After her call to the police, Rebecca still wasn’t satisfied. They were nice enough and promised to look into her sister’s disappearance, but when she told them Mindy had left before without telling anyone, they sounded skeptical. She didn’t think they would take the matter seriously.
“Okay, if they’re going to drag their feet,” she muttered, staring at the phone, “I’m going to look for help elsewhere.”
She picked up the telephone book and looked in the yellow pages for private detectives. She zeroed in on the Quimbley Detective Agency and wondered if it was the company Nick Quimbley owned. She’d heard somewhere he was a private detective and did quite well with it.
Rebecca smiled. Of course, one would expect the captain of the high school football team to do well in his chosen profession. And remembering Nick Quimbley, I believe that being a private detective is just the right profession for him.
She dialed the number.
* * * *
Nick Quimbley looked up when Gordon Jones paused in front of his desk.
“You about through with the Martin case?” Gordon asked.
Nick nodded. “Just got to finish the report. What’s up?”
“I’m not sure. I just accepted a case for the firm and told the client you’d call her. I know you’re busy, but as you know, I’m knocking off early today. Tammy and I want to get to the beach before dark.”
“And you want me to take over for you?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“What’s the case?”
“A woman named Rebecca Davidson Armfield called a while ago. She’s having a hard time finding her sister. Hasn’t been able to get in touch with her for a couple of days.”
Nick’s stomach quickened at the mention of Rebecca’s name, but he tried not to let Gordon pick up on it. “Did she file a missing persons report?”
“Yes, but she thinks the police have put it on the shelf and thought we might be able to help. She seemed concerned, but also said her sister’s done this sort of thing before. Seems she’ll disappear for several days or even a week or two, then show up as if nothing happened. Sometimes she’s been on a little vacation, and at other times, she’s been visiting friends. She likes the excitement of nobody knowing where she is. Only thing is that after the last time, she promised not to do it again. The Armfield woman believed her.”
“What makes you think we ought to check on the sister’s absence?”
“Mrs. Armfield says she has a bad feeling about her disappearance this time.”
“Okay, Gordon.” Nick looked at his friend. “Tell me what you really have on your mind. It’s not like you to go on someone else’s feelings.”
“I’d check it out myself,” Gordon said, ignoring Nick’s statement, “but like I said, I’m taking off early. If I show up late, Tammy will have a fit.”
Having known Gordon for years, Nick could always tell when the man wasn’t telling him everything, so he prodded him again. “What are you not telling me, Gordon?”
“I’ve been late several times this month, and Tammy gave me hell.”
“You know I’m not talking about you and Tammy. You’re hiding something, Gordon. What connection do you have with this missing person?”
“Okay.” Gordon lowered his voice. “Just between you and me?”
“Just between us,” Nick assured him.
“The missing sister is Mindy Davidson, one of the Davidson Industries clan. I’ve met her a few times. I don’t think she’d pull a stunt like this now.”
“If she’s done it before, why not now?”
“She told me she used to slip out of town without telling anyone because sometimes she did things with people she didn’t want her sister to know about. Later, she told me she couldn’t do it anymore because she’d promised her sister she wouldn’t. Said her sister got real sick one time when she disappeared. I don’t know what was wrong with her.”
“The Armfield woman?” Nick avoided Gordon’s eyes and hoped his friend didn’t notice his wince. He wondered why it bothered him that Rebecca Davidson had been sick. After all, he hadn’t had any contact with her in years.
“Yeah,” Gordon said. He hadn’t seemed to notice Nick’s reaction.
“Just how well do you know Mindy Davidson?” Nick asked once he’d regained complete control of himself.
“Not very well. I’ve seen her a few times when I’d go with the guys for a beer. She’s usually with someone. Sometimes other women, and sometimes a man.” Gordon took a deep breath. “There are rumors she likes to pick up men at bars, but I don’t know that for sure.”
Nick nodded.
Gordon lowered his voice even further. “I admit I would’ve liked to have known Mindy better. She’s a real looker. I didn’t pursue her, though. Tammy and I were getting serious about that time, and you know how jealous she is.”
“I do know that.”
Gordon looked at his watch. “I’ve got to run. You can put this aside until tomorrow if you like. I told her someone would get back to her soon. Like I said, I know you’re busy, but this might be an important case. I explained the terms to Mrs. Armfield, and she said she didn’t care how much it costs. She just wants her sister found. Said she’ll pay whatever retainer we ask and sign a contract.”
Nick nodded. Gordon had told him all he was going to at the moment. His friend often told partial truths when it suited his needs, but Nick decided to drop it for now. “Okay, Gordon,” he said. “Leave the information. I’ll look into it. Enjoy the beach.”
“Thanks, Nick. I owe you one.” He dropped the paper with his notes on Nick’s desk and headed for the door.
As soon as Gordon was out of sight, Nick leaned back in his chair and thought of Rebecca Davidson. Though he hadn’t seen her in years, he’d seen her picture in the paper now and then. Often she was there in connection with some charity, and of course there had been a wedding picture. Though he’d noticed she’d put on a little weight, she was still a beautiful woman. Besides, he liked his women with a little meat on their bones. Nick wondered what kind of man Armfield was. He hoped her husband was nice, because he’d always liked Rebecca. When she’d been in his math class, she’d been popular yet a little reserved. She had been two years behind him in school, but she was so good in math they put her in more advanced classes. He’d wanted to ask her out on a date but never had. For one reason, he didn’t think she’d go out with him, and for another, his mother kept him from it.
“How can I go to work on that assembly line at Davidson Industries knowing you’ve been out with the owner’s daughter, Nicky? They’re not our kind of people. They don’t want us on their fancy side of the town. It’s better if you stick with your own kind.”
And he had. He’d married Rose Simmons, the daughter of the corner backyard mechanic shortly after he’d graduated from the police academy. Their marriage had lasted three years and had produced two sons. They divorced, then Rose remarried and moved out of state with her new husband. Nick hardly knew his boys.
Two years after he and Rose split up, Nick married Phyllis Conroy. A year later, they had a daughter. Their marriage probably would have lasted, but one day after Phyllis picked up little Carrie from school to go visit her parents in Greensboro, a drunk driver ran a stop sign on old Highway 421 near Colfax, slamming into the driver’s side of their old Plymouth. Phyllis died instantly, and Carrie died a day later. That had been eight years ago.
Nick had no intention of ever marrying again.
“Well, Rebecca,” he said aloud as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll check into Mindy’s disappearance right away.” Occasionally, he liked working on her fancy side of town. And it’ll be a pleasure to investigate something that doesn’t involve seeing if a husband or wife is fooling around.
He didn’t want to admit, even to himself, that he had agreed to take this case and not assign it to someone else because he’d like to see Rebecca Davidson again.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll wait until tomorrow,” he murmured. “I’ll call on you today, Mrs. Rebecca Davidson Armfield.”
“Talking to yourself, Nick?” the third member of the agency, Bernie Wheeler, asked as he passed Nick’s open door.
Nick sat up straight. “Yeah, Bernie. Keeps me on my toes.”