“Thanks.” She took the coffee and sipped it. “It’s perfect and still nice and hot. You must’ve read my mind.” She took another drink of coffee. “So what are you doing here so bright and early this morning?”
“I knew you didn’t have court and neither did I, so I thought I’d just come by to see you.”
“Oh, fess up. You knew I’d be in early, and you weren’t sure Jack would be here so you stopped by just in case, didn’t you?”
“Well, that was my plan initially, but I called and Jack said you were on your way, so I decided to bring you some coffee anyway,” he confessed. Bob looked at his watch. “May I use David’s office for a minute? I need to make a phone call.”
“Sure. Help yourself.”
Sabre picked up the Murdock/Smith file and pulled out the fax she had received the day before. She read through it, not really expecting to find anything significant, when suddenly she let out a yelp. Bob dashed into her office.
“What’s the matter?”
Jack ran in right behind him, “Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I’m fine, just startled by something I read.”
Jack went back to his office, but Bob remained. “What is it, Sobs?”
“Peggy Smith has another child. I can’t quite make out the name, but it looks like a girl. I wonder where she is.”
Sabre reached for the phone and dialed the direct line for Detective Carriage’s office. He answered it on the first ring. “Joe Carriage.”
“Joe, it’s Sabre Brown.”
“Sabre, I’m glad you called. I planned to call you when I got in this morning, but I got tied up. You know how it goes.”
“No problem,” she said. “Joe, I got the page you faxed me yesterday on Peggy Smith’s family history. It looks like Peggy has another child, a little girl. Do you know anything about her?”
“Just a minute; let me grab it.” He found the file in the stack on his desk. “Here it is.” He paused. “She’s five years old, just turned five in September. It says she’s living with her mother, but you’re telling me she’s not there?”
“No, this is the first I’ve heard of her. Can you make out her name?”
“It looks like Honey … Honey Stone.”
“Honey? Are you sure it’s Honey?”
“Yes, why?”
“Alexis always becomes upset when you call her ‘honey.’ She says things like, ‘I’m not Honey’ or ‘Don’t call me Honey.’” Sabre paused for a minute. “The letter Alexis wrote to Mattie, I saw the greeting. It read, ‘Dear Honey.’ I wonder if she was writing to her. And where is she? Where is Honey?”
“I don’t know. I’ll see what I can find out about her and call you back in a few.”
Sabre hung up the phone and turned to Bob. “Did you get that?”
“Yeah. So Peggy’s little girl is named Honey and right now no one knows where she is.”
“Right.” Sabre reached for the phone again.
“You calling Marla?”
“Yes. I’m sure she must know.”
“But if she does, why haven’t we seen it in any of the reports?”
“Good point.” Then she murmured, “I should’ve read her letter.”
“Sobs, I need to run to my office to pick something up. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Sure. See you in a bit.” Sabre dialed Marla’s number and left a message for her to call back.
Bob left her office, returning about ten minutes later with the Murdock/Smith file. Sabre was just hanging up the phone with Marla. “So what did you find out?”
“Marla didn’t know anything about Honey Stone. She’s looking into it right now, and she’s beating herself up for missing it.”
“That poor woman. She works so hard, but there’s never enough time to do everything she needs to do,” Bob said. He liked Marla too, and that said a lot. Bob had little respect for most of the social workers, but Marla was different – diligent and reasonable at the same time – a combination Bob found lacking in most of the others. “What about Carriage? Has he called back yet?”
“No,” Sabre responded. “What’s this?” she asked, as Bob lay a piece of paper in front of her.
“It’s the letter Alexis wrote to her friend.”
Wrinkles formed across Sabre’s forehead and her eyes frowned at him. “Where did you get this? And what does it say?”
“How should I know? I haven’t read it. I copied it the day I copied your Murdock report. You said you weren’t going to read it, and I thought if I made a copy then you’d have it if you ever needed it.”
“You’re so smart. I probably should’ve done that, but it didn’t seem right.”
“Well, you’re not as twisted as I am, or as jaded.” He smiled at Sabre. “But keep working juvenile and it won’t take long. You’ll be just like me.”
Sabre picked up the letter and looked up at Bob again. She still felt uncomfortable reading Alexis’ private letter. Bob spoke, “Just read the damn thing, or I will.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll read it.” She commenced reading it to herself, then started over, and read aloud so Bob could hear it too.
Dear Honey,
I’m sorry I didn’t teach you your ABCs. It’s all my fault.
I’m not living with father and Peggy any more. There are lots of people here. You would be safe here with me.
We have a new baby sister. Her name is Haley Murdock, like my last name. But she’s real pretty like you and she can hear real good, just like Jamie.
I miss you. I love you.
XXOO
Alexis
P.S. I asked God to bring you this letter. I hope you get it. And I hope you’re not too hot.
Sabre marveled at how well she wrote. Alexis was a precocious little girl. Sabre surmised everything she had written had been given a lot of thought; now she just needed to figure out what it meant.
The phone rang. It was Detective Carriage. “Hi, Joe, what did you find out?”
“Well, Honey is Peggy’s daughter all right. The best I can tell, she last lived with Peggy and Gaylord. She apparently hasn’t started school yet. She should’ve, though, based on her age. Sabre, here’s the kicker.”
“What’s that?”
“She’s deaf. Peggy’s boyfriend beat her when she was two years old and caused her to lose her hearing. The son-of-a-bitch is sitting in prison, but that doesn’t help Honey,” Joe growled.
Some of the pieces started coming together for Sabre, but the puzzle was still far from complete. She read the letter to Joe. “For some reason, Alexis must be calling Honey ‘Mattie.’ She’s never mentioned Honey. In fact, none of them have, as far as I know. Why wouldn’t she just call her Honey? Why did she say she was her friend and not her sister? She always calls Jamie her brother.”
“I don’t know. I checked to see if a missing person’s report had been filed on her. There wasn’t, at least not in Atlanta, but I’m expanding the search. I also have someone checking to see if a death certificate has been filed.”
“I’ve tried not to think of that possibility. I better be careful when I talk with Alexis.” Sabre cringed. If she’s not alive it could explain why no one talked about her. It might just be too painful.
“There’s obviously a lot we don’t know. I’ll investigate further, and you’ll be the first to know if I come up with anything.”
“Thanks for everything, Joe. I really appreciate it.”
Sabre thought she should tell him what she had learned from Ruby Sterling. Before she could, Joe spoke up, “Sabre, there are some other things I need to share with you, but right now I have to run. Just do me a favor.”
“Sure, what?”
“Be careful. Don’t take any chances, okay?” he said, his voice tense.
“Okay, but you’re scaring me. Is there something I should know?”
“I don’t really know a whole lot yet. It may be nothing and it may not even affect you. Just be cautious, okay?”
“Sure
thing.”
“By the way, my cell phone is working again if you need to reach me.”
“Thanks, what was wrong with it?”
“Long story. Tell you next time.” She heard the dial tone.
Sabre hung up the phone and shared the conversation with Bob, except the last part about being careful. It would only make Bob more nervous, and he already drove Sabre crazy with his concern for her safety.
“So what’s next?”
“I need to call Marla, give her the latest bit of information, and see if she has learned anything new. I’m sure she’ll be talking with Peggy and Gaylord very soon to see what they have to say,” Sabre said. She drew a deep breath, “I need to talk with Alexis.” She didn’t cherish the thought of broaching this subject, but she wanted to talk with her before Gaylord or Peggy did, in case they were hiding something.
“Well, if you don’t need me, I’m taking off. I’m meeting with a client in twenty minutes,” Bob said.
“Go ahead. I’m fine. I’m going to hang out here for a few hours, do some work, and see what turns up. Then I’m going to pay a visit to Alexis. I’d like to take her out of Jordan for awhile, but ever since I spoke with her grandmother, I’m afraid to. I guess I’ll just speak with her there.”
“Okay, Schweetie,” Bob said in his Humphrey Bogart voice, as he gave her a hug.
Sabre walked him to the door and thanked him again for coming by, for the coffee, and for the letter. She walked back to her desk and called Marla. She left her a message letting her know the latest from Atlanta. For the next couple of hours, she buried herself in work, trying not to think about her visit with Alexis and hoping she’d have more information before she went.
On her way to Jordan Receiving Home, she received a call from Marla. “There doesn’t seem to be a missing child report filed anywhere on Honey Stone,” she told Sabre. “Our department hasn’t found any death certificates yet, either, but that process takes a little longer.”
“Have you questioned either Peggy or Gaylord yet?”
“No, but it’s my next step. I had planned to do it earlier, but a new case came in with pretty severe injuries to a three-year-old. A little boy got in the cookie jar without permission, so his stepmother punished him by holding his hands over a gas burner on the stove. His hands had first- and second-degree burns,” Marla spit out the words with contempt. “No matter how long I do this job, I’m still sickened by the horrible things these parents do.”
“Geez, what’s the matter with people? She should be hanged.”
“Careful, Sabre, she may turn out to be your client.”
“Good point,” Sabre said. “Well, I’m on my way to see Alexis. I’ll let you know if I find out anything I can share with you.”
“Thanks. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Sabre arrived at Jordan just as Alexis finished up an art project. Alexis told the attendant she needed to clean up first before she saw her attorney, but the attendant convinced her it was okay not changing her clothes. Alexis had red, brown, and yellow paint on her pink shirt and on her frayed pant leg. Although she had washed her hands and face, she had a little spot of paint on her upper arm and on her neck. For the first time, Sabre saw her looking like a regular kid.
“I’m sorry, Miss Sabre. I didn’t have a chance to clean up properly. Our art project went later than I thought, and they made me come out without cleaning up. I did wash up, but I wanted to change my clothes, too. I didn’t want to keep you waiting, either. I know your time is important. You see my dilemma?”
Sabre turned her face to hide her expression, amazed and amused at Alexis’ vocabulary and mannerisms. She sounded like a little southern belle someone had set at the wrong speed. Alexis didn’t have a strong southern accent, and she spoke so much faster than anyone else Sabre had ever met from the south, but her attention to etiquette was southern to the core. “Yes, I do see your dilemma. And thanks for being so considerate of my time. By the way, you look just fine. You really don’t need to dress up on my account. If I didn’t have to, I certainly wouldn’t wear these monkey suits and high heels. I’d much prefer wearing jeans and a t-shirt.”
As they spoke, Kathy, the attendant, brought Jamie out. Alexis took his hand and led him back to the interview room. The sliding glass door to the patio was closed because clouds filled the sky, making it chillier than usual. Jamie seemed to be more at ease, not as needy. Instead of clinging to Alexis, he went straight to the toys. Alexis seemed comfortable with his newfound independence.
Sabre let Alexis tell her all the latest Jordan gossip before she brought up the subject of Honey. First, she reminded Alexis of the confidentiality rule. She tried to think of a delicate way to bring it up, but decided there wasn’t one. “Alexis, tell me about Honey,” Sabre said. “Honey Stone.”
Alexis’ face turned pale and her eyes grew wide in astonishment. Then, just as quickly, she composed herself and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alexis said again, this time her voice quivering, tears welling in her eyes, speaking almost in a whisper.
A little voice came from the corner of the room. Jamie sat holding a doll and speaking to it. “Honey gone,” he said. “Honey gone.”
Alexis’ eyes grew even wider at Jamie’s remarks. She took a deep breath and her little body convulsed. Sabre couldn’t stand the pain in her fragile little face. She moved next to Alexis on the sofa, pulled her close to her, and whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for upsetting you. I’m sorry for whatever you have seen or suffered through. I don’t mean to add to your pain.” She sat there rocking her while Alexis snuggled up into her arms and let herself be the little girl hidden deep inside. She didn’t say a word as Sabre comforted her. “It’s okay,” Sabre said. “When you’re ready.”
22
Sabre walked into Marla’s office to see the frazzled social worker on the phone, another line ringing, and a co-worker standing in her doorway vying for her attention, her desk in its usual state of disarray.
Marla put the first caller on hold, clicked over to the other line, and said, “Please hold on; I need to talk to you. I’ll just be a minute.” She went back to the first line, motioned with her head toward a chair, and mouthed to Sabre, “Have a seat.” She finished up the conversation on the first line. Before she picked up the second line, she turned to the worker in the doorway, “What can I do for you?” she asked in her frenzied state.
“The Bartlett file? Do you have it?”
Marla dug through some things on her desk, pulled out a file, handed it to the social worker, and picked up the second line and said, “What did you find out?” She waited for a response. “What about surrounding states?” Another pause. “Okay, please fax me what you have. And thanks, I appreciate it.” She hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and turned to Sabre.
“Looks like your day is going well,” Sabre said.
“It’s been like this since I arrived this morning,” Marla said, taking another deep breath. “That call was about Honey Stone. No missing person reports have been filed on her, either in Georgia or anywhere near there.”
“So, she is missing?”
“Not according to Peggy and Gaylord, but sometimes a relative will file something when the parents don’t, so I checked.” The phone rang. She picked it up and said, “Marla Morton.” She paused while the person on the other end of the phone spoke. “Set it for Monday afternoon. I can’t do it today.” She paused. “Fine. Bye.” She turned to Sabre, “Sorry, it’s just one of those days.”
“I understand. So what are Peggy and Gaylord saying about all this?”
“Peggy said Honey is with a cousin who lives near Atlanta.”
“Have you talked to the cousin?”
“No. According to Peggy, they went camping and they can’t be reached by phone right now. She gave me a phone number for their home, but it’s di
sconnected.”
“So does Peggy ever check on Honey? And why is she with the cousin?”
“Same questions I asked. Peggy said she spoke with Honey yesterday and she was fine. She says the cousin calls her occasionally to check in with her.”
“She said she spoke with Honey?”
“Yes, that’s what she said.”
“But Honey is deaf. She couldn’t have had much of a conversation with her on the phone.”
“I asked about that. She then said the cousin talked for her.”
“That’s odd,” Sabre said.
“The whole conversation with Peggy was odd. She fidgeted the whole time and I caught her in some obvious lies. She gave me the cousin’s name – Adelle Thompson – when I pressed her, but she continued to refer to her as ‘my cousin’ instead of Adelle. She said she left Honey there because it made it easier on her. She said Honey has stayed there on and off since her birth. Apparently, whenever Peggy fell on hard times, this cousin would help out and take Honey in.”
“When did Peggy last see Honey?”
“Just before they left for California. They dropped her off and left that night or the next day.”
“Did you talk to Gaylord?”
“Yes, he has the same story, pretty much. But according to him, Honey lived mostly with the cousin and she only came to their house once in a while. He said Adelle brought her over to stay a few days with her mother before they left for California. The day before they left, Peggy returned her to Adelle. He said they spoke with the cousin every few days, or at least once a week. Of course, he didn’t know what’s been going on since he and Peggy split up.”
“Did he sound nervous like Peggy?”
“No, he was very cool and unconcerned. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
“Did you ask why they’ve never mentioned Honey before?”
“Yes, I did. Gaylord kind of shrugged his shoulders, said he hardly knew the girl, and it wasn’t any secret. He didn’t know why Peggy hasn’t mentioned her, except she’s not real close to Honey. He said Honey is more like a niece or a cousin to her than a daughter. And, from what he’s seen and heard, Adelle pretty much raised her.”
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