The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 11)

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  No one else was around and Perry looked bored as he wiped down the counter. “I was hoping someone would come by to keep me company.”

  “We just got back from exploring the antique stores,” Carter offered.

  Perry feigned interest. “Did you find anything good?”

  Carter gave a half-hearted shrug. “Not really. We had lunch and Sarah wanted to get her hair done.”

  Perry turned to me with a smile. “Looks great. You got a few inches taken off, right?”

  I was impressed he noticed. Most men, at least in my experience, don’t seem to notice the subtle changes in a woman’s appearance. “Thank you. Yes, I did.”

  “It looked great before, but even better now. Makes you look younger. Did you have it highlighted?”

  Perry obviously knew the right things to say to woman of my tender age. But I also figured he was flattering me to ensure a large tip. Either way, I appreciated the compliment. “No, just a trim.”

  “What can I get for you folks? Let’s see if I can remember: Pinot Noir and Grey Goose martini straight up with an olive.”

  “Good memory,” Carter said.

  I nodded my approval.

  As he prepared the drinks, he seemed a little distracted. He kept glancing at the door, like he was afraid some other customers might walk into the bar. I got the sense he wanted to talk about something and needed the upmost privacy. Once the drinks were in front of us, he cleared his throat and loosened the top button of his shirt. “I know this is your vacation and all, but I was hoping I could trouble you for something.”

  Carter tilted his head with interest. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

  Perry licked his lips as if stalling. “It’s just that, well, I could use some advice.”

  “What about?”

  “You said something yesterday about the fact that you occasionally do jobs with missing people. How many have you done?”

  “Probably a dozen or more,” Carter said. “Why?”

  “How many of the missing people did you actually find?”

  “About half of them.” Carter hesitated. “Are you looking for someone?”

  “No, nothing like that. Actually, I know someone who is having problems with a woman. She’s become obsessed with him and he wants to move to a different country, just to get away from her. A place she could never find him. How hard would that be?”

  “That depends,” Carter said. “First he would have to get rid of any credit cards and start paying everything in cash. Stop using the internet. Delete all social media accounts. Then book a flight to a country that he’s never been to or has ever mentioned going to.”

  “What about using a fake name? Fake I.D. and passports?”

  “It depends on how resourceful this woman is. To what lengths will she go to find him? Unless he owes her money, I doubt she would spend too much time tracking him down.”

  Perry nodded slowly as if absorbing the information. “Thanks. I’ll pass along the information.”

  As I sat there quietly listening to the conversation, I had a hunch that Perry was talking about himself and not some guy that he knows. Knowing how Carter thinks, he must have concluded the same thing.

  “Is your buddy married?” Carter asked casually. “Is he trying to screw his wife out of money or something?”

  “No, he’s not married.”

  “What about other family? Would he be willing to cut off all ties with them? In order to disappear, he would have to refrain from telling anyone where he was going, including those he thinks he can trust.”

  “Sure he has family but he’s not concerned about hurting their feelings. He’s ready to leave them for good.”

  He said it with such conviction, it only confirmed my belief that he must be talking about himself.

  I cleared my throat, unable to resist asking the question. “Doing a disappearing act seems drastic. Why not just get a restraining order?”

  Perry pursed his lips and I suspected he didn’t have a good answer. Finally, he shrugged. “My friend didn’t really give me all the details.”

  “What’s the woman’s name?” Carter asked. “We could do a search on her and find out if she has a violent history.”

  Perry shook his head resolutely. “I don’t remember what her name is.”

  “Well,” I said with nonchalance. “Tell your friend that he has options and leaving the country may not be necessary. He should talk to a lawyer before making any decisions. Or you could give him our number. We’d be happy to talk to him.”

  “Thanks.” His weary smile faltered. “I’ll pass that along.”

  As Carter and I sipped our drinks, I heard footsteps behind me so I turned around. Mary Garcia was waving a rigid hand toward Perry trying to get his attention. Her frown suggested that something was wrong.

  He wiped his hands on a towel and told us that he’d return shortly, then he quickly joined his mother as they disappeared through a door that probably led to a closet or private office.

  I surreptitiously looked at Carter and whispered. “What do you think about Perry’s story about his friend? It’s bullshit, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, but it’s good news for us. Another lead to follow up on.”

  “First, we need her name. How do we get that?”

  “We could ask other family members, but that would be too risky. I think it’s better to wait it out. Maybe Perry will eventually open up and tell us her name. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to get creative. After a quick search of his cell phone transaction history, finding the identity of this woman might be a breeze. ”

  When Perry returned to the bar, there was a blank expression on his face and a glazed over look in his eyes. Had his mother chastised him about something? Whatever she’d said to him left him in a weird mood.

  “Is everything okay?” Carter asked, trying to make light of it.

  Perry snapped out of his trance and blinked at Carter. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired, that’s all. I didn’t get out of work last night till one in the morning.”

  “No wonder you’re exhausted,” Carter said. “When’s your next day off?”

  Perry made a sarcastic chuckle. “I have no idea.”

  When we finished our drinks, Carter paid the tab and told Perry we might be back later after dinner.

  “Will you be dining here again tonight?” he asked us.

  “Probably not,” Carter replied with a wince. “Don’t tell your dad, but tonight we have a taste for some good ole’ heart clogging pizza.”

  Perry chuckled. “I don’t blame you. I mean, my dad’s a great chef, but I agree with you. Sometimes you just crave certain things.”

  “Can you suggest a good pizza joint in town?”

  “Papa Leone’s is just a few miles north of here.” He smiled with longing. “Man, I love that place. Wish I could get there more often.”

  “What’s your favorite pizza?” Carter asked.

  “The Hawaiian is the best. You should try it.”

  “I’ll do better than that,” Carter said. “I’ll bring one back for you.”

  Perry’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious? You’d do that?”

  “Sure. A large Hawaiian pizza coming up.”

  Chapter 11

  I understood what Carter was up to. Endearing ourselves to Perry was a smart move, but would it work?

  When we returned to the bar around 6:30 with the pizza, Perry’s expression was priceless. “Seriously, I thought you guys were kidding. You really got that for me?”

  There were no other customers at the moment, so Carter slid the pizza box across the bar toward him. “Go ahead, take a break. Sarah and I won’t tell.”

  Perry glanced around nervously but eventually opened the box and peered inside like a little kid with a Christmas present. “Did you guys eat yet? Have a seat and join me, the next round of drinks is on the house.”

  “If you insist,” Carter said, and we both grabbed a stool. “Is it always this de
ad around six o’clock?”

  “Sometimes. It sucks because I have to be here regardless of how many customers come in. I go out of my mind with boredom but if Mom catches me on my cell phone, she reams me out.”

  “So you mentioned you had a brother,” I said. “I don’t think we’ve seen him yet. What does he do around here?”

  “Graham does all the bookkeeping for the Inn. He has a small office upstairs and that’s where he usually stays.”

  “Do you two get along well?”

  He grabbed a slice and bit off a huge corner and munched on it while he answered my question. “We used to be close when we were younger but, now, he and I don’t really see eye to eye on most things. He never complains about the long hours, either. I think mom has him brainwashed. He gets pissed at me whenever I talk about leaving.”

  “And what about Zoe his wife?” I asked. “She likes living here, too?”

  Perry paused and I sensed he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Finally he just shrugged. “Who knows? Graham and Zoe sort of keep to themselves.”

  “How long have they been married? Do they have kids?”

  “Married two years but no kids. My mom keeps the pressure on for grandchildren but Zoe doesn’t seem to want kids. Whenever they get into a discussion, it never ends well.”

  Mary Garcia seemed like a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t imagine someone else dictating my life but, obviously, if things were so bad, Zoe could always get divorced and leave. Maybe she loved Graham so much that she’d tolerate an overbearing mother-in-law like Mary. Personally, I couldn’t do it. “How’s your relationship with your dad?”

  “Okay, I guess. He spends all his time in the kitchen. He likes his privacy and nobody is allowed in there, not even my mother. He’s very strict about that. Says he needs peace and quiet to perform his culinary masterpieces.” Perry rolled his eyes. “If you haven’t heard that he’s won the James Beard award three times in a row, I’m sure he’ll tell you himself when you meet him.”

  “The James Beard Award?” Carter said. “That’s impressive.”

  “Sure, I guess.”

  “So,” Carter continued on. “You must have some buddies you get together with from time to time. What do you do for fun in this town?”

  Perry laughed and shook his head. “If I want to have any fun, I need to go to the city. There’s nothing around here to do unless you enjoy going to antique stores.”

  “I can’t imagine you’re dating again,” Carter said hesitantly. “It’s only been six months since your fiancé … I’m sorry. That’s probably the last thing you want to talk about.”

  Perry closed the pizza box as if his appetite had vanished. “I’m not dating anyone right now. I don’t have any desire.”

  Carter folded his hands together, giving Perry his full attention. “How’d you meet Nina Chapman?”

  “She and her mother stayed here for an evening last year. She came to the bar and, since it was a slow evening, we ended up talking for hours.”

  “So you guys hooked up?” Carter asked with mild amusement. “That night?”

  Perry had a sheepish grin. “I don’t usually do stuff like that. If Mom ever found out I had a guest of the Inn come to my room in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be good.”

  “You’re a grown man,” Carter said. “You mean to tell me you’re not allowed to have a lady friend stay with you?”

  “Let’s just say, it’s frowned upon.”

  “But Nina was different, right?” Carter said. “You fell in love.”

  Perry’s expression changed. “Actually, that’s not entirely true.”

  Carter and I exchanged a glance and I said, “If you weren’t in love with her, then why get married?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “It’s complicated.”

  I waited patiently, figuring since the conversation had escalated to this point, he couldn’t resist continuing. My assumptions proved to be correct.

  “You see,” Perry continued, “Nina got pregnant that night. By the time she found out, like four months later, it was too late for an abortion. When she came to tell me the news, I asked her to marry me because I thought it was the right thing to do.”

  I nodded. “Most guys wouldn’t have done that. I commend you. But you must have asked to have a test done, to make sure it was yours.”

  He shook his head. “Anyway, she moved in with me even though Mom wasn’t happy about the situation. Sure, she wanted grandchildren, but not out of wedlock. I suppose that’s why I decided to propose to Nina.”

  “I take it your mom wasn’t very fond of her.”

  “Not at first, then, mom saw that she was a hard worker. I think Nina was trying to win her over.”

  “Did she get along with your brother and his wife?”

  “She didn’t really have a chance to get to know them. She’d only lived here a few weeks …” Perry’s attention diverted, and I realized a few people had entered the bar. He gave me and Carter a rueful glance. “Sorry, looks like I need to get back to work.”

  Carter made a gesture of understanding. “We need to head out anyway. Maybe we’ll see you later tonight.”

  Chapter 12

  It was almost 8:00 pm by the time we got back to Buster’s Comic Store. We parked in the same spot across the street to observe, noting the three cars in the parking lot.

  “The hair salon is closed,” Carter said. “Along with the diner. So the two cars other than the Honda must be customers inside Buster’s. Maybe there’s a private party going on.” He peered through the binoculars and made a grunting sound. “Can’t see inside with the windows shrouded in comic book covers.”

  “Let’s go knock on the door,” I suggested. “And ask them if we can join the party.”

  He gave me a sideward glance. “I was thinking we could write down all the license plate numbers to find out who these people are. Might be a little safer than confronting them. At least until we find out what kind of activity is going on here.”

  “Do you really think our time is best served doing this? I mean, we have no reason to believe that Reggie or Rory was involved in any secret meetings here after hours.”

  “We have no reason not to believe it, either. Somehow, we need to find out if Perry has any connections here.”

  I paused to consider something else. “That story Perry told us about his so-called friend and the woman he wants to get away from, maybe Perry is talking about himself and his mother.”

  Carter turned and blinked at me. “I agree.”

  “Maybe Perry had been planning to leave the family business when Nina came along and messed up everything. If he married her and has a child, he knew he’d never be able to leave, so he paid the brothers with the cash that he’s been stealing from the bar. Who knows, Perry could have saved thousands of dollars over the past few years by pocketing twenty bucks here and there.”

  “Assuming he did it, I’d love to know how much he gave those boys and where that money is right now.”

  “Here’s an even better question,” I said. “Why didn’t they just tell the police that Perry hired them to do it? Why would they feel compelled to protect him?”

  Movement from across the street got our attention as someone came out of Buster’s. The faint glow of the inside light cast a shadow over the person and we could see that it was an overweight man in his late fifties. At first I thought it was Frank Perez, the boys’ father, but Frank was much larger than this person coming out of the store.

  “Do you have your camera ready?” Carter asked.

  “I’m on it.” I clicked off a dozen shots as the man meandered over to the blue pick-up truck parked in the lot. Once he got behind the wheel, he sat there for a good minute before starting the engine. “Looks like a work truck. Larry’s Heating and Plumbing. There’s a number painted on the side of his truck. I’ll be able to zoom in on the photo to get a clear picture of the number.”

  “Good job.” Carter watched closely as th
e man finally drove away in his truck. “Shouldn’t be too difficult to get his name.”

  After another few minutes went by, the front door opened again. This time two more guys came out, talking in loud voices, although I couldn’t discern the words. I was too busy taking photos to concentrate on what they were saying. Each got into his ownvehicle— a dark colored Ford and a white Suburban— and drove off.

  “Looks like the party is over,” I said. “I wonder if Jason is staying the night.”

  Carter rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Well, shall we go talk to him again?”

  I looked out the window, observing how dark and creepy the street looked without any lights. Clouds obscured the moon, giving it a pale yellow glow, like something out of a Halloween scene. “The girl who cut my hair today advised me not to go walking around this side of town after dark. I tend to agree with her.”

  He caressed my hand and bit back a smile. “You seem a little jumpy.”

  “Did you bring your gun?”

  “Of course.” He grabbed the duffel bag from the back seat. “I always have it close by.”

  “How long are we going to wait here?”

  Carter reached in for the gun and tucked it into his jeans. “Wait here and lock the doors.”

  “What? Where are you going?”

  “I’m gonna try and get a better look inside. There must be a back door.”

  Carter opened the driver’s side door and got out, moving toward the alley. Staying inside the car, I searched the area with the binoculars, keeping an eye on Carter until he disappeared behind the building.

  I set the binoculars on the console and scanned through the pictures I’d taken of the men who’d left earlier. If we were able to contact these men, maybe they’d give us the skinny on Jason’s after hours’ activities.

  When the driver’s side door opened, I sighed with relief. “Thank God you’re back,” I said. “Did you see Jason?”

  But when I realized the person getting in the car was not Carter, I froze momentarily.