Maggie and Nikki nodded to show they agreed as Steven set out delicate cups both women knew were heirloom china along with cream and sugar. “I have some cookies, but I’m afraid they’re store-bought?” It was more a question than a statement. Nikki and Maggie both shook their heads no.
The minute the coffee was poured and everyone was comfortable at the table, Steven looked at both women and said, “Talk to me. Tell me how I can help you.”
“We’re here about Major Andrew Nolan and his wife, Bella.”
Steven looked perplexed. “Am I supposed to know Major Nolan and his wife, Bella? Were they customers? If so, I don’t remember them. The names do not ring any kind of bells. Please, please tell me they aren’t disgruntled customers.”
Nikki’s and Maggie’s expressions went from shock to disbelief. “Seriously?” Nikki finally managed to gasp. “You really don’t know them?”
“No! Why are you looking so surprised? Who are they? I repeat, please don’t tell me they are past customers who are now unhappy with something they bought from me and now want to kill me because they don’t like it after paying a small fortune for whatever it is they bought.” Steven laughed at his own wit, but when neither woman joined in, he grew serious. “Suddenly, I’m not feeling so chipper. I think you had better explain things to me.”
The sudden anxiety Steven was exhibiting made both women rush to explain their presence. Nikki took the lead.
“It’s not you, Mr. Conover. It’s about your ex-wife. Major Andy Nolan was her brother. He died some months ago. He was wounded in Iraq and sent here to Walter Reed hospital, where he died. He was married to Bella Ames, so she would be your ex-wife’s sister-in-law. It seems that the military paid survivor benefits to your ex-wife, his sister, and not to his wife. Bella was told that his sister had his power of attorney. Major Nolan apparently did not notify the army about his married status before he died, so when your ex-wife presented herself as his sister, they paid her his military insurance.
“It was a rushed wedding during a two-day furlough, and we’re sure that filling out paperwork was the last thing on his mind before he deployed. I’m sure the major had good intentions, but, for whatever reason, he didn’t follow through. Another possibility, though, is that he asked his sister to do it for him since she had his power of attorney, and therein lies the problem.”
“Can you add anything to that? We need to find Major Nolan’s sister. According to the army, she took the money and disappeared. You never knew about the brother? I can’t wrap my head around that somehow. Do you know where your ex-wife is, so we can straighten this out. Our client, the major’s wife, has been left out in the cold here. That’s just not right. We can’t even go after the army because the sister obviously had all the paperwork in place and was able to collect not only his military insurance but whatever funds he had in his personal bank account. I’m not getting how,” Maggie said, giving Conover the evil eye, “you know nothing about any of this. She was your wife, for crying out loud!”
Conover bristled at Maggie’s tone and her words. “Hold on here. I met Sara at one of my shows in San Francisco. She bought a piece of mine, and we got to talking and hit it off. I saw her every day for the entire week of the show. By the end of the week, I was in love, and so was she. At least I believed so at the time. She said she was from Oklahoma, her parents were gone, and she had no other relatives. That statement alone made me want to jump in and protect her with my life. I talked her into coming back here to Baltimore with me. I didn’t have to do a hard sell. She wanted to come. Two weeks later, we got married by a justice of the peace. Sara arranged the whole thing.”
Nikki reared back and stared at Conover, who just glared at her. “She actually said she had no relatives.”
Conover’s hands fluttered in the air. “She said she was all alone in the world now that her parents were gone. I had no reason to doubt her. Besides, I was hopelessly in love, and I admit it.”
Maggie’s tone was sour when she said, “But now you’re divorced. What happened, if you don’t mind telling us.”
Conover got up and walked over to the counter to pour himself a second cup of coffee. He looked questioningly at Nikki and Maggie, who shook their heads.
Conover was back at the table, his eyes staring off into space. “The first year was pure magic. It was everything a guy could want plus more. I thought my life was perfect. Oh, we squabbled, but we always kissed and made up. Nothing serious. Sara did hate this kitchen, though, but she wasn’t much of a cook, so it really didn’t matter. I like to cook, so I didn’t really mind. Sara never got a job once we moved here. She liked to sleep in, go out to lunch, shop, do all the girly things you women do. You know, facials, manicures, pedicures, that kind of thing. I indulged her because it made her happy, and if she was happy, then I was happy.”
“What went wrong? You said the first year was wonderful. What happened in the second year and the third year?” Nikki asked.
Conover blinked as he knuckled his eyes. “I’m not sure. Whatever it was, it was subtle and just crept up on me. It started off with her going back and forth to Oklahoma to, as she put it, settle her parents’ estate during the second year. She’d stay six weeks at a time. Here’s the kicker, she’d call me almost every day, and I never knew and still do not know the name of the town where she lived. She referred to the town as a pimple on the butt of a monkey, explaining it was no place anyone wanted to live and that those who did live there couldn’t wait to leave, just like she had. For some strange reason, that seemed to satisfy me.
“My business took off like a rocket. I was so busy I didn’t have time to worry about Sara and her trips and how distant we’d become. I guess you could say the bloom was off the rose by then. The wild passion sort of went south. I was working seven days a week, sixteen, eighteen hours a day to complete my commissions. At night, I was exhausted and more often than not fell asleep in the recliner. Sex was not on my agenda. Sara said she didn’t mind. When she was home, she’d spend her time reading or watching television. Thinking back, I was content. And stupid.”
“What drove you apart in the end,” Maggie asked, as she tried to get a mental fix on the man sitting across from her. She thought he was just what she was seeing, a really nice guy trying to get by who got taken by a fast-talking floozie. (She loved that term, floozie, and used it as often as she could. It was also one of Annie’s favorite terms.)
“No one thing comes to mind. We drifted apart, I guess. The beginning of the third year, I had a trade show. Sara always loved to go to them, and she actually boosted my sales with her positive pitches on my behalf, but that year she didn’t want to go. It was three days in Memphis and four days in Nashville, Tennessee. I thought she’d love it there, Nashville and all that, Sara loved country western music, but I was wrong. I was away for a whole week. We spoke at least once a day, though. Usually at night, to say good night and to talk about our day. When I got back home, she was gone. She left a note that said, This is not working for me anymore. She signed her name, and that was it. Oh, and she cleaned me out, took every last cent in our account and even forged my name and took the money out of my IRA and my 401K. Close to a million bucks. She left me forty bucks in my checking account, plus what I made at the trade show. That was all I had to my name. I never saw her again, never heard from her either until I received papers from an attorney notifying me that she had divorced me.”
“How long ago was that?” Nikki asked.
“A year and a half ago.”
Maggie chewed on her bottom lip as she struggled to come to terms with what Steven Conover was telling her plus what she’d heard from Bella and the Sisters. None of this was adding up in her mind. She risked a glance at Nikki, who seemed to be struggling with the same thoughts.
“What did Sara do, if you don’t mind my asking? Are you sure she has a brother?” Conover asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Nikki said.
“Your ex-wife claimed Major Nolan’s
military benefits. Right now, we cannot prove that she knew that the major had gotten married or not. The wife, Bella, even though she married the major, didn’t take the time to go over his background. All she knew was he was from Oklahoma, his parents were deceased, he had a sister who confiscated his share of his inheritance. He said her name was Sara. I’m starting to think she was not a blood sister. I think, and this is just a thought on my part, but I think the major’s father was married and was either divorced or widowed when he married the major’s mother, and Sara was his stepchild. Meaning the sister’s mother died or she ran off and left the girl with the major’s father. Far-fetched, but it does make sense. The major’s parents were up in years, suggesting the mother gave birth to him late in life. We think Sara is older than Andy. Do you know how old she is now? Perhaps his first wife had a child, and Sara was that child. What name was she going by when you married her?” Maggie asked.
“Windsor, and she’s thirty-one I’m two years older than she is. I can’t believe this. Sara is a con artist!”
“And this surprises you . . . why?” Nikki asked. “You said she cleaned you out. That should have been a clue for you. I hate to say this, but she played you. Now, please, think. Do you have any idea how we can find her? Places she might go, people she knew, that kind of thing.”
Steven Conover shook his head. His eyes were bright and shiny. Unshed tears, Maggie thought. She felt sorry for him and wanted to make things right but didn’t quite know what to say. Nikki said it for her.
“Mr. Conover, sometimes . . . sometimes things just aren’t what we want them to be. It’s not a perfect world, and none of us are perfect. You said you had a wonderful, magical year. That’s what you hang on to, what you remember, that memory. Time will take care of everything else if you let yourself be open to the world around you. Whatever is meant to be for you will happen. Right now, at this point in time, Sara Windsor is just someone you used to know. If I can, I’d like to make a suggestion. Go to the SPCA and save an animal. Make him or her yours. They will love you unconditionally.
“Now, having said that, perhaps you should get two animals so they have company for when you are working during the day,” Nikki said. “What’s two more dogs? Just two more to love.”
“I have a cat named Hero. He was sitting outside my door one day during a rainstorm. I have to say he is the smartest cat I’ve ever seen. Keeping that cat was the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I just love that cat, and when he nestles in my neck and purrs, I about go over the moon,” Maggie said dreamily as she thought about Hero curled up on her pillow.
“My husband and I have a magnificent German shepherd that is the smartest dog on the planet. He can buckle his seat belt, answer the phone, fold towels, and make his own bed. I think I am capable of killing anyone who would even dare harm a hair on that dog’s body. His name is Cyrus.”
Nikki spoke so vehemently that Conover reared back. And then he grinned. “Okay, you sold me on getting another animal. Unfortunately, I can’t help you in regard to where Sara is or who she might know. Now when I think back to those days, I see how blind I was. I wish I could help you. If I think of anything, how can I get in touch with you?”
Maggie fished around in her backpack and pulled out a business card. She wrote her cell phone number as well as Nikki’s on the back. “Call day or night, we’ll always answer.”
Conover accepted the card, walked over to the refrigerator, and slipped the business card under a magnet of an alligator showing off its monster teeth. “Sara got this magnet, why I don’t know.” He looked at it, then tossed it in the trash can next to the sink. The business card went under a magnet of purple tulips with a yellow butterfly perched on one of the petals. He laughed out loud. Maggie and Nikki smiled. Steven Conover really was a nice guy.
“I’m sorry to hear about that guy, Major Nolan. I’d like to meet his wife someday if that’s possible.”
“Oh, I think it is. We’ll suggest it to her when we get back to town. I bet she shows up at your showroom one of these days. You’ll like her. She’s very down-to-earth. Nothing pretentious to her, and she is absolutely going to go over the moon when she sees this kitchen and all these dogs. She’s from Kansas. Who knows what will happen from that point on,” Maggie said, giggling.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Conover. Please, if you think of anything, call one of us. We really need to find Sara Windsor. Maybe I should say Conover. I’m thinking the con in her would have her take back her maiden name, or she’d get a new name altogether. We’ll find out sooner or later. Thanks for the coffee,” Nikki said.
“My pleasure. I’m just sorry I wasn’t more help. Not to worry, I will call if I think of anything. I’ll show you out.”
In the van with the engine running, Maggie threw her hands in the air. “I was so hoping he’d be able to help us. Nice guy. That chick must be really nasty to steal from her brother, then clean out the husband like that. He’s well rid of her if you want my opinion.”
“Just drive, Maggie. I want to get home so I can think. I need to be around my stuff when I have serious thinking to do. People don’t just disappear. We need to find her.”
“Before you go all silent on me, we need to find out what Sara did to earn a living before she met Steven. I know he said she didn’t work when they were married, but she must have had a job of some kind unless she had a sugar daddy or something. Call Conover and ask. Knowing what she did to earn a living might help us find her more quickly. I’m thinking that, in the end, we’re going to have to turn this over to Avery Snowden. Finding the impossible person is his forte.”
Nikki worked her phone, talked quickly, grimaced as she listened, then ended the call. “Nothing much, Maggie. She sold cosmetics in a department store, worked as a cocktail waitress in some girly bar. She also sold time shares to condos, and that’s what she was doing when he met her. He also said she had expensive clothes and jewelry, drove a really nice Jaguar, and always seemed to have a lot of money. He said he was stupid and just thought she was really good at selling the time shares. Can I go silent now?”
“Okay,” Maggie said agreeably. She, too, needed to think.
Chapter 9
Annie scowled as she paced Myra’s spacious kitchen. She muttered to herself, then looked at Myra. “We have not accomplished one damn thing in the last four days. All we’ve been doing is running around like a bunch of wild chickens. We have absolutely nothing to show for ninety-six hours of our time. Multiply that by the seven of us and the number will blow your mind. And”—she paused dramatically, throwing her hands in the air—“that doesn’t count Avery Snowden and all his manpower. What’s wrong with this picture?” she screeched. Annie’s tirade was unlike anything the Sisters had ever seen. They stopped whatever they were doing and stopped speaking, not knowing what to do.
Myra flinched. She hated when Annie got like this. The only thing that would appease her was something positive in the way of news. And good news of any kind was the one thing they did not have. She looked around at the glum faces of the Sisters seated at the table. “Let’s do a recap of what we’ve done in the last four days. We might have missed something the first time around. By the way, Bella called this morning before you all got here. She was, as she put it, wondering why she hadn’t heard from any of us. She more or less implied that she was disappointed in us. Us as in the Vigilantes. I think she was expecting instant gratification. I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I told her Rome wasn’t built in a day, and these things take time and planning, and a healthy dose of luck doesn’t hurt. She didn’t sound to me like she was buying what I had to sell.”
“It is what it is,” Yoko said philosophically.
Nikki held up the coffee carafe. Everyone nodded that they wanted a refill. Nikki poured, as Annie finally stopped her frantic pacing. She sat down at the table, held up her cup, and waited.
“Who wants to go first?” Myra asked.
“Me and Yoko,” Kathryn
said, raising her hand as though she was in a third-grade classroom. “There wasn’t one likable person in the bunch that we talked to at the clinic. Maintaining and running a fertility clinic like that must be stressful. Everyone seemed antsy and jittery. I didn’t see a smile on anyone. Yoko and I both agreed they’re a bunch of snooty women. But Dr. Peabody had a high snoot factor, too, and he’s a guy. As far as we could tell, he is the only male doctor, but there is one male nurse. The good doctors Donaldson, Petre, and Peabody are just what they are. The only thing we could tell that they’re guilty of is not checking more thoroughly when Major Nolan’s sister showed up. They showed us many requests that were on the books of women who transferred their eggs to another fertility clinic for a variety of reasons; relocation seemed to be the main one.
“Dr. Peabody said there is a procedure that has to be adhered to. One minute, they were there, then they were gone, all properly signed off on. As far as they were concerned, that was the end of the story. Until now. They are petrified of a lawsuit. It was written all over their faces. It would be a hot mess if it ever got to court. I can tell you that, and I’m not even a lawyer,” Kathryn said.
Yoko looked around at the faces of the other Sisters. “Kathryn and I opted to go in as ourselves. We simply said we represented Bella and hoped to resolve the case and absolve the clinic. I thought they were as forthright as they could be under the circumstances. All of them, in our opinion, realized they are looking down the wrong end of a lawsuit, and ignorance or negligence is no defense. They must have talked to their lawyers and been told that.”
“They are now aware of Major Nolan’s sperm donations but were not at the time when the sister did the transfer. It is not known for certain if the sister even knew about those donations. Dr. Peabody gave us the name of the clinic to which the eggs were transferred. It’s in Bethesda, Maryland. Yoko and I went there. Of course, we didn’t learn a thing—the privacy act and all that.”
Truth and Justice Page 9