Missing Her

by Brenda Chapman

  “Albert, you’ve been trying to reach me. Has something happened?”

  “Happened? No. I wanted an update.”

  “What?”

  “I want to know if you’ve found anything.”

  “I’ve only just started. I have nothing to report to you yet.” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. He’d phoned me what, five times for an update?

  “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been so desperate to find her.”

  I used my patient but firm voice that I kept for frantic clients. “I’ve been on the job less than twenty-four hours, Albert. As soon as I know something new, I’ll be sure to call you.”

  After a short pause, his voice regained control. “I’d expect nothing less. Contact me anytime, day or night. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  . . .

  Jimmy’s police file included the name and cellphone number of Shelley’s best friend. Elle Chambers had been working overseas when Shelley went missing. From what I could tell, Jimmy had never interviewed her. I called the number and was rewarded when Elle answered—she was back in Ottawa. She agreed to meet me in an hour for coffee at Morning Owl Coffeehouse on Bank Street.

  The sun was fully up but struggling to shine through the cloud cover when I drove downtown. The low clouds were keeping the air slightly warmer than the day before—the only benefit from the depressing gloom.

  I parked in a lot and paid the fee rather than driving around downtown searching for a free spot. Elle was already sitting at a table drinking a large coffee and eating a muffin when I arrived. I recognized her from the description she’d given over the phone: long dark hair and black eyes, dressed in jeans and a red parka. But she hadn’t told me how pretty she was, which I noticed when she flashed a wide smile my way. I waited in line for a coffee and joined her a few minutes later.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” I said.

  “Happy to finally talk to someone about Shelley,” she responded. “I’ve been back in town a month now but didn’t know if I should contact anyone.”

  “You were working overseas?”

  “Yes, as a waitress in Scotland. I got to travel and see the world. I couldn’t believe it when I heard Shelley was gone.”

  “The police tried to reach you.”

  “So I heard later. I was surprised to get your call this morning.”

  “Shelley’s fiancé, Albert Romaine, hired me to find her.”

  “Find her body, you mean. Her mom said the police figured she killed herself.”

  “Maybe. Probably. But I’d like to bring her home if so.”

  Elle swiped at a tear that had fallen onto her cheek. She hunched forward, both hands wrapped around her coffee cup. “How can I help?”

  “Tell me when you first met Shelley and what she was like.”

  “Shelley and I were in some of the same classes in high school. She was smart and funny and generous. She helped me pass math and I helped her fit in. She was shy and awkward but when I was with her she came out of her shell. She loved her mother and sister, swimming, movies, books, and good coffee. I didn’t hear from her much after I’d been in Scotland for six months or so. She stopped emailing me and I got busy with work and travel. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for her. I feel as if I let her down.”

  “Did you meet Albert?”

  “Yes.” Elle lifted her cup and drank.

  “What did you think of him?”

  “I told Shelley not to settle. But she said he loved her and she was happy.”

  “Why did you say not to settle?”

  “He was her first real boyfriend. She was smarter than him . . . by a long shot. Sure, he was great with computers, but not much else as far as I could see. He never got her jokes and he didn’t read books. He was good at sweeping her off her feet, though, what with all the flowers, jewelry, and trips to romantic inns. Still, I thought she could do better.”

  “But she said that she was happy?”

  “Yeah.” Elle shrugged. “More than once.”

  “Did she have any favourite place in the woods or near water that you can think of? Someplace she might go to be alone.”

  “And end it all? No, I can’t think of anywhere. She wasn’t into nature that much.” Elle looked at me with a haunted expression in her eyes. “All through high school, we dreamed about going to Europe together. I begged her to come with me, but she said that all she wanted was to marry Albert and have children. The worst thing is that none of her dreams came true in the end. I wish I knew what changed to make her so sad when I was overseas. I wish I’d been a better friend.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  I drove west out of the downtown to my office in Hintonburg. Gino waved me inside his pizza shop as I walked past the window. I loved the tomato-basil-garlic smell every time I stepped into the restaurant, and today it made my stomach grumble.

  Gino hugged me and stepped back to study my face. “You’re wasting away,” he said. “Sit while I make you a special pepperoni pizza. I’ll double the cheese.”

  “Well, if you insist.”

  I sat on a stool at the counter and watched him work. After he tucked the pizza into the oven, he poured two glasses of iced tea. He set one in front of me and sipped on the other.

  “So, heard from Nick since he went on the New York shoot?”

  “Not so far, but it’s only been two days. What are you doing for Christmas, Gino?”

  “Visiting family in Toronto. I guess you’ll be with your dad and sister?”

  “I’ll be busy,” I said, without actually agreeing. I didn’t need him to pity me.

  We chatted about the holidays and the weather until my pizza was cooked. Then I went outside and climbed the stairs to my office. The place had that deserted feel, with Jada and Nick away.

  I returned some phone calls and sorted through emails sent to our business’s address. One made me smile and I opened it first. Nick had sent me some photos of the locations where they were filming the movie. He said that he was working long hours. He missed me and would call soon.

  I was humming as I updated the Shelley Vincent file. I liked to make notes after every interview, to read over each evening. Sometimes, a detail I didn’t think meant anything could become important later. Dad called as I was finishing my last entry.

  “I’ve researched a couple of names from the list you gave me,” he said. “Shelley Vincent’s father is in charge of purchasing for the Canadian Tire in Oakville. He and Grace divorced when Rosemary turned five and Shelley was ten. He married his second wife, Valerie, a year later. Valerie is a real estate agent and grew up in Toronto. Denis and Valerie do not have any kids.”

  “Interesting. Anybody else?”

  “I looked into Albert Romaine’s family history as you asked. Albert grew up in Cornwall on a farm. His mother died when he was eight and his father, Pierre, raised him and his brother, Guy.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Pierre died of cancer two years ago. The brother, Guy, is married and running the farm. He has three daughters and sixty dairy cows.”

  “Albert chose computers over farming.”

  “Looks that way. He won awards in school for his computer skills. I didn’t come across anything else of note. No hobbies or social groups outside of work that I could find.”

  “So, he and Shelley didn’t belong to any organizations, like church or sports teams?”

  “No.”

  “Well, good work, Dad. I’m going to do a bit of Christmas shopping and I’ll be home late.”

  “I haven’t had time to cook anything so grab a bite along the way. I promised Evan I’d take him to that hamburger place he likes. We might go see an early movie.”

  “Okay. Have fun you two, and stay out of jail.”

  . . .

  I’d just put a new set of stainless steel cooking pots for Dad into the trunk of my car when my phone rang.

  “Hey, is this Anna Sweet?”

  “It is.” I heard background
noise and someone talking very loudly behind him.

  “This is Rudy Brown at Tim Hortons. You were in yesterday.”

  “Hi, Rudy.”

  “You said to call when Joe came in. He’s at the counter now, getting a sandwich. I told the girl to take her time making it.”

  “Thanks, Rudy. I’m on my way.”

  “Tina’s working the late shift so she’ll be here too.”

  I drove as quickly as I safely could to the Queensway, which would take me across the city. Perhaps Joe would have some insight into Shelley’s state of mind that others had missed. I could only hope.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Luckily, traffic was lighter than normal. I arrived at the Tim Hortons twenty minutes later. An Ottawa driving record if there ever was one.

  Rudy was working behind the counter but he saw me standing in the doorway. He pointed toward a table in the corner and I looked over. A man in a blue plaid shirt had his back to the door. His grey hair was tied back in a ponytail. I crossed the floor and stopped in front of him.

  “Joe?” I asked.

  He looked up. I hadn’t expected the intelligence in his dark eyes or the quick way he seemed to assess me. He must have liked what he saw because he smiled and said, “I don’t believe we’ve met, but yes, I’m Joe.”

  “I’m Anna Sweet, a private investigator. Do you mind if I sit down?”

  “No, have a seat.”

  I unzipped my jacket and pulled out the chair. The tables were small and our knees touched when I sat. I apologized and moved my seat back a foot. Joe watched me with a half-smile on his face but he waited for me to speak first.

  I tried not to be flustered by his steady stare. I said, “I’m trying to find a woman who used to work here. I’m told she sometimes sat with you and talked.”

  “Oh?”

  He wasn’t going to make this easy. “Shelley Vincent. She left without making contact with her family over a year ago. She was assistant manager here.”

  “Shelley. Yeah, she took a few coffee breaks with me.”

  “How did you become friends?” He seemed like a curious choice for Shelley to have chosen for her coffee buddy.

  “I don’t know. We got chatting and shared a joke. I invited her to join me one slow morning, and we sat together now and then when she had time.”

  “What did you talk about?”

  “The weather, politics, books. She had a great sense of humour.”

  “Did you share anything personal?”

  “Not that I can recall. We weren’t that kind of friends. I knew she was getting married but that was about all she told me about herself. I thought she’d moved on from this Tim Hortons after she tied the knot. I wasn’t aware that she was missing.”

  Something in his voice didn’t ring true. Was it possible that he hadn’t known she was missing? According to the police file, her disappearance had been in the newspapers and on the nightly news.

  I looked at him more closely. He was in his fifties but his arms were muscular and he appeared in good shape. His jeans and plaid shirt were clean and he was wearing new leather work boots. The parka hanging over the back of his chair was down and expensive-looking. I’d thought from how Rudy had described Joe that he was on the poor end of the scale. Rudy was either a bad judge of character or Joe had come into some money.

  “What’s your last name, Joe?” I asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I need to have it for my report.”

  “You never said who you were working for.”

  “The family.” For some reason, I didn’t want to share information with this guy. I added, after a pause, “Her mother and sister are having a hard time not knowing where she is. They miss her.”

  “I can imagine.” He looked down at his hands. They didn’t look toughened by labour as I would have expected. “My last name is Costa. Joe Costa.”

  “What do you do for a living, Joe?”

  “I’m semi-retired. Construction. We have an office on St. Laurent near the Dairy Queen.” He gave me a half-smile. “Look, I’d like to help you locate Shelley, but I got nothing. I’m also late for a meeting, so I’m going to have to leave.” He stood and grabbed his jacket. “I hope you find Shelley and bring her home safe and sound. She’s a nice lady.”

  He was out the door before I’d gotten out of my chair. His quick exit made me want to follow him, and I would have, except a young woman in a Tim Hortons uniform was coming toward me. She was dark-skinned with short purple hair and a worried look in her eyes.

  “I’m Tina,” she said. “Rudy told me to come talk to you about Shelley.”

  “Please sit,” I said, and she dropped into the chair that Joe had just left.

  “Oh that feels good, to get off my feet,” she said with a sigh, before her face turned serious. “Have they found Shelley’s body?”

  “No, and we’re not sure she’s dead. Can you tell me what you know about her?”

  “Well, we worked together the last year she was here. She trained me and was very patient and so funny.” Tina frowned. “Shelley didn’t share much about her personal life, though. I knew she was getting married.”

  I was beginning to see a trend in Shelley’s relationships. She kept her true self private and covered her sadness with humour. “Do you think she was happy before she disappeared?”

  “I guess. I can’t say I noticed if she wasn’t.”

  I asked Tina a few more questions but she didn’t have anything new to tell me. I gave my business card to her before buying a toasted bagel and a Boston cream doughnut. Dad would not have approved of my supper choice but I was hungry.

  It was going on seven o’clock when I finally stepped outside and headed on my way home. My cellphone rang as I was clearing a new sprinkle of snow from my windshield. I didn’t recognize the number and decided to answer.

  A woman’s voice asked, “Anna Sweet?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is the Civic Hospital. Gino Roma was brought in by ambulance twenty minutes ago, and he’s asking for you.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I rushed across the city, worry filling my belly. The nurse on the phone wouldn’t tell me what happened, although she did say that Gino was stable. Whatever that meant.

  I found him in one of the examination rooms in Emergency. He was propped up on a pillow with a big bandage across his forehead. His left eye was turning purple and his wrist was bandaged, too.

  “Good Lord,” I said. “You look like you’ve been in a fight. Are you okay, Gino?”

  “You think I look bad,” he said grinning. “You should see the other guy.”

  I moved closer to the examining table. “What happened?”

  “Some kids knocked over that sign on the sidewalk, the one promoting my pizza specials. So, when I went outside to set it back up, I heard a noise like breaking glass coming from the door to the stairs to your office. I looked over and saw someone pushing the door open so I yelled and started after them. They’d shattered the glass and I’d only just stepped inside when they slammed me against the wall. Then they hit me with something like a hammer, but I blocked most of the impact with my arm. I must have blacked out because next thing I knew, I was lying on the sidewalk surrounded by people. The ambulance came soon after and here I am.”

  “That’s terrible.” I took his free hand and rubbed it with both of mine. “What did the doctor say about your injuries?”

  “Minor concussion, so they want to keep me overnight. My wrist is badly bruised but not broken, so that’s good. Would have been hard to flip pizzas with my arm in a cast.”

  “Oh, Gino, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’ll live. You should call the landlord to get new glass put in the door. Do not tell Nick about this. I don’t want him worrying when there’s nothing he can do.”

  “What about your restaurant?”

  “I called my nephew Dino and he’s locking up tonight. He’ll work the shop tomorrow and then we’ll close for three
days over Christmas. I’m still going on my trip as planned.”

  “I won’t tell Nick, but I really think you should, Gino.”

  “Not until he’s home. I wanted to warn you, Anna. You need to take care. This person was going to break into your office and they meant business. You could have been hurt . . . or worse.”

  I left Gino and drove back to the office. Jada was on the sidewalk talking with our landlord and two police officers when I arrived. The thick chunks of broken glass were still in front of the door.

  Jada pulled me aside. “The landlord is going to get a new door tomorrow, probably a metal one instead of the glass. The police will keep an eye on our place tonight. I checked upstairs and the office is secure. How’s Gino?”

  “He has a concussion. He’s staying in the hospital overnight so they can watch him. I feel sick about what could have happened to him.”

  “Not just him.” Jada gave me a worried look. “Do you think this has to do with the case you’re working on?”

  “Maybe. I’ve talked to a lot of people and might have stirred something up.” Joe Costa was the first person who came to mind. “The only things we have of value are our computers and the beer.”

  “There’s still a carton of rum nog in the fridge,” said Jada. “I know that’s what I’d be after.” She gave my arm a squeeze. “Seriously, Anna. You need to take care. I’m on standby if you need back-up.”

  “Good to know, partner. I’m hoping that Gino scared the person off for good. But I’ll be extra careful, just in case they try something again.”

  Jada shivered inside her down jacket. “Getting colder,” she said. “Would be nice to go south for the holidays. Too bad Henry and I are busy moving into our new apartment.”

  I nodded. “If I can wrap up the Shelley Vincent case, I might just consider heading that way myself.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  I had a restless sleep. Images of Gino’s battered face haunted my dreams. I woke at six a.m. unsettled and exhausted. I wondered what kind of person would take aim at somebody’s head with a hammer.