CHAPTER TWO

 

 

Henry had hoped the walk to his office would help him feel better. It hadn't. There wasn't any work to do, but Henry still liked being there - mostly because it was quiet. Henry wished he had stayed in bed.

Henry's head was still throbbing from ringing in the New Year. He looked at his calendar, a present from his brother in Manhattan who was a New York Giants fan of all things. The calendar had a team picture of The World Series Champion Giants who swept the Cleveland Indians in four games. It was galling to look at it. He mumbled to himself, "At least the damn Yankees didn't win their sixth in a row." Although Henry didn't care for the Giants, the previous two years had seen his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers beaten by the Yankees. He could barely stand it, but looking at January 1, 1955 filled him with hope and optimism. This would be the year for Robinson, Hodges, Snider, Reese, Koufax, Newcomb, Campanella, and the boys. His daydreams were interrupted when there was a mouse-like knock at the door. He started to yell, "Come in," but then lowered his voice and mumbled, "Yes?" His headache made him wince in pain.

The door opened slowly, and a tall, svelte woman eased herself into his office. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun. She was quite striking but obviously shy. He guessed librarian. "May I help you?" he asked, trying not to sound miserable.

"Are you Henry Wood, the detective?"

"Yes, and you are?"

"I am Luna Alexander, and I am afraid my father has gotten into a sticky situation. I need your help. I am sorry to bother you, and I didn't think you would be here, but..."

Henry was a detective by day and a woodworker by night. To be truthful, he was a moderately good sleuth but a subpar craftsman. Just two days earlier he had been gluing up a jig for his router to cut perfect dados, and the squeeze-out had gotten everywhere. It had been a sticky situation in its own right. He turned his attention back to Luna, who, he was sure, wouldn't be interested in his gluing issues.

After she told him about her father and his background and the last time he had been seen, Luna asked if she might sit down. When she took a seat, it seemed as if the weight of the world threatened to crush her. She looked defeated and sad. "Will you help me?"

Henry was about to say it sounded like a missing persons matter for the police but instead said, "I would be happy to take your case, Luna." She gave the slightest smile, stood, and shook his hand. Henry wasn't sure, but he thought he caught a glint of hope in her eyes. She handed him an envelope and said, "My address and number are in there along with the retainer. Please let me know as soon as you find out anything."

As the door closed, he took out his little notebook and jotted down the details. Luna's father was a senior-level accountant with the Smith, Havershome and Blickstein law firm and had been with them for 20 years. He and Luna lived in a modest flat in Brooklyn, and he took the train into the city. Luna worked at a bakery and was up and gone before her father but also arrived home several hours before him. She described him as a meticulous man. He liked routine and always came home at 6:22 each evening. Lately, however, he had been getting home at all sorts of odd hours and would skip dinner, not even bothering to listen to the radio. He loved his job, he loved radio mysteries, and he loved routine. She mentioned first noticing something strange when her father didn't even react to 'The Shadow' going off the air.

Henry wondered if 'The Shadow' knew what lurked in the heart of Mr. Alexander. He headed back to his tiny house and went into the basement. He checked his magic closet, which held a time portal to the future. The story of the portal was a mystery Henry had not been able to solve, although he had tried. Since it hadn't yet sucked him into an abyss and often gave him presents, he didn't care. Occasionally a new and wonderful tool would show up. The Bosch router had arrived just a month or so earlier with a magazine describing all sorts of things it could do. Today it was empty. The glue up from the day before was ready for him to start the next step. He found woodworking helped him mull over his cases.

The instructions in the magazine indicated the dimensions were rough. Henry figured he needed the practice, so he devoted considerable time to precision. After cutting two pieces, he realized he hadn't accounted for the thickness of his circular saw blade and had also made a measuring error of two full inches. It amused him that his attempts at precision had been such an abysmal failure. Henry had anticipated as much and had purchased plenty of extra lumber in preparation. On the upside, he had gotten much more comfortable with his circular saw. Henry was a glass half-full sort of guy.

He took a few photos of the glue up and went upstairs to call Mr. Alexander's firm. His foggy brain slowly remembered it was Saturday and also January 1, so he would have to wait to make the call until Monday. He returned to his jig and thought about Luna.