by K P Stafford
“The Swansons. I can’t find them anywhere.”
"Now Velda, you know how they can be. They probably took the Saturday bus into the city and haven't returned yet." He looked at me for assurance.
"Yes, Grams. I'm sure they've just gone to the city." I bit my bottom lip.
Grams crinkled her nose and looked at John, "You know better than that. They were meeting me this morning and they never miss a meeting. Besides, the whole town would be talking about their trip if that had happened."
I looked at John again. The look on his face told me the gossip box would have reported something as monumental as a trip.
"Don't worry, Velda," John said as he rubbed Grams' shoulder, “When did you see them last?”
“The bridge game on Friday night. We played a little late. They were going to walk home like they normally do. It was so late, I insisted they let me drive them.”
“Did you see them go into their home?”
Grams looked confused. “I can’t remember. I know they walked towards the door, so I just backed out of the driveway and left.”
“Lexi and I will get on the horn and find out what happened." He looked at me, “Can you call the bus station and ask if they took a bus over the weekend. I'll get your grandmother home and then figure out a plan when I get back."
“Sure. Anything you need.”
I had gotten to know John pretty well the past week. He was a jovial man, but he wasn't amused at what this could mean if the couple were missing. It would be the biggest news this town had seen since…I tried to think back to something from my childhood. I tried not to gasp when I remembered that my Aunt Agatha had disappeared nearly thirty years ago. That would definitely put the town on edge. Many of these people lived here back then, too.
Grams argued she wasn’t going home. Instead, she headed to her shop, Crystal Scents. Grams’ candles were unique. In the bottom of each jar candle was a crystal or gemstone. John escorted her out the door, trying to get her to take the day off.
I called the old guy at the bus station. He assured me the Swanson’s hadn't taken a trip in two months. I didn't know who else to call waiting for John to return so I called my best friend from childhood, Peyton Lewis, to tell her the news. Our friendship picked back up immediately on my return. I expected it to feel strained, but it was almost magical the way we instantly took to each other during our reunion. I didn't like that the gossip box had rubbed off on me so quickly, but it was nice to have a friend to talk to these days.
After I hung up from talking to Peyton, the phone rang four times, all people who had heard about the disappearance. There's no need for the newspaper in this town, although old man Jordan prints one daily. He was the second person to call to ask if I had any information he could quote in the next edition. The town's people definitely had more information than John and me at this point. One person asked if we'd checked the shoals, they might have walked off the cliff. One suggested the aliens had returned and snatched them up from their beds. Returned? Was there a first time?
John walked through the door about thirty minutes later. A furrowed brow replaced his usual expression. He sat down in the chair across from my desk and rubbed his chin, "I don't suppose you found out anything or know what to do next?" His tone was distant.
I shook my head no. I had no idea where to start with an investigation. Apparently John wasn't too qualified himself. Lost cats were more up to his speed these days. I'd have to be a quick study. I guess research and being nosey through the daily gossip might pay off.
John smiled, "As stubborn as a mule that woman is."
I felt my brow crease, unsure of what he meant by the remark.
“Your grandmother. She’s always said she can’t have the whole town going off balance if she’s not at work.”
Grams could be hard to figure out. The town wouldn't fall apart if she took the day off. Would it?
I looked over at John and feared he would rub a hole in his chin. “What are you thinking?”
He let out a long sigh, “This is going to bring up a lot of old memories for the town’s people.”
“You mean Aunt Agatha?”
“You remember that?”
“I didn’t at first, but I'm starting to.”
John stood up. “I was volunteer Search and Rescue in those days. We combed the woods for days, hoping to find her.”
“Who led the investigation back then?”
“Some old chap. He’s long been dead now.” He gave me a puzzled look. “You don’t think the two are related,” he trailed off, “after all these years?”
“Probably not. Just thought if you could look at that old case file, it might give you some direction now.”
“It could. The county handled most of that. I’ll go on over to Washburn and see what I can find out. In the meantime, would you like to run some errands for me?”
“Okay. What can I do?”
“Can you head up to Hayden's Ridge? It would be courteous to let Bernie Copeland know two of his tenants are missing.”
“Sure.”
John left the office and I locked the door before I headed to the retirement village.
CHAPTER 3
I hadn't intended for John to send me to Hayden’s Ridge Retirement Village, but he said the owner could be a “spiteful old codger” when things weren't going his way. John thought it'd be best to send a cute young lady, as he called me. It couldn’t hurt to use some of my charm on an old guy. I decided to play it safe and be a concerned citizen delivering the news. I’d also wing it and ask some basic questions to begin with.
The drive up to the village was pleasant. It felt like early fall in the air. I thought about my first round of questions and realized I was getting more apprehensive about the whole thing. Just stay calm and relax Alexis, I told myself. I had to laugh at not being called by my formal name in the last month. Everyone here knew me as Lexi. No matter how many times I tried to correct them to use my real name, they ignored me and continued to call me by my childhood nickname. I guess I should just give up. I also thought it best to introduce myself as Lexi. This wasn’t a formal questioning, so no point in making it seem like it was. I was starting to like Lexi anyway. As Alexis, my life and career were planned out in the legal field. As Lexi, it was like learning to walk on new legs without any direction as to where I was headed. Most people might find this feeling to be liberating. To me, it was scary. It felt like I was a side show in some carnival.
It was only a short drive up the hillside. Many folks walked this road to get exercise. Maybe I should have walked and burned off some of those donuts. I spotted the gate with brick and a wrought iron fence ahead. Through the gate was a beautiful little village. This was a quaint looking neighborhood with bungalows and cottages. It set on top of a cliff, hence the name Hayden’s Ridge. I assumed it overlooked the ocean, but I couldn’t tell from the street view. The office looked like a mansion at the end of a circle drive. The homes lined the main street leading up to the office. The sign on the front indicated it was also the community center, game room, recreation area and apartments for the elderly. I secretly wondered what it cost the elderly to live here. It was definitely a place for people who had money. I made a note of that to myself to mention to John. Sometimes a money trail is the easiest to follow in criminal cases. Not that this was a criminal case, or that I had any experience in these matters, but I had a bad feeling in my gut. I’d only been here a few weeks, but you get a feel for a place like this pretty quickly and I didn’t feel too good about finding this elderly couple.
I waited in the sitting area for over half an hour. His secretary kept assuring me it would only be a few minutes. The feeling in my gut wasn’t as irritating as her staring at me between fielding phone calls. The way she looked at me made me wonder if she knew something or wanted to tell me something. I was getting ready to question her when Mr. Copeland opened his office door and asked me to step inside.
He seated me in the over-stuffed
chair in front of his desk, as I told him who I was.
“What can I do for such a lovely young woman?” he asked as he went around the desk and sat in the leather office chair. “Are you looking for a place for a loved one? We have some beautiful homes here in the village.”
“Mr. Copeland-,” I began.
“Call me Bernie,” he interrupted.
“Bernie,” I said even though it didn’t feel right, “I’m here to ask some questions about the Swansons.”
“The Swansons?” He seemed puzzled like he was searching his mind to remember who they were. “Oh, yes, Earnest, and his wife, Velma.”
“Wilma,” I corrected.
“Yes, yes. What kind of information are you looking for? You know, I’m under strict confidentiality laws.” Throwing that last bit in piqued my interest, did he have something to hide?
“Yes sir, but they seem to be missing.”
“Is that so? They’ve probably gone off on holiday or something. Our retiree’s like to travel a lot.”
“Yes, we thought of that, but there’s no record of them leaving town. We wondered if they had told you or one of their neighbors about a trip? Can you think of any reason they’d just disappear?”
The look on his face hardened. So much for thinking nice legs would make an impression. One mention of a possible disappearance and his whole demeanor changed.
“Our tenants are not prisoners here. They’re allowed to come and go as they please. It’s not my business to keep up with all of them.”
John had suspected the man wouldn't be happy about losing two of his residents. John was wrong. The man wasn't too concerned about it. When I asked if we could have access to their residence, he only had two words for me. Court order.
I wasn't liking Mr. Copeland. I guess he couldn't keep up with everyone at the village, but he could pay a little more attention to his residents.
Once I got in my car I pulled out a notepad and started writing. I still had more questions than answers. I grabbed my keys off the passenger seat to put them in the ignition. The door to the retirement center opened and Bernie Copeland headed to his car. He was visibly irritated and in a hurry. Should I follow him?
CHAPTER 4
This quiet little town had been disrupted overnight. I was in need of a quiet evening so my best friend, Peyton Lewis came by with her daughter, Paisley. We enjoyed wine and pizza while sitting on the back deck watching Paisley feed carrots to some rabbits. It was cute the way they came up to her. She was nine years old and exceptionally bright. Even though Peyton had begun motherhood at the age of sixteen, she had done a fantastic job of raising her little girl.
As I watched the rabbits come up to her, I was reminded how strange this place could be. It was charming and had lovely people, but it also had a mysterious undertone to it. Even more mysterious was an old couple disappearing.
The gossip train started as soon as I got into the office the next morning. I had needed the relaxing evening, but I was starting to feel like I needed a whole weekend. I was starting to question if I’d made the right decision about quitting school and moving back here. I wasn’t cut out to solve crimes, legal paperwork was more my style, even though I didn't want to admit it.
One of the daily callers had already heard that I was helping John on the case and asked if we’d followed the insurance trail. They’d seen it the night before on a popular television show and thought it might be a good lead. They were also sure to mention that the new insurance guy, Jake Donovan was the nephew to Bernie Copeland. He’d only been in town a few months.
I thought about that after I hung up the phone. I was already wanting to get away from the phone and thought a trip to the insurance agency was in order. I let John know what I was doing and headed out the door.
I had barely gotten seated in the waiting area when the receptionist told me I could go on in to see Mr. Donovan. I thanked her and headed into his office. I expected to find an older gentleman, as Mr. Copeland seemed to be close to retirement age. What I didn’t expect was to come face to face with Mr. Hottie from the diner. I felt sure I’d just had one of those hot flashes. At least now he had a name and he wasn’t a tourist. I could inform Peyton of that bit. My heart was racing as I stood just inside the door, staring at the man. My mouth gaped open as he looked up from his desk and smiled at me. My knees went weak. I hadn’t felt a teenage-like crush in about ten years. I suddenly remembered what it was like. Regain your composure and be professional. Breathe, don’t forget to breathe, Lexi. I felt my face go flush as I stepped forward to introduce myself.
“Miss Danforth, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He extended his hand towards me, “It is Miss, correct?”
“Uh-huh,” was all I could manage to get out. Yeah, real professional. I took in a deep breath as I reached to shake his hand. Tingles coursed through my body when my hand made contact with his. “I’m sorry, yes, it’s Miss.”
He motioned for me to sit in the chair, “Jake. Call me Jake. I don’t stand on formalities here.”
I eased myself down into the chair, afraid my legs would give out at any moment.
“What can I do for you, Miss Danforth? Are you here to start an insurance policy?”
“Uhm, no, actually.” I had a line of questions in my head before I got here. Now, my mind was a complete blank. I didn’t know where to even start. “I’m helping Constable Ballard.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about that.”
“News travels fast around here. I work for him. He’s got a lot of stuff to take care of and asked if I’d help him ask a few questions.”
“I’ve seen you in his office from the diner across the street.”
He’s seen me? Had he been spying on me, like I’d been spying on him? I was feeling like a teenage girl. Get a grip Lexi. Get focused, get this business over with and get out of his office as soon as possible. “Well, as you’ve probably heard, an elderly couple is missing. I was wondering if they had some kind of life insurance policy.”
“Yes, they do.”
I waited for him to say more. He didn't. “Is it a large amount? Is there a beneficiary?”
“Yes.”
Again, I waited. It was obvious he wasn’t going to give me any more than I actually asked for. “Can you tell me who that is?”
“No.” He paused and stood up,” I have confidentiality laws to follow. Unless you have a court order, I can’t release any information.” He walked around and sat on the edge of his desk.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?”
His question threw me for a loop. How could he think about a dinner date at a time like this? My nerves were already jangled. A whole evening with him would ruin my resolve for sure. “Mr. Donovan, I don’t think this is the time for planning a date.”
He stood up. His tall frame hovered over me. Like I needed to feel any smaller at this moment. I sat there staring up at him. Should I stand up too? Was he ready to usher me out of his office?
“Let me show you out, Miss Danforth.”
I had my answer. So much for getting any information from him.
“Someone reported seeing them in your office a week ago. Can you tell me about that?”
“They were just updating some things.” He headed towards the door.
I stood up and noticed the file on his desk. It belonged to the Swansons. I turned to look at him. “You don’t find it odd that they’ve disappeared?”
He stopped and looked at me. “Yes, I do. I think it’s horrible. I’m just an insurance guy. It’s not my place to keep up with every client I have.”
“You’re rather callous about it.”
“I have work to do. Bring me a court order and I’ll gladly share what I can about their file.”
“A court order could take days since no immediate family has reported them missing.” I walked towards the door.
“If it makes you feel better, their insurance doesn’t pay unless they’re deceased.”
I glared at hi
m, “No, it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Are you sure you won’t have dinner with me?” His smile was infectious. A girl could get lost in that smile. No wonder the waitress always looked like she was in a good mood when he came to the diner. I headed out the door quickly, ready to get away from him before I turned into a drooling schoolgirl, “Thanks for your time.” I said over my shoulder as I hurried past the receptionist’s desk.
CHAPTER 5
I went home that night completely annoyed. The quiet evening I’d enjoyed the night before seemed like a dream at this point. As I pulled into the drive, I saw lights on in the house. Grams must be home. She was certainly active for her age and rarely came home before dark. The sun was just setting behind her two-story Victorian home. Dragging myself up the steps and onto the porch, I opened the front door and was hit by wonderful aromas. Ah, the smell of Grams cooking. It took me back to being eleven years old when she would cook all of my favorites.
I kicked off my shoes and let my nose lead me to the kitchen. Grams was chattering to herself. She seemed restless. Considering two of her best friends were missing, it was understandable. “It smells good in here, Grams.”
She turned with a startled look on her face, “Oh dear,” she said as she placed her hand on her chest, “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Maybe that’s because you were talking to yourself.”
She waved her hand towards the back door, “I was talking to Baxter.”
Looking up, I saw him on his perch next to his pet door that had been built in over the back door. “Hey, Baxter. How’s the crow’s life this evening.” He cawed out. My guess was it meant things were good. I turned to Grams, “I’m sorry Grams. I should have looked around before thinking you were talking to yourself.”
Gram’s laughed. “Well, I have been known to talk to myself, but I’m not going senile yet.”
I went to the cupboard to get the dishes for setting the table. Grams stopped me before I could pull the plates out. “No dear, use the good stuff tonight.” She pointed to her china cabinet. This set had been in the family probably since the first set of china had been sold. It was rare and expensive. I was always afraid to touch it.
