The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  "I wish I knew." Val sighed. "I guess I'm not much help."

  "Well, what were the two of you even gossiping about later on?"

  "Oh, that." Val grinned. "Well, Tank was at the bar that night, you know."

  Nora nodded. "So you saw him too."

  "Yeah. He was talking earnestly to Lulu about something. I caught sight of him when James and I were dancing. Lulu was just rolling her eyes at him."

  "What do you think he was saying?"

  "I don't know. He's proposed to her a couple of times in the past, maybe he was drunk and wanted to try it again." Val shrugged. "Anyway, his wife Sandra entered right then, so James and I rushed to the bar. Sandra would have gotten unbearably jealous if she saw Tank and Lulu alone."

  "Do you think..." Nora hesitated. "Do you think Tank is cheating on Sandra with Lulu?"

  Val hesitated. "I know if I say yes, it will make Tank a big suspect, but the truth is, I just don't know. I think he still has a soft corner for her, but Lulu definitely had no interest in him. Well, even if he was having an affair with her, it's not like he or Sandra can kidnap Lulu," Val said. "She and Tank live in this tiny, cramped apartment where she couldn't even hide a coffee cup if she wanted."

  Nora nodded. There was no point in telling Val what she actually thought. After four days, she very much doubted that Lulu was alive. This wasn't a case of kidnapping, it was probably murder. Much better to let Val hold on to hope until a body was found, though. After all, without a body, it was impossible to prove a crime.

  "Yeah, I actually called her at one to find out what Tank said to her," Val said. "I don't think Lulu would ever have an affair with Tank. She doesn't go for his type, you know. But I think it's very possible that Tank proposed to her, and got angry when she rejected him. I never found out because she hung up on me that night. The only thing that's bothering me is--," Val looked troubled again, "if Tank kidnapped her, where is he hiding her?"

  Nora bit her lip, and Val's eyes widened in sudden realization. "You don't think he's kidnapped her, do you? You think he's killed her, and buried the body somewhere." Her breaths were suddenly rapid, her voice growing shrill.

  "Now Val, I didn't say anything of the--"

  "Of course it's him. It's got to be him. That little--" Val pushed Nora's hand off her shoulder and stormed to the door. Nora ran after her, knowing that she was likely to resort to violence in her current fragile emotional state.

  As they walked out the door and into the parking lot, Nora could see James and Tank both leaning against a red car. Val was only ahead of her by a few steps, and both she and Nora clearly heard Tank say, "The thing is, I'm terrible with secrets, bro! Something like this is just bound to come out. Especially with--"

  James' eyes widened as he saw Valentina storming toward them, and he immediately motioned to Tank that he should shut up. Tank straightened, and turned around. He groaned, as Val jabbed a finger square in his chest.

  "Talk!" She demanded.

  "Man, I gotta go." Tank shook his head, and tried to move past her, but she blocked him. It was quite a sight, like a tiger cowering before a puppy, considering Tank was at least a head taller than Valentina. The fire in her eyes though, had him shivering like he was whipped.

  "Did you hurt her? Did you?"

  "No Val, come on!" Tank held up his hands, palms outwards. "I was with Sandra all night. The last I saw of her was at eleven thirty when the two of us left. Just think a little, won't you? I would never harm Lulu, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to because Sandra was with me every second of that night."

  "Sandra was pretty drunk that night," Val said. "What if she fell asleep and--"

  "Look, I'm not going to defend myself any more than that." Tank's voice was slowly growing firm instead of being placating, and his nostrils began to flare as his temper rose up. "Let me go. You want to find your best friend, go talk to the police instead of wasting time with me."

  James, who had managed to creep up behind Val, now grabbed her by the waist and literally hauled her away to the side. Nora could see him trying to calm her down with little effect. Tank, meanwhile, began to walk to his own car at a fast clip. Nora had to jog to keep up with him.

  "Hey, Tank, hang on--sorry--just wanted a few words," Nora said.

  "Who are you again?" Tank asked, looking annoyed. "Did you put ideas in Val's head about me?"

  "Not a chance," Nora said. "I just asked her what Lulu's mood was like on Saturday night. You talked to her too, didn't you?"

  "Yeah. I tried to knock some sense into her head, give her a little advice." Tank shook his head. "Lulu was such a drama queen. Just a selfish brat who couldn't think of anyone but herself."

  "Advice? You were talking to her in a bar on Saturday night and giving her advice?" Nora raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

  "Course I am," Tank growled. He fiddled in his pocket until he brought out a key. Opening his car door, he tried to sit inside, but Nora put a hand on the door, blocking him.

  "Can I ask you just one more question?" Nora said.

  "If you'll leave me alone after, sure."

  "Was your advice that she shouldn't have affairs with committed men?" Nora asked.

  Tank looked at her with wide eyes, "You don't know what you're talking about!" He exclaimed, and drove off in a hurry.

  *****

  Chapter 7

  The Narcissist

  Jerry Hardwick was the manager of the local Hall-Mart, and he looked like he'd been doing the job every day of his fifty-three years. His shirt was ill-fitting and faded, his eyes had dark circles under them, and even his mustache seemed to droop like an unwatered plant. Nora caught him in the "DIY" department, moving around a carton of foam.

  "Can I help you?" he asked, giving her a polite, yet disinterested smile.

  "Actually, I'm here to meet a friend of mine, Lulu. She works for you, right?" Nora feigned ignorance.

  "Lulu? We fired her a week ago." He shook his head. "In fact, word is, she's gone missing since then. Say, you aren't a journalist or something, are you?" He was suddenly suspicious.

  "Me? A journalist? No way. I operate the Madness Diner on Maple Street. You know the place?"

  "Oh sure." He lightened up immediately. "I love your burgers. The Tuesday special was out of this world. Never thought combining Chinese chicken with a good ol' American burger would work out so well."

  Nora smiled. "I like experimenting once in a while."

  "So how did you know Lulu?" he asked. "Doesn't seem like you'd be her type of friend."

  "Actually... she was looking for a job, and I thought I'd ask you what kind of an employee she was." Nora hated lying, but didn't think there was a better way to get information out of him.

  Jerry snorted. "Well, I wouldn't normally say this, but Lulu's an exception. She's a narcissist, pure and simple. She's the worst employee I've ever had. She never did any work, only batted her eyes and made Ronan do it for her. Poor sod was so infatuated he'd do anything just for a smile. Whenever I saw her she was either taking selfies and posting them online, or goofing around on her cell phone. She was never on time, she was unenthusiastic, and she was rude on top of it all."

  "That bad, huh?" Nora sighed.

  "To be honest, I thought she was wasted in customer service roles," Jerry said. "Lulu would make a fantastic salesgirl, if she tried. She could be really charming when she wanted something out of people."

  "And really rude when she didn't get it?"

  Jerry laughed. "That's her exactly."

  "Boss? I need you to sign these delivery forms, and can you go talk to Jim about arriving earlier? He's refusing." Sandra was chewing gum as she walked up to them. Her uniform, unlike Jerry's, looked brightly colored and well-pressed. She gave Nora a wide, happy smile. "Hey, I know you, you catered my wedding, right?"

  "Hi Sandra." Nora smiled. "I hope you enjoyed the food."

  "The guests all loved it. Especially the jalapeno mac and cheese," Sandra said. "I pre
fer things that are less spicy, though. I ended up picking out all the jalapenos."

  Nora had to hold herself back from asking why she'd ordered it on the menu in the first place, then. Jerry had walked off, leaving the two of them alone, and this was the perfect opportunity to pry.

  "It must be wonderful to be in that newlywed phase," Nora said. "One of the best times of our lives, right?"

  "It is." Sandra preened. "And my Tank is such a devoted husband! He's so caring. I wake up every morning, look at him, and tell myself I'm a lucky woman to have nabbed him."

  Nora smiled. Sandra's Instabook profile screamed "fake" but her voice had real warmth in it as she talked about Tank.

  "Tank's a funny nickname, though."

  "He got it in the army," Sandra said proudly. "He and James both enlisted right out of high school. They got in and got out at almost the same time, too. It's really funny. I'm his wife, but I sometimes feel James is, like, his soul mate. The two of them can just, like, use telepathy instead of talking at times." She chuckled, and shook her head. "Men, right?"

  "Tell me about it!" Nora smiled back. "Harvey has childhood buddies who act like he's a totally different person, and in some ways, around them, he is."

  "Exactly." Sandra smiled.

  "But, hey, Jerry was saying one of your friends is missing? Lulu?"

  "Jerry's such a gossip!" Sandra exclaimed. "Nobody was supposed to know that. I mean, Ronan just told us this morning. It's probably spread over town now."

  "I know Lulu's friend Val, actually," Nora said.

  Sandra got a sly smile on her face. "Do you, now? I know Val too. Real well." She let out a laugh. Nora was puzzled. What was that supposed to mean?

  Sandra wasn't telling, however. She was more interested in Lulu's disappearance. "If you ask me, Lulu probably owed someone money and skipped out of town," Sandra said. "That explains why she tried to steal from the register, right?"

  "Um... I don't know. Does it?" Nora looked doubtful.

  "Of course it does," Sandra said. "My theory? She owed some gangster money, and he showed up in the middle of the night threatening her. So she skipped town. Didn't even bother to pack, just ran right away."

  "Why would she do that? Why not go to her mom and ask for money?" Nora asked.

  "Coz Lulu's estranged from her mom, isn't she?" Sandra laughed. "Ever since her mom decided to start dating Dr. Finlay Grant, Lulu's not spoken to her."

  "Why?" Nora asked.

  "She has issues, that's why." Sandra laughed. "Can't say I blame her, it's hard on kids when parents separate, but in her case, it's been years. She should have gotten over it by now. Then again, Lulu didn't care about anything but herself. So I guess she was probably just angry that her mom had a life that didn't involve her."

  Nora nodded. "Do you know her mom well?"

  "Theresa? She's really nice. I don't know how someone that nice could have created someone like Lulu." Sandra shrugged. "Just goes to show. You can never tell what genes lurk inside you."

  "Maybe," Nora said. "Say, when's the last time you saw Lulu?"

  "Saturday night," Sandra said. "That was a really good night, to be honest. Tank was so loving and affectionate, and I got drunk on a whole bunch of vodka-cranberries. We stayed till nearly midnight, then went home and slept until noon." Sandra smiled. "I'm so glad I switched out my Sunday early-morning shift with Ronan. It's torturous to get up that early when your body just wants to sleep forever."

  "What's this about Ronan?" Jerry reappeared. "He's cut out of work early today. Claims he's not feeling well."

  "He's probably just going to join the police in their hunt for Lulu," Sandra said. "You know how crazy he is about her. He's probably dreaming of being a big hero, rescuing Lulu from the kidnappers." She gave a mean laugh. "He'll probably find her in the arms of her so-called kidnappers, if he finds her at all!"

  Nora laughed, then paused. "Oh, by the way, Sandra--I totally forgot--I found this keychain on the floor right now. Is it yours? T for Tank, so I figured..." She handed Sandra the metal T she'd found in the potted plant last night--well, not exactly--the original was safe in Sean's evidence file. She'd scoured around town and bought an identical one, waiting for the right time and place to present it to her suspects, hoping for a reaction. Sandra looked at it with no interest.

  "Nope. My keychain is right here with me." She drew out a key with a puffy blue ball as a keychain.

  "Oh, maybe it's your husband's?" Nora asked. "I'm pretty sure you dropped it."

  "Na," Sandra laughed. "Tank's keychain is a dragon. He's into all that nerdy fantasy stuff. This looks more like a girl's keychain to me. Not really important anyway, is it?"

  *****

  Chapter 8

  The Mom

  Theresa Brown was distraught. Nora's heart melted a little as she saw the woman cry on Finlay Grant's shoulder. Dr. Grant, a local dentist, was a well-known character around town because of his penchant for walking about with a suit and tie even on the hottest of days. Even on the edge of a forest, with a search party all around them, Dr. Grant had come dressed in a dark-blue suit with a deep-red tie. Sometimes, Nora suspected that the dentist had secretly wanted to become a fashion designer or a politician which was the only way to explain his choice of dress!

  Theresa, meanwhile, dressed in loose slacks and a navy-blue blouse, looked as though she'd barely showered. Her eyes were rimmed red, and her entire face seemed to have aged a year in a day.

  "I just can't believe she's actually missing," Theresa said. "I was so heartless! Oh Val! You're a better friend to her than I am a mother. I thought this was just another one of her tantrums!"

  Valentina, who was patting Theresa's shoulder and trying to wipe off her tears with a tissue.

  "It's okay, now. We're bound to find her, Mrs. Brown. We're just bound to!"

  "I hope so," Theresa says. "If something happened to her, I'd... I'd never forgive myself!"

  "Come on, Theresa." Dr. Grant said. "Remember what I told you? This is just her trying to look for attention. You know how she is... we're going to find her before the day is over, wait and see."

  "Don't you dare!" Theresa was spitting with rage. "You know nothing about my daughter! I should never have listened to you in the first place!"

  "B-but--"

  "My Lulu is headstrong, but she loves me, and she loves her friends. She'd never do this to us. Never! I don't know why I thought otherwise!"

  "The last time you saw her, your daughter, she told you to break up with me or she'd make you regret it. Remember that?" Dr. Grant looked sad. "Lulu never liked the fact that you were happy with me."

  "Well, maybe I should have taken her feelings into consideration, instead of being harsh like I was." Theresa sniffed.

  "Theresa, come on, Lulu's twenty-two. She needed a firm hand..." Dr. Grant looked as though he wanted to push the topic more, but then, as if hearing his own words, he shook his head. "I'm being an idiot. What matters right now, is that we get Lulu back safe and sound."

  Theresa shook her head. "I- I overheard a deputy say that after the first twenty-four hours, the chances of finding the missing person alive drops by fifty percent each day. It's been nearly a week, Grant..."

  "Nothing bad will happen to Lulu," Dr. Grant said. "I promise you that. We will bring her back safe, sweetheart. We will."

  Sean walked up to them. "We're about to start. Mrs. Brown, why don't you sit this one out?"

  "No." Theresa wiped away her tears, and got up. "I'm going to look for my baby."

  Sean gave Nora a tight, unhappy look. Nora squeezed her eyes shut. Both of them knew just how slim the chances of finding Lulu were. She was undoubtedly dead now, and Theresa Brown would be devastated if they found her body. Worse yet, she'd be living in limbo until they did.

  "Your keychain, Theresa." Nora tried to hand her over the little metal T. "I found it on the ground."

  "It's not mine," Theresa said, looking at it disinterestedly. Val, who remembered where it was
from, gave Nora a confused look. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened. Nora was about to ask Val what was going on, when Harvey appeared.

  Nora was grateful for the temporary peace she felt as he wrapped her up in his strong arms. He kissed Nora on the forehead, and then once on each cheek. "You ok?" he asked softly.

  "I'm fine."

  "I'm sorry I didn't believe your hunch earlier," he said. "I should have."

  They spoke softly to each other for a few more minutes, then Harvey rolled up his sleeves and went to join the search party. Nora looked around for Val, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally, she joined Harvey and two others, as they walked around the woods, shouting Lulu's name.

  "If she did get lost while hiking, I doubt she's still survived." One of the two, May Almand, was pessimistic. Brett Almand, the town mayor, was more optimistic. "She could have survived just fine. People don't starve for ages; if she just happened to be near a water source."

  "But why would she go hiking at midnight?"

  "Kids do dumb things, May. There's always hope," Brett said.

  But hope was snuffed out as they heard the dogs bark furiously, and heard a deputy shout, "In the water! There's something in the water!"

  Nora's heart contracted. So they'd found the body after all.

  *****

  Chapter 9

  The Floating Mass

  Except they hadn't. Sean waded out into the river, and dragged back a transparent plastic bag filled with what looked like old clothes.

  "Clothes? Just clothes? Oh thank you! Thank you! Lulu's still alive!" Theresa sobbed. Grant held her in his arms, and squeezed his own eyes shut.

  "Her mobile phone." Sean held up a small, rectangular black object that might as well have been a brick. "I guess there's no doubt she's been kidnapped now. The kidnapper threw her old clothes and the phone in the water to throw her off scent."

  "But why?" Harvey asked Nora. "Why would anyone do that?"

  Nora shook her head. "For once, I have no idea," she said. "This case is one of the most confusing I've ever stumbled across. What's worse is that I'm not even sure if it's a murder yet."