****

Jason and Nina pulled up at the address on the west side of the city. The neighborhood was run down and tired looking. The kind of area where people don’t take the garbage cans back by the house but instead bring the garbage to the curb. More than one can had been knocked over, its contents scattered by hungry dogs.

Ed Garland lived in a small duplex with peeling yellow paint and virtually no landscaping. The responding officer was still there, standing in front of the half that Ed Garland lived in. A man stood next to the officer who Jason assumed was the golf buddy who reported Garland missing.

“Nina, you want to see if you can learn anything from the neighbors?”

“Sure.”

Jason walked up to the officer.

“Have we got access to the house?”

“Yes, sir. His friend here, Jerry Baker, had a key. When he found Mr. Garland wasn’t home, he called us and stayed outside until I got here.”

“Okay, good. Anybody else live with him?”

“No. There’s an ex-wife who lives here in town and I spoke with her but she claims to have had no contact with Mr. Garland in a couple months. Also, she apparently wasn’t surprised to hear her ex was missing but she wouldn’t say why.”

“Really? Okay, stay here while I take a look around.”

Jason went up the walk and pushed the door open. In the living room he found a half-eaten hot dog and a partial glass of something that looked like milk.

He continued through to the kitchen and down a small hallway, looking into the bathroom as he passed it. Everything seemed to be in order until he got to the back bedroom.

Jason noticed the window was cracked slightly open and the screen was missing. He went to the back door and found it unlocked. Outside was the screen lying on the ground below the window. There was also a set of shoe prints in the soft soil below the ledge. He went back through the house and found the uniformed officer.

“Get on your radio and call for a forensic team. Tell them Detective Strong made the request.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jason turned to the friend.

“Jerry Baker is it?”

“Yeah.”

“When was the first time you noticed your friend wasn’t around?”

“Two days ago. I called him to confirm our golf date but got no answer. I left a message but he didn’t call back. Yesterday, I showed up to play golf and he wasn’t there. I played with the two other guys that make up our group.”

“I’d like you to give the names of the two other golf buddies to the officer.”

“Sure.”

“So when did you decide to come over to the house?”

“I called him at work this morning but they said he didn’t show. I left my job to come over and see what was up.”

“And being out of contact for a couple days is unusual for you two?”

“Yeah. We’ve been friends for years and he never misses work or golf without calling.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Jason saw Nina coming back down the sidewalk and went to meet her.

Anything?”

She shook her head.

“Hear no evil, see no evil. Nobody admits to noticing anything.”

“To be expected. Folks in this area tend to keep to themselves, at least officially.”

She put her notebook away and looked at him.

“How ‘bout you? You find anything?”

“Actually, I do want to show you something. Come take a look.”

Nina followed him through the living room. She noticed the place was neat.

“No sign of a struggle.”

She followed Jason into the bedroom where he pointed at the window sill.

“I think we may have a point of entry here. I’ve called for a forensic team.”

The uniformed officer stuck his head in the bedroom door.

“Forensic team is here.”

“Okay, thanks.”

A few minutes later, the tech came into the back of the house.

“I need you guys to dust the house and in particular, this window ledge. Also, I need a casting of a set of footprints.”

The tech followed Jason back to where he’d seen the prints and Jason pointed at them.

“Yes, sir.”

Looking from the back door, the small yard behind the duplex opened onto an alley. Jason and Nina walked back to where they could see for two blocks in either direction. The alley eventually opened onto a main street at both ends.

Nina summed it up.

“This might explain why no one heard or saw anything. Easy to come and go without being noticed.”

Jason was nodding.

“Almost perfect cover.”

They walked back to the front of the house. Nina grabbed the file out of the car.

“The address for the ex-wife is in here; want to go talk to her.”

“Yeah, we’re done here.”

 

Chapter  6

 

Chelsea Morris took a quick look at the clock. 15 minutes more and her shift was over. She grabbed the coffee pot for the hundredth time today and went over to Mr. Perkins. Ever since Chelsea started at Daylight Donuts, the elderly man had sat in her station. In all that time, he’d never ordered food. Just coffee, black and hot, half a cup at a time.

“Here you go, Mr. Perkins.”

“Just half a cup.”

Chelsea smiled and obediently stopped at the half way point in is cup. They played out this dance all the time.

“You want a donut?”

“No thank you, young lady. I think I’ll just have coffee today.”

Mr. Perkins had lost his wife ten years ago. He had told Chelsea about his beloved ‘Dolly’ many times and Chelsea always listened patiently. She didn’t know how old Mr. Perkins was but she guessed him in his seventies. Talking to people of his generation was easy for Chelsea. As the last of seven kids, her parents were already in their late forties when she came along.

Sitting next to Mr. Perkins was a young man drinking a mocha latte. He hadn’t said two words except to order and now he got up with his coffee and headed for the door. Sitting under the salt shaker was a twenty dollar bill.

Chelsea picked up the tip and called after the man.

“Thank You!”

He turned and smiled at her before leaving.

She turned back to Mr. Perkins.

“Mr. Perkins, my shift is getting ready to end. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

“Very well. I was just thinking of leaving myself.”

Chelsea smiled at him, patted his hand and went into the back room. Her friend Trudi, was just coming in.

“Hey, Trudi. How ya doin’?”

“Good. How’s my BFF?”

“I’m off for two days, which means I am awesome!”

“Don’t rub it in.”

Chelsea punched out and left before her boss could ask her to do any last minute chores. She’d just finished her sixth straight day and her feet were killing her.

She went out the back door and walked across the gravel parking lot towards her Chevy Cavalier. It was red, was being the key word. It now carried an aged rusty brown color over most of its body, but it never left her stranded, so she hung on to it.

She threw her apron across the front seat and climbed in. The familiar scent of coconut filled her senses as the tiny surfboard dangling from the mirror gave off its aroma. She had spent a few years in California after a traumatic event in her teen years when her parents had sent her to live with an aunt in Long Beach. It was there she had caught the surfing bug and got married. Neither of which lasted very long. Still, it was an exciting time, and the smell of coconut reminded her of those days.

She pulled her seat belt across her tiny shoulders and snagged some of her jet black hair. At just five foot, everything seemed just a little too big, including her seat belt, which didn’t fit comfortably. She untangled her hair and snapped the belt.