by Ann Mullen
I handed him back his credit card and said, “After what you just paid, it should be nice.” Getting off the subject, I asked, “May I make a suggestion?” He nodded his head. “Why don’t we open some of the office doors? It seems so impersonal when everything’s closed up.”
“Good idea,” he replied. “Do you have any other suggestions?”
“You might want to do something with that funky looking car out front. It’s an eyesore. I assume it’s yours.”
“I forgot all about that thing. It’s my surveillance car. I usually park it in the garage out back along with my truck, but I got busy. Let me take care of that right now.”
So that’s where that driveway leads.
“Billy, I need to call my parents and let them know what’s going on. I have their van. They might need it.”
“Go ahead, and while you’re doing that, I’ll move my car,” he replied as he was walking out the door.
I got on the phone and called the house. Mom answered on the first ring. I could hear Athena barking in the background the minute she picked up the receiver.
“Mom, I got the job, so I won’t be home until later. I hope you don’t need the van.” Then I thought about my car. “Has Dad had a chance to look at my car yet?”
“He has it in the garage now. Do you want me to go get him, Jesse? Oh, about the van... don’t worry, we don’t have plans to go anywhere.”
“If he’s not too busy, ask him to come to the phone, and if he is busy, just ask him what he thinks is wrong.”
“Hold on, and I’ll be right back,” Mom replied as she laid down the phone.
Instantly, I heard loud barking through the receiver and a grating noise as if someone was chewing on it. In the background I heard Mom say, “Don’t chew on the phone cord.” She must have taken the phone from Athena because I heard the bang of it being laid down again, and what must have been Mom slapping her hand against her leg as she said, “Come on, girl. Let’s go outside. That’s a good girl.”
Dad picked up the phone, caught his breath and said, “Hi, honey.”
“Hello, Dad. Have you been running?”
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting. Your mom said you got the job. You can tell me all about it when you get home. Right now, I hate to tell you this, but I think your car is shot. I’m pretty sure the noise you heard was a rod knocking. It’s pretty much a goner. The cost to fix it is way more than the car is worth. Your best bet is to get it to a car lot now and trade it in on a new one. Otherwise, you might as well junk it. A used car dealer isn’t going to give you a dime for it.”
“Can’t you just replace the old rod?” I questioned. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I knew if it could be fixed, my dad could do it. Maybe it’s more than he wants to tackle.
“You don’t understand, Jesse. When a rod starts knocking, that means you have to tear the engine down and rebuild it. When you take apart an engine, you can’t put it back together with worn-out parts. Trust me.”
Trust me was what Dad always said when he was sure you could.
“If you say that’s what I should do, then that’s what I’ll do.” I didn’t want to tell him I was down to my last couple of thousand dollars in my savings account, plus, the money I have in my IRA is not enough to justify a withdrawal—since the government would want half. They always do. My checking account, minus the check I wrote to Fred for the gun, was at a little less than $800.00. “I’ll worry about this later,” I mumbled.
Things were moving fast and now I could add to the list of changes in my life, a new car that I can’t afford. I’ve had two used cars altogether. Both of which, as they say, served me well, but it was time to make a change. Mom always said things happen for a reason.
As I was hanging up the phone, Billy walked in the front door with a man and a woman. They both were probably in their late fifties. The man was almost bald, heavy set, with a potbelly, and was wearing a leisure suit. The woman was petite, with brown hair that appeared to have been styled at the beauty salon. She wore a bracelet loaded with charms, a pair of small diamond earrings, and her diamond wedding rings were big enough to weigh down a small boat. I envisioned the woman to be the one with the money and the class, married to a man that she loved, but couldn’t get him properly attired, regardless of how long they had been married. I couldn’t help but go by my first impressions. They looked like midgets compared to Billy.
“Miss Watson, this is Jack and Myra Carrolton. Mr. and Mrs. Carrolton, this is my assistant, Miss Watson,” Billy said as he introduced us.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “May I get you some coffee?”
“Coffee would be nice,” Myra Carrolton responded. She was nervous, and I could tell she was not a happy person. She was carrying a heavy load on her shoulders, and it showed on her face.
I didn’t know what kind of problem brought them here, but it was obvious to me from their appearance, and the way their eyes revealed a sadness I’ve never known, that they were intense people with burdens that most of us hope we never have to endure.
I wasn’t quite sure how involved I was going to be with Billy’s clients, but I was about to find out.
Billy looked at the Carroltons and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like Miss Watson to sit in on this meeting.” After getting their approval, he turned to me and said, “We’ll take our coffee in here, please.” He led them to his office.
I stood there for a minute thinking, what now? They didn’t say what they wanted in their coffee, and I didn’t get a chance to ask, so I put my brain back in gear and walked down the hall to the coffee room. I found a fresh pot of coffee and a well-stocked cabinet of cups, saucers, and the usual sugar and powdered cream. On the counter was a small refrigerator. I opened the door and sure enough, there were several small cartons of 2% milk. After checking the date on one of the cartons, I searched the top cabinet for something to pour it into. I found a creamer, sugar bowl, and a set of matching mugs. In the bottom cabinet, I found a tray. I was busy pouring coffee and arranging everything on the tray, when all of a sudden, my stomach growled. I looked up to find a clock, and realized it was way past noon. I hadn’t eaten all day. I decided I’d better fix myself a cup of coffee, so that I’d have something in my stomach. What I’d give for a piece of bread right now. I took the tray to Billy’s office and set it on a small table to the right of his huge desk. I went about serving coffee, while I listened to their conversation. I waited for a cue from Billy as to what I was supposed to do next. When he didn’t say anything, I sat down next to the table and remained silent.
Billy was taking notes as he listened carefully to every word Myra and Jack were saying. I noticed he had a tape recorder sitting in the middle of his desk, and the green light on it was flashing.
Pretty smart, I thought. This man thinks of everything.
Myra looked at Billy, then turned to me and said, “We’re at the end of our rope. The police still don’t have anything, and I don’t think they’re even trying anymore. Every time I call that police detective... oh, what’s his name, Jack? Oh, yes... Detective Hargrove, I can almost see him rolling his eyes back in his head. It’s been almost six months and they don’t know anymore now than they did then. I know my daughter’s out there somewhere and she needs our help. I can just feel it.” She burst into tears.
I jumped up, grabbed the box of tissues from Billy’s desk, and handed it to her. This was heartbreaking. She was in so much pain.
“Mr. and Mrs. Carrolton’s daughter left Poquoson the day after Christmas to stay a few days with a friend in Charlottesville, but never got there. Nobody has seen or heard from her since,” Billy explained to me.
I sat dumbfounded, while Billy fired off questions to the Carroltons. “What is your daughter’s full name and social security number?” he asked, waiting for her to regain control of her emotions.
Jack Carrolton sat stiff and upright, staring straight ahead as if he was in another world, while Myra dried her eyes a
nd said, “Helen Sue Carrolton.” Then she rattled off the number.
“She just turned nineteen in December. We bought her a new car for a birthday and Christmas present. She’s such a sweet girl. She never gave us a moment’s trouble. Made straight A’s almost all the way through school. She’s in her first year at Christopher Newport University. They were on Christmas break when she left to visit her friend Emma Lee. Emma attends the college in Charlottesville. They were... are best friends. They grew up together.” She dabbed at her eyes and continued. “Jack is Helen’s stepfather. Her real father died when she was six. Jack has been like a father to her since day one. He loves her as much as I do.”
That last statement sounded like she was letting us know there was no reason to suspect her husband of anything. Maybe the police had questioned Jack’s possible involvement in his stepdaughter’s disappearance.
Jack must have been reading my thoughts. “Yes, to the question you are about to ask. Since I’m only her stepfather, at the very beginning they grilled me up and down. If that wasn’t ridiculous enough, they started giving Myra a raking over. Once they established we didn’t do harm to our own child, or have anything to do with her disappearance, they went down the list of her friends and everybody she knew... or knows.”
Jack and Myra desperately wanted to believe their daughter was alive. However, after six months of trying to find her, I think they were beginning to accept the possibility that maybe Helen wasn’t alive, and if that was true, they had to know. They were both wound so tight; I was expecting one of them to go off any minute.
Billy eased himself back into the conversation. “I’m going to do my best to find out what happened to your daughter, so I’m going to need every bit of information I can get on her—everything.”
Then the worst thing happened. My stomach growled. What an icebreaker. The room lit up with laughter.
“Why don’t I take us all out to lunch?” Billy asked. “We can talk more about your daughter, and Miss Watson can make up for not having breakfast this morning. It sounds as if she needs to eat.”
More chuckles echoed off the walls, but at least it made Myra stop crying. Her tears were breaking my heart.
Even though I was terribly embarrassed, I was glad it had happened. Now we could take a break, get some food, and Billy was going to treat. I wondered if he did this kind of thing often.
Billy picked up his tape recorder and said, “My brother, Robert, owns a nice family restaurant a mile down the road, called the Rising Sun. He has a couple of booths he keeps available for anyone in the family who comes in to eat, so we won’t have to wait for a table. The food’s excellent and the atmosphere is soothing. We can discuss everything as we eat.”
As the Carroltons were walking out the front door, Billy pulled me aside and asked if we could take my van. He said his truck wouldn’t hold all of us and he sure didn’t want to take his junky car.
“Sure,” I whispered as I grabbed my purse and turned on the answering machine. I assumed it had a recorded message on it to take care of missed calls, but I didn’t have time to check.
Robert Blackhawk greeted us with a smile and then led us to a booth in the back, talking to Billy the whole time. Occasionally, I picked up on a few words of English, but most of their conversation was spoken in their native language. Robert left and a waitress appeared at our table with menus. I discovered the menu was made up of some foods I’d never heard of until now.
“What do you recommend?” Billy asked the waitress. We all sat down and then he placed his tape recorder in the middle of the table.
“Our special today is pan-fried buffalo steak, twice baked potatoes, black beans, and the house salad,” she answered in a tone so personal, it led me to believe she must know Billy very well.
“Sounds good to me,” Billy replied.
“Sure, why not? I’ve never had buffalo steak,” I added.
“Well, I’m afraid I’ll just stick with something less exciting. How about the baked chicken platter? I have to watch what I eat at my age. The digestive system is the first to go,” Jack said to the waitress.
“I think I’ll have the same,” Myra replied.
By the time the food arrived, I was seeing another side of Billy. He was all business at first and then the caring side of him appeared. He told the Carroltons his fee was two hundred dollars a day, plus expenses, with a fifteen hundred dollar retainer, from which fees would be deducted until the retainer was used up.
After that, he would bill weekly. If, for some reason, they wanted to terminate his services, any money left would be returned to them, and if any money was due, it was payable upon termination. Then his demeanor became softer.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but once a person has been missing for several days, unless they just ran off, the outlook isn’t too good. I’m sure the police must have told you the same thing. It’s been almost six months, and I can’t promise to bring your daughter back to you alive, but I’ll do my best to find her.”
Myra started crying again as Jack pulled out his checkbook, ripped out a check, and handed it to Billy.
“Whatever it takes,” Jack Carrolton said. “Money is no problem.”
The buffalo steak turned out to be delicious. It tasted like a T-bone steak. By the time we finished eating, I knew more about the awful disappearance of Helen Carrolton than I wanted to know. She was young, pretty, and had it all. She left her home in Poquoson the day after Christmas, but never arrived at her destination in Charlottesville, and she never returned home. That was six months ago.
Once our late-lunch-early-dinner was finished, we returned to the office. It was starting to rain again, and I kept picturing an ominous dark cloud hanging over all of us. For some strange reason, I had a bad, nagging feeling of doom. It was so depressing. Did I take my Zoloft this morning? I couldn’t remember.
Myra and Jack retreated to Billy’s office. I watched them sign the required contract. Jack withdrew a bulky envelope from the breast pocket of his leisure suit and handed it to Billy.
“This is a copy of all the information we have on Helen’s disappearance. Myra and I own a landscaping business in Newport News. You can reach us anytime, either there, or at home. We don’t socialize a whole lot. We’re going to spend the night at the Ramada Inn, so if you need to talk to us, we’ll be there until checkout time tomorrow. It’s a long drive for us to make in one day at our age, but if you need us to, we’ll come back anytime. That is, if you come up with anything.”
By the time the Carroltons left, it was pouring outside. Billy explained to me that when it rains in the mountains, like it’s been doing, it could stop at any minute, but when it drizzles all day, it’s usually set in—steady and non-stop. That was something to keep in mind for future reference.
“I’m so glad you’re going to find Helen,” I said to Billy as he settled into his chair and started going over the papers in the envelope Jack Carrolton had given him. “This is so sad. Is this the type of case you handle all the time? I’ve never worked for a private investigator before, so I have no idea what’s involved. Can you really find her? How? Where do you start looking?”
“I never said I would find her. I told the Carroltons I’d try, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m pretty good at my job. If anybody can find her, I can. The truth is, Jesse, when it’s been this long, they usually turn up dead, if they turn up at all. Believe me, we’ll earn our money, but it might not be so pleasant an outcome.”
I was surprised. I thought it was in the bag. I guess I just don’t know how these things go. I pictured a scene where Billy and I found the girl and saved the day, but now, that didn’t seem likely. It was a no-win situation. If we did find the girl, chances are, she wouldn’t be alive.
“What do you mean? Are you telling me you think she’s dead and you didn’t tell the Carroltons?”
“I told them the outlook wasn’t promising. You heard me tell them. Look, here’s a detail you need to know rig
ht from the start. When people come to me, it’s usually their last resort. They’ve done everything else. They’re been everywhere, and there’s nothing left. They come to me because I’m their last hope of finding an answer to whatever it is they need to ask. I’m their last chance. Sometimes I find that answer, and sometimes I don’t. I don’t cheat them as far as money goes. I only charge for what I do, and I give them the best service I can.”
“I guess there are a lot of things I need to learn about investigating,” I replied as I began collecting the cups and leftover dishes from earlier.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll learn as you go along.” He reached into his jacket and retrieved the check from the Carroltons. “Take this check and log it in on the computer, and also write it in the black book you’ll find in the top right-hand drawer of your desk. If you have any problems with the computer just yell. When you’ve finished that, bring me the check. I have a zip-bag in my desk drawer where I keep money and checks. Oh, and print out a receipt for the check and mail it to the Carroltons. I forgot to give them one. Here’s their address.” He wrote the information down on a notepad and handed it to me. “By the way, you did pretty well today. I didn’t know what to expect, considering this is all new to you.”
“I didn’t know what to expect either,” I said.
“You did fine. I saw something in you when we first met. I don’t know what it is yet, but I think we’re going to make a good team.”
“You saw fear and embarrassment for the way I was dressed.”
“Speaking of which, when you’re in the office I want you to dress nicely. You know, dresses or skirts, or whatever, as long as it’s conservative. If you need an advance on your salary to buy some more new clothes...”
“I think I have it covered, but thanks anyway.”
