Deadline

by K. A. Tracy

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sam stood and stretched, her body stiff from too little sleep and skipping her morning workout. She got a Diet Coke and glass of ice from the break room, hoping to get a caffeine-fueled second wind. Back at her desk, she picked up the faxes from Nate and swiveled her chair around to face the window, putting her feet up on the ledge. The top page was Ellen Konrad’s personals, as Nate called them. It showed driving history, including all issued driver’s licenses, residences listed in reverse chronological order, real property owned, tax returns, known DBAs, marriages, and divorces recorded.

  Sam was impressed by Ellen’s extensive, revenue-producing real estate empire. She owned rental properties in Miami, Hawaii, La Jolla, Laguna, Manhattan, and Cannes. She also owned boutique hotels in Los Cabos and Costa Rica. Every property was paid for in full, and each property was a stand-alone incorporated business. She bought the house in Palm Springs for $2.5 million—an absolute steal—and paid cash for it. Sam’s father always claimed you could never go wrong putting your money in property because even if the real estate markets occasionally slumped, every year there was less ground to go around. Apparently Ellen followed the same investment philosophy.

  Being executive producer on her TV series meant she received a sizable share of the domestic syndication and international sales. That, along with some lucrative cosmetics and clothing endorsements, made Konrad one of Hollywood’s richest working actresses.

  She also owned a production company with two successful dramas currently on the air, an equity waiver theatre in Los Angeles, a vineyard in Santa Ynez, a stake in a video game developer, and several other limited business partnerships. The woman was staggeringly wealthy.

  The second page was Phil Atkins’ personals, which were uniformly bland. He was born and educated back east before heading west to attend USC graduate school. He had two DBAs: Greenlight Professional Consulting, Inc. and Pools ‘R Us. Sam smirked when she saw three divorces listed. “Big surprise there.”

  The last sheet was Lena’s. Sam leaned her head back, holding the page in the air to read. When her brain caught up with her eyes, she sat upright. The address on Lena’s first driving record was Rocky Hollow, Tennessee. Sam had never believed in coincidences and now they were piling up around her like old newspapers in a packrat’s hovel.

  Sam went online and pulled up a Google map of Rocky Hollow. It was twenty miles from Sevierville in Great Smoky Mountain country. Far enough away that a teenager could go there to sit out her pregnancy in secret but close enough to share the same area code. Cattle Hill was on the other side of Knoxville.

  Sam tried not jumping to conclusions. Just because Lena lived in the same general vicinity as Rydell, just because she was the right age to have given birth to Jeff as a teen, and just because she got her California driver’s license within two years of Jeff’s birth didn’t necessarily prove anything.

  Sam put her head back to think but immediately started to doze off, so she sat forward again, yawning. “Who in a really small town is going to know everything about everyone else?” she asked just as her editor passed by.

  Marlene stopped and put her empty coffee cup on Sam’s desk. “I would say a rabbi, a priest, or a hairdresser. Was this a quiz or did I interrupt one of your one-sided conversations?”

  “Both. I was quizzing myself.” Sam quickly brought her editor up to speed.

  When she finished, Marlene picked up her cup. “Nice work.”

  She disappeared to into the break room. On her way back, Marlene paused in front of Sam’s desk again. “Just be careful, for both the paper’s sake and the people involved. But I know you know that, so I’ll shut up now and get back to proofing the classifieds.”

  Sam typed Physicians, Rocky Hollow and Tennessee into Google and three names came up. One was a dentist, the other two general practitioners, both with the same business phone number, address, and name, except one was identified as Junior. She picked up the phone and called directory assistance.

  “Hi, for Rocky Hollow, Tennessee, I need a residential listing for a Gerald Crane. Senior, not Junior.”

  “Here’s your listing…”

  God bless the traditional GP, Sam thought writing down the number. She braced herself for the brush-off. The whole reason clergy and doctors knew so much is that they had ethical obligations to keep secrets. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say up to the moment a pleasant sounding woman answered the phone.

  “Hi, ma’am, my name is Samantha Perry. Is Dr. Crane available?”

  “Just a minute, please.”

  Sam tapped the end of her pen on the desk with a rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat cadence, while waiting. Finally a man came on the line. “Hello, how can I help you?”

  Visions of Will Geer and The Waltons danced in her head, “Hi, Dr. Crane. My name is Sam Perry—”

  “You don’t sound like a Sam,” he joked.

  “My dad had a warped sense of humor,” she responded easily. “I’m calling from California, and I know this is a real long shot, but I was hoping you might be able to help me. I’m trying to track down an old work associate. I know she was born in Rocky Hollow, but we’ve lost track of each other.”

  “Well, if they lived here anytime in the past fifty years, odds are I know ‘em. If they’re old enough, odds are I might have delivered them too. Who’s it you’re looking for?”

  “Her name is Lena Riley.” There was a long silence on the line then the sounds of him talking with his hand over the receiver. “Dr. Crane?”

  “Yep, I’m here. I remember Lena. How’d you say you knew her?”

  “We worked on a charity together a while back, and I was hoping to recruit her to help with a benefit I’m producing for pediatric diabetes.” Sometimes it worried Sam how easily lies came to her when necessary.

  “That’s a good cause there, young lady,” he said, making Sam feel like pond scum for promoting herself as some humanitarian. The karma gods probably didn’t like it, either. “It’s good to hear Lena’s using her time to good use.”

  “Would you know of any friends or relatives in the area who might know how I can reach her?”

  “That’s a tough one. She left a long time ago, and I don’t think she kept close to her family here.”

  “Really? Why is that?”

  “Lena was, uh…different. Caused her some problems growing up. Things like that still matter in places like this.”

  “So there’s nobody I could call?” the frustration in her voice not an act.

  Sam heard more muffled conversation before Crane answered. “There was a cousin of hers she was close to. Belinda Peletier.” He spelled it for her. “She lives over in Ashland. If anybody knows where Lena is, it’s Belinda. They were birds of a feather, if you get what I mean.”

  Sam didn’t but wasn’t about to tell him that. “Thank you, Dr. Crane. I really appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. And good luck with that benefit,” he added, making Sam cringe.

  According to directory assistance, there was only one Belinda Peletier in Ashland Grove. It occurred to Sam that if Lena was still close to this woman, they might be in regular contact so the benefit story would not work. She needed something closer to the truth without being exactly upfront. She thought a few minutes then called Peletier’s number.

  The phone rang a long time before a woman answered. For what seemed the hundredth time that day, Sam introduced herself. “Dr. Crane over in Rocky Hollow suggested I call you.”

  “He did? Why?”

  “Do you know who Ellen Konrad is?”

  “The actress?”

  “She’s running for mayor in Palm Springs, and I’m researching a profile on her and the main people in her campaign. One of those people is Lena Riley.”

  “Oh, my God! You’re kidding!”

  “No. Lena is Ms. Konrad’s assistant.”

  “I’ll be damned. I knew she’d gone out West but thought she’d probably left California after everythi
ng happened and started over somewhere else.”

  Sam adjusted her headset and made sure the recording app was running. “Is this a convenient time for you?”

  “Sure. What is it you’re looking for exactly?”

  “Mostly just background to show how she overcame personal adversity to become a successful professional in Konrad’s campaign.”

  “Did she ever.”

  Sam forced herself to take it from the beginning. “Dr. Crane says you and Lena are cousins. Is that correct?”

  “Distant cousins but we were close as teenagers. We never lived in the same town but we always hung out together at family functions. And once Lena could drive she came over a lot.”

  “Do you remember when Lena moved away to California?”

  “It was right after she finished high school. That summer.”

  “Dr. Crane indicated that Lena had to overcome some problems as a teenager,” Sam said, trying to be delicate.

  “I’m sure he would say that,” Belinda said dryly. “He’s a closed-minded old bastard.”

  “So she did get pregnant?”

  “What!” Belinda started laughing. “Boy was he giving you a crock. Lena’s the last person who’d of gotten pregnant.”

  “Okay, I’m confused.”

  “Lena’s troubles had nothing to do with boys. It had to do with girls.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Lena was in-your-face proud about it.”

  “In what way?”

  “She cruised girls, dressed in Dockers, and refused to even pretend she had an interest in boys. In New York and LA that would be okay but around here…that Neanderthal Dr. Crane actually told Lena’s parents they should try to cure her by sending her to a mental ward.”

  Just because she was gay didn’t mean Lena couldn’t have been Rydell’s birth mother, Sam thought stubbornly, unwilling to write Lena off just yet.

  “What did her parents think?”

  “Not much. They were too busy drinking and arguing to care. They saw her as a lost cause and gave all their attention to her younger brother. I always thought she’d end up an activist or something, so it doesn’t surprise me she’s interested in politics.”

  “That’s a good angle,” Sam said, gently reeling her source in, “showing how experiences in Tennessee shaped her California politics.”

  “That does sound really good,” Belinda said. “This is exciting.”

  “Do her parents and brother still live in the area?”

  “Other than Lena, I was never close to her side of the family. But I heard they moved away after Lena ran off with her girlfriend. It was quite the scandal.”

  Thank you, Reader’s Digest. “Could you give me the long version?”

  “I’ll try; it was a long time ago. My memory is a bit hazy.”

  “Even if you can just remember names of other friends, it’ll help. Maybe I can track them down.”

  “I’m terrible with names. Can you hold on a minute?”

  The minute turned into five. Sam could hear the television playing in the background, so she knew there was still a connection. Finally, Belinda came back, breathless. “I’m sorry. I ran out to the garage. Lena used to keep stuff at my house because she didn’t trust her parents. I still have a box of photos she never came and got. Let me look.”

  Sam waited some more while Belinda rustled through the pictures. “Here we go. Nell Overton. Lena was obsessive about writing captions on the back of photographs. So anyway, she was friends with Nell and used to go to her house all the time. I think they got along because they both had crappy home lives. Nell’s mom was apparently mental, always in and out of hospitals for depression or whatever, and her dad was just a creep. Actually, it was her stepdad, even though he insisted Nell and her sister call him daddy. Is that creepy, or what? Lena said it grossed her out the way he looked at Nell.”

  “Do you know the stepfather’s name?”

  “Weird—that I remember. His name was Dale.”

  “So when did Lena start hanging out with Nell?”

  “Right after they got to know each other in junior year biology class. When Lena fell in love with Nell’s cousin, Lena spent most of her time at Nell’s house.”

  “Why at Nell’s house and not at the cousin’s house?”

  “The cousin lived with Nell. I’m sorry, I’m screwing the story all up.”

  “No, you’re not. Just take it slow. What was the cousin’s name?”

  After more rustling, Belinda said, “Elisa Bayles.”

  “Okay. And Elisa lived at Nell’s house?”

  “Right. Elisa’s parents and Nell’s real dad were killed in some car accident several years earlier. Elisa’s mom and Nell’s mom were sisters so that’s why she was living there.”

  “So Elisa and Nell were first cousins, and their mothers were sisters?”

  “Identical twin sisters, yeah. So the first time Lena went to Nell’s house she took one look at Elisa and fell totally in love. I can see why, too. She was a beautiful girl. Actually, so was Nell,” Belinda said. “In these photos they look so much alike they could have been identical twins, too.”

  “When did Nell’s mother remarry?”

  “I guess not long after the accident. Lena said she only married the guy because she was so whacked. He kept moving them from town to town, like he didn’t want them to ever be able to make friends. Again, just a total creep.”

  “When did Lena and Elisa get involved?”

  “The summer before Lena’s senior year.”

  “And how old was Elisa?”

  Belinda paused. “I don’t want to get Lena in trouble.”

  “I won’t use it if it can get Lena in trouble,” Sam promised. “But I can’t know unless you tell me.”

  “Elisa had just turned fourteen in June. There’s a picture here of her blowing out the candles on a cake.”

  “She was just out of grade school?” Sam frowned. “Kind of young for Lena to be lusting after, wasn’t she?”

  “Yeah, but you sure wouldn’t know it to look at these pictures. She was definitely an early bloomer. And remember, Lena was really, really in love and just a teenager herself.”

  “So is that why they ran away? Because Elisa was underage?”

  “No. They ran away because of Nell’s stepdad. He’d been molesting Nell for years. After she moved to California to get away from him, he began messing with Elisa and Nell’s younger sister.”

  “What was the sister’s name?”

  More rustling sounds. “Elizabeth. She was around Elisa’s age.”

  “Jesus,” Sam sat back and tossed her pen on the desk. “Where the hell was Nell’s mom while her rapist husband was busy molesting everyone?”

  “Like I said, she was mental. She’d been in the same car crash that killed her husband and Elisa’s parents and went crazy over it.”

  “Why didn’t Lena go to the police and turn him in?”

  “She was afraid of getting in trouble. Dale only started messing with Elisa after walking in on them once. So she and Elisa ran off together. A couple months after that Lena called me. She wouldn’t say where she was, just that she and Elisa had left and were staying with family friends. The next time I heard from her was maybe a year later when she sent me a note with the newspaper article.”

  “Article about what?”

  “Nell and Elisa were driving on some expressway out in California and got hit by a semi. Nell survived but Elisa died. I haven’t heard from Lena since.” Belinda was quiet a moment, then Sam heard the sounds of her crying. “It really sucks that stuff like this happens to good people.”

  “Do you still have that newspaper clip?”

  “Yeah. It’s in another box in the garage.”

  Sam still wasn’t convinced Lena didn’t have some connection to Rydell. Maybe the stepfather assaulted her, too, and gotten her pregnant. Or maybe he got Elisa pregnant. That could be the real reason they ran away.

  “Belinda, I
have a huge favor to ask. Is there a full service copy place by you?”

  “Sure, there’s a Kinko’s right next to the grocery store.”

  “Great. I need you to have them scan those photos of Lena, Nell, and Elisa and the newspaper article. Tell them to use best quality. And make sure to have them scan both front and back of the photos. Then I need them to email me the files. We’ll pay for it from here, and I’ll also reimburse you for your time and gas as well. Can you do this for me?”

  “Of course I can. I’ll do it first thing in the morning. And don’t worry about my time or the gas. I’m just relieved Lena’s doing well. Do you think you could put me in touch with her?”

  “I’d be happy to,” Sam said, knowing it wouldn’t be any time soon. “Why don’t you email me your contact information, and I’ll see it gets to her.”

  “That would be so great. God, you never know what the day will bring, do you?”

  “No, you certainly don’t.” She gave Belinda her email address and thanked her again before forwarding the call to Monica so she could get the location of the Kinko’s to make the payment arrangement.

  Sam logged onto the public records search engine she used at the Times, wondering when her old editor would think to change the password. She searched birth records for “E Bayles” in Tennessee and came up with Elisa Avery Bayles, born June 21. Her parents were Grace and Thomas Bayles. Sam pulled up their death certificates, which confirmed they died twenty-four years earlier. She also pulled up Elisa Bayles’ California death certificate.

  Next Sam located Grace and Thomas’ marriage license, which listed her maiden name as Grace Tolliver. Sam tracked down her birth records, which listed her parents as Eleanor and Joshua Tolliver. The Tollivers had a second child, Grace’s twin sister, Gail—

  The phone rang, making Sam jump. “Hello?”

  “I know it doesn’t take you long to get ready, but do you realize what time it is?” Joe asked.

  Sam looked at her watch. It was 5:20. “Oh shit!” She’d meant to be home a half-hour ago. “I got totally absorbed in what I was doing.”