Payne & Misery Read online

  Deputy Colter turned close-set brown eyes to Jesse and then me. He made a revving sound when he cleared his throat, like a signal for talking to commence. “I have just interviewed Mr. Payne. The female who resided at his home has departed. He does not know where she has gone.”

  Jesse frowned. “The female? You mean his wife?”

  “Mr. Payne indicated they were never legally married, and in fact, never cohabitated as a married couple. Her name is Lila Kliner. She packed her belongings and departed, as I said.” He drummed his close-bitten fingernails on the chair. “Tell me why you called in the report.”

  Not married? My head spun wildly. Good thing I wasn’t standing or I might have fallen down. My brain detached from my wide-open mouth and words tumbled out. “He cleaned out the house. Threw out boxes of stuff—clothing and household items. Piled them in a big mound. I met Lila twice a week ago. Once I went alone and once the neighbor went. Lila’s unusually thin and has purple bruises on her arm right about here.” I demonstrated on Jesse’s arm. “Also, there’s an injury on her neck.” I pointed out the location on Jesse’s neck. “A red wound like a rope line from when he tried to strangle her. He’s also starving the poor woman. Has a padlock on the refrigerator outside and no food in the house.”

  On and on I blabbered. Even as the words tumbled out, I heard how crazy they sounded. Since it wasn’t coming out as I hoped, I leaned forward and spoke louder, hoping at the least to convey the urgency of the situation. “Apparently, a homeless man lives in the woods behind their house. We don’t know who he is or what he’s doing there. Lila exists in deplorable conditions. Not with the homeless man. At the house, I mean. It’s like a prison. No furniture, except beds. One night, Will shook his fist at me. Next thing we know, our dog’s missing and guess where her dog tags turn up?” I nodded for emphasis. “Beside the Paynes’ garage.”

  I glanced away from Deputy Colter’s icy gaze to Jesse for support. Jesse just blinked. More blabbering poured out. “Lila left the same night in a brown car and hasn’t come back. Will burned boxes in a big fire with diesel to get it going. We think he burned her bed, too, ’cause we found mattress ticking in the ashes. Did you see the fire? It’s not burning anymore, but you can see how big it was.”

  When I paused again, Deputy Colter interjected. “You are speaking of multiple issues. Exactly when did each of these allegedly occur?” He took out a small blue notebook and scribbled in it, using several pages while Jesse provided dates and additional details to fill in the gaps.

  When Jesse finished, Deputy Colter cocked his head as if analyzing. He tapped the pen against the spiral coil at the top of his notebook a few times. “Well, according to Mr. Payne, Miss Kliner moved in with him when he lived in Iowa. He does not know much about her history. He felt sorry for her because she had nowhere to go and no means of support. However, her unpredictability made her difficult. At this time, Mr. Payne is unconcerned about her whereabouts. In fact, he seems relieved.”

  More tapping. “He claims no knowledge of your dog, nor any culpability in its disappearance. Mr. Payne has not seen the homeless man in the woods, although he mentioned having his locked garage broken into and that he suspects a homeless person. There should not be anyone living in those woods. I may look into that. Otherwise … I see no evidence of illegal activity in this matter.” With an air of finality, he snapped his notebook shut and stood.

  Surely, he couldn’t be uninterested in Lila’s injuries. “What about the bruises?”

  He studied me a moment, looking over his spectacles and down his considerable nose. “Miss Kliner is unavailable, so I cannot assess the injuries you reported. I did question Mr. Payne about them. He stated that Miss Kliner is high-strung and emotional. When she is uncontrollable, it occasionally becomes necessary to restrain her. For her own good.”

  “He could have restrained her, as you put it, on her arm, but what about her neck? He tried to choke her. That’s more than restraining her. How about the state of her health? She’s being starved as well as abused. Are you going to ignore that completely? You’re … you’re just going to let him get away with it?” Any competent lawman would have spent a minimum of three hours interrogating us. “Don’t you need to investigate? Aren’t you going to find her?”

  He raised an eyebrow as if he’d just discovered a fly in his gazpacho. “Ma’am, there is no reason to locate her. She answered the door twice when you visited, so obviously her movements within the house were not restricted. She packed her clothes and left of her own volition, driving a car from her own household.”

  “She’s been gone a week. No one knows where she is.”

  Jesse put his arm around me—to hold me back, I think. Apparently, he couldn’t speak.

  Deputy Colter crossed his amrs. “She has not been reported as missing, so officially, she is not a missing person. I will check the whereabouts of the Buick LeSabre sedan registered to Mr. Payne. I advised him he could report the vehicle stolen, but he has not decided whether to do so. Other than that, I am afraid I have nothing to investigate.”

  He strutted toward the front door like a bantam rooster. But just before he arrived, he stopped mid-stride. “Why did you say there was no furniture in the house? And how do you know the contents of the boxes Mr. Payne burned?”

  Jesse and I eyeballed each other. Jesse found enough voice to speak at last. “My wife visited the house several times and didn’t see furniture other than beds. Apparently, one of the mattresses has been burned in his fire. We saw pieces of mattress ticking. We peeked in the window of the detached garage, which had furniture piled around the walls. Also, we looked inside a couple of boxes— before he burned them.”

  Deputy Colter stared at me. Then he raised his eyebrows and sighed. “Well, there is furniture in the house now.”

  I felt my skin flush crimson. “Lila’s hurt and starving and missing under suspicious circumstances. He took our dog. We know this for a fact. Will you at least look into it?”

  “Look, madam. I said I would check on the car. I have inspected the house. Mr. Payne cooperated completely. I observed no irregularity there. I will file a field report of what I have seen and heard. That is all I can do.” He strutted resolutely out the door, down the steps, and back to his car.

  I trailed to the driveway in case he changed his mind, but he kept right on going.

  A tsunami of emotion crashed over me. My blood pressure zoomed. My heart pounded a drum roll.

  Jesse stood behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders. “Let it go, Christine. We’ve completed our neighborly obligation.”

  I sputtered objections and spun to hide in his arms, where he held me and stroked my hair until my shaking subsided. Then he led me back into the house and sat me on the sectional.

  As he settled next to me, his face looked as sad as I felt, so I leaned against him and snuggled into his shoulder. “But we still don’t know anything, Jesse. We don’t know where Molly is, and we don’t know what happened to Lila.”

  “Maybe he’ll find the car. Maybe …” His voice trailed off.

  We huddled there a long time, while our brains made the adjustment from buoyant expectation to cold, callous reality.

  “Oh no, Jesse!” I straightened and grabbed his forearm for support. “Do you think the deputy told Will who turned him in?”

  21

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Another lengthy wait unfolded. I sent dagger-stares down the hill whenever I passed a window facing Will’s house. After a restless weekend and another Monday passing without a single message from the deputy, I concluded I must do more than that. On the theory that the squeaky wheel gets greased, I would call the sheriff’s office twice a day to badger Deputy Sam Colter about his efforts to find Lila and our dog. Between calls, I prayed for help. I got out the Bible, as Zora Jane suggested, but didn’t know where to start reading, so I rested both hands on the cover. God, bring Lila home, please.

  Tuesday morning, the dispatch lady reported
curtly that the deputy had departed, so I left a message asking if he’d found the car. God, are you working on this?

  About lunchtime, Zora Jane called, as chipper as always. “I spoke with my son-in-law about Lila’s injuries. You remember the one who’s a deputy? He’s concerned that no one has done anything yet. He promised to speak with Colter.”

  “Finally.”

  “Besides that, Ed says it looks like you’ve already done all you can, but if you want to talk the situation over, he’s available anytime.”

  “Thanks, Zora Jane.”

  “Meanwhile, the annual church bazaar is Saturday. It’s the major fundraiser of the year for the Christian school. I’ll be selling hats and accessories, and I sure could use your help. You need an outing as well. Why don’t you come with me?”

  “Oh.” Sitting in a used hat booth all day ranked way down on my list of desirable diversions. I cast about for a good excuse. “I … think I’ll clean house on Saturday.”

  She ignored my words. “You positively won’t believe all the people who come to this bazaar. Thousands. Not just from our church, but all over Nevada County. Maybe you’ve seen our flyers around town. From the beginning, we’ve advertised well, and of course, that makes a big difference. But after ten years, we’re so well established that people plan their whole month around this event.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “You won’t have to do much. The hats and accessories are already sorted. We arrange them on the table around six. People start coming at six thirty, even though it’s not supposed to open ’til seven. I’ll come over to pick you up about five thirty.”

  “Five thirty AM?” How could I go anywhere or think of anything as frivolous as a bazaar until we found Molly? I’d give her one more chance to understand that I’d rather have a root canal. “I don’t think so. That’s pretty early for me.”

  “You could come down about nine, if you prefer. Eat a good breakfast first. They’ll bring us lunch, so don’t worry about packing food.”

  “Well, if you don’t mind me coming at nine …” What was I saying?

  “Oh, thank you, Christine. I know you’ll have a wonderful time. And it’s for such a worthy cause.”

  “Well, as long as we’re making plans, I would like to talk with Ed about the situation at the Paynes’. Is he free this afternoon?”

  “He just got home from golf. Let me ask.” She set the phone down with a thud and I heard her heels click away. Where has Jesse gone? I carried the portable phone into the living room. The television blared from the library landing above. He must be in his green chair.

  Zora Jane returned in a minute, saying Ed wanted us to come right over. I informed Jesse. Maybe the four of us could concoct a plan to find Lila and get Molly back.

  Zora Jane met us at the door dressed in an orange-and-yellow paisley one-piece lounging outfit with matching orange pumps. Their Jack Russell terrier jumped and barked at her feet. “Harry! Stop that.” The springing and yapping continued while Zora Jane shooed him outside, banging the screen door behind him.

  Then she motioned us into the living room where Ed reclined in his overstuffed green La-Z-Boy, wearing his characteristic plaid golf pants. He unlocked his hands from behind his neck and pushed his chair upright with a thud. “Hey, you two.” With the TV remote, he clicked off the golf tournament.

  Zora Jane stood at the kitchen door, the aroma of coffee wafting around her. “Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink? Decaf’s freshly brewed.”

  Jesse sank onto the couch opposite Ed. “Okay. That would be great.”

  I sat on the edge of the sofa and nodded.

  In a few minutes, Zora Jane returned carrying a tray with four steaming cups and a china plate full of warm cookies. She balanced the tray in front of us, placed a cup on the table beside Ed’s chair, and took one for herself.

  Only Jesse felt the need for cream and sugar. We waited while he spooned a mountain of sugar and creamer into his coffee, stirred, and gulped a big swig. “I called the fire department about the situation at the Paynes’ without getting any help. So I called the sheriff’s office and they sent out a deputy last Saturday. That yahoo didn’t see any cause for concern either.”

  Ed shrugged.

  Jesse slurped another drink of coffee. “A woman and a dog are missing. Things look more suspicious by the day. I thought it might help to discuss this with you. You’ve had a lot of experience, and anyway, four heads are better than two.”

  Ed inclined his head.

  I took a cup of decaf and slid to the back of the sofa. Zora Jane sat in the recliner next to Ed, sipping her decaf while she listened.

  Jesse shot me a here goes look and cleared his throat. Beginning with my first sight of the boxes, he told Ed about the peculiar events of the last week and a half. This time he included the part about me breaking into the Paynes’ house and following Will to see his lady friend. Ed interrupted several times for additional clarification, but generally concentrated in silence, bent arms resting on the armrests, fingers steepled.

  The amount of detail Jesse offered surprised me. Apparently he does listen when I talk.

  At the end, Ed glanced at me over his glasses and lifted his eyebrows. “You’ve been a busy girl.”

  I gave a sheepish nod.

  Ed cleared his throat. “Well, first about that brown Buick. After we thought about it, we realized we have seen it parked in the upper driveway before. Must be that senior moment thing.” He glanced at Zora Jane.

  With her hands folded in her lap, her expression reminded me of a mother listening to her child’s confession.

  Ed continued. “Also, another car’s been there a few times. Don’t know who that one belongs to, but it’s similar, maybe a little newer. Blue, I think. Anyway, you’ve got a couple different angles of approach here. Finding the dog tags looks suspicious. The Paynes may know what happened to your dog. The problem is, you don’t have facts. You don’t know what’s wrong with Lila. You don’t know she’s actually missing, just that she’s gone out of bounds and no one’s filed a missing-persons report yet. You saw bruises on her arm and maybe her neck, but those could’ve been self-inflicted. Bruising is possible without even feeling the injury, especially if you’re elderly or ill. Certain medication makes a person prone to bruising. You saw Will leave in the late morning for several days, but you don’t know if he ended up at the same house each time. Et cetera, et cetera.

  No facts. Inferences. That’s what you’ve got. Nothing concrete.” He peered over his glasses like a stern schoolmarm. “Did you get the address of that house Will went to?”

  “I know the street name,” I said. “I could find it again in a flash.”

  “Hmm.” He scratched his bald head.

  Zora Jane shook her head. “I must say Lila did look awful. She’s either sick or actually starving to death. Poor lost lamb. There must be some way to help her.”

  Ed stroked his chin. “I’m concerned that you actually found a campsite in the woods. I thought those stories about a vagrant were nothing but urban legends. I’ll report that. Security’s supposed to keep homeless people out of here. That’s what we pay them for.” Ed supervised contracted services as president of our homeowners association.

  What about the bruises? Surely he couldn’t discount them. “But don’t you see the urgency with that injury on her neck? Even if she bruised herself on the arm—which I doubt—that other one is different. How would you mark your own neck like that? He tried to kill her.”

  When Ed inclined his head, a glint off the top made me wonder if he polished it. “Granted, that’s harder to explain. But you didn’t see it happen.” He frowned at me. “You get what I’m saying? You don’t have evidence a crime has been committed. Granted, it looks odd, but the world is full of strange circumstances. Usually there are explanations that don’t involve criminal activity.” He massaged his head. Behind Ed’s wire-frame glasses, the sparkle in his sea blue eyes told me his curiosity had been
aroused despite his negativity.

  “Maybe we should call Baxter and see what he thinks,” Zora Jane said.

  I’d forgotten about the Callahans’ son-in-law being a deputy.

  Ed nodded. “I was thinking that too. That might be a good idea. But you already reported to the sheriff’s office. Maybe we should wait and see if this deputy gets a detective involved. Anyway, aren’t the kids on vacation this week?”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Zora Jane said. “They’ve gone to the aquarium in Monterey.”

  Ed unfolded his lanky frame from the recliner. “I know one thing we could do. We could Google the Des Moines Herald Examiner and look for articles about a baby found dead in Harvard, Iowa.”

  Why didn’t we think of that? To say that Jesse and I are technologically challenged would be an understatement. We’d no more know how to “Google” than to fly.

  Ed marched down the hall. In his office, I admired plaques awarded during his law-enforcement career and the golf trophies lined on top of his bookshelves while Ed connected to the Web site for the Des Moines Herald Examiner.

  “Here we are.” He looked pleased.

  We crowded around his black leather chair to watch while he clicked on “Search our Archives,” which included articles from 1994 to present. He typed, “dead baby found in Harvard” in the “Search for” slot. In short order, a listing of twelve articles appeared. A synopsis of the article and the date of publication accompanied each one. Scrolling down the screen, he stopped at number two, titled, “Infant’s Body Found in Harvard.” Dated February 22, this article exactly matched the one in the back of Lila’s notebook.

  Funny how technology familiar to most people could excite us oldsters.

  Ed regarded us with a triumphant expression. “Hole in one!”