I Wish You Missed Me

by Bonnie Hearn Hill

‘You just here for the night?’ His accent was southern, his appearance vintage California hippie, right down to the coral- and gold-beaded headband.

  Kit squinted in the dim light and realized that his silver hair still held onto some auburn strands. ‘One or two nights,’ she said.

  ‘You can pay by the day.’ He nodded at Virgie and put out his hand. She kept her arms glued to her sides. ‘They call me Nickel,’ he said. ‘Like the coin.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you.’ Virgie stretched out an arm and shook his hand. Kit did the same.

  He walked in front of them and leaned against the edge of the table. Kit inhaled the sharp scent of liquor, whiskey maybe, or gin. He took the cash Kit handed him, studied her and then Virgie, and said, ‘This is a peaceful place with peaceful people. If you need anything, just knock. I’m up most nights.’

  ‘We’ll be fine.’ Kit backed away from him, toward the door.

  ‘Where you ladies headed?’ he asked.

  Kit started to ask him if he knew Farley but Virgie nudged her as if she could read Kit’s mind.

  ‘Just sightseeing,’ Virgie said. Kit followed her gaze to the bowl of variegated blue stones. ‘Pretty beads.’

  ‘Blue crazy lace agate. I’m almost finished with a new headband.’ He nodded toward the footstool and then at Virgie. ‘It would look great on you.’

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ she told him as they stepped outside.

  ‘I’ll give you a fair price,’ he called behind them.

  The fragrant air now seemed out of place.

  ‘Why didn’t you want me to ask him anything?’ Kit said.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Virgie stared into the slender trees. In the darkness they seemed to spread into the sky. ‘It was just a gut reaction, and I always go with my gut.’

  They entered their cabin, rustic but clean – two large rooms and a bathroom. This wouldn’t be so bad.

  ‘I’ll go with your gut too,’ Kit said. ‘But I’m going to ask him tomorrow.’

  ‘Ladies, wait.’ As he headed closer to the open front door of the cabin, Kit and Virgie stepped outside.

  ‘What is it?’ Kit asked.

  ‘You overpaid me.’ The bills he held out to her fluttered in the breeze. ‘You said one night but you gave me money for two.’

  ‘I paid for two nights,’ she said. ‘We’re looking for a school and I don’t know how long it’s going to take us to find it.’

  ‘Lots of schools around here.’

  ‘This one’s run by Jonas Case,’ Kit said.

  Nickel’s eyes widened slightly.

  ‘Do you know him?’

  ‘Might’ve run into him.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Everyone around here pretty much knows everybody else.’

  ‘What’s the name of his school?’ Kit could almost feel him hesitate.

  ‘You ladies wouldn’t be law, would you?’

  Virgie snorted. ‘First time anyone accused me of that.’

  ‘It’s just that you’re asking a lot of questions,’ he said, ‘and most people around here know where they’re heading.’

  ‘Jonas Case is a friend of a friend,’ Kit told him. ‘I need to talk to him.’

  ‘Well, good luck.’ He turned and started back toward his cabin.

  ‘Wait.’ Kit followed him. ‘You seem like a decent person and I really need your help. The sooner I find Jonas, the sooner I can locate our friend. We’re not trying to cause trouble for you or anybody else. We’re just …’ Her lip trembled and she couldn’t continue.

  ‘The school’s not far from here,’ he muttered. ‘Just remembered.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Kit sighed. ‘We’ll drive over there right now.’

  ‘It’s getting late,’ he said. ‘Besides, I think they might be closed for spring break.’ His voice softened. ‘But from what I recall, Jonas lives on the property.’

  TWELVE

  When the women arrived that evening, Jonas was ready for them. While waiting, he had urged his mind to let go of everything but the music. It was like a body of water to him. Sometimes he dove into it headfirst. Other times, on late afternoons like this one, he floated on its surface. Chopin supplied the ripples and Jonas imagined Isadora Duncan, her scarf soaring upward like a wing. As he went to the front of his cabin to get a better look at the two who had just driven in, it occurred to him that music was his only true addiction. Something about that pleased him and eased him into what might be an uncomfortable situation.

  The women parked under the trees, clearly unaware of what the redwood sap would do to the paint on their car. Inexperienced travelers, for sure. Jonas went outside, going for a pleasant but bewildered look as if perhaps these were visitors who had lost their way.

  The driver got out of the car and didn’t return his visual greeting. Jonas assumed she would be larger but her power lay in her stoic expression and her tight, muscular body, hidden in a down vest. Kit Doyle got out moments after, paler and more fragile than in her photographs, curly hair pulled back from her face. Even in the dim light, it gleamed.

  ‘Hello there,’ he said, making eye contact first with the driver and then with the Doyle woman. ‘I’m Jonas. Are you here about the school?’

  ‘I’m Kit Doyle and this is my friend, Virgie Logan.’ Kit marched across the stone path and stopped in front of him. ‘We’re here about Farley.’

  ‘Of course,’ he said and stepped back as if really seeing her for the first time. ‘Kit Doyle! How good to finally meet you. Come in.’

  A gust of wind blew through and she rubbed the arms of her jacket. His front door jerked open.

  ‘I need to get that fixed,’ he said. ‘Come on. I don’t have a great deal of time, though. I wish I had known you were coming.’

  They went in ahead of him and stood in front of the woodstove of the cabin, glancing at each other and around the room. He joined them and rubbed his hands together over the stove.

  Kit looked into his eyes. ‘Where’s Farley?’

  ‘I have no idea. On his way, I hope.’

  ‘When was the last time you heard from him?’

  ‘A text,’ he said. ‘On Thursday, maybe Friday. I believe he had another stop first.’

  ‘He’s missing. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘No way.’ Jonas motioned them to the spotless round oak table with its clean smell of lemon oil and thought about his response. Once they sat in the chairs, Kit Doyle next to him and Virgie across from her, he said, ‘As you’re probably aware, I’ve known Farley since he was in high school, and I can tell you punctuality is not his strong suit.’

  ‘There’s a missing person’s report.’ Kit’s voice was scratchy and strong, a radio voice, but Jonas could detect the emotion she was trying to hide. ‘He didn’t show up where he was supposed to be. He hasn’t called into work and none of his friends can reach him.’

  ‘That explains it.’ Jonas spread his open hands before him on the table. ‘I haven’t been able to get in touch with him either, not since that last text.’

  ‘And you haven’t seen him?’ Kit’s eyes were as probing and expressive as Virgie’s were blank, but they both sat up straight in their chairs as if taking in his every word.

  ‘I just told you that. Not a text. Not a phone call.’ He shrugged. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘We have reason to believe he was on his way here,’ she said.

  ‘He was.’ Best to keep it as close to the truth as possible. ‘We try to get together a couple of times a year.’

  ‘And this was one of those?’

  ‘Not really.’

  She waited for him to say more. Jonas tried to change the subject.

  ‘When we met, he was very young, very gifted.’

  ‘And very troubled,’ she finished for him. ‘Farley told me about the cello scholarship you got for him right before he got into the fistfight that broke his left hand.’

  ‘All true.’ This chuckle came easily. He didn’t have to force it. ‘I’m sure Farley’s fine but I want to do whateve
r I can to help. Can I have your number?’

  She reached for her phone and Jonas got a glimpse of her calf. Nice. ‘Where does he stay when he comes here?’ she asked.

  ‘With me, of course. I have plenty of room.’

  ‘But he keeps his car somewhere else.’ Her eyes were steady, her expression almost mocking. ‘Doesn’t he?’

  ‘You’re right.’ If he lied now, she’d know it. Surely Farley had shared details with her in the past. ‘He babies that car and would never leave it under those trees out there, with the sap and all.’

  ‘So where does he keep it?’ she asked.

  ‘A campground not far from here.’

  ‘Can you tell me where to find it?’ This was a test. She thought she had him now.

  ‘Sure,’ he told her. ‘Better than that, I can give you directions.’

  Carefully he outlined a makeshift map to the campground on the back of an envelope. ‘Give me a call if you get lost,’ he told her. ‘I’ve picked him up there many times. And let me know as soon as you hear from him.’

  The weather cooperated with his need to get them out of there, kicking up rain, wind and dust, rattling the windows.

  The two women glanced at each other again and Jonas truly wished he could tell them the truth. He took a sip from his glass and then realized that he should have offered them a drink.

  ‘You must think I’m rude,’ he said. ‘Once you told me Farley is missing I didn’t think about anything else. Would you like a glass of wine or some tea before you head for the campground?’

  ‘No, thanks.’ Kit’s lips pressed into a line, and Jonas followed her gaze toward the counter.

  ‘Keep in touch then.’ He opened the front door and bolted it behind them.

  As he watched them standing outside, the sun began to set. He picked up his glass, went to the sink to refill it and glanced at the bottle. Just like that, Jonas realized what Kit Doyle had been staring at and why her tight lips had turned up into a smile of recognition. Now he couldn’t just sit back. He had to do something.

  They walked outside, away from the loud classical music and Jonas Case, and Kit tried to make sense out of what she had just seen.

  ‘He’s watching us out the window,’ Virgie said as they sat in the car.

  ‘Let him.’

  ‘I never did trust a guy who tried to match his clothes to his eyes.’

  ‘He seems to be pulling it off.’

  ‘Seems way too into himself to be Farley’s friend.’

  ‘Friends don’t have to be clones,’ Kit said, and Virgie responded with a huffing noise.

  ‘He’s lying, ain’t he?’

  Kit nodded, still trying to figure out why a man who had been so important to Farley didn’t want her to find him now. ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘He’s lying. Did you see that bottle on the counter?’

  ‘I knew he was drinking something before we got there. There was a glass on the table next to him.’

  ‘It was port,’ Kit said. ‘Expensive port. I’ll bet that’s the bottle Farley bought him.’

  They sat like that for a moment as Kit realized that Jonas probably knew what she had figured out.

  ‘We should go,’ she told Virgie.

  ‘Yeah.’ She turned to see her friend’s steady gaze, as if hypnotized by the rain striking their windshield.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Kit asked.

  ‘That.’ Virgie jabbed her finger at the barn beside the house. ‘Looks pretty secure to me. Why do you suppose Farley can’t park his car in there?’

  ‘You’re right.’

  Before Kit could decide what to do next, the front door opened and Jonas stepped outside. He walked toward the passenger door of the car as if unaware of the raindrops pasting his thick brown hair to his scalp.

  ‘Having problems finding your way?’ he asked. ‘It can get a little weird out here at night.’

  ‘Not at all,’ Kit said. ‘No problem.’

  Before he could say anything else, Virgie pulled out of the drive. Kit turned in her seat to watch him, still standing in his driveway and still apparently unaware of the rain, or at least not caring about it.

  THIRTEEN

  The rain let up about eight-thirty. Kit had heated two bowls of chili they had picked up on the trip, and she and Virgie sat at the large window with mugs of tea, watching the downpour. Nickel shuffled past the window with a lantern, carrying a glass of his own.

  ‘Just me,’ he said and lifted it like a man accustomed to making toasts.

  ‘At least he seems to look after the place,’ Kit said.

  ‘Maybe when he’s sober.’ Virgie pushed her bowl away. ‘Looks pretty shabby around here if you ask me. Can’t imagine Farley wanting to keep his car here.’

  ‘It is close to the school,’ Kit said, ‘and the parking area is clean. Besides, Farley always covers it.’

  ‘But …’ Virgie rested her feet on the stepstool and pushed back in her chair. ‘What do you make of that barn Jonas Case has on his property?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Kit had wondered the same thing. ‘I can’t imagine what he would have in there that would keep him from offering it to Farley.’

  ‘So,’ Virgie said, ‘either Farley don’t want to park it there or Jonas don’t want him to.’

  ‘Maybe Jonas has something in there,’ Kit said. ‘Something valuable.’

  ‘Maybe.’

  They sat for a moment, disconnected thoughts flying through Kit’s head. Finally she sighed and leaned back in her own chair. ‘You think Farley’s car is in that barn, don’t you?’

  ‘It has occurred to me.’

  ‘You think we ought to go back there tomorrow?’

  ‘Tomorrow?’ Virgie rolled her eyes.

  ‘You’re not thinking about going back tonight?’

  ‘It’s the best way,’ she said. ‘Trust me, that Jonas guy won’t be expecting us back so soon. Once we left he probably just finished his glass of port and turned in early.’

  ‘But what if he didn’t?’ Kit said.

  ‘If there’s a light on we’ll see it from far down the road and we can just turn around.’

  ‘It might rain again. Have you thought about that? The road out there is already mud.’

  ‘It’s clear you never committed any crime,’ Virgie said. ‘If it rains there won’t be anyone there to witness what we’re doing, and he won’t be expecting us either. You get that, right? We want the rain.’

  Kit gripped the edge of the table and tried to squeeze the thoughts of what had happened to her before out of her head. ‘What are the odds that Farley’s car is even there?’

  ‘What are the odds it ain’t?’ Virgie glanced down at the table, at Kit’s hands, and paused. ‘I have a better idea,’ she said. ‘Why don’t I just drive back there and you stay here?’

  ‘No.’ Kit shot to her feet.

  ‘I’ve dealt with danger before – more than even you know about.’ Virgie stood up as well. ‘I won’t take chances. Besides, he’s Farley’s friend.’

  ‘Farley’s friend who has already lied to us.’

  ‘You stay here.’ Virgie took her jacket from the back of the chair and slipped into it. ‘We need someone to watch our stuff. I can take care of this in no time.’

  ‘We have this.’ Kit lifted the key of the cabin off the table, her hand steady now. ‘And we have Nickel, for whatever he’s worth. Besides, if we lost everything in this place, how big a tragedy would that be?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ The look Virgie gave her wasn’t about their possessions or this room.

  Kit hated the way it made her feel. ‘That settles it,’ she said. ‘We’re going.’

  Virgie started to object but Kit shook her head. ‘I was trying to pretend that you were wrong about heading back there tonight,’ she said. ‘But you’re right. Jonas is not going to expect us back so soon, and if we wait another hour or two you know he’ll be asleep.’

  A grin spread across Virgie’s face and she nodded. ‘The
n we might as well sit back down and wait until it gets really dark.’

  Two hours later, they pulled out of Nickel’s camp and drove to the muddy path that led to Jonas.

  ‘Not a light on anywhere,’ Virgie said as they drew closer. ‘I’m going to park down the road.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Kit no longer feared what would happen next. She just wanted to find out what was in that garage.

  She opened the car door and Virgie touched her arm. ‘I know how to do this stuff,’ she said.

  Kit met her eyes. ‘You think I don’t?’

  ‘All right then. I hear you.’ Virgie’s expression went blank and so did her voice. ‘But let me go first and don’t say a word to me. Don’t even think until we get there.’

  Kit nodded and they moved through muddy grass. Once they got closer, Kit could see a single light on the property, and that was a bulb above the barn. But the glow it cast was thin and watery. Kit and Virgie glanced at each other and moved closer. If Farley’s car were in this garage, all of this would be worth it.

  Virgie nudged her and pointed to the right of the barn. Kit followed her and they crept around toward the back. Two windows faced the far side of Jonas’s land. Kit wanted to rush up and try to see inside but she turned back to Virgie, who shook her head.

  No, she mouthed.

  The windows were covered with fog from the rain. That meant the place must be heated. Virgie motioned toward the window and made a gesture suggesting she was going to break in.

  ‘And what the hell are you doing?’

  Jonas Case stood behind them, wearing the same shorts and denim jacket he’d had on earlier. A rifle dangled from his right hand.

  Kit stifled a scream. ‘Put that down,’ she said.

  ‘I might when you tell me what you’re doing back on my property.’ The rain started again – just a few drops at first. He shoved his hair back from his face.

  ‘Put down the gun and I’ll tell you,’ Kit said.

  ‘I need something to convince you women to leave me alone. If it takes a gun, that’s what it has to be. I don’t like it any more than you do.’

  ‘What about the Taylor Port?’ Kit asked.

  ‘So I like good port. Everyone’s allowed a vice or two.’