by Tim Myers
Kate admitted reluctantly, “No, but the woman I spoke to commented that his bed hadn’t been slept in, and she was getting worried about him.”
Maybe it was more serious than one of his larks after all. “Kate, this has gone on long enough. Tell me where he is. I need to make sure he’s all right.”
She looked torn as she asked, “Ben, what if it’s nothing? He’ll be furious with me for giving him away, and you know how that man can hold a grudge.”
I took my sister’s shoulders in my hands. “Listen to me, Kate. He could be in serious trouble. It’s time to stop this hide-and-seek game. Now tell me where he is.”
Kate battled with it—I could tell by the expressions shifting on her face—until finally she said, “He’s in Sassafras Ridge.”
That was less than half an hour from Harper’s Landing. Why would he stay somewhere that close when he had a perfectly nice house just thirty miles away? “What’s he up to, Kate?”
“I swear, that’s all I know,” she said. The poor girl looked like she was ready to burst into tears at any second. I put my arm around her. “Kate, it’s going to be all right.”
“Do you honestly think so? What if something’s happened to him? Ben, I’m worried.”
I could have told her the truth, that I was every bit as concerned as she was, but that wouldn’t solve anything.
“Let’s not borrow trouble until we find out exactly what’s going on. I’ll just drive over there and see what’s happening. What’s the name of the place where he’s staying?”
“The Beverly Inn on Crestmont,” she admitted. “Ben, you’ve got to find him.”
“I’ll do my best. In the meantime, I wouldn’t say anything about this to anybody else in the family.” She knew as well as I did that I’d meant our mother.
“I won’t, but hurry, would you?”
If anything had happened to Paulus, chances are it had already occurred, but I didn’t say that. “I’m on my way.”
As I raced out the door, Mom tried to stop me. “Benjamin, where are you going?”
I wasn’t about to share my suspicions with her. “I’m doing what you asked me to do, trying to clear this mess up,” I said as I hurried out. Glancing at her as I left, I could see the concern on her face as well. She knew something was wrong, but she also knew better than to push me for more of an answer than I could give her.
I got into my Miata and drove as quickly as I dared toward Sassafras Ridge. It was time to see what had happened to Paulus, and at the moment, that was even more important than the fence cutting off our lifeline.
When I got to the Beverly Inn—a place I’d never heard of before in my life—I began to wonder even more about my grandfather’s state of mind. I’d been expecting a cheap dive given Paulus’s penurious nature, but instead, I found a grand home converted into a bed and breakfast. The magnificent old Victorian had been freshly painted, with lavender gingerbread trim glowing against a purple field. A pristine white sign was positioned near the cobblestone walk that led past a lush lawn to the wide front porch. I might even stay there myself someday, if I ever won the lottery. One night’s visit was probably as expensive as a month of rent for my apartment.
There was a Shaker-style desk in the front parlor, with a Queen Anne table beside it. The welcoming space was decorated with an eclectic selection of antiques that somehow all seemed to fit.
No one was around, and I didn’t see a bell, so I called out, “Hello? Is anyone here?”
A young woman with frazzled blonde hair came out, her apron covered with flour. “I’m sorry, but we’re full right now,” she said.
“I’m not here about a room. You just talked with my sister about one of your guests: Paulus Perkins.”
She looked flustered by the admission. “My husband told me I shouldn’t have said anything to her. I’m afraid he was quite displeased. There was no need for you to rush over here. I’m sure he’s fine. Jeff certainly believes so.”
“My grandfather’s probably fine, but I’d still like to see his room,” I said.
She looked startled by the request. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Our rooms are private.”
I wasn’t about to let that stop me. “I’m Paulus’s grandson. Understandably, the entire family is worried about him. If I could just have a look around, maybe I could clear this all up.”
She nodded and was pulling a ring of keys from her apron pocket when a tall, muscular man with a crew cut came out to join us. “Mary, aren’t you going to finish the biscuits?” He caught sight of me and said, “Hello. Sorry, but you’ve caught us at a bad time. If you’d like to book a room, you might try later today.”
“I’m here about my grandfather,” I said. “Paulus Perkins.”
He scowled at his wife a second, then said, “Sorry, we can’t help you.”
Jeff tried to back me down with his glare, but I wasn’t about to give up that easily. I repeated my request. “I need to see his room.”
He stared at me another full ten seconds, then said, “No way. We don’t allow that. Good-bye.” Then he dismissed me and turned to his wife. “Mary, you need to finish those biscuits. Our guests are going to be down soon.”
“He has a right to be concerned, Jeff,” she said softly. I wanted to cheer—I was so proud of her for standing up to him—but I didn’t want her to take any of the heat that was meant for me.
I said, “If you insist on doing this the hard way, I can be back here with the sheriff in ten minutes. Your other guests might not like it, though.”
Jeff forgot all about his wife and took two steps toward me. I thought for a minute he was going to take a swing at me, and I braced myself for it. Instead, he stopped two inches from my nose and said, “I doubt Billy’s going to back you up. Best friends have a way of watching out for each other.”
Great. If we had been in Harper’s Landing, I could have had Molly over there in a heartbeat. As it was, this oaf had called my bluff. Well, one thing I knew about poker was that if somebody called your bluff, one viable option was to go over the top and up the stakes even more, trying to force them to drop out of the hand. In a voice much louder than I normally used, I said, “That’s great. We can make it a party. The health inspector for the county happens to be my cousin. I’m sure he’d be interested in looking around your kitchen.” I didn’t have any such relative, but I was hoping he would believe that I did.
A few guests started down the stairs and must have heard my threat. It was all I could do not to smile as they started back to their rooms. Jeff’s face reddened, and I was ready to duck his punches any second. The man really should sign up for some anger management classes, but I didn’t think it was the right time to suggest them to him.
“Leave before I throw you out,” he snarled. Mary had ducked back into the kitchen, and I couldn’t blame her a bit. I wasn’t about to give up, though.
“Give me five minutes in his room and I won’t bother you again,” I said. “He’s checking out, and I’m taking his luggage with me.” He smiled coldly at that, though I didn’t know why.
I added, “If you’ve got a problem with that, I suggest you call my attorney.” I handed him one of Kelly’s cards, knowing she’d back me up. “Why make this any harder than it has to be?”
I wasn’t sure if he wanted the fight or not, but I think Kelly’s card was enough to finally convince him I was a gnat he couldn’t afford to swat. “Fine,” he said as he stormed upstairs. How in the world did this man run a business dealing with the public on such an intimate level? I didn’t care how elegant the surroundings, or even how nice his wife seemed. He was an oaf and a bully, and I couldn’t wait to get away from him.
He unlocked the door to the Elderberry Suite and said, “Happy? You’ve got five minutes.”
I stepped inside, then called out, “Hang on a second. You made a mistake.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked as he came into the room.
“This one’s empty,” I said.
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“That’s what my wife told you,” he replied, starting to leave again.
I wasn’t finished, though. “Then where’s his luggage? That bed hasn’t been slept in, and there’s nothing of his here.”
“It’s pretty clear, isn’t it? The old man is gone, but he forgot to tell anybody he was leaving.” He tapped his wrist-watch. “You’ve got five minutes. When you’re through, I’ll have his bill ready and we can settle up at the front desk.”
He slammed the door behind him. I searched the room, but if Paulus had left anything behind, I couldn’t find it. There was a notepad by the telephone, but it was blank as far as I could tell. I checked all of the pages anyway, but there was nothing there. Or was there? I held the top sheet to the lamp and studied the heavy impressions on it. My grandfather had a firm hand when he wrote, and I knew in the past he’d torn a letter or two signing his name with such force. Grabbing a pencil from the table, I lightly brushed the sheet with its edge, hoping to leave a graphite trail. There was a telephone number there, faint but unmistakable. I dialed the number, but there was no answer. I had hoped that when the machine picked up, I’d at least be able to tell who I was calling, but an electronically generated voice invited me to leave a message, which I chose not to do. I scribbled the number down and tucked the paper in my pocket, swept through the room one last time, then left to go downstairs.
Jeff was waiting for me there, a bill in his hands. “We take cash, checks, or credit cards,” he said as he pushed the invoice into my hands. I looked at the total and couldn’t believe it. There were six nights of charges there, close to a thousand dollars altogether. I shoved the bill back into his chest. “I’m not paying that.”
“Then I’ll see you in court. Bring your fancy lawyer with you; we’ve dealt with deadbeats before.”
I protested, “Your wife told me herself that he hasn’t even been here the past three days.”
The big man shrugged. “He didn’t check out, and I couldn’t rent the room until he did, so you owe me the money.”
“Give me a second,” I said as I took out my cell phone and called my mother. She was the one in charge of our finances, and if I charged something that she didn’t approve, I knew full well she’d dock me for it and take it out of my salary.
When I got her on the line, I said, “We’ve got a situation I need your help with,” I said.
“What did you find out? Can he put that fence there?”
I’d forgotten all about the blockade. “I’m still not sure. This is about Paulus. He’s been staying in a bed and breakfast in Sassafras Ridge, but they haven’t seen him in three days.”
There was a short pause, then she asked, “Do you think something’s happened to him?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. In the meantime,” I added, lowering my voice, “they want me to pay his bill. It’s nearly a grand for six days’ stay.”
“So pay it,” she said abruptly.
“What? You can’t be serious. The woman who runs the place admitted to me that he hasn’t even been here for three days. This is extortion.” I couldn’t believe my mother was folding to the pressure so easily when she fought for every dime when it came to our bottom line.
“Your grandfather’s a big boy,” she said. “Pay the bill. If he has a problem with it, he can dispute it himself. Otherwise, I’ll pull it out of his partners’ account.” She sounded almost gleeful about the prospect.
“Are you sure this is the best way to handle it?” The last thing I wanted was to get in the middle of another dispute between my mother and grandfather.
“Think of it this way, Ben. We’re doing him a favor. Who knows how much longer they would have tried to soak him if you hadn’t stepped in? Just do it.”
I reluctantly agreed, then asked, “Aren’t you the least bit worried about Paulus?” I knew the two of them had had their share of troubles over the years, but there had to be a glimmer of mutual respect between them. I’d seen it myself occasionally in the past.
“Of course I am,” she said. “After all, we need to know exactly what Earnest Joy is talking about. So you’ll find your grandfather and get him to tell you. Now I’ve got to go. We’ve got a delivery truck, and no way to unload it.”
I hung up and saw that Jeff had been eavesdropping on my conversation.
“I’ll pay you for three days,” I said, not willing to give him the satisfaction of winning without a fight.
“You’ll pay for the entire stay, or I’ll see you in court. Believe me, you won’t win.”
Well, at least I’d be able to tell Paulus I’d tried. I could barely stomach it as I handed him my business credit card and said, “I want a signed receipt for payment in full.”
“Of course,” he said as he ran it through his system. I signed the slip, had him sign the more formal bill he’d thrust at me before, then walked away. The encounter had left me with a bad taste in my mouth, but at least I had one lead to follow up on.
Chapter 3
It took me ten minutes, but I finally got Molly Wilkes on the phone. She was my onetime girlfriend and sometimes date, as well as being the best cop on the Harper’s Landing police force. Things had been a little dicey between us since I’d started going out with Kelly, but I was hoping our friendship could transcend the momentary riff between us.
“Hey, Molly. It’s Ben.”
“What do you want?” she asked curtly. Okay, maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.
“I need a favor,” I admitted.
She sighed into the receiver, then said, “Ben, I’m not sure I should help you, even if I can.”
“Hey, it’s nothing, really. I just need to find an address for a telephone number.”
She snapped, “It’s something, believe me. Ben, I can’t just drop everything I’m doing whenever you get into trouble. Go to the library and find a reverse directory. It’s not that hard.”
“If I can find it at the library anyway, why won’t you help me?”
Her sigh was one I was all too familiar with. “Because you’re asking me to do something during my shift that can’t possibly be part of my job description. I have to answer for my time, you know.”
“Don’t you even want to know what this is about?” I asked. I had some serious fence-mending to do with Molly, more than I’d realized, but I couldn’t imagine that she’d just turn her back on me.
“Fine, go ahead and tell me. What is it about?” she asked in a tired voice.
“My grandfather’s missing, and this number is the only lead I’ve got.”
That certainly got her attention. Molly and my grandfather were friends, something I’d never really fully understood. He’d called me a fool on more than one occasion for not marrying her, and threatened to ask her himself if I was too stubborn to do it.
Molly said, “I’m listening. Tell me what happened.”
After I brought her up to date, she asked, “Why didn’t you call me about the fence? I thought I’d be first person on your list. Well, second, anyway.”
It was pretty obvious she meant Kelly was probably first. “I haven’t told anyone outside the family,” I said. “I’ve been trying to find Paulus first, because he might have an idea about what’s going on.”
She hesitated, then said, “This may take a few minutes. Are you on your cell phone?”
“Yeah, but I thought you just had to punch a few numbers into your computer. I don’t mind holding.”
She let out a snort. “Benjamin Perkins, believe it or not,
I’ve got more important things to do than drop everything to take care of you.”
“Sorry,” I said, but she’d already hung up on me. I sat out in front of the B&B in my Miata waiting for her to call back. After three minutes, I saw the front door open and Jeff came outside. He had a baseball bat in his hand, and I decided I could just as easily wait somewhere else. As I drove away, I offered a smile and a wave, but he didn’t return either.
I parked
in front of an abandoned movie theatre and waited there. The view was a lot less inspired, but it felt friendlier staring at the tattered posters in the displays out front than an angry innkeeper.
Molly finally called back ten minutes later. “Take this down,” she said, then read me the address.
“Thanks,” I said, hoping to get it in before she could hang up on me.
To my surprise, she actually stayed on the line long enough to say, “I’m doing this for Paulus. Let me know what you find out.”
“I’ll do that,” I said as we were disconnected.
The address Molly gave me was in Sassafras Ridge, but I didn’t have a clue how to find it. I’d located the inn by driving into town and searching street signs as I went, but I hadn’t seen a Sunbeam Lane in my travels. I was certain that was a name I would have remembered. After driving around pointlessly for ten minutes, I spotted a post office, parked in front, then walked inside. They’d have to know where Sunbeam Lane was if the occupant there ever got any mail.
There was an attractive young woman working a crossword puzzle at the desk behind the counter. She smiled at me as I walked in and asked, “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Sunbeam Lane,” I said.
She laughed, a sound I enjoyed from the second I heard it. “Can you believe some of our street names around here? We’ve got Brightside Avenue, Happy Boulevard, and Rainbow Street. The man who laid out our streets was either an eternal optimist or barely sober. I haven’t been able to find out which, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Is it far from here?” I asked.
“No, just drive two blocks down Happy, make a right on Sunshine, and you’ll see Sunbeam on your left, two streets down the road. If you get lost, I’ll be here till five.”
“Thanks,” I said as I headed back to the Miata. I hoped this wasn’t a dead end. I needed to talk to Paulus, and it just wasn’t to be sure he was all right, though I was concerned enough about his well-being. That fence was already killing our business, and it was up to me to find out how to get rid of it. Unfortunately, I had to talk to my grandfather before I could figure out where to start.
