What You See (20 page)

During
breakfast
,
we
discussed the upcoming holiday. Billy insisted we join his family for their 4th
of July party. He assured Cole that he was invited as usual, which made me
happy because I wanted the two of them to recapture their friendship. I knew
they’d grown apart over the years, and I felt it was important they mend
fences, if I was going to be a part of their lives. Mom was delighted to be
invited, but insisted we all behave ourselves and not show our butts. What was
that all about? Had we begun to act like children? Not me.

Billy and I made plans to go visit Rose Hudgins after
breakfast. My curiosity was piqued by the birth certificate I’d found, and I
wanted to get inside her house. I already had my suspicions about her. I never
suspected she had anything to do with Helen’s disappearance, but I had a
feeling she was hiding something. Her strange reaction to the mention of her
family sent up red flags. What was it about them that made her so
uncomfortable? Did it have anything to do with her adopted brother? Maybe he
didn’t know he was adopted, and she was afraid if we kept digging, he’d somehow
learn about it. Whatever the deal was, I was determined to find out.

When I mentioned that Billy and I needed to ride out to
Gordonsville after breakfast, Cole glanced over at Mom, then back to me.

“If you aren’t going to be gone all day, maybe you and I
could get together this evening.”

I saw a smile come across Mom’s face. Oh no, she has
something up her sleeve, I thought. She always gets that silly grin on her face
when she’s up to one of her shenanigans. At least, she was smiling again.

“I’d like that very much,” I gushed. I tried not to be overly
zealous, but every time I got close to this man, I found myself turning into
mush. I was drawn to his firm, masculine body... his tanned skin. He was kind,
gentle, loving, and perfect in so many ways.

Mom got up and started clearing the table, while the rest of
us followed her lead.

“Mack was a good man,” she started. “He loved his family and
me for many years. He was the center of our universe. However, now he’s gone.”
One lone tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her
hand, pausing just long enough to regain her composure. “Now it’s just me—and
I’m going to do what Mack would’ve wanted me to do. I’m going to see that our
family stays together and continues to be a family.” She pushed her shoulders
back, and continued with the determination of a general commanding his troops.
“From now on, I’m going to run this house the way I should. I want to know
what’s going on with everyone in this family, and that includes our friends.”
She bounced glances back and forth amongst the three of us. “Cole, you and
Billy have become a part of our family and I want you to feel at home. At the
same time, I want you to keep in mind that I’m a mother, and it’s my job to
worry.”

I couldn’t imagine what the guys thought about Mom’s
revelation, but I knew my mom. This was her way of getting her life back in
order—taking control, and laying down the law. She was in charge of our home.

“When Mack was alive we always had dinner around seven every night.
Anyone who can’t make it at dinnertime, can heat up his, or her own leftovers,”
she said, matter-of-factly.

This was an open invitation for Billy and Cole to join our
family, and was gladly accepted by both.

“You can count on me,” Billy said. “We’ll be home for dinner.
Won’t we, Jesse?”

“H...,” I started to say, but caught myself before the word
came out.

Mom shot me one of her dirty looks. She hated it when I
cursed. She’d sometimes tell me that cursing was for sinners and ignorant
people; people who couldn’t find an intelligent word to say instead.

“Yes, we will,” I said... instead.

Cole explained that he had to cut his grass and work in the
yard. He would be back for dinner as long as he could bring something, and help
Mom in the kitchen. Her eyes lit up. She even suggested that he bring River
back with him.

“He’s your dog, so I guess he’s part of our family, too,” she
said. “Athena needs a playmate.”

I couldn’t believe this was my mother talking. She actually
told Cole to bring his dog! Mom was just starting a new life and adapting a
whole new outlook.

Billy and I loaded my Jeep with his surveillance equipment,
which he carried everywhere. He said it was like his American Express. He never
leaves home without it, along with his cell phone and his gun.

“Always be prepared is my motto,” he explained.

Adhering to his words of wisdom, I collected my purse,
briefcase, cell phone, and gun, which I named Rossi after the maker. I’ve been
told when you name your gun, it becomes your friend. That’s a scary thought.

It was almost an hour’s drive to Gordonsville. Billy said it
should’ve taken only forty-five minutes. That was just one of the things he
complained about. I drove too close to the middle line. I rode my brakes too
much…blah... blah... blah. I think he was just nervous. He was afraid of how
I’d act in front of the people we were going to interrogate. I could see why
he’d be reluctant about what was about to go down. This was my first time in a
confrontational situation. Would I mess up? What did I know about
investigating?

Rose Hudgins and her family lived in a large, white
Cape Cod
house. I guessed it to be about
3,000 square feet.

One of the things I’d learned from my brother Jack was how to
assess the size of a house. He also taught me how to read blueprints, and to
calculate the building materials for a job. He loved to build things, and there
was nothing he couldn’t build. Unfortunately, Dad had wanted him to get into a
career that wasn’t seasonal, so the time in between being a teenager and a lawyer,
he did carpentry work. Needless to say, with his help, I learned a few things
about home construction. Not a lot, but enough to know the difference between a
slab and a crawl space.

The Hudgins’ house sat on two acres of well-manicured lawn.
Surrounding the house and in some stage of blooming, were azalea, lilac, and
rose bushes. Off in the background, close to where the woods began, sat a barn
on the left and stables to the right. A fenced in area large enough to exercise
a whole herd of horses, surrounded the stables. I counted six horses grazing,
or doing whatever they do in a corral.

Parked in front of the barn was a backhoe, a John Deere
tractor with one of those things you cut big areas of grass, and a riding lawn
mower the size of my car. You could probably buy ten of my Jeeps for the price
of their equipment.

From the looks of things, Mom and Dad had some serious money,
so why was Rose working in a dinky little diner, barely making enough money to
put gas in her car? Was she trying to make a statement? What else could it be?

As I parked the Jeep and got out, Billy broke my train of
thought.

“Listen to me, Jesse. When we get inside just play along with
what I say. Let me run the show. We’ll consider this a learning experience.”

“Sure, whatever you want. This is all new to me,” I replied.

In the back of my mind, I was already coming up with
questions I wanted to ask.

Billy rang the doorbell while I stood beside him, admiring
the wicker furniture that had been neatly arranged on the porch.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something.
Across the blacktop road, through a small gap in the forest of trees, I saw a
mound of dirt. It was covered with lush green grass. It was set so far back in
the woods, if you weren’t standing in just the right spot, you’d miss it. Maybe
someone had cleared the trees, planning to build something, and never got
around to it.

An older, heavyset woman, wearing an apron and holding a
wooden spoon, answered the door. “Hello, may I help you?” she asked, opening the
door just enough to stick her head out.

“Yes,” Billy replied as he removed his wallet from his jeans
pocket and flipped it open. “I’m Detective Blackhawk, and this is Detective
Watson. We’re here to speak with Rose Hudgins. Is she home?”

The woman barely glanced at his I.D. before opening the door.
“Please wait in the sitting room,” she said, pointing to our left. “I’ll go see
if Miss Hudgins is awake. She usually sleeps late on Saturday.”

I looked at Billy after she left the room and said, “That was
a lot easier than I expected.”

“It’s not over yet,” he whispered. “I think she might be the
housekeeper, and once our presence is made known, we might be out of here just
as fast as we were let in.”

We were standing at the entrance of a room most likely designed
to entertain guests. The room looked like if was fresh out of a Traditional
Home Magazine. All the tables were made out of a deep rich cherry, and none of
them had a speck of dust anywhere. In front of a huge fireplace, two Queen Anne
chairs were situated opposite each other, divided by a sofa of the same style.
Along the walls of the room were various pieces of furniture. I noticed a
magnificent buffet table.

Pointing to the buffet table, I whispered, “I bet that piece
set them back a few thousand dollars.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind these people have a few bucks,”
he whispered. “I figured that out the minute I saw the place.”

Trying to trigger his curiosity, I added, “Why do you think
Rose Hudgins would be working a greasy, nasty job for almost nothing, when she
has folks with plenty of money?”

He surprised me when he said, “Maybe she just wants to make
her own money.” He walked around the room, examining the many fine pieces as he
went. He was holding a small vase in his hands, when a man walked in the room.

“That vase is almost priceless,” the man growled rudely.
“Most of the pieces in this room are, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t
touch anything. I’m Lawrence Hudgins. I’m afraid that you can’t talk to my
daughter. She’s in bed, sick with the flu. May I help you?” From the tone of
his voice, help was the last thing he was going to do.

He wore dark dress pants, a white shirt, and a tie loosened
at the collar. He was almost as tall as Billy, but didn’t weigh nearly as much.
It was obvious to me that he was a businessman. Why else would he have on a
tie, at home, on a Saturday morning?

Billy gingerly replaced the vase, walked up to Mr. Hudgins
and said, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but admire some of the beautiful
things you have.” He held out his hand. “I’m Detective Blackhawk, and this is
Detective Watson.”

“I know who you are. My housekeeper told me,” he said,
ignoring Billy’s offer of a handshake. “I think it’d be best if you leave. As I
said before, my daughter’s ill and can’t see you.” He was brushing us off in a
big way, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

“What about your son, Patrick Jason? May we speak with him?”
I was determined to get something out of this trip.

“He’s not here.”

“When do you expect him back?” I demanded.

“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted. “You’ve harassed my family
enough. Get out of here, and don’t come back without a warrant.” Apparently,
he was about ready to throw us out.

“Look,” I said as congenially as I could. “We aren’t trying
to cause trouble. We’re new to the case and we’re at a dead end. Some of the
paperwork handed down to us has a few holes in it. Perhaps some of it was lost.
We’re just trying to put the pieces together.”

He wasn’t buying any of what I was selling. “I don’t give a
hoot about your lost paperwork. As many times as the cops came by here, they
ought to know everything there is to know. Just because you’re new to the case,
doesn’t mean we have to go through all this again. Forget it.”

Mr. Hudgins ushered us to the front door, slamming it the minute
we stepped outside. A lock clicked behind us.

“Whew, he sure was hot,” I replied.

Billy and I were almost to the car when a young man came
around the corner of the house. We both stopped and stared at him.

“I bet he’s the son,” I whispered.

“You folks looking for my sister, huh?” he asked, walking up
to us. He was holding a dead rabbit.

He had the strangest eyes I’d ever seen. They were black! Or,
was that just his pupils? I looked closer, and determined that his eyes weren’t
black. His pupils were so enlarged you could barely see the blue. What drug was
this kid on?

Shoving the dead rabbit close to my face, he laughed and
said, “I killed him with my bare hands! Pretty cool, huh?”

Sick is more like it, I thought.

His demeanor changed. “My dad’s going to get real mad if you
keep bothering us. You don’t want to make him mad. Trust me.”

“Why?” I asked. “Does he have a violent temper? Is he a
dangerous man?”

I must’ve hit a nerve.

“Get out of here, and don’t come back,” he hissed.

“Did you see Helen Carrolton the day she disappeared?” I
yelled at him as he was walking away.

He stopped for a minute, laughed, and then kept walking.