“No, that’s wasting time. I’ll drive down toward Denver.”
“Okay, where do you want to meet?”
She paused. “The only place I can think of is the Cracker Barrel, in Northglenn. It’s right off the highway.”
“I know it.” The Cracker Barrel she referred to was in one of Denver’s northern suburbs. Meeting there would cut down my drive by at least twenty minutes. I glanced at the dashboard clock. Almost noon.
She let out a short laugh. “I eat when I’m stressed. That’s all I’ve done today; eat cookies and drink coffee.”
“I can be there in thirty minutes,” I said. And if being somewhere where Kristin was comfortable – and could eat – would calm her down and make this conversation easier, then the Cracker Barrel it would be.
“I’m in jeans and a pink and white flowered blouse,” she said. “I have brown hair. I’ll wait by the door.”
“I’ll find you.”
I ended the call, fired up the 4-Runner, peeled off down Dahlia Street and hoped that Kristin could shed some light on where Holly was.
CHAPTER FIVE
12:25 PM
The Cracker Barrel is just west of Interstate 25 and 120th. Every time I drive up there, I think about what the area was like when I was in high school. At that time, it was mostly fields, and there wasn’t an exit off the highway for miles. Now it’s just another part of the Denver metropolitan area.
I parked in front of the building and hurried along the long front porch, past wooden rocking chairs, to the entrance. I stepped inside and immediately spotted a woman with brown hair by the door. She was a bit taller than average, with a few extra pounds that stretched her jeans, and a blouse full of pink flowers on it.
She stepped up to me. “Reed?”
“Yes.”
We shook hands politely.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, and blushed. “I tend to eat when I’m stressed.” Then she waved a hand back and forth in the air, as if to erase what she’d just said. “I told you that already.”
I actually was hungry, so I nodded. “Let’s get a table.”
We walked across creaky wood floors through the country store waiting area and approached a hostess, who led us to a small table in a back room. I don’t eat at the Cracker Barrel very often, in part because there isn’t one near where I live, and also because I like small local places better than chain restaurants. But I remembered the food being decent – especially their breakfast menu – and the old-fashioned atmosphere appealed to me.
“I already know what I want,” Kristin said as the hostess handed her a menu. “I always get the Country Fried Breakfast.”
I glanced through the menu the hostess gave me. “That does sound good.”
We waited in silence until a server came and took our drink orders. As she did, I studied Kristin. She had a full face, the same brown eyes as Holly, with a simple haircut and just a little makeup on. But Kristin had a beauty of her own, in a way that wasn’t stylized like Holly. It was more natural, and more appealing to me.
When the waitress left, Kristin leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. “So Holly didn’t show up,” she said, shaking her head. “I first wondered if she’d had second thoughts, but then she didn’t call me or answer her phone.”
“You called her cell or at home?” I asked.
She nodded. “Both. The maid said Holly was out all morning, but that’s all she would say.”
“It may be all she knows.”
“Could be.”
“What’s the maid’s name?”
“Betsy.”
I made a mental note of that. “What’s Holly’s cell phone number?”
She was taken aback. “You don’t have it?”
“She said she bought a disposable phone so that no one would know she’d called me.” I fished my phone out of my pocket, found the number, and showed it to Kristin.
“That’s not her cell number.” She rattled off a different number, and I typed it into my phone and saved it. “But she’s not answering,” she said.
“Is there any way Holly could’ve backed out of her plan to leave William and she’s around somewhere, but just doesn’t want to talk to anyone?” I asked.
“No way.” Kristin shook her head. “She would’ve called me. William or Andre took her somewhere and she can’t get to her phone.”
“Any idea where they could’ve taken her?”
She thought long and hard. “William and Holly have a house in Vail,” she said, referring to a wealthy ski-resort town west of Denver, “but that’s the only place I know of.”
“I don’t think she’s there,” I said, “unless she escaped from Andre and went there by herself.”
“But why wouldn’t she call?” Kristin shook her head again. “I don’t see how she could’ve gotten away from Andre. He took her to church, and then she was supposed to go to the spa. That was it.”
“After she left me, there was only about an hour and a half until I showed up at her house and saw Andre. He couldn’t have driven up to Vail, dropped her off somewhere, and come back to Denver in that time. So if he took her someplace and is holding her there, it has to be here in town.”
“I don’t know of any place around here –”
“Unless...” I held up a hand.
“What?”
“They could’ve taken her to Andre’s house, assuming he lives here in the metro area.”
“Where does he live?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea just came to me…but I can find out.”
The waitress brought our food, and after she left, Kristin ate a couple of bites of her eggs, and then looked up at me. “I just can’t believe she was even thinking of leaving William. I mean, I knew some things weren’t quite right with her marriage, but she hid her problems well. When she called and said she needed my help to get away from him…” Her voice trailed off.
“Tell me about her and William.”
She sighed. “William’s a charmer. Well, you’ve seen him, right?”
“On TV,” I said as I began eating. “I’ve never actually met him.”
“He’s a politician, or wants to be one, so he puts on a good face, but he’s slick. Don’t get me wrong, he’s always been nice to me, but I’ve never really liked him.” She paused to eat a little more. “But I didn’t hate him, either. I had no idea he was controlling Holly until she told me what was going on. Apparently he kept a pretty tight leash on her.”
“You didn’t suspect anything?”
She sighed. “It didn’t start out that way, but it changed over time. A few years back, though, it seemed she never went anywhere without William or Andre. I thought it was because William was taking on bigger cases and creating more enemies. And,” she paused and glanced away, “I was going through some stuff in my own marriage, so I wasn’t paying as much attention to Holly.”
“Did Holly talk about any friends?”
“Sure, she has friends. Or people she associates with, or her and William together. She got along with us – my husband Paul – and me. Paul, well…” she hesitated. “He really liked her, but not William. But we don’t see them that much anymore.” A pained look came into her eyes, then faded just as quickly. “I guess I should’ve seen that something was wrong when she and William weren’t coming around as often. I’d ask, but she’d make up some excuse to not commit.”
I took a sip of soda, then said, “You don’t know of any friends? Someone she might’ve talked to about what was going on?”
“No.” She started to shake her head, then stopped. “Wait. She mentioned someone,” she paused, thinking. “Her name was Lori, wait, no…Lucy.”
“Last name?”
“I don’t think Holly ever said.”
“Where did Holly know her from?”
“I think they golfed together. Oh, I think Holly normally golfs on Fridays with Lucy.”
“What club?”
“Cherry Creek Country Club, wait, no. Cherry Hills
.”
I knew the club because my parents had golfed there when I was growing up. It was an upscale place, and a lot of the elite of Denver and local sports stars liked to golf there as well.
“I’ll see if I can find Lucy there.”
“How? You don’t even have a last name.”
“I have ways,” I said cryptically. Or, to be more specific, Cal had ways, but there was no need to tell her that. I thought for a moment while I tackled my hash browns. “Why do you think Holly decided to leave William now? Did she say anything about that?”
“I guess all the abuse got to be too much.” She paused. “She did say something kind of interesting.”
“What?”
“She was talking about William, and she said, ‘That big case of his is going to come back to haunt him and he’ll get what’s coming to him.’ ”
“What big case?”
Her fork was partway to her mouth and she stopped and rolled her eyes at me. “Do you watch the news?”
“Yeah, or I read things online.”
“There’s that big securities fraud case that just started. William’s the defense attorney. He specializes in those types of cases.”
“Oh, right, I have heard of it. I didn’t realize he was involved in the trial.” I thought for a second. “So why does Holly think this case is going to haunt William?”
“Beats me. Maybe she thinks he won’t win it and it’ll ruin his political career. And Holly would love that. She leaves him and he loses the trial.”
“Sounds like it would serve him right.”
She nodded.
“Where were you going to take Holly?” I asked.
“California. She wouldn’t tell me where. We were going as far as Grand Junction and then she was going to get a car and drive herself.”
Although the city of Grand Junction is only about 250 miles west of Denver, it was about a four-hour drive through the Rocky Mountains.
“Did your husband know anything about Holly’s plan, or your involvement?”
She let out a tiny laugh. “He doesn’t know anything. Holly made me swear I wouldn’t tell him.”
“So you were going to drive to Grand Junction and back in one day?”
“Yes. I told Paul I would be playing bridge this afternoon and not to expect me for dinner. It would’ve made a long day, but I could do it.”
“Why not stay overnight in Grand Junction?”
“Because I had no reason to be there, and Holly didn’t want me to get in trouble with William.”
“You think William might’ve figured out you helped Holly?”
She snorted. “He would ask.”
“And you’d have to lie.”
“Yes. I was already going to have to lie about helping Holly, and it’d be harder to add on a lie about being in Grand Junction.”
“I see.”
I finished eating while I mulled over the discussion. Kristin had finished her meal and was sipping coffee.
“How did Holly ever fall for someone like William?” I finally asked.
Kristin put her cup down. “Holly liked men who had money and –” she searched for the word, “exuded power. And that was William.”
“Where’d they meet?”
“In college. William came from a well-to-do family in New York, and she told me back then that she could see that William was going places, and how that turned her on.” She let out another small, bitter laugh. “Unfortunately she married our father. He was an attorney, and he made a lot of money. But he was abusive to our mother and to us. Not physically, but emotionally. He was harsh. Nothing was ever good enough. Holly tried so hard to please our father, to do good, be beautiful…marry someone who would take care of her.” Another harsh laugh. “Holly got that and a whole lot more. I don’t know what William’s going to do to Holly…and if he finds out I was involved…” She shuddered. “Holly said if William found out, he’d punish us both.”
“Punish?”
“That’s the word she used.”
“In a weird way, her saying that may be a good sign.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“She wasn’t worried that he would kill her.”
“No, it would ruin his political career.”
“Right,” I said. “Anyway, at this point, how would William know you were involved in any of this? You said he was nice to you, so why would he do anything to you?”
“Holly could end up telling him. And for all I know, he’s tracing my phone calls. It’s why I didn’t want to talk over the phone.”
“Why would he trace the calls unless he suspected something?”
She raised her eyebrows. “He doesn’t trust Paul or me.”
“Why?”
She waved a hand around. “Who knows? That’s who William is, I guess. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
I eyed her. “What’re you holding back?”
“Nothing. I just don’t trust William.”
I studied her. “Okay,” I finally said. “And no one knew about this plan except you and Holly?”
“As far as I know.” Then she gasped. “Oh, if William starts asking questions, I’m going to have to tell Paul.”
“So?”
“It’s just…like I said, he’s never liked William and I’m afraid Paul will let his temper get the best of him. And if he tries to do anything to William, William will destroy us.”
“That’s pretty strong. You think William would do that?”
She nodded vehemently. “I’ve seen William go after people. He’s ruined careers and marriages. The man has no shame.”
“Noted,” I said, not wanting to incur the man’s wrath, although I was in too deep at this point. “Do you think Holly somehow got away from William on her own?”
“It’s possible, but then why the elaborate plan with you and me?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe to throw William off her trail?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“If not, we’re back to ‘where would William take Holly’?”
“I have no idea. In the last few years, I never saw Holly go anywhere without William or Andre.”
She finished her coffee while I ran over our conversation, wondering if I was missing anything. “I’m going to see if I can find this Lucy that Holly golfed with,” I said, then signaled the waitress. “If you hear from Holly, or you think of anything at all that might help find her, even if it seems trivial, give me a call.” I pulled out my wallet and handed her a business card with my number on it. “And I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thank you, Reed.”
The waitress came over with the check, and I handed her some bills. Then I turned back to Kristin. “And I want to know if William calls you.”
“All right.”
We got up, walked back through the shop and outside.
“Be careful,” she said.
“I always am.”
Her worrying about me reminded me of Willie. I watched her get into a Toyota Camry, then drive out of the parking lot. I waved at her and then walked to the 4-Runner, feeling as if I had missed something in the conversation. But what?
CHAPTER SIX
12:55 PM
I got into the 4-Runner, then fished my phone from my pocket and called Cal.
“How’d it go?” he asked. “Did you deliver that woman to her sister?”
“Not quite. She didn’t show. And her name is Holly, not Honey.”
“Really? Why didn’t she show? Did she chicken out?”
“It doesn’t look that way. Her driver showed up at her house without her, and the maid looked surprised by that.”
“The maid? People still have maids?”
“Yeah, maybe you should try one sometime.”
“Ha, funny.”
I told him what I’d observed. “And let me tell you, that woman was expecting Holly to return with Andre.”
“You think something bad happened to Holly? Did Andre kill he
r?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
“And you need something from me.”
“You’re my right-hand man.”
He laughed. “Okay, shoot.”
What a guy, always there to help.
“Holly was supposed to play golf today, most likely at the Cherry Hills Country Club. Can you access their records and see if she had a tee time scheduled and who with?”
“Piece of cake.” He hummed while he typed; I listened and waited.
“Wow,” he suddenly said.
“What?”
“Lots of local celebrities golf there, like John Elway and Joe Sakic. You want their schedules? Maybe get an autograph?”
“No. Let’s keep the stalking to a minimum.”
“Roger that, not interested in celebrities,” he muttered, then said, “She plays at two o’clock with Lucy Li.”
Bingo. Holly had mentioned a friend named Lucy.
“Does Lucy have some kind of profile or picture?”
“Hold on.” A pause. “Yes, she’s Asian.”
“Ah, I thought you meant ‘L-E-E’.” I said, spelling out the name.
“Does this Lucy know something?” he asked.
“She might.” I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 1:05. If I hurried, I might get to the club before Lucy showed up to golf. “That’s great work, thanks.”
“No problem. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call, then broke all speed records as I raced south to Cherry Hills. I’d actually been to the club recently, when my parents had been in town visiting. I wasn’t a very good golfer, but I had fond childhood memories of being out on the course with my father. My mother regularly golfed with her own set of friends, and those times golfing alone with my dad were fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother, but “meddling” doesn’t come close to describing her. She loves me, but she fusses over me – the hazard of being an only child.
Cherry Hills Country Club is located off University Boulevard and Quincy, and is surrounded by multi-million-dollar homes where a lot of local sports celebrities live. It would’ve been an easy drive for Andre to bring Holly from Pura Vida, right down University to the club. Not easy for me coming from Northglenn down Interstate-25, but I made it ahead of Lucy’s scheduled tee time.
Night of the Hunted: A Reed Ferguson Mystery (A Private Investigator Mystery Series - Crime Suspense Thriller Book 11) Page 3
