by Jeff Siebold
“No, I don’t,” said Oscar. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
Chapter 21
“Aw, I just don’t know what to do,” said Chet Burns. “I’m just sick. I’m like a walking zombie. I haven’t left the house since it happened.”
Chet Burns was at home in his small brick ranch in Conshohocken when Kimmy and Zeke knocked on the door. He’d answered in jeans and a white t-shirt with drops of coffee staining the front. He was a thick man, like his son had been, with a hard belly that pulled and distorted the material of the t-shirt. His brown hair was messy, and he had some significant stubble on his face.
“Come on in,” he said. Looking at his face it was obvious that he’d been crying.
The front door opened into the living area of the house, and the room was dark and dimly lit. Drapes were drawn, and there was a pillow and a blanket bunched at one end of the couch. Tissues were all over the coffee table and the floor around it.
“We’re very sorry for your loss,” said Zeke. “I know this is a hard time, sir.”
“It is that,” he said automatically. He seemed to be somewhere else, in a different place.
“I lost my wife, Monica, a year ago,” Chet started, obviously verbalizing what he’d been thinking about.
Usually, it’s easier to talk to a stranger, thought Zeke.
“What happened?” asked Kimmy as they sat at the kitchen table.
The kitchen table is a good place for most people, thought Zeke. It’s a safe, comfortable place for them to talk.
“She was killed last June in a robbery. The police called it a ‘home invasion’. I came home and the coroner was here. They had taken her to the hospital, the morgue, and performed an autopsy...oh, God...” he cried. “And now, this.”
“Did they catch the robbers?” Kimmy asked.
“What? Oh, no, they never did,” said Chet Burns.
“Do you have any family?” Kimmy asked. “Anyone who can come and stay with you?”
“Not really. Everybody has to work, you know? And the family’s not close by.”
“We’ve been employed to find out what happened,” said Zeke.
“Are you police?” Chet asked.
“No, private. Susie’s family wants to know what happened. And why,” Zeke said in a gentle voice.
“Aww, but it won’t bring anyone back,” said Chet. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, now.”
“Thanks for agreeing to see us, Chet,” said Zeke, reminding and distracting him. “I know this is painful. Hopefully, by investigating Will’s death we can stop a murderer. I was hoping you could help, give us some clarity on some of the people and the relationships. Our work is more motive-oriented. We’re not trying to be the police.”
“I understand,” said Chet. “Sure.”
“How close were Will and Seth Gordon?” asked Zeke.
“Oh, they were always together, you know, video games, skateboarding and hanging out together. They were one year apart in school, but they were the same age.” Chet rubbed his eyes with his hand.
“Who else did they hang out with? Who were their friends?” asked Zeke.
“Well, mostly it was Seth, but he and Will also were friends with a couple of kids in their classes,” said Chet. “And sometimes they’d spend time with Seth’s sisters, Anne and Amy. You know, hang out with them. They rent a house not far from here.”
“Anyone else come to mind? Any other friends?”
“Well, they were dating a couple of girls from school. I saw them in the car a couple times when Seth dropped Will off here.”
“Did you know the girls?” asked Zeke.
“I think they were younger,” said Chet. “One was the girl who was...oh, God...who died with Will. Susie Lopper. The other was, I think she was named Carrie. Or maybe Cassy. I never really met her.”
“Anyone else?” asked Zeke.
“There were some kids Will rode skateboards with, but they didn’t come around here. At least they didn’t when I was here.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kimmy.
“Well, you know teenagers. Once in a while I’d find empty beer cans in the garbage, or cigarette butts out in the yard when I was mowing. I don’t smoke anymore,” he added, looking at Kimmy.
“Tell me about school,” said Zeke. “Was Will a good student?”
“Sure, he was put back one year, but this year he passed most of his classes. He wasn’t Honor Roll or anything, but Brecknock is pretty hard. Everything’s college prep quality,” he said. He thought about something for a moment, then he sobbed.
“Why did he go to Brecknock?” asked Kimmy. “That’s a private school, right?”
“Right. Well, Will’s grandma set up a trust fund before she died. She put aside enough money for him and his little sister to go there and on to a good college,” said Chet. “She made her money in candy. She married one of the Hershey heirs.”
“Hershey’s not far from here, is it?” asked Zeke.
“No, west, not far from Harrisburg,” said Chet.
“Chet, do you know anything that could help us? Do you have any idea who might have been angry with Will or Susie?” asked Zeke.
Chet paused a moment. “You know, I might,” said Chet, nodding his head. “I just might.”
* * *
“You see, Seth’s sister had a thing for Will,” Chet explained. “It wasn’t that long ago, either, around last Christmas. I think she was pretty serious, but Will wasn’t. He dated her a few times, and then he blew her off.”
“What’s her name?” asked Zeke.
“Anne,” said Chet. “Anne Gordon. But she wouldn’t do something like this.”
“She was older than Will?” asked Zeke.
“Yes, two years older. She graduated last year and moved in with her sister, here in town,” Chet said. “I know she was mad, but why in the world would she do something like this?”
He paused and Zeke could see him tearing up. Chet leaned forward and held his eyes with his right hand. “Ahh, Jeez,” he said. He was crying.
* * *
“What do we know for sure?” asked Zeke.
He was sitting at Oscar’s kitchen table. Oscar was seated across from him, and Kimmy was bouncing around the kitchen, working up a cup of tea. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun, and she was wearing a white blouse, a long, green print skirt and flat sandals that were occasionally visible beneath her hemline.
“Carrie’s gone,” said Oscar. “Her mom called. You met Beth and talked with her the last time you were in town...”
“Yes,” said Zeke.
“She said that Carrie wasn’t in her room yesterday morning, and her bed hadn’t been slept in. They were supposed to go clothes shopping, but when Beth went to wake her up, she was gone,” said Oscar.
“She’s had some pressure, lately,” said Kimmy. “The tattoo, and her mother, and then her best friend is shot...” She stirred the tea, put the spoon in the sink and sat next to Oscar at the table.
“That might be enough to make her run away,” said Zeke. “But it’s also possible that someone took her...”
“OK, we need to check on Seth Gordon first,” said Kimmy. “Let’s see what his involvement might be. It could be that she went voluntarily.”
“Maybe,” said Zeke, suddenly looking distracted, “or it may be that she’s scared and ran because of it. Maybe she knows more than she’s saying. About Will and Susie, I mean.”
Zeke appeared to be working through a mental checklist.
“If she didn’t disappear voluntarily, then what’s the motive? Does it have to do with the killings? Or is it a random action, coincidental in it’s timing?” Zeke didn’t believe in coincidences, but at this point he was mentally accounting for all of the possibilities.
“If it was voluntary, then why? Was she scared of something? Or was she running to something? Did she see something or learn about something that frightened her? What would make her disappear like that?” Zeke asked
out loud.
“OK, if it was voluntary,” said Oscar, reaching behind him to grab a notepad and felt marker from the counter, “then she was scared of something.” He scribbled his theory on the pad.
“Or, she was running to something,” said Kimmy. “Like Seth Gordon, her boyfriend. Seems like that might be the strongest attraction.”
“That we know of,” said Zeke, quietly, under his breath.
“Why else, if it was voluntary?” asked Oscar.
“Well, it could have been planned, and this was just the time to go,” said Zeke.
“In which case, we don’t know the motive,” said Kimmy.
“No, not yet,” said Zeke.
“And if it’s not voluntary...” said Oscar in his clipped, nasal voice, making a note on his pad.
“Then we want to look at Will and Susie’s killer as the suspect,” said Zeke. “Not the outcome we’d prefer.”
“Or it could be someone else,” said Kimmy.
“Yes, but in light of recent events, how likely is it that Carrie’s involuntary disappearance wouldn’t be related to the killings?”
“Not likely at all,” said Oscar. “That’s too big a stretch.”
“So we treat it as if it’s all related until we find out otherwise,” said Zeke.
Chapter 22
“I know you must be frantic,” said Kimmy. Beth McCarthy was sitting on a straight-back chair at the same dining room table where Zeke talked with her earlier. She was sobbing quietly, and Kevin, her husband, sat next to her. He seemed restless.
“We’re doing all we can to find her,” said Zeke, reassuringly.
Mrs. McCarthy nodded, looking at the tabletop in front of her. She sobbed again.
“It comes and goes,” said Kevin McCarthy. “When she has to talk about it, think about it, it hits her hardest.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of,” said Zeke. “These are tough issues.”
“But where could she be? Where would she go?” asked Beth McCarthy, looking up at Zeke.
The questions were rhetorical, and Zeke moved on.
“Tell us what happened, what you know,” he prompted.
“Beth went into her room to wake her up yesterday morning, to take her shopping. And,” Kevin McCarthy took a deep breath. “And she wasn’t there. Her bed hadn’t been slept in.”
Kevin McCarthy was a thick, barrel chested man who looked and acted like he was used to physically intimidating people. He wore a light yellow summer shirt, untucked over jeans, and had two day’s stubble on his face. He looked as if he hadn’t slept.
“What about the night before?” asked Zeke. “What happened then?”
“Nothing.” Kevin looked at Zeke across the table, almost challenging.
“Did you eat dinner together?”
“Yeah, I had a softball game after work, so Beth put food on the counter, and we each ate on our own,” he said. “It was a casserole, Irish stew. Beth makes a great Irish stew.”
“Did you see Carrie that evening? Watch TV together or chat?” Zeke continued.
“I didn’t, but Beth saw her earlier while I was at the ball game. That’s when they decided to go shopping yesterday morning,” Kevin said.
Beth nodded. Tears were still running down her face.
“Did Carrie say anything that made you think she was unhappy or bothered about anything?”
“Well, she’s been grounded since I found out about the..., well that damn tattoo on her ass,” said Kevin. “She hasn’t been allowed to go anywhere. So she isn’t happy about that.”
“Are you getting a lot of attitude from her?” asked Kimmy.
Beth looked up and took a breath. It looked like she was getting ready to add something.
Kevin stepped on her response. “She’s fourteen,” he said. “There are a lot of hormones and things, you know?” Kevin looked at Zeke.
He’s challenging me, thought Zeke.
Kimmy nodded empathetically toward Beth.
Beth sobbed.
“Had she said anything about leaving? Had she threatened to run away?” asked Zeke.
“No, no, she was still mad about being grounded, but she didn’t say anything like that,” said Kevin. “We have a good relationship with our daughter,” he added, glaring at Zeke.
“Her bed wasn’t slept in,” said Zeke. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Well, I...” Kevin started.
“No, I meant Beth. You said Beth was the last one to see her that night. When was that, Beth?” Zeke interrupted.
Kevin looked at Zeke, a flash of anger in his eyes. Zeke ignored him.
“She came out of her room to eat dinner,” said Beth. “That was about six thirty or so. I put the Irish stew out at six thirty. I remember because the news was just over on the TV, and Carrie came out and ate almost right away.”
“Did she eat here?” Zeke asked, looking around the dining room.
“No, she took her food to her bedroom,” said Beth.
“She does that a lot,” said Kevin. “She watches TV while she eats, and those videos, you know, YouTube, on her computer.”
“Sure,” said Zeke. “I know I asked you this before, Beth, but has there been anything unusual in her behavior lately? Say the past week?”
“She was really upset about Susie,” said Beth McCarthy. “She said she was angry about how unfair the whole thing was. This was the first time she was close to someone who died. I keep thinking that all of this must be related somehow. You know, Susie and Will’s murders and Carrie’s disappearance...”
“Well, not necessarily, honey,” said Kevin McCarthy. “It could be a coincidence.”
“Do we know how she got out of the house?” asked Zeke, changing the subject.
“She must have snuck out after we went to bed,” said Kevin. “I’m in sales, I’m a sales manager, so I like to get an early start. Usually we go to bed by ten or so, maybe watch the news and sports for a little bit, then go to sleep.”
“So she could have gone out the front or back door easily, after you were in bed?” Zeke confirmed.
“Yeah, I guess so,” said Kevin. “It doesn’t look like she went out the window.”
“Have you checked with Gina Samone’s family?” asked Zeke. “Last time I was here, Carrie mentioned that she and Gina were both close with Susie.”
“Well, we asked her mom,” said Beth. “But she doesn’t know where Carrie went.”
“Could you call her mom? I’d like to talk with Gina. She lives a couple houses down, right?”
“Yes,” said Kevin. “Two down from us. Beth can call her for you.”
* * *
“Gina is the kind of girl who doesn’t want to get in trouble,” said Maryann Samone. “She’s been friends with Carrie for years, and with poor Susie, God rest her soul.” She paused for a moment.
Zeke and Kimmy had walked from the McCarthy’s home after Beth McCarthy called Maryann Samone about talking with them. The three were standing on the Samone’s small front porch, huddled together and speaking low, almost reverently. Maryann had explained that her second child, a four-year-old boy named Douglas, was inside taking a nap.
“A couple more months, and we’ll stop with the naps,” Maryann explained. She had dark brown hair and kind green eyes. Judging by her hips and stomach, she was still working on losing the baby fat from her last pregnancy.
“Beth told you that we’re looking into Carrie’s disappearance,” said Zeke.
“Yes, I know. That’s such a terrible thing for Beth,” she said. “She must be scared to death. And right after those murders. Everybody’s talking about it.”
“Are you married, Mrs. Samone?” asked Zeke. He smelled garlic and onion wafting toward them through the screen door. She’s Italian, he thought.
“Yes, my husband is a doctor,” she said, subconsciously touching her wedding ring with her left thumb. It held a good sized stone.
“Is Gina home? We’d like to ask her about Carrie,” Zeke
explained.
“Yes, she’s in the house. I’ll get her,” said Maryann and turned toward the front door. Then to herself, she said, “I don’t know what I’d do,” and shook her head.
* * *
Gina Samone was a short girl, with dark hair, her mother’s green eyes, and a large nose. She seemed preoccupied as she came out the front door, followed by her mother.
Zeke introduced himself and Kimmy, and “We’re so sorry about your friend, Susie, Gina.”
Gina was very still, and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes. She didn’t say anything.
Kimmy took the initiative. “Gina, we know this is hard, but we need to work through this with you. We’re looking for Susie’s killer.”
Gina nodded slowly. She looked at Kimmy. “She was my friend,” said Gina, simply. A tear rolled down the right side of her face.
“I know, hon,” said Kimmy. “Right now, we’re focused on finding Carrie. We want to be sure nothing happens to her.”
Gina looked at her mother. “What?”
“Carrie has disappeared, Gina. She’s left home. Did she talk with you about anything before she went?” Kimmy asked.
Zeke watched the girl’s mannerisms.
“She’s been grounded,” said Gina.
“For the tattoo, we know,” said Kimmy. “Did she and Susie talk with you about the tattoos before they got them?”
Gina hesitated.
“Gina?” asked her mother.
She looked down. “They were talking about getting them done when school let out, but nobody believed they’d actually do it,” said Gina. “It was kind of a bad joke.”
“You haven’t heard from Carrie since...when?” asked Zeke, persistently.
“She could be in danger, Gina,” her mother said.
Gina shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s been a few days.”
Zeke nodded. She was telling the truth.
“What did she tell you?” asked Zeke.
“She said that she and Seth were planning to leave, to get out of town.”
