A tan Ford Taurus was parked on the circular driveway in front of Vernon and Rebecca’s Buena Vista home when Vernon pulled up in his Lexus SUV. For an instant, he wondered who it might be. Then he remembered Rebecca had called the police after she had visited Mindy’s condo. He realized this was who the car must belong to, though he did have a hard time believing a police officer would come to their house on such a trivial matter.
On the other hand, he knew Rebecca would never have company when he was due home from the office. They’d fallen into the habit of spending that time alone, sharing a drink, and talking about the events of the day. Because Wilma only cooked dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they would sometimes go out to eat on other days, but most often they’d take their drinks to the kitchen where they’d either do something creative with lunch leftovers or prepare a light supper from scratch. Though they meant very little to him, Vernon thought their mealtimes together probably meant a lot to Rebecca, and at this point in his plan for the company, he wanted to keep her happy. It was such a little sacrifice.
He opened the front door of their large antebellum home and went into the living room, where Rebecca sat in a wine-colored Queen Anne chair.
“Hello, my dear.” He walked over to her and smiled.
She reached up and took his hand. “Vernon, I didn’t think the police were interested enough in my search for Mindy, so I decided to enlist the help of a private detective. This is Nick Quimbley. We went to high school together.”
Nick stood and shook hands with Vernon. “Your wife and I were in the same math class.”
“My wife is a whiz in math. Did you know Mindy, Mr. Quimbley?” Vernon hid his surprise that Rebecca had hired a private detective without talking to him about it.
“Not personally,” Nick said. “She was quite a bit younger than I was, and I graduated before she reached high school.”
“I see. Well, I suppose Mrs. Armfield told you this isn’t the first time we’ve had to track Mindy down.” Vernon took a chair beside his wife.
Nick returned to his seat on the brocade sofa. “I take it you haven’t heard anything today, either. Your wife told me Mindy sometimes calls your office instead of calling the house.”
“I haven’t heard a word from her. As a matter of fact, Rebecca went over to Mindy’s condo today to see if she’d left any clues as to where she might be this time.”
“I found the little bag, Vernon,” Rebecca said. “I told you about that, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” He turned back to Nick. “My wife must have told you that Mindy never goes anywhere without her little bag. It’s kind of her good luck charm.”
“Yes, she did tell me.” He turned to Rebecca. “You said her purse was also there?”
“Yes. I brought it home with me.”
“Were there any signs of a struggle?”
“No. Just the usual clutter. Mindy hates house work.”
“Did you clean up?” he asked.
“No. I tried not to touch anything except the purse. I thought the police might want to look around the place, too. Would you like to see it?”
“You wouldn’t mind?” Nick asked.
“Of course not,” Vernon said, breaking into their conversation. “We want to find Mindy as soon as we can. I don’t want my wife worrying about her sister.”
Nick rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “Did you notice if anything was missing?”
“No.” Rebecca shook her head. “When I got there, I almost didn’t go in because her car was parked outside. I thought I’d find her asleep.”
“You didn’t think it odd for her car to be there?”
“It wouldn’t be unusual.” Vernon looked at him. “Mindy often leaves with a friend on one of her little trips.”
“My husband is right, Nick. I guess I’m just an alarmist. Mindy has left without telling me on occasion, but she hasn’t done anything like this in several months. I thought maybe she was becoming more responsible.”
“Do you have a picture of your sister?”
“I’ll get one for you.”
“Do you mind showing me the bag she always carries with her?”
“Of course not.”
When she left the room, Vernon said, “Mr. Quimbley, I’m going to talk fast because I don’t want my wife to hear this. Rebecca almost went out of her mind when Mindy pulled one of her little disappearing stunts a few months ago. Rebecca was sick at the time, and she wanted her sister here. I had a talk with Mindy, and she promised she’d never leave town again without telling us. With all her quirks and faults, she loves her sister, and I don’t think she’d slip away without at least calling back to let us know how we could get in touch with her.”
Nick studied the well-dressed man before him. His first impression was that Vernon Armfield was cold and calculating, but now he showed more concern. Nick couldn’t help wondering if it was an act.
“Do you think something has happened to her sister?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I just feel like she’d stay in touch with Rebecca.”
Rebecca came back into the room. “This one was taken at a party I had for a friend only a few weeks ago.” She handed the photograph to Nick.
Nick looked at the picture of a woman wearing a green cocktail dress and sitting on the sofa he occupied now. Gordon Jones is right. Mindy is beautiful.
“This will help,” he said aloud. “Thanks.”
Rebecca opened the purse and took out a small embroidered bag. “This goes everywhere Mindy does. That is one reason I’m worried.”
Nick took it and carefully turned it over in his hand.
Rebecca went on, “I have one almost just like it. Our mother made them for us. I was entering junior high, and Mindy was still a little girl. She was so proud to have a grown up bag like mine. There’s a picture inside the locket in the bag. Mother said she gave them to us so we’d always have her and Dad along with us no matter where we were.”
He opened the bag and looked at the picture of her parents. Putting it back, he handed the bag back to her. “You keep this, Rebecca,” he said. “I’ll know you have it if I need to see it again.”
“Thank you.” She put it back into the purse and laid the purse on a table. Then she took a small notebook out of her pocket. “I made a list of a few of Mindy’s friends. I don’t have many names, because she didn’t introduce me to a lot of them.”
“My wife is famous for making lists. This probably won’t be the last one she gives you, Mr. Quimbley.” Vernon smiled at both of them.
Nick took the sheet of notepaper from Rebecca. “I’m sure this will be helpful, and I hope you do make a lot of lists for me. You never know what might be the one clue we need to help us find your sister.”
“We appreciate anything you can find out for us, Nick.” Rebecca smiled at him again. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“I’ll do my best to find her.” He stood. “I’d like to go through Miss Davidson’s condo soon, if it’s all right with you.”
“We’ll give you the key so you can go at your convenience,” Vernon said. “Would you get it for him, Rebecca?”
“Wouldn’t you rather be there when I go?” Nick looked directly at Vernon.
“I have a very busy schedule this week.” He turned to his wife. “Would you like to be there, Rebecca?”
“I think I would, if it’s all right with Nick.”
“I’ll call you in the morning and make arrangements to meet you. In the meantime, if anything else comes to mind you think might be helpful, please call me.” He handed her his card.
“We will, Mr. Quimbley,” Vernon said.
“Of course if Mindy returns home, let me know immediately.”
“We will.” Rebecca smiled. “I hope I’ll be able to call and report that she came home tonight.” She stood and extended her hand. “Thank you so much for coming out so quickly. It’s really nice to see you again. I’m glad you’re in charge of helping find Mindy. I feel better already.”
“You’re welcome.” He returned her smile. “Try not to worry. I assure you we’ll do our best to find your sister as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll see you to the door,” Vernon said. When they reached the front entrance, he eyed Nick. “Would you like me to give you a check as a retainer, Mr. Quimbley?”
“Your wife did that as soon as I arrived. I do have one question, though.” He looked at Vernon. “I sometimes bring one of my partners with me when I work a case. Would you object to the extra expense?”
“Of course not.” Vernon didn’t hesitate. “You do whatever you think is necessary. I’d like to get this over with as soon as possible, for my wife’s sake.”
After a quick handshake, Vernon closed the door behind Nick, then cursed silently. Just get this Mindy business over with, and don’t dig deep enough to find out anything about Davidson Industries.
He plastered on a smile and returned to the living room.
Rebecca had already poured their drinks. “I hope you didn’t mind him being here at this time of day, Vernon.”
He took his martini. “Of course not. I was surprised you enlisted the help of a detective, though. I’m sure the police would have found her.”
“Probably, but I know they’re very busy, and on impulse I looked up detectives and found Nick’s agency. I thought he might be better help.”
“He just might be. I want you to explore all avenues you can think of to find Mindy. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can think of something to help.”
“Thank you.”
He put his arm around her and led her to the sofa. “You know I’ll do everything I can for the woman I love. Now, let’s have a little talk and decide what we want to do for dinner.”
“I’ve already decided.” She smiled at him.
“What would you like to do?”
“We had chicken for lunch, and it’s Wilma’s night off. If we have any chicken left, do you think you could whip up some of that delicious stir-fry you’re so good at making?”
“That’s a good idea.” He kissed the top of Rebecca’s head. “I’ll use olive oil and make sure to keep it low in calories. I think that would be good for you.”
Rebecca dropped her head. “I’m sure you’re right.”
He smiled at her. “We’ll eat and call it an early night. Today has been a trying day for both of us.”
“You’re good to me, Vernon. I do appreciate it,” she mumbled. Then she followed him into the kitchen.