Shades of Gray

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  “Yeah.” I was perking up already.

  She gave me a smug grin. “I thought of how much you mean to me every second I worked on it. I finished it this afternoon. It’s small so you can always carry it with you.”

  I hugged my sister. “Thanks.”

  I put the drawing back in the plastic and in my pocket, but before we could leave, Sophie’s hand reached out to Tracy’s arm. “Please find my little boy. He’s going to be so scared.”

  “Or he might be wrapping everyone around his little finger.” I gave her an encouraging smile. Sawyer was one of the most fearless kids I knew, and what I was saying could well be true.

  “Thanks,” Sophie whispered, but she was crying again as she started down the hall.

  “I’ll take care of her.” Pressing something else into my hand, my twin started after her.

  “Take care of little Oak, too,” I called.

  Tawnia looked over her shoulder and grinned. “I’m not naming my baby Oak.”

  “Not even a middle name?”

  Not answering, she hurried after Sophie.

  I looked at what she’d given me. It was a pink-wrapped Bellybar, like those she’d practically survived on during her first months of pregnancy and still carried in her purse for emergencies. Plenty of protein and sugar to keep me going. I wanted to yell after her and ask if she also carried a lighter.

  Tracy read the wording and arched a brow. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Yeah, right.” I ripped open the wrapper and took a bite as we stepped into the elevator. “Try calling those officers again.”

  This time someone answered. Tracy frowned in concentration as she listened to the officers. “Well, go back to the scene,” she said. “Do another sweep. There has to be something.”

  She listened for a minute more before rolling her eyes. “The university medical facility? No, you don’t have time to check out a robbery there. This has priority. They took what? Yuck. People are really sick these days. Look, ask dispatch to send someone else, or it’ll have to wait. Let me know if you turn up anything. Do a wider perimeter just in case.” She shook her head as she hung up.

  “What?” I said.

  “Someone broke in and took a donated cadaver at the university.” Tracy made a face. “Probably a fraternity prank.”

  “I meant with Jake.”

  “The officers have talked to all the neighbors and went to see Tony Blancher the contractor—who apparently is such a disagreeable man that they’d love to throw him in jail if they had any excuse at all—but they’ve found no new clues as to who grabbed Jake or why. The neighbor stands by her claim, though. They’re sure she’s a reliable witness.”

  “So what now?” I’d planned to go over to Kolonda’s myself, but it was unlikely I could find something in the street that the police and Kolonda hadn’t, and Jake wouldn’t have left imprints on the ground through his shoes.

  “Now we take a little drive to see that attorney I told you about who works in the real estate scene. Maybe she has something for us.” There was a light in her eyes as she spoke, and I knew her decision to act relieved the tension she felt at not being involved in interrogating Saito’s men.

  “I hope so,” I said. “Though you do remember it’s your day off, right?”

  “I have nothing better to do, anyway, since Ian Gideon broke our date.”

  “His loss.”

  “Darn right it is. The jerk.”

  I smiled at her choice of words. I’d never heard Tracy cuss, not even when she was really upset. I admired that.

  When we reached the lobby of the hospital, the sight of Nicholas Russo pulled me up short. I hesitated only an instant before launching myself at him. His appearance reminded me that the Saitos weren’t the only ones with an Asian connection. Kolonda’s neighbor wouldn’t be able to distinguish Saito’s men from Russo’s restaurant employees.

  Russo’s bodyguard, Charlie, pushed me away, his hand going to his waist where I knew he kept his gun.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Tracy warned Charlie. Her iron grip prevented me from going at Russo again.

  “Where is he?” I hissed. “Where’d you take Jake!”

  Russo blinked at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I could almost believe him, he was so sincere, but I knew he made a business out of lying.

  “I swear, if you hurt him in any way, I’ll hunt you down and make you pay!” Big words, but that was how I felt.

  Russo didn’t look in the least disturbed, which made me angrier. “I don’t know anything about your boyfriend. I’m here because of Damian.”

  “How did you—” But I knew how he’d heard. Ace had been hurt, but he’d been conscious. He must have asked for a phone the minute he arrived at the hospital.

  “The fact that you know who Jake is tells me you could be responsible.” Tracy’s voice was icy enough to strike terror into any normal perp. “As for Dennis, you stay away from him. The officer at the door has strict orders not to let you see him.”

  Russo frowned, his face darkening. “Why? I’m his cousin. I’m family. Family is everything. Damian knows that, or will remember it soon enough.”

  “You stay away from him,” I echoed. “I didn’t save him to turn him over to you.”

  “He’ll want to see me. I may be the only chance he has to see his son alive again.”

  “Is that a confession?” Tracy snapped.

  Russo blinked slowly. “A fact. Nothing more. I know how to get things done. I found Damian, didn’t I?”

  “Thanks to your private detective’s big mouth, we almost got killed.” I stepped closer to him, but again Tracy held me back.

  “I realize that.” To my surprise, Russo’s broad face became conciliatory. “Apparently, I am in your debt for saving my cousin’s life. Think what you like about me, but I do care about my cousin.” A smirk touched one corner of his mouth, and I was sure he was mocking me.

  “If you owe me, then tell me where Jake is.” It couldn’t hurt to ask.

  Russo’s eyes held mine, the warm blue of the sky, and I could almost believe he felt compassion. “I’ll see what I can find out.” With that he stepped past me, leaving me feeling frustrated and revengeful. And longing for Jake.

  “Come on, Autumn. I’ll call and let the officer know not to let Russo see Dennis. It’ll be okay.”

  She was wrong. I was betting Russo had Sawyer and that meant Dennis and Sophie would have no choice but to do anything they could to get their son back. Tears stung my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. I had to concentrate on Jake.

  Peirce had left his squad car for Tracy, so a short time later we stood at the door to a two-story house in an upscale part of Portland. The door was opened by a fifty-something woman with dark hair swept on top of her head, revealing her long, graceful neck. Her body in its flowing, wide-legged yellow pantsuit was trim and firm. She looked great for any age, and I wondered if it was due to good genes or a large paycheck.

  “Claire, this is Autumn Rain, who’s working with me on our missing person case. Autumn, this is my friend Claire Philpot.”

  “Nice to meet you,” we said, shaking hands. Her eyes traveled down to my bare feet, which she regarded a bit too long for my comfort. That seemed odd, because she wasn’t wearing shoes either, only thin socks, and by the few pairs near the door, I was sure her house was a no-shoe house anyway. I’d washed my feet thoroughly at the hospital, so they were cleaner than Tracy’s shoes.

  “Come inside,” she said, regaining her composure.

  Sure enough, Tracy removed her shoes at the door, revealing a tiny hole in her sock near the joint of her left big toe.

  The large entryway felt cool and lovely compared to the warm evening air outside and the he
at I’d been feeling since the fire.

  “I’m glad you came,” Claire said as she led the way to a plush sitting room. She had light brown eyes that might have been plain, except for the perfect accenting of her makeup. “I think you’ll be interested in what I uncovered. Please, sit down. You both look a little the worse for wear. When you called, I asked my housekeeper to prepare a tray. I take it neither of you has had dinner?”

  Tracy and I exchanged a look. I didn’t think my dirty clothes would leave a stain on Claire’s leather sofa, and the blood on Tracy’s blouse was long dried, but we did indeed look bedraggled. I hadn’t eaten since lunch at the store, and Tracy probably hadn’t since she left her mother’s party. In fact, until that moment I hadn’t realized how late it was—eight-thirty. Only five and half hours since I’d left my shop, though I felt I’d lived a lifetime in that warehouse. Worse, it would be dark soon, and I was no closer to finding Jake.

  “Thank you,” Tracy said gracefully. Despite her ruined clothes, she looked at home against the expensive decor, and it flitted through my mind again what a mistake Ian was making. No doubt he’d ask her out again, but he’d get nowhere with her now. He’d have to derive his comfort from whatever he’d felt was more important than courting Tracy.

  The housekeeper brought a tray loaded with fruit, vegetables, and different kinds of finger sandwiches. I greedily ate the ones made with wheat bread, while Tracy started in on the white. I wanted to ask if the fruit was organically grown, but I knew it would be rude, and at this point, I was happy to take what I could get. When asked what we preferred to drink, I went for herbal iced tea, while Tracy asked for a soft drink.

  “So,” I said, the second I could make myself stop cramming in food. Though Tracy was only nibbling, I made up for both of us. I told myself I had to keep myself strong for Jake.

  “A friend of mine heard from a friend of hers, whose husband is a city councilman, that the city council has discussed rezoning the area your missing man was interested in.”

  “Let me guess,” Tracy said. “They’re changing it to a commercial zone.”

  “Exactly—if it’s all approved, of course. Apparently, at least one investor has already submitted a plan for a huge, block-long shopping center, with several key stores and restaurants committed. It’s really an excellent place for commercial development, as the newer residential developments surrounding the area currently have a long way to travel for necessities. Not only will this clean up some of the more rundown buildings and generate a nice tax income for the city, but it will add convenience to a lot of people’s lives.”

  “What if the current owners don’t want to sell?” I asked.

  Claire smiled. “If the plan is approved, they’ll be offered enough that they’ll be begging to sell.”

  “When would that approval go through?”

  “I’d say by the end of the year, first of next. But deals like this don’t happen overnight. It has to have been in the works at least a year. Behind closed doors, of course.”

  “So whoever owns the property at the time the announcement is finally made will make a hefty sum selling to developers, right?” I took another sandwich, my mind working hard.

  “Unless they want to develop the property themselves. Build a store or whatever.”

  My sandwich hesitated in midair. “Have there been a lot of property sales in that area?”

  Claire’s smile grew wider. She looked at Tracy. “I see why you’re working with her. She gets right to it.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was as much a compliment on my intelligence as it was a snide dig on my scraggly appearance. I decided not to take offense. I didn’t care what this rich, beautiful woman thought as long as she helped me find Jake.

  “You don’t know the half of it.” Tracy grinned. “Seems she helps solve all my cases these days. They ought to hire her.”

  Not that I would accept, though I was thinking about charging a fee for my consulting services. It would go a long way to paying the mortgage on my store. “Well?” I prompted.

  Claire returned her attention to me. “The county has recorded many more sales than usual in the past few months, far more than can be attributed to the recovering economy. I’d say someone is certain the rezoning will take place. Some of the former property owners might be upset when they learn they could have sold for drastically more only a year later, but there’ll be nothing they can do about it.”

  “Who’s buying the land?”

  “Several different contractors and developers, but at least six I know are dummy corporations. It’ll take time to trace them back to the real owners, though. We won’t get any more information today.”

  “It’s enough.” Tracy speared a piece of cantaloupe with her fork.

  “Could be Russo,” I said. “He’s into construction and restaurants, and he wouldn’t think twice about cheating Kolonda and others out of a nice profit.”

  “It could be anyone,” Tracy countered.

  “I don’t know who this Russo is,” Claire said, “but I have to disagree with you, Tracy. Not everyone would kidnap a man to assure they get a property for a lower price.”

  I should have felt satisfaction at Claire’s observance, but what I felt was hunger and impatience. After all the imprints of the past few days, I needed more protein . . . and to find Jake.

  Tracy stood. “Thank you for your help, Claire. I owe you one.”

  “Let me know if you’d like me to look into this further.” Claire arose fluidly and moved toward the door. “I’ll give you my discounted rate.” A clear message that while she’d been happy to check into things for the police, her charity only went so far.

  “I’ll put someone at the precinct on it. I’ll let you know if we need anything more.”

  I grabbed a last handful of grapes and shoved them into the front pocket that hadn’t held my makeshift gunpowder bomb. Unfortunately, my action didn’t go completely unobserved.

  “Would you like more sandwiches to take with you?” Claire asked, a touch of cool amusement in her tone.

  “No,” I said. “But thank you. It’s been a long day.”

  Her eyes traveled down to my feet and back again. “You are an interesting person, Autumn Rain,” she said. “Something tells me there is more to you than meets the eye. My late husband always told me I had a feeling for these things.”

  I could sense no hint of her former derision, and since I had experienced no imprints that warned me against her, I took her words at face value. I found myself wishing I could give her something in return. Except I didn’t know if she needed anything or that I could give it to her if she did. “Thank you for your help,” I said, extending my hand to shake hers. She wasn’t wearing a ring, so it was an easy thing to do. “Let me know if you ever need any antiques or herbs. I own Autumn’s Antiques here in town. I’ll give you a good deal.”

  She smiled. “I’ll let you know.”

  Back in the squad car, Tracy said, “She was impressed by you. I’m surprised because she mostly hates everyone. Or mistrusts them. She’s had to work hard to get where she is. After she married, she gave up being an attorney to raise their two children and only came back into the game a few years ago, right before her husband died of a heart attack. He was an attorney, too. There was some question from his employer about his having misused funds. She always maintained his innocence, but I guess she’ll never know what really happened.”

  No wonder Claire radiated that standoffish air. An event like that changed a person. I took the grapes from my pocket, offering them to Tracy, who took a few. “I want to talk to Kolonda’s neighbor, and I want to tell Kolonda what we found out so she won’t sell.”

  Tracy grimaced. “Whoever is buying up those properties isn’t exactly going to be happy about us ruining their plans.”

  “Which is exactly why I’
m going to call the newspaper after we talk to Kolonda. The less this character has to gain, the less reason he has to keep Jake.”

  “Depending on who we’re talking about, it might mean he’ll take out his frustration on Jake.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “Okay, so we’ll find Jake first and then call the papers.”

  Tracy’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. She looked at the screen and smiled. “Yes! They found something. They didn’t say what, but it’s got to be important.” She typed out a response.

  We drove in silence to Kolonda’s. It wasn’t far, but darkness was falling fast, and I willed Tracy to hurry. Kolonda’s house, if somewhat smaller than Claire Philpot’s, was every bit as elegant, at least on the outside. A far cry from Jake’s apartment, or even his grandmother’s place. Worlds apart.

  The officers at the scene came toward us as we parked, triumphant smiles on their faces. Tracy jumped from the car. “What is it?”

  One man held up a plastic bag containing a black cell phone. “Definitely his. Found it in those bushes.” The officer pointed to the tasteful landscaping in front of Kolonda’s house. “But the witness says he was standing over there when they grabbed him. That’s a good twenty feet away.”

  “He could have thrown it.” Tracy reached for the plastic bag.

  “If it’s his, we should be able to find out who else he talked to before he went missing,” the officer said. “Backtrack his path.”

  “Great job, guys. I’ll take it from here.” Tracy turned to find me grinning.

  I recognized Jake’s cell phone, of course. A little black one that didn’t require a monthly web charge. Neither of us wanted to be bothered with e-mail on our phones or felt the need to surf the Internet when we were away from home or our stores. “If he threw it, that means he was calling when he was taken.”

  “Maybe he meant for you to find it.”

  I’d been hoping the same thing, and I was grateful he’d been able to think clearly, given the circumstances. That was Jake. He did what had to be done and usually managed to add in a little flair while he was at it. I was happy whoever took him hadn’t been worried about the phone enough to go after it.