Depart the Darkness

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “Only that he exists, and that his name is Aaron Fellows. Jackson will have details for us soon.”

  “Your PI is amazing,” Annette said. She sounded impressed, and justifiably so. “How does he come up with information so quickly?”

  “It’s called networking,” I answered. “He has connections, sources, and connections with other PIs who have additional sources.”

  “Jackson is our primary investigator, but not our only one,” Miles added. “Last fall, when we decided to create a missing persons division, Jackson began fielding PI candidates for us.”

  “Some of the cases which the Bannerman Foundation accepts will be easy to solve. If a family member or friend of the family is responsible, we’ll know right away.”

  “How will you get them to talk to you?” Jenny wondered.

  “They’ll have to, if they want our help,” I replied. “I won’t have to ask many questions before I know who to mark off our suspect list, and who to question further.”

  “Answering a few questions in exchange for assistance from the Bannerman Foundation isn’t too much to expect,” Miles said, and I agreed.

  “If someone isn’t willing to say ‘no, I had nothing to do with this, I have no idea what happened, and I don’t suspect anyone,’ then that says a lot.”

  “Jackson is putting together several teams which will immediately begin investigating those who refuse to speak with us,” Miles continued. “When we do have full cooperation, and find that the missing person’s family and friends are truly scared and grieving rather than guilty, then our teams will also roll into action.”

  “My abilities are only useful once Miles and I know who to question. Our investigators will do everything humanly possible to determine who that is.”

  “We hope that with Anika’s abilities and our resources, none of our cases will go cold.”

  “Anika has to be present in order for her truth ability to work,” John stated.

  “Right,” Miles acknowledged.

  “Regardless of her abilities, there are only so many hours in a day,” John pointed out. “How will you manage traveling to another part of the country every time someone goes missing, or your PIs turn up a suspect?”

  “We couldn’t possibly,” Miles replied. “Stretching ourselves that thin would render us ineffective and unable to help anyone. So that isn’t what we’ll do. Our efforts will be focused more on a local, rather than national or global level.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed. “By local, we mean both Glen Haven itself, and the surrounding cities and towns.”

  “I wondered,” said Jenny. “People seldom go missing in Glen Haven.”

  “That’s true,” I acknowledged. “Some of our neighboring cities aren’t so fortunate.”

  “Castle Pines for example,” Xander contributed. “A college student went missing just last semester, and never has been found.”

  Miles and I must’ve looked as concerned as we felt.

  “You guys were busy, remember?” Annette reminded us.

  “That’s true,” Miles remembered. “We feel strongly that it’s our responsibility to take the cases that come to us. They came at us one right after the other, last semester.”

  “We’ll still have that responsibility, in spite of our new endeavor,” I acknowledged. “With the investigative teams Jackson is putting together for us, we’ll have a lot of help though.”

  “We realized last semester how much we need it,” Miles admitted. “Having teams already in place will save time and energy on our part.”

  “I can see how that might work out better in some instances, too,” Annette said.

  “A single guy in a bar buying drinks for a couple of his new buddies is far less conspicuous than if Anika and I were to try and do that,” Miles agreed, and everyone laughed at the thought. Then laughed some more.

  For the next few minutes, we focused on finishing our breakfasts. As we did, Xander grew thoughtful.

  “I’m glad you’re doing this. When my cousin was abducted by the nutty professor, I can’t tell you how that made me and the rest of our family feel. It was the sickest, most helpless feeling in the world.”

  “I’m so glad we found her in time,” I said. “I hope we’re able to do the same for others.”

  “You will,” Jenny said with assurance. “You guys, with your abilities, your resources, your investigative team… the bad guys don’t stand a chance.”

  “I look forward to Dillon Graves finding that out,” I said grimly. “Not that he’ll have any idea who, or what, hit him when it happens. But… he’s going to get his comeuppance.”

  “He will,” Miles said calmly, as he glanced at his phone. “After we understand fully what’s going on here. Jackson sent over the information regarding Phillip’s deceased predecessor.”

  “I’m done,” I promptly replied, and pushed back my plate.

  Our waiter tapped at the door, then entered, bearing a fresh carafe of coffee.

  “Give this woman a refill,” Xander said, and waved in my direction. Then he looked at Miles. “Please tell me you’re not going to make us wait until later for details.”

  “Not if you’d rather hear about it now,” Miles said.

  “YES!” our friends replied in unison, making me laugh. I turned to our server.

  “Vanilla latte, please,” I said. He nodded, and after refilling everyone else’s coffee, he promptly fetched one for me.

  I felt kind of sorry for him when he left, and the door closed behind him. He had to be curious what it was Miles was about to tell us. I know I was!

  “Elliott Reams accepted a job at Intersect two years ago. According to interviews with his friends and family, he was well-liked, brilliant in his line of work, in perfect health, and wasn’t depressed a day in his life. Everyone was shocked when he died, and even more so when his death was ruled a suicide.”

  “How was his work environment?” John wondered.

  “If it was less than desirable, no one saw fit to mention it,” Miles answered.

  “Was Elliot’s position the same grade as Phillip’s?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t. Elliot’s position was the same grade as Helms’ and Graves’.”

  “How clear-cut was the case for suicide?” Xander asked.

  “Not everyone bought it,” Miles replied. “He was skiing Alpine Ridge.”

  “I remember this!” Xander exclaimed. “I remember when it happened, it was about a year ago. The guy was a daredevil, but no one in their right mind would try what he did. Especially at night. It was either murder, or suicide. It was no accident.”

  “That’s what the detective concluded. A suicide note was emailed to his friends and family. According to it, his happiness was a façade, and deep down he was very depressed.”

  “It isn’t that unusual… if that’s the case,” Annette said. She didn’t look convinced, and neither did the rest of us.

  “We should create an opportunity to talk to Elliott’s friends,” Miles said to me.

  “Who knows what I might find,” I agreed. “Sometimes people have suspicions they don’t want to voice. All they have to do is say they don’t have any, and I’ll know.”

  “Do you have names and contact info for his friends?” Xander asked.

  “Yes,” Miles said, referring to the email on his phone. “It’s quite a list.”

  “Did he have a fiancé or girlfriend?” Annette asked.

  “He had a girlfriend,” Miles replied.

  “How hard that must have been for her,” Jenny said sympathetically. “I don’t guess your list says how she’s doing now, does it?”

  “The list isn’t that complete, but here—Anika, look her up if you want, see what you find.”

  Miles held his phone closer to me so I could read the screen. I did a search on Julia Rentfrow, using my phone. She was easy to locate.

  “She seems to be doing okay,” I reported. “She’s engaged to be married, anyway. This spring.”

&nb
sp; “That’s good, and… kind of sad in a way,” Annette commented.

  “She was Elliott’s girlfriend at the time of his death,” Miles said. “How long they were together before that, it doesn’t say.”

  “They may not have known each other all that well,” John pointed out.

  “I’d like to talk to her,” I said. “How are we going to handle this? Admit to people that we’re looking into Elliott’s death?”

  “You said she’s getting married,” Jenny interjected. “She might be at the bridal fair on Saturday. There’s a list for giveaways, is there a way to find out if she’s on it?”

  “More than likely, there is,” Miles said. “Give me the event details.”

  Jenny did, and Miles sent Jackson a text.

  “Couldn’t we also arrange for Julia to receive one of the giveaways?” I asked. “I mean, if we’re the ones giving it away… whatever it is. She and Jenny could both be recipients.”

  “Yes… we could set it up to promote the Lodge, or one of our hotels,” Miles agreed.

  “Let’s do Cedar Oaks,” I said decisively. “It’s such an adorable little town, and perfect for newlyweds to spend a weekend away. There’s shopping, hiking, and the hotel is amazing. Especially since refurbishing it last semester.”

  “That’s what we’ll do. We’ll also do five giveaways. That way, the rest of the attendees will also have a chance.”

  “Perfect!” I said.

  “As long as Julia shows up, that’ll work out great,” Xander reminded us.

  Miles’ phone buzzed, and he read the screen.

  “She’s registered to attend.”

  “She’ll be there,” Jenny said with certainty.

  “So will you, Xander,” Miles told him.

  “What?” Xander asked in surprise. He looked a little alarmed, too, and I almost laughed.

  “Jenny and I will be busy getting to know Julia,” I pointed out. “Miles needs someone to hang out with while he casually waits nearby, making sure I’m safe, should darkness happen to make an appearance.”

  “Good,” John said. “The possibility does exist that Elliott was murdered by someone other than Helms and Graves.”

  “Exactly,” Miles agreed. “If Julia is responsible, Anika will need my protection.”

  “If we didn’t promise our family we’d visit, I’d be tempted to stay here and tag along!” said Annette.

  “Me too,” John agreed. “Think they’d miss us much if we cancelled?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” she replied. “Besides, we’d miss our own after-the-fact wedding shower. We can’t cancel.”

  “We’ll call and update you on what we find out,” I assured them both. “We won’t make you wait until you get back.”

  “Bless you,” Annette said, reaching out to squeeze my hand, which made me laugh. “And now, Miles and I need to get to work. We’ve got a giveaway to set up, and not a lot of time to do it, since the bridal fair is Saturday.”

  “I’ll take care of updating the hotel website,” John offered, as we all stood. “I just need the details.”

  “Great,” Miles replied. “So do we. More than likely we’ll find what we need online.”

  “I’ll be right back with what I have,” Jenny said, heading toward the door. “I picked up a flier the last time I was at the mall.”

  “Once I have the dates, I’ll contact the hotel in Cedar Oaks,” Annette added.

  “And I’ll go to the bridal fair with the rest of you on Saturday,” Xander said. He looked disgruntled, but good-natured about it. “Unless of course, someone wants to trade.”

  “This is what you get for holding out for a wedding,” John smiled. “You should go, anyway. You’re the groom.”

  “That’s right, Xander,” Miles said, as we wended our way through the dining room and out into the lobby. “Besides, tagging along isn’t altogether an altruistic act. Should Anika learn anything from her interview with Julia, you’ll be right there to hear it.”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Xander said. Now he looked more enthusiastic than disgruntled. “Maybe instead of casually waiting nearby, we should stick with the girls. As the groom, I do have a responsibility to Jenny, after all.”

  Jenny laughed and shoulder bumped him hard, and he smiled and put his arm around her.

  “I’m sure that’s your only motivation,” she replied.

  “It’s one of them,” he said.

  “He’s telling the truth,” I pointed out.

  “Really?” Jenny looked up at Xander, although she didn’t have to look up much, considering she was gifted, rather than shorted, in the height department.

  “Well yeah,” I retorted, a little offended. “You think I’d lie about it?”

  Miles squeezed my shoulder, and steered me toward the office before I could say more. John and Annette walked along with us.

  I glanced over my shoulder and saw the look on Jenny’s face, and understood. It meant a lot to her that Xander wasn’t just going because he’s a good friend and Miles told him he was, or because he wanted to be there for breaking news, should there be any. He was going because he loves her, and wants to be involved.

  “I really do like my abilities,” I said with satisfaction, turning my attention to the way ahead once again.

  “So do I,” Miles smiled.

  Chapter 8

  Saturday morning dawned fair, bright, and not quite as early as usual. It was Saturday, after all. Besides, the mall didn’t open until ten o’ clock. There was no point in getting there before then.

  We walked the dogs, had a leisurely breakfast, played with our growing puppies, then met up with Xander and Jenny, and drove to the mall together.

  Miles found a parking spot, and we walked the short distance to the main entrance.

  Signs advertising the bridal fair stood at intervals along the broad walkway. Photos of smiling brides, modeling the latest in bridal gowns, shared the space with the promise of giveaways of all kinds. Gowns, tux rentals, flowers, cakes, reception halls, catering, honeymoon packages… and the list went on.

  “Ooh, there’s ours,” I said, and pointed to a sign with a photo of the Cedar Oaks Main Street, and our hotel. “Anyone who sees that is going to want to visit Cedar Oaks, whether they win or not.”

  “That’s the idea,” Miles agreed. “Generally speaking, anyway. We, of course, have an ulterior motive.”

  “Hey, did you find out anything about Phillip’s less immediate predecessor?” Xander remembered to ask.

  “Not yet,” Miles replied. “Jackson has a couple of guys looking into it.”

  “Jackson’s nephew could probably find out something if he asked around during happy hour,” Xander suggested.

  “Probably, since several of the employees within the group were already working at Intersect at the time. We’ll have to put someone else on the job, though.”

  “Why is that?” Jenny wondered.

  “Jack freelances,” I answered. “He isn’t one of our full-time PIs. He’s currently working another investigation, so he’s unavailable for now.”

  We arrived at the main entrance as the doors opened. Posters advertising the bridal fair hung from the walls, but other than that there was no indication that anything out of the ordinary was scheduled for today.

  Once we reached the main corridor, that all changed.

  The usual mall decorations were heavily plastered with tulle, silver bells, and artificial flowers. The kiosks stood aside, making way for all things wedding related. Several tuxedo-clad servers carried trays filled with bitesize cake samples, mints, and tiny cups of punch. Models, dressed as brides and grooms, strolled arm in arm. One of the couples stood underneath a rose covered bower, posing, as a photographer pretended to take photos.

  Two flower girls slowly marched to imaginary wedding music, scattering rose petals sparingly. Another, the youngest of the three, promptly turned her basket upside down and emptied it. Leaving a pile of petals behind, she called it a day and off
ered her services as cake taster, which made me smile. She filled her basket by visiting each good-natured server more than once, which made all of us laugh. Then, she settled on the steps surrounding the mall’s fountain, and carefully spread out her gauzy pink skirt. She crossed her ankles decorously, and had herself a little tea party, complete with a tiny cup of punch.

  “She is too adorable,” I declared, glancing back over my shoulder as Miles tucked my hand in his arm, and the four of us turned to follow the rest of the rapidly gathering crowd.

  “She is, and the best advertisement the bakery could ask for,” Jenny agreed.

  “The bridal shop too,” I added.

  “Don’t look now, but there’s your target,” Xander muttered quietly.

  “Even Miles isn’t likely to hit a target without looking,” I pointed out.

  “No, but I did manage to nab my cat instead of your book,” he reminded me, and I laughed.

  “She was so mad,” I remembered.

  “In general, or at Miles?” Jenny asked. “How would she even know it was him?”

  “I apologized. Profusely,” Miles replied. “I had no idea that would make me her target.”

  “Speaking of which,” said Xander pointedly, using his eyes to motion to the side. He came to a stop, so we did too.

  “Give us a minute, we’re establishing the appearance of normality,” I said quietly. “Just in case our target is watching. I can’t be sure whether she is or not, having been denied permission to look.”

  “Like that would stop any of you,” Xander said, rolling his eyes a little.

  “What do you think, Jenny?” I asked. “Wait for the awarding of the Cedar Oaks weekend-get-away packages, or go in?”

  “Why wait?” Jenny replied. “We’ll make ourselves familiar. If she doesn’t talk now, she’ll be more likely to later.”

  Miles looked behind me at the nearest shop window, which reflected the area around us almost as well as a mirror.

  “She’s looking at dresses,” he said.

  “Then this is as far as you go,” I replied. “It would never do for the groom to see the bride shopping for her gown.”

  “Alright. But first, check for darkness.”

  I looked around, and saw none.