by Rose Pressey
“Ladies, don’t fight over him. He’s sitting by me,” Dorothy said with a wide smile.
We sat at the table close to the window. When I’d purchased this red dress I’d hoped to wear it to a fabulous restaurant or maybe dancing. Playing Bunco hadn’t been on that list of things to do. Dorothy smiled widely as she placed the cards in front of us. As long as Dorothy was having a good time, that was all that mattered. There would be other nights for fancy restaurants.
Jake sat beside me and across from Dorothy. Needless to say I got a few bad looks from the other ladies.
We started the game and everyone was having a good time. Jake won the first game. I silently questioned whether it had been fixed to let him win.
“You’re suspiciously good at this,” I whispered.
Jake smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. When I glanced over, the ladies were paying more attention to Jake than they were to the game. I could have yelled fire and they probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“No wonder you don’t win, Maggie, you don’t pay attention,” Dorothy said.
It was hard for me to concentrate anyway. There were too many things on my mind. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. The bushes right outside the window moved. Was there some kind of animal out there? No one else seemed to notice. Then I saw what I thought was the top of someone’s head.
“What was that?” I asked.
“What was what?” Jake glanced up from his card.
“I thought for sure I saw someone outside the window.” I pointed.
Jake glanced out the window. “It was probably just a bird.”
Within seconds we knew differently. The person moved again. The head peeked up over the window sill and then I saw the eyes. Cora was peering into the room. What was she doing? Jake jumped up from the chair and hurried toward the door. I leapt up from my chair and hurried after Jake. I hadn’t expected to see someone peeking in like that. I was surprised that no one else had noticed Cora yet. They would have screamed like crazy if they had. I was pretty sure that Cora had realized I’d seen her. She had a lot of explaining to do. Maybe she was just looking for me and confused on how to get in. Yeah, the door would have been a good start.
“What’s happening?” Dorothy asked as she rushed behind me.
Jake opened the door and dashed outside. Within seconds, I was outside with Jake. My client was running away from the building. Jake took off after her. I sprinted after both of them. After a few seconds of running I remembered that I was really bad at any activity that involved moving my legs quickly. Would I really be able to catch up with them anyway? What if there was danger and Jake needed help? Ugh. Just when I’d thought of quitting. Now I pushed my legs even harder.
They turned around the side of the building and out of my sight. I pushed more and finally reached that corner. Jake and Cora were nowhere in sight. Which way had they gone? I stopped and tried to catch my breath.
“What are you doing?” a little voice whispered.
I screamed and spun around with my arms out ready to fight.
Dorothy’s eyes widened. “Maggie Thomas, don’t scare me like that.”
“Dorothy, don’t sneak up on me like that.” I tried to steady my nerves.
“What are you doing back here?” Dorothy asked.
“I can’t find either of them,” I said.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s keep looking for them.” Dorothy marched ahead of me.
“This place is a lot bigger than I thought,” I said as we headed around the back.
We’d almost made it all the way back to the front entrance. I was really starting to worry now. A few more steps and I stumbled. My heel was stuck in the grass. I reached down and plucked it from the earth.
“For heaven’s sake, who ever heard of wearing heels to play Bunco?” Dorothy said with a click of her tongue.
I stared at her for a moment. “You wouldn’t let me stop and change, remember?”
“Oh, pish posh,” she said with a wave of her hand.
It was hard enough racing around this building in these shoes. A little farther and we had almost made it back to the front. I thought I heard someone shouting. I stopped in my tracks and held my hand up, motioning to Dorothy to pause. Was that Cora and Jake? Maybe she was fighting with him? What was I waiting for? I had to go help him. A few people stood around and watched us.
“They’ll probably call the police,” Dorothy said.
"The police are already here, so let them call,” I said.
I looked around to see if there was anywhere Cora could hide. Even if there was a place to hide I didn’t understand why she would. There were cars parked in the lot, and lots of tall shrubs for her to hide behind.
“What are you doing?” a male voice whispered.
Dorothy and I screamed at the same time. We turned around to find Jake right behind us.
He chuckled. “Did I scare you?”
“Just a little,” I said, clutching my chest. “What are you doing back there?” How long had he been following us?
“Did you find Cora?” Dorothy asked.
Jake shook his head. “She managed to slip away. Maggie, do you know why she was here? More importantly, why she was peeking in the window?”
“I have no idea,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Dorothy, but I’ll have to take a rain check on the Bunco,” Jake said.
“Oh, dear, the ladies won’t be happy, but if you have to go,” she said.
Jake focused his attention on me.
“Where are you going?” I asked. Wasn’t he going to look for her?
“Maggie, do you want to come with me?” Jake asked.
“You didn’t tell me where you’re going,” I said.
“To her house,” he said.
“In that case, yes, I think I need to go. I have to warn you though, I doubt she’s there.”
“We have to check anyway,” Jake said.
We walked around to the front of the building.
“Are you sure she isn’t around here somewhere?” Dorothy asked.
“If she is then she’s hiding in a great spot,” Jake said.
“I don’t understand why she came here,” I said.
“That woman is an odd duck,” Dorothy said.
“Are you ready?” Jake gestured toward his car.
“I’ll call you, Dorothy,” I said.
“The ladies won’t be happy about this,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Send them my love.” Jake waved.
Dorothy went back in to break the news to the ladies.
“Be careful,” she called out as we walked toward Jake’s car.
“Always,” I said with a wave.
Jake scoffed.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“You, always careful? Now that’s funny.”
I rolled my eyes. A chorus of boos came from the building. I assumed Dorothy had broken the news to the ladies.
“Your fans are upset,” I said with a laugh.
Jake chuckled.
Jake held the door open for me and I slid onto the front seat. He rushed over and got behind the wheel.
“Did you see where she went while you were chasing her?” I asked.
“I lost sight of her when she ran around one of those tall bushes. Who knew she could move so fast,” he said as he pulled out onto the road. She does have long legs. I suppose that helps,” I said.
“Her behavior is certainly strange,” Jake said.
“It is odd,” I said.
Within a short time Jake and I arrived at Cora’s house. “If she happens to be here, you should let me talk to her. I don’t think she’s your biggest fan,” I said as I opened the car door.
Jake touched my arm to stop me from getting out. “What exactly are you going to say to her?”
“I’ll ask her why she was peeking into the window like some kind of weirdo.”
Jake chuckled. “Sounds like a good way to start a conversatio
n. I just don’t want her to talk her way out of this.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “With me?”
“Right. What was I thinking? Do you really believe her when she says she didn’t kill her husband?” Jake asked.
“Absolutely,” I said through a forced smile.
Honestly, I didn’t know what I believed.
He studied my face for a moment. “Okay, let’s see if we can find her.”
Jake and I got out of the car and headed up the drive for her front door. I surveyed the surroundings to see if anyone was watching us. There was no car in the driveway, but I really didn’t think she had run all that way. I guess it wasn’t too far, but she wouldn’t have gotten here before us.
“Maybe we should wait around if she isn’t here. We can see if she shows up,” I said.
“That’s a possibility,” he said.
A guy standing in his driveway three doors down was watching us.
“I wonder if he saw anything,” I said.
“You’re very observant, aren’t you?” Jake asked.
“I have to stay on my toes. You never know when danger can be lurking around the corner,” I said.
“You’re right about that,” Jake said.
Jake and I moved up the steps to the front door. I pushed the doorbell and then rapped my fist against the door. It moved ever so slightly.
“The door’s open,” I whispered.
Jake pulled his gun from its holster and motioned for me to stay put. I’d let him go first since I didn’t have my gun with me, but I wouldn’t stay put for long. I should have known I’d need my gun at Bunco. Jake moved around me and inched the door open a little more with his foot.
“Hello?” he called out. “Is anyone home?”
Of course there was no answer. He opened the door more so that he could enter the home. My heart beat faster. Maybe whoever was after Cora had finally caught up with her? Jake stepped into the house with his gun drawn. I followed along behind him, staying close to his body as we eased through the foyer.
“Maggie, I thought you were staying on the porch,” Jake whispered.
“I came to help you and that’s what I’m doing,” I said.
He couldn’t fault me for that. I supposed he thought the same thing because he didn’t respond.
The foyer led into the living room. The sofa had been tipped over. Chairs lay on their sides and the coffee table was broken. This didn’t look as if it would end well for Cora. Possibly us too. Was someone still in the house? This was a big difference from how she’d left her how before.
“There is definitely something wrong. It was so neat before,” I said.
Anxiety set in. It looked as if there had been a fight. Maybe that was why she had been looking for me. Jake had to admit this looked suspicious. Was someone here looking for something? Were they still in the house? I hoped not.
“Stay with me,” Jake said as we moved further into the house.
My legs shook as we moved through the living room and into the dining room. The condition of this room was as bad as the living room. The table was on its side and the chairs as well. We still had to check the kitchen and the bedrooms. I followed Jake through the house as if we were attached. I knew danger could pop up at any moment so I was on guard and extremely anxious. In the kitchen cabinet and drawer doors were all open. Even the refrigerator door had been left ajar. I was glad Jake didn’t look over his shoulder at me. My face surely showed my worry. I wanted him to think I was tough and in control. The reality was any dangerous situation made me nervous. Nevertheless, I hid the anxiety and got the job done. Being tough all the time simply wasn’t possible.
When we reached the bedroom Jake looked for any signs that Cora was in the room. I left his side for a moment while he went into the bathroom to check. I moved over to the closet. There was something odd about it.
Jake stood beside me now. “There’s no sign of her. I can’t see any evidence of a struggle. It almost looks as if someone was searching for something.”
“This closet doesn’t exactly look like it would be her closet. There’s nothing here.” I gestured. Jake peered into the closet.
“Do you think she took clothing with her?”
I nodded. “I don’t know how long ago she might have left, but it looks as if she was taking a trip. Of course she told me that she was hiding out. This seems like much more than that though. If I was on the run from someone I would toss a few things in a bag and go. This seems more as if she was moving out for good.”
“Did she mention the men who had been following her?” I asked.
“Yes, she mentioned it. I never saw any sign that someone was actually following her. Did you?” Jake asked.
“Well…” I thought for a moment. I had to remember she was still my client. “Something was definitely wrong,” I said, avoiding answering the question.”
He probably noticed that I didn’t answer, but he didn’t mention it.
“Well, she’s not here. And we don’t know if she was harmed when someone broke in. I’ll call for backup so they can check everything out.” Jake pulled out his phone.
I stared at the closet for a moment longer. What else would a woman take if she knew she was either never coming back or not returning for a long time? I would say jewelry, but if that was missing it could be just because someone had stolen the items. It didn’t look as if anyone had stolen anything. There was a TV and other items right out in the open. Wouldn’t they take valuable items? I studied the clothing hanging in the closet. I tried to decide if anything was missing. There were far fewer clothes handing in there than I expected. Cora had always been dressed fabulously, so I figured she had a lot of clothing. I thought there had to be a good number of clothing missing. I looked around to see if I spotted any luggage. There was none.
Jake had stepped out into the foyer to place the call. I decided to get out of the room and join Jake in the foyer. As I glanced back one more time, I spotted something on the disheveled bed. The comforter and pillows were tossed about and it wasn’t the way I figured it would look just by sleeping on it. Was someone looking for something under the bed? Maybe they had been looking for something hidden under the mattress. They could have been looking for money. I needed to look under there myself. However, the thing on the bed had caught my eye. A piece of paper lay on the top. That was odd and out of place. I walked over to the bed and peered down at the paper.
We have her. If you want her back it will cost you.
I couldn’t believe what I’d found. I rushed out to Jake. He was still on the phone. This was important so I waved my arms to get his attention.
He frowned. “I need to call you back.” He ended the call. “What’s wrong?”
I thrust the paper toward him. “I found this note on the bed.”
Jake took the paper from me and quickly scanned it. “This certainly changes things, doesn’t it?”
I nodded. “It changes things a lot.”
There was still something odd and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“We’ll do everything we can to find her.”
“Who do they think will pay the ransom?” I asked.
Who had they expected to find the note? They couldn’t expect the police would pay a ransom.
“That’s a good question,” Jake said.
Sirens sounded outside and Jake and I met the officers at the door. Jake was talking with the officers. Dorothy was texting, wanting to know what was happening. I hadn’t filled her in on all the details yet. It didn’t bode well for my private investigator skills when my client went missing. I had tried to call Cora’s phone several times since seeing her at the building. Of course she hadn’t answered. I still couldn’t believe that she had been kidnapped in the short time since we’d seen her at Dorothy’s.
When I spotted Abby heading down the driveway toward the front door I sighed. I knew she would be here, but a small part of me wondered if she wouldn’t come this time. She was Jake’s partner
though and I had to come to turns with the fact that she would arrive on the scene of a crime. She glanced at me and I knew she was thinking ‘what has she done this time.’ I wasn’t responsible for this.
Had Cora been taken before that and she’d come to me for help? Maybe when she saw Jake she’d decided to run away. I went back over the scenario in my mind. She’d told me she was hiding, but then someone had left a note that they’d taken her? If she’d gotten away, then how had she ended up at Dorothy’s? Wouldn’t she have found a way to get in touch with me by now?
I watched as the police walked in and out of her home. I had a feeling that they would be here for a while. I had work to do, like finding my missing client. Even though I needed to head out, I couldn’t ask Jake to leave just yet. He seemed as if he was totally immersed in this scene. Would Jake be upset if I left without him? I hoped not because I had already arranged for a ride back to my car.
Speaking of which, the Cadillac pulled up to the curb behind the line of police cars. I was just going to find Jake and tell him I was leaving when he walked out of the house. His gaze quickly settled on Dorothy’s boyfriend’s car. Dorothy and Morton were standing behind the police line, waving frantically for me to come over. I held up my hand, indicating that I would only be another minute.
“I know you’re busy here, so I thought I would get a ride with Dorothy and Morton.”
I knew the look on Jake’s face right away. He was a bit hurt that I wasn’t waiting for him to give me a ride. I couldn’t just wait around and do nothing. Cora had hired me and I had to do the work. Jake probably knew what was going through my mind.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Sure, I understand.”
Did he have to look at me with those big sad eyes?
“You’ll give me a call later?” I asked.
“Absolutely.” The longing in his eyes made my skin tingle.
I supposed it would be inappropriate to have a goodbye kiss at the scene of a crime. I headed toward Dorothy and Morton. I lifted the crime scene tape and then glanced over my shoulder. Jake waved.
“Get in the car and explain what is going on here,” Dorothy said as she grabbed my arm and led me toward the car.
I slid into the back seat. It was practically the size of my entire apartment.
