Hostage to Fortune

by J A Whiting

  “How did you and Jackson break off?”

  “It just ended. Cheryl was gone. We couldn’t see each other under circumstances like that. I didn’t want to see Jackson every day at work so I quit the company. It would have been awkward to continue working there.” Lisa pushed at the side of her hair.

  “Did Cheryl mention anything to you about being nervous about someone?”

  Lisa’s jaw tightened. “No, she didn’t. What do you mean? Like someone was bothering her?”

  Ian nodded.

  “No. I never heard anything like that.”

  “Did Cheryl seem nervous or out of sorts prior to her disappearance?” Ian questioned.

  “I didn’t notice anything different about her.”

  “Did Jackson mention anything about their marriage? Were they arguing a lot? Were they not getting along?”

  “Jackson did say sometimes how things were strained between him and Cheryl. They worked together, had little kids … of course, there would be difficulties. I don’t know how anyone could work so closely together, raise a family together, run a household together. There’s no getting away from each other. There’s no break from work stress or family issues. You’d always be talking about problems.”

  “Did Jackson discuss divorce?”

  “He never mentioned divorcing Cheryl. At the time, I would have loved it if he left her, but I never asked him about it. I didn’t want to come across as pushy.”

  “Do you have a theory about what happened to Cheryl?” Ian asked.

  Lisa looked surprised by the question. “I don’t know. I guess she could have been driving around and when she stopped at a red light, someone could have jumped into the car with her.”

  “Do you think Cheryl could still be alive?”

  “Oh, I don’t think so. It’s been so long. She mustn’t be alive.”

  “So you think a random person carjacked her and killed her?”

  “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

  Ian asked, “Do you know Jason Spencer?”

  “Sure. I know who he is. I met him a few times. He owns a bunch of car dealerships.”

  “We understand he was a friend of Cheryl’s,” Ian said.

  Lisa nodded. “They went to grad school together.”

  “We heard some rumors that Jason and Cheryl might have had an affair.”

  “That was just talk. Cheryl was too busy to have an affair.”

  “Did she bring that up with you?”

  “I teased her a couple of times about Jason. Cheryl had no interest in a romantic relationship with him.”

  “Did Cheryl know Jason might have wanted a relationship with her?”

  “Cheryl always said they were just friends. She never admitted to me that she thought Jason wanted to be more than friends.”

  “Did you think he did?”

  “I only interacted with him in groups, but I could tell he had the hots for Cheryl.”

  “Did Jason ever seem annoyed that Cheryl didn’t reciprocate his feelings?” Ian questioned.

  “I didn’t know him well enough to notice,” Lisa said.

  Ian made quick eye contact with Claire and she took his cue. Before arriving to speak with Lisa, Ian asked Claire not to interact much with the woman, but when he gave her the signal, he wanted Claire to ask Lisa a question.

  Claire spoke up. “Can you tell us where you were on the night Cheryl disappeared?”

  Lisa stared at Claire for several seconds. “I was at my sister’s house.”

  “A witness recalled seeing you at the Wilbys’ house that evening,” Ian told the woman.

  Lisa’s cheeks flushed pink. “I … I dropped off some paperwork. I wasn’t at the house very long. Then I went to visit my sister. I stayed overnight at her place. We drank too much wine and I didn’t want to drive.”

  “When you stopped by the Wilbys’s house to drop off the paperwork, did you see both Jackson and Cheryl?”

  “Both of them were there.”

  “Was anyone else with them besides the kids?” Ian asked.

  “I didn’t see anyone else.”

  “Did you go inside?”

  “I went inside, but I stood by the door. I wasn’t there long.”

  Something about what Lisa said felt off to Claire.

  If only she could pinpoint what it was.

  16

  Claire arrived at the upscale Boston bar and restaurant where Bob Cooney spent many late afternoons and early evenings. When she entered the place, she spotted Cooney sitting alone at the bar which was quite unusual for the man who loved to entertain the ladies.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Claire asked.

  Cooney’s head snapped around and when he saw who was standing next to his stool, he swiveled and leaned back against the glossy wood of the bar.

  “Look what the cat dragged in.” Cooney’s hair was as jet black and slicked as always. Dressed in an expensive collared shirt with gold cufflinks at his wrists, fitted slacks, and a heavy gold chain around his neck, the man gave the impression that he had a great deal of money and wasn’t afraid to spend it.

  “Why are you sitting here all alone?” Claire wanted to chide herself for feeling some worry about the man, but she couldn’t help herself. “Has something happened?”

  “Can’t a man enjoy his own company, Rollins?”

  “Not you. It’s unnatural for you to sit alone.” Claire glanced around the bar. “I guess there aren’t that many women in here yet. You must be saving up your strength.”

  “You’re lucky I ignore your verbal digs.” Cooney took a sip of whiskey from his glass. “To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your company?”

  “I think you know why I’m here.” Claire took a seat on the stool next to him and ordered a seltzer from the bartender.

  Cooney eyed the non-alcoholic beverage. “Still a teetotaler, I see.”

  “I need to keep my wits about me when I talk to you.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Cooney grinned. “I hear your lover-boy is working on the cold case.”

  “If you mean Ian, then yes, he is.”

  “And that brings you here for information.”

  “That’s right. What can you tell me?”

  Cooney rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not how it works, Rollins. Must we review the rules every time you come for a visit?”

  Claire sighed. “I’ll ask a question.”

  “Very good. And I’ll try to answer.”

  “Try to phrase the answer without embedding it in a riddle,” Claire told him.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Claire asked, “Do you know where Cheryl Wilby is?”

  “I do not. Next question.”

  “I assume she’s dead.”

  “I think your assumption is correct.”

  “Do you know this for a fact?” Claire asked.

  “Rumor.”

  “Okay.” Claire took a sip of her seltzer. “I’m trying to figure out who caused Cheryl to disappear.”

  Cooney raised an eyebrow. “What’s your question?”

  Claire made eye contact with the man. “Who did it?”

  Cooney leveled his eyes at the young woman. “Nope. You need to use your powers of deduction. I can’t give you the answers. Like I’ve said a hundred times, if I just tell you what you’re looking for, you’ll never improve your investigative reasoning skills. I won’t be around forever, you know.”

  Claire stared at the man. “Is something wrong with you?”

  “For Pete’s sake, Rollins, nothing is wrong with me.”

  “Why are you acting so weird then? Are you ill?” Claire asked.

  “No, I’m not ill, but I’m sick of being asked what’s wrong with me. I was sitting here at the bar enjoying a drink and some quiet time … until someone barged in on me to ask me a bunch of questions.”

  Claire studied the man’s face. “You’re grumpier than usual this evening. Do you want me to come back another
day?”

  Cooney’s expression softened as he waved his hand in the air. “Ask your questions.”

  Claire said gently, “Cheryl Wilby left her house one winter night and never returned to her three-year-old son and two-month-old daughter. No one seems to know what happened to her. Cheryl’s mother went to her grave not knowing what happened to her adult child or where she was. Cheryl’s son is estranged from his father and filed a civil suit against him. Cheryl’s daughter died as a teenager in a car accident. I don’t think any of these things would have happened if someone didn’t hurt Cheryl and steal her life from her. It wasn’t just Cheryl who was harmed. The tentacles of misery reached out for many others connected with her ... all because of someone’s evil deed. Can you point me and Ian in a direction that will help us find out what happened?”

  Cooney looked off across the room. “This thing happened twenty-five years ago. Who do you think is responsible?”

  “People are lying, some are leaving things out, others are misleading us. We can’t sort it out. Jackson Wilby’s story doesn’t sound right. He says he waited for Cheryl to come home, and then he left his kids alone in the house when he claimed to go out looking for her. Jackson was seeing a woman who worked in the company. The woman didn’t care for Cheryl, but she pretended to be friendly with her so she could see Jackson more often. A friend of Cheryl’s from grad school wanted more from her than friendship and may not have been pleased by Cheryl’s dismissal of his feelings. The daycare owner thinks she saw Cheryl drive by on the night she disappeared and the woman also thinks she saw Jackson drive past fifteen minutes before Cheryl. The pastor of the church Cheryl went to thinks he saw her speed by the church that night. Where was Cheryl going? Where was Jackson going? Who killed Cheryl? How can we get the answers?”

  “There are a lot of people who had motive,” Cooney said.

  Claire nodded.

  Cooney said, “Jackson Wilby is a lot like me. We’re both lacking somewhat in empathy, but the difference between us is that I understand my weaknesses and he doesn’t. That makes him dangerous. I’ve met him a couple of times and I’ve heard a lot about him from some of my associates. Jackson is a taker. He loves only one person and that person is himself. Question every single thing he tells you. He’s no choir boy. He’s got his hand in a lot of things, many of them illegal. But it doesn’t mean he killed his wife. I don’t know anything about the other people you brought up. Jackson’s sweetheart from years ago … what was her name?”

  “Lisa Richardson,” Claire said. “She owns an accounting firm in the area.”

  “Where was she the night Cheryl disappeared?” Cooney stroked his chin.

  “She reports she was with her sister.”

  “I suppose the sister backs up the story?”

  “Yes, but I haven’t talked much to Ian about that.”

  “I’d look into it if I were you.” Cooney drained the liquid from his glass. “What about the friend from grad school? What’s his name?”

  “Jason Spencer.”

  “The dealership guy?”

  “That’s him.”

  “I’d look at him closely. I’ve heard he’s a cheat and might be involved in things he shouldn’t be. Where was he on the night Cheryl went missing?”

  “In his office.”

  “Alone, I assume?”

  “That’s what he said,” Claire gave a shrug.

  “Of course, he did.” Cooney nodded to the bartender indicating he wanted another drink. “Listen, Rollins, what have I taught you every time we’ve met?”

  “That I need to think like a criminal.”

  “Bingo. Think like the criminal. Put yourself in his or her place. Why do that?”

  Claire said, “So I’ll think what steps they would have taken. So I’ll think of what they would have done and said.”

  “Do that for every person you suspect. Figure out their weasel ways and you’ll find yourself on the evil-doer’s doorstep.” Cooney looked Claire in the eyes. “But it could end up being the last doorstep you ever stand on. So be ready, Rollins. Be ready.”

  “I don’t like the warning Cooney gave you.” Nicole lifted a spoonful of ice cream to her lips. “It sounds like Jackson Wilby is dangerous. Heck, it sounds like Jason Spencer could be dangerous, too. Did Cooney hint at what Jackson or Jason might be mixed up in?”

  “He didn’t say and I didn’t ask.” Claire added whipped cream to the top of her ice cream sundae. “He wouldn’t tell me details like that anyway.”

  The women sat by the big windows in Nicole’s apartment in the North End looking out at the lights of the city.

  “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall on the night Jackson and Cheryl had the fight,” Claire sighed. “What happened in there? What happened after Cheryl fled the house? Why didn’t she just call the police? Where was she headed? What caused her to disappear?”

  “Cell phones were rare back then,” Nicole pointed out. “Cheryl probably didn’t want to stay in the house with Jackson after he hit her and made her fall. She couldn’t stand there and make a call to the police. Jackson was already so angry that he hit her. He probably would have hit her again if he knew she was calling the police so she had to get out of the house.”

  “I wonder if Cheryl was hurt and was driving herself to the hospital.” Claire used her spoon to scoop some ice cream from her bowl. “That would explain why she was driving faster than normal and why she didn’t notice Pastor Michael and the daycare woman.”

  “What about what the daycare lady said about thinking she saw Jackson drive by shortly before Cheryl did?” Nicole asked. “Do you think she was mistaken and it was only someone who looked like Jackson?”

  Claire lifted her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “I don’t know. There’s very little for my intuition to grasp onto. The crime was committed so long ago that there’s little left for me to pick up on.”

  “Has John Wilby decided if he’s willing to be hypnotized by Tessa?” Nicole asked hoping for a positive answer.

  “He hasn’t contacted Ian about it yet.”

  “I hope he’ll do it. Maybe under hypnosis, he’ll remember one little thing that will help solve the case.”

  Claire shifted her eyes from the view out the window of the city streets to her friend’s concerned face. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

  17

  In his mid-sixties, Derrick Blake was tall and fit with gray hair and bright blue eyes. A partner in a Boston law firm, Derrick met Claire and Ian in his luxurious office in a tower overlooking the city.

  “Lisa and I were married for about five years. We both were working hard trying to establish our careers. Maybe we lost focus on one another and that led to her attraction to other men. I don’t know. Maybe Lisa wasn’t ready to settle for one man. She never remarried so maybe monogamy wasn’t for her. Anyway, our marriage ended regardless. It seems like a very long time ago.”

  “Do you and Lisa still see each other?” Ian asked.

  “Oh, no. We didn’t part ways in an amicable manner. I was very hurt by her behavior. We didn’t have children together so we didn’t feel the need to continue an association with one another. I must say, the experience soured me on relationships for some time, but eventually, I met my wife and she convinced me to take a chance. She and I have been together for twenty years and we have two wonderful daughters. We’re living a life we love.”

  Claire smiled at the way Derrick described his family life.

  “Did you know Cheryl Wilby?” Ian asked the well-dressed man.

  “I met Cheryl a couple of times at work gatherings I went to with Lisa. I was impressed with her. She was very intelligent and had a warm, friendly personality. I enjoyed talking with her about business. She knew her stuff and had terrific ideas. I was shocked to learn she’d gone missing.”

  “Were Lisa and Cheryl friends?” Ian asked.

  “Not friends. They’d chat at work or at get-togethers. Cheryl had a very full life with
the business and her two kids. I don’t think she had the free time necessary to cultivate new friendships.” Derrick’s face clouded. “Once in a while, Lisa would be critical of Cheryl, but I thought it was unfair.”

  “Lisa would criticize Cheryl to you?” Claire questioned.

  Derrick nodded. “She thought Cheryl was too demanding. Cheryl wanted things done a certain way. From what Lisa described, I really didn’t think Cheryl was unreasonable at all. Sometimes, Lisa could be difficult. She was working for someone else’s company. She didn’t like doing things the way other people wanted them done. Lisa was independent, but when you work for others, you need to be sensitive to their needs. She wasn’t.”

  “Do you think Lisa didn’t like Cheryl very much?” Ian asked.

  “I really don’t think she did like Cheryl. I think there was competition between them.” Derrick tipped his head forward and narrowed his eyes looking pointedly at Ian and Claire.

  “In competition for Jackson?”

  “Lisa was fascinated with Jackson. Infatuated is a better word. She latched onto him, flirted, came on to him. I’ve heard these things from other people. Lisa was ready to end our marriage way before it actually ended.”

  “Was this the first time Lisa was attracted to someone else?”

  “I don’t think it was the first time, but her feelings for Jackson certainly escalated into an obsession. I went to counseling for help. Lisa wouldn’t go with me. I should have seen it for what it was, but I was too shocked by her behavior to react appropriately. I hoped to salvage the marriage, but she had no interest. I should have seen the writing on the wall.”

  “When was all of this going on?” Ian asked.

  “About six months before Cheryl disappeared. I’m sure Lisa’s flirtation with Jackson was going on before that, but I didn’t discover her attraction to Jackson right away.”

  “When you confronted her, did she deny it?” Claire asked.

  “She didn’t. I was expecting denials, but when I spoke to her about it, Lisa told me she’d wanted out of the marriage for some time. She told me she was in love with Jackson Wilby and was prepared to divorce me so she could be with him. It hit me hard, very hard.”