Chapter 4
An hour later, Monty and Jude were met at the door of the Virginia Senator’s estate on the eastern side of Charlestown. The large, stately home was surrounded by white fences encompassing fields where horses roamed, nibbling on the grass. A housekeeper showed them to the private family room, bypassing the other, more formal living, and dining area.
The room could have appeared light and airy with the pale colored walls on three sides and the dark wood floor to ceiling bookcases surrounding a fireplace on the back wall. Windows were plentiful, but most of the drapes were closed, casting a gloomy darkness over the occupants.
Senator Creston sat on the sofa, his arm around his wife. Monty noticed her pained expression as one delicate hand rubbed her temples as though to massage away a headache. Probably the reason she has the drapes closed. Several other men and two women wandered around the room as well forming a protective circle around the distraught parents.
The Senator’s gaze lifted as Monty and Jude moved into the warm, comfortably furnished room. A gas-lit fire glowed in the fireplace and Monty’s eyes immediately noted the abundance of family pictures on the mantle.
As he walked over, the Senator stood with his hand outstretched. “Mr. Lytton? Mr. Stedson? I’m Senator Creston. Donald Creston.” He shook hands with both Monty and Jude before turning to introduce the devastated woman sitting on the sofa. “May I present my wife, Audrey.”
The men bent to take her limp hand in theirs before being shown to two chairs facing the sofa. The Senator sat back down, wrapping his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“Senator, let me first say how very sorry we are for having to meet you under such distressful circumstances,” Monty stated. “I understand you have been interviewed by the FBI, but we’d like to ask some questions of our own.”
“Anything we can do to help. And please, call me Donald. At this time, the title of Senator feels cumbersome.”
“All right, Donald. Instead of me asking specific questions at this time, I’d like you to talk about your daughter. Her life. What you thought of her business. Anything you can think of. Oftentimes, people can think of things freely when not barraged with a lot of questions.”
Nodding, Marcia’s father glanced at his wife before beginning. “She was a model student all through school. Smart, pretty, popular. She went to college here in Charlestown and majored in business. I wanted to set her up in a firm that I worked with, but she wanted to do things on her own. She got a job with Colonial Financial Group and has done amazingly well there. She was recently promoted to president.” Catching the eye of Monty, he admitted, “I’m aware some think she was very young for that promotion and it was all my doing but, I assure you, she got it on her own.”
A slight snort emitted from one of the other men in the room and Monty forced his eyes to stay on the Senator, but made a note to talk to the man later.
“She was on the board of several committees and charities. Very popular, not only in college, but since graduation as well. There’s nothing about her life that would have made her disappear. That’s why we think foul play must be the cause,” her father’s voice shook with emotion.
“It must have been a robbery,” Audrey commented, tears forming in her red-rimmed eyes. “She must have surprised someone in the middle of a random robbery and they took her. Or maybe she was out somewhere—”
“Shh now,” Donald comforted.
Monty and Jude listened for a few more minutes as the parents extolled their daughter’s virtues. While their responses were typical, no new information was forthcoming. Donald finally stood, assisting his wife. “Gentlemen, I’m going to ensure my wife takes a sleeping pill to see if she can get any rest. She hasn’t slept in over twenty-four hours.” Looking over to the other men in the room, he said, “Carlton, will you assist the investigators?”
“Absolutely, Uncle Donald.”
Two of the females in the room followed the Senator as he and his wife walked toward the staircase. The two men who had been standing near the fireplace moved over to introduced themselves.
“I’m Carlton, Marcia’s cousin, and this is Scott, a friend of mine who works with Marcia.”
“Without sounding blunt,” Monty began, “I got the feeling you were not in complete agreement with your uncle’s assessment of his daughter.”
Carlton blushed deeply and apologized. “I’m sorry, that was inexcusable of me.”
“But honest?” Jude prompted.
Carlton and Scott shared a glance then Carlton admitted, “Marcia’s a wonderful woman, just like her father said. But she wasn’t perfect. No one is.”
“And to be honest, painting her only in a favorable light won’t exactly help you find her, will it?” Scott added.
“You’re right,” Monty said. “So why don’t you enlighten us.” Monty stared intently at the two, lifting his eyebrow quizzically.
“Marcia was smart. And driven. Sometimes it felt as though getting to the top was her only mission in life,” Scott said.
“Did she step on anyone to get there?” Monty asked.
“Oh yeah. Our office wasn’t large, but there’s almost no one there without the heel marks of her stomping over them!” He hesitated for a moment then added, “Except for Cindy. She’s Marcia’s assistant. The two of them got along perfectly.” Shaking his head, he said. “Cindy is smart as well. College educated. I couldn’t figure why she took an assistant job when she could have used her degree to get paid a lot more somewhere else.”
The silence stretched out in the room, the two being interviewed glancing down at their hands, adding a nervous quality to the atmosphere. Scott fidgeted while Carlton attempted to meet Monty’s cool stare but failed.
“But hey, Marcia being driven in the workplace isn’t a crime and I’ve got no doubt it’s harder for a woman,” Scott added.
Carlton rolled his eyes. “Oh, she made sure to take advantage of being a woman every chance she got.” Holding the gazes of Monty and Jude, he continued, “She’s not quite the virtuous woman that her parents assumed. Just because she didn’t bring men to Sunday dinners didn’t mean they weren’t in her life. She partied and, at times, would party hard.”
“Drugs?” Monty queried.
Scott frowned. “Not that I ever saw, but she rarely left a bar or party alone, if you know what I mean. And before you ask, I’ll tell you that she could be a barracuda.” Rubbing his hand over his face, he sighed heavily. “Yeah, I was one of them. I was her boss at one time, but she made quick work of taking over some of my clients and moving ahead of me within the first two years.” Suddenly looking up, he said, “Does this make me a suspect?”
“Right now, we’re collecting information and the investigation is in the early stages. But, since you brought it up, were you with her the night she went missing?”
“Good God, no! I haven’t seen her outside of work in over six months. After she took over my position, we met up at a bar once. I was drinking alone and she came over and began drinking with me. She made it abundantly clear she wanted sex and we went back to her place. She was…well, she was…” he stopped and looked at Carlton.
“Jesus, man, just say it. I know she slept with anyone and everyone. You’re not going to tarnish my image of her.”
“Okay, she was really into it. Wanted it hard. Fast. Wanted me to slap her ass almost violently. She was totally in control and honestly…it wasn’t very good for me. We finished and I got the hell out of there.”
“Do you have the names of others who have been with her?” Monty asked.
“If you’re talking about at work, no. Her reputation was discussed, but no one admitted to having slept with her.”
Carlton added, “Marcia worked hard, no doubt about it. But she also played hard. If you want to get more information, I’d suggest you check with some of the bartenders at the nicer bars in town. She frequented them and, from what I hear, generally did not leave alone.”
Monty nodded, his mind considering the information. She may have left a bar with the wrong person this time. His suspicious thoughts realized that perhaps she was not missing…she may be dead.
The interview continued for several more minutes until the sound of the Senator’s footsteps were heard coming down the hall.
Carlton quickly said in a hushed voice, “Mr. Lytton, I know it seems like I’ve been ragging on Marcia. The honest to God truth is we were fairly close and I can’t believe she’s missing.” His voice broke as he continued, “But thinking she was some kind of angel won’t help you find her.”
“You’re right,” Monty conceded. I know the Angel and it’s not Marcia Creston.
The four men stood as the Senator came back into the room. Monty walked over, shaking his hand once again.
“Donald, we’re finished here for the moment. We’ll be assisting the FBI and interviewing her friends and co-workers.”
“I appreciate it. If there’s anything I can provide, please contact me.”
Monty assured, “We’ll keep you apprised of our investigation.”
*
“So what do you think?” Jude asked as soon as they were driving down the Senator’s long driveway.
“Not sure,” Monty answered honestly. “It’s not unusual for parents to extoll the virtues of their child, especially when their fear is so raw.”
“And the cousin and the co-worker?”
“Yeah, that bears more investigation. I’d like to know how close the cousins are. It seems as though Carlton had an axe to grind and wanted us to know the more sordid details of Marcia’s life.”
“You want me to check on him and Scott?”
“Absolutely,” Monty affirmed. “I’d like to know how Scott fits in with her at work and with the cousin.”
“If you drop me off at my apartment, I’ll start seeing what I can dig up. I’ll call Luke and work with him. I can also check in with Bart and Cam to obtain their intel on Marcia’s workplace.”
Within a few minutes, Monty dropped Jude off and, with a wave goodbye, he drove across town to the bakery. Parking, he walked toward the door, finding it locked. Peeking in through the front glass it was hard to see the interior, but it appeared no one was inside.
“Who you looking for?” asked an elderly man with an apron tied around his rotund middle and a broom in his hands. Monty’s gaze moved to the sign above the storefront. Vito’s Pizzeria. The man’s eyes squinted from the late winter sun as he held one hand over his forehead to shade them as he peered at Monty.
“I was looking for the owner of the bakery,” Monty said.
“They’re closed,” came the reply.
Monty looked at the dark, locked door with the Closed sign on the front. “Um, yeah, I figured that out.”
“Heard one of the employees say that the owner closed for the day. Some personal crisis.”
“You Vito?”
The man grinned as he nodded. “Best damn pizza in Virginia. You should try it sometime.”
Monty returned his grin, saying, “I might take you up on your offer.”
Continuing to nod, Vito turned back to his sweeping. “You do that, young man. You do that.” Then, glancing toward the bakery, he added, “And bring the pretty owner with you when you come.”
Thanking the man, Monty drove away, his mind meticulously turning over the few known facts of the case as he tried to tamper down his disappointment in not seeing Cupcake again. I’ve got to stop calling her that. Angel Cartwright. He could not decide which name fit her best…Angel or Cupcake.
*
That afternoon, the Saints met again at the compound. Bart and Cam had managed to get into Marcia’s apartment…after the FBI team had left.
“Her place was nice. Really neat,” Bart said. “Without knowing her, I’d say she was a control freak.”
Cam agreed, “She had the cans in her kitchen cabinets stacked perfectly and facing the same way.” This comment elicited a few raised eyebrows before he continued. “In the bathroom, her makeup drawer was organized. I don’t know about you, but I grew up sharing a bathroom with two sisters and am now married to a fairly neat woman and I’ve never seen a bathroom drawer full of makeup that was organized.”
“The place certainly had decorations and pictures around and nothing looked out of place.”
Jack added, “I heard from Mitch. It appears her place was wiped down. The few fingerprints found belonged to Marcia or her assistant.”
“That could indicate someone had looked for something and wanted to get rid of fingerprints, but that theory sucks,” Marc said. “If an intruder was thorough enough to be looking all around the apartment for something, then they would have worn gloves.”
“Cleaning service?” Monty asked.
“Or maybe the assistant was trying to hide something. If she knew her boss was used to having men around, she wanted to get rid of the evidence?” Bart surmised.
“Check both,” Monty ordered. “This evening I’m following up on a lead about some of the bars she was known to frequent. Marc, we’ll split them up. Bart, you and I will plan on going back to her office this afternoon for interviews. I want to know what the assistant has to say about everything. I don’t care if the FBI put her through the ringer yesterday, turn on your charm.”
“Hey, I’m a happily engaged man,” Bart protested, shock on his face.
“You’ve still got that Taggart charm,” Monty argued, teasing his co-worker. He grinned, adding, “Don’t sleep with her, just question her.”
The men chuckled as Bart agreed, leaning back in his chair, a twinkle in his eyes. “You got it. She won’t know what hit her!”
“Cam, find out what you can about who cleans her apartment and when. Interview whatever maid service she used.”
Luke, downing a gulp of hot coffee, reported, “So far nothing suspicious is showing in her personal accounts. Her checking account is stable, although it shows she had a penchant for expensive shoes, boots, and purses. Other than that, it’s pretty normal. Her savings show that she definitely diversified. She had two saving accounts, one IRA, and several investment accounts. Only one is through her own company, so that’s interesting. I’m taking a deeper look later today to see what I can find.”
Each with their assignments, the men went upstairs finding Bethany, Miriam, Sabrina, and Faith waiting on them. Bethany’s face beamed as soon as her eyes landed on Jack. The taciturn boss’ face broke into a smile as he walked over to embrace his wife. Kissing the top of her head, he noticed the food out on the long dining table. “You guys didn’t have to do this, babe,” he said. Her smile was his only answer as she snuggled into his arms for a quick hug.
Monty watched the exchange, wondering if he would ever find that kind of relationship. His mind wandered over his typical date, trying to imagine them in this group. Nope, can’t do it, he thought ruefully. For an instant, he thought of Claire and knew she would never be able to be one of the Saint’s women. As he gazed at the other couples, he found himself longing for something more than his solitary existence.
Miriam, wearing blue, maternity nursing scrubs, waddled over to Cam. She was dwarfed by her massive husband as he picked her up gently, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. He whispered in her ear and she giggled, nervously looking around the group. Swatting his shoulder, she continued to blush as he set her down.
Sabrina winked at her cousin before greeting her fiancé, Jude. “What have you ladies been up to?” he asked, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
“Wedding planning,” Sabrina replied. Bethany’s wedding venue business next door to Jack’s secure property had been the perfect place for their upcoming nuptials. “I know we want simple, but Nonnie’s gonna want her hand in things if I don’t take charge.”
Nodding his agreement that Sabrina and Bart’s grandmother was a force to be reckoned with, he said, “It’s our wedding. Babe, you do whatever you want.”
The group headed to the table to load their plates before moving back into the large living room. The room’s floor to ceiling windows illuminated the Blue Ridge Mountains in the vista while allowing the light to pour over the group. The oversized furniture surrounding the two-story stone fireplace easily held the gathering.
Bart saw the concerned expression on Faith’s face and moved over to embrace her as well. “What’s up, princess?”
Faith’s long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung low behind her as she lifted her head to search his face. “I know you’re working on something important. I was wondering…well, if you needed me to try to help?”
Bart’s gaze met Jack’s over the top of Faith’s head, silently communicating his feelings. Jack shook his head firmly and Bart turned his attention back to his girlfriend. The men had already discussed—and rejected—the idea of Faith assisting them on cases. Her extraordinary ability of sight had almost gotten her killed on their last major case and the men did not want a repeat performance.
“Princess, Jack and the rest of us agree that you’re not on Saint’s payroll. Right now, we’re investigating a missing person but, I promise, if you get any insights, then tell me and I’ll handle it.”
Smiling, her arms tightened around his trim waist as she placed her cheek against his heartbeat. “Come on, let’s eat,” she said.
The group quickly ate, the topics of discussion remaining firmly off the case as they enjoyed the easy banter and camaraderie. As soon as the meal was over, they dispersed. Monty and Bart headed out, determined to find out what Colonial Financial employees had to say about their boss.
*
Angel walked to the back door of her bakery having let out the last of her employees. The front door was already closed and locked. “Sorry guys, I’ll put the rest of the cupcakes in the freezer and we should be back in business tomorrow.”
“You sure you’re all right?” asked Helen, one of her most loyal employees.
She smiled although it did not reach her eyes as she answered, “Yeah, I just have something I need to do tonight. You know, a night to forget all my troubles.”
“Sure thing,” her cashier grinned. “I hope you get a little horizontal action while you’re forgetting.”
Rolling her eyes, she locked the door. Pulling out her cell phone, she moved her thumb over the keys and stared at the text that came up. Heaving a sigh, she walked out of the back, locking the door to the alley before heading to her car. Time to get ready for the evening.