Chasing Shadows

by Jason Richards

  “I was thinking The Cheesecake Factory,” I said. “But what's wrong with the food court?”

  “I do love their cheesecake,” Jessica said. “And there is nothing wrong with the food court as fast food to fuel a day of marathon shopping. But a meal with your best gal deserves a proper sit-down restaurant.”

  “I agree. Except for the marathon shopping part. And I do believe I offered one hour of shopping. Not a few hours.”

  “I thought that one slipped by you.”

  “I have a mind like a steel trap.”

  “So we're not negotiating?”

  If we started negotiating on the shopping, I would lose. I knew it. Jessica knew it. We both knew it.

  “I'm open to P.F. Chang's,” I said. My best tactic.

  “You can't blame a girl for trying.” She let me off easy. It was probably because we hadn't seen each other in a few weeks due to her extensive travel for cases. There was also a good chance shopping would stretch beyond the original sixty minutes. “I just need to try on one last pair of shoes,” Jessica will say. The shoes always got me.

  “Shall we say four o'clock?” I said.

  “Four o'clock,” Jessica said.

  “See you then.”

  “Not if I see you first.”

  We said goodbye and ended the call.

  After I had spoken to Jessica, I called an old friend who was a guidance counselor at Cambridge Rindge and Latin. Rachel Campbell either knew Tina directly or could point me toward other guidance counselors and teachers who did. In fact, Rachel had been Tina's guidance counselor. She agreed to meet me later for lunch at school.

  I took Dash out for a bathroom break and then sat at my computer to bang out final client reports for two insurance fraud cases I just wrapped up. Between the reports, another bathroom break for Dash, and a walk through Cambridge Common to stretch our legs, the morning moved quickly. I hit send on an email and powered off the computer. It was nearly time for lunch.

  “Want to go to doggy day camp?” I said to Dash.

  His ears perked up, and he jumped off the couch. Dash rolled onto his back and began scratching it on the area rug. He approved of the plan. Or he had an itch. I couldn't tell which.

  “Okay, let's go,” I said. I grabbed Dash's leash off the hook by the door.

  Dash flipped over and got onto his feet. His tail wagged at supersonic speed and his tongue hung out of his mouth.

  Adventure awaited Dash at doggy day camp. Hours of play as he romped with his canine friends. It didn't get much better for Dash than running, climbing, and sniffing butts. Second only to lounging on the couch with his head in my lap. Possibly that was third on his list. Eating seemed to rule all.

  I attached Dash's leash to his collar, and we were off.

  CHAPTER 3

  CAMBRIDGE RINDGE AND Latin sits on Broadway next to the Cambridge Public Library and Joan Lorentz Park. I pulled onto the school grounds and found an empty spot in the faculty lot.

  People moved along Broadway. Some walked. Some biked. A woman stood on the sidewalk checking her cell phone and then glancing up at approaching cars. A Toyota Camry pulled over. A Lyft amp on the car's dashboard glowed from purple to green. The woman got in the car, and it pulled away from the curb.

  I looked over toward Cambridge Public Library. People entered and exited. Books to borrow. Books to return. Toddlers and their mothers played in the Cambridge Public Library Playground at the edge of Joan Lorentz Park. People used part of their lunch hour to bank at the Cambridge Teachers Federal Credit Union.

  I entered the school and gave my name at the front desk. As I waited for Rachel, I glanced at the names of famous graduates on a plaque. It was a pretty lengthy list. Among them were actors Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Ben's younger brother, Casey. NBA great Patrick Ewing, poet E.E. Cummings, and, among my favorites, were Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers from NPR's Car Talk.

  As I continued through the list, Rachel approached. She wore a navy blue skirt and white blouse.

  “Drew, so nice to see you,” she said.

  We hugged. Her shoulder length black hair glistened and had a pleasant fragrance of spring. I couldn't recall what shampoo she used, but I remembered the scent.

  “How are Sean and the kids?” I said.

  “Wonderful,” she said with a warm smile. Her brown eyes twinkled at the mention of her husband and children. “Sean is still producing shows at WGBH. Did you hear he got to work with Ken Burns?”

  “I didn't,” I said. “That's impressive.”

  Rachel continued, “Emily and Justin are growing so quickly. Emily is in third grade, and Justin first.”

  “It seems they were just infants,” I said.

  “You really need to come by the house for dinner one evening,” Rachel said. “And be sure to bring Jessica.” She paused a beat. “You are still seeing Jessica?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “I like her. She's perfect for you.”

  “I agree,” I said.

  What I didn't bother to mention was that Rachel was a sore subject with Jessica. Not that Jessica had anything to worry about. Rachel was happily married to Sean and a doting mother to Emily and Justin. Besides, I only had eyes for Jessica.

  But Rachel and I had a history together. We dated while I was still with the FBI. Eventually, we realized we wanted different things. Rachel wanted marriage and children. I didn't. Not that I'm opposed to either. I just never felt my profession fit well with that type of domestic life.

  “Let's grab some lunch in the cafeteria,” Rachel said. “Then we can find a table in the staff lounge to eat.”

  I nodded my head and followed Rachel down the hall toward the cafeteria. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years, but Rachel and I had remained friends over the years. I even attended the wedding when she married Sean. Jessica and I met a few months later on a mutual investigation.

  “I'm sorry we can't go out for a bite to eat,” Rachel said as we got in line with our trays. “I have a counselors meeting right after lunch.”

  “Not a problem,” I said. “Brings back memories, though.”

  Rachel looked at me and grinned. Then she said, “I'm trying to picture you in high school.”

  “Same handsome guy you see before you. Only younger and trying to pick up girls.”

  “Trying?” Rachel said. “I'm sure you did better than just try.”

  I shrugged.

  “What?” Rachel said. “Is Drew Patrick being modest?”

  “I have my moments,” I said as I placed a hamburger, garden salad, and bottled water on my tray.

  Rachel had a Caesar salad, fruit cup, and water. I paid at the register and followed Rachel into the staff lounge. We found a table in the corner and sat. There was a view of the Cambridge Public Library out the window.

  I took a bite of the burger and was pleasantly surprised. Not exactly a burger from Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square, but better fare than you find in most school lunchrooms.

  “Not breaking any confidentiality,” I said, “what can you tell me about Tina Ross?”

  “Probably not much more than you already learned from her mother,” Rachel said.

  “Anything will help,” I said. “Your impression of her, even.”

  Rachel nodded as she finished a bite of her salad.

  “Tina had always been a pretty normal teenage girl,” Rachel said. “She had a nice group of friends who are all good students and never cause any trouble. Tina was a good student. And well-rounded, with extra-curricular activities in debate and volleyball.”

  “And then?” I said.

  “Her grades started slipping toward the end of last year. I met with her a few times, but couldn't make much progress with her. It's like . . .,” Rachel paused a moment to gather her thoughts. “It's like she became a different girl.”

  “Say more about that,” I said.

  “She became quite rebellious. Stopped hanging out with her friends.�
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  “Any drinking or drugs?” I said.

  Rachel shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. At least not that I'm aware. Tina just lost interest in school and friends. She pulled away and began spending all her time with her new boyfriend.”

  “Do you know the boyfriend's name?” I said.

  “No. Tina never said much about him,” Rachel said.

  The lounge began to fill with other Rindge staff. Voices from conversations at the various tables began to fill the room.

  “I feel certain of the answer, but do you think he was the cause for Rachel's rebelliousness?” I said.

  “Almost certainly,” Rachel said. “This was more than a high school crush. Tina was infatuated with him, and wanted to be in his world.”

  “Even at the expense of the life she had been happy with?”

  “He had some sort of hold over her,” Rachel said. “The life she had was no longer good enough. She once told me it was all so 'regular' and 'boring'.”

  “Which led to her dropping out of school and moving in with him,” I said.

  Rachel looked at me. “I obviously realized she dropped out of school, but I had no idea she moved out of her house and in with the guy.”

  “The last part was a more recent development,” I said.

  “It's worse than I thought,” Rachel said. “Poor Mrs. Ross. She must be beside herself.”

  “She is,” I said. “It's why she hired me.”

  “What are you going to do?” Rachel said.

  “To be honest, beyond getting a name and address, I'm not entirely sure. Tina is eighteen, so . . .”

  “There isn't anything legally anyone can do,” Rachel said completing my thought.

  “But I'll do what I can,” I said. “Do like I am doing now. Talk to everyone I can to find out enough about this guy to make the best case to Tina that she is throwing her life away by quitting school and leaving home.”

  “How well do you think that will work?”

  “I'll be successful in gathering information.”

  “But the convincing an eighteen-year-old young woman she is going down the wrong path?” Rachel said.

  “Much more difficult,” I said.

  “But you'll try?”

  “Yes.”

  “And not just because you're being paid as an investigator?”

  I smiled at Rachel. She knew the answer as well as anybody. My investigations were always more to me than a paycheck. In fact, the paycheck wasn't even the primary reason I took cases. It may sound corny, but I like helping people.

  “What are the chances that the boyfriend is really bad news?” Rachel said. She then took the last bite from her fruit cup.

  “I won't know until I do some more digging. But I don't like what I see so far. He seems far too influential in Tina making bad decisions.”

  Rachel and I were silent for a few minutes as I finished my burger and salad. Then she looked at me and said, “Don't take this the wrong way, because Sean and I are very happy, but do you think you will ever change your mind about marriage and children?”

  “I don't think so,” I said.

  “Because of the Emily Braun case?”

  Emily Braun was a three-year-old girl who had been kidnapped a decade ago. It was one of the last cases I handled with the FBI. We found Emily unharmed, but the trauma her parents went through made a lasting impact on me. It added to the many traumas I had witnessed over my time as a special agent.

  “It wasn't just that case,” I said to Rachel.

  “Just the case where you decided you didn't want to get married and have kids,” Rachel stated rather than asked.

  “I would have come to the same conclusion without that case,” I said.

  “And Jessica knows all of this?”

  “Yes. She doesn't want marriage or kids either. It's part of what makes us work.”

  “So you are happy?” Rachel said.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Do you love her?”

  “I like her very much,” I said.

  “I think you love her,” Rachel said. She patted my hand. “A woman knows these things.”

  I decided to leave our conversation there. I thanked Rachel for having lunch with me and discussing what she knew about Tina Ross.

  As I left Cambridge Rindge and Latin I decided to hit the YMCA in Central Square to work out for the remainder of the afternoon. A run on the treadmill, a circuit on the Nautilus equipment, and a few laps in the pool would do me good. It would at least put me in a better frame of mind for an evening at the mall.

  I wasn't sure which I was dreading more – questioning four teenage girls, shopping, or telling Jessica about my lunch with Rachel. Okay, it was definitely telling Jessica about my lunch with Rachel.

  But Rachel and I had been over for ten years. She was happily married with two wonderful kids. And I only had eyes for Jessica.

  I realized that to be true. Jessica was aware of it as well. But knowing is sometimes different from feeling. And feelings can be very powerful.

  CHAPTER 4

  I TOOK MEMORIAL DRIVE. It was a mile longer than either Broadway or Cambridge Street, but I liked driving along the Charles River. The warmer weather encouraged outdoor activities as boats dotted the water and bikers rode along the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path.

  I passed MIT on my left and could sense the brainpower solving complex problems. I continued further onto Edwin H. Land Boulevard, took a left on Binney Street, and a right onto First Street. I found a spot in the Galleria's parking garage and made my way to the food court.

  I was a few minutes early, but I checked to see if either Jessica or the teens had arrived yet. I didn't spot Jessica. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the group picture Bonnie had texted me of Tina and her friends. Five young ladies smiling broadly. Absolutely giddy attending a Taylor Swift concert at Gillette Stadium. Happier times.

  Not seeing the girls, I sat at an empty table overlooking Canal Park. I watched as tourists boarded a Charles River Boat for their seventy-minute sightseeing tour along the Charles.

  I received a text from Jessica. She was approaching the food court and wanted my location. I texted where I was sitting.

  From across the food court, I watched her approach. She had on one of those smart business suits like Bonnie had worn. And all five feet and ten inches of her looked great in it. Jessica was both athletic and beautiful.

  As she moved closer I noticed her shoulder-length Chestnut hair swayed like in a shampoo commercial. I stood as she approached. We embraced and exchanged a quick kiss. If Rachel's hair smelled like spring, Jessica's smelled like a summer meadow.

  Jessica flashed a smile and sat down. She had a perfect smile. Actually, she was near perfect in every way. Everyone wondered why we hadn't more clearly defined our relationship. An excellent question without an easy answer.

  Other than not wanting to get married, we hadn't ever tried to place too fine a point on our relationship. We just were. And it worked.

  While there was nothing at all to my lunch with Rachel, I would feel guilty if I didn't say something to Jessica.

  “I had lunch with Rachel Campbell today,” I blurted out.

  Jessica looked up from putting her phone on the table.

  “It was for the case,” I added. “Tina attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin.”

  “Let me guess,” Jessica said, “Rachel was her guidance counselor?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “That's it?” I said.

  Jessica shrugged and gave a slight shake of her head. “Did you expect more? Perhaps a response of crazed jealousy?”

  “I would never use crazed to describe you,” I said. “But I thought maybe a little bit upset. Perhaps a touch of jealousy.”

  Jessica chuckled and smiled at me. “You're so cute,” she said. “Rachel is ancient history. I know you only have eyes for me.”

  “True, and even truer,” I said.

/>   “Did she have any good information for you?”

  “Her impression of Tina and her relationship match well with what Bonnie Ross told me about the situation.”

  “So she didn't have any groundbreaking clues to offer?”

  “No, but she confirmed basic information. That was helpful.”

  “But it’s not like she would be a key witness in your investigation?” Jessica said.

  “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

  “Fine. I am a smidgen jealous.”

  “A smidgen?” I said.

  “Yes. Just a smidgen.”

  “Good to know,” I said. I reached across the table and took Jessica's hand in mine. “And I truly only have eyes for you, Jess.”

  “I do realize that,” she said. “So, what do these girls look like?”

  I handed her my phone with the picture.

  “That was such a great concert,” Jessica said.

  I wrinkled my brow. “I wasn’t aware you went to the Taylor Swift concert. I had no idea you liked Taylor Swift.”

  “A little mystery keeps things interesting,” she said. “I brought Heather.”

  Heather was Jessica's niece. Twelve. Possibly thirteen now. I met her a few times. Sweet kid. No surprise she was a Taylor Swift fan. It seemed pretty much every tween and teen girl adored her.

  “They should look pretty much the same,” Jessica said handing my phone back to me. “The concert was only last year.”

  Jessica rested her hands atop the table and looked at me. “I'd like to go to Macy's first when we are done here.”

  Her emerald eyes twinkled as she said it. Shopping always brought a twinkle to Jessica's eyes. Sometimes I did, too.

  “I think you could easily burn your hour just in Macy's,” I said. A gentle reminder of our agreement. My last best hope.

  Jessica smiled at me again. “Do you remember when Macy's was a Filene's?”

  “I remember being in Filene's a time or two,” I said.

  “You once bought me a lovely sweater for Christmas from Filene's. The burgundy cashmere one. I still have it.” She thought for a moment. “Filene's had been around for a long time,” she said. “Over a hundred years.”