Chapter 24

 

 

“Great job, everyone,” Mary said as she dismissed her self-defense class.

Some of the women at the shelter had been on the street long enough they already knew how to look out for themselves. Lizzie, for one, looked at the participants as if they were stupid or crazy. Others, such as the young mother with the two little girls, were clearly grateful for the tips and techniques. Mary picked up her small towel and wiped the dampness from her neck.

She had promised the Ladies she would continue making inquiries about the stolen items, but she was getting discouraged. She could pretty much rule out Carrot and Blue. They had such an open and innocent attitude, they seemed completely incapable of deception. Lizzie, too, had willingly shown her collection of shiny objects, and it was obvious that the rest of her shopping cart contained only old clothing, cardboard boxes, and aluminum cans.

Two men were on the list—Ron, the grungy guy, and Micah who claimed to be one of the victims of a theft. Mentally, Mary had added the word ‘claimed’ for some reason she couldn’t pinpoint. Micah was different.

His story included big successes in real estate, bitterness toward the banks who’d foreclosed his loans, and now a lot of computer searches as he attempted to rebuild his lost fortune. She had an easier time believing he’d once owned a gold watch than she could believe he was comfortable living in a homeless shelter.

This morning she had intended to talk to him before the self-defense class but he’d vanished. It was right after he walked past the reception desk where she and Trini had been talking. It almost felt as if something about their conversation prompted his disappearance. But when Trini had looked in the men’s dorm, Micah’s things were still on his bed. He intended to come back.

Mary slung her gym bag over her shoulder. Maybe she could locate either Ron or Sue, the other two on her list of residents who had been here the dates of all the thefts.

“Ron hasn’t been around for several days,” Trini told her when she stepped into the dining hall to help with the tables and chairs Mary had moved for her class. “That happens, especially with him.”

“He panhandles on the street corners, doesn’t he?” Mary remembered Sandy saying she’d seen the man.

“Yeah. It’s probably why he doesn’t come around all the time. Maybe he collects enough to stay in a motel or something.”

“How about Sue? Is she here? I don’t think I know her.”

“Always wears a yellow windbreaker and a red scarf wound around her neck. She was at breakfast, but I haven’t seen her in a couple hours.” Trini set two plastic chairs in place at a table. “She’s quiet, keeps to herself, hardly talks to anyone, and goes away during the day. I have no idea where.”

Mary looked around. “I saw Micah this morning and wanted to talk to him.”

“Hmm … he might have found something of interest on the computer. He was right over there while the others were eating.”

“He walked past us. When I arrived this morning, and you and I were talking at the front desk—do you remember what we were talking about?”

Trini laughed out loud. “Gosh, I’m doing well if I remember to comb my hair in the mornings. Too much going on to remember every conversation. I think I had asked you if your friend Sandy was coming back—maybe that was it? Sorry to be so vague.”

“It’s okay. Not important.” Mary decided to drive around the neighborhood a little, see if she could spot either Sue or Ron.

If not, she ought to get back to the gym and give Billy a break. December tended to be a slow month, and he’d been so cooperative about her taking this much time away. Come January it would be a different story when their members got all virtuous again and decided to lose the extra holiday pounds. Classes and equipment would be full.

She started her car and pulled out of the parking lot, noticing that the temple next door was quiet and there was no sign of the gurus out near their bus either. She spotted a bright yellow garment at the bus stop on the next corner, but it wasn’t Sue. And although she cruised the area for another fifteen minutes, she didn’t see Ron or anyone else with a cardboard sign.

She headed back to Tempe and her business, and was nearly there when the scene popped into her head—she and Trini talking about Sandy. It was the moment she’d told Trini that Sandy’s job at the bank was limiting the number of hours she could volunteer. She’d said something like, “Desert Trust has some big manager’s meeting this week,” and that was the moment Micah walked by. His whole demeanor had stiffened and he walked out the front door without a word. It must fit—one of the banks he hated must be Desert Trust Bank. It could explain some things.

Or not. She parked in her usual space and grabbed her gym bag. Micah seemed a man of many moods—sometimes friendly and cooperative, other times surly and full of complaints—as if the world owed him something. She thought again of Sandy’s comment that she didn’t entirely believe Micah’s story about the watch.

She shook off the idea. Solving this mystery might not be possible. It could come down to the fact that there were too many workers, volunteers, and residents milling about at the shelter. Things go missing; things get misplaced. Each little missing thing could have its own story, and they might never learn where the items ended up.

She needed a good workout. If no one was on the bags, she might just go inside and beat up one of them.