Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  Max came around the corner. “Nice work.” He took a few snapshots then handed the bill back to me.

  I scanned the remainder of the paperwork. Most of it was junk mail, advertisements, and coupons. There was also a flyer from a church asking for donations to help fund their support groups. I found a blank white envelope at the bottom of the stack. I opened the flap and emptied the contents into my free hand. There were at least a dozen photos of different children, ranging from infancy to early teens, comprised of both boys and girls. All seemed to be of different ethnicities. Some of them were professional school photos, but most looked like they had been taken by a family member. “I found something else, Max. Who are these kids?” I focused on the photo of a young girl, perhaps six or seven years old. She was beautiful, with long blonde braids and freckles. “Why do you think she has these?” I asked.

  Max walked back and looked down. “I don’t know,” he said after flipping through them all, “but Toby’s picture isn’t here.”

  “What is Brenda involved in?”

  Max shook his head. “We need to find out who these kids are and how she’s connected to them. Do me a favor. Take pictures of each photo then place them back in the envelope just as they were. This place has to look exactly the way it did when we came in.” He reached into his back pocket and handed me his phone. “Use this to take the pictures.”

  “Okay.” I couldn’t help but wonder. Had these children been kidnapped? Were they still alive?

  I was just about done with the photos when I heard a sound coming from another room. “I thought you said the place was clear,” I whispered.

  “Maybe it’s a pet that I missed.”

  “What if it’s a rat,” I said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this place had a rodent problem.”

  Max raised his hand, arching his fingers into a claw. He scratched the air in front of him.

  “If you’re trying to scare me, you’re doing a great job,” I teased. “How am I supposed to concentrate now?”

  “Sorry.”

  I went back to work, but the scraping startled me again.

  “Maybe there’s a whole family of rats living in that wall,” Max said.

  “Okay, now you’re just being a jerk.”

  Max smiled and got back to his search. Meanwhile, I returned the photos to the envelope, and put them back where I found them.

  “If you’re done with those papers, let’s check the bedroom so we can get the hell out of here,” Max said. He headed down the hallway.

  When I followed him into the bedroom, I noticed there was no bed, just a mattress lying on the floor with crumpled blankets. Next to it was a cardboard box filled with loose clothing. Max rifled through the clothing while I checked under the blankets. I heard an object hit the floor and picked it up. “Look at this. Drug paraphernalia.”

  “It’s a pipe,” Max said. “Is it empty?”

  I looked inside. “Pretty much. What should we do with it?”

  “Set it back on the bed. Pot is the least of our concerns.” Max took a glance around the room. “I’ll take a quick peek in her closet then we can head out.”

  “Okay.”

  Max grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. “That’s weird,” he said, trying it again.

  “Is it locked?” I asked.

  “There’s no lock on it, but it won’t turn.” Max used both hands this time. He twisted the knob and pulled on the door simultaneously.

  A flash of dark hair and wild eyes lunged out of the closet. She collided with Max, sending him to the floor. I was stunned. The woman slammed into my shoulder as she charged past me. I fell back against the wall as she tore out of the bedroom. Max was on his feet in a flash. “Are you okay?”

  I blinked a few times. “I’m fine,” I said. “Was that Brenda?”

  “I’m going after her.”

  I ignored the sharp pain in my shoulder as I rose to my feet. What was he planning to do with Brenda if he caught up with her? I ran to the window. Brenda was hoofing it across the parking lot. Max wasn’t far behind.

  I ran outside and made my way down the stairs two steps at a time.

  As I hit ground level, I saw Brenda slow down and come to a stop. Max approached her cautiously. She turned and kicked Max right in the groin. He immediately fell to his knees.

  Just as quickly as Brenda had appeared, she was gone.

  Chapter 23

  “I’d be happy to make you an ice pack when we get back to the Sanborn’s,” I said, rubbing Max’s leg as he drove.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I have a feeling Brenda’s foot might have left some scars.”

  I cringed. “What were you planning to do if you caught her?”

  Max ignored my question. “She was carrying a brown paper bag, and seemed very determined to keep it. Could you give Carter a call and let him know what happened? Tell him we’ll meet him back at the house.”

  A few minutes later we pulled into the Sanborn’s driveway. I had just ended the call with Carter. “He’s on his way here,” I said. “He wants you to start downloading the images of those kids we found at Brenda’s apartment. If the Sanborns ask for an update, he said we could share what we discovered today.”

  “There’s really not much to tell,” Max said.

  The house was quiet when we walked in. Dr. Theo and Alex O’Malley were each holding a small glass. It appeared they had wasted no time in breaking out the scotch.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Max said, holding up his cell phone. “We need to download some pictures. Carter is on his way here.”

  Dr. Theo blinked slowly as if the alcohol had already taken effect. “What did you find?”

  Max hesitated. “Photographs of children.”

  The doctor’s face turned white. “Dear God.”

  Max shook his head. “Nothing perverted.”

  The doctor looked confused as he got to his feet, holding on to the back of his chair to steady himself. “What about my grandson? Was his picture among them?”

  Max pursed his lips while shaking his head.

  The doctor took a step forward and faltered, practically tripping over his own feet. O’Malley grabbed him by the arm and said in a calm, measured voice, “Theo, why don’t you have a seat on the couch? You’ll be more comfortable there.”

  Dr. Theo looked down at his glass. “Maybe I should have stopped after the first one. I don’t usually imbibe to this degree.”

  “Anyway,” Max said. “We have some work to do. We’ll let you know as soon as we find something.” He continued down the hall. I didn’t follow.

  “How’s Jessica?” I asked no one in particular.

  Dr. Theo let out a sigh. “Not well, I’m afraid. She’s locked herself in her room.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “The news about Duane was a shock to all of us.”

  The doctor downed the rest of his drink. I sensed a deep sadness within him. He didn’t seem like the type to lose self-control with the bottle. “Just find my grandson,” he muttered. “Cunningham can go to hell for all I care.”

  “I understand,” I said, trying to remain sympathetic. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go help Max until Carter gets here.”

  O’Malley followed me out of the kitchen. Halfway down the hall he stopped me. “You’ll have to forgive Theo,” he whispered, gently touching my arm. “He hasn’t been himself lately.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, turning to face him. “These are stressful times.”

  He looked up and down the hallway then turned back to face me. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” he said in a whisper. “Richard tells us the cause of Cunningham’s death is still in question.”

  “According to Carter, it could take days or weeks until they know what really happened. But with no witnesses, no weapon, and no defensive wounds, they seem satisfied to call the death accidental until proven otherwise.”

  “I see. What do you make of those pictures you found in Brenda’s apartment?”


  “I honestly have no idea.”

  O’Malley nodded. He removed his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Dr. Theo and Jessica are too emotionally charged to think rationally about all of this. If there’s anything I can do to help out, please let me know.”

  “Sure,” I said. “If you really want to help you can be honest with me.”

  O’Malley paused, returned his glasses to his face, and blinked at me through thick lenses. “Okay?”

  “Is Jessica still in the dark about Brenda?”

  “Yes. Theo would rather not tell her.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s very fragile right now.”

  “I know that’s what her father thinks. What do you think?”

  O’Malley paused to take a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m in favor of telling her the truth.”

  “Do you have feelings for Jessica?” I asked, locking his stare.

  He didn’t flinch. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Is that the real reason you came to Hawaii? To make sure Jessica didn’t get back together with Cunningham?”

  He breathed in heavily through his nose and exhaled slowly. “I have no control over what she does. I’m merely the voice of reason here.”

  “You were jealous of Cunningham, weren’t you?” My statement ended up sounding more like an accusation than I’d intended, but O’Malley didn’t seem fazed.

  “You don’t know me, Sarah. And it’s obvious you don’t trust me. Just don’t let your imagination run too wild, okay?”

  I heard footsteps coming down the hall. O’Malley fell silent.

  “What’s wrong with the Doctor?” It was Carter.

  “Happy hour got the best of him,” I said.

  Carter chuckled. “Where’s Jessica?”

  O’Malley and I exchanged glances. “She’s still in her room,” I said.

  “Has Max downloaded those photos?”

  “Yeah. He’s waiting for you.”

  Carter excused himself, leaving me and O’Malley alone again.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my voice. “I’m just having a hard time understanding why you flew all the way to Hawaii.”

  “Because Theo asked me to.”

  “You do everything he asks?”

  “That’s my job.”

  “Why is Theo so paranoid?”

  O’Malley took a step back and looked around before setting eyes back on me. “Did you hear about the malpractice suit?”

  “Jessica mentioned it to me.”

  “Does the name Smolinski ring a bell?”

  “Not offhand. Should it?”

  “He’s the CEO of Smolinski Enterprises. Or was. The company went bankrupt a few years ago. It was all over the news. Smolinski ended up with barely a dollar to his name. He found an opportunity to sue Dr. Theo in order to make a quick buck.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “He claimed to have complications from heart surgery due to Dr. Theo’s negligence. I was able to prove it was a scam.”

  “So you got the suit thrown out.”

  He nodded.

  I started feeling guilty about my accusations. “Look, I didn’t mean to get in your face about the whole Jessica thing. I was out of line. I’ve always been a little hesitant to trust lawyers.”

  He smiled. “We’re not all bad, you know.”

  “What makes you so different from the rest?”

  “For one thing, it isn’t all about the money for me.”

  “Well, what is it about?”

  “You’ll probably laugh, but it’s about justice.”

  Chapter 24

  Deep creases appeared on Carter’s forehead as he and Max scanned the photos found at Brenda’s apartment. “It’s going to be a bitch identifying these kids. Let’s start by assuming they’re local. We could bring these pictures around to the local schools and ask for their help.”

  Max pointed to the photo of the girl with the pigtail braids. “This one looks like it was taken by a professional photographer. See the signature imprint down at the lower left-hand corner. Island Style Images. They could be local.”

  “They must do thousands of school portraits a year,” Carter said. “I doubt they’d remember one kid to the next, but if they can tell us which schools they work with, it might narrow things down.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Max said.

  “I’ll give them a call. Meanwhile, you and Sarah could start going through the Internet for missing children sites in Hawaii. See if any of these faces turn up.”

  “Oh god,” I shuddered as I took a moment to reflect. “You think Brenda’s involved in a kidnapping ring? Or some kind of child sex slavery?”

  Carter shook his head. “These photos don’t suggest anything like that, Sarah, but we have to prepare for the worst.”

  ***

  The process of scanning endless photographs of missing children was physically and emotionally draining. My back ached from being hunched over the laptop for too long.

  Carter reappeared. “I’ve got some interesting information here. I went through the numbers on Brenda’s phone bill. They’re all local, mostly cleaning clients, a dentist, and the Café. But there was one number that really got my attention. She made a number of calls to the Hope Chapel in Kahila.”

  “Isn’t that the same church Cunningham called from his cell phone?”

  “Sure is.

  “Maybe that’s how Brenda and Cunningham met.”

  “It’s possible. I stopped by and spoke with the pastor. He refused to tell me anything. He said that even if Cunningham had confessed to murdering his son, he couldn’t share that information with me.”

  “Did you get in touch with Island Style Images?” I asked.

  “I have an appointment with them later tonight. Maybe they’ll recognize the girl in the photo.”

  “Want us to join you?”

  Carter shook his head. “You guys look beat. Go get some rest. We’ll meet up again in the morning.”

  Chapter 25

  Max and I left the Sanborn’s house and decided to share some down time. We parked at the beach and settled in to watch the sunset. The fresh, salty breeze soothed my soul.

  “This is nice. Thanks,” I said. “I really needed a break from the case.”

  “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” he asked.

  How to respond. The faces of countless missing children continued to flash by in my mind’s eye. I couldn’t help but think that most of them would never be found.

  “Here, turn around,” he said. “I think you need a massage.”

  I repositioned myself. His warm hands cupped my neck, squeezing gently. I closed my eyes and breathed deep, forgetting all about the sunset. He moved his hands from my neck to the base of my skull, massaging my head. A warm, tingling sensation grew deep in my belly and I let out an involuntary moan of pleasure.

  “I sensed you were in need,” he said. “You seemed pretty tense back at the house.”

  “Nice being on the receiving end for a change. I wish I could afford you full-time.”

  He laughed. “I could never charge you for something that gave me pleasure.”

  The comment rendered me speechless. It was difficult to think straight as his fingers continued to work my shoulders.

  “I was just thinking,” he said, moving his hands down my back. “Didn’t Carter mention that Cunningham liked to golf?”

  “I think so, why?”

  “Well, the closest golf course is a few miles from here. Bet the country club has a restaurant. We could get some dinner, and ask some of the staff if they remember seeing him around. Do you still have those photos of Cunningham and Toby in your purse?”

  “Yeah,” I said, although I didn’t really see the point. Even if Cunningham flirted with one of the waitresses, it was highly unlikely he confided anything. “So does this mean my massage is over?”

  “For now. But we can pick up where we left off later this evening if you’re
up for it.”

  I paused to consider the meaning of his words. It was just vague enough to be open to interpretation. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

  Chapter 26

  The Mahaka Country Club -- though not quite a four star establishment -- had a certain laid back charm. I looked around. To the right was a dining room with brightly painted walls, and whitewashed wooden tables and chairs. To the left was a bar area that looked like something Jimmy Buffet would sing about.

  We found an empty table. A waitress approached to inform us of the evening’s drink specials. We both ordered a glass of Cabernet and asked her to bring two grilled chicken salads. Before she walked away, Max held up the picture of Cunningham holding Toby in his lap. “Excuse me. Have you seen this guy around here the past few weeks? His name is Eric Fisher.”

  The waitress politely scanned the photo then shook her head. “Sorry, don’t recognize him, but that’s a cute baby he’s got there.”

  “Okay, thank you.” Max smiled and set the photo down on the table.

  Max kept staring at me as we waited for our drinks to arrive. “Something on your mind?” I asked.

  He reached over and caressed my hand. “I was just thinking how curious it is that we ended up in Hawaii together. You think it means something?”

  “Yes, life keeps bringing us together. I’m not complaining.”

  “Maybe we have a karmic connection.”

  My cheeks felt hot as I smiled at him. Was he just saying that to be nice? “You could probably charm the pants off most women, couldn’t you?”

  His green eyes lit up as he laughed. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. There’s only one woman that I hope finds me charming.”

  His words surprised me. My mouth was so dry I couldn’t swallow. The waitress reappeared before I could reply to Max’s statement. She set the wine glasses down and left.

  I looked up. Max had an expression on his face I just couldn’t read. I took a long sip of wine then asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I’m trying to figure you out, Sarah.”