywall.
"You guys need some mud on that wall?" Charlie asked.
"Hey Charlie, we could use a taper," Joe said, smiling. "One that understands it takes two coats."
"Don't mind him Charlie," Larry replied. "He forgets sanding is part of our job description."
"I got it this time, Joe. Two thin flat coats. I offered to sand the mess in the master."
"We just like to leave more on the wall than we sand off," Joe said.
Charlie laughed then started running the tape in the drywall seams. When he had plastered one wall Joe walked over to inspect the job.
"Now you've got it. My arm thanks you," Joe said with the exaggerated motion of working a kink out of his arm.
"Great drywall skills and comedy too. You guys were a real find," Charlie said.
"We're standup guys…, be here all week," Larry said as they all laughed.
*****
Walter Mercedes Benz was a huge dealership consuming half of a city block with a main four-lane road in front and a two-lane residential street on the right side. The show room was raised in the center of the lot surrounded by colorful and gleaming new models on display. The steps leading to the show room were twelve feet wide and it seemed the models lining them were not only higher in position but price as well. Two stories of glass windows revealed the ultimate of Mercedes Benz offerings surrounding a rotating raised platform displaying models equally pristine from fifty years ago.
As was his habit, Chief Rodney Walker was in his police uniform, a carryover from fifteen years of prior service as an officer in the Air Force. Detective Edwards was beside him in his typical civilian suit and tie. They paused a moment after entering the dealership showroom to watch the cars rotate past them. Walker pointed to the back wall above the windowed closing rooms surrounding its base. A large image of the license plate image was painted there below a raised '50 Years' trimmed in gold.
"Jenny found our seal," Walker said.
"Hopefully we can keep her at a safe distance."
"Our only hope of that is to get some answers."
They walked over to the reception desk and before Walker said a word they were greeted.
"Hello, Chief Walker, Detective Edwards. Welcome to Walter Mercedes Benz. Mr. Dawson, our manager, is expecting you. Please follow me." She led them to a large windowed office up one flight of stairs that overlooked the showroom. Before opening the door, she asked, "May I bring you gentlemen anything to drink?"
"We're fine, thank you," Walker replied with a smile as they entered the office.
"Gentleman, I'm Ted Dawson, the General Manager. Our current owner was unable to be here today but asked me to give you any help I could in your investigation." He handed the print out to Walker and added, "Every Black 450 SL that left this lot with our 'Seal the Deal and Save' promotion plate is on that list. It is broken down by month."
"Does this list cover sales, lease and dealer trades?" Walker asked.
"Everything. The third column indicates the transaction type. If you can give me more to go on I can filter the results to save you time."
"Thank you, this is good. We don't want to rule anything out at this point," Walker said.
"You mentioned the current owner. Has the dealership changed hands recently?" Edwards asked.
"Yes, two years ago. When Mr. Walter passed and the family sold the dealership to Nelson Crown Enterprises."
Walker handed the photo of the woman they had pulled off of the video and handed it to Dawson. "Do you recognize this woman?"
Dawson took his time studying the photo then said, "It's not a very clear photo, I would have to say no, I don't. It looks like it's was taken off a surveillance camera."
"Something like that," Walker said, watching him closely. "Do you mind if we show it to your employees?"
"Not at all. Here's my card if I can be of further help."
"Thank you, Mr. Dawson," Walker said as he stood to shake his hand. "I think your financial guys would be a good place to start."
"They are the three offices below mine and deeper into the building."
They walked out of the office, down the flight of stairs and entered the first office. It was small but richly decorated with a pair of comfortable leather chairs facing an expensive wooden desk with a matching leather captain's chair behind it. The man in his thirties that was seated there rose as they entered.
"Paul Masters. How may I help you?"
Walker handed him the photo, "Mr. Masters, this woman was in one of your Black 450 SL models in December. We are trying to add a name to her face."
"We were pretty busy last December, was she alone?"
"I'm sure as she was tall, attractive and purchasing one of your more expensive models she would have left an impression," Edwards said with a knowing smile.
"I can't deny that, but this photo doesn't ring a bell."
"She was possibly from Oregon," Walker added.
"No, sorry gentlemen, I wish I could help," he said handing the photo back.
"Thanks anyway," Edwards said handing him one of his cards. "If a bell goes off, give us a call."
Masters looked at the card, "Marina, that’s…" Walker and Edwards both looked at him waiting for him to finish his thought. When the awkward moment passed he added," It's just that you are a long way from home."
"Ninety minutes," Walker said. "Any other thoughts you have about Marina?"
"No. I just thought you were closer is all."
"So you knew we were coming?" Walker asked.
"Dawson mentioned it when you called."
They turned and walked out of the office and noticed a man climbing the stairs toward Dawson's office. He glanced back at them a moment then turned and continued up the stairs. He was more casually dressed but still had a tie.
They talked to the remaining two financial managers as well as the sales staff on the showroom floor without any help in identifying the woman in the photograph. Walker turned casually after they w
alked out through the main glass doors to see if any of the people they had talked to were paying extra attention to them. To his disappointment he caught all eyes watching their departure.
"Why didn't you get more information on the new owner, Chief?"
"We'll get to know him well enough without sending up flags. Let's visit the Service department."
They walked through the lot that was on the side street to find the service entrance. Walker watched as two men in matching Walter Mercedes Benz service shirts got into a car and drove off. They entered the service office and again were impressed with the decor in the waiting area, complete with a young, professionally dressed woman serving beverages.
They spotted the man they had seen earlier on the stairs headed towards Dawson's office behind a counter at the back of the room and walked toward him.
"This is a great waiting room," Walker said to the man. "But I'm guessing most of your customers never set foot in it."
"We offer home pickup and delivery to all of our local customers. I'm Steve Hudson, the service manager. How can I help you?"
"We saw you on the stairs. Did Dawson tell you why we're here?" Walker asked.
"Yes, you are looking for help to identify a possible customer."
"Have you ever seen this woman, Mr. Hudson?" Edwards asked placing the photo on the counter.
"No, I don't recall seeing her," Hudson said after a quick glance.
"Take another look, Mr. Hudson. Black 450 SL, it would have been in December," Walker added.
"No, wish I could help you," Hudson said, keeping his eyes on the photo.
"Like to talk to your staff, if you don't mind," Walker said.
Hudson turned around and asked the gal at a desk behind him to page the shop and have all the personnel gather in the closest open service bay by the main entrance.
"Insurance reasons; it will be just a moment," he told them.
"Thank you, Mr. Hudson. The two that just left, how many other guys are on pickup and delivery?"
"We have six drivers, four are out now."
"Just need to cover all our bases. I'd like to have their names if we need to get in touch with them later. Will you take us to the service bay?"
"Follow me."
Walker turned to Edwards, "You talk, I'll watch."
They caught up with Hudson outside the office door and walked to the assembled staff waiting for them. Edwards passed out the photo and said, "I am Detective Edwards and here with me is Chief Walker. We're sorry to interrupt your day. We are trying to identify the woman in this photo. She was seen in Marina back in December driving a Black 450 SL with your Seal the Deal plate."
Walker stood back and watched the reaction as the photos passed through the group and didn't notice any reaction that gave him concern. The other two drivers stood out due to their clean uniforms and seemed to glance at each other quickly before giving Detective Edwards a negative head response. After a few minutes all eyes were back on Edwards.
"Thank you all for your help. If anything comes to mind we will leave some cards with Mr. Hudson so you can contact us at the Marina Police Department," Walker said to the group before turning to Hudson," Thank you for your cooperation and sorry for the trouble, Mr. Hudson. If I can get those four names we'll get out of your hair." Hudson headed toward the office and as the group started to break up Walker told Edwards to leave the photos and a few business cards, especially for the other two drivers that were missing.
Detective Edwards slid in behind the wheel as Chief Walker got in on the passenger side of the Marina Police Jeep Grand Cherokee.
"What do you think, Chief?" Edwards said, pulling out of the lot onto the main street.
"I was hoping this was going to be easier. Inconclusive, nervousness is common around us, but I am sure our Jane Doe was seen there by someone." Then, with a sense of urgency, he added," Turn around, let's get a cup of coffee at that Starbucks."
"Are you finally going to try something other than a Grande, black?"
"If I wanted a milk shake, Edwards, we'd go to Mc-Donald's."
Edwards pulled in and parked next to a Mercedes SUV with Walters Mercedes Benz dealership plates and saw the two service drivers sitting at an outside table. "Good eye, Chief." They got out of the Jeep and while Edwards went in for the coffee, Walker sat at the table next to the two service guys. They were both in their early twenties and acted as if they had been caught ditching classes from high school by the principal.
Walker gave them a smile and said, "You can't beat the coffee here."
"Yes, sir."
"It must be fun driving around in expensive wheels. Have you two worked for Walter long?"
"Couple of years, him almost three," one of them answered. The other was focused on his coffee. Walker glanced at their shirts and noted the names Ben and Mike, Mike being the more reserved of the two.
"When I was a young man, Ben, that little two-seater, with the top down, pushing the speed limit on the coast highway…, now there's a dream."
"The 450 SL is a sweet ride. A lot more fun than family cruisers," Ben said, adding a slight grin.
Edwards sat down with the coffees and offered a friendly, "Hi, guys."
"I wonder if you guys could help us out? Just between us. Have you ever seen this gal in that sweet ride, a black one?" Walker asked handing the photo to Ben. He placed the photo between them and Mike turned to look at it.
"Maybe, not recently, though. What do you think, Mike?" Mike glanced away from the photo but remained quiet. Ben handed the photo back to Walker.
"Mike, you're not in trouble and this stays between us, we never saw you two," Walker said.
"If you know her, Mike, tell them," Ben said.
"Between us?" Mike asked nervously.
"Yes, in fact we want you two to keep this quiet as well," Walker said.
"Her name is Meyers, don't know her first name. Kind of a bitch. Saw her before Christmas," Mike said slowly meeting the Chief's eyes.
"Was it her car? The black 450 SL?" Edwards asked.
"I don't know. It was a new car service and delivery."
"Do you remember where you delivered it?" Walker asked.
"That was the odd part," Mike said, relaxing a little. "A car like that delivered to a Motel 6."
"Do you recall which one?"
"Just a few miles down, on the right," he said pointing.
"Was she alone?" Walker asked.
"She greeted me at the door complaining I was late, made her miss checkout. I didn't see anyone else."
"You said before Christmas; a day or two before or more?" Edwards asked.
"The 22nd. I took a week of vacation after that."
"Thank you two very much. Again we never had this conversation. One more thing, did you just happen to leave the dealership as we arrived? Or were you sent away?"
"Hudson tossed me the keys and said, 'take Mike for some coffee.'" Ben said.
"Yes, but that’s happened a few times, when we're slow. He says 'a reward for his best drivers,'" Mike added.
They drove to the Motel 6 and were given a list of all the occupants for the 21st and 22nd of December. There were no Meyers on the list. There was also no account there for either Nelson Crown Enterprises or Walter Mercedes. That made sense, Walker thought. If someone was in town to pick up a new Mercedes and were put up in a Motel 6, they might rethink their dealership choice. The manager had only been there three months and would be of no help with the photo so they started their drive back to Marina.
Chapter 8
It was 6:30 that evening when Charlie left the construction site and walked back toward their trailer. He caught sight of Jenny just inside a group of trees about two hundred feet behind their mobile home and he headed that way. When he was seventy feet from her he stopped as she squatted down with her right arm fully extended, calling softly into the trees. His eyes followed her extended reach and he spotted the inquiring nose of a medium-sized dog. He slowly sat down in the grass and
watched as the dog gently took whatever she was holding from her hand and then backed up slightly to eat it.
Jenny glanced back at Charlie and smiled, turning her attention back to the dog. Charlie noticed there were two stainless steel bowls beside her. She extended her arm again, but this time it was empty and open as she continued to speak softly to the dog. When the dog was satisfied there was no threat, Jenny began to scratch behind the dog's ears as it slowly continued to approach her.
"Good boy," she said as the dog moved into her lap, his tail wagging. She pulled another treat from the bowl and the dog took it from her hand, chewed it quickly and moved in for a hug. When the playfulness between them was clear, Charlie slowly stood and approached them.
"Our first fight and you're already looking to replace me," he said, stopping about twenty feet away as the dog grew still to stare at him.
"I must have missed that," she said facing him while roughing the dog's fur. "Are you referring to our exchange of feelings this morning?"
"I've thought a great deal about our 'exchange of feelings'. I was wrong, but for the right reasons," he said, moving closer. The dog moved out of Jenny's lap and stood between them. Charlie stopped walking.
"Let him smell your hand," she said. "It's ok, boy." Charlie extended his hand and lowered into a squatting stance to appear less threatening. The dog checked him out and returned to Jenny's lap.
"I spotted him a few days ago and have been leaving food here. This is our first contact."
"No collar, looks like he's been on his own for a while. So tell me; what's our new dog's name? Blacky?"
"He's a couple years old. A Lab-Shepherd mix is my guess. As he's all black, what do you think of Shadow?" she asked.
"That's what worries me the most. It will prove to be the perfect name," he said and was pleased that Shadow accepted his pat on the head. Jenny stood up and Charlie grabbed the two bowls. They all walked back to the mobile home together, Shadow slipping in between them.
"Detective Edwards called an hour ago, asked if we wanted to drop by tomorrow for an update," Jenny said.
"I've already told Pop I might not be there in the morning. I didn't give him specifics, didn't have any. Just said we needed to look into a few things."