by Susan Goslak
Janine’s back. In our office we all have to take Janine’s faux pas with a grin. She often says the wrong thing. She really doesn’t mean to hurt people’s feelings she just lets her mouth work before she has
her brain in gear sometimes.
As usual Janine ignored my comment. “Does Ray know about this?” she asked.
“Of course he knows,” I laughed
Janine was at a loss for words which, in itself, is quite a feat. She stood there looking back and forth from Diane to me. Finally, she stammered, “Ray’s ex-fiancée and his current girl friend getting together. Wow. This situation has to turn into a mess.”
“Don’t be silly, Janine. There’s no reason that Linda and I can’t be friends. We have a lot in common.”
“You sure do and his name is Ray Jansen.”
“Are you girls talking about me?” Ray asked as he entered our office from the hall, and walked up to us. “I hope you’re only saying good things.” Before any of us could answer, he said, “Please excuse us ladies.” He looked at me and asked, “Any luck with the phone book?”
I looked over my shoulder as I walked off with Ray. “You’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” I said to Janine. “Right now, I have to get back to work.”
“None of the names in the phone book were related in any way to Carl Logan’s brother, William,” I told Ray. He wasn’t surprised. He moved on to his next step-find Cliff Simmons. He was the liaison, so to speak, between William and Carl. Ray entered “Clifford Simmons” into his computer. He found a report that showed Mr. Simmons’ education and work experience. He found that Mr. Simmons was now working at Owens Illinois in Toledo, Ohio. An address and contact information was also listed.
Ray picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Simmons’ cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Am I speaking with Clifford Simmons?” Ray asked.
“Yes, this is Cliff Simmons. Who am I speaking with?”
“My name is Ray Jansen. I’m a private investigator in Los Angeles. I’ve been hired by Carl Logan to find his brother William. I’m hoping that you’ll be able to tell me where he is.
“Mr. Jansen, I can’t help you. The last time I saw Bill was almost four years ago.”
“Where did you see him, and under what circumstances?” asked Ray.
“I saw him at his home here in Toledo. I’ll never forget that day. I’d gone to his house at Cathy’s request. Cathy is his wife. Or maybe I should say was his wife. If she has any brains she’s divorced him by now.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Ray.
“Cathy called me that day. She was very upset. Bill had been drinking . . . a lot. He was acting crazy. She didn’t know what to do. When I got there Bill was ranting and pacing. He couldn’t seem to be able to sit still or to calm down. He got louder and louder.”
“What was he ranting about?”
“Lots of things,” said Cliff. “Losing his job; losing his house; (The bank was in the process of foreclosing on it) losing his car. He drove a BMW. He was so proud of that car. He kept it in mint condition. It really tore him up when it was repossessed. As I said before, he had been drinking. By the time I got there he was slurring
his words, and yelling. He and Cathy had been arguing for over an hour. She had a red mark on her cheek. They’d been having arguments for months, but I’d never known him to lay a hand on her before. When I went to her defense Bill punched me and ran out the door. He got in his rental car and tore off. Both Cathy and I were afraid that he’d have an accident.
“No wonder you remember that day so well, Mr. Simmons. It must have been very upsetting to both you and Mrs. Logan,” said Ray.
“Oh, it was, Mr. Jansen. Cathy was so upset that it took me quite a while to calm her down.”
“You say that was the last time you saw or spoke with William Logan?” asked Ray.
“Yes, that was the last time.”
“Have you and William corresponded in the last four years?” asked Ray.
“No, we haven’t I’m sorry, Mr. Jansen. I’m not much help to you and I’d like to know where Bill is myself. He’s really a nice guy who just had some bad breaks. It was the booze that made him so nasty that day.
“Have you kept in touch with Mrs. Logan?” asked Ray.
“Not recently. Right after Bill left we kept in touch frequently. We both hoped to find him and persuade him to come home and get some help. Obviously, we failed. As the years went by, we saw each other less and less frequently. I think seeing each other reminded us of Bill and the sad circumstances surrounding his departure. I haven’t spoken to Cathy in months.”
“Thank you, Mr. Simmons, you’ve been very helpful.” said Ray.
“I’m happy to help. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I’m going to fly to Toledo. Would you ask Mrs. Logan if she’ll see me when I get there?”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to meet with you. Call me when you know what flight you’ll be on and I’ll pick you up at the airport. You’ll have to fly into Detroit, Michigan. It’s about forty five minutes from there to Toledo.”
“Thank you for your offer, but I’ll need a car while I’m there, so I’ll rent a car and drive myself. I’ll call you when I get in.”
“Good enough,” said Cliff Simmons. “Good bye.”
“Good bye.”
With that the search for William Logan began in earnest. Ray spoke with our boss, Paul Woods, and made arrangements to travel to Toledo, Ohio. I booked him on a flight to Detroit, Michigan leaving in the morning and arranged for a rental car to be waiting for him.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We both left the office at five.
Ray walked me to my car. “Want to get a bite to eat before you head to Linda’s studio?” he asked.
“Sure, but it will have to be quick. I don’t want to keep Linda waiting.”
When we finished eating I sipped my coffee as Ray smoked. Recently I’d mentioned to Ray that he should consider quitting, but
so far he was ignoring my remarks. I frowned at him and he put the cigarette out. “How are you and Linda getting along?” he asked.
“Fine,” I answered. “She wants to help me with my art.” I set my cup down and looked at Ray. “Why does she want to help me? I don’t understand. If I were her I’d want to tear my hair out.”
Ray laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
Ray leaned across the table and took both my hands in his. I could see the cute dimple in his right cheek that makes him look like a little boy. “You need to understand. When we broke off our engagement, we both knew that was the end. There would be no reconciliation. That was four years ago. A lot can happen in four years, Darling. I’ve changed. Linda’s changed. And I found you.” He lightly brushed my fingertips with his lips.
Ray released my hands and continued, “Linda wants to help you because that’s what she does. Her father has tons of money so she never had to work. She spends her time holding lavish parties in her home to raise money for her favorite charities.”
“Do you mean that she thinks of me as some kind of charity?” I asked.
“No, no, I mean that she likes to help people and because she saw some talent in your work she wants to help you. She was impressed with the way you treated her last New Year’s Eve. Before she met you, she was afraid that you might be jealous of her, but you were welcoming and kind. She told me that she’s never had a friend who liked her just for herself. Unfortunately, she’s used to people being friendly to her so they can use her money and power to serve
themselves. She’s hoping that you two can become real friends. If you like her, and the two of you get along, then let her help you, and have fun. It’s time you had some fun in your life.”
Ray sat back and looked pensive. “You know something? I think you’ll be good for Linda.”
I felt more comfortable as I headed to Linda’s house. I felt flattered,
too. That was a nice compliment that Linda gave me, Ray too. I stopped my car at the huge, ornate, wrought iron gate in front of her family home and spoke into the intercom. “This is Lexi Taylor. I’m here to see Linda. She’s expecting me.”
The gate opened and Linda’s voice said,” Come around to my studio.”
Linda’s house was a mansion to me. It was old. The main part of the house was red brick with tall white columns and tall windows trimmed in white. The driveway was crushed shells. There was a huge fountain in front of the house. The driveway circled it. There was a wing on either side of the main house. These wings had been added to the house more recently. I drove past the east wing and past the garage. Linda’s studio was not connected to the house. It was set into a clearing in the trees that were in back of the house.
I saw Linda standing in the doorway. She was wearing tight-fitting jeans and a man’s shirt, her painting smock, and still she was drop-dead gorgeous. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail and her makeup was so perfectly applied that it looked as if she wasn’t wearing any. She smiled and waved, “Lexi, you made it!”
I parked my white Mustang convertible. Linda ran over and gave me a hug. She helped me remove some canvases from the trunk
and carry them into her studio.
“Put each canvas on this easel one at a time,” she said. “I want to study them.
I put a small landscape on the easel.
Linda put her finger to her lips. “Shhh, don’t say a word. Let me think.” She pointed to a small couch and I sat down. I waited nervously as she studied each canvas.
She took her time with each painting. Some she put on the easel twice.
I began to think that Linda had forgotten that I was in the room.
Finally, she said, “You have talent.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Now you can say, but . . .”
“I’m not going to say, but . . . ,” laughed Linda. “Let’s have a glass of wine while we talk. She walked to a small bar and poured us both a glass of a fine pinot noir. Then she walked around the bar and took a seat across from me. I took a sip of wine and looked eagerly at Linda.
Linda took a sip of her wine and laughed.
“What are you laughing at?” I asked.
“You. You look so serious and nervous. Stop it!” She
Put her hand on mine. “You have talent. It’s easy to see. You need to develop your skills some more, but that will come with practice. Listen, I’m not the critic you think I am. I’m just a fellow artist who
is giving you my opinion. So relax, okay.”
Then, I laughed, too. “I value your opinion, Linda. Your paintings sell for thousands of dollars, you’re famous, and . . . .”
I didn’t finish my sentence.
“And, I’m Ray’s ex- fiancé. Does that bother you?”
I looked down. “A little I guess.”
“Well, don’t let it. When Ray and I split it was more Ray’s idea than mine, but I knew in my heart that it wasn’t going to work out for us. I was sorry to lose him. He’s a great guy. I think, at the time, I wanted to mold Ray into the man I wanted him to be. And Daddy wanted him to give up being an investigator to work at some job that Daddy would have created for Ray. Daddy can be very persuasive. Between the two of us we put a lot of pressure on Ray, but Ray stood up to both of us and walked away. It took me a while to realize that Ray is his own man, and that nobody is going to change him unless he wants to change. Our lifestyles are so different. We could never be married. It just wouldn’t work. However, we can still be friends.
Linda stood up and began to pace. “I was awfully immature. It took me a long time to grow up.” She stopped to light a cigarette. “Ha, maybe I’m still not grown up. After we broke up I married an artist from San Francisco. We met at an art show. We’d only dated a few times and then we eloped.”
She smoothed her hair back from her face even though it didn’t need it. It was an unconscious habit of hers. “God, was I stupid! We were only married six months when I found out he was cheating on me . . . . with a man!” She sat down again. “Isn’t that a hoot? I married a gay man and didn’t even know it.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t think of anything to say. I looked at Linda and looked away. She began to pace again. “After
that fiasco I married another man . . . this time a lawyer. That lasted a little over a year and a half before we divorced. It was a friendly divorce, if you can call divorce friendly, and we are still friends. I’ve grown up enough now to know that I need to find out who Linda MacDougal is before even thinking of marrying again. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m giving up men. Heavens no, Men are a lot of trouble, but they’re such fun! Don’t you agree?”
Linda stopped pacing, sat down, and gulped her wine. She smoothed her hair back away from her face again. “Oh, poor Lexi, I’m sorry you had to hear all that. I just wanted you to understand my relationship with Ray. You have a clear field.”
I still couldn’t think of anything to say. Linda went to the bar and brought the bottle of wine to the coffee table. “Have some more wine,” she said as she poured us both another glass.
“Can we be friends? Can you work with such a disturbed person?” she asked.
“I don’t think you’re disturbed, just unlucky.” I raised my glass in a toast. “Here’s to a lucky future, and to friendship!”
« Chapter Five »
A couple of weeks ago I had suggested to our boss that Ray should have a bigger office and he had agreed. “I’ve been trying to get him to move into the office next to mine for a long time,” said Paul. Now, since Ray was going to be gone for two days, I used the time to have the painters paint the walls in Ray’s new office. I chose a medium shade of blue with a hint of gray in it for the walls. It made the room seem peaceful. For the floor I chose a sand colored Berber. The installers would lay it tomorrow. The furniture I’d ordered would be delivered after Easter.
While I was playing decorator, Ray used his time to do a few chores around his house before he had to leave for the airport. During the flight Ray used his computer to gather more information on William Logan. Ray was impressed with William’s credentials.
William held an undergraduate degree in business from Harvard as well as a master’s degree in international business administration. He was also active in his local chamber of commerce as well as his rotary club. He was a member of the board of directors at a hospital in the area called Saint Luke’s Hospital. He sat on the board of the ARC of Lucas County. He sponsored a little league
team and was the coach of a soccer team. The man was a model citizen. It seemed to Ray that the stress of losing his job, his house, and his car had driven him to run away. Ray wondered why a man of such good character was still hiding. Why hadn’t he contacted his wife in the past three years? Was it possible that he was dead?
Ray put his computer away and closed his eyes. Before long he heard the landing gear thud into place and felt the plane descending toward a smooth landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. It serves over thirty million passengers a year which makes it one of the nation’s busiest airports. It is also one of the newest and most efficient airports in North America. Ray’s nonstop flight from LAX took almost four hours and because of the time change he lost another three hours.
Ray hadn’t checked any baggage so he could just exit the plane and head toward the car rental area where a car was waiting for him. He stopped on the way to pick up a strong, black cup of Starbuck’s finest. He had no trouble picking up his car and navigating his way onto route 275 south to Toledo. A little north of Monroe Michigan he turned onto route 75 south which took him into Perrysburg, a suburb of Toledo. Perrysburg lies about 12 miles south of Toledo. It is a prosperous suburb of a little over 20,000 people. A little over an hour after leaving the airport Ray pulled into the main boulevard at Levis Commons, a 319,000 square foot outdoor venue that contains shops, restaurants, hotels, theatres, apartments a
nd condos.
He admired the effect of the trees, lit with tiny white lights,
that lined both sides of the boulevard; the large fountain where people could sit to enjoy the weather in warmer months; and the beautiful clock tower. He parked at the newly built Hilton Hotel. As he got out of the car he quickly put on his overcoat, grabbed his overnight bag and practically ran into the lobby of the hotel.
“Good evening, Sir.” The clerk greeted him.
Ray rubbed his hands together. “It’s freezing out there! Is it always this windy here?” He said as he handed the clerk his charge card and driver’s license.
“It’s probably hard to believe, but today is a little warmer than it’s been all last week. Today is the first day we haven’t had rain in the past week. I hope you’ve brought us some of your California sunshine,” the clerk replied as he handed Ray his room key. “We’re hoping for a warm, sunny Easter Sunday.”
Ray took his bag to his room, unpacked and freshened up, then headed out on foot to find a good meal and a pair of gloves for his numb hands. After that, he intended to call Cliff Simmons to let him know he’d arrived and to set up a time to interview Mrs. Logan. When he returned to his hotel room he settled into a comfortable chair and poured himself a nightcap from the room’s mini-bar. He lit a cigarette then called me to say that he’d arrived safely. It was good to hear his voice. It always makes me feel safe somehow. We wished each other good night and I wished Ray good luck with his search and urged him to hurry home.
“Tomorrow I know you’ll find a clue,” I promised.
“Now that’s positive thinking. Good night, Gorgeous. Sweet dreams.”
Ever since last Christmas Ray calls me Gorgeous. It started at the agency Christmas party. I wore a pretty black dress that looked retro. It was the first “little black dress” that I’d ever owned. I had my hair done in a retro style with a snood, and I wore black stockings with seams up the back. When my Boss, Paul Woods, saw me he said that I looked gorgeous. Ray said that he agreed and that’s been a pet name ever since.