Dangerous Inheritance

by Shirley E. Watson

  “That’s the question, isn’t it? Apparently, he just opened a door and walked out.”

  “I thought they had security there?”

  “Well, I guess anything can go wrong. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that they find him. Nobody knows where he went.”

  “Cass, I’m coming down there. I’ll meet you. Are you going back to the Assisted Living or will you be at the hotel?”

  “I’ll see you at Golden Lifestyles. I appreciate it, Rob.”

  “Listen, Cass, maybe I should take a detour past your Dad’s house to see if maybe he went back. What do you think?”

  “That would be great. I don’t know how he would get there, but my Dad’s not stupid. Just forgetful.”

  “OK, see you later. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

  Cassie hung up. By that time, she had reached her car and got in. Driving back to Golden Lifestyles, she wondered just where her Dad had meant to go. It was definitely possible that he had tried to go home.”

  When she got to the Assisted Living complex, she spoke to the Director again and was told that a search was being conducted in the vicinity of the buildings.

  “I’m glad you’re checking at home, Ms. Connor. That will save time if he managed to get back there. However, it’s entirely possible that he went out for a walk and got confused about direction.”

  Cassie nodded. “Yes, I can see that happening. His memory has really deteriorated. I’m worried that he was out there somewhere all last night.”

  The Director smiled sympathetically and took her hand. “Please don’t worry. We’ll find him. It wasn’t too cold last night.”

  Through the glass entrance doors, Cassie saw a police van arrive and an officer leading two dogs out of the van. She shivered. They were going to walk the vacant ground behind Golden Lifestyles. It was quite large, ten acres, she had been told, and full of trees, gullies and a small stream.

  A tall man’s silhouette appeared against the doors and pushed them open.

  “Rob!”

  Cassie ran over to him. “Did you find Dad? Oh,” her voice filled with disappointment. “That’s dumb. If you found him, he’d be with you, wouldn’t he?”

  Rob put an arm around her shoulders.

  “He wasn’t there, but I’m sure they’ll find him soon.”

  She sat down on a lobby chair and put her head in her hands. She looked up again. A group of elderly people in wheelchairs stared at them, but didn’t seem to register any emotion.

  “What do you want to do next, Cass?”

  “Well, I’m not going to the school. I can’t think of anything until they find my Dad. If I need to take time off I’ll call the library but I hope it won’t go that long. And I have to call Lee, too. She doesn’t know.” Cassie gulped tears back. “I hate to bother her with this. She’s had her own troubles.”

  Rob put a hand on her shoulder. “Lee’s a strong person, like you, Cass. She has a right to know what’s going on.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’d better call her first.”

  Rob sat down, nodded at the seniors who were still staring at them, and took up a newspaper lying on a table. Cassie dialed her sister’s number.

  “Hi, Cass, how are you? Did you get registered for school yet?”

  “I’m not going.”

  “What? What are you talking about? I thought you’d be starting class soon. You were so excited the last time we talked. Did you have second thoughts about it?”

  “Lee, Lee,” Cassie interrupted her sister’s questions. “It’s not that. Dad’s gone.”

  “Now I’m really confused. Where did Dad go? Oh, you don’t mean…..”

  Cassie’s voice thickened with emotion. “No, no. Rob and I took him to the Assisted Living facility yesterday and he just disappeared.”

  “How could that happen? They are careful in places where Alzheimer’s patients live.”

  “Well, it happened. Apparently a new employee goofed up.”

  “Goofed up? They can’t afford to goof up with people’s lives.”

  “You probably know better than I do about that as a prospective nurse, Lee. But that’s not the point anymore. Finding where Dad went is the object. They’re searching for him now and Rob checked the house so I know he didn’t go back there.”

  “Oh, good, I’m glad Rob’s there. I still don’t understand how Dad could be missing. Where did he go? Do you want me to come? I was going to visit Dad in a couple of days.”

  “I don’t know if you can help. You’d probably be better off just going on with whatever you’re doing. Rob and I are going to look here and they even have tracker dogs as well as police and volunteers. I’ll let you know if there’s anything to tell.”

  “Oh, God! I hate the sound of tracker dogs. Maybe he just took a walk and got confused. Is that possible? Well, keep on letting me know what’s going on, Cass. I’ll come down if you need me.”

  “I hope he’s just somewhere around the corner, but I’ll call you.”

  Cass hung up and went over to Rob. She was glad of his solid bulk and rock steady personality. She wondered again why he hung around so much. Lee and Cass had sometimes speculated that he was gay but not out of the closet. They’d seen him with women but never anyone special, it seemed. They didn’t want to just ask, although they’d known him forever. If he wasn’t, would that be an insult? Let him be the first to mention it. Whatever, he was someone they tended to rely on. Cass was thankful he was here now. She touched Rob’s arm.

  “Do you want to go with me? I’m going out to walk around that field in back. It’s bigger than it looks, I’m sure. I’m worried that Dad might have gone in that direction in the dark. There’s tall grass and bushes and whatnot and maybe places you could fall into.”

  “It’s a definite possibility. But you know, that’s where they’ve already gone and the dogs are looking there, too. But if you want to go, let’s get going, then.” He heaved himself out of the chair. “Lucky I have sneakers on instead of shoes. I’d rather have boots but these will have to do.”

  Cassie looked down at her own jeans and sneakers. She seldom had the occasion to dress except when she went to work. “OK, let’s go.”

  They spent the morning in the open air, getting scratched by bramble bushes, getting their feet soaked when they stepped into marshy spots, and getting frustrated by the fruitless search of the field. Cassie had been right. It was quite a big area.

  Finally Cassie sat down on a stump. “I’m starting to think he’s not here, Rob. I think we’ve covered most of it.” She ran a hand over her hair and pulled off a leaf. “Eeuw, there’s a spider on this.”

  Rob said, “Let’s go back to Golden Lifestyles and check in to see if anyone can tell us anything more. We can decide what we’ll do next.”

  Cassie wearily got up and they walked slowly back towards the buildings.

  When they reached the Assisted Living facility, they saw the van with the dogs just leaving. Cassie and Rob went inside. The Director saw them from her glassed in office and came out. “Ms. Connor, we haven’t found your Dad yet, but we got a tip that he was seen with someone.”

  “Someone? Who? My Dad doesn’t know anybody here. He just got here.”

  “Well, this seems to have been someone who was not from this facility, as far as we know. One of our volunteers looked at the photo of your Dad that we had and said she had seen a man answering that description just getting into a car in the parking lot behind the building.”

  “Getting into a car? You don’t mean to drive? He doesn’t have a license any more.”

  “No. He appeared to be getting into the passenger seat, the woman said. Maybe a friend?” She looked at Cassie.

  Cassie shook her head. “Nobody knows he’s here yet. At least, I don’t think so. And how did he get out of this building without anyone knowing?”

  The Director looked distressed. “I’m sorry. This has never happened before. I’m looking into it.”

  Rob said, �
�Could we talk to this woman who saw them, Director? Maybe she could add some more information.”

  “I don’t think she can, but here’s her phone number. She talked to the police and went home already. She just comes in one day a week to do crafts with the residents.”

  Cassie took out her cell phone and called the woman, whose name was Barbara Bartholomew. “Can you tell me anything about the man that you saw my Dad with?” she asked after explaining who she was.

  Barbara said, “Well, I’m not sure that this man was your Dad, you see. I only said he looked like that photo. I never met your Dad.”

  “Anything would help. What did the man driving look like?”

  “He was wearing one of those sweatshirts with the hood over his head. All I know was that he was about medium height. He opened the door for your Dad to get into the car and off they went.”

  “What was the car like?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t get the license plate or anything. It was a medium sized silver car. Maybe American, I’m not sure, really.”

  “Well, thank you. If there’s anything else you can think of, please give me a call.” Cassie gave Barbara her phone number and hung up. She turned to Rob.

  “A medium sized man with a hood over his head in a medium sized silver car. There must be thousands of them out there.”

  “Well, this man will probably come forward and tell us something. We’ll ask the press to put a little notice in. They’d probably be glad to help.”

  But there was no phone call and no sign of Cassie and Lee’s father for a week. By that time, his daughters were having trouble sleeping and eating. They met on a Saturday in a coffee shop.

  Cassie picked listlessly at a corn muffin. “I’m at my wits end, Lee. Where is he?”

  Lee sipped her coffee and pushed away a plate of toast. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that since we haven’t heard anything, that he’s just gone somewhere we don’t know about. He probably has friends he could visit.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I’ve called all the ones I know about and they haven’t seen him. He hasn’t done anything like visiting without letting us know where he was. Of course, his memory is going so even that might not be true anymore.”

  Lee put down her coffee cup. “I feel bad going to school and not looking for him. I was thinking of quitting and spending time to find him again.”

  “No! Lee, you have to go on. You have Stevie to think of. I’m OK. I’m on my own and the library has been understanding. The police have alerted all their patrolmen in the area to keep a lookout for him. The newspaper ran his picture. I’ll keep on driving around as much as I can and ask around.”

  “But your dream, the challenge. What about that? If you go on with it, you’ll probably get some more money. You could use it, Cass. And you always wanted to get your library degree. I feel so bad about you being the one to look after Dad all the time.”

  “No, I’m glad to do it. You have Stevie and I have the time.”

  “Not everybody would feel the way you do. I’m so grateful.” Lee got up and hugged her sister. Cassie patted her back.

  “Let’s just hope we can find Dad.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Derek was getting ready to leave the cottage after a late breakfast of toast and coffee. He was a little miffed that neither Cassie nor Lee had called him back. Well, if they wanted to go their own way and not compare notes, that was up to them. He hadn’t seen that much of them before this, so who cared, anyway, if they wanted to continue the same way.

  He had spent quite a bit of time lately thinking that he really needed to get a job. The $10,000 was good, but he needed a car, a used car that would last for a little while, so that would eat up a lot of it, if not most. He wasn’t even sure he could afford one. His shaky credit might mean he’d have to pay a high interest rate. He seemed to recall standing quite a few rounds of drinks and then there was the rent on this place. He was almost afraid to check his bank balance.

  So, the plan was to see if Cal or rather, Colleen, could help him find a job nearby where he could walk to work. She was in Boston teaching right now. He decided to walk along Main Street and ask around. It would be better than just hanging around because it was starting to get boring. He still hadn’t started on putting a song together but he told himself it had to gel in his mind first. He had plenty of time, anyway, didn’t he?

  The previous night, he'd joined the band at the Blue Whale and had a really good time, made a little money. But it was not enough to sustain him.

  After an hour of walking and talking, Derek had got some small encouragement about: a job in a seafood restaurant where he would have to wear a hat that looked like a clam; a job in a fast food restaurant that promised managerial opportunities; a job singing at a bar for tips; and a job pumping gas. With Winter not far off, Derek shivered at the thought of standing out in the cold, so he decided the gas station job was only in case of dire emergency. He wasn’t at “dire” yet, he thought. He dropped into the diner to get a bowl of soup for lunch. He was starting to think “economy.” The waitress he usually got, whose name was Celia, smiled and asked how he was doing. He told her he was looking for a job and what the results had been.

  “Well, we sometimes have jobs here, but you might have to be a bus boy. Probably not for you, huh?”

  “If it paid enough, maybe!”

  “Umm, maybe not. Let me think if I know of anything else.” She served the hot thick clam chowder and went back to the kitchen counter to get some homemade rolls and butter for him.

  She returned to give him the check when he said he didn’t want anything else. “I can’t think of anywhere else for you to look at the moment, but I’ll keep it in mind. You’ll be in here again soon, won’t you?”

  He said he would see her again in the near future and left the diner. Maybe he should think about getting supplies and cooking at home. The day was sunny and bright. Maples planted along Main Street were a mass of fiery red, orange and yellow. He walked more briskly as the wind blew his hair back. Not at all like the Southern towns where people strolled in the heat. This climate made you want to be more physically active. But he was at a loose end. Maybe he had made a mistake in getting involved in this thing. He’d been a bad boy, could be, drinking and womanizing, in Texas, but it was a life. He’d also had his music and his friends. Here, what did he have? Just a promise of a little more money and the friendship of Colleen, who didn’t seem to care if he went or stayed. She had her own life, now.

  In spite of the pleasant day, he began to fall into a funk. He walked towards the beach, feeling better as he covered the mile and a half. The waves were breaking on the beach and there were white caps on the water. The wind was stronger here and gulls circled, floating from one updraft to another and then beating back against the wind. He saw one dive, pick up a crab and try to make off with it before the others noticed. The gull landed on a rock and was soon joined by others trying to get a piece of the prize.

  He thought, “Here we are all trying to fulfill a challenge and yet the only challenge is against ourselves, isn’t it? Not really a challenge at all” He thought that he should just write a song, get it over with, and collect his money. Go back to Texas. But wait, he’d said he wanted to perform in front of a large audience. Why on earth had he said that, boasting and full of himself at the time? How was he going to do it?

  He began to walk back. Maybe he should just forget about the whole thing. It wasn’t worth the trouble. Just then, his cell phone rang.

  “Derek? Hello? It’s Cassie Connor.”

  “Oh, hello, Cassie. I left a message on Lee’s phone. Just to say “hey” But nobody called me back.”

  “Yes, she did mention something about that. But that’s not what I’m calling about. It’s about our Dad.”

  “Uncle Finn? What about him?”

  “He went missing. He walked out of an Assisted Living place and just disappeared.”

  “Maybe he just didn’t like it there
and decided to go somewhere else.”

  “Derek, he’s got Alzheimers. That’s why he had gone there. But he was only there less than a day before he left. But we did get him back.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the Alzheimers.” Derek remembered Finbar Connor from years ago when his Mom was alive. They’d gone once to visit them. It was a happy memory of a week of playing with his cousins, swimming, eating ice cream and watching baseball. So unlike the rest of his life in one room apartments over bars. The small, lonely boy he had been cherished that wonderful week.

  “Yes, we’re dealing with it the best way we can. What I wanted to tell you, though, was what happened when he came back. We looked everywhere the first day. It finally got dark and we had to stop. We kept on looking for him for a week and we’d almost given up hope. Suddenly we got a call from a policeman that he had been found twenty miles away sitting in a park. He was tired and dirty and he had no idea how he got there. He said something about having a bag over his head. The most disturbing thing was, though, that he found a note in his pocket addressed to all of us.”

  “That’s terrible. It's good you got him back, though. But what did the note say?”

  “It said, “Hey, grandchildren: Take care of the things that are important to you and don’t try to get in over your head. Forget the challenge. It could be dangerous to you and to people you care about.”

  “Son of a Gun! I thought nobody knew about this but us. That doesn’t make any sense to me, though. Does it mean anything to you?”

  “Not really. It just seems crazy. Who is this person and what is it to them?”

  “To tell the truth, I was thinking about this challenge thing. Now that I’ve had time to think, it seems like a big waste of time. Write a song, all to get a few thousand dollars? I’m here in New England, kicking my heels. I could be playing with a band in Texas and at least making a living. I’m seriously thinking of giving it all up and going home.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t act in a hasty manner,” Cassie said. “Just think about it a little more. I’m not going to worry about this person who wrote a note. I think somebody must have been talking who shouldn’t and this person got some crazy idea into their heads. Grandfather might have made enemies over the years that we know nothing about.”