by Kathi Daley
“I suppose that’s true.” Heidi looked up when the bell over the door rang. “Silvia,” she greeted a tall thin woman who looked to be around fifty. “I have the alterations done on the dress you bought earlier in the week.”
“That’s perfect. I’m heading out of town for a conference tomorrow and really wanted to take it with me.”
Heidi turned to me. “Silvia Cornwall, this is Ainsley Holloway. Ainsley is a private investigator currently trying to track down the owner of a charm bracelet.”
“Nice to meet you,” I replied.
“Silvia is a counselor at the high school. I think she was here in nineteen ninety-six.”
Silvia nodded. “I started in the counseling department for Gooseberry High in ninety-four. Do you think you’re looking for a student?”
“I’m not sure.” I quickly shared the story of the abandoned baby who was now an adult and had hired me to track down the owner of the bracelet, who she believed would turn out to be her biological mother, while Heidi went into the back to fetch the dress.
“That’s both a sad and interesting story. I’m not sure a bracelet like that is the sort of thing that would be worn by a high school student in the mid-nineties, and I don’t remember any students being pregnant. I’m happy to take a look at your lists, however, if you think I might be able to help.”
“I’d appreciate that.” I handed her the lists.
She furrowed her brow as she looked at the highlighted names. “I do recognize a lot of names on both these lists, but as for the four names on both lists you’ve yet to track down, I’m afraid none seem familiar. I see that one of the charms is an ice cream cone. There was a girl named Naomi who worked at Bayside Ice Cream around the time you are researching. I don’t know her last name.”
“Does she still live in town?”
“No. I think Naomi was just here for the summer. There was a group of kids here for the summer. They stayed in those cabins over off Sunset Beach.”
“Kids?” I asked.
“I guess they weren’t kids, but they were young. If I had to guess, the lot of them fell into the eighteen to twenty age range. The cabins cater to folks who are in the area looking for summer jobs.”
“Is Bayside Ice Cream still around?” I asked, not recognizing the name.
“Actually, no. Not really. Bayside Ice Cream was owned by a woman who retired a decade ago and moved to Arizona. She sold the place to a man named Tony Trauner. He still owns the place. If the Naomi on this list is the same Naomi who worked for Bayside Ice Cream, Tony may be able to help you. Tony started off working for Bayside before buying the place and changing the name to Scoops and Sprinkles.”
I smiled at the woman as she handed my lists back to me. “I appreciate your help. Every little clue helps.”
“Happy to do what I can.” She paused and then continued. “I guess you must have heard about the missing boys.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid I have. I guess if you work at the high school, you must know them.”
“I know them well,” she confirmed. “All the missing boys are from families who’ve lived in the area for quite some time. I just can’t imagine what’s going on. First, there are all the changes, and then the boys go missing.”
“Changes?”
“Personality changes.” She leaned in a bit as if to share a secret. “I know that most folks simply chalk up the fact that the boys seemed to have been going through a rebellious stage to hormones and naturally occurring teen angst, and I suppose to a point, that might be true, but I feel like there was more to it. I’m not sure what exactly. It almost seemed as if someone got into the heads of these boys and convinced them that to truly be happy, they needed to defy their parents and make their own way.”
“I suppose that pulling away from parental influence is natural for fifteen-year-olds in general.”
“Yes, that is true. I guess I just noticed some commonalities between the three boys that I found odd.”
“Commonalities?”
“It started with Kalen. Kalen was always a nice kid, but he took it hard when his parents decided to split up. He dropped out of the sports teams he played on and began cutting classes. He started hanging out with a different group of kids than he’d grown up with. I was actually a bit surprised by how hard he was taking things since Kalen was the independent sort even before the breakup. After his dad left, he pretty much decided he was going to make his own decisions in life and began doing just that. Of course, not all the decisions he made were good decisions, so he ended up in my office most weeks for one reason or another.”
“So when a student gets into trouble, are they sent to talk to you?” I asked.
“Sometimes. It depends on the transgression and the motive behind the bad behavior, but yes, when a student is struggling, it’s not uncommon for them to be sent to talk to me. Anyway, like I said, Kalen had been a regular visitor in my office by the time Zane began coming around almost as often. I knew that Zane and his father hadn’t been getting along. Zane’s dad has always been harsh in his approach to child-rearing. I’m sure Zane never had it easy, but when he was younger, Zane had apparently figured out how to manage his father by avoiding certain actions, so it wasn’t too much of a problem. During the last weeks before he went missing, however, something changed. Instead of avoiding behavior that would set his dad off, Zane seemed to almost be egging him on by doing exactly the opposite of what he demanded.”
“Okay, so we have two teenage boys who are angry at their parents and begin to lash out. You mentioned commonalities.”
She nodded. “I first noticed Kalen using terms like personal power and one life. It sort of sounded like he had gotten ahold of a motivational handbook of some sort. It’s not unusual for kids around that age to begin to look inward for meaning, so it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility that Kalen had begun to think about who he was as an individual. I suspected at the time that the divorce had triggered that introspection. He went from being a kid who probably felt safe in an intact family to one who felt threatened when that family imploded.”
“I guess that makes sense. And Zane?”
“Zane’s life situation hadn’t changed the way Kalen’s had, although his sister did go off to college this past fall, and I think that up to that point, she served as sort of an anchor for him. Their father is strict and, at times, cruel in his approach to parenting. I think the two children banded together to get through things. Zane seemed to be the sort of kid who’d learned to adapt to his situation, but after his sister left, he began to push back, and his mother told me that she could feel him pulling away. What I found most interesting was that when Zane talked about some of the decisions he’d made, he also used the terms personal power and one life.”
“The exact same terms?” I asked.
She nodded. “The exact same terms. The use of the words personal power can be found in a lot of self-help and personal empowerment type books, but the term one life seems unique. Unfortunately, I didn’t really pick up on it until I went back through my notes after the boys went missing.”
“And Trevor?” I asked.
“Trevor is a smart kid. Brilliant, in fact. Lately, however, he’s had a hard time in school. It’s not because he can’t do the work, but because he’s refusing to participate. I spoke to Trevor’s parents about a private school for gifted students, but they didn’t want to move, and they didn’t want to send him off to board. Trevor is a good kid with a superior mind, but he’s also interested in doing what he wants to do. Still, he does generally seem to respect his parents.”
“So how does he fit in with the others?” I asked.
“I guess I should have said that Trevor has been a good kid who has generally respected his parents until recently. That all seemed to change a month or so ago when Trevor got it into his head that he was going to drop out of school and start his own video game company.”
I cringed. I hated to see a smart kid give up on having
a higher education.
“Of course, given his age, his parents were against the idea, but it seemed that Trevor had made up his mind, so he began cutting classes. I worked with his parents to find a solution to the problem, but short of following Trevor from class to class, there was little they could do to keep him in school. Still, they tried. They all met with me. They restricted his privileges when he cut classes and provided rewards when he attended. They did what they could, but Trevor had decided that he was old enough to make his own choices and was determined to do just that.”
“Let me guess. During your sessions, Trevor used terms such as personal power and one life.”
She nodded. “Those exact terms. Again, I wish I would have honed in on this as being a problem before the boys went missing, but I guess I was more concerned about finding a solution to the problem than I was in identifying the reason the problem existed in the first place.”
“So what do you think it means that all three missing kids suddenly started using these exact terms about the same time they began to act out?”
Heidi returned with the dress and headed to the register to ring up the charge for the alterations.
“I think that all three boys somehow came into contact with the same book or possibly the same person,” Silvia answered. “I think that the terms personal power and one life are concepts they were exposed to, and I think that all three were vulnerable enough to be drawn in.”
I narrowed my gaze. “So what does that mean? How would something like that lead to their disappearance?”
“I’m hoping this means that the boys formed a support group or secret society of some sort based on this book or motivational speaker. I’m hoping the boys simply took off to explore the concept of personal power and will eventually show up.”
I followed Silvia to the cash register.
“I hope that is true as well.” I paused while she paid for her alterations. “Do you think they will show up on their own?”
She shrugged. “I can’t be sure, but I think they might.”
After Sylvia left, I headed to Scoops and Sprinkles to talk to Tony Trauner. I had to admit that I was worried about the three missing boys, but I didn’t think I knew enough about any of the boys to actually be of help in finding them. Besides, Ellery was my client. She was counting on me to help her track down the owner of the charm bracelet, and that was exactly what I planned to do.
Chapter 8
Tony Trauner wasn’t in when I stopped by the ice cream shop. The woman working the counter told me that he’d be in on Saturday afternoon, so I told her I’d check back then. I had the kiddie carnival that morning, but I figured that if I hadn’t already solved the mystery of the charm bracelet by that point, I could stop in after my shift at the park.
Deciding to swing by the mini-mart where Olive worked while I was in town, I changed direction and headed toward the water. When I arrived, a woman who looked to be the right age to be Olive was ringing up an order, so I decided to wait. The view of the water out the front window of the little store was exceptional. I supposed there were worse places to work.
“Olive?” I asked after her customer left.
She frowned. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
“My name is Ainsley Holloway.”
Her frown changed to a smile. “Of course. You’re Jemma’s friend.” She looked around. “Is she here?”
“No. Jemma ended up with a project for work, so I came on my own. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. Jemma told me that you have some photos you’d like me to look at.”
I nodded and handed her the stack of photos I’d printed of the bracelet and the individual charms. “I’m looking for the woman who may have owned this bracelet back in nineteen ninety-six. So far, we’ve been able to identify the book as the charm given to those who reached the highest level of the reading challenge Brewster’s Books sponsored, and the shoe as representing the Bay to Boardwalk Run. I have lists of the individuals who participated in the run that year and the individuals who received the book charm.” I set both lists on the counter. “So far, I’ve spoken to Heidi Vargas, who remembered Nancy Bayberry. She mentioned that Nancy has since moved away, but she’s pretty certain that Nancy isn’t the one we’re looking for.”
“Jemma mentioned something about a baby.”
“Yes. My client was left in a church as an infant in nineteen ninety-seven. The charm bracelet in the photo was left with her. It’s her belief that the bracelet belonged to her biological mother. She’d like to track her down and is hoping we’ll be able to identify her with the clues provided.”
She looked down at the lists. “In addition to Heidi, Nancy, and me, you have Caroline Grant, Brandy Heffner, Rosalie Watts, and Naomi Potter highlighted.”
“Yes. All seven names were on the list for the run, and the list Kendra Hart provided for the reading challenge.”
“I was just seventeen in nineteen ninety-six, so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to who was doing what, but I do remember Brandy Heffner. She was my age and got married a few years later. She did have children, but not until after she married, and I don’t remember her being pregnant or leaving town for an extended period before that, so I sort of doubt that she’s your baby mama. She still lives in Gooseberry Bay, however, so I guess you can ask her about it.”
I smiled. “Do you know how I can get ahold of Brandy?”
She nodded. “Her name is Brandy Winfield now. She’s married to Matt Winfield. Matt is a licensed contractor, and Brandy takes care of the clerical stuff for his business. I don’t have her phone number offhand, but if you look up Winfield Construction, you should be able to track her down.”
“Thank you so much. I appreciate the help. Is there anything else you can tell me about either the names on the list or the charms?”
She took a second look at the photos. “The ship looks like one of those Navy ships that are sometimes seen in the Sound. There’s a shipyard in Bremerton, and it’s not unusual for Gooseberry Bay to play host to a slew of Navy boys on leave. I wonder if the ship is included to represent the baby’s father.”
“I actually did think of that. It occurred to me that Ellery’s biological mother could have met her biological father here over the summer. If he shipped out shortly after, he might not have known about the baby. If the mother was young, possibly even a teenager, she may have felt unequipped to care for a baby on her own, so she left her in the church.”
“Your theory makes sense up to a point, but if this young girl did end up pregnant and alone, why didn’t she put the baby up for adoption? There are a lot of folks looking for babies. She didn’t need to abandon her.”
Olive had a point. A good point. If Ellery’s biological mother was alone and afraid, why not make arrangements for her baby before she was born? Why would she leave her naked in a blanket the way she had?
I thanked Olive for the information she’d provided and then got to work looking up a number for Winfield Construction. It was already Thursday, and I really did hope to have this mystery wrapped up this week. After I located the number and called the business office, I explained to Brandy who I was and what I was after, and she invited me to come by her home. As would be expected for a contractor, the Winfield home was absolutely stunning.
“Your house is gorgeous,” I said after the perky brunette invited me in.
“Thanks. Matt and I took our time and made sure the home we built would be exactly what we wanted and needed for our growing family.” She motioned with her hand. “Please, do come in, and we’ll have a chat.”
After she showed me to the sunroom and offered me a seat, she asked if I wanted iced tea. When I declined, she asked what sort of information I was looking for. I share the story of my client and her unconventional birth, and then I explained how my client suspected the bracelet would help her find her biological mother and her desire to do so.
“Well, I can start off by letting you know that I didn’t h
ave a child out of wedlock, nor did I abandon a child in a church, so you can cross my name off the list.” She paused to really look over the remaining names. “Caroline Grant was a summer resident back in the nineties. Her family owned a vacation house in the area, and Caroline and her mother and brothers would come for a couple months every summer. I won’t say we were super close, but we did have interests in common. We both liked to run, and we both liked to read. We also both volunteered for several different events. The carnival and movie night and a few others.”
It sounded as if Carolyn checked quite a few boxes if she was involved in both the Bay to Boardwalk Run and Brewster’s Books Reading Challenge, and she volunteered for the movie and even the carnival. “So Carolyn would come for a couple months and then go home?” I asked.
“Yes. Carolyn’s family lived in Seattle.”
“Do you remember seeing Carolyn during the summer of nineteen ninety-six?”
“Sure. Caroline was going to be a senior the following year, and so was I. We were both excited about what the future might bring and sad to see our high school years coming to an end.”
“Did you see her in the summer of nineteen ninety-seven?”
She slowly shook her head. “No. I don’t think she came to Gooseberry Bay that year. I seem to remember something about a graduation trip with some friends.”
“And after that?”
“I do remember running into her a few times during the next years. Carolyn never came back for the whole summer like she had when she was a kid, but her parents still owned the vacation house, so she came for long weekends every now and then.” She paused and then continued. “I think the family sold the house after their youngest son graduated a few years later.”
The baby was abandoned in a church just north of Seattle. It was beginning to look as if Carolyn might be the woman we were looking for. Brandy had no idea how to get ahold of her at this point, and she had no idea if she’d married and changed her last name. Brandy suggested I speak to a woman named Valerie Craig, who still lived in the area. According to Brandy, Valerie had been closer to Carolyn than she’d been during their teen years and thus was more apt to have kept in touch with her after she graduated from high school. Brandy didn’t have contact information for Valerie but suggested that I look her up through the high school alumni association. Apparently, Valerie was active in high school sports as a booster. I thought of Silvia, who worked at the high school and decided to start with her. If she knew how to get ahold of Valerie, that seemed to be the easiest way to go about contacting the woman.
