Chasing Shadows

by Valerie Sherrard

  “Do you have any suspects in mind?”

  “There’s her boyfriend, Leo,” I said. “He’s the most obvious suspect because, as you know, Nadine just broke up with him.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Well, like I said, Leo is the one with the most likely motive — at least that I know about. But there’s also a guy who comes into the restaurant and stares at her. And then there’s …”

  “Whoa, stop! What’s this about a guy who comes into the restaurant and stares at Nadine?”

  “Just a customer. It’s kind of creepy the way he sits and just looks and looks at her, but he’s never said or done anything.”

  “How old would this guy be?”

  “I don’t know. Late twenties, early thirties probably.”

  “You don’t know anything about him — like his name or anything?”

  “No. Just that he’s a customer. I’ve been kind of watching for him through the window in the door that looks out on the dining room. I haven’t seen him so far this week, but then he could have been in when I wasn’t working. Hey, I have an idea!” I jumped up, excited.

  “I don’t doubt that.” Greg smiled in spite of himself. “The question is, how safe is it?”

  “Well, it’s safe for me, if that’s your worry. Suppose this guy comes in again. I could call you and you could come right over and, you know, follow him to see where he lives or something. Just in case we ever need to send the police to his house.”

  “I see.” Greg looked bemused. “Now, I’ll need a few more details on this assignment — like how I’m supposed to follow him. I mean, specifically, would I follow him on foot, maybe sneaking through hedges and stuff, or will I need to steal a car out of the parking lot?”

  “Wise guy.” I swatted him lightly on the arm. “I don’t know if he comes by vehicle or not. But, wait! If he’s in a car, we just need to get the licence plate number. Then you wouldn’t even have to follow him!”

  “Uh-huh.” Greg leaned back, tilting his chair, and folded his arms behind his head. “You know what scares me about all this, Shelby? Knowing that you’re just as likely to go off after some potentially dangerous person on your own.”

  “I thought the lecture was over,” I sighed.

  “Yeah, you’d like that, I imagine. No one pestering you about silly little things like whether you’re putting yourself in a dangerous spot that could get you killed. What a nuisance I am — bothering you about such insignificant things.”

  “It’s good that you don’t exaggerate,” I muttered.

  “Shelby, listen to me, please. For once, bring yourself back to earth and pay attention to the facts of what’s going on here. If Nadine’s disappearance is due to foul play — if it actually is, and if you’re not just chasing shadows — then this is no game. Have you stopped to think about the reasons she might have been kidnapped or whatever?”

  “Well, of course I have! I might just be an amateur detective, but I’m not totally incompetent. I know the importance of understanding the motive.”

  “So? What are the possible motives then?”

  “I think we can rule out kidnapping for ransom. Nadine doesn’t come from a wealthy family. So the perp obviously isn’t after money.”

  “The perp?”

  “Yeah, perp. Short for perpetrator.”

  “Of course.” He seemed on the verge of laughter, but stopped himself. “Sorry. Go on.”

  “So, having ruled out money, it looks as though the motive is probably personal.”

  “And you figure the boyfriend is the most likely suspect in that area.”

  “Yes, but I haven’t ruled out the customer, or, as I started to say earlier, her father.”

  “Her father?” Greg looked astonished.

  “Yeah. See, Nadine told me that she’s hardly seen her father since she was a little kid. Her parents split up when she was five, and her dad sort of disappeared for years. Now he lives in northern Manitoba, and he keeps asking her to come out there to live. Only, she’s not interested. What if he decided to make her go there?”

  “That seems a bit far-fetched,” Greg said.

  “I didn’t say it was likely. I’m just trying to keep an open mind, you know, not rule anything out. For that matter, I could add Ben, the cook from the restaurant, to the list of suspects. He’s always flirting, and maybe she rebuffed him and he didn’t like it.”

  “So, he kidnapped her because she wouldn’t flirt with him?” Greg raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

  “Well, I’m not saying that any of these guys actually did it, or for those motives,” I said, blushing at how silly some of my theories sounded when Greg repeated them in that tone of voice. “I just want to be careful that I don’t overlook any potential suspects.”

  “Uh-huh. So, what’s the next step?”

  “I’m really not sure. I keep thinking something will come to me, but so far nothing stands out as really important. I’m not sure where to look or who to talk to next. It’s just too bad that Nadine’s landlady is so wacko, or she might be able to help. Unfortunately, she’s out of touch with reality. All you ever get out of her are songs or quotes from old Julie Andrews movies. It’s amazing she’s even coherent enough to collect the rent! I just don’t know what to do next, but I have to figure out something, or any chance Nadine might still have could be gone.”

  Suddenly, Greg leaned forward so that his nose was almost touching mine and he was looking right into my eyes.

  “Sorry to change the subject, but this is the way things are,” he said, pausing to kiss me ever so gently. “This situation could be nothing at all, or it could be really serious. Either way, it matters to me because … I love you. Okay? I love you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. So, we’re going to have to get some kind of deal going here where I can feel comfortable that you’re not putting yourself in places where you could get hurt.”

  Happiness shoved aside everything else for just that moment, and I found my eyes misting over as I threw my arms around Greg and told him that I loved him right back.

  I could barely get myself to concentrate on what he was saying after that, though I vaguely heard myself agree to the precautions he was suggesting.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I didn’t know Leo’s last name or where he lived or anything, so I was pretty proud of myself when I thought of a way to find him. Remembering that he worked out at the local gym four times a week, I went over and watched the door from a bench across the street. Nearly ready to give up for the day after a few hours had passed with no sign of him, I was really excited that my plan had worked when I finally spied him going in.

  I’d only seen him briefly a couple of times before, but I spotted him right off. He walks with a pretty noticeable swagger, and it seems nearly impossible for him to keep his hands out of his hair, which is a kind of unnatural blonde colour. He’s one of those people who are constantly running their hands up and through their hair, a trait I’ve always found kind of annoying and conceited. I mean, who needs to fix their hair practically every minute?

  It hadn’t been my intention to actually talk to Leo if he showed up that day. I’m not entirely sure what my plan was, but that wasn’t it. It’s just that when he came back out of the gym, especially when I’d been sitting there all that time waiting, with little to do aside from think about what questions I’d ask him if I ever got a chance to talk to him, well, all of a sudden I could just see the opportunity slipping away.

  It wasn’t easy explaining that to Greg later on. I tried, but he was just not seeing reason at that particular moment. In fact, he was making way more of the whole thing than was necessary, if you want my opinion.

  Anyway, as I was saying, when I saw Leo coming back out of the gym, a kind of panicked feeling came over me. What if he was indeed the one responsible for Nadine’s disappearance, and he decided to take off? I might never have another chance to talk to him. And, in any case, what was he going to do to me, right there on the str
eet with any number of witnesses passing by?

  “Uh, hi. Leo, isn’t it?” I asked, sidling up to him.

  He turned with a smile that faded when he saw how young I was. I realized his first reaction had been to assume I was hitting on him. Gross!

  “Yeah?” His voice wasn’t that friendly.

  “I’m Shelby,” I said, nervousness building. “I, uh, worked with Nadine at The Steak Place.”

  “So?”

  “Well, I just wondered if, uh, you’ve seen her lately.” I watched his reaction carefully, but if he was carrying around any guilt, he sure kept from showing it. If anything, he seemed a bit annoyed at being bothered.

  “Nope.” He took a step, as though to walk away, then hesitated. “Why? Was she lookin’ for me?”

  “Actually, I’m looking for her. I haven’t been able to find her since she quit her job at The Steak Place. I really need to find her.”

  “Whoa, whoa. Back up there. Did you say she quit her job?”

  “Yes. On Sunday.” I tried to tell if his surprise was genuine or not but it was pretty hard. He seemed sincere, but he could have been acting. I didn’t know him at all, so I had nothing to compare his reaction to.

  He looked at me for a moment and then shrugged. “Well, I haven’t seen her,” was all he said.

  “You seemed surprised about her quitting her job,” I blurted, hoping to keep the conversation going. “I take it that she hadn’t mentioned anything to you about looking for work somewhere else or anything.”

  “Nope. In fact, I thought she liked the job there real good. Made a lot in tips and stuff. She never said nothin’ to me about quitting.”

  “Well, I wonder, would you maybe know how to get in touch with either of her parents? I’m guessing they’ll know where I can find her.” Truthfully, I doubted that her parents knew a thing about Nadine’s disappearance, but I really wanted to get in touch with them anyway. I knew that if the police were to be called in, it would be best for her mom or dad to do it.

  “All I know is her dad’s out west somewhere.” Leo looked around impatiently as he spoke. I wondered what his reasons were for so clearly wanting to end the conversation. “Her mom is remarried and lives, I think, in Nova Scotia. Halifax or Dartmouth maybe, I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell you what her new last name is, though.”

  “You don’t know her dad’s first name?”

  “Nope. Look, I gotta get going.”

  “Okay, well, thanks a lot for your help.” I smiled brightly at him, so he’d never guess that he was my prime suspect at the moment. “Oh, is there somewhere I could reach you if I have any more questions?”

  “If you have any more questions? What are you, the police?” He laughed and walked off without offering an address or phone number.

  It struck me right away that I’d probably been pushing it asking for contact information. Still, it was kind of alarming how immediately he’d made a mental connection between perfectly innocent questions and an official police investigation. Would an innocent person do that?

  Of course, Greg was pretty upset when I told him I’d gone to see Leo — he said I’d made a few promises that I wasn’t sticking to. I guess that’s true, but as I said, I was kind of distracted when I said yes to all that stuff Greg wanted me to agree to for the sake of, as he put it, my protection and safety. Sounded like an ad for a home security system to me.

  Really, it was hardly fair for him to ask me to make this big deal right after he’d just told me that he loves me. How’s a girl supposed to concentrate when she’s all aflutter inside?

  “A person would need the memory of seventeen elephants to keep track of all your rules,” I told him.

  “Shelby, first of all, they weren’t, as you put it, rules. They were just things to make sure you stay safe. Furthermore, there were only three things! Three. One: That you wouldn’t go anywhere near any of the possible suspects alone. Two: That you wouldn’t go back into the apartment by yourself. And three: That you’d let me know where you were going to be at any time you were looking into clues. Isn’t it enough that one girl has disappeared? Are you trying to be the second?”

  “You’re getting on my nerves,” I said, mostly to cover up my embarrassment. I’m not sure how I got so confused, but I’d have sworn there was a bigger list than that!

  “I’m getting on your nerves,” he repeated, only his voice had dropped to a really low level and I could hardly hear him. He was shaking his head too.

  “Well, you’re kind of overreacting,” I mumbled.

  “That’s how you see this? It seems perfectly reasonable to you that you went and talked to Nadine’s ex-boyfriend, all alone? And I’m the one who’s making a big deal out of nothing. Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world, but nothing happened,” I pointed out. “As you can see, I’m perfectly all right.”

  “Good, that’s great. You didn’t get yourself hurt or killed. Keep up the good work. Hopefully, you’ll be just as lucky the next time.”

  I sighed. It was bad enough that Greg was ticked off at me, but the worst part was that it was all for nothing. Going to see Leo had been a waste of time since I hadn’t learned anything helpful at all. So, here I was, listening to yet another lecture, and I hadn’t gotten anywhere for it.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I worked until six o’clock in the evening the day after the big lecture from Greg. Was it ever hard to concentrate on my job. Lisa came in and caught me sitting and just staring off into space a couple of times. She frowned at me and told me to get back to work, but her heart didn’t seem to be in it, really. At least her tone wasn’t as nasty as usual.

  “Where’s your head today?” Ben asked me once when I hadn’t finished a simple task he’d given me.

  “I’m worried about Nadine,” I told him. “I can’t help thinking something has happened to her.”

  “Nadine is fine,” he said. “You want to know what I think? She met some guy and went off with him somewhere. Happens all the time. She’ll be back one of these days, and you’ll see you were worried for nothing.”

  “I wish I could believe that she’s okay,” I sighed, “but I know in my heart she’s not.”

  “How can you be so sure?” He wiped his hands on the square white apron he wore all the time, came over, and leaned an elbow on my work table, looking at me with concern.

  “Because I went to her apartment, that’s why. And there was nothing missing. No clothes or makeup or toiletries.”

  “You have a key for her apartment?”

  “No, but I went there the other day and when I knocked the door just opened up. It was shut, but not quite tight.”

  “Her door wasn’t closed and locked?” His voice was tinged with alarm, and I could see that he finally believed that something was wrong.

  “No, so, I guess this wasn’t really right, but I went in and looked around. Just because I was worried, you know?”

  He nodded. “And what did you see in there?”

  “Well, nothing really. Like I said, none of her stuff was missing.”

  “Was there any sign of a struggle?” Ben asked.

  “No, nothing like that. But don’t you think the fact that she didn’t take anything with her proves she didn’t plan to go anywhere?”

  “The apartment where Nadine lives, are there other people living around?”

  “Yes. I don’t know if all the apartments are rented, but she mentioned a couple next door, and the landlady lives downstairs, right underneath her.”

  “So,” Ben smiled, relaxed again. “If something had happened to Nadine, one of the neighbours would have seen or heard something, or there’d be some signs of a struggle. But none of this is the case. No, I think everything is all right.”

  Just then, the kitchen door swung partway open. I turned, expecting to see Lisa on her way in, but no one was there. I tried to shrug it off, but it gave me an uncomfortable feeling, not knowing if someone
had been listening.

  Anyway, there was no time to worry about that at the moment, because my mind had started to race with excitement. Ben’s casual remark had given me an idea!

  After talking to Leo, I hadn’t really had anything planned. I was keeping an eye out for the weird customer who’d stared at Nadine, but aside from that, I hadn’t known what to do next. Now, I did!

  I could hardly wait for my shift to end. The minute it did I raced out the door and hurried over to Nadine’s apartment building. Ben was right — if Nadine had been kidnapped, chances were good that someone there either saw or heard something. I wouldn’t rest until I’d talked to everyone in the building!

  Well, I’d skip the nutty landlady, but then I’d already talked to her the other day. She knew I’d been upstairs to Nadine’s place. If she’d known anything about Nadine’s whereabouts, I figured she’d have told me then.

  I started with the couple that lived in the apartment next door to Nadine’s. I knocked on their door twice before anyone answered. It was the wife, and I understood right away why she hadn’t answered my first knock. The television was blaring in the next room. I could hear someone buying a vowel so I knew they were watching Wheel of Fortune.

  “If you’re selling something, we don’t want it,” she said, which I thought was an interesting replacement for “hello.”

  “No, ma’am. I’m not selling anything.” I explained quickly that I was a friend of their new neighbour, and that I hadn’t been able to get in touch with her for almost a week.

  “I was wondering if you might have noticed, or heard, anything unusual, like the sounds of a struggle,” I finished up.

  “We mind our own business,” she said. “But even if there was a scuffle of some sorts, we’d never hear it. Not with Hank being half-deaf and him having the TV turned up full blast all the time. I don’t know why he bothers either. Mostly, he just sits there and complains that there’s nothing worth watching anyway.”