Angels in Disguise (10 page)

"It could be Delia may not have realized what she witnessed, but knew something wasn't right."

Paul placed his drink on the coffee table and rubbed the back of his neck. “I sure don't like the way things are coming down. If drugs are involved, she could be buried in some shallow grave out in the woods.” He shivered. “I can just see her back talking some drug lord about the price of cocaine."

"I doubt she ever got that far in her experimenting. But it doesn't take a higher up to put her in a grave. The little guy can do it about as well."

The next morning, Hawkman decided to leave early and stop by Delia's before the lawyer's appointment. Tiffany would be at school, and the child didn't need to hear negative stuff about her mother at this point. Things were already making an impact on her. It made Hawkman sick to his stomach when parents didn't consider how a divorce or separation affects the children in a family. They're too interested in their own selfish wants, he thought, as he drove toward Medford.

He'd called Delia to make sure she'd be home, and she sounded pleased he wanted her involved. When he arrived, she opened the door dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, with a pan of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in her gloved hand. The aroma swirled around Hawkman's nose.

He sniffed the air. “Oh man, those smell delicious."

She laughed. “There's plenty for you. Come into the kitchen while I put these into the cookie jar. I've got a pot of coffee brewing so we can munch and talk."

A smudge of flour rested on the tip of her nose as she busied herself. She finally washed her hands, removed her apron, set a plate of cookies on the table, and poured them each a cup of java, then she flopped into the chair. “Whew. I'd forgotten how long it took to bake cookies."

Hawkman couldn't stand the temptation and helped himself to one of the warm delicacies. Holding up half a cookie, he nodded. “Excellent."

"Thanks,” she said. “They're Tiffany's favorite. Poor little thing is really in a slump. Paul and I are beside ourselves about what to do."

"Not much you can say to ease her pain. We're all in the dark right now."

An expression of concern crossed her face. “What did you want to talk about?"

"You and Paul have both discussed Carlotta's strange behavior in regard to Tiffany's activities and how she reacted to other families. Did you see a pattern develop or were those actions always there."

Delia scooted her finger around some crumbs on the table. “I'm trying to remember how she reacted when Tiffany came along. She seemed pleased and took good care of her. Not until the last couple of years did Carlotta react with displeasure when people called her to volunteer at the school. So I think the pattern developed later. She lost the sense of responsibility for taking care of her child. The things she wanted became more important than Tiffany's needs."

"Can you pinpoint anything which might have caused the change?"

"I'm sure her and Paul's marital problems didn't help."

"True. What about drugs?"

Delia shot him a look. “Are you insinuating Carlotta had a drug problem?"

"I don't know. They do alter people's minds. I'm just trying to hit all angles."

She rubbed her eyes. “I hate to admit it, but it entered my mind. I kept pushing it back, praying she had more sense."

"What made you suspicious?"

"At first, I didn't think a lot about it because she'd twisted her back and the doctor had given her some pain pills. So I figured it would be natural for her to be a little out of it during the healing process. However, several weeks passed and her demeanor became more erratic."

"How?"

"For instance, one day she left a message on my machine telling me she wouldn't be home when Tiffany got out of school and if I didn't want her there alone I better go get her. I thought it a little presumptuous as I could have had other plans. She did this several times and I finally approached her about leaving those types of messages and explained why it upset me."

"How did she respond?"

"She shrugged it off and said, Tiffany's old enough to stay by herself."

"Did you ever see Carlotta when you suspected she might be high?"

Delia sighed. “Yes. I had to take Tiffany home early one night because I had a meeting. I went inside to make sure Carlotta was there. She came staggering into the living room and almost fell. Her eyes were glassy, and she looked a mess. I asked her if she was all right and she said, “Hell yes, couldn't feel better.” Shoving some loose strands of hair behind her ear, she continued. “Believe me, it sure made me hesitate about leaving my granddaughter."

"Did you witness this on more than one occasion?"

She refilled their coffee cups and sat back down. “Unfortunately, yes. Several times."

"What did Paul think of her actions?"

"I know this sounds strange, but I never told him."

Hawkman leaned forward. “Why?"

"He'd have never believed it of his beautiful Carlotta."

They spent a few minutes discussing Tiffany's change in behavior and hoped time would heal her wounds. If not, she would encourage Paul to seek professional help.

Checking his watch, Hawkman rose. “I've got an out-of-town appointment, so I better get on the road. Thanks for your time."

"Good seeing you again."

He left Delia's, baffled by the information. Why had she not confided in her son with Tiffany's welfare at stake? Did she feel she alone had the power to protect her granddaughter from whatever evil lurked? Maybe she's read too many weird books. But now he could see why Delia had been so obsessed with not letting Tiffany be by herself. What bothered him the most, was the thought of the child unaccompanied with a drugged mother. Tiffany could have been in more danger than being left alone in an empty house.

Delia pretty much confirmed his suspicions about her daughter-in-law's possible drug use. Maybe a more thorough search of Carlotta's house would turn up something.

As he drove toward Grants Pass, his mind drifted to the questions he'd ask the lawyer, Jessica Phillips. He wondered how much she'd answer without being subpoenaed? She seemed rattled on the phone when he admitted Carlotta had been missing for over a week, and it might act in his favor.

He arrived at the complex address and spotted the lawyers’ offices on the ground floor. After parking, he walked into the waiting room with ten minutes to spare. The receptionist at the front desk glanced up and gave him a wary smile. It always amused him when young people saw him for the first time. They usually backed off from a man wearing an eye-patch.

"May I help you?” she asked.

"Tom Casey. I have an appointment with Jessica Phillips."

She checked the black bound book on the desk. “Have a seat. I'll let her know you're here.” Leaving the chair, she headed down a small hallway, then disappeared around the corner. She soon emerged, and motioned for him to follow. “Ms. Phillips will see you now."

He trailed her down the corridor to a door with, ‘Law Office of Jessica Phillips’ written in white letters across the frosted glass window. The woman behind the desk rose as he entered and extended her hand. She wore an expensive blue suit with a matching cowl neck silk blouse. Eyes of the same hue glistened as she studied him.

She smiled “Hello, Mr. Casey. Nice meeting you. As you can imagine, I did a little investigation of my own before your arrival. Read and heard nothing but good things."

Hawkman chuckled. “Thank you. I didn't think you'd want to talk to me about any important details unless you were sure I was legit."

She gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat. You've got me worried about Carlotta Ryan. I've tried to reach her the last few days and she hasn't returned my calls."

He frowned. “You've called her at home?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong?"

"You said you left messages."

She glanced at her ledger. “I've called three times in the last two days and asked Carlotta to call me."

"That's odd, I have someone monitoring the answering machine and I never got the report of those messages.” He noticed her worried expression. “Don't worry. He might not have checked for several days."

Jessica rattled off a phone number. “Is that the same one you have for Carlotta?"

"Yes."

She let out a sigh. “You told me when we spoke on the phone she'd been missing for over a week. Has there still been no word from her?"

"Nothing."

"This doesn't sound good,” she said, leaning back in her chair and looking hard at him. “I assume since you're a private investigator you don't like the way it's going either."

"No, I don't. So tell me, how long has Carlotta been your client?"

"I normally wouldn't talk about a client-lawyer relationship. It's against all our rules. But with her missing, I'm going to bend them."

"Appreciate it. I need all the information I can get if I'm going to find her."

"Do you have any clues?"

"Very few."

She opened a thin file on her desk. “I've only had two appointments with Mrs. Ryan."

"I'm assuming they were on the subject of divorce, since that's your firm's specialty along with family law."

Jessica nodded. “At our first meeting, I recommended she and her husband attend marriage counseling. This is usually my first step before starting divorce proceedings."

"How did she respond to your suggestion?"

Picking up a pencil from the desk, she tapped the eraser on the file. “Not too receptive. She felt the marriage had hit a brick wall without a chance of survival. I tried to point out the breaking up of the marriage would only harm her daughter and markedly reduce her accustomed life style."

"How did she react?"

"She swore her husband would never let it happen."

Hawkman wiped his forehead. “Boy, she had a lot of brass if she expected him to let her live like she wanted while he paid the bills."

"I thought she was very naive, and tried to explain how divorce did strange things to relationships, changing people drastically."

"After the first meeting, then what?"

"I asked her to think about my suggestion and call me when she'd made a decision. Within a week, she contacted me and wanted to proceed with the divorce. So we set up another appointment."

"How'd that go?"

"Sort of odd. I had trouble holding her attention trying to explain about certain papers we needed, like the legal stuff that goes into preparing a divorce. She never took a note and I kept catching her gazing out the window."

Hawkman stared at her. “Did she appear to be drugged?"

"Yes and no. I asked her if she was okay. She told me she'd taken a pain pill for her back and her mind seemed to be floating. So I figured she wasn't with it. I made a list of the items and gave it to her. She was supposed to have them collected by our next meeting."

"What did she think she'd gain by divorcing Paul?"

Jessica let out a small groan. “Everything. I tried to explain divorce didn't work that way. Usually the state split mutual property down the middle, then the bread winner would more than likely pay child support and possibly alimony. I told her if she could get Paul to agree on certain items, then she'd make out better."

"How'd she respond?"

"She informed me she didn't intend to tell him what she planned on doing, and just wanted him served the papers. I warned her she'd regret surprising him and a judge wouldn't go for it. Especially when her husband hadn't committed adultery or been abusive."

"Interesting. Did she ever comment on what motivated her wanting a divorce and why not continue in the present arrangement?"

"No. I assumed there was another man and she wanted to be free."

Hawkman tapped his fingers on Ms. Phillips desktop. “Did she ever mention another man?

"No, and I felt it too early in our discussion to ask. I probably would have eventually. More out of my own curiosity than anything, because it really had no bearing on the divorce, unless Mr. Ryan had filed."

He stood. “Did Carlotta ever suggest Paul had a girlfriend?"

"Not at all. I had the feeling he appeared like clean fallen snow. I don't know why she wanted to divorce him."

"I appreciate your candidness. You've helped a lot. One more quick question. Has she paid her bill?"

She glanced down at her ledger. “Yes, she put down enough for the first three meetings. So she still has a credit. We hadn't started filing the papers yet."

"I won't take any more of your time."

She rose from her chair. “Please, let me know if you find her."

"I will.” He handed her his card. “Give me a call if Carlotta gets in touch."

Hawkman left the law office and sat in his vehicle for a moment, pondering the interview. Jessica Phillips had given him much more than required and he admired her honesty. He doubted she'd left much out. Normally he didn't care for law offices that dealt in divorce, but they served a purpose. This woman appeared to have scruples.

He turned the ignition and headed back to Medford. He wanted to search Carlotta's house and needed Paul's approval. He also wanted to find out why he hadn't reported Jessica's calls. With time marching on and no word from Carlotta, the scenario turned more grim and made his gut tighten.

Approaching the city limits, he punched in Paul's number on the cell phone. “Tom Casey here. Wondered if you could meet me at Carlotta's house in about thirty minutes?"

When Hawkman turned into the cul-de-sac, the Lexus was already in the driveway. He parked in the street and hopped out. Paul climbed out of the car and looked at Hawkman with concern.

"What's happening?” he asked.

"I need to search through Carlotta's personal belongings and take a closer look at any notes or appointments she might have jotted down."

"Sure, no problem."

Paul unlocked the door and gestured for Hawkman to go ahead.

"Have you been here, since our last visit?” Hawkman asked.

"No, it makes me nervous."

"Doesn't Tiffany want to come over and take more things to her grandmother's?"