These Sorrows We See

by Schultz, Tamsen

  She was looking forward to the leisurely afternoon and evening ahead when she a heard a car coming up the drive and the dogs, predictably, going crazy. Coming around the house, basket of lettuce and other veggies in hand, she watched as a beige luxury sedan pulled to a stop.

  Matty didn’t recognize the older man opening the driver’s door so she stood her ground beside the house, still a bit of a distance away. She knew he was probably harmless, but the cautious city girl in her wasn’t going to be dismissed.

  The man didn’t seem bothered by the dogs quickly advancing on him in a mass of squirming bodies and tails. He patted them and looked around until he caught sight of her.

  “Hello, I’m Alexander Traynor. I’m here to meet with Brad Brooks,” he called out.

  Matty took a few steps forward. “In regards, to?” she asked.

  He inclined his head. “I’m from First Federal, Brad’s employer, he and I had an appointment today.”

  She frowned. “When did he schedule the meeting?”

  “He didn’t, I did. We spoke about ten days ago. He suggested I come by. Is he here?”

  “I’m sorry, he’s not here.”

  The man pursed his lips. “I see.”

  “Is there a problem?”

  “Do you know when he’ll be back?”

  Matty shook her head.

  “I see,” he said again.

  Matty took another few steps forward. Maybe this man would have some insight into what was going on. “I’m Matty, a friend of Brad’s,” she said, offering her hand. “He asked me to house-sit for him while he’s away. I’m sorry you’ve had to drive here all the way from—?”

  “New York City,” he supplied.

  “Would you like to come in for a glass of iced tea or lemonade?”

  He looked about to decline, but something must have changed his mind. “Yes, thank you. That would be nice.”

  Matty ushered him inside and offered him a seat at the kitchen table while she poured two glasses of tea. “It has some fresh mint from the garden, I hope you don’t mind?” she said, setting the glasses down.

  “No, thank you. This is great. Brad has some extensive gardens,” Mr. Traynor commented, his eyes turned toward a window with a view of the chicken coop and several of the more elaborate flower beds.

  Matty inclined her head. “I’m a city girl myself so I’m not used to it, but I’ve definitely found myself taking advantage of all the work Brad must have put in earlier in the season,” she said, gesturing toward the basket full of goodies. “Do you garden?”

  He shook his head. “My wife used to, but she passed away two years ago. Since then, I moved into the city and just have a small terrace. It’s not as homey as where we lived, but it’s just me and I didn’t need all the space. Or upkeep.”

  “There is sense in that. Have you ever been up here?”

  He shook his head. “No, Brad just started working for us about a year ago. I’m sure you know he manages investment portfolios.”

  She hadn’t known that, but she nodded, encouraging him to go on.

  “He’s very good at what he does. Our clients love him.”

  She heard a “but” in there, but didn’t press. “It’s always good to have good customer service. Especially in today’s economy,” she said. A small frown touched his lips and Matty sensed she had touched a nerve.

  “I’m not sure what the nature of your meeting was today, but maybe he left something for you? Would he have done that? I can always look for you, if you like,” she offered, hoping Mr. Traynor might give her some more information.

  He seemed to debate the propriety of this before inclining his head. “We were going to talk about a specific account he’s managing. Maybe he left a file for me? Or perhaps it’s on his computer?”

  “Let’s go have a look,” she said, standing and leading him into the office. She opened a file cabinet and asked, “Is there a name I should look for?” Having already gone through the cabinet when she was on one of her cleaning missions, she knew there would be nothing in it; it held only Brad’s personal tax files, bills, and other sorts of documents relevant to his life, but Mr. Traynor didn’t know that.

  “He wouldn’t have filed anything under the client’s name, for security purposes. But the ID he would have used was 5639.”

  Matty made a show of thumbing through everything. “Would it be a big file or a smaller one?”

  “If he did what I asked him to do, it should be a big file with the complete records of the accounts of the client.”

  That was interesting.

  “I don’t see anything in here,” she said. “Is there something else I can or should look at?”

  “Is that his computer?” Mr. Traynor asked, pointing to the laptop on the shelf.

  “It’s a computer,” Matty answered, taking it in hand. “But I think it’s probably his personal computer since it doesn’t have any asset tags or anything that would mark it as the bank’s.”

  She handed the device to him and he looked it over. “Would you mind if I kept this?” he asked. That he was interested in looking at Brad’s personal belongings didn’t come as too much of a surprise; it was obvious he wasn’t happy with either Brad or something he thought Brad had done. But that he’d asked to keep the device was surprising.

  “Actually, I’m sorry, but I do. If it were the bank’s computer, I wouldn’t mind at all, but since I don’t even know if it’s Brad’s and, even if it is, it’s clearly a personal computer, I’m sure you can understand,” she said, holding out her hand to take it back from him. After a slight pause, Mr. Traynor handed the computer over.

  “I don’t mean to pry, and you probably can’t say anyway, but has Brad done something wrong?” Matty laced her voice with so much innocent concern that even she had a hard time not laughing at herself.

  “You’re right, I can’t really say. If you talk to him, or the next time you see him, will you have him give me a call? It’s very important.” He took a card from his wallet and handed it to her as he spoke.

  The visit was clearly over so Matty slid the card into her pocket, nodded, and walked him to the door. “I’m sorry you had to come up here for nothing, Mr. Traynor, and I’ll be sure to tell Brad to call you.”

  The man nodded in response and left. She stood on the patio, holding the computer, watching the driveway for several moments after his car had disappeared. She let the meeting and Alexander Traynor’s words, expressions, and actions settle into her mind. And the picture they were forming wasn’t good.

  She had just put the computer back in the office when the dogs went ballistic once again, heralding the arrival of someone else. Walking back out onto the patio, she recognized Chen’s car driving toward her. While she wasn’t annoyed at seeing him, she certainly wasn’t excited. What she wanted to do was boot up the laptop, figure out if it was Brad’s in the first place, then see if she could find anything in the files. She didn’t hold out much hope, but it was better than doing nothing.

  Only it wasn’t Chen who slid from the driver’s seat. “Matty, I was out and about—I hope you don’t mind me stopping by?” Mai, Chen’s sister, said as she walked across the gravel toward Matty.

  “Of course not, Mai. It’s nice to see you. How was the concert the other night?” she asked. She’d liked Mai when they’d met at dinner. It had turned out that Brad was friends with many members of the Zheng family, not just Chen. Mai was incredibly intelligent but also quick to laugh, and Matty liked how she tended to poke fun—affectionately—at Chen.

  “Tanglewood is always a pleasure. Listen, I hate to bother you, but I was hoping to get in touch with Brad. He doesn’t seem to be answering his cell phone. Do you happen to know where he might have gone?” Mai asked.

  “No, I don’t.” Matty shook her head and ushered Mai inside, out of the heat. “I wish I did though. There’re a few things I’d like to discuss with him. Iced tea? Lemonade?” she asked as they entered the kitchen.

  “Iced tea,
please, thank you. You don’t sound very happy with him.” Mai observed.

  Matty shrugged, not wanting to get into it with Mai. She still didn’t know what to think about Mr. Traynor’s visit, but she wasn’t going to discuss it with anyone. As much as she disliked her half brother, she still believed a person was innocent until proven guilty and didn’t want to be the one responsible for starting rumors.

  “Brad didn’t exactly let me know what I was getting into when I agreed to come up here, but he did introduce me to your brother and I have access to a bountiful garden and incredibly productive chickens, so I can’t complain too much,” Matty said, handing Mai a glass of iced tea.

  “But you really have no idea where he might have gone? Maybe visiting family? Or friends?”

  Again Matty shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better.”

  “Why do you say that? Because you two aren’t close?” Mai asked as she leaned against the counter and took a sip of her tea.

  “Something like that,” Matty answered. “Can I get you anything else? Maybe some eggs, some tomatoes?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

  “How about lunch one of these days? I know a great local farm-to-table place about twenty minutes from here. A good girls’ getaway,” she added with a smile.

  Matty was debating accepting—she liked Mai, but didn’t want to get too embroiled in Chen’s family. He seemed interested in her in a way that wasn’t reciprocated and until she felt like the air was clear between the two of them, spending time with his family didn’t seem like a good idea. She was trying to think of a polite way to decline when her phone rang. Excusing herself, she answered Dash’s call.

  “I got an emergency call this afternoon. I’m not going to be able to get off work until it’s over,” he said.

  Glancing at Mai, Matty wondered if she could fit a couple of hours of writing in after her guest left. Or a couple of hours trying to break into the laptop.

  “That’s fine. Any idea how long it will take?” she asked.

  “Several hours probably. If everything goes okay, I should be done between four and five, but of course, I can’t promise anything.”

  “Of course, not. Is everything okay?”

  “Hard to say until I get there. There’s a colicky horse at Blue Meadows farm. It’s a thoroughbred farm that usually calls in a specialist vet from Saratoga, but he’s on vacation this week.”

  “I bet you’re just as good,” she said with a smile.

  He chuckled. “At this, yes. Colic is colic in horses. If it were an injury, that would be a different story. I just don’t have the equipment or experience with racehorses that the specialists do, is all. But as for tonight, why don’t I call you when I’m done and maybe we can head to this little sushi place over the border in Massachusetts.”

  “Hmm, sounds good. And then maybe an early night here?”

  “I think you read my mind.”

  “Not hard, Dr. Kent. You know, great minds and all,” she said with a laugh. They said their good-byes and hung up. She had walked into the office when she’d taken the call and now she stood looking at the computer that had been the center of most of her thoughts for the past hour or so.

  “Matty,” Mai called as the dogs erupted. “I think you have another visitor,” she said, laughing at the obvious statement.

  “I very rarely have any visitors and this will make three today already,” Matty said, moving toward the door.

  “Someone else was here?” Mai asked.

  But before Matty had a chance to answer, Vivi climbed out of her car.

  “Vivi, what a surprise, I thought you were in Boston,” Matty said, coming out of the house.

  Vivi bent down and gave each dog a little rub. “Just a fitting for me. It’s been busy at the lab this week so I wanted to be back today to put in a full day tomorrow. Oh, hello,” she said, as Mai stepped outside behind Matty.

  Matty introduced Mai to Vivi and it turned out they knew of each other, Vivi being a part-time professor at the same university as Mai’s brother.

  “I didn’t realize you lived up here, Dr. DeMarco,” Mai said.

  “Please, call me Vivi, and it was only recently that I moved. I’m getting married in October and my fiancé lives here.”

  “My congratulations to you, then.“ Mai turned to Matty. “I’ll leave you two be and perhaps we can set up that lunch? I promise you, you’ll love it.”

  Matty simply nodded, then glanced at Vivi who was watching her with an expression of curiosity.

  “Her brother is a very handsome man, if I recall,” Vivi said as Mai’s car turned out of the driveway. “I hadn’t put two and two together when you mentioned his name the other day. Is that who you were having dinner with the other night?”

  “Yes,” Matty said. “He’s providing me some information and research material for my next book.”

  “I bet he’d like to provide a bit more than that,” Vivi suggested with a grin.

  “Probably,” Matty admitted, walking into the kitchen with Vivi following. “But that’s not going to happen. It wasn’t going to happen before Dash and it’s certainly not going to happen now.”

  “One man kind of woman, are you?”

  “Honestly, what woman in her right mind would want more than one man at a time?” Matty said, making Vivi laugh. “But even if I weren’t a serial monogamist, Chen isn’t my type. He’s very handsome and cultured and all that, but given my background, I prefer men who don’t mind a little grit.”

  “Amen to that, sister,” Vivi said with a smile.

  “I’ve been drinking iced tea all day so I’m going to pour myself some lemonade, but I can get you either.”

  “Lemonade would be great,” Vivi said, pulling up a stool at the island. When Matty joined her with the two glasses, they spent some time chitchatting about the wedding. Matty was intrigued by Vivi’s huge family, and though she learned that Vivi had lost both her parents and her brother just over a year ago, Matty couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. If she ever had a wedding, it would be hard for her to fill a single pew, while Vivi, on the other hand, was going to have to pack people in just to fit her immediate family. But still, Matty couldn’t help but be happy for Vivi, and even if she didn’t really consider herself a girlie-girl, she loved hearing all about the dress.

  And it took her mind off of Mr. Traynor’s visit and the unsettled feeling she’d had since he’d left.

  “Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t feel so happy,” Vivi said, her voice suddenly tinged with sadness. “Not just considering what happened with my parents and brother last year but also what happened just a few months ago,” she added.

  Vivi’s look told Matty that her friend was fishing to see how much she knew. Matty inclined her head. “I don’t know much about the specifics of what happened, but a friend did mention that a killer had been caught up here, and Marcus and Carly said he’d planned to come after you before you caught him,” she responded. She didn’t want to pry, but if Vivi wanted to talk about it, Matty wanted to leave that door open.

  Vivi let out a long breath. “We did catch a killer. A man who we think killed at least twenty-one women. But he was also a family friend, almost like a cousin to me. I’d known him my whole life. And he did it all because he was obsessed with me.”

  By the way Vivi’s eyes darted away and her lips drew into a thin line, Matty knew the woman was still struggling with these facts. Reaching across the table, she laid a hand on Vivi’s, “I’m sorry you had to go through that and I’m very sorry for all those women. But considering what you have been through, I’m pretty sure your family is more than relieved to see that you are happy now, starting a new life with someone you love and who loves you. A lot of people would go running in the other direction or break under the weight of all that pain. You’re not doing either of those things, and I think you deserve everything you have right now.”

  A small smile touched Vivi’s mouth. “Thank you for s
aying that, and I know, intellectually, you’re right. My parents and brother would have loved Ian, the way the rest of my family does, and they would have hated for me to let that slip away.”

  “They sound like they were wonderful people.”

  At that, Vivi did smile, even as she blinked back a few tears. “They were. They were great.” She took a deep breath and reached into her bag. “But,” she said, pulling out a piece of paper and sliding it to Matty, “I’m not here about my family. I’m here about yours. Here is the missing persons report; you can fill it out for Brad. I’ll file it and then do some looking around up at the lab the next chance I get.”

  Matty took the sheet of paper and quickly reviewed the questions. She felt a fleeting sense of loss when she realized how few of them she could actually answer. She knew his hair and eye color, but other than that, she knew almost nothing—not his height or his car make and model, assuming he had one other than his truck, or when he was last seen. The sheet was practically empty when she slid it back across the counter to Vivi with an apology.

  Vivi shook her head. “Don’t apologize, Matty. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some are close, others aren’t. It’s just a fact of the world. And besides, I have enough here to get started.” Vivi folded the paper, slid it back into her bag, then drummed her fingers on the counter.

  “Yes?” Matty prompted.

  Vivi bit her lip for a moment then asked, “You mentioned some pictures the other night, would you mind showing them to me?”

  The mention of the pictures brought Matty up short; she’d all but forgotten them in the events of the day. Which seemed ridiculous—since Brad had obviously gone to the effort of hiding them away for her, they must play a part in whatever was going on. She nodded and the two made their way upstairs to the guest room where she pulled down the journal, slid the pictures out, and handed the stack to Vivi.