Small Town Corruption

by Liz Turner

  “That’ll do, Ms. Potter. That’ll do.” He smiled softly as Dana let him hold on to the side of her grocery cart as she walked back to her home, chatting about whatever popped into her head. Punchy the Labrador followed obediently at their side.

  Chapter 4

  Bruises

  Dana put a little bowl filled with cold water on the floor of her kitchen, and Punchy immediately lapped it up. Next, she showed Pete to the guest bathroom and fixed him up with a set of towels, soap, and shampoo.

  She then busied herself in the kitchen preparing a lunch of homemade cucumber soup and chicken salad.

  About twenty minutes later, Pete emerged, looking fresh and clean, save for his old clothes and his scraggly graying beard that dripped on the floor.

  “Pete, I can take those clothes and run them through the washing machine, if you’d like. You can wear a fresh robe of mine. And if you wouldn’t mind shaving off that beard…” She bustled over to him and handed him a light blue terry-cloth robe and directed him back into the bathroom before he had time to protest. She knew she was being pushy, but her proper southern upbringing made her cringe at the thought of eating a proper lunch sitting across from someone in dirty clothing.

  Shortly, the two were sitting at Dana’s dining table munching chicken salad and crackers. Dana had prepared a fresh pitcher of sweet tea as well. She sighed contently, wondering why she had never invited Pete over before. He was good company and she could tell he was a good person; she had a sense about such things.

  When the conversation lulled, Dana asked him a little about his life. Not wanting to probe, she tried to keep it vague. However, she was genuinely curious to know what sort of life he had led before becoming homeless.

  “It’s kind of boring. Do you really want to know?”

  “I very much do,” Dana said, smiling.

  “Well, I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. Great little city there though the college has really made the place grow up fast.”

  “Florida State?”

  He nodded. “I met my sweetheart there in high school.” He smiled wistfully. “She was a real spit-fire, but our personalities complemented each other well and we fell in love.” He shrugged. “We got married—probably too young. We moved to just outside of Atlanta when I found some more construction work up there. I was a foreman.”

  Dana continued smiling and tried to conceal her eagerness to hear more. She loved hearing about people and their stories. “Oh?” she said casually.

  “We were happy,” Pete said, nodding. “For a few years, at least. We had a baby.” His face brightened and then abruptly fell. “She was beautiful.”

  “She?”

  His eyes glistened as he nodded. “Our little angel. Maura.” He sighed. “She was six years old when I left. This must have been about ten years ago.”

  The name stuck in Dana’s brain for some reason, but she was too curious to let him stop there. “Why did you leave?”

  He sighed, the subject clearly a painful one. “I resolved long ago that I made the right decision, but it’s still hard to think about.” He frowned. “I was checking something out on the second floor of a new build when a beam came loose. I fell to the cement floor. Hurt myself something awful. I was in the hospital for weeks, mostly in and out of it. But when I finally came to for good, I was blind in both eyes. They told me it was permanent. My wife was supportive of me, and we tried to make it work when I came home. But I was in a bad state psychologically, trying to come to terms with it all. I’m afraid I wasn’t a very good husband because of it. I grew despondent. Didn’t believe I could ever be a productive member of society again. All my skills were in construction, which can’t be put to use without sight.” He sighed again before continuing.

  “Eventually, we were fighting so much, I was driving her to tears nearly every night because of my depression. Not to mention the medical bills were piling up on her. I decided I could do something with my life, and that was to move through it being as small of a burden as possible to other people. Just live to make life a little more pleasant for others, but not get too involved. So I left. I took whatever money I had left in all my assets and used them to pay off my medical bills nearly entirely. Then I told Susan I’d try to help any way I could, but that I couldn’t live with myself if I held them back. I kept track of them for a good four years, but then she remarried and I figured I should just leave them in peace.”

  Dana blinked. It was exactly the sort of tragedy she had always imagined about him. But she couldn’t even revel in the beauty of it because it had finally clicked.

  Susan and her daughter, Maura…

  But how does this fit into Susan’s bogus kidnappers story?

  Dana had a hunch it had something to do with this husband of hers after all. “Do you know anything about your wife’s second husband?” she asked.

  Pete seemed a little surprised, but answered nonetheless. “He’s a dentist.”

  It doesn’t seem likely a dentist would have any reason to be kidnapped, she thought. But, just to be sure, she asked, “Does he have family money?”

  “Family money? No, I don’t think so. I mean, they’re well-off. Susan quit working after they married. She used to be a hairstylist. But I wouldn’t say they’ve got anything like millions or anything like that. But to be honest, I didn’t want to know too much about him. It was too painful. I remember the one time I did post myself up at a bar I knew he frequented.” He shook his head, amused. “I ended up hearing him get into a bar fight with some other patron. It got pretty rough, from what I gathered. Lots of swearing. It seemed personal. I tried to stay out of the way. I didn’t want to walk through something like that.” He whistled. “That taught me my lesson about trying to spy. The guy seemed like he could’ve killed whoever he was fighting. He was so angry. Must have been some argument.”

  Dana’s mind spun. She was beginning to think she knew the real reason Susan and Maura Mendel were on the run with no money. Susan Mendel’s husband might have been in the habit of losing his temper and becoming frighteningly violent. She’d seen this kind of thing before; a woman marries and then gives up working because the husband either doesn’t like it or feels it’s not acceptable for a woman to work when she doesn’t have to.

  Although Dana didn’t know this man, she imagined he must have felt like a hero, swooping in to save a young mother and her child from destitution.

  Maybe he felt like he owned them...

  It made Dana angry just thinking about it though she tried to remind herself that she didn’t really have any proof.

  Still, the Mendels were frightened to the point of thievery.

  Suddenly, Dana understood the reason behind Susan’s heavy makeup.

  She likely had some bruises to hide…

  “Pete, do you know your ex-wife’s husband’s name?”

  “Barney Mendel,” he said. “Why?”

  Dana drew in a breath. “I think…Well, I know I’ve met your wife and daughter.”

  Pete paused. “You have? When?”

  “This morning. Actually, you did, too. Susan Mendel is the woman who stole from you this morning. The one we’re trying to locate. She’s with her daughter, Maura.”

  “What?” Pete looked understandably distressed. He swallowed hard. “But why would she…Did she—?”

  Dana put her hand on his. “Pete, it’s been ten years. This morning, you had a long beard covering most of your face. And you were a little…dirty. I don’t think your ex-wife recognized you.”

  “But, why—”

  “Because she’s on the run. I think she’s hiding from Barney Mendel.”

  Pete’s face darkened. “You think he hurt her?”

  Dana hesitated. “I think something’s happened that’s made her want to disappear.”

  Pete’s hands clenched tightly around his glass of iced tea.

  “Pete,” Dana continued, “I think you ought to tell the Pippin PD what you told me. Everything you know about Susan and Bar
ney.”

  Pete nodded weakly. “Is she…okay? Maura? You saw her?”

  Dana’s heart nearly broke. “Yes,” she said. “She’s beautiful, just like her mother.”

  Pete’s face was unreadable.

  A loud buzzing came from the laundry room.

  “That’ll be your clothes,” Dana said. She retrieved them and then guided a shaky Pete to the bedroom to change again. Ten minutes later, he resurfaced, looking much calmer. Dana was beginning to see what he must have looked like back when he was a proud father and husband. He was handsome underneath that beard. Blue eyes shined out underneath his dark hair, which still hung pretty low over his forehead. Dana cringed at the unruly hair but knew she couldn’t ask him to give himself a haircut.

  Meanwhile, she hosed Punchy down the best she could out on her porch. Afterwards, the Labrador was looking sprightly, his wet coat glistening in the sun.

  Shortly, the three were on their way in Dana’s little car to the Pippin Police Station.

  Chapter 5

  Barney Mendel

  As surprised as Constable Hollows was to see Dana walking through the doors to the station, he was even more surprised to see the gentleman trailing beside her, led by Punchy.

  “Ms. Potter, do you have news?” He looked from Pete to Dana, realizing after a few moments who he was. “And, Peter! Good to see you as always. How’s ole’ Punchy?”

  Dana smiled to herself, knowing he was clearly trying to cover up for the fact that he hadn’t recognized Pete at first. “Constable, Pete has something you’ll want to know.” She patted Pete lightly on the back for encouragement.

  The constable looked at them both, his hands on his hips. “All right. Let’s go to my office.” They headed into a small office, covered floor-to-ceiling with wood. Constable Hollows clasped his hands together and looked at Pete. “So, what’s the story?”

  Twenty minutes later, the constable had his hand to his mouth after hearing the incredible coincidence of Susan’s relation to Pete. “So, Ms. Potter—you think Susan is fleeing her husband?”

  “Barney Mendel,” Pete chimed in.

  “I see. We’ll try to locate him then. And maybe we’ll get some answers.”

  ***

  About two hours later, Dana and Pete were sitting at a table at a nearby restaurant, having taken it upon themselves to stay busy while they waited for some news.

  Dana was just finishing the sandwich she’d ordered when she saw the constable come through the doors and look around.

  His eyes landed on Dana and Pete, and he strode over their way. “There y’all are. I thought you might want to know that we’ve got Barney Mendel coming down to the station in a few minutes. He wasn’t in Atlanta after all. He was only about an hour away, going south.”

  To look for Susan and Maura, Dana thought. “That’s great!” She wiped her mouth daintily with her napkin and left some bills on the table to cover their lunch. “Let’s go, Pete.” She offered him her arm to hold as they went back to the station.

  When they got there, Dana could see a big man with sandy-colored hair and a dangerously sunburned face. He wore paint-streaked khakis and a t-shirt, and his sunglasses were worn around the back of his head.

  Dana and Pete were allowed to stand outside the interviewing room to witness the proceedings through the two-way glass.

  “So, Mr. Mendel. You don’t know where your wife is?” the constable asked.

  Barney shook his head. “Nah, I don’t. I wish I did, but she went out with my daughter last week and I haven’t seen them since,” he said with a thick southern accent.

  Dana tried hard to imagine him in a dentist’s white coat, peering into someone’s mouth. It was difficult.

  “Your wife and daughter have been missing for how long?”

  “About six days.”

  “And you didn’t think to report it?”

  “Well, we had a fight.” He shrugged. “I figured she’s a grown woman, so if she wants to leave, who can stop her?” He looked up quizzically. “Wait, a minute. Why am I here? Did you find her?”

  Constable Hollows paused. “We don’t know where she is, but she’s committed a small crime. And in a small town like ours, we don’t really get much crime. We’d like to keep it that way.”

  Barney shook his head and scoffed. “Sounds about right. That woman doesn’t have her head screwed on straight or something. Honestly, I wouldn’t even care if she never came back. But the thing is, she’s got my baby girl with her. And that,” he seemed almost to start shaking, “that is unacceptable.”

  “I understand that Maura was her daughter from an earlier marriage.”

  “Yeah, a deadbeat dad. You know the story. But I adopted her legally and have been taking care of her ever since. She’s mine. I’ve raised her that way for ten years. I’m not just going to let Susan take her from me.” He struggled to compose himself, his face deepening in its reddish color and his fists clenching tightly.

  “Okay. Thank you for your help, Mr. Mendel. We’ll be in touch. You let us know if she comes back, all right?”

  “And you’ll let me know if you find her and my daughter, right?”

  Constable Hollows nodded and escorted the man out. As Barney passed out of the room, he looked Dana and Pete up and down. Dana crinkled her nose; the man reeked of booze.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Pete grumbled, “Someone’s a fan of whiskey, ain’t he?”

  Dana smiled in spite of herself. “Seems so. And I don’t trust that man one iota.”

  “His daughter. He doesn’t deserve her,” Pete spat.

  When the constable returned, he told them that he’d sent out an APB on Susan and Maura Mendel, ostensibly for the auto theft they’d committed. “But don’t worry,” he said, upon seeing Pete’s stricken face. “I don’t have any plans to charge her. We’ll smooth things over with the owner and explain.”

  “So, you do think he hurt her?” Pete asked.

  “I think it’s a strong possibility. He shows the classic signs, and he’s got a fairly lengthy record—though nothing recently—of misdemeanors involving violence.”

  “And probably a drunk,” Dana added, crinkling her nose.

  “You noticed that too, huh?”

  “How could you not? He smelled like a bar.”

  “We’ll keep you updated if we get any news,” the constable said.

  “You can’t arrest him now?” Pete said.

  “I’m afraid not. We’ve got no proof at all. Only a strong hunch. We’re going to take one problem at a time, and right now, that problem is finding Susan Mendel. After that, maybe we’ll see about charging him with abuse.”

  Though clearly disappointed, Pete nodded somberly.

  Dana took his arm to lead him back to her car, knowing how stressful the day must have been for him. “Would you have dinner with me tonight, Pete?” she asked. “And then perhaps you could just stay on my sofa bed. That way if the constable calls me with news, you’ll be right there.”

  “Oh, you’ve done enough for me already, Ms. Potter.”

  “Don’t be silly. In this town, we take care of our own.”

  He smiled. “Okay, then.”

  ***

  Not in the mood to cook, Dana ordered salads from the Blue Swallow. Pete had been taking a nap on the sofa when Lydia rang the doorbell.

  “Two salads for a Ms. Potter?” Lydia said, feigning like she didn’t know Dana.

  “Oh yes, that’s me! Thank you very much,” Dana said, playing along.

  “Two salads?”

  “I’ve got Pete here with me tonight.”

  “Oh?” Lydia wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Oh, you hush! He’s young enough to be my son!” Dana put her hands on her hips. “It’s police business,” she said tantalizingly.

  Lydia’s mouth dropped open. “Does this have somethin’ to do with that woman you were looking for this morning?”

  Dana’s eyes sparkled. She loved being in the center of things.
“As a matter of fact...” Dana stepped outside onto her porch and closed the door behind her, eagerly launching into the rest of the story. She’d been dying to share what she’d discovered about Pete’s life and what a surprising day it had been.

  Lydia leaned back in the porch chair she’d slumped into after Dana had finished relaying everything. “That’s just like a soap opera!” she exclaimed. “I feel bad for that woman now though, even though she did steal from a homeless man—who just happened to be her unrecognizable ex-husband! My goodness.” She fanned herself with one of the paper plates she’d brought for Dana’s salads. “So what are y’all going to do now?”

  “Well, right now, all we can do is wait. Like I said, it’s police business.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the Dana Potter I know.” Lydia winked.

  Dana smiled and stood. “I’d better get back inside. You know, hurry up and wait.”

  “Okay then. Enjoy those salads. And tell me everything as soon as you know it!”

  Shortly, Dana and Pete were seated once again around her little dining table, eating from paper plates. Dana’s original intention for having Pete over was to offer a sympathetic ear so that he wouldn’t have to be alone that night. However, Lydia’s words kept ringing in her ears.

  “So,” Dana said, “do you have any idea at all where your ex-wife might have gone to hide around here?”

  Pete put a bite of salad in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “You know…”

  Dana’s ears perked up. “Yes?”

  “Now that you mention it—Pippin is how far from Savannah?”

  “About an hour.”

  “Back when we first met, her parents had an old sailboat they kept at a marina in Savannah before they died.”

  “You think it might still be there?”

  He shrugged. “I really couldn’t say. But if it was, it might make a nice hiding place in a pinch, wouldn’t it? At least it’d be free.”

  Dana drummed her fingers on the table. She glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was 6:30 pm. “How about we go see?” she said, feeling more invigorated than she had in a long time.

  “Now?”