“Unless Bubba and Bobby come back, then I’m leaving.”
“They came to see you?” There was concern in his voice.
“Yep. They told me my nose was getting in their way. We had cookies and coffee and they left happy.”
“Carson, I told you. Be careful and get that pistol out of your car. I hope you don’t need it, but if you do, you’ll have it.”
“Seems odd. A policeman is telling me to arm myself – but okay Larry. I’ll do that. Call me after you visit Chase.”
Then I called Monica. Her maid answered and told me she was in the garden – it would be a minute or two before she got to the phone.
After making my apologies for not calling sooner, I explained that new developments might make my original investigation useless. I didn’t share details, but asked her to not file any divorce papers until she heard something definite from me. I assured her that this would take no longer than a couple of days and then I could give her the complete story.
She agreed and seemed relieved. Underneath that crust, I believe Monica knew the truth about her husband and his illegal office activities – she just didn’t want to admit it.
Ransom
I was busy playing with the mail and anxiously waiting on the return call from Larry, when Marcie buzzed and said I had a visitor .
“Who is it?” I asked.
“His says his name is Phillip Chaney. He claims you two recently met.”
I’m not sure we ever really met but I told her to send him over.
Phillip Chaney was a handsome young man. Tall, muscular, athletic and blond wavy hair – that Troy Donahue look – I call it. He was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt – he looked nervous.
I shook his hand. “Phillip, welcome to my office. I’m not sure we were formally introduced at Mary Ellen’s party, but you were certainly pointed out to me by many of her guests. What can I do for you?”
“Mr. Reno, I’m not sure what you can do and I hope I haven’t made a mistake by coming. I heard your name at the party and they told me you were a private detective and how you had helped Mary Ellen in the past. I guess I’m here now because I need help, and I don’t know where else to turn.”
He dropped a plain white envelope on my desk – no name, no address. The envelope contained a poorly typed note on plain white paper with large capital letters. It read:
IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHARLOTTE ALIVE, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
BRING $200,000 IN SMALL BILLS – TENS AND TWENTIES. RETURN TO HUMBOLDT AND REGISTER AT THE HOLIDAY INN ON HWY 45 IN JACKSON. YOU WILL BE CONTACTED THERE WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR DELIVERY OF THE MONEY.
IF YOU DON’T BRING THE MONEY – SHE DIES.
IF YOU CONTACT THE POLICE – SHE DIES.
IF YOU INVOLVE ANYONE ELSE – SHE DIES.
THIS IS NO JOKE.
“Okay, Phillip. Your turn to talk. Tell me where you got this?” I still wasn’t sure why he was here.
“It was left on my front porch – taped to the door. I didn’t find it until just a few hours ago.”
“Have you contacted the police?”
“Absolutely not – can’t you read what it says? If I involve the police, they will kill her.” He was shaken.
I handed the note back to him.
“I’m sorry Phillip. I can’t help you – or rather I won’t help you. I won’t help you unless you take this note and your story to the police. Otherwise, I can be of no help to you. You can’t negotiate and deal with kidnappers – it never works out – believe me.”
“But what am I going to do? I’ll happily pay the money, but I don’t want to see Charlotte hurt – I couldn’t stand it if I did something that got her harmed. I just want to pay the money and set her free.”
“Then I suggest you do that. I’ll forget this meeting ever happened and you can handle this yourself. But I want you to consider this, the chances are good they will take the money and kill her anyway – that’s the best reason you need the police involved. They also might just decide to kill you too, and still take the money. If you try to handle this situation yourself, you’re not as smart as I think you are. Kidnapping is a federal offense, which means these guys got nothing to lose – once they cross the line there is no crossing back.”
I had his attention, but he was really scared.
“Phillip, either you take that note and leave or sit down and let’s discuss what we need to do. Your decision – and you need to make it now.”
He sat down.
“Okay, I’ll assume that is your answer and your decision to handle this my way. I’d like to hear you say it – please.”
“Yes Mr. Reno. We’ll do this your way. Just tell me what to do.”
“First, I have some questions. During the party, I overheard you and Charlotte in a spat. She left crying – what was that about?”
“It was about money. She needed money to bail her father out of trouble. He was in deep with gambling debts to some guy named Mickey Campbell, I think. Her father had tried to get money from her mother and that ended up getting him put in jail. I overreacted when she asked for money and I wanted to talk it out – we never did. I promised to talk with her father but that just seemed to make things worse.”
“Did you ever talk with him?”
“No, I never did. And I’m not sure where she went after our fight. I never saw her again that night.”
“How did her father contact her? Do you know?” I asked.
“She said he called her the afternoon of the party. I don’t know what was said other than he knew we were dating and he knew I had access to money. I assume he was using whatever pressure he could – she never really said.”
“Did you know that he was at the club during the party?”
“No. You’re kidding! Charlotte never said anything about it.”
“I’m not sure she knew it – we would need to ask him or her, but I saw him. I know he was there and I know he met with Mickey Campbell. That’s what I know. Now, where were you Friday night and Saturday?”
“I stayed in Jackson Friday night and flew the plane back late Saturday. Truth is, I drank too much champagne at the party and that made Saturday a tough day – I had to sober up before flying.”
“When did you last see Charlotte?”
“At the Club, when we had our fuss. That’s the last time I saw her.” He was leaving something out.
“Okay, it seems I have to pull information from you. When is the last time you talked to Charlotte?”
“She called me at my hotel room – sometime Friday night, Saturday morning. I’m not sure of the time – I was drunk. Remember?”
Was that a question?
“I remember that is what you told me. Where did she call you from and what did she say?”
“I don’t know where she was calling from – probably her house. She didn’t say and I didn’t ask – I don’t think,” he was stumbling over words.
“What did she say?” I asked.
“Most of it I don’t remember. She just wanted to make up from our fight and said she loved me and would be over to see me the next morning. That’s really all I remember.”
“No discussions about money or her father?”
“I don’t think so. But I was drunk – remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. When did you learn Charlotte was missing?” I asked.
“I had a message from Sheriff Epsee when I got home Saturday afternoon. I told him what I knew – which was basically nothing – and really didn’t get too concerned. Charlotte is the type who would really pout when she didn’t get what she wanted. I figured that is what she was doing – just pouting.”
“Did you tell him about her asking for money?”
“No – it didn’t seem relevant, at the time. Guess I should have, huh?”
“Not necessarily, I’m still not sure it’s relevant.”
“So Mr. Reno – what are we going to do?” he asked.
“What kind of plane do you fly?”
/> “A 1962 Cessna 172.”
“Is it ready to fly?”
“It can be by the time I get to the airport – why?”
“How quickly can you get the money together?”
“I can have it ready in an hour,” he answered quickly
“Geez, that must be nice!”
“What?”
“Never mind. I want you to get the money and yourself to Humboldt this afternoon. Have your limo service take you to the Jackson Holiday Inn and stay there. Do not leave your room for any reason – use room service and don’t talk to anybody but me. When you get settled, call my office and give my secretary your room number – otherwise call no one. Tell your father and family anything but the truth – but do tell them you will not be talking with them for a few days. Inbound calls only and don’t share the number – understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“When Charlotte called you last Friday night, what hotel were you staying at?”
“The Jackson Holiday Inn – the same hotel I’m headed to now.”
“Okay. I will call you when I get settled in Humboldt. Meanwhile, you let me handle the police. When you get delivery instructions, we’ll work out our plan then. Until they contact you, there isn’t much else we can do but wait. Also, disregard anything you see on the news, I’ll tell you anything you need to know. You got all this?”
“Yes sir,” he said.
“Then leave the note with me and get out of here. You need to be in Jackson before dark.”
“Yes sir,” he said again.
Phillip left and I sat with my thoughts for a few minutes. Something was wrong with this. I’m not sure what it was, but something just didn’t add up. Mickey Campbell and the Memphis Mafia were just too smart to pull this kind of stunt. Without them, that left Travis Luckey to kidnap his own daughter? That made no sense either. Did he contract it out? Was there another player? If so, who?
I was working out my script for the call to Leroy when Marcie called.
“I have Larry Parker on your line two. You still have a client in your office?”
“No, he left. Send me the call.”
“Carson, I’m glad I caught you,” he said when I picked up the phone.
“Caught me? I’ve been sitting here on the edge of my chair waiting on your call. Tell me what you found out.”
“I’ve got good news and bad news – how do you want it?”
“Quit playing games, Larry. I’ll take the bad news first.”
“We found Bernie Taylor.”
“Shit, Larry, that’s good news – right?”
“No. We found Bernie floating face down in the Wolf River. He had been there a couple of days and had a bullet behind his left ear. Does that sound like good news?”
“Oh no! Certainly that is bad news – I’m sorry to hear that. What is the good news?”
“Chase Courier has a package with certified delivery to Watson Clark. Barry Lassiter sent the package on the morning of the day he fell of the 100-north Main Building. They won’t release the package without a court order and I’m working on that as we speak. When the judge signs it, I plan on taking the DA with me to retrieve the package.”
“That is good news.”
“Carson, it’s only good news if what we think is in the package – is in the package. If it turns out to be somebody’s dirty shorts or meaningless correspondence, then we look stupid to everybody.”
“Good idea taking the DA - and you might want to talk to your buddy over at the Federal Marshals office. I’m betting the package is what we think it is, and you’re going to need them, if it says what I think it says.”
“We’ll see. I’ll call you when I find out. Now Carson, you need to do me a favor.”
“Sure, what is it?” I asked.
“Get out of town and get out of town today. Do not pass go and do not collect any money – just leave town – Humboldt will be glad to see you. And don’t come back to town until I tell you it’s safe. Will you promise me to do that?”
“Okay, I promise. But please stay in touch. I’ll be calling you every few hours until I know what happens.”
“You just let me call you. And another thing – don’t tell Marcie where you are and don’t tell that bartender, Andy either. Don’t tell anybody – make up something. Okay?”
“That’s a deal. Talk with you soon,” I said hanging up the phone
~
F iguring I wouldn’t reach him anyway, I decided to head to the apartment and call Leroy from there. I told Marcie I was going fishing with some friends in Mississippi. I’m not sure she believed me, but I made it clear I was not going to Humboldt. A quick visit to the ‘Down Under’ and I left the same message with Andy.
Scotty answered when I called for Leroy. He wasn’t there, but Scotty said he could reach him on the radio. I let him know it was urgent and he agreed to radio Leroy and have him call me at my apartment.
I had just finished packing when he called. I told him the entire conversation and story from Phillip Chaney – leaving out nothing.
“Damn you Carson – how do you get yourself involved in things like this?”
I wasn’t sure that deserved an answer, but I tried. “Look, I’m just here – they come to me. You should be happy that I convinced him to do the right thing – not something stupid. At least we can try to control what happens – not sit back and hear about it afterwards.”
“Carson, there is no WE in that statement. It is a police matter and you will stay out of it – understand?” Leroy was almost yelling.
“No, I do not understand and I am already involved – whether you like it or not. I don’t want to see anything happen to that girl either. I’m responsible for getting him to involve the police, and you can damn well believe I intend to look after that responsibility. So cut that shit out and let’s work together.” He knew I was serious.
“Are you coming to Humboldt?”
“Yes, tonight. Leaving within the hour. Can we meet early tomorrow? Meet BEFORE you make any attempt to contact Phillip Chaney? Remember, I have the Ransom note.”
“Okay, first thing tomorrow. I assume you are staying at Chiefs. It might be better to meet there rather than you coming to my office. Anyway, we’ll discuss our plans tomorrow and see how you can help. Is that good enough?” Leroy said frankly.
“No it isn’t. But we’ll talk tomorrow. You never said - has anything developed on her disappearance?”
“Nothing. She, of course, hasn’t shown up – that’s basically all we know. I told you we found her car but nothing suspicious there. This information brings on a new twist and I really haven’t asked anyone else – other family – if they had been contacted about a ransom. We’ll discuss tomorrow. I won’t speak to anyone until we talk. Drive careful,” Leroy hung up.
~
I made good time headed to Humboldt - traffic was unusually light.
As always, Chiefs was rocking when I arrived and Nickie never saw me walk in. Sitting at the end of the bar I took note of the clients – much different than last week. The ‘class’ had left and the rednecks had their bar back.
“Well, well, well,” Nickie spouted. “Just when we think we have lost the upper class, here they show up again.”
“Excuse me Miss waitress – I’m lost. Could you tell where I might find the Hilton?”
“Listen smart ass – I’m not a waitress – I own this place. And I don’t know about a Hilton, but we can offer you just as much – provided you have your Frequent Traveler Gold Card. You have one of those?”
“I’m afraid I’ve misplaced it,” I said searching my pockets.
“Then you can have Cabin 4. There is no mini-bar but it does have clean sheets and warm water – you game?”
“Book it,” I said nodding.
“Carson, what are you doing here? You just left. Oh – wait, I know. It’s that stewardess – she’s pulling on your sensitive parts and you need another yank or two – right?”
&nbs
p; “Nickie – I get so excited when you talk dirty!”
“Well, control yourself – it’s just talk. You want a drink?”
“Of course – a small one.” I needed to hit the rack soon. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
Nickie brought the drink and asked, “Did you hear about that missing girl?”
“Yes, but I doubt that she’s missing. Probably just shacked up with some hard tail. She’ll show up. That’s the kind of person she is.”
“Oh really? You know a lot about her?”
“No. Just like you, I know what I hear and we all hear the same things. The girl has a lot of excess baggage and that’s a shame. She is really one beautiful woman.”
“I’ll agree with you on both of those points. How long you need the room for?” she asked.
“Not sure, but several days. Is that okay?”
“Yes, just let me know, and I almost forgot. Marcie called late this afternoon with a message. She said to tell you Phillip Chaney is in room 317. That’s all she said.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said sipping my drink.
“Who’s Phillip Chaney and where is room 317?” she asked.
“Somebody you don’t know and please just forget that information – Okay?”
“What information? See, I already forgot,” she was laughing.
“Nickie, I’m going to use that corner booth in the morning. Leroy and I will be having a meeting for maybe an hour or so. Can you try to keep it clear for us?”
“Look, when you roll in here at 11 o’clock, I can make no promises about any table – you know that.”
“I’ll be in here for breakfast at 8 – promise.” I hoped.
“Yes, and I’ll probably faint when you do. I’ll hold it until 8 – no longer than that.”
“Thanks sweetie. I’ll see you for breakfast,” I said as she walked away.
I finished my drink and headed for Cottage 4. My plan was for a good night’s sleep and a constructive meeting with Sheriff Leroy Epsee in the morning.
Unfortunately the first part didn’t work out.
The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land Page 10