The Missing Comatose Woman

by Sarah Ettritch

  “I did, I did,” Ellen agreed, nodding.

  Maybe Sissy hadn’t taken all that long to compose herself and go to Ellen. “How long did you wait for Mike?”

  Sissy’s brows drew together. “Oh, at least twenty minutes, maybe more. I figured he’d gone home, that he’d decided we didn’t need him to stay.”

  “Did they check the food at the party?”

  “They pumped her stomach and didn’t find anything bad,” Ellen said.

  Casey looked down at her empty Danish wrapper. If she hadn’t already finished it, the remains would be going in the garbage. “Did Jackie eat or drink anything that nobody else at the party ate or drank?”

  “Not that I know of,” Sissy said. “The doctor said it could have been something she’d eaten earlier that day, but they never explained the cramps, or the coma.”

  There was no point going back to the hospital, where Casey was persona non grata. She’d focus on the disappearance, rather than on the reason for Jackie’s hospitalization. Who had kidnapped her, and why? “You said you noticed tension between Jackie and her boss. Do you know what that was about?”

  “Nope.”

  Odd. She’d thought they were friends. “What exactly was Jackie working on?”

  Sissy’s answering gasp was so loud that it drew the attention of the couple at the next table. “I can’t tell you that. It’s classified. If a competitor found out…”

  “I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Sweetheart, when we agree to work for the company, we sign non-disclosure agreements that would make a lawyer’s hair fall out. That’s why I have no idea what was going on between Jackie and Mike. Jackie never discussed the details of her job with me. She wasn’t allowed.” Sissy pointed at herself with a long, manicured nail. “I’m an admin, not one of the scientists. Normally we don’t talk with the white-coats much, but Jackie had social skills, you know, and she never looked down her nose at the rabble. We got to talking on a smoke break one day. Oh, I don’t smoke anymore,” she said, in response to Casey’s disapproving frown. “I’m talking over twenty years ago, when Jackie and I used to stand outside freezing our asses off in the middle of winter. When we found out we both had daughters around the same age, we naturally became friends. But she never, ever told me anything that would violate her non-disclosure agreement.”

  “She didn’t tell me much, either,” Ellen said. “I found out she works on cat food because she brought home a sample for one of her old cats to try. I happened to be over that day. Projectile vomit everywhere. I wanted to rush him to the vet, but Mom said not to worry, and let it slip that she’d used him as a guinea pig. That was the one and only time she ever touched on what she does beyond that she develops cat foods.”

  Casey wanted to groan. A possible problem between Jackie and her boss was the only useful tidbit she’d gleaned over the last half-hour, but she’d put her chances of talking to Mike Hargrave at zero. This case was going nowhere in a hurry. “So you don’t know anything about her situation at work.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Sissy said, making Casey want to punch her. “I don’t know what she was working on, but I do know that morale was really low in her department. Not only that, someone was fired—well, laid off—a couple of weeks before the party. It was sudden. We all wondered whether he’d been caught stealing.”

  Could Jackie have ratted him out? Even if she had, kidnapping and killing her in retaliation would be a little extreme. “Do you have a way of contacting him? Do you think he’ll talk to me?”

  “I might be able to arrange that.” Sissy cleared her throat. “Kenny has sort of a thing for me. We’ve spoken on the phone a few times since he left. He insists he did nothing wrong.”

  “If you could put us in touch, I’d appreciate it.”

  “I’ll call him as soon as we’re done. If I leave a message, it never takes him long to call me back,” she said with a giggle.

  “Was Jackie seeing anyone?” Casey asked, grasping at straws. “Maybe someone she didn’t want her daughter to know about.”

  Ellen’s face tightened. “Mom would never keep anything like that from me.”

  “Anyone, Sissy. If I’m going to find her…”

  Sissy glanced at Ellen. “Nobody. There’s nobody.”

  “Are you sure?” When Sissy nodded, Casey said, “If there’s anything else you can think of that might help…”

  Sissy shifted in her seat. “Well…”

  “What?” Casey and Ellen said in unison.

  “I saw Jackie in the main security office a few days before the party,” she said, sounding apologetic.

  “Is that unusual?” Casey asked.

  “There are security stations all over our building, so there’s no need to go to the main office. Still, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, except…” Casey and Ellen leaned forward “…I saw her in there again the day before the party.” Sissy lowered her voice. “She was there when I was leaving, and I worked late that night. I don’t think she wanted anyone to see her there.”

  “Did you ask her about it?”

  Sissy shook her head. “Our friendship worked—works—because I didn’t interrogate her about anything related to her job. We talked kids, clothes, men, the usual. Not work.”

  Casey leaned back. If Jackie’s disappearance was related to her job, she didn’t have a hope in hell of finding her. It sounded as if the pet food company had more security than an army base and guarded its secrets more diligently than a spy agency. “I guess I’ll have a look through her purse now,” she mumbled to Ellen, who dutifully lifted the purse from between her feet and plunked it on the table.

  Under Ellen and Sissy’s watchful eyes, Casey emptied the purse by lifting the items from it one by one and placing each item on the table. When she was satisfied that she’d found every pocket, nook, and cranny, she surveyed the purse’s contents. A lady’s wallet. A daily calendar. Empty gum wrappers. Some loose change. Several pens. A phone. “Did the police check her phone?”

  “They didn’t find anything,” Ellen said. “Mom was a bit of a Luddite. She mainly used the phone to call me.”

  Since nothing else on the table leapt out at Casey, the purse was a dead end. “I don’t see anything that will help.” She moved to return the items to the purse, then stopped when Sissy suddenly shrieked, “Her notebook!”

  Ellen’s eyes bulged. She straightened. “You’re right. Where is it?” She snatched the purse away from Casey and slid her fingers into its side pocket.

  “I checked everywhere,” Casey said. “Are you saying there’s something missing?”

  “Her notebook,” Sissy said. “She never went anywhere without it.”

  “It was always tucked in here.” Ellen felt around in the side pocket again.

  “Jackie was always pulling it out and scribbling down ideas,” Sissy explained. “She didn’t have to worry about me or anyone else reading over her shoulder. I don’t think anyone except her could understand her handwriting.”

  “When did you last see her with the notebook?” Casey asked.

  Sissy’s eyes grew distant. “A couple of hours before the party,” she finally said. “Like I said, she was always writing in it.”

  “I didn’t feel right about poking around in her purse, or I would have realized it was missing,” Ellen said, plopping the purse back onto the table. “Okay, I might have borrowed a couple of dollars from her wallet, but I didn’t check the side pockets. I had no reason to.”

  Casey considered the possibilities. “Could it have fallen out?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Who’s had access to the purse, apart from the police?”

  “Just me, and it’s been locked away at home.”

  “What about the night she went to the hospital?” Casey asked Sissy.

  “I had it with me the whole time.”

  “Did you ever put it down?”

  “Sure, but only on the table next to my chair. I had my own purse
to worry about, too.”

  Maybe Mike had taken the notebook. “Did everyone know about Jackie’s habit of jotting down ideas?”

  “Yep, she did it everywhere.” Sissy’s voice dropped again. “She even wrote in it in the ladies’ room. In the stall.”

  Casey wouldn’t ask how Sissy knew that useless bit of information. She self-consciously wrote notes in her own small notebook, then flipped it shut. “Do you think Mike would talk to me?”

  Sissy drew back. “Talk to a PI? No!”

  It had been worth a shot. “Thank you,” Casey said to Sissy. “If you think of anything else…” Damn, she really needed to order business cards. “Let Ellen know. Oh, and don’t forget to arrange a meeting with your, uh, friend. The fired guy.”

  “I’ll call Kenny right now.” Sissy pulled a phone from her purse, punched in a number, and held the phone to her ear. “Hey, it’s me. Call me when you get a chance, okay?” She hung up and winked at Casey. “Don’t worry, he’ll call within the hour. What’s your number?” As Casey recited it, Sissy added it to her contacts. “I wish I could be of more help.” She dropped the phone into her purse and grabbed Casey’s hand. “You’ll find Jackie, right? I don’t know what I’ll do if we never find out what happened to her. How will we get on with our lives, knowing that Jackie is out there somewhere?”

  “Oh my god, Mom,” Ellen wailed. “Where are you, where are you?”

  Sissy let go of Casey’s hand and took Ellen in her arms. “Don’t lose faith, Ellen. Don’t lose faith.”

  Jesus, talk about pressure. Could she live with herself if she didn’t find Jackie? When they visited the spa, they’d better leave with a solid lead or two, because Casey was running out of questions to ask and avenues to explore.

  *****

  Grateful that Sissy had come through and set up a meeting with the fired employee, Casey walked up the path to Kenny’s house and rang the doorbell. She tried not to stare directly into the peephole as she waited. A deadbolt clicked, then the door swung open.

  “Hi, you must be Casey.” The man who held out his hand was at least ten years Sissy’s junior.

  Casey smiled and pumped his hand. “That’s me.”

  “Come on in.” He led her into a bright, airy living room and turned off the video game paused on the widescreen TV. “Want a drink?” he asked, motioning for her to sit down.

  She chose the chair across from his obvious playing spot on the sofa. “No, thanks, I won’t be staying long.”

  He moved a gamepad from the sofa to the coffee table and sat down. “So Sissy told you about me, eh?”

  Casey nodded.

  Kenny stretched his arm across the back of the sofa. “Does she talk about me much?”

  “I don’t really know her,” Casey said, her slight apprehension about meeting him alone in his house going out the window. He had eyes for one woman, and one woman only. “I’m working for Ellen Myers, Jackie Rose’s daughter.”

  “Yeah, Sissy mentioned that.”

  “When she told me you were fired—”

  “Laid off,” Kenny said, wagging his finger. “And anything you’ve heard about me stealing is bullshit. Look.” Leaning forward, he lifted a pile of papers from the coffee table and held them toward Casey.

  She slid to the edge of her chair, then rose when she realized the sheets were out of reach. Back in her chair, she scanned the top sheet. “These are your termination papers.”

  “Right. And if you read through them, you’ll see there’s no mention of stealing. That’s just a vicious rumour Jim started. He noticed that Sissy and I were growing…close, so when I was laid off—boom, he moves in and starts spreading lies.” Kenny moistened his lips. “Didn’t work, though. Sissy didn’t turn her back on me and run to him, like he expected.”

  Cripes, it sounded like Sissy was the stud magnet at work.

  “Them laying me off was bullshit, too. Downsizing, my ass. If they’re downsizing, why was I let go instead of Dan? He’s only been there a couple of years.”

  Casey skimmed Kenny’s papers as he droned on. Yep, it did say they’d let him go because they were reorganizing and didn’t have another suitable position for him. Kenny had a good point. Why him?

  “If they’re strapped for cash, why all the new hires? Not long before I was laid off, there was one guy who’d just joined the canine development department, a new gal in admin, and a new security guard.”

  Casey perked up. “Security guard?”

  Kenny nodded. “Yeah, and according to Sissy, the guy didn’t stick around very long. Maybe he was laid off, too. Good riddance. Kept telling me to stop using the fire exit that led right to where my car was parked. I’d used it for years before that asshole came along.”

  “Did he leave before or after Jackie collapsed?”

  “I don’t know.” Kenny scratched his cheek. “After, I think, but I’m not sure.”

  “Is there a high turnover in security?”

  Kenny shrugged. “How should I know? Like I said, I only noticed the guy because he was so anal. What’s the big deal about the security guard?”

  She was probably trying to see connections that weren’t there. “If you don’t believe the reorganization reason they gave you, why do you think they let you go?”

  “I pissed someone off. Problem is, I don’t know who. But they were clever. They couldn’t fire me, so they reorged my ass out of the department, instead.”

  If that was true, it had to be Mike Hargrave or one of his superiors. “Can you tell me anything about Jackie’s work? Or about the problems in the department?”

  Kenny’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sure Sissy mentioned the non-disclosure agreement.” He pointed at the paper pile on Casey’s lap. “Hell, I’m not even supposed to show you those, but for Sissy…”

  Casey suppressed a snort, then wanted to kick herself. He hadn’t set up this meeting to help her. He wanted to further his cause with Sissy and find out what Sissy was saying about him. She’d give him a point for backing up his doubts about his dismissal with paperwork, but he’d better have more for her than that. “You sure you don’t know who you pissed off? Did anything strange happen at work before you left?”

  Kenny scrunched up his face. “Nope. In fact, things were going well. I’d been putting in extra hours working on our next formula. I deserved a raise, not the boot.”

  “So you were going in early—”

  “No, working late. I’m not a morning person.”

  Had he seen something after hours that he wasn’t supposed to see? Her gut told her that Kenny had just told her something important. Then again, it could be the tortilla she’d had for lunch. “When you were working late, did you see anyone who wasn’t supposed to be around?”

  “Nope. Just people in our department.”

  “Did anything weird happen?”

  “Nope.”

  Maybe it was the tortilla. “Do you know if Jackie had any health problems? Food allergies, maybe?”

  “She kept to herself. Well, she was good friends with Sissy, but everyone likes Sissy.”

  Apparently. Casey let out an exaggerated sigh. “I was hoping you could tell me something that would help me find Jackie. Sissy’s really upset over this. Really, really upset. She’ll be so grateful to anyone who gives me the information that cracks the case.”

  “Grateful, eh?”

  “Really, really grateful.”

  Kenny rubbed his lower lip. “You might want to speak to Donna Wilkins. She’s Mike’s boss.”

  “What good would that do? I’m sure she signed the same non-disclosure agreement you did.”

  “She’s a gossip. She won’t divulge company secrets, but she might let slip a few details about the office politics in our department.”

  “Or you could just tell me.” Casey moved the papers to the coffee table and leaned forward. “Nobody will know you said anything.”

  Kenny shook his head. “I’m on shakier ground than Donna. That fat severance I got? If I
violate the agreement in any way, shape, or form, they can ask for it back. I’m not risking it. I need the money. Got a nice getaway planned for me and Sissy. A surprise.”

  It would certainly be a surprise for Sissy. “I wouldn’t rush it,” she said. “I’d ask her to dinner first. Get to know each other a little more, outside of work.” Give Sissy a chance to figure out whether she wanted to do more than flirt with Kenny on the phone.

  He almost leapt off the sofa. “Did she drop a hint about dinner?” He stared at her, his muscles taut.

  “A subtle one.” Not saying anything at all was about as subtle as one could get. “Sissy’s the sort that would like to be wined and dined for a while.” Or maybe Casey was projecting. “At least tell her in person about the getaway.” He remained motionless. She could hear his wheels turning. “Anyway, getting back to Donna, I’m sure her lips are only loose with her work colleagues.”

  “Nah, she loves to dish. She won’t give away anything important, but you’re not interested in food formulas, anyway.”

  “How am I supposed to even talk to her?”

  “This is where you owe me. Big. This is what I want in ret—”

  “Make sure Sissy knows you helped me out. Deal. Now, spill.” Casey folded her arms.

  Kenny smirked. “Donna’s into cats. She’ll be showing one of her best at the annual dog and cat fair next weekend. Kills two birds with one stone. Shows the cat, talks up the food. Drop in on her there, compliment her feline, and get her talking.”

  Casey had never understood cat shows. Cats were supposed to be independent, aloof, have attitude. No respectable cat would fawn for an audience, especially when its owner wanted it to. But she could think of worse field trips than traipsing around a cat and dog show for an afternoon. “You mean the show at the downtown convention centre?”

  “That’s the one,” Kenny said with a nod. “You want a ticket? I scored a bunch of complimentary ones a couple of days before they axed me.”

  “Not to be greedy, but can I have two?”

  “Why not?”

  “Great.” She’d take Gran. The role of doting granddaughter might earn her trust points.