Heart of Gold

by B. J Daniels

“Do I need to remind you what you said?” she asked, tilting her head mischievously.

  He shook his head. Now he was the one feeling off balance and a little embarrassed. “Bold as brass, I remember asking you out only to learn that you were married. Then I said, ‘Well, if you’re ever free, give me a holler.’”

  She smiled. “‘What is it you have in mind?’ I said and you responded—”

  “‘I’d take you to dinner and then I’d take you dancing.’”

  “‘Dancing,’ I said. ‘You’re assuming I dance.’”

  “‘It would just be an excuse to hold you in my arms,’ I said.”

  She nodded slowly. “I said, ‘William Landusky, I promise that if I’m ever free, I’ll holler.’”

  “I’ve been waiting.” He laughed, remembering the bunch of law students who hung out together, studying all hours until they were bleary-eyed and exhausted. Meg would joke around with the best of them, but ultimately she would go home to her husband.

  “Hal was the love of my life,” she said.

  WT nodded. “You were married a lot of years.”

  She looked sad for a moment before she said, “I have a lot of wonderful memories that have helped me through this past year. But life goes on and I don’t want to miss another moment of it. And you, William Landusky. You owe me a dance.”

  * * *

  AFTER TAILING CHARLIE to her job and making sure she got there without any trouble, Shep decided to follow up on what information he’d been able to get on his phone last night about Lindy Parker’s unsolved murder. A woman who lived in the closest house to the family had been quoted as saying she’d heard the screaming, but hadn’t thought much about it since the two daughters were always arguing.

  He looked up her name the old-fashioned way in the phone book and was surprised to find out that she still lived in the same house—just down the way from where the murder had happened. He also wanted to see where Charlie had lived—and Lindy had died. But as he drove by the spot where the old Victorian house should have been, he saw that the lot was now covered with a multi-unit condo complex.

  Down the street he found Edna Trenton’s two-story cottage-style house. The sidewalk had been freshly shoveled after last night’s snowstorm. Christmas lights stretched across the front of the porch and a brightly painted wooden Santa sat on the top step.

  Shep’s knock at the front door was answered by a woman wearing yoga pants and a matching top. She appeared to be in her late seventies with snow-white hair that looked freshly permed into a halo on her head. Two keen hazel eyes took him in as she opened the door to him. “Yes?”

  He introduced himself, making it sound as if he was an investigator rather than a middle school math teacher. He hated that Charlie had made a good point this morning at the door. Even though he’d been military police in the service, he felt out of his league investigating a fifteen-year-old murder. But that had never stopped him before.

  It must have worked. She ushered him into her neat-as-a-pin living room and offered him coffee and a chair. He took a seat but declined coffee, noticing the yoga mat on the floor by the window.

  “I wanted to ask you a few questions about the night Lindy Parker was killed,” he said. “If you remember—”

  “Do I remember?” Edna cried. “If only I could forget.” She perched on the edge of the couch. There was a nervous energy to her. He suspected she’d been working out when he came to the door. “I swear even after all these years, I can still hear that poor girl screaming for help.”

  “But you didn’t call the police?”

  Edna shook her head sharply. “Those two girls were always going at it—screaming, yelling, arguing. It just sounded like another night over at that house with the parents gone. It always sounded as if they were killing each other.” She realized what she said and blushed to the roots of her white hair. “You know what I mean. How was I to know that the girl was in real trouble?”

  He could say the same for Charlie and yet she had blamed herself all these years. “What were the parents like?”

  “Busy.” She looked away for a moment before lowering her voice in confidence even though there was no one else to hear. “It was a second marriage, I heard.” She raised an eyebrow as if that said it all. “They were never home. Those girls were just allowed to run wild. I felt sorry for them. No wonder they were always fighting. It was clear that the older one, the blonde? She was always picking on the other one, the dark-haired one.”

  He found it interesting that a woman who lived a half block away had noticed but Charlie’s father hadn’t. “Any idea who might have wanted to harm the older one?”

  She shook her head. “The police said it was probably just someone coming through town. We’re so near the train tracks in this part of town. It used to be even more industrial out here. Lots of old warehouses standing empty. Could have been some hobo living in one of them.”

  Hobo. The word made him smile to himself. “The father was killed that night in a car accident. Did you ever see the mother again?”

  Edna nodded. “Came back after she got out of the hospital just long enough to pack up her things. Had some man with her.”

  “Did they appear to be a couple?”

  “Not at all. I suspect she’d hired him to help her.”

  “How did she seem?” he asked.

  “Upset, crying, throwing things into what looked like a rental truck. I got the feeling she couldn’t wait to get out of that house and who can blame her after what happened there. After that, the house was rented to a lot of different people, college students mostly. The police gave up looking for the killer. Everyone just forgot about all of it.”

  Not everyone, he thought, reminded of what Charlie must have been going through all these years.

  “I often wondered what happened to the little dark-haired girl,” Edna said. “I saw her that day when social services took her away. Poor child. She looked devastated. I remember she was wearing this rust-colored sweater and had her arms locked around a large book.” The photo album and that rust sweater he later saw her in at boot camp. “How does a child get over something like that?”

  “Sometimes they don’t,” he said. “But in her case, I hope she is able to put it behind her.”

  * * *

  AFTER WT LEFT, Meg smiled to herself. She hadn’t been sure that he would even remember their conversation. It had been years ago. They’d been so young, so full of themselves, so sure they were going to make their mark in the world. WT had. She’d followed his career. She’d even started a program like the one he had, to give youth that came before her a second chance.

  She’d felt bold and brazen on the bench and off. But she’d felt vulnerable and a little scared when she contacted WT. Mostly because she wasn’t sure he would remember—let alone reply. Yet he’d driven to Bozeman, her note in his pocket and he’d remembered their conversation just as she had as if he’d thought of it long after—just as she had.

  From her desk, she picked up the photograph of Hal. He’d been her English professor her freshman year. A good thirteen years older, he’d been her first. She’d spent her high school years with her nose in a book, and Hal had brought out the shy girl she’d been. He’d always been there for her, encouraging her, taking care of her and yet never holding her back.

  She could smile back at the man in the photo instead of cry, but it had taken a full year. Having always advised others to wait a year before making any big decisions, she’d taken her own advice. And was now glad that she had.

  Hal was her past. She had no idea what the future held—but she had a date tomorrow night and that was a good place to start.

  At a tap on her door, she turned to see her assistant with an armful of papers. “You asked for these?”

  Meg took them, thanking the young woman. Hannah was studying criminology and getting a second degree in
criminal law.

  “Was that WT Landusky I saw leave your office?” Hannah asked.

  “It was.”

  “He’s a legend,” Hannah said, getting stars in her eyes. “Good-looking, too.”

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Meg joked. She almost blurted out that he’d asked her out. Instead, she stepped to her desk to put down the papers.

  “He was a guest speaker in one of my classes. He’s tough.”

  “Yes. But I believe he’s saved more than he’s sent to prison. He and I went to law school together.”

  “Is he in town for a conference?”

  “No, I think it’s personal.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “I FEEL AS if I misjudged you,” Amanda said the moment she and Charlie were seated at the table. The office manager had chosen an expensive, upscale restaurant for their lunch. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

  Charlie nodded, afraid of what this might be about. “If you’re worried that I’ll—”

  “No, it’s not that,” Amanda said quickly and picked up the wine list. “Let’s splurge on something expensive.” She motioned to the waiter and started to order a bottle of wine.

  “None for me,” Charlie said quickly. She had to keep her wits about her. “I have too much work to do this afternoon.”

  Amanda was clearly disappointed. “Fine, then I’ll take a scotch. Make it a double on the rocks. The good stuff.” She smiled at Charlie. “Our boss is picking up the tab.”

  “And you, miss?” the waiter asked her.

  “A diet cola.”

  Amanda shot her a withering look. “One drink wouldn’t hurt you.” She sounded offended, as if Charlie’s not drinking alcohol somehow reflected badly on her.

  “I still have a lot of work to do this afternoon,” she said again.

  “Whatever,” Amanda muttered.

  They both busied themselves looking at the menu until the drinks arrived. Amanda took a healthy gulp of hers and seemed to relax a little. “I wanted us to have lunch because I don’t think I’ve been...fair to you.” She let out a nervous laugh. “If I’m being honest, I’m jealous of you.”

  Charlie frowned. “Why would you—”

  “Because of the way Greg had to have you.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Amanda must have seen her confusion. “When he hired you. He saw some designs you did, he said, and he was determined to get you to come to work for him.”

  “But he didn’t contact me directly,” Charlie said.

  “No,” Amanda said. “I don’t get it but he had a friend of his who’s a headhunter to contact you. I guess he thought it was more professional or something. I don’t know. But he was definitely obsessed with hiring you.”

  Charlie had had no idea. “That’s flattering but I’m sure he was the same way with the others on his team.”

  Amanda laughed again. “Yeah right. Well, anyway that’s why I was jealous.” She drained her glass and ordered another. “I thought, who is this woman that he would go to that much trouble to get? She can’t be that talented. No offense, but I just didn’t see it. I mean you’re good, don’t get me wrong. But to go to extremes to make sure you were working for him? You can see why I would be suspicious.”

  Not really. Though Charlie thought Amanda might be suspicious because she was a cheater and thus expected to be cheated on. But she kept that to herself as the waiter came over to take their meal orders.

  Amanda ordered a lobster roll.

  “I’ll take the lobster roll as well,” Charlie said, only to have Amanda look at her in surprise as if she expected her to order the cheapest item on the menu or maybe not eat at all.

  She closed her menu and handed it to the waiter, wishing this lunch was already over. Tension thick as pea soup settled between them.

  Amanda sipped her second drink and leaned forward conspiratorially. “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

  Oh, so they were going to do girl talk now? Charlie nodded. She really didn’t want to share confidences with this woman.

  “Is it serious?”

  Was it? “Maybe. Too early to say.”

  “I wasn’t sure either when I first met Greg. I mean, he’s good-looking enough but maybe a little too...nice and he is older than me. We met at a bar and I practically had to pick him up, he was that shy.”

  Charlie frowned. “I thought you met at work.”

  Amanda laughed and finished her drink. “Greg doesn’t like people to know his business.” She waved a hand though the air as if it wasn’t important. “I worked for him at his last design company in Denver.”

  That was news. “I didn’t realize he had a company before this one.”

  “Oh yeah, several. Made money on all of them. He gets them up and running and then sells them and moves on.” Seeing Charlie’s concern, Amanda quickly assured her, “He isn’t planning to do that again. Not now that he has you, I’m sure. He says it’s hard to get good talent.” She shrugged. “But after we’re married, he’s going to help me start my own business, anything I want so I never have to sit behind a desk again. I want to do something where I can work from home, you know? Start my own empire. Call my own shots.”

  “Do you have something in mind?” Charlie asked out of politeness.

  “Not really. I like to leave my options open.”

  The good news was that Amanda planned to quit her job as soon as she tied the knot. The bad news was that Greg had no idea what he was getting into. But how could the man not see it? He was a nice guy, just as she’d said, and he deserved so much better.

  Charlie realized that Amanda was staring at her as if reading her thoughts. “You like him, don’t you?” Amanda asked.

  “Greg?” Charlie felt herself flush at being so easy to read. “He seems to be a good boss.”

  “You don’t think he’s handsome?”

  “Sure, but he’s too...” She realized she was about to put her foot in her mouth but couldn’t think of how to get it out.

  “Old for you?”

  Yep, that had been the word she’d been planning to say. Greg was forty. Amanda was probably midthirties—not that much younger—while Charlie was twenty-nine.

  “Too taken,” Charlie said as she pointedly looked at the huge diamond on the woman’s finger. “He’s in love with you. The two of you are getting married right after Christmas.”

  Amanda drained the rest of her drink and licked her lips, her gaze becoming vague and distant for a moment. “Yes, we are getting married. You must think I’m a real shit for running around on him.”

  Charlie couldn’t deny it. “It isn’t my place to—”

  “I just wanted one last fling, you know? I plan to be married to Greg for the rest of my life. So why not enjoy myself before I vow to love him forever?”

  Charlie didn’t want to answer that and was relieved when their orders arrived so she didn’t feel forced to respond. She felt guilty even dreaming about another man, not to mention that weak moment when she’d flirted with Shep. She certainly had no right to judge.

  They ate in silence. The two drinks Amanda had downed seemed to have made her so mellow she was no longer interested in talking. Charlie was thankful for it.

  “I really need to get back to work,” she said once they finished eating.

  Amanda didn’t even look at her as she began glancing around for the waiter. Charlie assumed she was flagging him down for the check. But as she rose and excused herself, thanking Amanda for lunch even though Greg was picking up the bill, Charlie heard her order another drink.

  She doubted they would be seeing Amanda the rest of the day.

  * * *

  SHEP WAS CURIOUS about Charlie’s stepmother. He wasn’t sure how she could be behind these Lindy sightings, but he had to find out if she knew about them. Apparently she’d never rea
ched out to Charlie while in the hospital or searched for her afterwards that he was aware of. Whatever the judge’s thinking for asking him to look into this, Shep was going into it like he would a math problem—one step at a time. When he tried to locate Kat and came up empty, he called for help.

  The judge answered on the second ring.

  “You said if I needed any assistance...” Shep began. “I need to see what the police had on Lindy Parker’s death, autopsy photos, what evidence including any DNA that was recovered from the scene. Fifteen years ago, they would have saved everything, right?”

  “I’ll make a call and get back to you,” the judge said with his usual efficiency.

  Five minutes later, Shep’s cell rang. “Talk to a retired cop by the name of Danny Mulvane. He has agreed to give you what you need.” Landusky rattled off the man’s number.

  Shep wrote it down and said, “I’m also having trouble finding the stepmother, Kat Parker Farmington.”

  “I’ll see what I can find for you.”

  Retired homicide detective Danny Mulvane lived in Gallatin Gateway, a town outside of Bozeman. Mulvane told him to give him an hour so he could get copies of the information Shep needed.

  After Shep disconnected, he realized he was starving. He hadn’t bothered with breakfast, but now looked for somewhere to grab a bite before meeting with Mulvane. He found a burger drive-through, ordered the works and ate it in the parking lot as he thought about Charlie.

  For a moment last night, he swore she’d been flirting with him. He knew it didn’t mean anything. Especially after baring her soul to him. Anyway, she had a boyfriend. Daniel.

  Shep groaned and took a bite of his burger. Still, he’d thought that for just an instant... It had been something he’d glimpsed in her eyes... But then again, he thought she’d been as enamored with him as he had been with her at boot camp. He’d thought they had something special, even though they were just kids. Way too young to be serious. And yet...

  His cell phone rang, bringing him back to earth with a thud. It was the judge.