Lost and Found: Sara Martin Series

by Danelle Helget

  “I like it!” he said as I felt my cheeks turn pink. Must be the second drink. We finished our dinners, ordered another drink and sat there talking like old friends for a while. I found out that he married right out of high school, was divorced a year later, went on to college, got his degree and started working for Edward Jones right after graduation. He'd been there for nine years. He was thirty-five and couldn't wait for retirement. I looked at my watch.

  “Wow, it's almost ten,” I said. “Do you have to get up early?”

  “No, I have nothing going on tomorrow. Well, I have paintball with the boys at eleven but other than that I finally have a weekend free. How about you. Do you need to get going?”

  “I don't have too, but I probably should. I’m really tired, and these drinks are going to kick in pretty soon. I had so much fun. It was really nice getting to know you,” I said.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Sara,” he said with a grin. “I'll walk you out to your car.”

  We slipped into our jackets as he put cash in the money folder. I thanked him for the drinks and dinner, and we walked out together. We got to my car, and I unlocked it. He leaned up against the back door, briefcase in one hand. He looked so different out of the office and out from behind his desk. He was in very good shape.

  “You gonna be all right to drive?” he asked.

  “I'll be fine if I leave now,” I said. “Thanks again for the dinner. I'll drop off the funds next week.”

  “Great. Thanks for allowing me to be your adviser. I'm looking forward to working with you and growing your money,” he said, trying to sound professional. He smiled and I laughed out loud.

  “I'm looking forward to it too,” I said, putting my hand out to shake. He took my hand and shook it, then turned it over and kissed it. Then he opened my door for me, and I got in.

  “Goodnight, Sara.”

  “Goodnight,” I said feeling all giddy.

  I headed for home and hoped I'd make it. I had a big smile on my face while I drove, and butterflies in my tummy. When I got two blocks away from my apartment, my phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it's Derek. I have some bad news,” he said. “Where are you?”

  “I'm almost to my apartment,” I said, suddenly losing my smile.

  “Okay, call me back when you're in your apartment.” He disconnected.

  I parked and walked inside, dreading calling him back. I wanted answers but only good ones, and he’d said bad news. I said a short prayer while I dialed.

  “Hey, what is it?”

  “We got a call from the Nisswa police station this afternoon. A man on lake Hawsawneekee, reported a strange object on his fish finder and noticed a large shadow in the water. He's a regular on that lake and had never seen it before. He called it in, and the police went out. Long story, short, they found a car in the lake. It's Lily's.”

  “Oh, my God,” I said, sinking into the sofa.

  We had it brought here. The C.S. unit is testing it now. What we know already is that there are blood stains in the trunk. Not sure on type yet, and I don't have DNA for what was in the cave yet either. I'm so sorry . . . are you going to be okay, Sara?” he asked.

  “No,” I said crying. “I don't know how I'm suppose to feel.”

  “I'm going home for the night. Do you need me to stop by and check on you?” he asked.

  “Okay,” I cried. “Apartment four,” and I hung up. What the heck was that? Did I just invite the hot cop over to my house, late at night, drunk, crying, and make-up washed off? What was I thinking? Geez. This guy had only ever seen me at my worst. Poor guy. I must seem kinda scary.

  Fifteen minutes later, I heard the buzzer. I hit the button and after a quick mirror check, I opened the door to hot cop, leaning on the door frame, arms crossed.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey? Hey? Do you always just buzz people in before you check who it is?” he asked, sounding like a cop.

  “Get in here,” I said as I fist-grabbed his shirt and yanked him through the door. I pulled a little too hard because now he was right in front of me. Oops, awkward. I stepped back.

  “What are you my dad?” I asked to break the silence. I smiled and then turned and walked to the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Yeah, a beer if you got one.”

  I handed him a beer, and invited him to sit in the living room. I flipped on the gas fireplace and joined him.

  “Nice! Beats the wood one at the cabin, doesn't it?” he said, looking at the fire and sipping his beer.

  “It does for ease, and it's clean, but it doesn't have that nice crackling sound.”

  “So this is the new place . . . it's nice. Is it better than your old apartment?”

  “Yes, it's tons bigger, and our old apartment was on the third floor too, which was awful. So tell me more about what we know,” I said, as I settled back on the couch across from him.

  Derek told me again what he'd already told me. He thought that the blood was Lily's, and now he was investigating who put the car in the lake.

  “They're checking the car for finger prints which may or may not help. We already know we’ll find Mark’s and Jake's prints in there, so that doesn't tell us anything. We have a man watching Mark, and he's not coming or going much from his apartment. If he does, it's for groceries or alcohol. Jake is over a lot, and that’s a red flag because they should hate each other, not be buddies, considering the situation. Have you talked to them lately?”

  “No.”

  “Something isn’t adding up. I've been doing this a long time, so trust me and my gut when I say I think you should keep a distance from them. Don't trust just the fact that you know them. People can change in a heartbeat,” he said. “I think the reason they still talk is because they both have something to talk about. Normally in this situation they’d never speak to each other again, but with these two they only speak to each other. And Jake has missed a lot of work. We've been keeping tabs on him, too.”

  I shook my head. It was so surreal. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out what was going on. If Mark and Jake were involved, what did I feel about Lily? What about the two new men in my life? How did I sort what they felt about me? Should I be feeling anything at all? The fact that I was in the beginning of a divorce might be a clue. Where was Lily? On and on. Ugh.

  “So,” Derek smiled, “Were you out drinking when I called?”

  “No, sir,” I lied. “Just a business dinner with my financial adviser, a three-drink dinner is all,” I added, trying my best to look innocent and not buzzed.

  “Financial adviser? What's this financial adviser's name?” he asked, in his investigator voice, with his squinty eyes, arms folded across his chest.

  “Ummmm, Blake Connor,” I said, biting my lip. “He's helping me plan my future. We have to meet a minimum of once a month so we do it over dinner, since we both have to eat.”

  “Really . . . should I be worried?” he asked, as he took a long pull on his beer.

  I had no idea what to say to that, so I just sat there wondering if he liked me or if I was looking into this too much. Was he jealous? I just shook my head and gave him a smile. I suddenly wished I had reapplied my makeup. We sat there in silence for a few seconds, occasionally locking eyes. He finished his beer and placed it on a coaster on the coffee table. On the coaster. I loved him.

  He turned to me and said, “Well, sweetness, thanks for the beer. I have a big day tomorrow, so I better get some sleep.” He stood to leave, and I stood with him. He grabbed his empty and put it in the garbage. Nice. While he headed over to the door and put his shoes on, I stood there leaning on the wall. When he looked up, the thought flashed in my head that I really wanted him to kiss me. It was so wrong, but I really hoped he would. He looked at me and the corner of his mouth curled. From the look on his face, I wondered if he was reading my mind, or if I'd said that thought out loud.

  “You have my number if you need anything, or have a
bad dream . . . or want to talk . . . anything at all. Just call okay?” he reached out and opened the door with one hand and put his other arm around my waist.

  “Good night,” he said, then pulled me close and kissed my forehead. His lips curved into a soft, sweet smile, and then he left.

  “Good night. Thanks,” I said with a smile. I closed and locked the door, then pressed my back against it and slid down. Dang, he was awesome! The forehead? The forehead? Man, what a tease! I took a deep breath then mentally thanked the Lord, he kissed my forehead and not my lips. I was so buzzed, I would've ripped his shirt right off him. I had no business trying to kiss someone right now. Seriously I was a mess.

  20

  I woke up in the morning, having had no bad dreams, just tons of good, uninterrupted sleep. Good thing too because I’d promised Kat I'd go out with her tonight. A phone check showed eight-thirty, and I had a text from Mark.

  “Hey, how are you? Fine here. Have you heard anything about Lily? Maybe we should get together.”

  I decided to ignore it. I didn't know if it was a good idea to respond. There were just too many reasons not to, and I promised Derek.

  I called Kat and got a wardrobe, venue, and time from her. She said she'd pick me up at eight, and told me to dress hot. What the heck does hot mean? I don't think I own any hot.

  A couple seconds later my phone rang again, “Yeah, you need hot clothes don't cha? Make it six, and we'll go to the mall first. I'll find ya sum'n,” Kat said.

  I laughed and agreed.

  I spent the day cleaning and organizing my new apartment with the Ipod cranked. Then I took a quick trip to the liquor store and grocery store to stock up. My phone rang. Derek. “Hey, sweetness, how's the hangover?”

  “Hey,” I said, with an instant smile. “Fine, no hangover. I wasn't drunk.” Lie.

  “Riiiight. Anyway, I'm calling with an update, but as always this stays between you and me,” his voice in serious mode now.

  “Of course,” I said, loading the groceries in my Jeep. “What do ya got?”

  “Well the DNA is back, and it was a match for Lily. I'm sorry. The blood in the trunk of her car was hers as well.”

  “Oh, my God,” I said covering my mouth, “So she is dead.” I sat down in my driver’s seat and rested my head on the steering wheel.

  “Yes, at this point we believe she is, but we don't have a body yet. We have a dive team in the lake, but they haven't found anything yet. We'll keep them out there through today but if they don't find anything by tonight, we'll call it off. We doubt at this point that she drove the car into the lake, being her blood was in the trunk, and the trunk was closed when we took the car out. We think the car was put there after she was moved.”

  “So what now? Are you going to tell her parents yet?” I asked, in between sniffles.

  “That's another reason I was calling. I do need to update them, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me,” he said.

  “Umm, sure I guess I could. When?” I asked, not sure that it sounded like something I really wanted to do, but they were like second parents to me. I felt like I should help. I told Derek I'd be at the station in fifteen minutes.

  The drive over there was horrible. When I got there, I asked if we should call ahead, and he said no. It was protocol to just show up and get straight to the point. Talk about a bad part of a job. This was the worst job in the whole world. What, we just knock on someone's door and tell them their child is presumed dead? On second thought, I didn't know if I wanted to do this.

  I settled into the black sedan with Derek, and we drove to her parents house. When we pulled up I noticed Gerald was on the riding lawn mower and Debbie was on her knees in the garden near the front door, taking out the half dead flowers from summer. Fall yard prep, I couldn't wait until I had a house with a yard.

  Gerald saw us pull up and drove the lawn mower over and got off. Debbie, at a garden, stood up and took her gloves off. They both had horrified looks on their faces. They looked at each other and then at me. My eyes instantly filled with tears. I was trying not to cry, but I knew what was coming, and I didn't want to see them hurt.

  Gerald stepped up and puts his hand out, “Detective Richards.”

  Derek shook both their hands and asked, “Is there somewhere we can sit down?”

  You could see they were both already preparing for the news. I could see both of them breathing, the rise and fall of there chests very exaggerated, and their eyes fearful. Debbie motioned us to come inside. We all sat at the table, and Derek started at the beginning with my dreams and my returning to the cabin, and went through the whole story. All of our eyes, except Derek's were filled with tears. When he said that the blood and DNA were a match to Lily, they both broke down, they hugged each other and cried, hard. It was the single, worst moment of my life, right up there next to finding out my husband was sleeping with my best friend. The girl I went from loving to instantly hating, the girl I secretly wished dead the moment I found out, and now I wished with everything I had that she was alive and well. I started sobbing too. I got up and grabbed tissues from the kitchen counter and four glasses of water and set them on the table.

  After a few minutes, Derek continued and told them, “We are now investigating a homicide. If you hear anything unusual about her or those involved, please call me right away. Also we need you to keep this as quiet as possible. That means not calling all your extended family yet. I know that's asking a lot, but it should only be another day or two before we have more figured out. None of us want to have to deal with media attention or have it mess up the investigation. And don't make or take any calls from Mark or Jake. We just don't have all the answers yet, and the investigation is in a critical time. I promise to let you know anything we learn right away. And when the investigation is done, you can let your families know.”

  I went over to Gerald and Debbie and gave them big hugs. Derek told them that he would be in touch. Derek walked to my side of the car and opened my door for me, I got in and he closed it. When he sat down in the driver’s seat, I was face to tissue.

  He patted my thigh and said quietly, “You were great. Thanks for coming, it made it easier to have you there. They had someone who cared about her too, to share in the pain.”

  I nodded and cried quietly all the way back to the station. When we got there, he opened my door for me, walked me to my Jeep and helped me in.

  “I’ll give you a call later,” he said.

  “I’m suppose to go out with Kat tonight, but I'm not sure I'll be up to it now,” I responded.

  Derek smiled gently, “I think you should go. It’ll do you more good to go out have fun than it will to sit around and cry. There’s nothing you can do about the situation now anyway.”

  I nodded. “I'll talk to you later,” I said sadly and got in. I drove home slowly, thinking about Lily and wishing I'd had a chance to say goodbye. I bet her parents did, too. Now I hoped we’d find a body so her parents could lay her to rest and have some closure.

  Faith, my bundle of joy. I was so grateful for her. She came pouncing over to me when I walked in. I picked her up and instantly felt loved. Carrying her against my broken heart, I walked to my room, climbed into bed and closed my eyes for a bit.

  Two hours later I woke up. I still felt exhausted. I knew that it was the stress and emotions, but I hated it. I just wanted to feel happy and content again and have a normal feeling in my body. My stomach felt hollow all the time. From the moment I saw Jake kiss Lily, I'd felt like I had the flu.

  It was only four o'clock, so I decided to pass the time and keep my mind busy by baking cookies and then delivering them to the people in the apartments on either side of mine. It was a good idea. The ones on the left were a younger couple with two young kids and were very excited about the cookies. The one on the right was a single male, young, maybe twenty-three or four, cute. He said he loved me. He said he’d smelled them an hour ago and was drooling. He seemed nice. He was very funny, and he lo
oked great. Thick blond hair, light-brown features, he had a day-old beard that gave him a perfect rustic look. Let's just say he was easy on the eyes. I should have gotten his name. I ziplocked the rest of the cookies in sets of a dozen and stuck them in the pantry.

  I showered, threw on jeans and a sweatshirt, not too worried about my fashion right now because I knew that Kat would find me something nice at the mall. I packed a variety of shoes in a bag. That way I'd have a pair to match whatever I bought. Then I spent some extra time on my hair and make-up. When Kat called and said she was in the lot, I grabbed a dozen cookies, my purse, the bag of shoes and ran out the door.

  21

  Kat looked amazing as always. I gave her the cookies, and she thanked me. We spent about an hour at the mall in three different stores, trying on tons of clothes. We even tried on some prom dresses, then got really depressed because we were too old for proms, and we had no boys in our lives to take us to prom or even out on a fancy date. So we took the gowns off and put them back on the rack. It was super fun, and for a moment I almost forgot about my problems. Finally I decided on a shirt that was very cute. It was black-and-bright-blue rayon and was off one shoulder. The print was small squares, and it was fitted across the stomach. That's one good thing about stress, it burns a lot of calories. My stomach was almost flat right now. I bought the the second-and third-place shirts and some jewelry too.

  After we were in the car, I threw on my shirt and some black, strappy heels, and the silver jewelry I'd bought to match. We settled on dinner at Olive Garden and spent the next hour or so drinking and eating and catching up on the weeks events. After I told Kat everything, including the blood match, I asked her not to tell anyone and mentally prayed she wouldn't. She was trust worthy, so I wasn't too worried. She then told me my divorce lawyer, Allie, her co-worker, said that the court date was set. I asked her if she remembered when, and she said no, but she knew that Allie would be calling on Monday to go over things.