Chapter Thirty-Two
“You could have opened with that, Summer,” Jess snapped, heavy on the frustration. “What do you mean by ‘missing?”
“Okay, Jess. First, I just found out that Albert was MIA about ten seconds ago,” Summer said, tense. “And I wanted to see what I could find before I sent you off to look for a man who might actually be living with his daughter and grandchildren.”
Realizing how her tone sounded to her friend, Jess took a moment to gain control of her emotions. This case had her running in frustrated circles and she was about to snap. But Summer didn’t deserve to be a target.
Contrite, Jess’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s just been stressful lately. I appreciate all that you do for me. You are the best analyst and friend ever.”
Meaning every word, she waited. The last thing she wanted right now was to hurt anyone close to her. At a time like this, they needed to circle the wagons.
There was not telling who their sniper would target next.
“Hmmm.” Summer finally replied. “Here’s what I know.” Her tone thawed. “About a month ago, Albert went out on a family visit with Olive and wasn’t returned. The police talked to Prudence and she freaked out. Apparently, Olive didn’t tell anyone that she wanted to take him on an extended vacation. Prudence thinks her daughter will kill him off. He’s too old and frail for such nonsense, she said.”
“Olive didn’t advise her mother about the trip or where they went?” Sam asked. He rubbed his face. “She had to have told someone. A girlfriend? Her therapist?”
“According to the police report, Prudence said no.”
Sniper, kidnapper, all around flake, Olive’s crimes were piling up.
“Hold on. Let me check for updates.” Summer’s fingernails tapped the keyboard. “Nope. The case is still open.”
“Can you find us a picture of Albert?” Jess asked and looked over at Sam. “I should have confiscated all the pictures at the house. I bet Albert’s in them.”
He nodded. “Neither of us thought they’d be relevant. We were looking for a lone wolf woman sniper. Not an old man. We’re both at fault.”
Summer interjected, “Let me see what I can do.”
“Thanks Summer.”
Sam waited for Jess to end the call. “How can an old man and a young woman vanish without a trace, leaving no electronic trail? She must have a phone or computer. I’ll call up to the police handling the case and see what they have.”
Jess said nothing.
“Are you home?” he said and nudged her knee.
She blinked. “Sorry. If Albert is old and requires care, how easy can he be to hide? Olive is harassing me and Irving here in Ann Arbor, so Albert must be nearby.”
“I’ll have a notice sent to the area nursing facilities.” Sam made the call and fed the person on the line the information. “Start there. Ah-huh. Yes. We’re working on getting a photo. Thanks, Emily.”
They talked about other places one could hide a septuagenarian around the city where they wouldn’t draw attention. Olive would want her grandfather close.
“Knives are poking around behind my eyes.” Jess pressed two fingers to her temples. “I’m going to call my headaches ‘Olive’ because I get one every time I think about her.”
Squeezing her hand, Sam hated to see her so stressed out. She worried about the danger they all were in. He’d do what he could to help ease some of it.
“How about we sneak off to the closet where Summer can’t see us and I’ll give you a surefire remedy for an ‘Olive’.
That killed the strain on her face. She smiled. “For a man I didn’t like at all a couple of weeks ago, you’re turning out to be a cure for many of my aliments.”
He ran a hand up under her shirt and caressed the soft skin on her stomach. “Like what exactly?”
One hand slid up the inside of his leg. “Sexual frustration for one,” she said and looked down at his zipper. Holding her other thumb and index finger about a half inch apart, she added, “I was this close to sleeping with Dodger, the Oompa Loompa.”
“Should I be jealous?”
Her head tipped to the side and her lavender eyes looked up at him. “Do you care enough to be?”
That was an excellent question. Yes, the idea of that groomsman seeing her naked did tick him off. However, they didn’t have a commitment so she was free to see other people.
But a guy named Dodger? He probably couldn’t find her G-spot with a map and compass.
They were back to skimming the letters when to door to the room opened and Summer walked in, her heels clacking across the floor at a rapid clip. It was her wide eyes and troubled expression that kept their attention as she approached with a printout in her hand.
“Summer, what is it?” Jess stood. Summer held out the printout and Jess took it. The page was a grainy old black and white photo with two men in button-up shirts, slacks and ties, their arms around each other and big smiles on their faces.
“I can’t believe this,” Summer said and worked a thumbnail between her teeth. “This is unbelievable.”
Jess tipped the photo towards Sam and he shrugged.
“What are we looking at?” he said. They both stared at the normally cool Summer. She was shaking.
“The man on the right is Albert Grimes. Look closely at the face of the man on the left,” she said to Jess. “Do you know that face?”
Turning to flick on the table lamp, Jess reclaimed her seat and she and Sam shifted the photo under the bright lights. It took Jess about thirty seconds for her eyes and brain to place the cut of the face, the funny ears, and the smile. Although the teeth had been updated over the years, the lopsided angle of the smile was as familiar to her as her own.
“I don’t see it,” Sam said at the same time Jess said, “This has to be a mistake.”
“No mistake,” Summer said and returned her thumbnail between her teeth. “This case has gotten a whole lot more complicated.”