by M. Z. Kelly
I gave her a moment, realizing there was something she was holding back. I decided to confront her with what my friends had told me.
“I need to ask you something,” I said. “We’re you and Jack Winslow involved in a relationship?”
Her pretty features tightened. “Are you kidding?”
I shook my head. “I need the truth.”
“Absolutely not. Did Mr. Winslow tell you we were involved?”
“Not directly. It was more of a rumor that I heard.”
Randolph’s beautiful violet eyes locked onto mine. “Let me set this straight. Jack Winslow came on to me when we were at the restaurant to discuss Owen. He’s a handsome man and he tried to kiss me and grope me. I made it clear to him that I wasn’t interested. If he, or someone else is saying we were involved, they’re liars.”
***
“You believe him?” Wade asked me after we left Meg Randolph and we drove to Jack Winslow’s restaurant.
“She seemed genuinely shocked and upset about what I told her I’d heard.”
“But, it does confirm that Jack wanted to become involved with his son’s teacher, a couple days after his wife went missing.” Wade glanced at me. “He strikes me as one of those guys who uses his power and looks to basically hit on anyone he can find.”
“There’s a name for that. It’s called sexual harassment.”
Wade nodded. “The guy’s obviously a jerk, but, if he was involved in his wife’s disappearance, what was in it for him? Why didn’t he just leave her?”
“Let’s go ask him.”
We met with Jack Winslow in a small office in the back of his restaurant. After settling in, he told us he’d taken a couple days off to scour the mountains around the area where Faith had gone missing.
“Find anything?” Wade asked. I had the impression my partner was doing his best to keep him voice even.
He shook his head. “What have you guys turned up?”
Wade looked at me, a signal for me to play bad cop. “Let’s start with the fact that you were cheating on your wife with her best friend, Joan Clausen.”
His eyes fixed on me, but he didn’t speak. He was probably taking his time to formulate a lie. He released a long breath, dragging a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Yeah, I won’t deny it. We did get together. Looking back, I guess it was because of what happened between Faith and Darren.”
“You knew they were seeing one another again, but denied it when we talked before. Why?”
He kept his head down, not making eye contact. “To tell you the truth, I was so angry about it that I didn’t want to admit it, even to the police.”
Wade said, “So, when you were in college, you steal Faith away from your best friend. And, when she sleeps with him years later, you pay her back by cheating on her with her best friend.”
I know it sounds bad, but...I was so upset with Faith that I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Upset enough to make her disappear?”
“No, I swear I had nothing to do with what happened.” He seemed to turn inward, ignoring us.
After giving him a moment, Wade said, “We also know about you being involved with Claudette Maxwell and your son’s teacher, Meg Randolph.”
Winslow’s beautiful eyes flashed with anger. “Claudette and I had a thing, but Meg and I never got together.”
“That’s only because she refused your advances.” My voice pitched higher with anger. “During a meeting when you were supposed to talk about your son’s problems, I might add.”
He rubbed her temples. “Yeah, I obviously have a problem.” He looked at me. “But that doesn’t mean I did anything to harm my wife.”
I locked onto his eyes. “Tell me something. Why don’t you believe your son is having problems at school?”
He took a couple of breaths, then looked at me. “He’s my only son. I guess I don’t want to believe he’s defective.”
“Defective,” I said, spitting out the word, unable to keep the disgust out of my voice. “The way I see it, there’s only one defective person in the Winslow family and I’m looking at him.”
Wade and I went at Jack Winslow, taking turns, pushing him hard. We accused him of being so angry with Darren Larsen that he had multiple affairs, until he finally snapped and murdered Faith. Despite that, he held his ground insisting he was innocent. I didn’t believe him, but as we drove away from the restaurant, I asked Wade for his opinion.
My partner put his phone away, saying, “Maybe he was telling us the truth.”
“What makes you say that?”
“A hiker just called our dispatch center. He found an abandoned partial mineshaft up in the hills, about five miles from where our victim went missing. It has a door that appears to have been broken open from the inside.”
I held my breath. “What about Faith? Did he find her?”
He shook his head. “No, but I think we now know what happened to her after she was taken.”
FORTY-THREE
By the time Wade and I headed into the hills with a forensic team, it was late afternoon and a steady rain was falling. To make matters worse, the small, abandoned mineshaft was located well off the main road. It took us the better part of an hour to get there.
Wade and I asked the forensic staff to wait while we climbed down into what we realized was a small room, the apparent remnant of a mine that was started but never completed. We then used flashlights to examine the scene. It was apparent that a trapdoor had recently been installed above the opening and someone had been held prisoner in the room for several days. There was a chemical toilet, with human waste, as well as food wrappers on the ground. After our cursory examination, we turned to the area over to the crime scene staff and waited while they did their preliminary analysis.
An hour later, Ian Simon, the supervisor for the forensics team, gave us their findings. “We have a positive match for prints found in the mine to our victim. There’s no doubt that Faith Winslow was being held here for several days.”
“What about other prints or evidence?” Wade asked as the rain came down hard on the tarp covering the mine shaft.
“We’re still dusting and processing things, but nothing so far.”
Lieutenant Sutton arrived a few minutes later and we updated him on everything, including our interviews with Meg Randolph and Jack Winslow. After learning the prints in the mine shaft were a match to Faith Winslow, Sutton mentioned Darren Larsen. “Did we ever get anything back on the security cameras from the Golden Gate Bridge?”
Wade answered. “The request has been made, but it has to go through channels. We’re in a bureaucratic holding pattern.”
“I’ll make some calls in the morning.” Sutton pulled his coat tighter as the rain pelted down and his gaze moved over the brushy hillside for an instant. “We’ve got teams standing by to search the surrounding area at first light. Our forensic people can handle things here. Let’s call it a day and pick things up in the morning.”
We were packing up to leave when Sutton thought of something and called over to us. “By the way, you both have a meeting at the station with that reporter, Jordan Knight, first thing in the morning.”
***
When I got home, I took a long, hot shower, then joined Natalie and Mo by the stone fireplace in the living room. Natalie handed me a glass of wine as Mo threw another log on the fire.
“We heard that Winslow woman was being held in a cave a few miles from where she was taken,” Natalie said. “Do you think it’s some kinda psycho killer that’s going to barbeque her when it stops rainin’?”
“I doubt it. How did you know about what happened?”
“It’s all over the telly.”
“Who do you think took her?” Mo asked, grunting as she collapsed in a chair across from me.
“I’m not sure,” I took a sip of my wine. “We’re still looking at several possibilities.”
“It looks like somebody wanted Ginger to disappear real bad,” Nat
alie said. “And, if you ask me, Gilligan was behind everything.”
“Or maybe the skipper,” Mo said.
“What are you two talking about?”
“We was stuck in the house all day ‘cause of the rain and watched an old sit-com.”
“Ginger would be Faith and Gilligan is Jack,” Natalie added, referencing the old TV show, Gilligan’s Island.
“And the skipper?” I asked.
“We heard Faith had an old boyfriend who was back in play,” Mo said. “Maybe it was him.”
I realized whatever source they’d been working had a lot of information about my case.
“I’m not sure about any of the suspects,” I said, keeping what I knew to myself. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
“I’m going out for a while,” we heard Natalie’s aunt saying from across the room. “They’re having a party Highclere Castle.”
We turned, seeing that Aunt Mattie was wearing a flowing beaded gown and Edwardian-era hat as she moved to the door.
“Don’t wait up for me,” she called out as she left.
“What in the hell?” I said to my friends.
“Fraid she thinks she’s the Countess of Carnarvon from that Downton Abbey show,” Natalie said.
“You think we should go after her?”
“Nah, it’s raining like a pissin’ cow out there. Let’s finish our wine.”
“Baby sis and me are thinkin’ ‘bout heading back to Hollywood the day after tomorrow,” Mo said after Mattie was gone. “We got us some work to do for that cretin Lance Worman.”
“We’re also missing Otto,” Natalie said.
“Have you talked to him recently?”
Mo answered. “Yeah, he still seems kinda down. We’re gonna make it a top priority to find him a guy, just as soon as we do our BS Challenge.”
“Don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind ‘bout that and want to join us?” Natalie asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Not in a million years.”
“What’s the latest with Grant?”
“He called me today and said he wants to get together when I get back in town.”
She studied me. “Don’t tell me you’re havin’ second thoughts.”
“Maybe.” I sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know how I feel. I’m conflicted.”
“Conflicted,” Mo said, looking at Natalie. “That means she’s ready to bail.”
“You don’t think you and Grant are a good match?” Natalie asked me.
“I’m not sure. He’s a little...”
“Nerdy?” I nodded. She went on. “I have it on good authority nerds make great lovers.”
“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts about Tex?”
“Nah. I’m on the prowl, looking for a bloke with good parts.”
“You mean like someone who’s an actor?”
She smiled. “Yeah, that too.”
“I’m also lookin’,” Mo said. “Me and Larry are on the outs.”
“What happened?”
She shrugged. “He said he wants his freedom.”
“Code words for he’s got someone on the side,” Natalie said. “Time to kick the bloke to the curb.”
We chatted about what we each thought would be desirable in a man for a few minutes, before the phone in our cottage rang. I went over and answered it.
“Oh, no,” I said after listening to what Dave Turner had to say. “I’ll be right there.”
I ended the call, went over, and got my raincoat and boots.
“What’s going on?” Natalie asked.
“It’s Mattie. She’s up at Dave’s house insisting that he move out of her castle.”
“Me auntie’s off her nut again. Let me get my coat and I’ll go with you.”
By the time we reached Dave Turner’s house, Natalie and I were both soaking wet. We found Dave on a covered area of his stone terrace waiting for us with his dog, Cruz.
He smiled and said, “Sorry about this, but...”
We turned toward the house as we heard music coming from the residence that I recognized was from the Downton Abbey TV show. I looked through the window, seeing that Natalie’s aunt was dancing around his living room with an imaginary partner.
“Let me get her,” Natalie said, the irritation in her voice evident. “I’ll take her home, give her a nightcap, and put her SNAP on.” She looked at Dave. “Sorry, ‘bout this.”
“No worries,” Dave said as she moved into the house.
I also expressed my regrets. “I think it’s about time Natalie’s aunt headed home. She’s clearly out of her element here.”
He chuckled. “I understand. I have an aunt who has some problems.”
We glanced through the window as the music ended, seeing that Natalie was chatting with her aunt.
“I’d better help Natalie get her home,” I said. “Sorry again about this.”
I was about to leave when he called after me. “If you’ve got a moment.”
I stopped. “Of course.”
He came over and his green eyes fixed on me, at the same time his voice lowered. “What happened last night...I want to apologize.”
Cruz was now at my side and I petted him. “It’s not a problem. I should have...”
“You should have,” he interrupted. “You were just being kind and caring, and I was being...” He sighed. “I was wrong.”
“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s over.”
He lowered his head, shaking it. “It isn’t. The truth is I’ve needed to talk to someone for a long time.” His eyes came up to me. “I want to talk to you.”
“Of course, but...I don’t want to impose.”
“Would you have dinner with me here tomorrow night? The weather is supposed to clear up and...and I’ll tell you my story.” He smiled. “I’d also like to hear yours, all of it.”
I’d only briefly touched on my family history the last time we’d talked, leaving out the details of how it had impacted my life. “I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”
He smiled. “You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”
I held on his beautiful eyes. “See you tomorrow night.”
FORTY-FOUR
“I have the test results,” the doctor said, handing Faith a ream of papers.
The images from that long-ago day flickered through her mind like a broken newsreel as she lay chained in her damp prison and slipped in and out of consciousness.
She saw herself studying the paperwork, then looking up at the doctor. “Are you sure?”
“I’m afraid there’s no doubt.”
Faith pushed the dream-like images back into the recesses of her mind, sealing them away as her mind surfaced like a diver coming up for air. She drew in a breath, her eyes slowly opening as she studied her surroundings. This prison was not unlike the other one, with heavy beams and ancient brick covered walls. There was a small window at the top of the room. Faith rubbed her ankle, managed to get to her feet, then tugged on the chain that held her. It was solid and ran about six feet to the wall behind her. It would be impossible for her to get anywhere near the window.
She slumped back to the ground, thinking about the man; the one that had tried to get her to sign what he called a codicil. She had refused, knowing that if Jack had control of the money her father had left for Owen, he would never see a penny of it. She didn’t care what the man did to her, she would never sign.
Her thoughts were still jumbled, but she knew she had seen the man somewhere before. But where? Was he someone who had been in Jack’s restaurant, or maybe from Owen’s school. She forced herself to concentrate, her mind tracing every contour of his face.
“Oh, God, no!” she said aloud as her mind cleared and she remembered where she had seen him. She had been teaching a class at the fitness center when he’d showed up there. At first, she thought maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but, as time passed, the certainty of who he was settled in.
Faith know understood who w
as behind her being taken. That certain knowledge filled her with both despair and certainty. She would die in this room. She had no doubt that the woman behind her kidnapping would see to it.
As Faith slipped back into the shadows of consciousness, the scene of her meeting with the doctor came back to her. She saw herself holding the test results, before they slipped from her hand and scatted to the floor. In that moment, her fate had been sealed.
FORTY-FIVE
I got up early the next morning and poured myself a cup of coffee. The rain had ended and the sun was beaming through the kitchen window. I was looking forward to having dinner with Dave tonight, but was also apprehensive about what he might say. I decided I would just need to listen and be as supportive as possible.
My phone chimed as I settled in at the kitchen table.
“Good morning,” I said, seeing that the call was from Joe.
“Hope I didn’t wake you, Buttercup.”
“I’ve been up for about a half hour. What’s up?”
“I’ve got some good news, for once. We got a tip that Harlee was staying in a house in Santa Monica. We raided the place last night and took her into custody. She had about a dozen weapons, some ammonia nitrate and a couple of detonators.”
“She was making a bomb.”
“We think she was planning to bomb downtown LA again, but, of course, she’s not talking.”
“That means you weren’t able to ask her about Daniel.”
“Fraid not.”
I let a breath out. “At least, you got her before anything bad happened. Where is she being held?”
“Metro Detention Center, but she’ll probably be transferred to a maximum detention center pending trial.”
“I want to talk to her, ask her about Daniel.”
There was a lengthy pause before he said, “I’ll ask Greer, but I can’t make any promises. It would also mean you’d need to come back here.”
“I can take a day and fly down there, if it works out. Just let me know.”
“Will do. Maybe we can have dinner.”
