DOWN COLDER: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 3)

by DK Herman

  "I'll do a thorough check on him tomorrow," Poppy said.

  "Jane and Taylor work for Jane's mother's cleaning service. It's called Kubicki Cleaning," I said. "The office address is the same as her and Bob’s home, and I'm sure the address is within two blocks of the Detweiler home"

  "We need to ask Gail and Bob where they were last night." Ben said, putting whipped cream over his strawberries. "The perpetrators of crimes against children is usually a family member."

  I nodded in agreement.

  "What time was the little girl taken?" Poppy asked.

  I checked for an exact time in the police report. "Judging from bleeding of Amanda's injury, her doctor thinks she was struck on the head between midnight and one in the morning. She laid on the living room floor until her mother came home and found her around three. Why?"

  "Because last night, the Kubicki's were at a ball that lasted until two in the morning." Poppy pointed at her screen. There was a picture of Gail and Bob in evening attire smiling into each other's eyes on a crowded dance floor. "That's from Gail's business Facebook page. The caption reads: Bob and I had so much fun at the ball to raise money for the Children's Center. We danced until the wee hours, and the event raised twelve-thousand dollars! It was so much fun, we can't wait for next year's event!" Poppy picked up her dessert. "I saw pictures of that ball in the paper. Like I said, it wasn't over until two."

  "Nice dress," I said. Gail wore a blue, off the shoulder gown, her hair crimped and piled loosely on top of her head. Bob looked dapper in his black tuxedo and his hair slicked back. They appeared to be a different couple than the pair I'd met earlier. But worry about your young granddaughter would account for the sudden difference. "Does the cleaning service do well?" I asked. The dress and tux weren't cheap.

  "I don’t know," Poppy said. "I'd rather use my work computer to dig up financials. And I can run more extensive checks there."

  I nodded. "See what you can uncover about Darcy and Charlie next."

  Poppy went to work while Ben and I looked over the police file. I made a few notes and put them aside.

  "Aren't you going to eat your shortcake?" Ben asked Poppy.

  "It's good, but I'm full.” Poppy rubbed her flat stomach. "If you don't tell Liv, you can have the rest of mine."

  "Sold!" Ben swooped up the bowl and took a big bite.

  "I found criminal records on Darcy and Charlie," Poppy said.

  "And?" I said.

  "Darcy's been arrested for drug possession and indecent exposure. Both charges were pleaded down."

  Shocking!" Ben snorted.

  "Charlie's been convicted of two DUI's and accused of sexual assault." Poppy's eyes widened. "With a female minor."

  My stomach dropped and the room went silent.

  Ben pushed the nearly full bowl away, and his eyes blazed with anger. "We have to find her, Hallie... now!”

  "Stay calm," I said, rubbing his back. "We'll find her."

  Ben nodded, but he was still on edge.

  "Why, just accused?" I asked Poppy.

  "The girl, who was twelve at the time, was too traumatized to ID Dewalt. There was only circumstantial evidence, so the case was dropped." Poppy added.

  "Is there anything about Amanda's boyfriend?" I asked. "Darcy kept denying he there, but she wasn't there either." I didn’t want to leave any stones unturned.

  Poppy's fingers flew over the keyboard, her tongue clicking as she typed. "No arrest record, high school graduate, lives with his parents, and… here's his Facebook page."

  "Let's me see the Facebook page." I leaned forward for a better look at the laptop screen.

  Joey Kearn's profile picture is a selfie of him next to Amanda. The arm holding the phone was his. His other arm was around her shoulders as she snuggled close. They were both smiling and looked very happy. The difference between this picture of Amanda, and the one in the police file tugged at my heart.

  Before being bashed in the head, Amanda wore her strawberry-blonde hair long and straight. A few freckles were sprinkled across her cheeks and nose, and she had a mischievous sparkle in her light brown eyes.

  Joey Kearn stood a few inches taller than Amanda. His hair and eyes are dark, and he's lean, but not skinny. He looked plenty strong enough to inflict the horrible head wound on Amanda. Did he have a bad temper?

  "As happy as he looked with Amanda, they could have had an argument." I said, rubbing my eyes. "Or maybe he was tired of working at the family business, and Lexi was an easy target. The whole Detweiler family knew about Jane's windfall, and Amanda probably mentioned it to her boyfriend."

  A knock sounded in the open door to the hallway, and George peeked around the doorjamb.

  "I don't mean to interrupt," George said with a grimace. "But, I need to ask my granddaughter a technical question?"

  "Sure, grandpa," Poppy said with a smile.

  "Are you sure?" George looked at me with his brows coming together.

  "Come on in," I said with a wave. "What's up?"

  "It's that boy who wants to buy Ursula." George flapped his arms in annoyance. "He calls every few hours. He called while I was eating breakfast, he called while I was on the toilet, he called while I was... busy... snuggling with Susie last night."

  Ben and I stifled giggles and tried to plaster sympathetic looks on our face.

  "Want to go have a word with the boy?" Ben said. "I'll have your back."

  "Thanks, Ben," George said with a grin. "But I was hoping that Poppy could change my phone's number."

  "How about I block him?" Poppy held out her hand. "Let me see your phone, Grandpa."

  George handed over his cell, and Poppy pressed the screen a few times.

  "Holy crap," she mumbled. "He called twelve times since seven o'clock last night!" She manipulated the touch screen for a moment and returned the phone to George. "There, he's blocked."

  "Thank you, honey," George said with a sigh of relief. "Anything you sleuths need help with?"

  "Do you know anything about a Charlie Dewalt?" Ben asked.

  "Skinny guy, in his sixties?" George had a sour look on his face. "He used to work for the county road crew?"

  "That's him," Poppy said.

  "I know of him," George snarled. "I'd never pass the time with a lowlife like him."

  "Tell us more, George," Ben requested. "It's for this case."

  "Well, I've heard he likes little girls." George grimaced.

  "I knew it!" Ben exploded. "Call Andy, and tell him about the child molester. Somebody has to search Charlie’s house. She could be there.”

  “Andy needs a warrant or…”

  “We don’t need a warrant,” Ben interrupted. “And even if it’s only a possibility that the pervert has Lexi, how can we not search his house?”

  I knew Ben was right. “OK.” I agreed. “Darcy said he goes with her to the strip club. I’ll go there to make sure he is there while you wait outside his house. When I text you, go in and have a good look around.”

  Ben relaxed a little. “Thanks, Hallie. If she’s there, I’ll find her.”

  “I’m going with you,” George said. “I want to help, and you’ll need somebody to have your back.”

  Ben grinned at the older man. “Welcome aboard.”

  I sighed. “You’ll both wear gloves, be careful, and if you don’t find her, try not to leave any sign that you were there."

  “Who’s going with you, Hallie?” George asked stiffly. He looked at Poppy and shook his head.

  “I’ll call Gabi,” I said, taking the hint. I felt protective of Poppy too. “She’s up for anything.”

  “If she gets pie-eyed, keep her off the stage,” Ben said with a snicker.

  I gave him a pissy look, but the thought had crossed my mind. Gabi could be a handful when she drank. I reached for my cell and gave her a call.

  Gabi and her husband, Troy, were at Hank’s bar for supper and drinks. Eagerly, she agreed to accompany me on my mission to Darcy’s. I told her I would pick her
up at nine o’clock. That gave us an hour to get ready.

  Ben and George agreed to use George’s old, blue Caddy. Then they went downstairs to tell Gram he was going to help Ben with something.

  I thanked Poppy for her help and went into my bathroom to freshen up. After brushing my teeth, I decided to do my makeup over. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what to expect in a strip club.

  Deciding my skort and top would do, I dampened my hair, fluffed it with my blow-dryer, and applied a few pumps of Lilac body spray. Then I went downstairs.

  The hall and kitchen were empty.

  I heard Gram's voice in the living room. “You be darned careful, George Murphy,”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll be fine,” George replied.

  I entered the living room from the dining room, just as George and Ben left it and entered the hall. I gave Gram a quick kiss and walked through the room. “He’ll be back soon.” Because I didn’t know what George had told Gram, I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t good at lying to my grandmother.

  We went out onto the front porch, and I stopped the men. “You’re sure you have the right address?”

  Ben nodded. “And Poppy checked, he still gets his mail there,”

  “Ok. Get into place outside his house. When I get to Darcy’s, and I’m sure he’s there, I’ll text you the word ‘go’. If he’s not there, I’ll text ‘abort’.”

  “Got it,” Ben said.

  “If you find Lexi, call Andy, then an ambulance to get her checked out. After that, you can call me.” I hugged them both. “Tell Andy that you knocked on the door, and you heard a child crying for help. And then you went inside. He won’t believe it, but he won’t care. The lie will cover our asses with the Staties, too."

  The two men nodded solemnly.

  “Let’s go.” I headed for my car and waited until George’s Caddy left the driveway before following it out our lane.

  At the highway, George turned left, and I went to the right. The night air was muggy and warm, so I gave in to the urge to turn on the air. I wasn’t going far, but I didn’t want to sweat my makeup off before I arrived.

  Pulling into Hank’s lot, I saw Gabi waiting by her car. “Please, don’t let her want to drive,” I said looking skyward. I love my friend, but she’s a scary, aggressive driver. I pulled in front of her red SUV and waved.

  Gabi hopped into my passenger seat. “God, I love this car! If it was red, I’d steal it.” She tossed her long, wavy blonde hair and put on her seatbelt. She wore the cutest crimson red peasant top and white, gabardine shorts. On her feet she wore three-inch, ankle strap sandals.

  I smiled. Gabi loved red, me green. We’re the perfect pair around Christmas.

  “I can’t believe we’re going inside a strip club.” Gleefully she rubbed her hands together.

  I smelled alcohol on her breath as she spoke, but she seemed relatively sober.

  “I just had the best cheesesteak hoagie,” Gabi said and belched softly. “I have to get Hank’s recipe.” She pulled down the sun visor and checked her makeup in the vanity mirror. “This is the first time you’ve asked me along on a mission. Where’s tall, tawny, and tasty?”

  “Ben’s with George,” I said. “They’re going to do the searching this time.” I explained the entire plan, and the revelation that Charlie is a pervert.

  “What’s up with you?” Gabi looked at me sideways. “It’s not like you to leave yourself out of a search.”

  “Ben’s capable. I’ve trained him well.” I pulled the Denali back onto the highway. I could feel Gabi’s eyes on me. “OK. I didn’t like him going into Darcy’s without me. But he’s up to the search. As long as we let him know if Charlie the creep is ogling strippers or not, he’ll be fine.”

  Gabi smiled knowingly, but didn’t comment.

  “Look in my purse. Poppy printed Charlie Dewalt’s mug shot from a DUI.” I checked my speed and slowed down to fifty-five.

  Gabi pulled out the picture. “Yeah, he looks like a perv. And he’s always gotten away with it. What the hell’s wrong with the system.”

  “Men like him prey on the weak, like kids, and then they terrorize them to control them,” I said gripping the steering wheel.

  “Oh, my God,” Gabi breathed. “Is this the little girl who’s missing?”

  “Yep, that’s Lexi.”

  “You can’t let anybody hurt this little sweetie,” Gabi said before her face got a horrified expression. “You don’t think it’s too late, do you?”

  “I can’t be positive,” I said honestly. “But I agree with the cops. Most likely, Lexi is alive, and someone will ask for ransom.”

  We rode the next few miles in silence. I pulled into Darcy’s lot and turned off the Denali’s engine. “Ready,” I asked, watching two men get out of a pickup and stagger to the bar’s entrance.

  Gabi nodded, a defiant expression on her beautiful face. “Let’s go see if the son of a bitch is in there.”

  Gabi and I walked nonchalantly to the entrance. I took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.

  Inside the club, the walls were covered in maroon wallpaper that mimicked velvet. Matching lampshades sported gold tassels, and strings of metallic beads were draped around a railing that ran over top the L-shaped bar.

  Twenty tables were scattered about the large room, and a stage ran the length of the back wall. A shiny stripper pole was affixed in the center of the stage. And a row of stools lined the stage front.

  "Damn, it's just like I've seen on TV!" Gabi giggled beside me.

  Someone bumped into my shoulder, and I looked behind me to complain. But my attention was drawn across the room. A large poster hung near two doors marked Guys’ and Dolls’ The poster was a blow up of a picture that had been taken on the stage.

  One of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, posed against the pole in a skimpy, silver bikini. She was perfect, from the light blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders, to her five inch, silver stilettos.

  Her body, exquisitely proportioned, had lightly tanned and seemingly poreless skin. In big, black letters over her head was the name Delilah.

  "I don't see the perv, but I can't see most of their faces." Gabi scanned the crowd. She snorted and made a face at a platinum blonde in pasties and a g-string, wiggling her butt for a table of middle aged men. "Look at her hair! Who did that to her, a blind orangutan?"

  I laughed, then noticed a bouncer staring at us. “Let’s get a drink and move closer to the stage." It should be possible to blend in. There were a few other fully dressed women scattered about the crowd.

  Gabi ordered a rum and cola for herself and a plain cola for me. We made our way across the room. The last girl working the pole left the stage, and a buzz of voices filled the room. She began moving through the crowd, collecting more tips in her g-string.

  She stopped in front of us, and Gabi handed her a dollar. When she began to gyrate, Gabi handed her a second single. The girl gyrated some more, and Gabi turned to me. "Damn, she's like a stray cat, feed it once, and it won't go away."

  The girl flipped us the bird and moved on.

  "Gabi, there he is," I said, resisting the urge to point. "He just sat down on a stool next to the stage."

  A man’s voice blared over sound system. "Here she is, gentlemen. One of Darcy’s Delight’s sizzling bad girls. Give it up for… Jezebel."

  The men applauded wildly as a stunning woman took the stage. For the second time, she wasn't what I expected in this place. I didn't expect Darcy to attract quality, only the desperate.

  This girl had long black hair, but her eyes were a light color. Expertly applied cosmetics enhanced her beauty, and like the girl in the poster, she possessed a perfect body. And like the girl in the poster, she looked so familiar that I swore I knew her.

  The girl saw me staring and missed a step in her routine. Stumbling in her high heels, her hand flew to her mouth, and she turned away.

  "She knows me," I whispered in
Gabi's ear.

  "Who," Gabi mouthed.

  "The girl on the stage," I said. "I know her from somewhere, and she recognized me too."

  Gabi leaned closer. "She's wearing a wig. Her own hair is reddish blonde."

  "How can you tell?"

  "Duh, what do I do for a living?" Gabi shook her head.

  "Oh, yeah," I said. "Does she look familiar to you?"

  "No, but she's wearing a kind of makeup that hides major imperfections, like scars, birthmarks, sunspots, or maybe heavy freckling."

  "Freckles!” My mouth dropped open. "It's Taylor Detweiler!" I dug out my cell to call Ben. Then I remembered the plan. I texted him the word 'go' and watched for Taylor to leave the stage. I needed to have a chat with her.

  Jezebel/Taylor’s routine on the pole was mesmerizing. It was no wonder these girls had such lean and toned figures. The kind of acrobatics she was performing took strength, skill, and talent.

  When she was finished, I was prepared to chase Taylor out a back door. But instead, she made her way to me.

  “Please, don’t tell anyone who I am,” she whispered into my ear. With her hand on my shoulder, her eyes pleaded with mine.

  I nodded. “But I need to talk to you… tonight!”

  “See that door, over by the ladies’ room?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “It’s a way into the dancer’s dressing room.” Taylor looked around nervously. “Wait there, and I’ll let you in. We can talk there. Give me fifteen minutes to work the crowd, or it will look suspicious.”

  “There’s a little girl’s life at stake,” I reminded her. “Skip out on me tonight, and I’ll show up at your other job.”

  She bit her lip and nodded before fading into the crowd. I heard whistling, and men calling out for Jezebel as I grabbed Gabi’s hand.

  “Come on,” I said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  Behind the door marked Dolls’ was a two stall, one sink bathroom. It looked clean, but I could smell urine and mold.

  “So, what’s going on?” Gabi asked and took a sip of her drink.

  A stall door crashed open, and a drunken twenty-something staggered towards us. “Darlin, you must be new,” he said, leering at Gabi. “You got some big tits, for such a little girl.”