She stopped running and broke out in laughter. “Oh, Robert, I was just going to say ‘you’re screwing with me, right?’ but the absurdity of the pun stopped me.” Lisa wiped away the tears brought on by her own joke as Robert looked on, smiling.
“Lisa, call my office and make an appointment. I think you’re ready to do some real work on your issue.”
“My man-diction?” Her play on words sent her into another fit of giggling.
78
In her apartment after she’d dropped off Janeen and the kids, TJ reviewed what they had so far on the missing women; there just weren’t any real commonalities among them. There were a few who had a hint of a new man in their lives, but nothing certain. They needed something concrete.
Eric hadn’t thought Kayla had been seeing anyone, but Kayla had been a party girl, so maybe anything was possible. When TJ had interviewed Kayla’s two running partners neither claimed to have known about her seeing someone. Maybe it was time for a rematch with those bitches. It was, after all, Friday night—their night to prowl the clubs. TJ wasn’t ready to let the group know she was home alone since they didn’t know she and Richard cancelled their weekend plans. She didn’t want to tell them and listen to a safety lecture, but she wasn’t feeling up for going out by herself either.
She dialed Shannon’s cell. The woman was always eager to be included. When she picked up, TJ said, “You aren’t talking to me. Get it?”
“Sure. Lisa said you were gone for the weekend.”
“My plans changed.”
“Okay. I heard you were going to the Y this morning. Did you find anything?”
“Nothin’ much. Found the woman who talked to Jamie from time to time. She remembered Jamie mentioned a new guy she‘d seen around the Y, told her he was a real hottie, but that was about it. Checked with management to see if they had a new membership right around that time, but there weren’t any new sign-ups that fit the description. So either he was already a member at some other location or passed himself off as a member.”
“Too bad we couldn’t find someone who remembers him.”
“Yeah. Don’t think there’s anything more there.”
“How about the Sombrero Club?”
“They said next week would be better. You know, folks gone for the holiday now.”
“Well, employees might be, but this might be a good weekend to find the regulars hanging out.”
Great. Now Shannon thought going out was her idea. “Wanna meet me there?”
“Uh . . . sure.”
“Park in the overflow lot across the street. I’ll meet you at ten.”
79
A country-rock band was playing at the Sombrero Club when TJ and Shannon walked in. The place was busy, but not as crowded as she’d expected, which was even better for their purposes. The clubs got the biggest crowd after eleven, so now would be a good time to talk to the bartenders.
Every barkeep they talked to either hadn’t been working that night or didn’t recognize the photo of Jamie Denison. TJ noticed another guy working the waitress station at the end of the bar. When she showed him the photo, he studied it for a long time.
“I think she was here that night. Yeah, I noticed her ‘cause she was just standing by herself near the end of the bar.” He grinned. “I’m partial to blondes. She wasn’t dancing or talking to anybody. She just stood there holding a glass of wine and watching the crowd.”
“Did you notice when she left?”
“No.” He reached over to fill an order for a waitress who’d slapped a drink order on the bar.
TJ was about to ask him something else, when he said, “You know I saw her talk to somebody.”
“A guy?”
“Nah, a woman. She’s a regular—name’s Kimberly. She’s out on the dance floor now. The one with the tight pants and shiny top.”
She was easy to spot. Doing a wild hip-hop, the other dancers were giving her and her partner a wide berth.
TJ stopped the woman as she came off the dance floor. Moving fast it looked like she was trying to shake off the guy she’d been dancing with.
“Excuse me, Kimberly?” TJ introduced herself. “Mind talking to me a minute?”
Leading her into the restaurant where the noise level was conducive to conversation, they took a seat in the waiting area. TJ handed her the photo of Jamie, explaining that the bartender had seen them talking the night Jamie had disappeared.
Kimberly’s dark-brown hair, cut short on the back of her neck, tapered dramatically longer to fall into giant commas around her face as she looked down at the photo. “Yeah, I talked to her. It was probably a Friday night, but I can’t say which one. Couple months ago, maybe. Might have been that night.”
“Can you remember what you talked about?”
“She was just standing by the bar watching, not dancing or talking to anyone. Then Willie came and asked her to dance.” When TJ looked at her questioningly she said, “Oh, yeah. Willie’s here all the time. He’s a real loser—kind of a nut-job, you know? Anyway, this chick in the photo was turning down everybody that asked her to dance. When Willie kept asking her she got real pissed.”
“Did you hear what she said to him?”
“I don’t think she said anything really bad. When he finally moved on, I said something to her like ‘He does that to everyone.’ And that’s when we talked.”
“Do you remember what you talked about?’
“She said something like ‘How could a creep like that think I’d dance with him?’ I told her not to feel bad, he hits on everybody; no one dances with him unless they’re desperate. And if they do, it’s only once ‘cause he dances like he’s having some kind of seizure.”
“That’s all she said to you?”
“I don’t remember anything else. We didn’t talk much, but mostly we talked about getting rid of guys who won’t take no for an answer. And losers like Willie always hit on the hottest girls. Go figure.”
TJ asked, “He here tonight?”
“I haven’t seen him yet, and he’s always the first one here if he’s around.”
TJ figured Kimberly was done talking; her eyes kept drifting toward the bar. “Did you see her talk to anyone else?”
“Uh-uh. I didn’t see her again. After I talked to her, she left the bar, walked over into the restaurant.”
TJ found Shannon and repeated the interview with Kimberly. They went into the restaurant and asked for the manager. When a baby-faced guy wrapped in a white apron walked out to talk to them, TJ didn’t think a guy who looked like he hadn’t had his first shave yet could possibly be the manager. His nametag, however, read, ‘Jason Turnbill, Night Manager.’
A deep, husky voice contrasted with his youthful appearance. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking for anyone who saw this woman on a Friday night about two months ago.” TJ handed him the photo of Jamie and gave him the date Jamie was there. As he looked at it, she added, “She was seen entering the restaurant at about eleven.”
“She doesn’t look familiar to me, but I’m not out front too much at that time of night. I can check my records and get back to you in a couple days.”
“Listen, this is really important. Could you run this by the people who are here now and see if anyone remembers her? And we’ll need a list of employees who were working that night.”
Baby-face frowned. “Is this that woman who’s missing?”
“Yeah, and we need to know about her movements that night.”
“Ok, I’ll be right back.”
Shannon said, “She probably just got something to eat and left.”
“Dunno. She didn’t go back home.”
“Right. She probably wouldn’t have gone to another club if she ate.”
The back of TJ’s neck tingled. “Somethin’ happened here.”
80
Jason Turnbill came out accompanied by a petite young woman wearing jeans, a tee shirt and an apron about five sizes too big for her, so lo
ng it was dusting the floor. “This is Carly. She remembers something from that night.”
Carly didn’t look a day over fourteen. She held the photo of Jamie, and then looked up at them with baby-blue eyes too large for her tiny features. “Um, I got off early that night. About nine, as soon as the big dinner-rush was over.” She hesitated, pulling at her apron.
Jason placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Go ahead Carly, they just want to know what you saw.”
Carly flickered a small nervous smile. “I have a friend that’s older than me and she comes here to dance. I snuck over into the bar area after I got off so I could meet her.” She stopped talking, her eyes focused on the floor.
TJ tried to put her at ease. “Go ahead girl, we’re only interested in finding out about Jamie. Her husband is worried sick.”
She looked up at TJ, her forehead wrinkled with worry lines.
“Carly, how about you and me talk alone over there.” TJ walked the girl over to an empty booth in the front of the restaurant.
Carly said, “I just wanted to have some fun, you know?”
“Honey, just tell me about Jamie. If you get any crap from the boss, call me and I’ll talk to him for you.” She handed the girl a business card.
“Thanks. It’s just . . . I really need this job, you know? So, anyway, my friend never showed up. I knew I shouldn’t stay. Then this really cute guy asked me to dance. We danced for like a really long time, then we went out on the deck to talk. It was so cool, you know, the moon was shining on the lake.”
“Then what?”
“We were talking and, you know, stuff. I saw this woman walk out on the deck. We weren’t real close to her and it was kinda dark, but she was in the light when she walked out. I’m pretty sure it was her.” Carly took another look at the photo of Jamie. “Yeah, it was her.” She sighed. “The guy I met turned out to be a real loser. He walked me to my car, then when I wouldn’t go with him to his place, he went back in the bar.” She huffed. “I meet all the losers.”
“Did you notice how long she stayed?” TJ asked, trying to keep the girl on track.
“Right. When she came out she had a glass of wine and she sat down on one of the chairs facing the lake. She looked sad. Well, I couldn’t really see her face—I guess it was just the way she moved. She kept staring at the lake. Then the next time I looked over that way, there was a guy sitting in the chair next to her. He had a drink too, and they were talking.”
“Did you notice whether they left together?”
“When we left they were still sitting there.”
“Did you see what he looked like?”
“He was old. Maybe forty? He looked tall, big shoulders. I never got a look at his face. I think he had gray hair.”
“Were they still talking?”
“Yeah. And he was holding her hand.” She closed her eyes and wrinkled up her face as if trying to recollect something, and said, “Oh, yeah, there was something weird—they had two boxes of takeout sitting on the table next to them. Not opened or anything.”
TJ thought she’d gotten everything she could from the girl, but asked, “How about other people? Anyone else out there that was closer to them and may have overheard what they were talkin’ about?”
“No. It was late and there wasn’t anyone out there except some little kids running around. They must have been waiting for their parents to get done eating.”
“Any idea who the parents were?”
“No, lots of people come in with kids, and I wasn’t waiting tables that night.”
TJ slid out of the booth. “Thanks for talking to me, Carly. No one’s heard from this woman since that night and we’re afraid someone may have taken her.” TJ leaned over, her mouth inches from the girl’s ear. “So if I were you, little girl, I’d keep in mind that there are some scary people out there and be real careful who you walk with out into a dark parking lot.”
Nodding assent, Carly gave her a sheepish little half-smile.
After a few more passes through the bar, making certain that Willie hadn’t come in, TJ and Shannon went out to their cars. TJ briefed Shannon on her talk with Carly.
Shannon frowned. “It’s going to be hard for Jeff—hearing that Jamie was out in a bar alone. And met a guy.”
“Yeah.” TJ sighed. “But it’s not as bad as finding her body.”
Shannon looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “What about Eric’s wife? Are you sure she didn’t hook up with someone?”
“I was. Now I’m wonderin’ again. Maybe we should give her lady-friends another go-round tonight.”
“Tonight? Isn’t it a little late for that?”
“Nah, they’re night creatures. I know where they hang and it’s not too far from here.”
81
Secrets, the Brookfield nightclub frequented by Kayla’s friends, was located off the lobby of a Radisson hotel across from the Brookfield shopping center. Snobby was the word that came to mind whenever TJ entered the place. She’d only been there a few times—once on a date with a dentist from the area, a man she met at the bank. There’d been no second date.
The other times were when she’d been trying to get a bead on Kayla—find out who her friends were and what made her tick. When she and Shannon walked into the softly lit bar, a live jazz trio was playing a mellow version of “The Lady is a Tramp.” Appropriate. Dozens of the area’s richest and most attractive mingled at the bar and in the booths positioned against the wall. The ambiance sported lots of mirrors, plants and a soft aqua décor, blending every shade of turquoise from the palest water to the deepest teal.
TJ hated the place. It was all about who had what and who was the prettiest—women and men. She and Shannon were dressed for the place, but being dressed for the role didn’t make her want to be part of it.
Shannon took a seat at the bar next to a couple that was splendid in gold, diamonds, and designer clothes. As soon as TJ’s eyes became accustomed to the dim lighting, she spotted Suzette and Diana, Kayla’s running partners. The pair had been out of town the night Kayla Schindler went missing. TJ had questioned them more than once. They hadn’t been helpful but hadn’t seemed to be holding anything back, either. The friendship between the three had been a shallow one. TJ didn’t think they knew much about each other’s lives other than what they shared when making the rounds of their favorite clubs.
When TJ spotted them, the women appeared to be vying for the attention of a rather elderly man wearing a silver-gray custom-made suit and a matching rug. Two kinds of men frequented these places, the old and rich, and the not-so-old trying to be rich. The wannabe’s tended to be good-looking, the others looked like this guy.
The women gushed when they recognized her. “TJ!” Their delight at seeing her hid the obvious sense of rivalry the younger, exotic-looking woman inspired in them. The guy with the rug eyed her and she shot him a look that sent him on a quest for more willing game.
“Hey, you two. Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you again.”
Suzette, the gray-eyed redhead, pursed her glossy, carmine lips. “What more could there be? You asked us everything imaginable and we weren’t even in town that night.”
Bitch. TJ couldn’t stand these women. Not because of who they were but for what they represented—women whose only ideals were superficial. Money, looks, and rich men were their entire purpose in life. Disgusting. “Some new information has come up and I’ve got some questions for you.”
Diana, her hair in a shiny black bob set off with dangling diamond hoop-earrings, was stunning in a winter-white pantsuit with a four-strand, black leather belt circling her tiny waist and boyish hips. She actually looked concerned and told TJ to go ahead, ask them whatever she needed to ask.
“If Kayla had gone somewhere other than here, by herself, where would that be?” The women looked at each other. Diana looked meaningfully across the room, her gaze settling on a woman sitting at the bar. Younger than most of the patrons, her long softly-curled blo
nde hair trailed down her shapely back, exposed by a sleek brown dress cut nearly to her tailbone.
“See that blonde over there?” Diana’s opinion of the woman was obvious. “She was always trying to push her way in.” She scoffed. “None of us liked her; she was wasting her time. But if Kayla was out by herself, Amber might have glommed onto her. Maybe she knows something. But other than here, I don’t know where Kayla would have gone by herself.”
“And you’re sure you don’t remember her having a guy hanging around?”
“No. Men liked her, but she was only interested in her husband. She was confused about life, I guess. He was gone a lot. She got depressed about that—and other things.”
Well aware of what the “other things” referred to, TJ said, “Thanks, ladies.” She made her way over to Amber, wedging her way between the blonde and the trio of men surrounding her.
She explained to Amber who she was and asked her if she could have a minute alone with her. Amber’s heavy-lidded, pale-green eyes cased TJ from head to toe, nearly leering. Yuck. She’d ask the snake her questions and get the hell out of here.
When they were alone in the lobby, Amber took a sexy pose on a light-blue divan that perfectly complemented her brown dress. As she crossed her long legs, the slit on the side of her dress opened high enough to expose her underwear—or would have if she’d been wearing any. Her eyes travelled over TJ again. “What do you want to know about Kayla?”
“Did you see her the night she disappeared?”
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t you come forward with that information?”
“It didn’t seem important.”
TJ resisted the urge to slap her. “Where did you see her?”
Amber sat back and crossed her arms. “I came in here at about nine that night. After about an hour, I got bored and decided to go downtown to Vinnie’s. When I was walking out to my car, I met Kayla coming in and told her nothing was happening here. So we went down to Vinnie’s.”
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