Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (35 page)

Chapter 21

“
Why would Brenda have a box of stuffed animals in the back of her bus?” Carter asked. He stabbed a shrimp with his plastic fork and stuffed it into his mouth.

I remained silent as we ate lunch. I had my own theories about what was really going on.

Carter took a sip of water and shook his head. “What if she’s in a state of panic? What other reason would she have to sell her bus and disappear?”

“
That kid who bought her vehicle said she walked to the bus station. She could be at the airport right now trying to get a flight out,” Max said. “I think something or someone has her spooked.”

“
I figured the same thing,” Carter replied. “Richard has been at the airport keeping an eye out for her just in case. However, my guess is she’s staying on the island with a friend.”

“
Do you have any more ideas?” Max asked.

“
Sure,” Carter smiled. “But you won’t like them.”

Carter was right. I wasn’t fond of the idea of going back to Brenda’s apartment. But it was our only option.

Chapter 22

Max and I climbed the three flights of stairs to Brenda’s apartment; keeping a watchful eye out for the Hawaiian hulk we’d encountered the night before. Thankfully, we weren’t interrupted as we made our way to unit 304. Max knocked on the door. We waited a few minutes to make sure the place was vacant. Max handed me a pair of latex gloves. I slipped them on while he picked the lock. Seconds later I heard the telltale click.

“
Wait here,” Max said. He disappeared into the apartment. No sooner had I spun around to check for prying eyes when I heard him say, “It’s clear.”

I entered the apartment more excited than scared. The first thing I noticed was the stench of rotting garbage. I covered my nose. “And this woman cleans houses for a living?” I said.

“
She’s on the run,” Max replied. “Taking out the garbage is no longer a priority.”

There wasn’t much furniture; just a square card table with mismatched chairs, a small tattered love seat, and a cardboard box for a coffee table.

“
I don’t see a desk or a computer,” Max said.

“
That’s why she goes to the Internet café.”

“
I don’t see any kid stuff either.”

A few yellowed paperback books and an opened can of tuna fish sat atop the makeshift coffee table. “That’s disgusting,” I said as I spotted maggots making a meal of the rotten fish. I started scratching myself all over as if things were crawling on me.

“
Do you mind looking through that stuff on the floor?” Max pointed to a pile of papers next to the couch. “I’ll go through the kitchen drawers.”

“
Okay.”

“
Check for address books, bills, notes, and such. She could be hiding stuff under the sofa or in the cushions, too.”

“
Yeah, right. I’m not sticking my hand inside of anything.”

I couldn’t see Max from where I stood, but I could hear him laughing.

I leafed through the paperwork when I came across something I knew would be useful. “Found a cell phone bill.”

Max came around the corner. “Nice work.” He took a few snapshots then handed the bill back to me.

I scanned the remainder of the paperwork. Most of it was junk mail, advertisements, and coupons. There was also a flyer from a church asking for donations to help fund their support groups. I found a blank white envelope at the bottom of the stack. I opened the flap and emptied the contents into my free hand. There were at least a dozen photos of different children, ranging from infancy to early teens, comprised of both boys and girls. All seemed to be of different ethnicities. Some of them were professional school photos, but most looked like they had been taken by a family member. “I found something else, Max. Who are these kids?” I focused on the photo of a young girl, perhaps six or seven years old. She was beautiful, with long blonde braids and freckles.  “Why do you think she has these?” I asked.

Max walked back and looked down. “I don’t know,” he said after flipping through them all, “but Toby’s picture isn’t here.”

“
What is Brenda involved in?”

Max shook his head. “We need to find out who these kids are and how she’s connected to them. Do me a favor. Take pictures of each photo then place them back in the envelope just as they were. This place has to look exactly the way it did when we came in.” He reached into his back pocket and handed me his phone. “Use this to take the pictures.”

“
Okay.” I couldn’t help but wonder. Had these children been kidnapped? Were they still alive?

I was just about done with the photos when I heard a sound coming from another room. “I thought you said the place was clear,” I whispered.

“
Maybe it’s a pet that I missed.”

“
What if it’s a rat,” I said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this place had a rodent problem.”

Max raised his hand, arching his fingers into a claw. He scratched the air in front of him.

“
If you’re trying to scare me, you’re doing a great job,” I teased. “How am I supposed to concentrate now?”

“
Sorry.”

I went back to work, but the scraping startled me again.

“
Maybe there’s a whole family of rats living in that wall,” Max said.

“
Okay, now you’re just being a jerk.”

Max smiled and got back to his search. Meanwhile, I returned the photos to the envelope, and put them back where I found them.

“
If you’re done with those papers, let’s check the bedroom so we can get the hell out of here,” Max said. He headed down the hallway.

When I followed him into the bedroom, I noticed there was no bed, just a mattress lying on the floor with crumpled blankets. Next to it was a cardboard box filled with loose clothing. Max rifled through the clothing while I checked under the blankets. I heard an object hit the floor and picked it up. “Look at this. Drug paraphernalia.”

“
It’s a pipe,” Max said. “Is it empty?”

I looked inside. “Pretty much. What should we do with it?”

“
Set it back on the bed. Pot is the least of our concerns.” Max took a glance around the room. “I’ll take a quick peek in her closet then we can head out.”

“
Okay.”

Max grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. “That’s weird,” he said, trying it again.

“
Is it locked?” I asked.

“
There’s no lock on it, but it won’t turn.” Max used both hands this time. He twisted the knob and pulled on the door simultaneously.

A flash of dark hair and wild eyes lunged out of the closet. She collided with Max, sending him to the floor. I was stunned. The woman slammed into my shoulder as she charged past me. I fell back against the wall as she tore out of the bedroom. Max was on his feet in a flash. “Are you okay?”

I blinked a few times. “I’m fine,” I said. “Was that Brenda?”

“
I’m going after her.”

I ignored the sharp pain in my shoulder as I rose to my feet. What was he planning to do with Brenda if he caught up with her? I ran to the window. Brenda was hoofing it across the parking lot. Max wasn’t far behind.

I ran outside and made my way down the stairs two steps at a time.

As I hit ground level, I saw Brenda slow down and come to a stop. Max approached her cautiously. She turned and kicked Max right in the groin. He immediately fell to his knees.

Just as quickly as Brenda had appeared, she was gone.

Chapter 23

“
I’d be happy to make you an ice pack when we get back to the Sanborn’s,” I said, rubbing Max’s leg as he drove.

“
Thanks,” he said. “I have a feeling Brenda’s foot might have left some scars.”

I cringed. “What were you planning to do if you caught her?”

Max ignored my question. “She was carrying a brown paper bag, and seemed very determined to keep it. Could you give Carter a call and let him know what happened? Tell him we’ll meet him back at the house.”

A few minutes later we pulled into the Sanborn’s driveway. I had just ended the call with Carter. “He’s on his way here,” I said. “He wants you to start downloading the images of those kids we found at Brenda’s apartment. If the Sanborns ask for an update, he said we could share what we discovered today.”

“
There’s really not much to tell,” Max said.

The house was quiet when we walked in. Dr. Theo and Alex O’Malley were each holding a small glass. It appeared they had wasted no time in breaking out the scotch.

“
Sorry to interrupt,” Max said, holding up his cell phone. “We need to download some pictures. Carter is on his way here.”

Dr. Theo blinked slowly as if the alcohol had already taken effect. “What did you find?”

Max hesitated. “Photographs of children.”

The doctor’s face turned white. “Dear God.”

Max shook his head. “Nothing perverted.”

The doctor looked confused as he got to his feet, holding on to the back of his chair to steady himself. “What about my grandson? Was his picture among them?”

Max pursed his lips while shaking his head.

The doctor took a step forward and faltered, practically tripping over his own feet. O’Malley grabbed him by the arm and said in a calm, measured voice, “Theo, why don’t you have a seat on the couch? You’ll be more comfortable there.”

Dr. Theo looked down at his glass. “Maybe I should have stopped after the first one. I don’t usually imbibe to this degree.”

“
Anyway,” Max said. “We have some work to do. We’ll let you know as soon as we find something.” He continued down the hall. I didn’t follow.

“
How’s Jessica?” I asked no one in particular.

Dr. Theo let out a sigh. “Not well, I’m afraid. She’s locked herself in her room.”

“
I’m so sorry,” I said. “The news about Duane was a shock to all of us.”

The doctor downed the rest of his drink. I sensed a deep sadness within him. He didn’t seem like the type to lose self-control with the bottle. “Just find my grandson,” he muttered. “Cunningham can go to hell for all I care.”

“
I understand,” I said, trying to remain sympathetic. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go help Max until Carter gets here.”

O’Malley followed me out of the kitchen. Halfway down the hall he stopped me. “You’ll have to forgive Theo,” he whispered, gently touching my arm. “He hasn’t been himself lately.”

“
It’s okay,” I said, turning to face him. “These are stressful times.”

He looked up and down the hallway then turned back to face me. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” he said in a whisper. “Richard tells us the cause of Cunningham’s death is still in question.”

“
According to Carter, it could take days or weeks until they know what really happened. But with no witnesses, no weapon, and no defensive wounds, they seem satisfied to call the death accidental until proven otherwise.”

“
I see. What do you make of those pictures you found in Brenda’s apartment?”

“
I honestly have no idea.”

O’Malley nodded. He removed his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Dr. Theo and Jessica are too emotionally charged to think rationally about all of this. If there’s anything I can do to help out, please let me know.”

“
Sure,” I said. “If you really want to help you can be honest with me.”

O’Malley paused, returned his glasses to his face, and blinked at me through thick lenses. “Okay?”

“
Is Jessica still in the dark about Brenda?”

“
Yes. Theo would rather not tell her.”

“
Why?”

“
She’s very fragile right now.”

“
I know that’s what her father thinks. What do you think?”

O’Malley paused to take a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m in favor of telling her the truth.”

“
Do you have feelings for Jessica?” I asked, locking his stare.

He didn’t flinch. “You can’t be serious.”

“
Is that the real reason you came to Hawaii? To make sure Jessica didn’t get back together with Cunningham?”

He breathed in heavily through his nose and exhaled slowly. “I have no control over what she does. I’m merely the voice of reason here.”

“
You were jealous of Cunningham, weren’t you?” My statement ended up sounding more like an accusation than I’d intended, but O’Malley didn’t seem fazed.

“
You don’t know me, Sarah. And it’s obvious you don’t trust me. Just don’t let your imagination run too wild, okay?”

I heard footsteps coming down the hall. O’Malley fell silent.

“
What’s wrong with the Doctor?” It was Carter.

“
Happy hour got the best of him,” I said.

Carter chuckled. “Where’s Jessica?”

O’Malley and I exchanged glances. “She’s still in her room,” I said.

“
Has Max downloaded those photos?”

“
Yeah. He’s waiting for you.”

Carter excused himself, leaving me and O’Malley alone again.

“
I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my voice. “I’m just having a hard time understanding why you flew all the way to Hawaii.”

“
Because Theo asked me to.”

“
You do everything he asks?”

“
That’s my job.”

“
Why is Theo so paranoid?”

O’Malley took a step back and looked around before setting eyes back on me. “Did you hear about the malpractice suit?”

“
Jessica mentioned it to me.”

“
Does the name Smolinski ring a bell?”

“
Not offhand. Should it?”

“
He’s the CEO of Smolinski Enterprises. Or was. The company went bankrupt a few years ago. It was all over the news. Smolinski ended up with barely a dollar to his name. He found an opportunity to sue Dr. Theo in order to make a quick buck.”

“
On what grounds?”

“
He claimed to have complications from heart surgery due to Dr. Theo’s negligence. I was able to prove it was a scam.”

“
So you got the suit thrown out.”

He nodded.

I started feeling guilty about my accusations. “Look, I didn’t mean to get in your face about the whole Jessica thing. I was out of line. I’ve always been a little hesitant to trust lawyers.”

He smiled. “We’re not all bad, you know.”

“
What makes you so different from the rest?”

“
For one thing, it isn’t all about the money for me.”

“
Well, what is it about?”

“
You’ll probably laugh, but it’s about justice.”