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Chapter Eighteen

Alan went to our office in the sunroom to start an internet search for information on the Sterlings, Wileys, and Windsors while I set up my craft materials on the dining room table. With the French doors open, we could continue our conversation.

“Do you realize,” I remarked, “we have three people with the initials J.W.?”

Alan paused his search. “What’s that mean?”

“They were the initials on one of Liz’s sticky notes. She also wrote ‘be careful.’”

“Not on the same paper,” Alan said. “One could have been a reminder to look in on Jane Windsor.”

“Maybe, but one of those three could probably lead us to Liz Sterling.” I felt certain of that.

Alan gave a little snort. “You think a sweet old lady like Jane posed a threat to Clare’s sister?”

I sighed before placing several glue sticks on the table. “Not really, and I liked Jim Withers, the bartender.”

“He also owns the Country Club,” Alan reminded me, “ so I doubt he’d want any negative press. Anyway, I liked him, too.”

“Given Dr. Wiley’s nickname,” I continued, “he’s a person worth investigating.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Alan groused.

I stopped talking, but my mind whirled with speculations. Perhaps Liz had found evidence of Joe Wiley spying on her after the death of her husband—maybe even before. That would have made her uncomfortable since she now lived alone, so she decided to stay elsewhere until Clare arrived.

“Hey, Alan,” I called. “Check to see if Liz might be staying at the B&B in town or the motel near the interstate.” I didn’t bother to elaborate.

He nodded his agreement while jotting something on his notepad.

I placed all of the spools of ribbon on the center of the table before searching for my craft scissors in the kitchen drawer. Back in the dining room, I remembered that Liz couldn’t have driven herself any place because her car was in the garage. Or, was it?

“Hey, Alan. Check vehicle registration for the car in Liz’s garage. It’s quite possible that the Sterlings had two cars, and she hadn’t yet sold Edward’s.”

“That’s a good point, honey. I’m having lunch with Mark Matthews at the station, and we’ll look into that.”

I let him continue his search while I made a batch of lemon iced tea for the garden club meeting. My mind wandered to what I could make for supper.

Alan saved me from wasting my time by calling to me from the sunroom. “Do you have any plans for this evening?”

I returned, “Let’s go out to eat. ”

He laughed. I knew that meant we had the same idea, or I could easily convince him of mine. Besides, I wanted another chat with bartender and golf club owner, Jim Withers and, maybe, find someone at River Mill who knew Liz Sterling.

^^^

As planned, Alan picked me up in front of Butterflies and Blooms at four o’clock. We wanted to give ourselves enough time to visit the pro shop at River Mill before heading to the bar and grill for supper.

I had no sooner buckled my seatbelt before he summarized his lunch meeting with the police chief.

“You were right, honey. Liz has a 2019 silver Honda HRV registered in her name, and the vanity license plate is LUV2GOLF. Mark put out a BOLO for her and the car.”

I knew BOLO meant “be on the lookout,” and I thought Clare would be happy to know the county police would take part in the search for her sister. As Alan drove out of town, I kept my eyes on the road, searching for a silver SUV.

“That shouldn’t be too hard to find,” I replied. “What else did you and Mark discover?”

“I went off on my own since the mayor called a meeting he had to attend. I’m so glad I don’t have to be at Lou Greene’s beck and call any more.”

“Stepping down as police chief was the best decision you ever made,” I said.

He gave me a sideward glance with a quirky smile. “Marrying you was even better. ”

I laughed. “That’s true, too. Did you go back to the county courthouse?”

“Yes, and I also stopped by Dr. Wiley’s office. He and his wife will meet us at the River Mill bar and grill tonight.”

I stared at him. “You walked into a doctor’s office and had a chance to speak with him personally? I find that hard to believe.”

“Perfect timing. He was on his way to check on a patient at the hospital.”

“Still,” I said, “you’re a stranger. Why would he agree to see us at the golf club on such short notice?”

“He recognized me as the former police chief. Besides, I gave him our business card and told him that Liz Sterling’s sister hired us to find her.”

I would have preferred to meet him as a neighbor, not as a suspicious character in a missing-person case, but I figured Alan knew what he was doing. At least, I hoped he did.

“How did he react to that?” I asked.

“He seemed concerned.”

“Yeah, right.” I didn’t believe “spyly Wiley.”

Alan ignored my facetious comment. “Do you want to know about Jane Windsor’s family?”

“Of course.” She’d already told us they were all dead, so I didn’t expect any earth-shaking news.

Alan turned off the main road onto the winding drive for the River Mill Country Club. As he searched for a parking spot, he said, “Philip Windsor died twenty-four years ago from a heart attack. Their three sons also died of heart attacks within five years of each other.”

“How sad,” I sighed. “Were any of them married?

“I don’t think so.” Alan took an empty spot and turned off the ignition. “Anyway, her story matches what I found. ”

“Good. What’s next, partner?”

“Let’s see if we can find Jim Withers before we meet with the Wileys. Maybe he can give us some information about them.”

I nodded my agreement as I unhooked my seatbelt. “I’d also like to talk to some of the ladies who knew Liz.”

Alan snickered. “Don’t use past tense. That could bring bad luck and, anyway, it sounds too gruesome.”

The thought of Liz being dead gave me a shiver.