“I have to be more mindful now,” he said. “I can only stretch a teacher’s salary so much.”
After working as a bartender, food delivery driver, fitness trainer, window cleaner, and a whole host of other odd jobs, he finally found a position he referred to as his true calling: a high school teacher.
Even if the pay was not good, teaching came with security and stability, something Casey had been missing for a long period in his life.
He placed her hand carry in the trunk and got behind the wheel. Fisher sat in the passenger seat. He smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you, sis,” he said.
“It’s good to see you too, Casey,” she said. “Now, will you tell me why I’m here?”
He opened his mouth but then glanced down at his wrist. His smartwatch was blinking. “Oops, I keep forgetting to turn it off.”
“Turn what off?” she asked.
He touched the LCD screen and said, “Do you remember I used to love keeping a diary as a kid?”
She laughed. “You were worse than some of the girls in our school. You filled binders with your musings.”
He blushed. “Yeah, I kind of realized now that I went a little overboard with it.”
Fisher frowned. “But if I remember correctly, you suddenly stopped.”
He fell silent. “I grew up, you know,” he slowly said, looking into the distance.
“So, what’s with the watch?” she asked.
The smile came back to his face. “Recently, I’ve decided to keep a record of all my thoughts.”
“I bet it’s not that long,” Fisher joked. She burst out laughing.
“Everyone’s a comedian,” he said, letting out a chuckle. “Anyway, I’ve downloaded a software on my watch that lets me dictate notes into it. It’s really clear and concise. It captures even side conversations.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Side conversations?”
“Yeah. If I’m at a coffee shop, I can listen in on what other people are saying around me.”
Fisher frowned. “So, you’re eavesdropping.”
He shook his head. “I don’t mean it like that. What I mean is that I can capture what’s going on at the precise moment I am dictating into the watch. For instance, I like to go on long walks by the beach, and it’s great to hear the water hitting the shore, the sound of my feet on the sand, and the seagulls squawking in the distance. It helps create a great atmosphere when I listen to the recording at the end of the day.”
“You sound like a writer,” she said.
“Maybe down the road I might get inspired and write a bestselling novel,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
He started the engine and they drove off.
TWENTY-FOUR
Callaway frowned and leaned back in his chair. There were several people with the name “Lana Anderson” living in Milton.
What if the woman he was searching for was not even in Milton?
David Becker only provided him with a name, not even a photo or an address.
I should have pushed for more details, he thought.
But Becker did not give him time to ask any questions. It was as if he was in a hurry to leave. But why the rush? What was he so afraid of?
He sighed. He could have called after Becker, but he was still reeling from the big payday.
He turned his attention back to the laptop. He punched “David Becker” into the search engine, and like Lana Anderson, it too was a common name. Half a dozen David Beckers popped up on screen. But unlike Lana Anderson, he had more to go on.
He reached into his coat and pulled out the envelope with the twenty-thousand dollars. On the front, in the upper right corner, was a logo.
He squinted. Underneath the logo, he could see the words: Parish Holdings Inc.
Callaway typed in “David Becker Parish Holdings Inc.”
A website for Becker & Becker LLP came up. He clicked on the site. David Becker’s face popped up on the main page. He was wearing a blue suit. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was smiling at the camera.
He scrolled to the “About” page. Becker & Becker LLP was founded ten years ago, specializing in real estate law, both residential and commercial. Becker had received his law degree from Rutgers School of Law in New Jersey. He had started practicing family law but then switched over to real estate. The year of this switch was 2008 when the housing market in the United States had collapsed. 2008 would have been a lucrative time for real estate lawyers.
Callaway scrolled further down the page. There was a list of clients, and when he looked carefully, one of them was Parish Holdings Inc.
Callaway’s brow furrowed. Was there a reason Becker gave him an envelope with Parish Holding Inc.’s logo on it? It would have made far more sense if it was an envelope from his firm.
Are you trying to tell me something, David? he thought.
He suddenly felt a migraine coming on. He opened his desk drawer but realized he was out of painkillers.
He knew a jolt of caffeine would ease the pounding in his head.
He looked over at Nina. Her eyes were glued to the TV screen.
“Honey, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said and left the office. He rushed down the metal stairs and walked a block to a convenience store.
He made himself a cup of coffee from the vending machine. When he was leaving the store, the owner behind the counter said, “No granola bar today, sir?”
Callaway looked at him. “I’m sorry?”
The owner smiled. He had dark brown skin, silver hair, and a thick moustache. “I’ve seen you come here a dozen times. You always get coffee from the machine and a granola bar.”
The owner was right. He was always short of money, and the cost of the coffee and granola bar was less than two dollars. All he could afford after rummaging for loose change.
“I’ll take a granola bar as well,” Callaway said with a smile.
As he walked back to his office, he thought, I should try to get to know the people in the neighborhood. But there was a reason he avoided that. He did not want one of his clients’ ex-spouses asking around for him.
He took the stairs up to his office and entered.
He stopped in his tracks.
The office was empty.
Nina’s gone!
TWENTY-FIVE
Callaway dropped the coffee and granola bar and raced out of the office. He skipped down the metal stairs and ran up to the street.
He looked around, but there was no sight of Nina.
His heart pounded in his chest as he broke into a cold sweat. If anything happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself, he thought.
He hurried back to the convenience store and asked the owner if he had seen someone with Nina’s description. Callaway hoped Nina might have followed him there, but the owner shook his head.
Callaway went into the street and yelled her name.
People passing by looked at him as if he was crazy.
What if she was kidnapped? he thought. Isn’t that what Nina was worried about when we were at the freeway?
He suddenly felt lightheaded. Everything around him began to spin. He felt like he was going to faint.
He took a deep breath. Calm down, he thought. Panicking won’t help me find her.
He headed back to the office. He was passing the soup and noodle shop when he stopped. He squinted and then peeked through the windows.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
He went inside and found Nina seated at a table. Next to her was an older Asian woman. Ms. Chen was the owner of the restaurant, and she was also his landlady. She wore a floral-print dress. Her hair was jet black and it reached down to her shoulders. A string necklace with a marble dog hung around her neck.
Ms. Chen was born in the year of the dog, and according to her, people born in that year were cautious and they did not trust very easily. Callaway never gave her reason to trust him much. He was constantly behind in his rent payments, which caused him to avoid her when it
became due. He always made promises to her but failed to live up to them. He was a lousy tenant.
“Why did you leave the office?” he asked, approaching Nina.
She looked up at him. “I didn’t know where you had gone,” she replied.
“I said I was going to be back in a minute.”
“Well, I didn’t hear you. I was watching TV.”
I should be angry, he thought, but I’m just glad nothing happened to you.
Ms. Chen said, “I didn’t realize you had such a beautiful and respectful daughter.”
He could not blame her for taking a jab at him. Even he was surprised at how Nina had turned out.
“I saw her walking outside the shop,” Ms. Chen said. “I thought she was lost, and I asked her to come inside.”
“Thank you,” Callaway said.
Nina held up a fortune cookie. “Look what Ms. Chen gave me.”
“What does it say?” he asked.
She read from the white strip of paper. “Today is going to be a really exciting day.”
“Well, it is,” he said. “We have to go see the pandas, don’t we?”
Nina’s smile widened.
They were about to leave when Ms. Chen put a hand on his arm and whispered, “I want to remind you, I will come by next week to pick up the rent.”
He grinned. “You won’t have to.”
She blinked, and then her eyes widened. “You are finally leaving?” She sounded excited at the prospect.
“Of course not, silly,” he replied. He shoved his hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out several bills. He dropped them on the table. “I think that should cover it.”
She snatched up the money as if it might suddenly disappear. She counted the bills and then said, “Alright, you are good for now.” She then turned to Nina. “You can come by anytime. And when you do, you can have our special bubble tea on the house.”
Nina smiled. “Thank you.”
Callaway held her hand as they walked out of the shop.
Nina turned to him. “Daddy?”
“Yes, honey.”
“What does ‘on the house’ mean?”
“It means you don’t have to pay for it.”
“Ms. Chen is nice. I like her.”
“I would like her too if she gave me something on the house,” he quipped.
“Uh?” Nina asked, looking confused.
Callaway smiled. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
TWENTY-SIX
After a twenty-five-minute drive from the airport, Casey pulled up to a red-brick bungalow.
“What happened to your apartment?” Fisher asked. The last time she was in Lockport, Casey was renting a one-bedroom near his school.
“The lease was up when I saw that this was on sale,” he replied.
“You bought a house?” she asked, green with envy. In Milton, she could not even afford to a buy a condo, let alone a house.
He laughed. “Actually, I’m renting this from a couple. They were looking at getting an investment property and were viewing the house when I happened to drive by. I told them I’d be interested in renting it from them if they bought it. It’s got two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a renovated basement.”
“And let me guess, you’re going to turn the basement into your man cave?” she teased.
“No. I plan to convert it into a study area where I can tutor kids after school. It’s one thing to rent an apartment, it’s another to rent an entire house. I’m going to need the extra money, you know.”
She looked at him with pride. She could not believe her baby brother was all grown up.
“Come on,” he said, getting out of the car. He took her hand carry inside and wheeled it
to a room in the back of the house. “Like I said, there are only two rooms, so you get this one.”
The room had a bed, a dresser, and a closet. Next to the bed was a window that overlooked the backyard.
“When did you have time to buy furniture?” she asked.
“Some of it is from my apartment, but most of it came from the couple who bought the house,” he replied. “They had furniture lying in the basement of their own house, so they offered to let me use it. The furniture is old and kind of dated, but hey, it’s free, right?”
“Free is good.”
“Across from your room is the bathroom, and down the hall is my room. You may not ask to see it.”
She shook her head. “If I remember correctly, your room used to be the dirtiest and grimiest.”
He grinned. “It still is.”
She made a puking face. “Gross.”
“Why don’t you get settled and I’ll make us a cup of tea.”
She headed for the bathroom to freshen up. She then walked around the house. The floors creaked, the fireplace was at least thirty years old, but, even then, the place had a homely feel to it.
“I notice you have family photos all over your house,” she said.
“Mom was always looking for a spot to hang up a frame. I once counted over a hundred photos in our house.”
So, that’s where we got the habit of putting up photos, she thought.
“Mom said she constantly wanted to be reminded of her family.”
A smile crossed Fisher’s face. The smile quickly faded when she said, “Remember grandpa’s photo above the toilet?”
He cringed. “It used to scare the crap out of me whenever I’d use the toilet.”
“Maybe that’s why mom put it there, to scare us into pooping in the toilet when we were kids.”
They both laughed hard.
He placed two steaming cups on the table. She sat across from him.
After taking a sip, she said, “Now will you tell me why I’m here? I was in the middle of an investigation and I dropped everything to fly down here.”
Casey turned quiet. He lowered his head and said in a low voice, “A student was found dead yesterday… and they think I might have something to do with what happened.”
The cup nearly slipped out of Fisher’s hand.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Fisher’s mouth was agape. “What?”
Casey looked away.
She stared at him. There were a lot of questions swirling in her head. “Who’s the student?” she asked, her tone slipping into detective mode.
“Her name is Miranda Temple,” he replied, still not looking at her.
“How old was she?”
“Sixteen.”
“What can you tell me about her?”
He shrugged. “She’s popular. She’s a high school cheerleader. Last year she ran for class president but lost by a few votes.”
“How do you know her?”
“She’s in my English class.”
“Where was her body found?”
“On a slope next to Pine Trail.”
“Pine Trail?” she asked, confused.
“It’s a road that leads into Leaside Forest Park. The park has a trail that is used by cyclists. The terrain is rough and there are a lot of obstacles, so it’s great for mountain biking. I’ve gone on that trail a few times this past summer.”
Fisher paused to take this information in. “Okay, so why do the police think you might have something to do with Miranda Temple’s death?”
Casey was silent again.
She leaned closer and said, “You called me here. I can’t help you if I don’t know all the facts.”
“I was with her yesterday.”
“At Pine Trail?”
“Yes.”
Fisher’s eyes narrowed. “What were you doing with a sixteen-year-old girl on a road that leads into a forest?”
He sighed. “It’s not like that.”
“Then tell me!” she said, raising her voice.
Casey nearly jumped off his chair. He shivered, hugging himself.
Fisher shut her eyes to compose herself. Casey was not some stranger, he was her brother. And he was scared.
She reached out her hand, and he slowly took it.
“Please. Talk to me. You know you can trust me,” she said.
He swallowed and nodded. “Miranda is one of my students. She asked me to meet her at Leaside Forest Park.”
“Why?”
“She’d been struggling in class and she wanted to speak to me in private.”
Fisher did not like where this was heading. “And you agreed?”
He covered his face with his hands. “I know, it’s stupid, but I wanted to help.”
“Help her how?”
“She said she was having family issues.”
“Why not meet her in your office? Or in a public place?”
He shook his head. “I wanted her to feel comfortable in confiding in me. I thought if I let her choose the spot to meet, it might go a long way toward me earning her trust.”
“She chose Leaside Forest Park?”
“Yes.”
“And when you met her, what happened?”
“We talked… but then…”
His voice trailed off.
“Casey…”
“I realized she had ulterior motives.”
Fisher understood. It was not uncommon for students to have crushes on their teachers. Casey was handsome, and he had a playful charisma that women found attractive. She could see why Miranda Temple would be interested in him. “But you turned her away, right?” she said.
“Of course, I did!” he snapped. “She’s just a kid.”
Fisher thought a moment. “How far is Pine Trail from Leaside Forest Park?”
“Maybe a ten-minute walk?”
“So how did her body end up ten minutes away from the park?”
“I drove her there.”
“You did what?” she snapped.
He shook his head. “I had picked her up from the mall and driven her to Leaside Forest Park like she wanted me to. I couldn’t leave her at the park after what happened. There are no buses that go from the main road to the park.”
The Missing Mistress Page 6
