Chapter 5

Wednesday morning, Rory and her mother entered the lobby of Loretta Zeppelin’s apartment building on an errand for the craft fair. Stockings hung on the mantel of the fireplace at one end of the spacious room. A large Christmas tree decorated with red and green ornaments stood across from it. Residents sat on comfy chairs and couches scattered throughout the area, reading, knitting and talking among themselves. Large picture windows gave a view of the garden outside with its patio, grass and play area for visiting grandchildren.

“I’m hoping there aren’t too many boxes to take with us,” Arika said as they headed toward the elevators. “I only have so much room in the trunk.”

“She didn’t give you the details when she called?” Rory asked.

“She just asked me to come by and pick them up. We may have to make more than one trip.”

They were waiting for a car to arrive when Arika glanced through the window at the garden outside.

“Is that Loretta?” Arika stepped closer to the window. “It is.”

Rory followed her mother’s gaze to a table on the patio where Loretta sat facing them, a shocked expression on her face. A man wearing a suit sat across from the woman with his back to them. “Martin’s with her.”

“He must be asking her about that painted heart. Didn’t you say he asked Simon about it and he didn’t know much?”

“I don’t know why she’d look so shocked if that’s all they’re talking about. She already knows about the skeleton the construction workers found so that can’t be it.”

“Let’s find out what’s going on.” Arika led the way outside.

As soon as Loretta spotted them, she waved them over. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Oh, Arika. It’s Ricky. He came home and I never knew. My poor, poor boy.”

Martin stood up when he saw the new arrivals. Rory sat down in a chair beside him while Arika sat next to Loretta and gave her a quick hug. He sat down again as soon as all of the women were seated.

When Loretta’s tears subsided, Arika said, “Now, what are we talking about here?” She looked over at the detective. “Martin, what’s going on?”

“The skeleton found on the Zeppelin’s former property has been identified. It’s Ricky Zeppelin, Mrs. Zeppelin’s youngest son.”

Rory looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. “I thought he left to go surfing around the world and never came back.”

“Apparently, he came back after all,” Arika said.

“Or he never left,” Martin said. “We’ll be looking into both possibilities.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Rory asked.

“We matched his dental records.”

“How did you get them after all these years?” Arika asked.

“Luckily, when his dentist retired, he sold his practice to someone who was very conscientious about keeping all patient records, even those long since dormant.” Martin turned to Ricky’s mother. “I’m afraid I need to ask you more questions, Mrs. Zeppelin. Are you up for it?”

Loretta patted her eyes with a tissue and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready. Anything to help you find out what happened to my Ricky.”

“We should go,” Arika said. When she started to rise, Loretta put a hand on her arm. “Please stay. I could use the support.” She turned her face toward the detective. “If that’s all right with you.”

“Of course.” Martin took out his notepad and pen. “Can you tell me about the last time you saw Ricky? I realize it was a long time ago, but whatever you can remember would be helpful.”

“Let’s see. It was the morning before he left on his surfing trip—” Her voice faded and tears began streaming down her face. “You’d think after all these years, I’d be cried out.”

The detective patiently waited for her to compose herself.

Arika laid a comforting hand on Loretta’s arm. The physical contact seemed to bolster the woman’s courage.

“You were saying?” Loretta finally said. She pulled another tissue out of a pocket and wiped the tears from her eyes. She sat up straighter, waiting for the detective to speak.

“The last time you saw him.”

“Right. The morning before he left.” She stared off into space as if picturing the day almost forty years before. “It was an ordinary day. The usual June gloom. We had breakfast together. I made his favorite—blueberry pancakes and bacon. After that he left the house to say goodbye to friends.”

“Do you know who he visited?”

“Not really.” She looked at Arika. “Swan. I remember now. He was going to talk to Swan to try to convince him to go on the trip with him like they planned.”

Rory looked at her mother and said, “Dad said Ricky was okay with him not going” at the same time Martin said, “He was supposed to go along?”

Loretta nodded. “They’d been planning it since they were ten, eleven, something like that. They saw that surfing documentary about two surfers who travel around the world. They knew as soon as they saw it that they were going to do that after they graduated from high school.” She looked over at Arika. “You knew that, right?”

Rory’s mother sat back in her chair. “Swan told me about it, but he’d changed his mind long before graduation.”

“Oh, no, they planned on going together up until a week or two before that.”

“What happened to change Dad’s mind?” Rory asked.

“This one happened.” Loretta patted Arika’s arm. “As soon as he met you, he knew he couldn’t leave. He was completely smitten. In a good way.”

Martin jotted something down. Rory leaned over slightly to see what it was, but she could only make out her father’s name plus the word ask followed by an illegible scrawl. He angled his notepad so she could no longer see what was on it.

“Do you know where else Ricky went that day?” he asked.

Loretta shook her head. “No. I was gone myself. My mother fell and broke her hip so I was with her at the hospital most of the day and into the evening. When I got home the next morning, he’d already left for the airport. Simon might know more. He was home that night.” She paused. “I think there may have been a going away party for Ricky. Ask Simon. He’ll know.”

“And you never heard from him again? Not even a postcard?”

“He was never one for writing home. We figured he was having too much fun to write. Then when the months went by and there was no word, well...” her voice faltered. “We thought he’d met with an accident and no one knew who his family was so they couldn’t tell us. Or I should say, that’s what Simon and I thought. My Neil—he still held out hope he’d show up on our doorstep one day. If he only knew.” The tears started flowing once again. She dabbed at her eyes with a wadded-up tissue that had lost its effectiveness.

Arika looked at Martin. “I think she’s had enough for now.”

He handed the distraught woman a white cotton handkerchief.

She thanked him and wiped away her tears with it. “No, it’s okay. I’d rather get this over with.”

Martin took the painted heart out of an evidence bag and showed it to her. “Did you paint this?”

Loretta peered at it and nodded. “I gave it to Ricky to take with him as a good luck charm.”

“Are you sure? I understand you painted a lot of these and sold them at craft fairs.”

“Positive. His was the only one I painted in this shade of blue. And see this.” She pointed at a barely discernible R and Z woven into the flower. “Those are his initials. I only did that on Ricky’s. To make it special, just for him.” She looked over at Arika. “He wasn’t going to take it with him at first, but Swan convinced him that if it was important to me he should do it. He understood that I was symbolically giving Ricky my heart.”

The detective’s eyebrows rose. “Swan Anderson knew about this?”

“He was there when I gave it to Ricky.”

He nodded and brought out a faded photograph of a teenage girl. “Do you know who this is? It was found nearby.”

Loretta squinted at the photo, staring at it for a long time. “I’m not sure, but it could be Crystal, one of Ricky’s many girlfriends. Don’t remember her last name. She probably gave it to him when he left.”

“Do you know where she is now?”

“Does it matter?”

“She might be able to help us figure out what happened to your son.”

“Let me think. She moved away not long after she graduated from high school. Went to college somewhere, I think. Never came back.” Loretta sighed. “I’m sorry. My memory’s not what it used to be.”

The detective put his notepad and pen back in his jacket pocket. “Thank you for your time. You’ve been very helpful. You have my card. If you think of anything, let me know.” He stood up and looked sympathetically at Loretta. “I’m very sorry for your loss. I’ll do my best to find out what happened to your son.”

While Arika consoled Loretta, Rory walked Martin to his car.

“What do you think happened? Was he murdered?” Rory asked.

“Looks like it, though there is a slight possibility it was an accident. At this point, I don’t know if it happened before he left or after he came back.”

“What makes you think he might have been murdered?”

“Damage to the skull.” Martin raised a hand, indicating a spot on the back of his head. “Disposing of the body the way it was done is suspicious too.”

“I can’t believe someone buried his body in his own yard,” Rory said softly. “And no one knew all these years.”

“Disturbing, I know.”

After Martin left, Rory returned to where the other two women still sat at the table in the garden.

“Do you want me to call Simon for you?” Arika was saying to Loretta when Rory walked up to them.

“Thank you, but no. I should be the one to do it.” Loretta picked up her cell phone. “I’d like to be alone when I make this call.”

“Of course.” Arika stood up. “Let us know if you need anything.”

A worried look came over Loretta’s face. “Oh, my. The craft fair. We were supposed to talk about it. And those boxes. I completely forgot.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Arika patted the woman’s shoulder. “There’s still plenty of time. Give me a call when you’re ready to deal with it.”

They headed toward the exit, leaving Loretta staring at her phone, a stricken look on her face.

  

When Rory turned onto Seagull Lane a short while later, she spotted Mrs. Griswold standing on the lawn of the Kowalski-Palmer home, gesturing while Mindy stood next to a newly installed swing set, its frame partially wrapped with strands of holly. Rory waved. Her usual cheerful demeanor gone, Mindy raised her hand in response.

Rory had just parked her car in the driveway when she heard her name being called. She looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw Mindy gesturing for her to join her. Rory walked across the street at the same time Mrs. Griswold was heading back to her own house. They nodded in greeting as they passed each other.

As soon as Rory was within earshot, Mindy said, “I heard...Ricky Zeppelin?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“The police are sure?”

“They are. They matched his dental records. I’m sorry. I know he was a friend of yours.”

Mindy slumped down on one of the swings. “I always imagined him living a wonderful life in some tropical climate where he could surf to his heart’s content.” She looked up at Rory. “Does his mother know?”

Rory nodded. “She’s upset, of course, but seems to be handling it reasonably well, given the circumstances.”

“And Simon?”

“Loretta was calling him when my mom and I left her.” Rory sat down on the swing next to Mindy.

Mindy’s gaze darted to the lot next door. “It’s odd to think he’s been there all this time. I wonder if he even left town.”

“The police are looking into all possibilities.”

“So he could have left and come back.” Mindy’s face brightened a bit. “Maybe he got to take that trip, after all. I’d like to think that.” Her voice softened. “He was so full of life. We had a party for him the day before he left. Did your father tell you? We were all there. The whole surfing crowd and then some. We were sad to see him go, but excited for him too. We thought he was so lucky to be going on the adventure of a lifetime.”

“Was that the last time you saw him?” Rory asked.

Mindy nodded, then frowned.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how much we all drank that night.”

“Do you remember what he was wearing at the party? It might help the police pinpoint when he died.”

“From the clothes found with him?”

Rory nodded.

Mindy frowned. “That was so long ago. Let me think.” She swung back and forth, the tips of her toes touching the ground, keeping her from swinging too far. “A white T-shirt and dark blue corduroy OP shorts.”

That matched the clothes mentioned in the VBC article, Rory thought. “You’re sure?”

“Pretty sure. I suppose I should tell the police.”

“I think they’d like to know.”

“Does your father know about Ricky?”

“Probably by now.”

“You should check on him, see how he’s doing. They were good friends.” Mindy stood up and stared at the partially decorated swing set. “I need more holly. I’d better finish this. I promised the grandkids I’d have it ready for them when they visit. I hope no one minds I put the swing set in the front yard. It didn’t fit in the back, the area’s so small.”

“I don’t think anyone in the neighborhood will care. If you remember anything else you should tell the police.”

Mindy raised her arm in response and walked slowly toward the garage.

Rory sensed more than saw how troubled the woman was.