by A. L. Jambor
“To hide something,” Mel said.
“But this thing,” Lisa waved at the home, “doesn’t sit on the ground.”
“He’d have to stand in the hole and dig so no one would see him,” Conner said.
“What was he trying to hide?” Lisa said. She sensed Mel was upset. “Oh.”
Mel was quiet. She could feel tears forming in her eyes and didn’t want to cry in front of Conner. She thought about Nana Grace. She didn’t want to have to tell her Audrey was gone.
“Let’s go,” she said and began to walk away. Conner went after her.
“We’re gonna find out what happened,” he said as he grabbed her arm. “I won’t let this go.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said, trying not to look at him.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Mel nodded and pulled her arm away. Lisa passed Conner and waved.
“Nice meeting you,” she said.
Conner put out his hand and touched her arm. “Keep an eye on her.”
“I will,” Lisa said.
“I mean it. Don’t let her come back here alone. She’s gonna get in trouble. We need to do this right so we can get this guy. She could screw up the investigation.”
“And here I thought you cared about her.”
“Just take care of her.”
Lisa left him and caught up to Mel. “Hey,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Mel said. “I just want to go home.”
“What do you say we stop at the drugstore, buy a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and go back to the condo and sit on the porch?”
Mel smiled. “That sounds good.”
Chapter 17
When they got back to the condo, Mel and Lisa changed into their sleep shirts. They took their ice cream and went to the porch. Despite Mel’s misgivings regarding the temperatures, it was warm, and there was a nice breeze coming off the Gulf of Mexico. Lisa lit the citronella candle on the small table between their lounge chairs.
“I couldn’t see him very well, but in the dark, that guy looked hot.”
“He’s cute,” Mel said. “He believes me.”
“What?”
“He didn’t brush me off when I filed the report. He’s been looking into it. He obviously thinks Audrey is…”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Would you really have gone to a club alone?” Mel asked.
“No. But I would have told you I did.”
“Why?” Mel asked.
“I wouldn’t want you to think I was a wuss.”
“I wouldn’t think that.”
Lisa swirled her spoon over the surface of the ice cream. “Are you still leaving tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure. I want to see what happens, but Sunday is Christmas.”
“You could stay here. We could do Christmas together.”
“I don’t know. I’m always with my grandmother on Christmas.”
“So call her and see what she says. We could go to the movies and eat popcorn.”
“What about your dad?” Mel asked.
“Barcelona.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Mel took a few bites. “What were you gonna do here alone?”
“Pretty much what I’d do with you. Go to a movie and eat popcorn.”
Mel looked over at her friend. It was hard to tell what she was thinking in the low light from the candle. She sounded okay, but who’s really okay with being alone at Christmas? Grandma would be with her mother, Nana Grace. Mel could always go home the day after Christmas.
“I’ll stay here,” Mel said. “I really want to find out what happened to Audrey. I’ll just change my flight.”
Lisa smiled. “It’ll be nice having some company.”
When Conner got home, he called his friend Mike, the K-9 officer.
“I want to ask a favor. Are you working tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Mark gave me Christmas Eve off this year.”
“I need Rusty for about fifteen minutes tomorrow morning. Early, like seven.”
“Should I wear my uniform?”
Conner thought for a minute. “No. It’s not official.”
“Which means Mark doesn’t know about it.”
“Yeah, and I have to do this before court begins.”
“Shit.”
“I’m working a missing person’s case,” Conner said.
“And you think the person is dead.”
“I think she’s buried under a mobile home.”
“Great.”
“If Rusty reacts, we’ll take it to Mark.”
“You’ll take it to Mark. I’m gonna play dumb.”
“I’ll take it to Mark.”
“Where is it?”
“Holiday Oaks. Number 298.”
“I’ll meet you there at seven.”
The next day, Conner’s shift began at noon. He brought his uniform with him so he could change at the sheriff’s office. He arrived at Audrey’s home at seven and saw Mike standing next to his own car, which was parked in front of Marge’s home. He had a leash in his hand. Rusty was in the back seat. Rusty was a trained cadaver dog. He was a blonde German shepherd, a beautiful dog with an amazing nose. Mike also cared for another dog trained to detect drugs.
Conner parked behind Mark and went over to him.
“He’s been antsy since we got here,” Mike said.
“He might just smell the dog we found buried behind the home.”
“Could be.” Mike opened the door and put the leash on Rusty. “Come on, boy.”
Rusty pulled Mike across the street.
“He smells something,” Mike said.
The dog didn’t fool around. He went straight up the driveway to the center of the home. He pulled hard on the leash when he reached the spot under the hole in the kitchen floor, then he started to bark.
“Shit,” Conner said. “I was hoping he wouldn’t find anything.”
“You gotta tell Mark.”
“I can’t use this. I don’t have probable cause.”
“You do now.”
“But we didn’t get a warrant.”
“What made you think there was somebody buried here in the first place?”
Conner hesitated. “The guy who lived here killed a dog.”
“And?”
“I promised the girl who filed the missing persons I’d find out what happened to her aunt.”
“And she’s cute.”
“That’s not why. Well, maybe a little, but when I came by and talked to the guy, something didn’t feel right. The more I found out about him, the less I liked him.”
“You gotta go to Mark. I think you have probable cause.”
“But I didn’t have a damn warrant.”
“So, I tell Mark I’m cutting through the park with Rusty on my way to Ulmerton Road and he goes crazy. I stop and let him do his thing. He smells decaying flesh under a mobile home. It just happens to be the one that guy lives in.”
“You’d do that?” Conner said.
“We gotta see if there’s a body here.”
“Yeah, we do.”
Mike took Rusty back to his car. He waved at Conner when he drove off. It was seven forty-five. Conner wanted to be in court when Jason was arraigned. He got in the car and drove to the sheriff’s office.
Mel got up and got dressed. It was nine. Lisa was still asleep. Mel wanted coffee but didn’t feel like making it. She grabbed her purse and left the condo.
She headed to the mobile home park, stopping at a Starbucks drive-thru to get a tall coffee. When she got to the park, she sat in front of Marge’s home until her coffee was gone, then she got out and went to Audrey’s door.
She looked around before trying all the keys to see which one would open the door. The third try was the charm, and the door opened.
She looked at the floor when she stepped inside. The rug hid the cutout well. She went past it and turned right. She found Audrey’s bedroom and looked around.
The bed was made. There was nothing
on either end table. The room was meticulous.
She went to the dresser and started going through the drawers. Audrey’s things were neatly folded and organized. She then went to the closet. Audrey’s clothes were still there.
Mel looked around the room for a handbag. She saw one by the side of the bed. She sat on the bed and picked it up. She hated opening another woman’s bag. It seemed like such a violation of Audrey’s privacy, but she had to see if it had a wallet inside. She opened it.
Audrey’s wallet was inside. Mel began to tear up again. Audrey wouldn’t have gone somewhere without her wallet. Inside was her driver’s license. The picture showed an elderly woman with a smile. Her hair was neatly done and she wore a touch of makeup. Tears began to roll down Mel’s cheeks.
There were credit cards and a debit card from Regions Bank. She thought it was strange that Jason hadn’t touched them. There were pictures of Grace and Laura, a library card, and some dollar bills inside, too.
She was putting the things back into the purse when she heard something. She got up and walked to the bedroom door. She listened. Someone was trying to get the kitchen door open.
She ran down the hall and across the living room to the sliding glass door. She stepped onto the porch and was about to go out the screen door when she saw Marge hobbling across the street.
“You bastard,” she yelled. “You killed my Maurice.”
Mel watched her pass the porch.
“Go away before I call the cops,” Jason said.
“You killed my dog, you son of a bitch.”
Mel heard something and then Jason yelled. “Ow. Get away from me.”
He must have pushed her. “Don’t you touch me,” Marge said. Mel looked up and saw the man next door looking out his door. He’d seen her, too. She stuck her head out the porch’s screen door and saw Marge hitting Jason with her cane. Thankfully, Jason’s back was to her, so he didn’t see Mel leaving the porch and coming up behind him. She walked past him, went to Marge, and grabbed her arms.
“Marge, stop,” she said.
“He killed my dog!” Marge cried. Mel could smell alcohol on her.
“Marge, come home,” Mel said.
Jason had grabbed the cane. He pulled it out of Marge’s hand and she fell back. Mel caught her.
“Take this old bat and get out of here,” Jason said.
“Give her back her cane.”
“She’ll just hit me again.”
“She can’t walk without it. How can she leave you alone if she can’t walk?”
He threw the cane to the ground and went to his door. Mel couldn’t remember if she had locked it or not. He put the key in and turned it. It opened and he went inside.
“Can you stand a minute while I get your cane?” Mel said.
“He killed my dog,” Marge said.
“Right.”
Mel bent over and picked it up while Marge swayed. Mel put the cane in Marge’s hand. She kept her hand on Marge’s arm as she walked her back across the street.
Chapter 18
Mel got Marge back to her home and went inside with her. There were dirty dishes in the sink and on the counter. She looked at Marge. Her hair was disheveled and her housedress stained.
“Where is Sharon?” Mel asked.
“She lives in St. Pete,” Marge said. She was unsteady, so Mel guided her to the recliner in the living room. Marge sat and leaned her cane against the wall. It was an electrically powered chair and she pushed a button to raise her feet.
“Do you have her phone number?”
“Of course I have her phone number. What a thing to ask.”
“Sorry. Where is it?”
Marge pointed a finger at her head and tapped. “I got it all up here.”
Mel pulled out her phone. “Can you tell me what it is?”
Marge shook her head. “I don’t want her here.”
“But you shouldn’t be alone after what happened.”
“I don’t want her here!” Marge cried. “Old busy-body. She hides my booze.”
Marge reached for a pack of cigarettes lying on the end table by her chair. Mel lunged at her and grabbed them.
“Give me my smokes!” Marge protested.
“Maybe you should take a nap,” Mel said.
“Maybe you should go to hell.”
Mel kept the cigarettes as she walked to the kitchen. Marge yelled for her to come back. Mel looked for an address book, or card on the fridge – something that would have Sharon’s number on it. She couldn’t leave the old woman alone. Marge was drunk. If she went after Jason again, she could be arrested, or worse, hurt. He was pretty pissed off when she came after him.
Mel found a handwritten note on the fridge with Sharon’s number on it. It looked new. She must have posted it there the other day when she was with Marge. Mel dialed the number.
“Hello,” Sharon said.
“Hi. I met you the other day when you were at Marge’s house. My name is Mel.”
“I remember you.”
“Marge went after Jason Frye this morning,” Mel said. “She’s had something to drink.”
“Darn,” Sharon said. “I guess I should come. I was hoping to get my Christmas shopping done. What’s she doing now?”
Marge was grumbling about her cigarettes. “She’s in her recliner.”
“Does she look like she might go to sleep?”
Mel looked at Marge. She looked a little frisky to her.
“Not really,” Mel said.
“Okay. I’ll come over. Can you stay there for a few minutes? It takes me about a half hour to get there, but if she falls asleep, you can leave her alone.”
“Sure,” Mel said, rolling her eyes.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
Mel hung up the phone and looked at Marge. She was crying.
“Hey, Marge,” Mel said. “What’s wrong?”
“He killed my dog,” Marge said.
Mel walked over to a chair near the recliner and sat.
“Maurice was a good dog,” Mel said. “How old was he?”
“He was ten. He was just a baby.”
“What kind of dog was he?” Mel asked. She had seen dogs like Maurice but couldn’t remember what they were called.
“He was a shih tzu,” Marge said. “The sweetest dog ever.”
“He was pretty.”
“He was.”
Mel thought about Audrey. “Do you know anything about that guy, Jason?”
“Son of a bitch,” Marge said.
“Yes, he is, but do you know anything about him?”
“I know he killed my dog.”
“Do you think he hurt Audrey?”
“Damn straight he did. Him and his no good father.”
This is interesting, Mel thought. Why hadn’t Marge mentioned the father before? “What did his father do?”
“He came around the pool.”
“Really? When?”
“Who knows? I heard it from Dick.”
“Who’s Dick?” Mel asked.
“Dick. You know. The guy next to her house.”
“On which side?”
“Next to the street.”
Dick had to be the man living in number 300.
“He told you Jason’s father came to the pool?”
“Yeah. He was talking up the ladies. He was looking for a mark if you ask me.”
“And Audrey took the bait?”
Marge laughed. “Like a rat to a sewer.”
Why would Audrey fall for Jason Sr.’s bullshit? Mel thought. “When did he start coming around her house?”
“Who knows? Months ago. She’d get all dolled up like a geisha.”
Oh, brother, Mel thought. “Did he ever live in that home?”
“Nah. But I haven’t seen the old one for a while. He used to come to her house and bring the kid. I guess they ate dinner there.”
Mel tried to think of something to ask, then she thought of the hole in the kitchen floor.
“Did you ever hear anything weird coming from the house?”
“Like what?” Marge asked.
“Like a power saw.”
Marge laid her head back and looked at the ceiling. “No. My ears aren’t so good anymore. But Dick got real mad one day. He came over and sat on my porch.”
“Why was he mad?”
“The kid was playing his music real loud. Dick was mad. He told the manager, but Bea never did a thing. She had cancer. No one was supposed to know, but Peggy told me when I dropped off my rent.”
Mel remembered talking to Peggy the first day. “Is that why Bea left?”
“Yeah. She was pretty sick. Peggy was mad because she wasn’t doing her job. Stuff was piling up. She wasn’t running credit checks on new residents, stuff like that.”
So that’s how Jason Sr. was able to sign a lease for Audrey’s home, Mel thought. From the look of his mobile home, Mel didn’t think he would have been able to pass a credit check. That’s why Jason junior was able to move in without anyone asking about him.
“Did you know that Audrey sold the home to him?”
“What?” Marge said. She looked incredulous.
“She signed the title over to him.”
“No way. Huh-huh. Audrey may have been a bitch, but she wasn’t stupid.”
Mel got mad. She didn’t like Marge calling her aunt a bitch. She took a few deep breaths to keep from punching her. “I saw the title.”
“No. I don’t believe she’d do it. He was a swindler.”
“Right. But he did, and Jason junior moved in.”
“Yeah. I complained about that. Bea said he was Audrey’s caretaker.”
“Did Bea talk to Audrey?”
“Who knows?”
“Do you think Peggy would know?”
“She knows everything that happens here.”
But she didn’t know Jason was living in Audrey’s home.
Mel saw something through the window behind Marge’s chair. She hoped it was Sharon. She got up and went to the window. She saw Conner get out of his cruiser.
Chapter 19
Mel felt the cigarettes in her pocket. “I have to go outside,” she said. “You stay here.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do,” Marge said.
“Fine,” Mel said.
She went out the kitchen door and over to the cruiser. There was another officer with Conner. They had both gotten out of the cruiser and were standing near it.