Missing Heiress (A Jackie Harlan Mystery Book 2)

by Marti Talbott

  *

  Maggie was forced to wait until break time to find out what happened in Nicole’s office. She was the first to go outside and it seemed like forever before Jim joined her. “Did she fire you?”

  “Not yet. She just wanted to make sure my decision was final.” He walked to the picnic table and sat on the table part.

  “She won’t fire you; she can’t, not just because you refused a promotion.”

  “She’ll think of another reason,” said Jim. “Let’s face it; I’m one of the walking dead.”

  “I can’t believe Nicole asked you that in front of everyone.”

  “Neither can I.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “She expected you to be thrilled and who wouldn’t be? After all, you would have the honor of working directly under her.”

  “Lucky me,” Jim sarcastically said.

  Maggie climbed up on the table to sit beside him. “Did you see the look on Susan’s face?”

  “I missed that part.”

  “She actually looked disappointed when Nicole offered the job to you.”

  “Then we were wrong. We thought she didn’t want the job either. They must have been talking about something else that day in the break room. How did Roxie the Robot look?”

  “I didn’t notice.” Maggie collected her thoughts for a moment. “Maybe she won’t fire you. Bronco says people can complain to Labor and Industries, if they get fired unjustly.”

  “Or get a lawyer and sue. I might do that.”

  “Good, you’ll have plenty of witnesses.”

  Jim’s attitude brightened a little. “You’re right, I do have witnesses. Maybe I’ll stick around until they do fire me. I would love suing this place. On the other hand, everyone is so scared of getting fired, they probably wouldn’t testify.”

  Maggie hung her head. “I’m one of them.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to, you know that.”

  Jim scratched the top of his head while Maggie interlaced her fingers and rolled her thumbs. There didn’t seem to be a lot more to say on the subject, and it was good for both of them, to just try to calm down.

  Finally, Maggie asked, “Any luck job hunting?”

  “I’ve got an interview next week. Keep your finger’s crossed.”

  “You know I will.”

  “I better go back. I’m behind in my work now.”

  Maggie nodded, watched him walk away and looked at the new seven-story office building across the street. The building was probably going to open soon, but just now, she wasn’t thinking about how it glistened in the sunlight, or how traffic on the street was about to become impossible. Instead, she was thinking about what she would do if she got fired – or worse, got offered the job next.

  What a nightmare that would be.

  *

  Teresa was beginning to like Laura more each day. They swam, watched movies, and talked about all sorts of things. Her cleaning duties got farther and farther behind, but if Laura didn’t care, she didn’t see why she should either.

  During the long summer days, seven o’clock in the evening seemed the perfect time to go for a jog, and jogging was Teresa’s second favorite thing to do. Swimming was her first. Laura was pretty well on her way to full inebriation by seven, and wouldn’t require anything until time to put her to bed – unless the liquor cabinet collapsed, which was highly unlikely.

  The other mansions also had well-maintained lawns and tall trees, which made her jog around the circle drive even more pleasant. It wasn’t unusual for the guards at the gate to admire her figure as she jogged past, but she kept the communication with them to a slight wave or a nod. On this night, however, she had a package to mail, and to do that, she needed to go outside the gate. She wore a pulled down baseball cap to hide her eyes, headed straight for it, jogged in place until the gate opened, waved and went out.

  Half a mile down the street, she entered a twenty-four hour mail center, paid the postage, watched as the package was tossed in a large tub, and then Teresa jogged back toward the house.

  *

  With Teresa gone, there was no one to answer the door, so Laura dragged herself up off the sofa, and nearly spilled her drink doing it. She struggled to set it on an end table that looked a little blurry, and then slowly walked to the door just as the bell rang again.

  “Austin?”

  “Hello, Laura. Did your maid quit?”

  “Not yet, she’s off jogging or something.”

  “May I come in?”

  She stood aside, motioned for him to enter, and then closed the door behind him. “How handsome you look…but then, you always do.”

  “Is Mathew home?”

  “You know he isn’t,” she answered. “You know where he is far more often than I do.” She forgot about the drink on her end table, and went to the liquor cabinet to get a fresh one. There was no point offering Austin a drink, he never accepted. “Where is he, by the way?”

  “Florida, according to the credit card.”

  “Florida, how quaint.” She pulled the stopper out of the decanter and reached for a clean glass. “Is it that time again?”

  “I’m afraid so. Nick made me promise to ask you each year on your anniversary.”

  She finished pouring her drink and then turned to face him. “Mathew avoids our wedding anniversary like the plague, but you already know that.”

  “I can’t stay long. Will you sign the divorce papers this time?”

  “Not this time.” He waited for the inevitable question, but Laura didn’t ask it. “Don’t you want to know if we have found your daughter yet?”

  “I don’t have a daughter, at least not one that is still living.”

  “Laura, we both know that isn’t true. Help me find her. You know I won’t tell Mathew.”

  “My daughter died,” she said, bringing the glass to her lips and taking a long drink.

  He carefully watched her expression, but she didn’t give her thoughts away – she just looked drunk. “Call me when you change your mind about the divorce.”

  Laura watched him walk out the door, and then quickly took another swallow. The room was starting to spin and the elevator was closer than the sofa, so she walked in, pushed the button, and went upstairs to put herself to bed.

  *

  Maggie couldn’t wait to talk to Bronco8881. She bought macaroni salad at the grocery store deli, hurried across the street to her apartment, and went in. She pushed the bolt in place, quickly shoved the wedges under the door, tossed her purse on the bed, and got a spoon out of the drawer. Next, she recovered her laptop from behind the stove and once more set it up.

  Sissy3211: Nicole asked Jim to take the manager position.

  Bronco8881: Hello to you too.

  Sissy3211: Very well, hello.

  Bronco8881: You are upset, I take it.

  Sissy3211: It was horrible. She asked him in front of everyone and he turned her down. I wish you could have seen the look on her face. I doubt anyone has ever turned her down before.

  Bronco8881: I wish I could have too.

  Sissy3211: Jim is pretty sure he will get fired now.

  Bronco8881: I am afraid he might be right.

  Sissy3211: She wouldn’t take his first ‘no’ for an answer and kept insisting he accept. It was humiliating for us all. At least we didn’t fail her stupid test.

  Bronco8881: Stupid test?

  Sissy3211: Haven’t I told you about those?

  Bronco8881: I don’t think so.

  Sissy3211: We have the worst possible computer software in the world that has technical names for everything, plus, we have to know all kinds of rules and regulations. She gives us a test every week. If we don’t get all the answers right, you can bet the next meeting will be about the same thing.

  Bronco8881: Sounds dreadful.

  Sissy3211: More than dreadful – it is frightful. Did I tell you about Susan?

  Austin was surprised and pleasantly so. She seemed so much more talkative and relaxed since
he sent her the picture of him.

  Bronco8881: Is that the one with the eyelash problem?

  Maggie took the lid off her salad and put a spoonful of macaroni in her mouth before she typed her answer.

  Sissy3211: Yes. What a sad creature she is. She is single with two children and calls her mother at least once a week asking for money.

  Bronco8881: Some single mothers need money.

  Sissy3211: Yes, but I’ve heard her plead relentlessly until her mother gives in. She says her mother is rich and is just being selfish.

  Bronco8881: Not a very nice way to treat your mother.

  Sissy3211: Some mothers deserve it.

  Bronco8881: True.

  Sissy3211: Know what else she does?

  Bronco8881: What?

  Sissy3211: Nicole doesn’t come in until nine, but the rest of us are supposed to be there by eight. We are required to send Nicole an email every morning when we arrive, but Susan found a way to write hers the night before, and have the system send it the next morning at eight.

  Bronco8881: That’s funny. What time does she actually come in?

  Sissy3211: Eight-thirty or so…if she feels like it. I would never be brave enough to do that.

  Bronco8881: I bet you are rarely late to work.

  Sissy3211: Only when the bus breaks down or there’s a blizzard.

  Bronco8881: You ride a bus?

  Sissy3211: No silly, I push it to work.

  Bronco8881: Sorry, stupid question.

  Sissy3211: You are forgiven. You only ask because you’re trying to figure out where I am. Well, I am being very careful not to tell you.

  Bronco8881: I know. You’re good at it.

  Sissy3211: Thanks.

  Bronco8881: Right now, I’m eating a boring dinner. What are you doing?

  Sissy3211: I’m eating too. Just think, we’re having our first dinner together.

  Bronco8881: Somehow, I don’t think that’s what I had in mind. I’m more of the steak and candlelight kind of guy.

  Sissy3211: Candlelight? You’re trying to tempt me again.

  Bronco8881: Is it working?

  Sissy3211: A little.

  Austin decided he better change the subject before she abruptly signed off.

  Bronco8881: Did you go to the zoo?

  Sissy3211: Didn’t I tell you about that? We had a smashing good time. I so adore Jim and Hanna.

  Bronco8881: See any horses?

  Sissy3211: Not a one, just your ordinary elephants and zebras. I liked listening to the lions roar very much. You can hear them all over the zoo.

  Bronco8881: We have some in our zoo too, and you are right, you can hear them for blocks. I wonder how that sounds in the jungle.

  Sissy3211: You’re not offering to take me to Africa, are you? I know you don’t have that kind of money.

  Bronco8881: I might be able to scrape up a few dollars, but I don’t have that kind of time. Maybe when I am old.

  Sissy3211: How old are you?

  Bronco8881: I thought we weren’t doing personal information

  Sissy3211: Oh, that’s right, I forgot for a moment.

  Bronco8881: I finished college, if that helps.

  Sissy3211: Lucky you, I want to go someday, but it can wait.

  Bronco8881: What do you want to be?

  Sissy3211: I haven’t decided yet.

  Bronco8881: Sometimes it’s better to work for a while between high school and college.

  Sissy3211: Then maybe I am more fortunate than I thought. Uh oh, have to go.

  ---Sissy3211 has signed off---

  “There she goes again,” Austin muttered.

  *

  Maggie noticed when shadows crossed her window. The same two guys were outside her door again, and it made her more than a little nervous. She closed the curtain and waited in a little apartment that was now too dark. Relieved when the men left, she opened her curtain and let the light in again. She went back to her laptop and checked her calendar.

  Just a few more days and it would all be over.

  CHAPTER 8

  Another early morning start for the investigators, but that was normal. Yet, their level of frustration was steadily growing. Every possible version of Georgia Marie James, even George James turned out to be the wrong sex, the wrong age or the wrong nationality. If Georgia used her real name to enroll in an art school or look for a job, it wasn’t showing up for some reason.

  “What are we forgetting?” Jackie asked.

  “I say we narrow it down,” said Carl.

  “To what?” Michael asked.

  “Well, it sure would be nice if she is in the US. We could fly her here in time for court,” Carl answered.

  “You’d do anything to fly that plane,” Michael muttered.

  “Admit it, Michael, you like riding in it as much as I like flying it.”

  “Children,” said Jackie.

  Michael raised an eyebrow and looked at Carl. “Uh oh, she’s got her mom hat on. Think she’ll send us to bed with no supper?”

  “Back to bed sounds pretty good to me,” Carl said.

  “Not a chance,” Jackie said. “Work, work, work.”

  Carl got up and walked to the house phone. “Ham and cheese omelets okay with you guys?”

  “Sounds wonderful,” said Jackie.

  “Hey,” Michael said, studying a popup on his laptop, “here’s a Marie James right here in Denver.”

  “Really?” Jackie asked.

  “I’m looking at her profile now. She’s a photographer and works out of her home. Let’s see…she’s 35 and…married with four children. Not our girl.”

  “That was close,” said Jackie. “She could be married by now, but not with four children.”

  “Probably is married, especially if she looks like that age progressed photo,” said Michael. “I checked wedding sites in the UK, all 80 billion listings, and didn’t find anything. Georgia Marie is a more common name than I thought.”

  “No death certificates either?” asked Jackie.

  “None except for the poor dead girl in Scotland. Maybe we should call the constable over there, and see if they remember anything Connelly’s PI didn’t dig up.”

  “Good idea,” said Jackie. “You call, Michael. Most have never heard of a woman private investigator, even in this day and age. It takes forever to get some men to talk to me.”

  Michael batted his eyes at her. “I’ll talk to you. Just tell me where and when.”

  Carl finished placing their breakfast order and came back to the table. “Maybe she’ll talk to you after we retire for good.”

  “You really think so?” Michael asked.

  Carl rolled his eyes. “No, not really.”

  Jackie laughed at the pout on Michael’s face. “Gentlemen, shall we get back to work? Don’t forget you have to go see Austin today, Michael.”

  “And get Laura’s DNA,” Carl reminded him. “Austin says she goes to the doctor every Tuesday at three p.m.”

  “Every week? I wonder why?” said Jackie.

  “Austin didn’t say. Could be her liver is going.” Carl sat down at the table and checked his two laptops. Facebook was a jungle he was well familiar with, but people were cautious and didn’t always put much in their profiles, if they filled them out at all. Still, sometimes they were able to find a jewel in one of the posts. It just took a lot of time to find that buried treasure – and the clock was ticking.

  *

  Austin was a busy man. Aside from his court appearances and various lawsuits, he was responsible for approving pay increases and expense accounts for executives. He also attended board meetings, and made sure everything was running smoothly for the upcoming charity ball. The charity ball was not something he was looking forward to. He would much rather spend the evening talking to Sissy, but Nick held one every year in the early fall, and Austin was determined to keep the tradition alive. It was for charity, after all. Yet, the list of things that needed his attention seemed unending.

&nb
sp; Therefore, he welcomed the interruption, especially if it meant his Connelly nightmare might soon be over. “Michael, thanks for stopping by.” He walked around his desk to shake Michael’s hand. “Any news yet?”

  “Not yet. Jackie will call the moment we know something.”

  Austin couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. He motioned for his guest to have a seat and sat in the chair next to him. “I’m curious. Has anyone ever fired the Harlan Detective Agency?”

  “No, but we’ve pulled out of a couple of cases. Jackie won’t put up with a belligerent client.”

  “Good for her. I wanted to give the three of you tickets to this year’s charity ball.”

  Michael was skeptical. “You want us to go to a ball?”

  “Why not? The Connellys are going to be there and you might enjoy seeing them in action.”

  “The Connellys are going…together?”

  “I specifically put them on the guest list just to see what would happen. It’s the first time they’ve been invited in years, and they haven’t cancelled yet.”

  “I’ll ask Jackie, but we don’t have a lot of time to shop for clothes. Jackie is fastidious about what she wears. Carl would rather go in jeans and a cowboy hat.”

  “Sorry, it’s black tie. If you’ll give me your sizes, I’ll have a selection sent to the hotel for the three of you to choose from.”

  “I’ll have Jackie call you about that too. We have clothes, just not with us. We could have them shipped overnight, I suppose.”

  “That sounds like an even better idea.” Austin paused to think of the best way to ask the next question. “When I asked Jackie to take the case, she sounded distracted, and then said she couldn’t. Is something wrong?”

  “You got a minute?”

  “Of course.”

  Michael lifted his right foot and rested it on top of his left knee. “It’s no secret, but I suppose there are only a few people who know the story. Jackie was married once to a jerk. I guess he wasn’t a jerk when she married him. Anyway, she loved him with all her heart. He was a PI, the best there was at the time, and they were a crack team until their son came along.”