Then Marsha and Jim hugged Betty and wished both her and Avery a merry Christmas. Betty told them to have a delightful cruise and to send a postcard.
“Count on it,” Marsha said as she rejoined her family.
Betty remained in the kitchen just puttering around, wiping things that she’d already wiped, and waiting for everyone to depart on their merry ways. Finally, it was only the cleanup committee that remained, and they were getting right to work.
“Hey, Betty,” Irene called out, “do you want to save any of these decorations?”
Betty went out and looked around the room. It no longer seemed magical with the harsh glare from the florescent overhead lights. Irene blew the last candle out, and others gathered up trash, plates with remnants of uneaten cake, plastic cups, and wadded-up napkins.
She was about to say no but then thought of Avery and all her hard work. She went to the main table and picked up a candle that was wreathed in gold and white flowers. “Yes,” she told Irene. “I’ll keep this as a memento.”
“We’ll put some of these other things in the wedding closet,” Irene said. “You never know what might come in handy.”
Betty nodded. “You never know.” Then she got her coat and purse and went out to her car. It was just getting dusky out, and as Betty drove, she couldn’t help but keep a lookout for Avery. How she longed to spot the girl, to pick her up, hug her tightly, and take her home. But there was no sign of her.
As Betty turned down her street, she saw that it was beginning to snow. Perhaps Avery’s much-longed-for white Christmas was about to become a reality. But where was Avery?
Suddenly, Betty grew hopeful again. Perhaps Avery was at home. Maybe she’d realized that being broke and homeless on a cold day like this was not all she’d hoped it would be. Maybe she’d come to her senses.
Betty was tempted to drive fast, but she knew the streets were getting slick, and her night vision was lacking, so she went slowly and carefully. But when she got into the house, it looked just as it had when she’d left. Avery’s clothes were still folded neatly at the foot of her bed. This had given Betty some hope earlier, thinking that Avery had probably planned to return. But as Betty looked more closely, it seemed that most of Avery’s things, including her oversized bag and personal items from the bathroom, were missing. As if she had packed up and left for good. Those few items of clothing still on the bed had probably been too bulky to stuff into her bag.
Betty picked up a wooly sweater that Avery had purchased for two dollars at Goodwill, and held it to her chest. Why hadn’t Avery taken this with her? If it was too big to pack, she could’ve at least worn it under her parka. It would’ve been much warmer than some of those other lightweight blouses Avery often wore. Why hadn’t she taken it with her? And why had she left at all?
13
At five thirty, Betty put together a cookie platter for the Gilmores. She’d been meaning to do this for a couple of days, but what with Avery, the dog, and the anniversary party, she had forgotten. But now, despite the weather and the hour, she was determined to get it delivered. And her determination was twofold. Naturally, she wanted to be neighborly. But she also wanted to know if, by any chance, they had observed Avery coming or going today. Perhaps Katie had spoken to her. Although it seemed unlikely.
There was a dusting of snow on the sidewalk as Betty made her way down the street, then knocked on the Gilmores’ door.
“Oh!” Katie opened the door, holding a roll of Santa wrapping paper in her hand. “What are you doing out in this weather?”
Betty forced a smile. “Wishing my neighbors a merry Christmas!” She held out the cookie tray.
“Oh, thank you!” Katie stuck the roll of wrapping paper beneath her elbow to receive the platter of sweets. “Won’t you come in?”
“Perhaps for a minute.”
“Martin took the girls out to get a Christmas tree,” Katie said as Betty came inside. “He grew up in a family that firmly believed respectable people never put up their trees until Christmas Eve. But the girls begged and begged, and he finally gave in. So this year our tree will be up two days before Christmas.” She winked. “That’s progress.”
“Yes.” Betty nodded and smiled.
Katie cleared away wrapping paper and ribbons to make a spot for the cookies on the dining room table. “Would you like some coffee or tea or—”
“No thank you. I really can’t stay. I can see you’re busy.”
“And I know you have your granddaughter visiting . . .” Katie frowned slightly, as if something unpleasant just occurred to her.
“Yes? What about my granddaughter?” Betty leaned forward. “Have you seen her today?”
“I realize it’s not really any of my business.”
“What isn’t your business?”
“Well, I did notice your granddaughter today. I was picking up the newspaper this morning, and I saw her.”
Betty nodded. “And?”
“And . . . I couldn’t help but notice she was with Jack.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I thought it was rather odd, Betty. I hadn’t imagined that they’d be friends.”
“Well, Avery has met Jack. And they actually had a nice little chat the other day. It seems he’s lonely, and it’s the holidays, and . . .” Betty didn’t know what else to say. And despite her reassuring words, her heart was beginning to pound.
“Oh. Well, it just caught my attention to see her with him. They were getting into his truck.”
“Jack’s pickup?” For some reason, this struck Betty as strange. It was one thing to visit with a neighbor, something else altogether to let them take you somewhere in their vehicle.
Katie nodded. “Yes. And . . . I don’t know how to say this, except to just spit it out in the open.”
“Say what?”
“Your granddaughter seemed, uh, a little upset.”
“Was Jack forcing her into his pickup?”
“I don’t think so. But something about the whole thing just struck me wrong—I felt worried.”
“Oh dear!” Betty’s hand flew to her mouth.
“I’m sorry, Betty. I had meant to mention it to you earlier, just to make sure everything was okay. But then things got hectic, and Martin offered to watch the girls so I could do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and by the time I got back, you were gone. I got busy wrapping presents, and I guess I just forgot.”
A rush of panic jolted through Betty. What if Avery, after a short conversation, had trusted Jack? And what if he’d turned out to be just the sort of person that Betty and everyone else in the neighborhood had feared? What if he had somehow tricked Avery? What if she was in trouble now?
“So, is everything okay? I mean with your granddaughter?”
“Actually . . . she’s missing.”
Katie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no! I’m so sorry, Betty. I knew I should’ve said something sooner.”
“I’m sure everything is fine.” But Betty could hear the tremor in her voice.
“Where do you think she is?”
Betty considered this. “I don’t really know. But I know who I’m going to ask.”
“Jack?” Katie looked slightly horrified.
“Yes.”
“Oh, Betty, don’t go over there alone. Not at night.”
“I need to speak to him.”
“Why don’t you wait for Martin to get home? I’m sure he’d go over there with you.”
“No, this can’t wait.” Betty’s hand was on the door now.
“You can’t go alone.” Katie reached for her jacket. “I’m coming too.”
“No, Katie.” Betty shook her head. “You stay here.”
“I can’t. But wait and let me get my cell phone. I’ll be ready to call 911 if it’s necessary.”
Betty decided not to argue, and they walked over to Jack’s house. His pickup was there, and the lights were on inside the house.
“I’ll knock on the door,” Betty said.
> “What if he doesn’t answer?”
“I’ll make him answer.”
“I’m scared.”
“You stay back,” Betty said. “If anything goes awry, you make a run for it and call the police.”
Katie just nodded. Her face looked pale in the streetlight.
Betty turned, took a deep breath, and marched up to Jack’s door. First she rang the doorbell several times, then she pounded loudly with her fist. Suddenly the door opened, and she nearly struck Jack in the chest with her final blow.
“What’s going on?” he said.
Betty stepped back, then remembered her mission. “I’m looking for my granddaughter,” she said.
“She’s not here.”
“But you were seen with her. You took her somewhere in your truck this morning.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I gave her a ride.”
“But she’s missing.” Betty stared at him, trying to see if there was evil in his countenance.
“Missing?” He looked slightly confused now.
“Yes. She never came home.”
He nodded as if he knew something. “Of course not.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She didn’t come home because I took her to the bus station.”
“The bus station?”
“Look.” He rubbed his hands on his bare arms. “It’s cold out here. Why don’t you come inside and we can discuss this calmly?”
Betty glanced over her shoulder to Katie, who was now standing directly behind her on the porch.
“You can both come in,” he said.
“Fine,” Katie said. “But first I’m calling Martin to let him know where I’m at.”
They waited for Katie to make her call, and then the two women followed Jack into his house. He took them past the foyer and into what had once been a formal living room, but because some walls had been removed, it now seemed to be part of the kitchen, and it was also connected to the small family room and dining room. Instead of four rooms, it was now simply one. Did he plan to knock out all the walls and turn the house into a big barn?
“You’ve made some changes,” Betty said.
“Wow,” Katie said as she looked around. “This is exactly what I’ve been telling Martin that I want to do with our house. Have a great room.”
“A great room?” Betty was confused. “It looks like a great big mess to me.”
“No,” Katie said. “It’s opened up so that a family can be together in one space.”
“That’s right.” Jack nodded toward a couple of folding lawn chairs. “I don’t have much furniture, but you’re welcome to sit down if you like.”
“No thank you.” Betty turned her attention back to Jack. “Let’s cut right to the chase, Jack. What have you done with my granddaughter?”
“Like I said, I dropped her at the bus station. Well, that was after I took her by a church.”
“A church?”
“She needed to leave a note with somebody.”
Betty nodded. “And after that you took her to the bus station?”
“That’s what I just told you.”
“What time was it then?”
His brow creased. “I’m not sure. But it wasn’t noon yet.
Maybe not even eleven. Avery had come over to my place fairly early.”
“She came to your house?” Katie asked.
“Yeah. We’d arranged to meet here in the morning.”
“You arranged to meet her?” Betty frowned. “Why?”
“She wanted my help.”
“Why?” Katie asked.
“Because she’d been over the night before. She was upset about losing the dog. We spent a long time talking things out. She decided that it was time for her to move on with her life, so she asked me to help her.”
“To help her?” Betty said.
Jack shoved his hands in his jeans pockets but didn’t answer.
“How exactly did you plan to help her?” Betty persisted.
“She was broke. She wanted to get away from here.” He scowled at Betty. “And she wanted to get away from you too. She wasn’t too pleased with what you did to her dog.”
Betty felt her cheeks flush. “Yes, I know.”
He shook his finger at her. “She really loved that dog.”
Katie looked at Betty with an alarmed expression. “What did you do to the dog?”
“I took him to the animal shelter.”
“Oh, well . . .” Katie shrugged. “That was probably for the best.”
“Unless you’re attached to the animal and want to keep it,” Jack shot back at her. “Avery didn’t even have a say in the matter. That wasn’t fair.”
“I know.” Betty nodded again. “Jack’s right about that. I regret what I did.”
“You do?” Jack looked surprised.
“Yes, I do. But back to Avery. You say you took her to the bus station. Do you know where she was going?”
He shook his head. “I assumed she was going home, to her family.”
Betty felt a small wave of relief. And yet she wasn’t sure. How could she trust Jack? What if he’d concocted this whole story, and in the meantime, Avery was tied and gagged back there in one of the bedrooms?
Betty frowned. “Do you mind if I use your restroom?”
He gave her a funny look. “Seriously?”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Well, the powder room is torn out right now.”
“I know.” Betty nodded toward the backyard. “I’ve been privileged to enjoy the pink commode with my morning coffee.”
He kind of chuckled. “Sorry about that. I guess it’s time to make a run to the dump again.”
“I know where the other bathroom is,” she told him as she headed down the hallway. Fortunately, the doors to the first two bedrooms were open. Except for some random boxes and building things, the rooms appeared to be empty. Betty paused by the master bedroom and was relieved to see that, except for a mattress topped with a sleeping bag in the center of the floor, it too appeared vacant. And since all the closet doors had been removed, there was no place else to hide a captive.
She went into the bathroom, which was surprisingly neat considering the state of the rest of the house, and after a few seconds, she flushed the toilet. Then, satisfied that Avery was not in the house, she returned to find Jack and Katie discussing, of all things, remodeling.
“The trick is not to change the plumbing and electrical,” he was explaining to Katie. “That helps to keep costs down.” He eyed Betty. “Did you have a good look around?”
Betty just cleared her throat. “Did you stay at the bus station to make sure Avery got onto the bus safely?”
He frowned. “She’s not a baby. I’m pretty sure she knows how to take care of herself.”
“But did she have enough money for the fare?” Betty frowned. “Atlanta is a long way.”
“She had enough fare money as well as money for food.”
Betty felt her shoulders relax. “I really should thank you, Jack.”
“No problem.”
“And I’d like to pay you back.”
“Avery promised to pay me back.”
“Well, okay. Then I suppose we should go. I need to let her parents know that she’s on her way.”
“Don’t you think Avery would have done that by now?” he asked.
“Perhaps, but they’ve been quite worried.”
He nodded. “I guess you’d know best, Mrs. Kowalski.”
Betty was suddenly seeing this young man in a new light. Why had she been so hard on him before? So suspicious?
She stuck out her hand. “Just call me Betty, please.” As they shook, it occurred to her that, like her, Jack had some challenges. She also knew, better than some, how challenges sometimes led to grumpiness. Maybe everyone just needed to be a little more patient, a little more understanding. After all, wasn’t it almost Christmas?
He released her hand and smiled. “Just call me J
ack.” His face was transformed by that smile. And for the first time, she realized that he was fairly attractive in a rugged sort of way. “Oh, yeah.” He chuckled. “You already do call me Jack.”
“Sorry to have bothered you,” she said.
“It’s okay.”
“Thanks for the remodeling tips,” Katie said as they went to the door.
“And thanks for the cookies, Betty,” Jack called out. “They were great.”
She turned and smiled at him. “I have more, if you’d like some.”
He looked away and sort of shrugged, and suddenly she wondered if she’d stepped over some kind of invisible line again. “Thanks again,” she said anyway. “I mean for helping Avery like you did.”
Betty and Katie walked down the sidewalk until Katie finally spoke. “He seems kind of nice.”
“Yes . . . perhaps we were wrong about him all along.”
“Unless he’s very good at covering something up.” Katie lowered her voice. “I’ve read about serial killers, Betty, and some of them seem very nice on the surface. But they’re actually coldhearted, psychopath murderers underneath.”
Betty stopped walking and turned to face Katie. “Do you really think that Jack is a psychopath?”
“I honestly don’t know . . . and I’ll admit that sometimes I have an overactive imagination.”
Betty shivered in the cold.
“But that’s the problem with psychopaths, Betty. Most of the time people don’t figure it out until it’s too late.”
Betty just shook her head and continued walking. Maybe it was a mistake to listen to Katie. After all, she was nearly a third Betty’s age. What made her such an expert on anything?
“I’m sorry.” Katie put a hand on Betty’s shoulder as they paused by the Gilmores’ house. “I’m sure Jack’s not a psychopath serial killer. Like Martin says, I should quit reading those horrible books.”
“Perhaps so . . .” Betty told Katie thank you and good night and hurried back to her own house, carefully locking the doors and the deadbolts once she was inside. She shuddered to think that she’d gone to bed with her front door unlocked last night. But that had been for Avery’s sake. Surely there was no chance she’d try to slip in late tonight.
Betty still felt unsettled as she picked up the phone to call her son and daughter-in-law. But she was determined to remain calm and collected. Thankfully, it was Gary who answered, and she quickly told him what she’d just learned about Avery. Hopefully, it was the truth and not a cover-up.
The Christmas Dog Page 11
