“I work for a home health organization now, one that competes with Dr. Benjamin’s. They picked me up the day after he fired me.”
“Did you notice anything strange after Payton’s disappearance?” Cal asked. “Any change in Dr. Benjamin’s behavior?”
“No. Not really. He didn’t seem very troubled that his mistress had gone missing. I thought that was very strange.”
“Why did he fire you?” Jaslene asked.
“I saw him getting too close to another patient. He thought he was alone with a beautiful woman who seemed to not mind his attention. When he confronted me later, he asked if I would say anything to anyone. All I told him is what he did was wrong and not to speak to me about it again. From then on, he reprimanded me for every little thing he perceived as a mistake until about a week later he fired me.”
“Did you tell anyone?” Cal asked.
“His receptionist, but she already knew what he was like. She didn’t seem to mind working for a pig, but I did.”
Jaslene could not reconcile the Payton she knew with one who would fall for an unscrupulous man. “Did you always think Dr. Benjamin was a pig?” she asked.
Bonita shook her head. “When I first started working for him he seemed to genuinely care about his employees, his patients, too. Like I said, he could be charming. Only after time did I begin to see that was all a facade.”
“Can you give us some examples?”
“He would sometimes lose his temper with the staff, especially if the day grew long, or if he had to treat a difficult patient, someone demanding or with a complicated medical condition. He’d snap at us all and throw things. Another time I saw him with another doctor who disagreed with his diagnosis. I’ve never seen Dr. Benjamin more chilling. He didn’t lose his temper, but he put the doctor in his place—even though he was probably wrong.”
“Did Payton ever know of any of these types of instances?” Cal asked.
“Not that I know of.”
What if she had? What if she’d noticed a lot more than that? Payton, being a reporter, could have stumbled onto something that Dr. Benjamin preferred to keep secret—like a bad diagnosis that caused someone harm or death. Then again, just because he was a jerk didn’t mean he was capable of kidnapping or murder.
* * *
Later that day, Cal stepped into The Sunflower with Jaslene. They hadn’t talked much about their trip to Texas since returning, other than Jaslene expressing how much she liked Skylar.
His talks with Mother had been difficult. With her brush with death she’d been candid about his lengthy absence. By the time she finished telling him how much she’d missed him and that she didn’t understand why he refused to come and see her, he felt terrible. Of course, she’d correctly attributed it to his father, but she had scolded him for making her wait until she was hospitalized to visit. His mother’s opening up had been a first—and it had been enough.
She had effectively instilled a good amount of guilt and made him promise not to stay away so long again.
He hadn’t expected his trip to have such a positive outcome, mostly attributed to Jaslene.
The hostess went to get the general manager. Cal waited beside Jaslene, who had worn a sweater dress that hugged her body and had him reminiscing on things best left alone.
The general manager, a lanky man in black dress pants and a gray-pin-striped white shirt and dark tie, approached. His dark brown hair was neatly trimmed, his gray eyes had dark circles beneath and he smiled as though weary.
“Gary Sherman.” He held out his hand. Cal shook it first, then Jaslene.
“Thanks for seeing us.” Cal took out a photo of Payton and handed it to the man. “Do you recognize this woman?”
“No, but I don’t interface with customers as much as the waitstaff. When was she last in?”
Cal gave him the date.
“Hang tight, I’ll look and see who worked that day.”
Cal waited with Jaslene a few minutes before the GM returned. “Three of the four waitresses are here today.”
“Perfect. Can we talk to them one at a time?”
“Certainly.” He turned to the hostess. “Why don’t you seat them in a booth.”
The first waitress didn’t recall seeing or waiting on Dr. Benjamin and Payton. The second did. A blonde twentysomething college student said, “Dr. Benjamin comes in here a lot. Most of the time he’s by himself or with a colleague, but I did notice him bring in that woman.” She pointed to the photograph of Benjamin and Payton that Cal had shown her and placed on the table. “They sat close and he kept leaning toward her in a way that suggested they were a couple.”
Cal inwardly cheered her keen observation. “How often did he bring her here?”
“Probably three or four times over about a four-month period.”
“Do you remember the last time they were in?”
The girl thought a moment. “It was a Tuesday, my last day of work before I planned to drive to see my parents for the weekend.”
That was just days before Payton had gone missing. “Did you notice anything unusual about them?”
“Not really. They seemed quieter than usual. She didn’t seem to say much to him and didn’t smile and laugh like she normally did.”
Had something brought on that change? “Can we get records of the payment transactions?” Cal asked.
“I’ll ask the manager.”
The next waitress came over. An older woman with curly, dark red hair and tired hazel eyes sat across from them.
Cal showed her the photo. “Do you recognize the woman in this picture?”
Beside him Jaslene quietly watched and listened.
The waitress leaned over and squinted.
Cal didn’t harbor much hope this woman would remember anything more than the previous waitress about serving Payton and the doctor. She continued to study the picture. Then she picked it up off the table and held it close to her face.
“Yes, I remember them. They came in for dinner a lot, but it has been a long, long time since then. I remember one night last... May, I think it was. He complained about the wine and then sent his plate back twice.” She put down the picture. “He wasn’t a nice man. He usually is demanding when he comes in. None of us like to serve him. I haven’t seen him with that woman in a long time, but I remember her because she got a little tipsy that night. They seemed to like each other.”
Cal thanked her and decided to leave. All they had heard today was that Dr. Benjamin probably hadn’t done anything nefarious or possibly sexual with Payton. Once again, after following this lead for so long, they had come to a frustrating dead end.
* * *
Jaslene and Cal next went to Dr. Benjamin’s clinic.
Inside the doctor’s modern, earth-toned waiting room, they stepped in line behind two patients.
“We’re here to talk to Dr. Benjamin,” Cal said to the receptionist when it was their turn.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. Tell him Cal Chelsey is here to see him.”
The receptionist put down her pen and looked harried. “He’s very busy, Mr. Chelsey. He won’t be able to see you today.”
“He’ll see us. Tell him we need to speak with him about Payton Everett and that if he doesn’t talk to us, he’ll have to talk to police.”
That smoothed her expression. “Just a moment.”
Jaslene waited with Cal at the desk. About five minutes later, the receptionist returned. “His nurse will be up to get you.”
About a minute later a nurse appeared from a hallway. “Mr. Chelsey?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me.”
Jaslene trailed behind Cal down the hallway to an office entrance. “He’ll be in as soon as he can.”
Entering the familiar office with the view of forested foot
hills, Jaslene sat next to Cal on one of two blue chairs facing the tidy desk. The electronic photo frame flashed pictures of people that were probably the doctor’s wife and kids.
Jaslene found it quite distasteful that the doctor would display his family like that with all his running-around with other women. Did he only have it there for show?
“He’s going to make us wait in here a while,” she said.
“Maybe he hopes we’ll give up and leave.” He stood and moved to the other side of the desk.
She watched him riffle through a neat stack of papers that looked like the doctor’s mail. He glanced through the first few and spent more time on the fifth.
“American Express bill,” he said. “Still going to The Sunflower.”
Jaslene looked back at the closed door and faced him again. “Nothing else?”
He finished going through the stack and then wiggled the mouse. “Password.”
Returning to the chair opposite the desk, he sat just as Dr. Benjamin entered the office.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” He moved behind his desk and sat. “I have a lot of patients with colds and the flu.”
“We have time,” Cal said, clearly intimating the doctor wasn’t getting rid of them.
“What do you want to talk to me about Payton?” he asked. “I’ve told you all I can.”
“Maybe, but not all you should have.” Cal slid a copy of the last transaction the restaurant had provided them. “This is proof you were at The Sunflower just days before Payton Everett went missing.”
The doctor looked it over and then lifted his head, untroubled. “So? I go there a lot.”
“More than one waitress identified you with Payton. One of them can put you there with her the week she went missing.”
Benjamin stared at them with unflinching eyes. “I don’t understand. If I had lunch with Payton, that doesn’t implicate me in her disappearance.”
“It was dinner, and the waitress said you were close to Payton, that you were a couple.”
Dr. Benjamin stared again; only now his armor began to slip. He blinked once and let out a long sigh. “All right. I did have an affair with her, but she ended it because I was married. She gave up on me.”
Jaslene could hardly contain her excitement. Would they actually get a break and find out what happened to Payton?
“Why did you lie to us the last time we were here?” Cal asked.
Dr. Benjamin smirked. “That should be obvious. I didn’t want my wife to find out. Payton is missing. If she finds out I’m being questioned about that, she’ll know I had an affair. There is also the professional misconduct to consider.”
“Isn’t it more important to find Payton?” Jaslene asked. “What if she’s still alive?”
“There’s nothing I can offer you that would help find her. The last time I saw her was two days before, when we had dinner at The Sunflower. She broke things off with me that night.”
That corroborated with what the young waitress had said. Payton hadn’t been very talkative and he had been more subdued than usual. Had she just gotten tired of seeing a married man or had she discovered something else that had caused the change in her behavior?
“Did you have any feelings for her when you were seeing her?”
The doctor’s brow lowered as though a strong reaction had compelled him. “Of course. I was very attracted to her physically, and I enjoyed her energy. I can’t say I was impressed with her profession as a reporter, but she did have an intelligent mind.”
He spoke as though he considered her mediocre except for her body. Jaslene was disgusted. What had Payton seen in this guy? She must have discovered he wasn’t all he seemed later on.
“Why weren’t you impressed with her profession?” Cal asked, seeming neutral. But Jaslene knew he had his detective hat on.
“Reporters look for stories.”
“Payton wanted to write more investigative pieces,” Jaslene said. “Did you know that about her?”
He shook his head. “No. She never mentioned that.” He held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I respected Payton and I liked being with her.”
“But it didn’t bother you in the least that she broke up with you?” Cal asked.
His mouth pursed slightly, as though the reminder stung. “It bothered me. I didn’t want to stop seeing her, but like I said before, I respected her decision.”
“That must happen to you a lot,” Jaslene said. The good doctor must expect his mistresses to break off their affairs with him because he clearly had no intention of leaving his wife.
“How did you feel about her ending your relationship?” Cal asked with a warning look at her.
“I expected it,” the doctor said, confirming her assessment. “I knew it bothered her that I was married, and the night we had dinner I told her I couldn’t leave my wife and kids. As strange as it sounds, I still love my wife. Aside from that, I won’t put my kids into a broken home living situation. Payton understood that at first but when she realized she could never have me, she walked away. I had no hard feelings. I missed her. I liked her quite a bit. She was smart and witty and attractive. I enjoyed being with her.”
“But you still love your wife.” Jaslene found that difficult to believe. “Normally people don’t betray the ones they love.” When presented with the choice between passion and respect for the man she married, she had chosen the latter. She had loved Ryan as a best friend.
“I love my wife for different reasons than those that drew me to Payton. My wife is sophisticated and soft-spoken. She’s a good mother. She’s everything I’ve always wanted in a wife.”
He sounded as though he wanted a woman to fill a role to complement his successful career.
“How much did Payton know about your practice, Dr. Benjamin?”
Jaslene wondered why he’d asked such a question. Was he fishing for a motive?
The doctor didn’t falter. “I’m not sure I follow. I was her primary care physician. She learned of me when she did an article on the success of my practice and all it has to offer.”
Cal waved his hand through the air. “Four clinics and two home health care services. You have quite a presence.”
“Maybe she found something when she was researching for the article,” Jaslene said.
“Are you hoping I have some kind of secret to hide?” The doctor chuckled. “I am afraid I am much more boring than that.”
Or not.
Cal stood. “Thank you for seeing us.” He waited for Jaslene to stand with him. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions for you.”
“I have nothing to hide,” the doctor said.
“We’ll see,” Cal replied.
“If you have more questions, you’re going to have to talk to my lawyer from now on.” He stood from behind his desk. “I’m sure you can understand I’m not comfortable with what you’ve insinuated here today. I had nothing to do with Payton’s disappearance, but you seem determined to make everyone believe I did.”
Jaslene stopped with Cal at the door as he paused to look back at Dr. Benjamin. “I don’t care what anyone believes, Doctor. I only care about the truth. And the missing person in this case.”
Before walking away with Cal, Jaslene saw the doctor’s frown of displeasure. He didn’t like his character being dragged through the mud. Did he have a good reason to feel offended or had he lied when he said he had nothing to hide?
Chapter 11
A cold front brought blustering snow on this mid-February day. They were having a colder than usual winter this year. Cal walked with Jaslene toward a diner. Several days had passed with no new leads. Cal had placed surveillance on Dr. Benjamin, who kept to a routine. He behaved like a normal family man: home every night for dinner, no secret meetings with women or patients.
Riley seemed to have vanished f
or good. He must be using cash and had no presence on social media. They had searched the town in an attempt to locate him and met with no success. He’d likely fled and now used an alias. No one had seen him or his motorcycle. Cal, with Jaslene in tow, made regular visits to restaurants, gas stations, and motels and hotels. He was convinced Riley found a hiding place outside of town, but eventually he’d return. Resentment would be his magnet. He wouldn’t be able to stay away if he craved vengeance.
Each man carried their own level of suspicion. Dr. Benjamin might be covering his tracks. Riley running carried a message of guilt. Both had motives but Cal had no evidence that would conclusively produce an arrest. Cal held the door of the diner open for Jaslene, who ducked her head away from spitting snow. Stomping his feet on the damp entry rug, he waited for the hostess to greet them and take them to their table.
He watched Jaslene remove her jacket and let it hang over the back of the chair. Her skinny jeans had already captured his attention after his first glimpse of her this morning. Strands of thick, golden-blond hair slipped down off her shoulder but caught by the edge of the scarf as she moved.
Settled in the chair, she reached for the menu and caught him watching her. Her eyes, a shade darker than his, found his and stayed with them.
“What?” She wiped her face. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Quite the contrary. “You’re beautiful.”
Her hand stilled and she went stiff with what he surmised was surprise.
She lowered her menu. “So are you.”
That he hadn’t expected. He chuckled. “Are you saying I’m pretty?”
Smiling she shook her head. “No. You’re much too rugged to be pretty. Handsome doesn’t quite cover it, either.” She surveyed his face unabashedly. “Hot is better.”
Okay, he’d rather not have this conversation. But he had to ask, “You think I’m hot?”
“Yes.”
“I might have believed you when I was thirty.”
“You’re not that old.”
Thirty-seven wasn’t old but there’d been a time he’d thought he’d be deep into family life by now.
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