A Fortunate Encounter Read online

  “Did Jade bring Blake up in conversation with you recently?”

  Kyle said, “She told me Blake had gotten in touch. She met him for breakfast one morning. Jade wasn’t interested in getting back together with Blake. Blake had some issues he was trying to work through and he wanted Jade’s advice. He was sorry about how things ended between them and he wanted to talk.”

  “Did it bother you that Jade was meeting a former boyfriend?” Nicole asked.

  “Nah. I wasn’t worried. Jade had no intentions of going back to Blake. He hit her once and she told me that once was one time too many. She didn’t trust the guy.”

  “Why did she meet him then?” Nicole asked.

  “She and Blake had a relationship. The guy wanted to ask her advice about things. Jade liked to help people. She talked with Blake as a friend. She would never be any more than that with him.”

  “So you don’t think Jade had feelings for Blake and when he called, she didn’t consider rekindling things with him?” Claire asked.

  Kyle was adamant. “No, I don’t. Maybe she had an interest in someone else, but it wasn’t Blake.”

  “Were you at the bonfire at Whittemore a week ago?” Nicole asked. “It was in the park across from the college.”

  “I was up at the college, but I didn’t go to the bonfire. I met a couple of friends at their apartment near the school. We hung out, had a few drinks, watched some sports on television.”

  “Did you go near the park at all? Did you happen past the park where the bonfire was?” Claire asked.

  “My buddies and I went out for a walk. We passed the park, but we didn’t stop. We decided to walk the few blocks to town and get a pizza.”

  “Did you see Jade that night?” Claire asked.

  “No, I didn’t.” Kyle used a slightly more forceful tone.

  “Did you know she was there?”

  “No. I knew she was going out with her friend, Alyssa. They thought about going to a movie. I guess that didn’t work out because they both ended up at the bonfire.”

  “Have you talked to Alyssa?”

  “I saw her at the first search day. We only talked for a few minutes. I think all of us who knew Jade were feeling guilty. What happened? Was there something one of us could have done to avoid this mess? Friends were at the bonfire … I was in the area. None of us saw anything. Jade was there one minute and the next minute, she was gone. If that can happen to Jade, it can happen to any one of us. It’s a horrible thought.”

  “Did Jade know you were around that night?” Claire asked.

  “She knew I was going to Whittemore to see some friends,” Kyle said.

  “Did she text you during the night?” Nicole asked.

  “Early in the evening she did,” Kyle said. “Nothing important. Just a few words. I didn’t hear from her after 9pm. I checked my messages to be sure I hadn’t missed something from her, but there wasn’t anything.”

  “What did you do after you got the pizza?”

  Kyle said, “We ate pizza at the sub shop, then we went back to the apartment. We didn’t walk by the park or the bonfire. We took a different street.”

  “Why did you avoid the bonfire?”

  “We didn’t really avoid it. We were all tired and just wanted to chill. There were a ton of people in the park. We knew some of our friends would be there, but we only wanted to go back and relax in front of the TV. We were lazy as heck.”

  “Somebody mentioned she saw you at the bonfire.” Claire let the words hang in the air.

  One of Kyle’s eyebrows went up, but he remained calm. “Me? Maybe someone saw me walking past. I didn’t go into the park. If she said she saw me in the park, she was mistaken.”

  “Another person told me she thinks she saw you and Jade leaving the park,” Nicole said just to see the young man’s reaction.

  Kyle shook his head again. “It wasn’t me with Jade. Maybe someone saw Jade and expected me to be there, too, or thought whoever Jade was with was me. I wasn’t there. I only walked by the park. I wasn’t at the bonfire and I didn’t see Jade.”

  Claire thought the young man’s answers sounded rehearsed and wondered if someone had been coaching him in how to respond to certain inquiries.

  “Did you go home that night or did you stay over with your friends?” Claire asked.

  “I went home,” Kyle said.

  “Is there anyone who can vouch for that?” Nicole asked.

  “My buddies can tell you I left their apartment around 11pm.”

  “Is there anyone who can vouch for you about where you went after you left the apartment?”

  “I was alone,” Kyle reported. “I drove back to Boston. I didn’t see anyone I knew. When I got back to my apartment, my roommates were asleep. They didn’t see or hear me come in. So no, there isn’t anyone who can vouch for me during the time I was driving home or arriving home.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t run into Jade?” Nicole asked with a firm tone.

  “I’m positive.” Kyle’s jaw muscle twitched.

  Claire wasn’t sure if she believed him.

  10

  In the waning October sunlight, Claire and Ian walked along the river each holding one of the Corgis’ leashes. Bear and Lady stopped here and there to sniff the ground and the humans patiently waited for them before moving on.

  Claire had been telling her boyfriend about the interviews she’d done. “Did you ask your friend, George, if he talked to AJ Phelps?”

  Ian nodded. “A different detective went to see him. He reported that AJ does indeed have scratches on his hands and arms. The young man told the detective he got the scratches when he went running in the woods, tripped, and slid into a bush full of thorns. He seemed pretty convincing. AJ demonstrated how he put his hands out to break the fall and ended up in the lower branches of the bush.”

  “Really? His excuse was believable?” Claire’s feet scrunched over some colorful leaves on the path.

  “It seems AJ’s friend told the detective that he was with him the night Jade went missing.”

  “That’s convenient, isn’t it? Did the detective get a sense he might be lying?” Claire asked.

  “It’s always hard to tell. The young man said AJ was with him, therefore AJ has an alibi.”

  But Jade’s friend says she saw Jade leaving the park with AJ,” Claire said. “Was AJ’s friend with them then?”

  Ian shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s all the information I got from my pal. Anyway, someone else said they thought Jade might have been with her boyfriend. Some people seem to be seeing things that aren’t there, or did Jade leave the bonfire more than once?”

  “You mean she left with one guy, returned to the park, and then left with someone else? There couldn’t have been time for all that.” Claire let out a groan. “There are three options. People are either mistaken, lying, or telling the truth about what they saw. How will we figure it out?”

  “More investigation,” Ian said with a smile. “Has Mrs. Lyons been in contact with you?”

  “Yes.” Claire sighed. “I feel like I’m failing her. She was so hopeful I would be able to help. My intuition must be on vacation because I’m not getting strong feelings one way or the other.”

  “Give it time.” Ian took her hand as they rounded a bend on the pathway. “George and another detective talked to the clerk at the convenience store. She was on-duty the night Jade disappeared. She wasn’t much help, claimed she really didn’t remember Jade coming in. Even though she recognized Jade’s photograph, she claims to have no memory of what Jade bought or did. The clerk said it was a very busy night in the store.”

  “That’s too bad. Nicole and I were going to go talk to the clerk, but we were tied up that night. Dead ends everywhere.”

  Bear turned his head to his owner and barked.

  Ian chuckled. “Bear has something to say.”

  “I wish I could understand him because he often seems to know things,” Claire said as she zipped her jacket
against the cooler air.

  “Maybe Bear has some skills like his owner has,” Ian said. “Anyway, George suggested you and Nicole might want to take a ride over to the convenience store in Hadwen and talk to the clerk. He said she seemed to clam up when they talked to her and maybe she’d be more open with two young women who aren’t members of law enforcement.”

  Claire looked out over the river. The water was choppy and looked slate gray. “We can do that. We’ve actually been meaning to go back to that store. I don’t know if it will be of any use. We don’t have any magic to use on the clerk.”

  Ian put his arm around Claire’s shoulders and smiled. “Are you sure?”

  The clerk looked up at the two young women who placed a candy bar, a small bag of chips, and a bottle of water on the counter to be rung up. The slim, petite woman was about sixty with dark curly hair cut close to the head. A few strands of gray wove through the hair. Brenda was written on her name tag.

  Claire placed a photo of Jade on the counter. “We’re friends of the missing girl’s family. They asked us to help search for Jade. Were you working that night? She supposedly came in here after leaving a bonfire in the next town.”

  Brenda glanced down at the picture. “We’re not supposed to talk about it.”

  “Management told you not to?” Nicole asked.

  Brenda shrugged as she rang up the items.

  “Do you recognize the young woman in the photo?” Claire asked.

  Brenda looked again. “Maybe.”

  “Did she come inside the store?”

  “I think so. Look, I don’t know anything. I don’t want to get into trouble.” Brenda took some cash from Nicole and made change. “You want a bag?”

  “No, thanks.” Nicole scooped up the items.

  “Did Jade come inside that night?” Claire asked again. “We don’t want you to get into trouble. We’ll keep anything you say to us private.”

  “She came in.” Brenda spoke softly.

  “Was she with anyone?”

  “Not at first. She bought a water.”

  “Then she left?” Claire asked.

  “She went over to the corner.” Brenda poked her chin out to indicate where Jade was standing in the store. “She used her phone.”

  Claire and Nicole took a quick glance to the corner of the store that Brenda gestured to.

  “To make a call?” Claire asked.

  “To text.”

  “How did she seem?” Nicole asked.

  Brenda leaned against the counter and sighed. “I never saw the girl before. I don’t know how she usually is, but she seemed sort of nervous, like she wanted to hide or something.”

  “Did she ask you for help?”

  “No.” Brenda scoffed. “I think she’d been drinking.”

  “Why do you say that?” Claire asked.

  “I could smell it on her when she bought the water. It wasn’t a lot, but I got a whiff of booze when she said thank you.”

  “So she bought water, but didn’t leave right away?” Nicole questioned.

  “That’s right. She used her phone. She seemed like she might be waiting for somebody,” Brenda said. “She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.”

  “Then what happened?” Claire looked directly at the clerk.

  “Look, I don’t want to get into trouble. I don’t know anything else.”

  An older woman carried a few items to the counter and Claire and Nicole moved away so Brenda could ring up the things. After the woman took her bag and left, Brenda gave the two young women a look.

  “I told you more than I should have. There’s nothing more to say.” Brenda busied herself filling cigarette cartons into the holder behind the cash register.

  “We only have a few more things to ask.” Claire moved closer to the counter.

  Brenda didn’t acknowledge the statement, just kept pushing cartons into their places.

  Nicole asked, “Did Jade stay for a long time?”

  Without turning around, Brenda muttered, “I don’t remember.”

  “Did she talk to you?” Claire asked. “Did she ask you anything?”

  “No.”

  “As you can imagine, Jade’s mother is very upset,” Claire said. “She’s desperate to find her daughter. She can’t sleep. She stays up almost all night waiting for a knock on the door, hoping her daughter will come back home.”

  Nicole said, “We’re only trying to figure out what happened. We only want to find out where Jade is.”

  “The mother came in here.” Brenda’s face was stern. “She asked a bunch of questions. I told her I couldn’t talk about it and anyway, I didn’t know anything that would help her find her kid.

  “She cussed me out. She got hysterical. The assistant manager had to escort her out. He told her she couldn’t come back.” Brenda had a hand on her slender hip. “I didn’t appreciate her cussing at me. There was no need of it.”

  “You’re right. Mrs. Lyons had no right to be rude. I’m sorry that happened,” Claire said. “Mrs. Lyons is … well, she’s drowning in grief. She doesn’t know what to do or where to look. She’s in a terrible panic. It’s very difficult to be around her. But I’d do the same thing if it was my daughter.”

  Brenda went back to filling in the cigarette case, but Claire sensed a change in the woman’s demeanor.

  “The girl asked me if the red car was still at the gas pump.” Brenda didn’t look around, just faced the shelving she was working on.

  “Was it gone?” Nicole asked.

  “It was still there,” Brenda said.

  “Did Jade seem happy or sad that it was still there?” Claire wanted to rush all of her questions in case the woman clammed up.

  “I don’t know. I told her the car was there, then a customer came to the counter and I waited on him.”

  “What happened next?” Claire asked. “Did Jade leave the store?”

  “A guy opened the door. He poked his head in. He asked the girl if she was ready.”

  “Did Jade leave with him?” Nicole asked.

  “She left the store. I don’t know if she went with him or not. It was dark out. I didn’t bother to watch. I had things to do.”

  “What did the guy look like?”

  “Dark blond hair. Dressed nice. Tall. Looked like an athlete. Was probably rich.”

  “Why do you say that?” Nicole asked.

  “That red car looked kind of expensive,” Brenda said. “That’s all I got to say. I can’t be talking the whole time. I’ll get into trouble.”

  “Thank you,” Claire said warmly. “You’ve been a big help. Thanks so much.”

  Claire and Nicole had taken a few steps to the door when Brenda said, “Hey.”

  The women turned around.

  “That rich guy was with someone else. Another guy. He was standing behind the rich one.” Brenda glanced around and lowered her voice. “That guy is trouble. He sells drugs. He’s a mean one. You tell anyone I said this to you, I’ll say you lied.”

  “Do you know that guy’s name?” Claire asked.

  Brenda looked through the glass to see if anyone was outside the store. “Badger,” she whispered. Then she spun around and hurried to the back of the store.

  11

  Blake Rhodes was a little over six feet tall, broad-shouldered, sandy-haired, blue-eyed, and exceedingly charming. He greeted Claire and Nicole with a warm smile, a friendly demeanor, and a firm handshake. Claire could see how the man with the easy, straightforward manner might easily sweep a young woman off her feet.

  She had to keep reminding herself that Blake had cheated on Jade and had once struck her. It wasn’t hard to imagine Blake begging forgiveness with his bright eyes and sorrowful tone of voice promising never to raise a hand again, and the woman feeling guilty and giving him another chance. It wouldn’t take long for him to hit her again and then go through the same rotation of … get angry, hit, promise it would never happen again, be forgiven … and round and round it would go. But not
with Jade. She put her foot down and broke up with Blake.

  Until he contacted her again?

  In the Boston university student center, a multi-story glass, wood, and steel building with comfortable seating, an outdoor patio, two terraces, an upscale food court, and soft lighting, Claire and Nicole made conversation with the young man asking about school, sports, and his plans after he graduated, before leading him to the main point of discussion.

  “You dated Jade Lyons?” Claire asked keeping a friendly expression on her face.

  “I did. We broke up about a year and a half ago.” Blake smiled showing perfect white teeth. “It wasn’t the best match.”

  “Why not?” Nicole asked.

  Blake gave a shrug. “It’s hard to pinpoint.” His forehead creased as he took a sip of his iced coffee. “It was just the right time to end it.”

  “Were you or Jade seeing other people?” Claire asked.

  “That didn’t have any bearing on the breakup.” Blake leaned comfortably back in his chair.

  “So one of you was dating someone else?” Claire pressed.

  “I wasn’t. I don’t think Jade was either.”

  Nicole leaned forward, her eyes glued to Blake’s. “We heard you cheated on Jade.”

  Blake’s eyes went wide before he quickly returned his facial expression to neutral and collected himself. “Where did you hear that?”

  “People who knew Jade brought it up.” Claire kept her focus on the young man.

  Blake stretched his arm out over the chair next to him and cocked his head to the side in what Claire considered to be a slightly challenging position. “Listen, people like to talk, especially about things they don’t have first-hand knowledge of.”

  “So you’re telling us that these people are mistaken?” Claire asked. “You weren’t seeing anyone else?”

  “I wasn’t involved with anyone.” Blake tried to weasel out of the allegation by carefully choosing his words.

  “What would you call it then?” Nicole gave the man a look of distaste.

  Blake shook his head dismissively, but kept his smile firmly on his mouth. “A flirtation. Youthful hijinks. Fooling around. It wasn’t a relationship. It meant nothing.”