The car door opened on the driver’s side. A figure slid out.
Jonelle’s breath caught.
A woman emerged from the passenger side.
Both sauntered to the Jeep and peered in the window.
Jonelle almost laughed out loud with relief. She didn’t recognize those people. No matter the reason for them being there she wanted them away from her vehicle.
“Help you?” She called out, standing next to the shoe store.
The young couple scurried back to their car and made a U-turn out of the mall.
Jonelle walked a few steps forward, and stopped. The only store that didn’t have an iron grate was Discount _hoes. She hurried to the back. Sure enough, each business’ door had their name stenciled on the outside.
Using her flashlight to examine the lock, she knew her picks wouldn’t do the job in the short amount of time she wanted to spend. Of all the shops in the mall, the auto parts store might provide her with something substantial enough to use to break in.
She searched all around the trash bins and came up with nothing. Even with the ragtag appearance of the mall, the shopkeepers were strangely neat. Jonelle aimed her flashlight at the lock and noticed all the scratch marks where it looked as if several attempts at breaking in had already occurred. Figuring the place probably had reinforced the lock from the inside, she gave up. She rubbed her head in frustration, angry at herself for what she considered doing. Couldn’t hide a kid in there, anyway.
Jonelle trudged back to the front, turned the air conditioning in the Jeep to full blast, found the loudest music she could and exceeded the speed limit on the way home. Better that than falling asleep at the wheel.
After letting herself in and checking to make sure Gracie’s bowls were full, she threw a few of the catnip mice in the living room to make-up for the guilt she felt for ignoring the kitten. “Sorry, kiddo. I’ll do better once this case is over. Promise.”
Jonelle pulled herself into the bathroom for a quick shower and afterwards wrapped herself in her softest nightshirt. She sighed contentedly as her head hit the pillow. “So tired of everybody jerkin’ me around. Wait’ll tomorrow. Just you wait.”
CHAPTER 50
Early the next morning, right after she’d had her second cup of coffee, the “Hawaii Five-0” theme announced a call from Piper.
She hesitated. Burt was first on her agenda, so she let the call go to voicemail, and immediately felt guilty. She wanted to hear what the kids had to say, so decided on a compromise. Not wanting to speak to him right away she called the main number for Burt’s division instead of his private number and left the name Reginald Tobias, his previous employment and telephone number, and added information about the Walmart RV. Before disconnecting she included the name of the strip mall and said she’d see him after she took care of another matter.
Not proud of the fact she deliberately omitted Maxine’s name, she didn’t feel guilty about it either. She wanted to deal with Lark’s babysitter herself.
After listening to Piper’s message, Jonelle drove to Tamora’s building to speak to the kids in person. The young woman’s message held a sense of urgency but didn’t go into any details. On the drive over she wondered at the abductor’s skill of keeping the upper hand, as if anticipating her every move. “That or my ham-handed approach is sending off warning bells,” she grumbled to herself.
All three youngsters waited out front while she pulled into a visitor’s spot. No sign of Watkins’ car.
“How come you didn’t answer?” Piper strode over to the Jeep and held out her phone for emphasis.
“Decided to come in person. What’s up?”
“We think Mrs. Watkins quit.”
Jonelle exited her Jeep. “What makes you think that?”
“’Cause she’s missing in action,” Fred said.
“Yeah. Vanished into thin air,” Grayson said, not wanting to be left out. “Poof.”
“When was the last time you guys saw Jelani around?”
The looked at each other then shook their heads in unison. “You think they’re together?” Piper asked, then answered her own question. “I don’t think so. She only kept him on because nobody else wanted the job.”
“You don’t know that for a fact,” Grayson said.
“I know more than you.” Piper placed her hands on her hips.
“You said you had something to tell me. That it was an emergency,” Jonelle said, jumping in to avoid an argument. “Let’s go around back and talk.” Without further comment, she headed to where the playground equipment and benches were kept. All three youngsters trudged close behind.
She perched on a picnic bench with Piper and Grayson on either side while Fred snagged a swing and dangled her legs in front. “I’m the one with the news,” Fred said. “I saw Lark yesterday.”
“You what?”
“She’s not really sure,” Piper said. “Fred only thinks she saw Lark. There’s lotsa little kids in here.”
Jonelle stared at Fred who contentedly swung back and forth as if relishing her time in a spotlight that didn’t often shine.
She waited for the redhead to say more. Instead, Fred kept swinging back and forth, higher and higher. Occasionally a giggle would emerge from her freckled face.
The urge to grab the swing and yell at the youngster to get on with it was almost a physical need. As if sensing her mood, the other two kept quiet.
After what seemed an eternity and with Jonelle’s blood pressure increasing the higher Fred swung, the youngster finally stopped and pointed a grimy finger at Jonelle. “You’re no fun. All right, I’ll tell you. I know where Lark is.” The youngster jumped off the swing, as if doing a gymnastic dismount. “Ta-da.”
When no one responded, she continued. “Saw her last night. In the basement near the storage room. She was by herself, I think, so I almost said something. But then this guy came out of the janitor’s office, so I hid around the corner. When I looked again, she was gone.”
Jonelle didn’t believe her but decided to play along. “Was it Jelani?”
Red Fred rolled her eyes. “If it was him, I’d ’a said so. Don’t know this guy. Never seen him before.”
“What time was this?”
“Don’t know, but it must’ve been a little before midnight ’cause that’s about when my mom passes out for the night.”
Jonelle glanced over at Piper who shrugged.
“It’s no big deal, okay? I get bored in that stupid apartment. So what?”
“Guess I should go check it out then,” Jonelle said.
“She’s not there,” Fred said quickly. “I already looked this morning,”
Jonelle suspected that wandering around late at night wasn’t the only odd thing about the redhead. She rubbed both hands over her face and mentally counted to five.
She leaned forward and peered into the youngster’s eyes. “See, here’s the thing, Fred. This isn’t a game. Never has been and, if you think it is, well, you’re wrong. I’m afraid for Lark. She’s probably scared being away from her mother so long, and she may be with people who might make her do things a child should never have to do. If you know something, you need to tell me now. Please.”
“I’m not playing games!” She glanced at her two friends, whose eyes studied the ground. Fred shoved her hands in the pockets of jeans frayed at the hem and worn through the knees. She, too, stared at the dirt on the ground. “I don’t want anything to happen to Lark, either,” she mumbled. “This morning, after my mom left, I went to the storage room, and nobody was in there.”
“Okay. Back to the guy, can you describe him?”
“Not really. Average looking I guess.”
“Black or white?”
“Black. I think. But coulda been mixed up like Grayson.”
Jonelle wanted to throttle the twelve-year-old. “You think? What’s that mean?”
Fred shrugged.
What the hell was going on?
“Are you screwin’ arou
nd,” Piper asked. “’Cause if you are—”
“I’m not,” Fred shouted.
Jonelle held her head in her hands, aware of three sets of young eyes boring into her, waiting for her to take some action . . . to do something, anything. But all she could think of was getting back into Tamora’s apartment where this whole mess began.
“Anybody know if Miss Maxine is home?”
“I knocked on her door a couple hours ago and didn’t get an answer,” Piper said.
“While we was waitin’ for you, Ms. Wright came up and demanded to know where Miss Maxine was ’cause she promised to watch her kid while she went out,” Grayson said.
Tired of ending up one step behind, Jonelle studied the trio. Somehow, they—whoever they were—were able to move Lark around without drawing attention to themselves. She didn’t think Grayson would say anything, nor Piper.
But Fred. Fred craved attention. Was it possible the redheaded twelve-year-old bragged about what she knew and tipped off the perpetrators whenever Jonelle closed in on their hideout?
“Where’s Lark?” Jonelle asked.
Fred shrugged, stepped back, and averted her eyes.
Quietly, but firmly, she repeated the question. “Where’s Lark?”
With green eyes wandering around the small play area, Fred picked at her forearms so aggressively Jonelle became concerned the youngster would draw blood. But this wasn’t about Fred.
“Tell me the truth. This has gone on long enough.”
“What did you do?” Piper’s voice sounded distant, even though she was only a few feet away. “If you know something about Lark, you’ve gotta tell Miss Jonelle.”
Tears flowed down Fred’s face. She hung her head. “I didn’t . . . do anything. I saw . . . stuff. More than I said before.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry.”
She plopped down on the ground and buried her head in her arms, sobbing.
“We don’t have time for your personal pity party,” Jonelle said, harsher than she intended. “Tell me everything you know, without lies, without making stuff up. Got it?”
Several seconds passed before Fred nodded, head still buried in her arms.
“I know where to hide around this place,” she said through hiccups. “Jelani never locked up like he was supposed to, so I can get in and out of rooms that no one else is supposed to go in. I hear stuff. Not only here. At the store across the street, too.”
Jonelle reached inside her bag and handed Fred a tissue.
“Did you see who took Lark that night?”
“No,” Fred yelled. “Honest. But I seen who put her in the storage room and when they took her right out again. They did that because of you . . . you poking around here. They said you screwed up the plan.”
“Who was it?”
“Mrs. Watkins and some guy. Don’t know his name.”
“What?” Piper yelled.
“You never said,” Grayson shouted.
Jonelle’s chest tightened. “Did you hear what the plan was?”
Fred blew her nose and held out her hand for another tissue. “They said something about everybody staying together so as not to mess everything up.”
• • •
She banged on Maxine’s door. No answer. She went across the hall and pounded on Tamora’s and got the same result. The lock picking tools lay at the bottom of her bag. It’d only take a few minutes to get inside both places. Before she could begin, her phone rang. She frowned at the unknown caller display and considered not answering. And answered anyway.
“Hey. Luther let me use his phone.”
Jonelle groaned upon hearing the voice she’d come to dread.
“Been asking around about the creeps at that video place and thought you’d like to know what I heard.”
“Thanks anyway, Riley, but—”
“Couple guys hang out there hoping somebody’d throw away something interesting,” she said as if Jonelle hadn’t spoken. “They stay around back, but they know who comes and goes in that place. One of ’em mentioned an older black lady.”
“Yeah, I already know about Lorraine Watkins. Thanks anyway, but—”
“Hey! Hold on. It ain’t that fat black lady. I met her and the description ain’t the same. I said older. More like . . . well it’s kinda hard to tell with you black people. You guys age really well.”
Her finger hovered over the end call button. “You got something to say, say it.” Damn. That woman could get under a person’s skin faster than the roadrunner harrassing that coyote.
“All right. Keep your drawers on. If I had to guess from what he said, I suppose maybe mid-sixties. He paid attention because he’d seen her before. Claims she’s trolling the streets looking for homeless kids. Little ones. At first he figured her for one of them do-gooders, wanna save all the poor unfortunates.” Riley snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Go on.” A thought bloomed in the back of Jonelle’s skull. It would explain all the children’s clothes in Maxine’s apartment.
“But she wasn’t handin’ out anything. She wanted the kids to go with her. Promised their moms lots of money, she’d take care of ’em, give ’em nice clothes, plenty to eat. She’d be like another granny until they got back on their feet.”
“Any mention of how she’d give them all this money?” Her stomach soured.
The excitement in Riley’s voice came through the line. “Yeah. Pictures. She wanted to take a few pictures. Claimed she knew people who’d pay a lot of money for certain kind of pictures of kids. You catch my drift?”
Several seconds passed while Jonelle pondered everything. “You got a name for this guy?”
“Yeah.”
A few more seconds ticked by.
“You gonna tell me or what?” Jonelle asked, her voice rising. One hand gripped the phone so tight she was afraid it would shatter in her hand.
“You oughta know names don’t matter out here. I gotta show you where he’s at. He did say the ole lady acted really nervous. Kept lookin’ around, scared like somebody was gonna grab her.” Riley chuckled. “My guess is you’re probably the one who’s got her spooked.”
• • •
Not much traffic flowed around Luther’s warehouse so Riley and Jonelle spotted each other at the same time. The woman had trainers on her feet, a different—and cleaner—cotton print top and jean shorts. Instead of the wild woman hairstyle, she looked as if she’d run a comb through the unruly locks. Riley waved for Jonelle to come closer. “I’m gonna kill her if this doesn’t pay off,” she muttered as the Jeep stopped at the curb.
As soon as Riley’s butt hit the passenger seat Jonelle asked, “So where’s this guy?”
“And a good day to you, too,” Riley said. She turned in her seat. “Drive towards the harbor. Look. I know you got a problem with me, most people do. But . . . I really wanna find this kid before anything bad happens to her. That is, if it hasn’t already. Truce?” She extended her hand.
Jonelle paused before grasping the offered hand. The grip was firm and dry. “Tell me something. Why’d you call? Not like we enjoy each other’s company or anything.”
Riley paused for so long Jonelle figured she wasn’t going to answer. And then she did.
“Because.” She looked out the window. Abandoned warehouses gave way to neat rowhomes. Several children played on the sidewalks and across the street a dirt covered playground sported a basketball court.
“When I was doing stuff for you the voices screaming in my head stopped . . . for awhile. The invisible bugs swarming up and down my body slowed down to almost nothing. I could fight off the urge to scratch until I bled. That good enough for you?”
Jonelle swallowed hard. “Where do I go?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
Riley peered closely at Jonelle, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. “He hangs around the Camden station.” She leaned against the seat and stared straight ahead.
Jonelle struggled with what to say. She didn’t like the
woman and knew the feeling was mutual. Yet they shared a common goal—finding Lark. Plus, Riley revealed something it must’ve been hard for her to admit. In spite of herself, Jonelle admired the woman’s strength. “I’ll cruise around, see if you spot him. You think he’d be, um, lucid enough to talk to me?”
“About as lucid as I am.”
“Great. Something to look forward to.”
Riley tipped her head back and laughed. “You might not believe this, but I kinda like you detective lady.”
“You got a weird-ass way of showing it,” Jonelle said.
Riley emitted a sound somewhere between a braying Mule and an agitated cow. She slapped one hand against the dashboard, mouth wide and revealing several missing teeth.
Jonelle tried, and failed, to keep from smiling.
They spent the rest of the way lost in their own thoughts. Jonelle drove around the front of the historic three-story red brick building with no results. “You wanna get out and see if he’s on one of the platforms?” Jonelle asked.
“Naw. Even if he had the money he don’t go there. If he ain’t out front you gotta check the streets nearby. Turn on South Howard.”
For a brief moment Jonelle considered if Riley was leading her on a wild goose chase. She turned where instructed. No one caught Riley’s attention.
“Try Eutaw or Paca. He hangs around there sometimes.”
Jonelle gripped the steering wheel. She decided to drive around for fifteen more minutes and if Riley didn’t see—
“Hey! There he is. Hey, Silas. Over here. Silas! Don’t pretend you don’t hear me. It’s Riley. I’m gonna cut you off if you don’t get your skinny ass over here. Pronto.”
The young man who turned at the sound of Riley’s voice looked as if he regretted his decision to stop. Jonelle wondered about the “cutting him off” remark as she pulled down a tree-lined side street off of Paca and waited for Silas to approach.
Tall, skinny and dark complexioned the young man sported blond dreadlocks that instead of making him look tacky made him look as if he’d stepped out of a trendy fashion magazine. She must’ve stared at him a little too long because Riley cleared her throat.
Five Minutes Page 26
