Reed Ferguson Mystery Box Set 5

by Renee Pawlish

  “What do you mean?”

  “Marcia was about eight months along, and she quit coming to school. When I’d call the house, no one would let me talk to her. They made excuses: she was sick, too tired to come out, that kind of thing. I kept trying until Mrs. Holder got mad at me, and said times were stressful, and that Marcia would call when she could. Marcia finally did, to tell me that she’d had the baby. A girl.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Victoria.”

  Not Gina, but the name could’ve been changed.

  “Where was Marcia living?” I asked.

  “At home.” She waved a hand toward the window. “The Holders have a place out on County Road 15, a big ranch. Mayor Holder still lives there, but his wife died a while back. Anyway, Marcia and I talked, and she said her father was furious with her. That was about it because she said she couldn’t talk anymore, and hung up. The next thing I heard was that someone had come and taken the baby from the house one night. Just snuck in while everyone was asleep and took the baby from Marcia’s room. Marcia was devastated. Her father finally let me come out and visit her, and she was like a zombie, hardly saying anything to me. Her world was completely ruined.” She glanced over at the family pictures on the shelves. “I can understand. To lose your child like that, it must’ve been just awful.”

  I thought back to what Stan had said. “Do you think Mayor Holder had anything to do with the baby’s disappearance?”

  “No, of course not,” she said, but there was enough doubt in her tone to make me think she’d considered that very thing herself.

  “Was the mayor hiding something?”

  “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I’ve wondered about that kidnapping. Something didn’t seem right about their story.”

  “Like what?”

  “One, that Marcia slept through it all.” She shrugged. “And … I don’t know.”

  “What happened next?”

  “There was a search. The sheriff worked the case for a long time, and I heard the Holders paid people to look for the kidnappers, but the baby was gone. Then life went on. Everyone worried about their kids, but eventually things settled down.”

  “Was Jennifer married to the sheriff at that time?”

  “Ben wasn’t the sheriff at that time, but yes, she’d been married to him for several years.” She drew in a breath and let it out in a hiss. “Marcia withdrew from the public eye, and she wouldn’t talk to me. Then one day I got a call from her. She said she was moving away.”

  “Where to?”

  “She wouldn’t tell me.”

  I threw her another doubtful look.

  “She was scared of her father,” she protested. “She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what was going on, but she wanted me to know. She said she was sorry about what had happened between us. She wanted me to know she never meant to hurt me, and that maybe one day she would get in touch with me. And she made me promise not to tell anyone what she said.” She stared at me. “Up until now, I never have. Not even to my husband or kids.”

  “Why are you telling me?”

  She didn’t say anything for a long time. “I thought I’d moved on. I had my own family, and you get busy with things. Up until you came here, I thought I’d let it go. And in this town, you don’t challenge people, especially the Holders, so I never said anything to anyone.” She sighed again. “But if Marcia might be able to see her daughter again…”

  “Do you know where Marcia is?”

  She looked away.

  “Please,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone that we’ve spoken.”

  Her lower lip trembled and tears came into her eyes. She brushed them away. “She moved to Denver.”

  “She told you that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where in Denver? There’s no address associated with her name.”

  “I don’t think she had a job. She was going to live off the trust.”

  “So the trust paid her bills?”

  “I don’t know how it all works. You’d have to ask her, or Mayor Holder.”

  “Somehow I don’t think he’s going to talk to me.”

  She scoffed. “You’re right about that.”

  “You don’t have a specific address for her?” I pressed.

  “I don’t even know if she’s still in Denver. She could’ve moved away, or died.” Her voice caught. “I haven’t talked to her in thirty years. But if your client really is Marcia’s daughter…” She started to cry. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.” She wiped her eyes.

  I gave her a moment to collect herself, and then asked, “Do you have a picture of Marcia?”

  She nodded, then got up and left the room. She returned a minute later with an old yearbook. “I’ve kept this silly thing all these years.” She thumbed through to a page, then handed it to me. “That’s Marcia.”

  I looked at a small picture of a woman with long brown hair and bangs that covered a high forehead. She wore a big smile, and she was pretty, in an awkward kind of way – like so many of us in high school. I closed the book and handed it back to her.

  “Why is everybody so closed-mouthed about Marcia and the baby?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is everyone scared of the Holders?”

  “Could be,” she said noncommittally. Then she glanced at a wall clock. “I think you better go. My husband will be home soon. He works at Toby Holder’s store, and it wouldn’t be good if my husband ever mentioned you to Toby.”

  “Your husband doesn’t know who I am.”

  “They have ways of finding out things, and I’ve already risked enough.”

  I stood up. “I really appreciate your time.”

  “Don’t tell anyone we talked.”

  “I won’t,” I said as she led me to the front door. I stepped outside. “Do you want me to let you know what I find out?”

  She hesitated and looked around. “It’s best that you don’t contact me.”

  I could almost feel the fear emanating from her. “All right.”

  She closed the door. As I walked back to the 4-Runner, I wondered what kind of person could create that much anxiety in her.

  Chapter Eleven

  When I got back to the hotel, the young clerk had been replaced by an older man in a blue suit and wrinkled white shirt. He stared at me as I crossed the lobby. I waved and he gave me a blank look. I gave him a smile, but got nothing as I headed down the hall to the back of the building. I went outside where Willie was poolside, relaxing on a lawn chair.

  “You weren’t gone that long,” she said as she looked up from her book.

  I grinned. “Rush hour was light.”

  She laughed. “What’d you find out?”

  “Marcia Holder moved from here to Denver in 1985, but Annette doesn’t know if Marcia is still there, or if she’s even alive, for that matter.”

  “Did Annette have an address for her in Denver?”

  I shook my head. “And I don’t, either. Annette thought that Marcia was living off the family trust, which would explain why nothing came up in a name search on Marcia Holder.”

  She sat up. “Do you have the trust name?”

  “Nope.” I glanced at the empty pool. “Do you want to stay a while longer? Or overnight? We paid for the room.”

  “You don’t want to head back to Denver now?”

  I shrugged. “I have to see if I can find Marcia through the trust, and I can do some internet searching with my laptop here.”

  “Well, we did pay for the room.”

  “And I owe you a dinner. I could take you to the Main Street Café.”

  “Oh, that sounds so romantic.”

  “Are you hungry now?”

  She shook her head. “How about I stay out here for a while longer, and give you time to do some research? I’ll take a quick dip in the pool and we can go.”

  “That’ll work.”

  I kissed her and went to our room. I took my laptop out of my back
pack, booted it up, logged on to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, and got on the internet. I spent a while trying to find something on a Holder trust, but I came up empty. I did learn that because of privacy laws, banks and attorneys wouldn’t provide me with any information even if I did have the name of the trust. This called for the big guns, so I grabbed my phone and called Cal.

  “Did you find Jennifer Madisen?” he asked in place of a greeting.

  “I did, but I didn’t get to talk to her.”

  I told him about Jennifer and her sheriff husband, and he was howling when I finished.

  “Oh, that’s too funny.”

  “It may not have been my finest hour, but persistence pays off. After an afternoon of chatting up the town folk, I found out Marcia Holder may be living in Denver.”

  “But you’re not sure.”

  “Right. Can you check on Alvin Holder and his family, and see if you can find a trust that might be paying Marcia’s bills?”

  “Ah, if the trust is paying, she doesn’t show up on any White Pages searches.”

  “Right again.”

  “I’ve got something I need to finish first. If I get back to you tomorrow, will that work?”

  “Sure. Willie and I are going to spend the night here.”

  “In Sagebrush? How romantic.”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.” As usual, he was laughing when he ended the call.

  I was just getting back on the computer when Willie strolled into the room.

  “Do you want to go to dinner now?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Let me change clothes and we can go.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She went into the bathroom and I heard the sink running as I began a search on Alvin Holder. There was a nice profile about him on the official Sagebrush city site, but other than that, I didn’t find much. By the time I finished, Willie was in the same pink sundress and sandals as before. And she looked just as cute as before.

  “Ready?” I stood up, put my laptop in my backpack and set it on a chair in the corner, then took her hand.

  “I hope this restaurant has good food,” she said.

  “Me, too.”

  The café did have good food, and shortly after we ordered, I was diving into a thick, juicy steak while Willie started on a chicken salad. When our server – a busty woman with a wide smile – came to check on us, I asked her about Sagebrush.

  “It’s a nice town,” she said, echoing what Willie and I’d heard before.

  “I hear that’s due to Mayor Holder,” Willie said before I had a chance to respond.

  The waitress nodded. “Yes, he’s been around forever.” There was an odd reluctance in her tone.

  “I hear you don’t want to get on his bad side,” I added.

  “I, uh, excuse me.” The waitress tittered nervously and walked away.

  Willie pursed her lips. “See how everyone acts when you bring up Mayor Holder?”

  “Uh-huh,” I said.

  We finished our meal, both keenly aware of the sly gazes from the other people in the café.

  “You think it’s because we’re strangers in town?” Willie murmured as we lingered over a glass of surprisingly good wine after our meal.

  I shrugged. “Probably.”

  “Maybe they’re aliens and they’re plotting how to take over our bodies.”

  “Is that from the book you were reading?”

  She giggled. “No.”

  We finally left and walked around town for a bit. Dusk was settling in as we drove back to the hotel. The night clerk was as unfriendly as before, barely acknowledging us as we walked through the lobby.

  “Does he make everyone feel that welcome?” Willie whispered.

  “I think we’re the only ones here,” I said. “The parking lot’s empty.”

  We strolled down the hall to our room. I unlocked the door and we went inside.

  “Oh, I feel good,” Willie said as she stretched out on the bed. She crooked a finger at me. “Come over here.”

  I grinned, sat down, and took off my ankle holster and started to put it in my backpack. Then I stopped short.

  “What?” she asked.

  I stared at my backpack. “Did you move that?”

  Willie frowned. “I didn’t touch it.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course.”

  I held up a hand. “I was just asking.” I went to the chair, opened the backpack, and peered inside.

  Willie slid off the bed. “What’s the matter?”

  I pointed at my laptop. “I think someone’s been messing with my bag. It’s not been put back right.”

  She glanced around, then studied her overnight bag. “That may have been moved.”

  I pulled out my laptop and booted it up. The password screen came up. “No one could’ve gotten onto it.”

  “Unless they’re like Cal.”

  “Good point,” I murmured.

  I moved around the room, and as I passed by the window, I noticed a dark-colored sedan in the parking lot. I studied it in the gloomy light. Someone was sitting in the driver’s seat, and it appeared that he – or she – had binoculars trained on our window.

  “Stay here.” I whirled around and quickly crossed the room.

  “Reed!” Willie called after me, but I was out the door.

  I ran down the hall and through the lobby. I ran out the front entrance, and the car suddenly started up and peeled out an exit at the other end of the parking lot. It was too far away to get a license plate number. I marched back inside and up to the desk clerk.

  “Can I help you?” he asked in a scratchy voice.

  “Are we the only ones staying in the hotel?” I asked.

  “Uh, yes, right now that’s true.”

  “Has anyone been here since we left for dinner?”

  “Why, no. Is there a problem?”

  “Are the other entrances locked at night?”

  “Yes, but not until ten p.m. Is there a problem?” he repeated.

  I searched his face, but couldn’t tell if he was lying.

  “I think someone’s been in our room,” I said.

  “I don’t think so.” He stared me in the eye. “I’ve been here all evening. Is anything missing?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “If there is, let me know and we can call the sheriff.”

  I held his gaze for a moment, then thanked him and went back to the room. I was locked out. I knocked softly on the door and called Willie’s name. I saw a shadow in front of the peephole and then the door opened.

  “Reed, what was that all about?” Willie asked. “I wasn’t sure if I should follow you, or what. I finally decided to stay and look around.”

  “Was anything taken?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  I gestured at the window. “I think someone was watching us.”

  She glanced at the window, shuddered, and ran her hands up and down her arms. “This place is eerie.”

  I nodded. “I wanted you to stay here in case there was any trouble.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself. My dad was a cop, remember? I know how to shoot a gun and protect myself. But when you go off half-cocked, sometimes I think I need to take care of you.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Besides,” she gestured at my backpack, “you left your gun in there, so I had plenty of protection.”

  “Yeah, well…” I shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on shooting anyone.” The truth is, I don’t like to carry the Glock. My thinking is much like TV detective Jim Rockford’s: I don’t want to carry a gun because I don’t want to shoot anybody.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Let’s be careful,” I said, “even though the desk clerk says we’re alone here.”

  “Good.” She slid out of her dress and lay down on the bed. “No one will hear us.”

  I smiled as I walked toward her
.

  Afterward, Willie snuggled close to me. “That was great.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Outside the window, a car passed by. She tensed slightly. “What?” I asked.

  “I do want many more years of this,” she said. “A long, happy life together.”

  “So do I.”

  She ran her hand across my chest. “You need to be more careful. What would’ve happened if you had gotten into a jam outside? That impulsiveness will get you into trouble.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She pinched my arm.

  “Ouch!”

  “I’m serious,” she said. “Promise me you won’t take unnecessary risks.”

  I turned on my side to face her. “Where’s this coming from?”

  “When I was waiting for you to come back, I couldn’t help but think what if something happened to you.”

  “Willie, we’ve talked about this before. I promise I’ll be careful.”

  She smiled at me, and we lay together. When the air conditioner shut off, we could hear the occasional car drive by, and coyotes howling in the distance. Willie finally fell asleep, but I stayed awake for a long time. Every noise had me wondering if someone was trying to get into the room. If it were just me here, I’d have been less worried, but there was no way in hell I was going to let anything happen to Willie. I wanted a long, happy life together, too, just as she did.

  At dawn, as soft light crept into the room, I dozed off.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hours later, I bolted awake. Sunlight was streaming through the open window. I sat up and looked around. The room was empty, but then I heard the shower running. I checked the time. Just after ten. I stretched, got up, and walked over to the window. The 4-Runner was sitting by itself in the parking lot. The water shut off and the bathroom door opened.

  “You’re up,” Willie said. She had a towel wrapped around herself, and she was using one hand to comb her wet hair.

  “How long have you been awake?” I asked.

  “A couple hours. I knew you didn’t sleep well, so I left you alone. I wanted to go for a run, but figured maybe I shouldn’t, after last night –”

  “Good thinking,” I murmured.