Missing in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  Lucy plopped onto the couch. “I’ll tell you, I don’t like the idea of that guy being one floor below us.”

  She was obviously still dwelling over their encounter with Ryan. “Assuming he did take Janice, where would he be keeping her?” Kat asked.

  “Who knows?”

  Matty and Tom had moved on from grooming to wrestling. Matty now had Tom in a headlock and was using her hind feet to pummel his stomach. Tom kept snapping his jaws, trying to get a good grip on his attacker, but he couldn’t quite twist his head around enough.

  Lucy jerked forward with a gasp. “Ryan works construction, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kat said. “So?”

  “So maybe he’s got her stashed on a site somewhere.”

  “Do you know where he’s working right now?”

  “No. I try not to talk to him.”

  Someone knocked on the door. Kat went to answer it, her heart rate spiking when she peeked through the peephole and saw Andrew standing there.

  She flung the door open. “Did you find Janice?”

  He shook his head, a gesture that crushed her spirits.

  Tom extracted himself from Matty’s grasp and galloped toward the door, meowing his heart out along the way. Although Tom was always chatty, right now he seemed more vocal than normal. Kat wondered if the excitement of having Bubbles in the next room had loosened his lips.

  “Hey, Tommy boy.” Andrew crouched next to Tom and ran one hand down the cat’s back. “He feels softer than usual.”

  “He was brushed recently,” Kat told him.

  “Yeah, by me.” Lucy materialized in the doorway next to Kat. “It was like spinster central in here earlier. If you had been here, you would have thought your girlfriend was ready to apply for her AARP card.”

  Andrew raised his eyebrows at Kat. “Spinster central, huh?”

  “Never mind that,” Kat said, too impatient for small talk. “What’s the latest on Janice?”

  Andrew stood up, much to Tom’s dismay. The big cat rolled around on the floor to tempt their guest into petting him again, but Andrew was already back in cop mode.

  “She’s not in any of the building common areas,” he said. “So I called up her sister in the Tri-Cities, the one Janice noted in her wallet as her next of kin. And I spoke to all your neighbors who are currently home.”

  “And?” Kat prompted.

  “And Janice’s sister hasn’t heard from her. As for your neighbors, nobody saw or heard anything suspicious. It doesn’t help that most were either watching television, listening to music, or sleeping.”

  Kat glanced at the floor. If she and Lucy had been paying more attention earlier, would they have heard what was going on directly below them?

  “What about Ryan?” Lucy said. “Did you question him?”

  Andrew turned toward her. “You’re referring to Ryan Pollack, Janice’s neighbor across the hall?”

  Lucy nodded. “He showed up when we were outside with Bubbles. He says he was out for a twilight walk, but come on. A guy walking around looking at sunsets? Who does that?”

  “As of this moment I have no reason to believe he’s involved,” Andrew replied.

  Lucy gaped at him. “You can’t honestly believe that sunset garbage. I mean, get real.”

  “I have no reason to doubt anything he told me.”

  “Well, then you’re delusional.”

  Tom meowed, clearly unhappy at being ignored for so long. Scrambling to his feet, he positioned himself equidistant from all three humans as if that would boost his chances of capturing someone’s attention.

  Lucy was the first to cave. She hooked her hands under Tom’s armpits and lifted him up. “You would never do anything as stupid as watching a sunset, would you, Tom?”

  Tom chirruped his concurrence, then head-bumped Lucy’s chin for emphasis.

  Lucy glowered at Andrew. “You’re making a huge mistake letting Ryan off with that story. That guy is dangerous, and he’s keeping Janice somewhere.”

  “Look, I appreciate your concern,” Andrew said. “But the fact remains that I have no grounds to arrest Ryan Pollack at this time. I can assure you though, I will be verifying his alibi as soon as I can and if things don’t check out I’ll reconsider.”

  Lucy shifted Tom around so he could rest his feet on her arms. “How can he have an alibi?” she asked. “Did he claim somebody saw him wandering around the park?”

  Andrew lifted one shoulder, his lips sealed tight.

  Kat found his response curious. Had Ryan spun a different story for Andrew than the one he’d told them? If he had, Kat doubted Andrew would tell them what Ryan had said, no matter how much they pestered him. She had been with him long enough to know he didn’t like to discuss police business with anyone who didn’t work for CHPD.

  But that didn’t mean Kat intended to sit back and let him handle things. She had an obligation to her neighbor, and she was going to do everything she could to find out where Janice was.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kat barely got any sleep that night. It didn’t help that Bubbles spent the night whimpering beside her, his obvious distress tearing at her heartstrings. Matty and Tom weren’t immune to the dog’s anguish either. Kat could hear them pawing at the door every now and then as they tried to figure out how to get into the bedroom. For two of the laziest creatures she had ever known, they sure could be persistent.

  At six a.m. Kat finally gave up on sleep and flung the covers off for good. She fed the cats in the kitchen before throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She would have to make a quick run to the store for some dog food this morning, but first she would give Bubbles a chance to relieve himself.

  She had only just stepped out of the building when a red sports car swerved into the parking lot. Kat jumped back with a yelp, and Bubbles barked at the tall, dark-haired man climbing out of the car. Clearly Bubbles didn’t appreciate the driver’s reckless disregard for their safety any more than Kat did.

  The man jabbed a finger at Bubbles. “That’s Janice’s dog!” he shouted. “What are you doing with Janice’s dog? Where’s Janice?”

  The bombardment of questions took Kat aback. She stood there for a moment, struggling to wrap her head around the verbal attack.

  The man planted his hands on his hips. “Are you mute? I asked you a question. Where’s Janice?”

  “Janice is gone,” Kat told him.

  “Gone?” The man wheeled around, his eyes darting from left to right as if Janice might be crouched behind the bushes. When his gaze finally landed back on Kat, he said, “What do you mean gone?”

  “I mean she’s missing. She disappeared last night.”

  “She’s still out partying then.”

  Kat shook her head. “She was supposed to be partying with me, but she never showed up. And her purse was still inside her apartment, and Bubbles”—Kat lifted up the leash—“was running loose in the hallway. Janice never would have left him unattended like that. She had to have been taken involuntarily.”

  Bubbles barked as though to confirm he had indeed been abandoned and he wasn’t the least bit happy about it.

  “How do you know Janice, anyway?” Kat asked. She didn’t recall seeing this man before. “Are you her boyfriend?”

  “Boyfriend?” He scoffed. “I’m her agent.”

  “Janice has an agent?” This was the first Kat had heard of any such thing. “What does she need an agent for?”

  The man glided toward her and reached into his shirt pocket in one smooth motion. When he removed his hand, he thrust a business card at her. “The name’s Cameron Daily. Showbiz can be a cutthroat business. I help people navigate it.”

  Kat perused the card as she took it. “You’re a talent agent?”

  “Righty-o. My specialty is finding diamonds in the rough, those unique souls who have untapped star potential.” Cameron no longer seemed concerned about Janice’s disappearance. Instead, he was eyeing Kat with interest, as though to gauge whether she migh
t have some hidden talent he could profit off of.

  Kat took a step back before Cameron caught a whiff of her breath. She hadn’t brushed her teeth yet. “I didn’t know Janice had an agent.”

  “Your friend Janice is what we call an up-and-comer. She’s got the look. She’s got the talent. She’s got the presence.” He ticked off each asset on his fingers. “Her being African American doesn’t hurt any either. The market, it’s a-changing. There are more films starring women of color now than there ever have been before. The roles are ripe for the picking, and your friend Janice is getting in on the ground floor. You mark my words, that girl is going places. Did you know she just made it to the last round of auditions for a Marjorie Joyner biography scheduled to release next fall? She’s one of the studio’s top three picks for the starring role. You know how rare it is for a new actor to make it this far in the casting process?”

  Kat opened her mouth to reply, but apparently Cameron wasn’t really interested in her response. He had already started talking again.

  “It’s as rare as a white rhinoceros! And you watch, she’s going to nail this audition and that part will be hers before you can say, ‘And the Academy Award goes to!’ And that’s just the beginning. Once this movie releases and people see what she’s like on the big screen, all the Hollywood moguls are going to want to cast her in their own films. Why, I give her three years before she becomes a household name. Young girls will have posters of her hanging in their rooms. Their mothers are going to go giddy with delight every time they hear her name. And the men!” Cameron clucked his tongue. “Well, let’s just say that ‘gaga’ isn’t just the name of a singing sensation.”

  Cameron finally paused for breath, giving Kat a much-needed second to absorb everything he’d thrown at her. She’d had no idea Janice was even interested in an acting career, let alone that she might soon be starring in a movie. The Janice she knew was quiet and unassuming. And although Janice was certainly as pretty as any Hollywood actress, Kat had a hard time picturing her walking the red carpet. She had simply never imagined her neighbor in that context.

  Cameron’s excitement dimmed. “So you see, we must find her. A young woman with her gift for drama doesn’t come around every day.”

  “Do you have any idea who might have taken her?” Kat asked.

  Cameron hunched closer as though to let her in on a secret. “Hollywood junkies,” he whispered. “There are some real crazies out there. And as soon as they heard about this hot young talent climbing up the ranks, one of them undoubtedly wanted her all for themselves.”

  “But how would these people even know about Janice?” Kat asked. “I didn’t know she wanted to act, and I’m her friend.”

  Cameron folded one arm across his stomach and rested his other elbow on his hand, tapping his chin with one finger. “It must be someone in the business, someone who’s seen one of her audition tapes and knows an actress of her caliber doesn’t stay an unknown for long.”

  “Who has access to the audition tapes?”

  “Anyone working for the studio.”

  “And how many people work for the studio?”

  “Hundreds. Thousands.” Cameron wagged one forefinger back and forth. “This is no closet outfit I set her up with. Only the best for my clients.”

  So much for narrowing down the list of suspects, Kat thought. Still, it was an angle she’d have to consider.

  But if someone in Hollywood had wanted to kidnap Janice, why not do it when she showed up in L.A. next week? Surely even the most impatient kidnapper could see the benefit of waiting until Janice was on his home turf, where he would undoubtedly be better equipped to stash a woman somewhere against her will.

  Unless the perpetrator was too far removed from the audition schedule to know anything about Janice’s travel plans.

  “Cameron,” Kat said, “who knows about Janice’s trip to L.A. next week?”

  “Me, the studio, the airline.” He peered at her. “You know she’s flying first class, don’t you?”

  Kat nodded. “I’m guessing the studio paid for that upgrade.”

  “The studio? Pay?” He snorted. “Honey, they save the wining and dining for after you sign the contracts.”

  Bubbles barked as though to remind Kat that it was about time someone fed him a meal, contract or not.

  “So Janice paid for a first-class ticket out of her own pocket?” Kat said.

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Cameron replied. “I imagine her backer bought that ticket for her.”

  “Her backer? Janice has a backer?”

  “Yeah. Some rich, old woman who lives around here took Janice under her wing.”

  “A rich, old woman,” Kat mused aloud, her mind drifting to the incoming call that had lit up Janice’s cell phone last night. “Is her backer Dorothy Fairchild by any chance?”

  “Who’s that?” Cameron asked.

  “She’s a wealthy local woman who lives not too far from here. Janice might have referred to her as Lady Fairchild.”

  Cameron shrugged. “Could be. Janice never told me her name.”

  Was it possible Lady Fairchild was funding Janice’s acting career? If Lady Fairchild’s generosity toward charities was any indication of her generosity toward individuals, Janice couldn’t have hooked up with a better benefactor.

  Kat wondered how close Janice and Lady Fairchild were. Close enough for Janice to tell Lady Fairchild who might be stopping by her apartment on a Friday night?

  Kat didn’t know, but she certainly planned to find out.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Katherine Harper,” Lady Fairchild said, a radiant smile on her fully made-up face. “Why, I don’t believe I’ve seen you since the last 4F fundraiser.”

  “It’s been quite a few months,” Kat agreed. “But you look well.” Dressed in a peach blouse and matching slacks with her silver bob perfectly coiffed, the sixty-something woman looked as stylish as she always did.

  Lady Fairchild fluffed her hair. “You’re too kind.”

  Muffin, Lady Fairchild’s dachshund, came out of the house and sniffed Kat’s shoes. Whatever he smelled elicited a sharp bark and sent his little tail wagging.

  “Hush now, Muffy. Kat is our guest.” Lady Fairchild scooped Muffin into her arms, tucked him under one armpit, and held her door open. “Please,” she said to Kat. “Come in.”

  Kat peered around Lady Fairchild’s large living area as she stepped through the foyer and into the house. Just like Lady Fairchild herself, her home hadn’t changed much since Kat had seen it last. Books, CDs, and knickknacks filled the multitude of bookshelves, and artwork covered the walls. The clutter had surprised Kat the first time she’d been here, but now it struck her as homey. Just because the mansion looked pristine and elegant from the outside didn’t mean it couldn’t be cozy and lived-in on the inside.

  And the house was indeed a mansion, at least by Kat’s standards. The main floor alone probably rivaled Larry’s entire apartment building in terms of square footage. Add in the second story located atop a sweeping staircase, and there was no doubt in Kat’s mind that someone could get lost in here—or be locked away in an obscure room against their will with no one ever being the wiser. That fact would have made her suspicious if she had ever witnessed Lady Fairchild being anything less than unfailingly kind. But as it was, Kat couldn’t imagine the older woman being involved in a kidnapping.

  Movement in her peripheral vision turned Kat’s head. A fluffy white cat sat on the piano bench between two stacks of paperback books. The feline gave Kat an assessing look before hopping onto the floor and padding over. She arched her back against Kat’s leg and waited.

  Kat reached down to pet her. “And how have you been, Angela?”

  “Angela is on a diet,” Lady Fairchild said. “Dr. Harry says she needs to lose at least a pound.”

  Angela looked up at Kat with mournful, blue eyes, as if in search of sympathy for her plight.

  Kat gave the feline a commiserating rub between the
ears. “Poor baby.”

  Muffin barked and began squirming in Lady Fairchild’s arms. As soon as Lady Fairchild set him on the floor he dashed over to Angela and nudged her with his nose. She hissed, one paw darting in front of her as she swatted at the dog. Muffin whimpered, then slunk back toward his human.

  Lady Fairchild chuckled. “Angela gets as testy as I do when I’m counting calories.” She lifted Muffin off the floor and smothered his face with kisses. “Don’t you mind her, Muffin Crumb. Angela is going through treat withdrawal.”

  Angela’s ears pricked at the word treat. She whipped her head around and peered at Lady Fairchild with hope-filled eyes.

  Lady Fairchild either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the feline’s silent plea. “So, Kat,” she said. “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way over here to see Angela.”

  Kat sighed. “No, I didn’t.”

  Angela scowled, then stalked off. Kat presumed she was headed for the kitchen.

  Lady Fairchild sat in one of the room’s armchairs and set Muffin on her lap before sweeping her arm toward the chair opposite hers. “Please, have a seat and share what’s on your mind.”

  Kat dropped into the chair. “It’s about Janice Moseley.”

  Lady Fairchild’s nod was grim. “Ah, yes. I heard about her disappearance. Andrew stopped by to talk to me about it last night.”

  “I’m guessing he asked if you had any idea what might have happened to her.”

  “He did. And I do not.”

  “I know she wants to be an actress,” Kat said. “You’re her backer, aren’t you?”

  “I like to think of myself more as a sponsor, but yes.” Lady Fairchild regarded Kat. “How did you know?”

  “I saw your name on her caller ID last night.”

  “Ah.” Lady Fairchild held on to Muffin as she settled deeper into the armchair. “Our arrangement wasn’t a secret, but we were keeping it somewhat hush-hush. Having a reputation for being generous can sometimes make you a target when you’re as well-off as I am. Likewise, sometimes the recipients of such generosity can find themselves in an awkward position if those close to them believe they now have free access to money.”