“I already told—”
“So tell me again. Please.”
Maxine sat up straighter. “I heard Tamora leave. She was talking to someone, and before you ask, like I told the police, I don’t know who or what they were saying. I heard her door close and that’s that.”
“You didn’t look?”
“No. Told you my favorite program was on.”
“Do you have a key to her apartment?” Jonelle asked.
“I, uh, well yes. But only when she leaves to go to her night job. She gives it to me in case I need something in the apartment for Lark. I give it back when she picks up the child.”
“You give it back that night?”
“Yes.”
“You sure about that?” Adrienne asked.
“Don’t think I like your attitude, Miss.”
Jonelle shot Adrienne a warning look. “How many children are under your care at night?”
“They aren’t under my care. I’m mostly a babysitter.”
“Doesn’t matter to me if you’re licensed or not. I’m not a lawyer. How many other kids do you watch and for how long?”
“Four including Lark. And anywhere from two to five hours every night during the week.”
“What are their ages?” Jonelle asked.
Maxine cleared her throat before answering, “A three-year-old boy and two five-year-old girls.”
“What are their names?”
“You don’t need to know that,” Maxine said sharply.
“Who was the last to be picked up?”
Maxine shifted on the sofa. “It varied. Most times it was Lark. But that’s because Tamora knew she was safe with me.”
“Were you close to the other parents?” Adrienne asked.
A puzzled look crossed her face. “Close?”
Jonelle clarified. “Someone mentioned seeing a lot of children’s clothes in here. Since you only babysit children in this building, why the extra clothes?”
Maxine reached for her cup, her eyes drifting over to a small table that held two bottles, one containing a clear liquid, the other amber. Although Jonelle couldn’t read the labels, she assumed the first was either vodka or gin and the other whiskey of some sort.
“Maxine?”
“What? Oh, right. Well, in case they spill juice or food, they’ll have something clean to put on.”
“You don’t have keys like you do for Tamora’s place?”
Maxine’s eyes wandered again to the liquor. “I don’t go around visiting too many people. I got Tamora’s key ’cause she lives across the hall, so it’s easy.”
“Are these their own clothes, or do you keep stuff on hand just in case?” Jonelle asked. “That’s going above and beyond if you ask me.”
“Ain’t nobody asking you,” Maxine shot back. “We’re done here.” She folded her arms across her chest.
Jonelle mentally counted to five. Talking to Maxine was like trying to get information out of a guilty eight-year-old. “We’re leaving. Since you’re one of the few people around most of the time, I’m only trying to find out as much as I can in order to figure out how a child can vanish under everyone’s nose.”
“And I said everything I’m gonna say. See yourselves out.”
“In a sec. When I was here before, you said some of the kids indicated that Jelani made them nervous.”
“Oh, that.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Well, mostly he would stare at Fred. I mean . . . you’ve met her, right? Well, there’s nothing wrong with it, mind you, but, um . . .”
This time Maxine looked over at Adrienne as if wanting her to help out with what she wanted to say. Adrienne’s gaze shifted to Jonelle.
“You’ve lost me, Maxine. What about Fred?”
Maxine leaned forward. “I think she’s gay,” she whispered.
“Is that all?” The thought hadn’t occurred to her. “Why do you say that?”
“She don’t hide it. Dresses like a boy all the time. Real rough around the edges. The only reason she wears her hair long is that no-good mother of hers is too stoned most of the time to care about getting it cut. Don’t get me wrong, I like Fred. She’s real sweet under that hard shell, but, well, most people don’t want her associatin’ with their kids.” Maxine shrugged. “I guess they’re afraid of them catching the gay thing.”
Adrienne snorted. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jonelle cut her off.
“Did Fred or the other two, Piper and Grayson, have any contact with Lark?”
“Naw. They got that pet-sitting business and Tamora don’t have no pets. The only thing Lark likes is butterflies. A body can’t have a butterfly as a pet.”
“You know what’s curious? No one, including yourself seems all that concerned about Lark’s welfare.”
“What—”
“Everybody expresses their belief in Tamora’s innocence but no one seems worried about what happened to Lark? Why?”
Maxine’s eyes lingered on the liquor bottles.
The silence stretched for several seconds.
Something else nagged at Jonelle, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “Well, thanks for the information.”
Jonelle nodded for Adrienne to precede her to the door. She turned back to face Maxine. “If I think of anything else, I’ll be back.”
Maxine grunted her reply.
Next to the elevator, Adrienne said, “Nice lady,” in a voice laced with sarcasm.
“She’s a piece of work, that one. And here’s something else odd. According to the police report, the child’s father called the cops when he arrived at the apartment and found the door open and his child gone. So if Maxine heard the door close, how’d the abductor get inside?”
They rode the elevator in silence. On the main floor, Jonelle’s hand paused before opening the glass doors. “Now I know what else’s been gnawing at my brain. I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been concentrating on how the child was taken. You know, when, who heard what. That kinda thing.”
“So?”
“There are a lot of kids in this building, all ages, mostly black, but some white and Asian.” Jonelle paused.
“And your point is . . .”
“So the real question isn’t so much how Lark disappeared. The main issue is why her.”
CHAPTER 12
I’m goin’ crazy lookin’ at these four walls. A quick walk to the park won’t hurt anything. Problem is the kid is takin’ a nap and I don’t wanna wake her. If that happens she’ll want to play, eat, or worse, come with me. What’ll be the harm if I leave for a little while? Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the kid wandered off? I hum a little at the very idea.
I check on her one more time before I ease out the door. I forget to lock it.
It’s so freakin’ hot out here. With sunglasses on I pretend I’m a spy with a huge secret. I almost laugh out loud at how close to the truth that is. I pass a few women whose joggin’ clothes are so new, they probably just took the tags off this morning. When I do laugh out loud, they give me an odd look and hurry past. I head for a bench under a large tree before the old geezer coming from the opposite direction can get there. I ignore the dirty look he gives me.
The leaves block out the sun and I swear it feels a good ten degrees cooler. I take a few deep breaths. This is what the difference is between jail and freedom. I close my eyes and wonder about my possibilities. What if . . .
Somethin’ squeaks and I open my eyes. Here comes a lady pushin’ a kid in a stroller. The kid kickin’ his chubby legs and suckin’ on a thumb is almost as big as the child that I left sleepin’ on the couch.
When I get back I don’t need the key to open the door. And damn it all, the kids still there sleepin’. I pour myself a cold one and check messages. I stop drinking and listen. I hit play again. Someone originally balked at the kid’s age, but, according to my contact, after seein’ a picture of her, like the fact she’s light-skinned a
nd tall for her age. They say she might be a good fit after all.
CHAPTER 13
Instead of exiting through the glass doors, Jonelle pivoted and bumped into Adrienne standing directly behind. “Hey, watchit,” Adrienne complained. “Where’re you going?”
“I wanna check something out,” she said. “You stay here.”
Jonelle took the elevator up to the sixth floor, scooted around the back and walked up the stairs to seven. She tip-toed to Tamora’s door, knocked, and moved out of sight of Maxine’s peephole. A few seconds later she knocked again, louder this time, and slipped to one side. After the count of five, Maxine opened her door and looked out. Her eyes widened in alarm at the sight of Jonelle staring back at her.
“See, here’s the thing,” Jonelle said. “I don’t think you’re being totally honest with me. I think you make a habit of knowing who comes and goes on this floor.” Her hand knocked once more on Tamora’s door.
“And here’s the second thing. She’s not home. Maybe she’s not home a lot. And you probably have a pretty good idea about that as well.”
The surprise in Maxine’s eyes evaporated into a cold, hard stare. “Tamora is a good mother,” she said.
“Define good.”
“That child was always well-fed, well-dressed and—”
“And she left her alone frequently,” Jonelle interrupted. “How the hell is that ‘good’?”
Two doors down a door opened, and a young face peeked out. Piper stepped into the hall. “Oh, hi. Are you coming to see me? Hey there, Miss Maxine.” Piper scowled. “You okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Maxine slammed the door.
“Miss Tammy ain’t home.”
“I see that,” Jonelle said. “Do you happen to know where she went?”
Piper shrugged. “Naw. Don’t see her much at all, ’specially these days.”
“I’d like to meet your mother. It’s a little late, though, you think it’d be okay?”
As if in answer to the question, a woman appeared. The woman’s height and slight build gave no doubt she was Piper’s mother.
Jonelle held out her hand. “I’m Jonelle Sweet. I’ve been hired by Tamora Phelps’ attorney to help on the case. I can show you my private investigator’s shield.”
“No need.” She shook Jonelle’s hand. “Name’s Alexis Enruth. Piper said she met some PI lady. In fact, you were here the other day, right?”
“Right. I should’ve introduced myself, but at the time it didn’t seem appropriate.”
“And now it does? At this time of night?” After a slight hesitation, Mrs. Enruth invited Jonelle inside.
“Take a seat.” They sat in a semi-circle facing a large television screen. “I’d offer you something to drink, but frankly all I have is ginger ale and it’s too late to make coffee.”
Jonelle smiled at Mrs. Enruth’s no-nonsense attitude.
“Something funny?”
Jonelle shook her head. “No. I’m thinking that you’re the first person who seems to take the direct approach to things. Considering all the people I’ve talked to so far, I find that refreshing.”
Mrs. Enruth folded her legs under her on the well-worn couch. “I appreciate that, Miss. But it’s getting late, and this one”—she indicated Piper—“should be in bed. I’m smart enough to know that won’t happen as long as you’re here. So. Go on and ask me whatever questions you want.”
Jonelle hid a smile behind her hand. “Did you hear or see anything near Tamora’s apartment around ten or so the night Lark was taken?”
“Nope. Told the cops I got home around six thirty, the kids ordered pizza, and after a few beers I watched TVOne until around eleven and—”
“You fell asleep on the sofa, and I had to wake you up. As usual,” Piper said, rolling her eyes at her mother.
“Is it okay if I ask Piper questions as well?”
“Go ahead. Hard to keep her quiet anyway.”
The youngster poked her mother, who tickled her before returning the poke.
A slight twinge in her gut pulled at her. Jonelle ignored the feeling, wondering where it came from.
Jonelle addressed Piper. “Did you happen to notice the time when you woke your mom?”
“No, but it’s always the same. Right when the late news goes off.”
She looked from mother to child. “Can you both give me your impressions of Tamora and Lark? You first, Piper.”
Piper sat up straighter.
“Well. Miss Tammy is really nice. Dresses real flash. There’s always guys hanging around her apartment. Even Jelani.” She made a face at the name. “Though I guess he’s okay since they’re dating and stuff.”
Mrs. Enruth stared at her daughter. “And you know all this, how?”
“I see stuff in my business, you know.”
“Right,” Jonelle said. “I remember you guys telling me about your pet-sitting business when we first met.”
“Fidos, Felines, and Friends,” Piper answered with pride. “We’re gonna expand to include finding lost pets. Fred claims she knows of a cool way we could do that.”
“Back to Tamora, Miss Tammy,” Jonelle said, afraid of losing focus. “Can you tell me more about the relationship with Jelani?”
Piper glanced at her mother, who nodded slightly.
“We don’t know why she’s going out with him. He’s creepy.”
“Creepy how?”
“Once we went across the street for a slushy and, when we came back, caught him putting dog poo on the swings behind the building. Grayson yelled at him, and when he turned around he laughed and gave us the finger.”
“You never told me that,” Mrs. Enruth said. “Wait ’til I tell Lorraine. As the manager she needs to know these things.”
“Has he ever done anything to you guys?”
“Not really. He stares a lot. Especially at Fred. I guess he thinks she’s . . .” Piper shrugged and glanced sideways at her mother, who stayed quiet. “One time I thought I heard him call Gray a half-breed.”
“Have you ever seen him with Lark?”
Piper scrunched her face in concentration. “I’ve been thinking about that. Once when I went to the trash chute, I looked down the hall and saw him go into Miss Tammy’s apartment when she was at her second job.”
Jonelle leaned forward. “Do you know if Lark was home or with Miss Maxine?”
A slight shrug.
“When was this?”
“Not sure. But it wasn’t the first time. Once, mom told me to return a CD to Miss Tammy, and when I knocked on her door, he answered. I wanted to give it to her directly, but he said she wasn’t there. So I gave it to him.”
Jonelle frowned. “How did he get in?”
Mrs. Enruth answered. “He’s maintenance so he probably has a master key.”
“Right.” She turned back to Piper. “Did you see Lark?”
“Nope.”
“What about strangers? Anybody hanging around here that you two haven’t seen before?”
Both shook their heads.
“What about delivery people? Did you see any of them hanging around?”
Mrs. Enruth opened her mouth to speak, but Piper beat her to it. “They’re not allowed to come on the floors. They have to stop in the manager’s office.”
“Right,” Mrs. Enruth added, looking at her daughter with humor in her eyes.
Although Jonelle wanted to concentrate only on facts, she wanted Piper’s input on something else.
“I don’t normally speculate when I’m investigating a case, but I’m curious as to what Piper thinks might have happened the night Lark was taken.”
Piper began picking at her yellow cotton pajama bottoms. “Well . . . we kinda argued about that at the IHOP. You know, that day we met you. And. Well. Gray thinks somebody let a stranger in the building that wasn’t supposed to be here. Fred thinks Jelani has something to do with snatchin’ Lark and I, um . . . well, I really like Miss Tammy. Honest. But I think she dates too many men
, too fast. And, well, she coulda, by mistake you know, have pissed one of them off, and he came back to get even.”
Jonelle jotted down another note. Proceed with caution. “Do you or your mom have any, um, idea as to how many men we may be talking about here?”
Mother and daughter looked at each other.
“Well,” Mrs. Enruth began. “I don’t really know this for sure, but, well, you hear things, don’t you? I mean, people gossip and all. But . . .”
Another glance at her daughter. “Well, Tamora tends to date multiple men at the same time. At least that’s what I heard. And I also heard that her second job isn’t something a respectable person would do.”
“Plus,” Piper chimed, “they say that’s why Lark’s daddy left.”
“What about that second job?”
Langford’s file stated Tamora worked for some kind of medical company during the day. The only mention about the second job was that it was on call.
“That’s not what I heard. I heard something about . . . Only rumor. I shouldn’t even repeat it. Sorry.” Mrs. Enruth stifled a yawn.
She decided not to press the point. “Back to Lark’s daddy. I plan on talking to him. Have you met him?” she asked.
“A few times,” Mrs. Enruth said. “Nice guy. Shocked the heck outta me when I first learned they broke up. Now he’s got his life together and she’s, well . . .”
“Is it possible the daddy saw what was going on with Tamora and didn’t want his daughter living like that?”
“Naw,” Piper said. “’Cause why? I mean. He picks her up all the time, so he coulda just kept her. He wouldn’t do all this sneakin’ around.”
Out of the mouths of babes. “Good point,” Jonelle said. “Still. Maybe something triggered his extreme action, which is why I’m trying to reconstruct all of Tamora’s movements that day. I’ve already talked to Miss Maxine. And I want to talk to Tamora’s sister. Anybody else you guys can think of?”
Mrs. Enruth stretched and Piper yawned loudly.
“I like Lorraine but be sure and check her out,” Mrs. Enruth said, shaking her shoulders. “She don’t just sit behind that desk. Knows all and sees all, if you catch my drift.”
CHAPTER 14
Five Minutes Page 7
