by Misty Evans
Rolling back her chair, the woman slid from behind the desk, motioning for them to follow her. “The media room is in the back. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“We’re researching the town history,” Celina volunteered with a smile.
If only they didn’t have to worry about Givens, they could tell the librarian exactly what they were looking for and probably save themselves some time.
Opening the door to a small room, the woman flipped on the light. Rows of filing cabinets wrapped around the outside walls, and a table with an ancient-looking computer sat in the room’s center. Cooper’s stomach dropped. This was going to take longer than he thought. With any luck, Ronni would turn something up a hell of a lot sooner.
“You’ll want to start with the slide computer, then. You can filter your search with keywords, which will help find results faster. But the town dates back to the late seventeen hundreds. You might want to narrow your search a bit.”
At the mention of a computer, hope flared for a brief second until Cooper realized what the librarian was pointing at. Nestled in the middle of the table, the ancient computer was hidden beneath what looked to be a clear, plastic garbage bag. And a layer of dust. The thing had to be fifty years old, probably an original Apple from back in the day, he decided, somehow managing to stifle a groan.
“Right,” Celina agreed. “We’ll stick to the last thirty years or so.”
Removing the garbage bag, the librarian sneezed at the layer of dust that filled the air. “Sorry, it’s been awhile since anyone’s been in here.”
“As in years?” Cooper grumbled under his breath.
Celina elbowed him in the ribs.
Flipping a switch in the back of the computer, the librarian smiled as sounds of the motor whirring filled the air, negating Cooper’s doubts that the thing actually worked. The screen came to life and the librarian tapped in a few words, bringing up a search box.
“There you go. Just type in what you’re looking for and it should pull up samples for you. To go through the slides, you push the arrows here,” she said, pointing to the arrows on the keyboard, “and tell the slides where you want to go. I’m sorry to say that not all of the information is in the computer, so it may be worth your while to go through the filing cabinets as well.”
Cooper turned a dismal eye to the cabinets, the start of a headache throbbing in his temples.
“Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve been around a few years and know some of the place’s history first hand.”
She flashed a bright smile before leaving the room.
“Thanks for the help.” Celina called after her, then turned to Cooper, hands planted on her hips. “Where do you want to start, computer or filing cabinets? You tackle one and I’ll tackle the other.”
Several hours later, Celina rolled her neck, satisfied when the sore joints popped and cracked, releasing tension. So far all they’d uncovered were two stories on missing people in the area, one about a lost hiker and another on a surfer who was sucked away with the tide. There was nothing about Ana Verdoni. It was as if she hadn’t existed, or at least in the computer database she hadn’t. Trading places with Cooper, Celina had spent the last hour tackling the filing cabinets in the hopes of uncovering some information on the missing girl. No such luck.
“This is hopeless.” She glared at the drawer in front of her, frustration swirling. “Nothing in the way these are organized makes any sense. It’s as if whoever put these files away just stuffed them in the drawer and called it good. I can’t find Ana’s birth announcement or even a mention of her in school or sports.”
Cooper swiveled in his chair, scrubbing his face with his hands. “This computer is a wash as well.” He sighed heavily. “Maybe we should take a break and hit it again later? Or wait and see what Ronni comes up with?”
As if on cue, Cooper’s phone rang and Celina’s ears perked up at the familiar ringtone. Lifting it from his back pocket, he hit speakerphone. “Punto, I hope you’ve got something.”
“Hey, boss and boss’s girlfriend,” Ronni Punto’s amused voice came over the speaker. “Enjoying vacay?”
“We’ll enjoy it a hell of a lot more if you’re calling with some news,” Celina announced to her bestie.
Ronni chuckled. “You’re in luck then, because I have some.”
The sound of papers being shuffled filtered through the phone, then the click of keys on a keyboard. “First things first, the two missing people you sent me this morning—the body of the surfer pulled out with the tide was recovered, so that case is closed. Your missing hiker, however, was never found. Name was Luis Perez, from San Francisco. Sixteen year old male camping with friends when he went on a hike by himself. He never returned to the camp.”
Plopping into a chair, Celina absorbed the information. “Any leads?”
“Nothing conclusive. When he didn’t return to camp, they went searching for him. His backpack was found shredded as though he’d been attacked, and there was a mention of a lot of blood on the ground. Due to the population of wild animals in the area during that time, it’s assumed he was attacked and dragged off.”
Celina shuddered at the image that came to mind. What a horrible way to go.
“What about Ana Verdoni?” Cooper paced the room, jaw set.
“Well, that one is more interesting.” More papers being shuffled. “I finally found out a few things about her. She was homeschooled, apparently, after second grade. I tracked down her first grade teacher, a Mrs. Alvarez. According to the teacher, Ana was a very bright student, though she remembers there were problems at home. Ana’s father was unhappy with her schooling and that’s why he pulled her from the public system. He tried a private school, didn’t like that either, so she ended up at home with tutors. Mrs. Alvarez remembered there was a lot of gossip about the family and she wasn’t all that surprised when Ana disappeared.”
Celina furrowed her brow. Sounded suspicious. “Did she say if she thought Ana ran away?”
“Unfortunately no. She said there was a lot of gossip, but she really didn’t have any clue what happened to the girl. She thought Ana’s private tutor might be able to shed some light on it. And wouldn’t you know it? It just so happens that the tutor still lives in Paso Vallejo. Name is Elizabeth Waters.”
Grabbing a pen and a scrap of paper, Celina quickly jotted down the woman’s address and phone number as Ronni rattled them off.
“Ronni, you’re an ace.”
“Duh,” she returned. Celina smirked, imagining her friend’s eye roll. “I’ll let you know if I find anything else.”
“Thanks, Ronni.” Something akin to relief crossed Cooper’s face. Celina could relate. She wasn’t exactly relishing the idea of coming back here for more research any more than he was.
“Anytime. And for heaven’s sake, take a break and go enjoy yourselves. It’s called vacation for a reason, and I’m sure the local cops can handle a cold case.”
The call disconnected before Celina could voice a reply, not that she had a good one. Ronni knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn’t be able to let this go. Not just yet, anyway.
The door to the media room opened, and the librarian stuck her graying head in, surprise crossing her face. “Good heavens, you two are still here? I thought you would have been gone by now.”
While Cooper shut down the computer, Celina gathered the few files she had pulled out and put them away, sliding the drawer shut. “We’re just finishing up, actually.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Possibly. You don’t by chance happen to know an Elizabeth Waters, do you?”
The woman’s lips parted in surprise, apprehension filling her face. A small town like this, everyone probably knew one another. Having a couple of strangers come into town and start asking questions? Yeah, that tended to put people on the defense. “May I ask why?”
“We were hoping to speak with her about an old student
of hers.” Celina hedged, hoping she wouldn’t have to go into more detail than that. She wasn’t prepared, however, for what the librarian said next.
“I’m Elizabeth Waters. What is it I can do for you?”
Celina zeroed in on the woman’s name badge; Lizzie W. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. “Do you remember a girl named Ana Verdoni?”
Elizabeth’s face fell, shadows darkening her eyes. With a quick glance behind her, she stepped into the room and let the door close.
Celina’s pulse quickened.
“I haven’t heard that name spoken in a long time.” Elizabeth’s voice was soft and trembling. “I’m sorry, who did you say you were again?”
“We didn’t.” Celina answered quickly, averting her gaze when she felt Cooper’s glower. Yeah, he wasn’t going to like what she said next either. “I’m FBI Special Agent Celina Davenport, and this is DEA Agent Cooper Harris. We’re conducting unofficial research into a few local disappearances. Ana’s name came up, but there’s not much information to go on.”
Elizabeth snorted. “If you knew her father, then you’d know there wouldn’t be. I’m certain he did everything in his power to make certain of that.”
“And why is that?” Grabbing a chair, Cooper turned it around and had a seat, his forearms resting on the back of the chair.
Celina knew his tactic. Most people found his larger stature intimidating. With Cooper towering over Elizabeth’s smaller frame, Celina hadn’t missed the uneasiness on her delicate features. When it came to dealing with drug lords and traffickers, The Beast’s substantial size came in handy. For questioning a librarian, it was probably overkill.
“You obviously don’t know Roberto Verdoni if you’re asking me that.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I probably shouldn’t be talking with you.”
She turned to go, and Celina reached out, gently touching her arm. A flicker of emotions crossed Elizabeth’s face: worry, fear, regret, and sorrow.
It struck Celina hard. Those were the same emotions she’d seen the night before on Father Bailey’s face.
This woman knew, or had seen, something. She’d bet her favorite ice cream on it. “You’re right, we don’t know Roberto Verdoni,” Celina said, “or Ana for that matter. But you do, and I have a feeling you know more than you’re letting on. Am I wrong?”
Uneasily, Elizabeth glanced at Cooper, back to Celina. “You said you were here unofficially. I assume you’re not telling me something about this?”
Celina met Cooper’s gaze, saw his jaw tighten. They couldn’t divulge anything. Nothing had been confirmed, and they were only running on a theory. The bones would undergo DNA testing and a host of other tests, but that could take days, even months.
Which was why after they’d returned to their room last night, Cooper had put in a call to his boss, Victor Dupé, to see if he could get things pushed along faster. Getting a direct call from the Director of the West Coast FBI tended to make people scramble, and with any luck they would have the results back sooner rather than later.
Until then, they were on their own.
“I wish I could tell you everything,” Celina said, “but at the moment, we know very little and are simply working on hunches. We’d appreciate anything you can tell us about your former student.”
Elizabeth seemed to deflate slightly on a deep exhale. She looked away, toward the floor. “Ana turned eighteen that summer, the summer she disappeared, and everything was about to change. You see, from the time she was a young girl, she was set on the path to becoming a nun. It was what her father wanted, what the first born daughters on her father’s side of the family had always done. It wasn’t what Ana wanted, though.”
“What about Ana’s mother?”
“She didn’t agree with it. I heard many arguments in the time I spent as Ana’s tutor. Meredith and Roberto would argue in the library, and you could hear them shouting even with the door closed. Those arguments I could handle. It was the ones where they were oddly quiet that disturbed me the most, for it was after those particular arguments that Meredith would take great care in keeping her face hidden from prying eyes. But I saw the bruises. I knew what he had done.”
Elizabeth shuddered from the old memories washing over her. “Ana was their only child, and Meredith wanted her to marry and have children. Roberto would not hear of it. Family tradition dictated that the first daughter born was to become a nun, and Ana was that. He refused to budge.”
Celina was saddened by the story. She could very well imagine the thoughts of a young Ana, on the precipice of becoming a woman but already having her entire life mapped out for her.
“Did Mrs. Verdoni ever report the abuse?” Cooper asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Roberto was a very influential man in Paso Vallejo. He still is. There was no one here who would have helped her.”
“What about Ana?” Celina asked, her hand instinctively going to her belly. “Did she know what was going on? Did Roberto ever hit her?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Ana knew her parent’s marriage wasn’t the greatest, though I’m not certain she knew the full details. The bruises, though? She couldn’t have missed those.”
“And you said becoming a nun wasn’t what Ana wanted?”
“She wanted love.” Elizabeth sighed. “And she had it. She fell deeply in love and wanted to marry the young man, but it was going to be the scandal of all scandals in this town. She knew her father would never approve, so the two kids met in secret. I helped them—God forgive me. Ana needed a confidant, and I suppose I was the closest one she had. Considering the scandal she was about to bring down on everyone, she didn’t even trust her friends.”
“Classic Romeo and Juliet,” Celina mused.
“Who was the guy?” Cooper asked. “This Romeo.”
Elizabeth rolled her lips in for a moment, hesitant even now.
“Ana is gone,” Celina said. “She may even be dead. You can’t hurt her by divulging the truth.”
A heavy sigh left Elizabeth’s mouth and she looked older than when they’d come in. “It was a monk at the Abbey north of here.”
“What?” Cooper and Celina said at the same time.
Elizabeth nodded and crossed herself. “Worse than that? The night before Ana disappeared, she revealed a secret to me that would have enraged her father, and devastated her mother, even if she hadn’t been in love with a man of God.”
Celina felt the crawl of dread, creep up her spine. “What was the secret?”
“Ana…,” she paused, swallowing hard. She rubbed her arms and sent Celina a sad look. Her voice dropped an octave. “Ana was pregnant.”
Chapter Seven
Stunned didn’t even come close to Cooper’s shock over the librarian’s confession. How was it possible for all of this to have gone unnoticed until now? And who was the mysterious monk?
“I know what you’re thinking.” Elizabeth said to Cooper. “But they were very careful. No one knew they were meeting in secret, and no one ever knew of the child.”
“Perhaps someone did.” Cooper couldn’t help but point out the obvious. It’s how his mind worked, effectively picking apart every scenario until a solid conclusion came into view. He had no doubt someone had figured out what was going on between Ana and the monk and did something about it.
The monk, who would bring a horrible scandal on the monastery and the Church as well? Roberto, whose daughter had defied him and gotten pregnant by a priest?
“Perhaps.” Elizabeth agreed reluctantly. “They had plans to run away the night Ana disappeared. I assumed she had finally escaped from underneath her father’s thumb and they had made it. I expected to hear from her, but as the weeks, months, and then years went by with no word, I began to fear the worse.”
“You never thought to tell anyone that she was having an affair with one of the monks and was pregnant with his child?” Celina sounded as incredulous as Cooper felt.
Elizabeth once again became wary. “Tha
t’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You have news about Ana.”
“We don’t have anything confirmed about Ana,” Cooper said. Annoyance ate at him. “But I’d still like to know why you didn’t tell anyone what you knew after she disappeared.”
“Who would I have told?” Elizabeth held out her hands. “I truly believed for a long time that the two of them had made it out of here. By the time I became suspicious that something else might have happened to Ana, it seemed too late, and who would listen to me? I was nothing but her tutor and the town librarian. Roberto Verdoni’s influence in Paso Vallejo extends all the way to the mayor’s office and beyond. I had no proof of anything bad happening to Ana and it would have been my word against Roberto’s if I had suggested he was involved with her disappearance. He would have buried me.”
Celina patted Elizabeth’s arm. “Do you really think Roberto capable of harming his own daughter?”
“I think Roberto Verdoni is capable of doing anything to anyone who doesn’t do as he wishes.” Elizabeth’s disdain for the dictating father dripped from her words. “In just the few hours a day I tutored Ana, I saw firsthand the unbreakable hold he had over the people around him. No one would have dared to defy him. They still don’t from what I’ve heard around town.”
Roberto Verdoni sounded like a top rate asshole. Dealing with assholes just so happened to be Cooper’s specialty. “What was the monk’s name? Any possibility he changed his mind about running away and decided his reputation at the Abbey was more important?”
“I never knew who he was, nor did I ever see his face. Ana was very careful when it came to him, and I respected her wishes. They were young and in love. I was younger then, too, and believed in such things.” Elizabeth lowered her gaze, a single tear trailing down her cheek. “Had I known anything would happen to her, I would have paid closer attention.”