“Well, maybe you can tell me a little about Carol and we can work from there? Like, for example, what did she do for a living?”
“She was a loan officer with Chicago National. She’d been working there, man, eight years. There are branches all over the city, but she worked downtown—the main branch.”
Sondra pulled her notebook from her purse and scribbled the name of the bank. “I don’t know if Tracy banked there or not. Easy enough to find out.” Sondra continued, “My sister was a producer with Channel Four news. Is it possible she did a story on the bank or something where Carol might have been involved?”
Kevin considered it for a moment before he shook his head. “No. No she would have told me about anything like that.”
Sondra bit her bottom lip. “You live in Hyde Park, which is on the South Side of the city, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, Tracy lived in Lakeview, which is north.”
“Hmm, mmm.”
“So, Carol was found near where Tracy lived. Did you all know anyone in that neighborhood? I mean, is there any reason she would have gone up there?”
Kevin shifted in his seat and shook his head. “Naw. Carol and I both grew up on the South side and that’s where all our friends and family are. We don’t know anyone up north.”
Sondra shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense,” she murmured to herself.
“Believe me, I can’t figure it out myself.”
She looked at Kevin. “What happened? That night?”
Kevin let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. “You don’t know how many times I have thought about that night. If only I’d taken the dog out instead. If she’d taken him five minutes earlier, or five minutes later… it could have changed everything.” He took a gulp of his drink before he resumed his story. “It was Tuesday night—we had a huge blizzard that night. I mean the snow had been coming down all day, just non-stop. So, it was about eight-thirty, eight-forty five, and I was watching some ballgame—it was really important at the time, and now I couldn’t tell you what sport it was, what teams were playing, nothing.”
“Then what?”
“Carol yells out from the kitchen that she was going to take Rusty out to do his thing. She would normally take him out at that time, so I didn’t think anything of it. Just yelled back ‘Okay, be careful.’ Can you believe that? Be careful.” Kevin shook his head. “That was the last time I saw her.”
“How much time passed before you realized she wasn’t back?”
“Actually, Rusty came scratching at the door at about nine-thirty. I’d already started to worry a little and that just cinched it. She’d left her cell phone at home, so I couldn’t call her. I called the police, who wouldn’t do anything until it had been twenty-four hours. Never mind it was the biggest snowstorm of the season and anything could have happened to her.”
“So nothing happened.”
“Said I had to wait twenty-four hours. Some of us started passing out flyers around the neighborhood the next day though.” Kevin paused. “Did your sister have a dog?”
“No, she was allergic. We both were. Growing up, all we ever wanted was a dog, but of course the Ps told us to forget it. Then one day, we found a stray in the neighborhood and decided to keep him.”
“Uh, oh,” Kevin chuckled.
“Yeah, exactly, uh, oh. We hid him in the garage, determined we’d show them we could have a dog. Well, within a half hour, we’d both puffed up to twice our size and had to be rushed to the emergency room. No more pets after that.”
Kevin smiled. “Sounds like you two were a handful.”
“Yeah. We were good kids for the most part though. Never got into any real trouble.”
Sondra cleared her throat. “How long were you married?”
“About a year, but we’d been together about three years. What about you? How did your sister meet her husband?”
All of Sondra’s lightheartedness disappeared as she thought of Phillip. She wrinkled her nose. “He filled a prescription for her. They got engaged four months after meeting, got hitched six months after that and were married six months.”
“Man.” He was quiet for a moment. “Carol was terrible with taking care of her teeth. She had two root canals that year, so we had a lot of Vicodin around the house for a few weeks.” He grew silent again. “They were only married six months?”
“That’s it.”
Sondra blinked; Kevin’s words were registering. “Maybe Carol and Tracy had the same dentist?” she said, a hopeful note in her voice.
“Carol and I had the same dentist, over on sixty-third. South Side.”
“Shit. I bet Tracy saw some guy downtown. And Phillip worked at a pharmacy downtown… ?”
Kevin shook his head. “Like I said, we got everything South. About the only thing Carol did downtown was work.”
Sondra shook her head, the threads refusing to connect. “Damn.”
“So what happened to your sister?”
“God. That’s anyone’s guess. All I can say for sure is that she disappeared after she went jogging. And then… ”
“And then my wife’s body was identified as your sister.”
“Right.”
“And your brother-in-law IDd the body?”
“Yeah.”
Kevin leaned back against the chair, confusion clouding his handsome features. “I mean, I know they looked alike, but how… how could he… ?”
Sondra closed her eyes and shook her head. “The only thing I’ve been able to figure is that in his grief, he thought it was Tracy.”
“That just doesn’t make sense to me.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “How could he do that?”
Sondra looked out the window at the cavalcade of people rushing down the sidewalk. “I wish I knew.”
“Did you and your brother-in-law get along?”
Sondra scrunched up her face for a moment before she let it fall back into place. “At first no, then yes and now… ”
“Where is he?”
“I have no idea.”
“So, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you married, single?”
“Choice C, divorced.”
“Ah.”
“Gary was my professor at NYU Film School—Film Appreciation. We had this just, crazy attraction to each other the whole time I was in his class. I was always making up some reason to be in his office during his office hours. Literally as soon as he turned in my final grades, it was done.”
“Hot for teacher, huh?”
“That’s an understatement. Anyway, we had this torrid affair and then one night after too many tequila shots and not enough common sense, we eloped. Actually, for a couple of years, it was really good.” Sondra drifted back to those days when Gary was the best thing about her. “It really was a beautiful, wonderful time, but… well, there were a lot of reasons it didn’t work. I think part of it was I grew up—Gary has fifteen years on me. I was still finding myself and all of that. So, after seven years of marriage, we closed that door. Of course, that’s when my career really took off. Hell, I even thanked him when I won my Oscar.”
“Well, at least you got something out of it.”
“Yeah. I still love him though. Always will.”
“No kids?”
Sondra snorted. “Oh, no. I’m not exactly the maternal type. Tracy? That was a different story. She was kind of princess-y, but she would have made an incredible mother. God. I hate talking about her in the past tense.”
Kevin hunched over his coffee, stroking the top of the lid with his forefinger. “It was months before I would stop talking about Carol in the present tense. The first time I referred to her in the past tense, I almost cried, it hurt so much.”
“So over this past year that she was missing, what have you been doing?”
“At first, it was intense. Posting a lot of flyers, a lot of just kind of amateur searching, you know? Knocking on doors asking
if anyone had seen her. We got a little news coverage, but not much. It was hard.”
“That was actually one of the things that led me on this journey. I was reading a story about this girl from California that had gone missing after she went jogging—like Tracy. And it made national news. Like crazy national news.”
“She was white, huh?”
“You got it.”
“That’s sad.”
“I mean, Tracy’s station gave hers some play and there were a few items in the local papers, but for the most part, nothing.”
“Whatever happened to the girl in California?”
“Remains were found about three weeks later.”
“Man.”
“I’m sorry, you were telling me about the search.”
“Right. Well, anyway, we kept up with that for a while, held some candlelight vigils. After a while though, people began to lose hope, the momentum kind of died down.”
“I guess that’s to be expected.”
“Yeah. I guess. Every once in a while, we’d bug the police, or I’d put up a new round of flyers. Just to feel like I was doing something.”
“How are you holding up now that you know she’s gone?”
“Relieved. Confused. Sad. Determined to find out what happened to her.”
“How has your family taken all of this?”
“We’ve hired an attorney to find out what our rights are against the police, and we’re mobilizing our church and others in our community to put pressure on them to solve the case.”
“Well, hopefully between me pestering them and all the support you’ve got, this won’t fall through the cracks and we’ll get some justice… for both of them.”
“Do you think… Tracy’s still alive?”
Sondra shook her head slightly as the question that had been swirling in her head for so long was now finally in front of her. “The rational part of me says no, of course not. The hopeful side of me says… maybe. Regardless, I have to find out what happened to her.”
Just then, Kevin’s cell phone jingled. “Excuse me, this could be important.”
While Sondra waited for Kevin to get off the phone, she thought about her sister’s true fate. Would it be as bad as or worse than what had happened to Carol Henderson? She shuddered.
Kevin hung up his phone and gave Sondra an apologetic look.
“That was my job. I’ve got to go and take care of some things.”
Sondra gave him a sympathetic smile. “I understand.” She shot her hand out as he started to gather up his things. “Thank you, Kevin, for taking the time out to meet with me.”
Kevin shook Sondra’s hand. “I just wish it had been for a different reason.”
Sondra gave him a small smile. “Me too.”
“Well, call me before you leave for New York. Maybe we can have dinner.”
Sondra smiled and nodded. “Sure. I’d like that.”
Kevin returned the smile and slung his bag on a diagonal across his body. “Sounds good. Talk to you soon.”
Sondra gave a small wave of her fingers as she watched him walk out of the shop.
FORTY-NINE
Paula perched on the edge of the couch, anxious as she waited for Phillip to inspect her work. He’d said if it was found to be satisfactory, she could go across the street to Cindy Cross’ house for the once-promised cup of coffee.
“Everything appears to be in order,” he said. “You may go. But only for twenty minutes.”
“Okay,” she nodded, trying to keep the happiness from slipping through her lips.
“Well, I’m ready,” he said.
“Oh, right,” Paula said as she hopped off the couch. She helped him with his coat, kissed him goodbye and scampered into the bedroom once he was gone. She would wear the blue dress. That seemed to complement her skin tone. After changing into the dress and smoothing down her bun, Paula made the short trip across the street. For summer, it was a chilly morning and the breeze cut into her like a knife. She took a tentative step onto Cindy’s stoop.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to herself. “It will only be twenty minutes, then you will go home and do your work.”
Paula took a deep breath and brought a shaky finger to the doorbell, wincing as she pressed it. She waited. Nothing. Paula looked to her right. The silver car was in the driveway, so she must be home. Paula tried again. She rang the doorbell once more and waited.
“She’s not here,” Paula said aloud, a tinge of disappointment in her voice. With a final sad glance at the door, Paula turned to make the trip back to her house when the door swung open.
“Paula?” Cindy said.
“Oh, hello. I didn’t think you were home,” Paula said as she turned back to face Cindy.
“I had the blow-dryer on,” Cindy said as the frosty morning air whispered through her hair. “Did you need something? More Sweet ‘N Low?”
“Oh, no, no, I just… Well, you had mentioned having coffee sometime and I was wondering if you might like to have some this morning,” Paula stammered.
Cindy shoved her hands inside the pockets of her blue terrycloth robe and leaned against the doorjamb. “Yeah, sure. Come on in.”
With a grateful, gushing smile, Paula all but skipped inside and found herself facing the stylish, but toy-strewn living room.
“Excuse the mess,” Cindy said as though she could read Paula’s mind. “My kids were watching TV in here this morning before my husband took them to school. It’s amazing the damage kids can do during the space of a thirty minute cartoon.” Cindy gestured toward the kitchen as she began to bound up the stairs.
“Let me throw some clothes on. Just have a seat at the table, and I’ll be right down.”
Paula pulled out the oak chair from the table and sat down, perching on the edge. The Cross kitchen was so different from her own white-washed one. Cheerful yellow curtains decorated with diminutive blue flowers framed the kitchen window, which looked out to Paula’s house. Two blue and purple plastic bowls were stacked haphazardly next to the kitchen sink, which was adorned with sponges, a half-full bottle of orange dishwashing liquid and a coffee mug with a yellow smiley face on the side. The stainless steel refrigerator was plastered with Crayola masterpieces, assorted colorful magnets, and pizza coupons. The table where Paula sat had a napkin holder crammed full of baby blue napkins and two yellow plastic placemats, each with a tiny buzzing bumblebee, beneath wet Cheerios and sticky fruit juice.
“Okay,” Cindy said as she breezed in, now changed into a pair of jeans and form-fitting red t-shirt. “I don’t drink decaf, so all I’ve got is regular. Is that cool with you?”
Paula nodded and smiled. “Oh, yes, regular is fine.”
Cindy smiled as she went to pull out the coffee packets. “Good. Oh, and I use sugar and real full-fat milk. None of that creamer or Sweet ‘N Low crap.” Paula winced and Cindy clucked her tongue. “Sorry.”
“Your kitchen,” Paula said, “it’s different.”
Cindy turned around from filling the coffee machine and looked at Paula. “Um… thanks. We like it. Still settling in though, you know. As you know we moved in a few weeks ago.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.”
“What about you? How long have you lived here?”
“About three years.”
“Where were you before?
Paula felt her breath quicken. Phillip had been right. This was a bad idea. “The other side of town,” she said, remembering what Phillip had always trained her to say if pressed for details. “My husband got another job and this neighborhood was closer.”
Cindy put milk, sugar and spoons on the table before she slid into the chair opposite Paula. “That’s funny. That’s why we moved over here. Must be something in the water. Any brothers or sisters?”
“No. I’m an only child. So is my husband.”
“Oh, I always wanted to be an only child. I have an older sister. We’re three years apart. What about your folks? Are they still here?”
“Both my parents are dead.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yes.”
Cindy wrinkled her nose. So, how long have you been married?”
“About two years. We were high school sweethearts.”
Cindy’s eyes widened. “Oh. Why did you wait so long to get married? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“He moved away and got married. She died.”
“Hmmm. Wow,” Cindy said. The coffee maker emitted a muffled beeping to indicate the coffee was done brewing. Cindy stood up and went to retrieve two mugs from the cabinet.
“You have children,” Paula said rather than asked.
Cindy nodded as she poured Vanilla French Roast into the oversized mugs and brought them to the table. “Sure do. Are you and your husband planning to have children one day?”
“I can’t have children. Besides, we don’t want any.”
“Oh,” Cindy said as she dumped another heap of sugar into her coffee.
“How old are your children?”
“Jake is six and my daughter, Tracy, is four.”
Paula almost dropped the carton of milk she had picked up. “What?”
Cindy narrowed her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
Paula felt her mouth go dry as she tried to regain her composure. “Tracy was the name of Phillip’s first wife. I don’t like talking about her.”
Cindy stirred her coffee, the metal spoon clanking against the sides of the mug. “Okay, we won’t,” she said as she pulled the spoon out and blew into the toffee-colored liquid to cool it off.
Paula stared down into her coffee, her breath coming in short, heavy puffs. She was longing for the comfort of her pasty kitchen.
“Can I get you something?” Cindy asked. “An aspirin, anything?”
Paula shook her head before she snapped it up. “No. Phillip is the only one who gives me medication of any kind.”
“Okay.”
“I have to go. I told Phillip I would only spend twenty minutes over here. I have to clean the windows today. Thank you for your time.” Paula scraped the chair backwards across the linoleum tiles, her feet getting tangled up with the legs as she did so. She managed to disengage from the chair and darted for the door.
Live and Let Die Page 14
