Page 6

Chapter Six

Within minutes, Mark Matthews pulled to the curb and exited his vehicle. Alan had mentored the competent young cop with the idea that he’d eventually take over as police chief, allowing for a smooth transition in leadership. We also had an experienced part-time officer, Patrolman Ronald Simpson, who primarily walked the beat in town.

Mark greeted us pleasantly, then Alan introduced Clare. “We met Sister Dolan on our flight from Chicago, and she stayed with us last night since her sister didn’t appear to be home.”

Clare nodded. “That’s correct, officer. I feel certain there’s something wrong, so I need to go inside.”

“I see,” Mark replied before bounding the porch steps to ring the doorbell. “Do you have any documentation to prove your relationship with the resident?”

“For heaven’s sake,” Clare groaned. “My sister is Elizabeth Sterling and she resides at 147 Church Street. Her husband, Edward, died last month, which you could probably verify through the obituaries. ”

Mark continued calmly. “Do you have any other family in town?”

Clare yelped in frustration, closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and managed a controlled statement. “Officer, I’ve traveled quite a distance to console my sister after the death of her husband, and I’m terribly worried about her. Please help me.”

Alan interceded. “I’ll pick the lock,” he told Matthews. “You can call it a missing-person search.”

We had entry within seconds.

Clare called her sister’s name from the foyer, yet no one answered. Mark and Alan went from the living room, dining room, and kitchen, all on the first floor, while she and I followed. We found no sign of anyone living there.

“How many bedrooms upstairs?” Mark questioned.

Clare frowned. “I don’t know.”

Mark stared at her. “You’ve never been inside the house?” She simply shook her head before walking to the staircase. Mark and Alan outpaced her.

“Stay here,” Mark stated firmly.

I thought she intended to follow them, yet she changed her mind for some reason. Instead, she returned to the kitchen. “Lizzie’s not here,” she sighed. “She’d always have a cup of tea steeping on the counter near the stove.”

“How do you know she does that if you haven’t seen your sister in twenty-five years?” I asked.

“Because I lived with her until I went into the convent. A zebra’s stripes don’t change.”

We heard the thump of footsteps on the stairs and Mark’s voice calling, “All’s clear upstairs. Is there a basement?” He didn’t bother to wait for her reply.

Clare’s eyes wandered to the back door. “There should be a key on a hook nearby.” There was, and it fit perfectly into the lock.

I gasped when she pocketed it. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking the key,” she replied firmly. “I’ll come back and look around later. If Liz had to go somewhere, she may have left a note for me. She often did things like that.”

I thought she should leave it there, probably because I wouldn’t take the key to my sister’s house without her permission. Then again, I hadn’t visited Laura since she moved to Arizona with her third husband.

Mark and Alan returned from the basement to say that nothing raised red flags downstairs. Basically, they saw only a washer, dryer, furnace, and indoor home-putting green. “I guess your sister and her husband liked to golf,” Mark noted.

Clare nodded. “That’s correct.”

“Clean as a whistle down there,” Alan said, “and no sign of foul play. We’ll check the garage, then let Mark be on his way.”

“I imagine one of the keys on the hook by the kitchen door opens the garage,” Clare suggested. She took all four of them, then we followed the men.

The detached garage, set back from the house, was built for one car and had a side walk-in door, in addition to the front bay entry. Mark peered into the side door’s window while turning the knob. “It’s locked,” he said aloud, “and the vehicle’s inside. Where would your sister go without her car?”

Clare bit her lip, slowly shaking her head. She held out the handful of keys as she murmured, “We need to check inside the car.”

The second key Mark tested worked. He unlocked the side door, then proceeded to release the inside latch of the sectional entry and manually raised it as he noted, “No electric garage door opener, and this one’s a bit stiff. A little WD-40 could help.”

I didn’t know if Mark was trying to keep Clare calm or if he was recording his impressions of the scene. I found his verbal observations somewhat annoying because he needed to look in the car. I worried that we’d find Liz’s dead body in the trunk.

^^^

Fifteen minutes later, Mark closed and locked the garage, having found no dead body or sign of anything out of order. “I think your sister may have gone out with someone,” he told Clare in a calm tone. “I don’t have a problem if you want to stay here and wait for her return. I mean, as long as your sister wouldn’t mind.”

“I plan to do that, Officer. Can you put out a missing person bulletin or something?”

“My partner and I can be on the lookout around town if you can get me a photograph of your sister.”

“I’ll look for one,” she nodded. “May I drive her car?”

“Sure,” he said. “Registration’s in the glove compartment and it’s up-to-date. It’s an older model Subaru, so you’ll need to find her extra set of car keys. Luckily, we could pop the trunk from the driver’s seat.”

“I feel somewhat relieved,” Clare remarked, “but I still can’t fathom why Liz hasn’t returned my calls. Two weeks ago, she seemed happy that I planned to visit her.”

“Something must have come up,” Mark said. “It happens.” He gave her a quirky smile and told her not to worry. “Alan and Sue are right across the street and the police station is two blocks away, so let us know when your sister comes home.”

I had to give Mark credit. His calm demeanor and soothing tone always neutralized a situation, which made him an excellent replacement for Alan. As he slid into the driver’s seat of the police car, Clare thanked him for his time.

He smiled supportively. “It’s been mighty quiet around here lately, so I appreciated the diversion.” Glancing at Alan and me, he asked, “Any new business for the detective agency?”

Alan laughed. “We just got back from Japan last night. Give us a break!”

“You snooze; you lose,” Mark replied with a chuckle before starting the engine. “Welcome home, by the way.”

Alan pushed the door close and gave it a pat. “Thanks, and I’ll see you around.”

After Mark drove away, Alan turned to Clare. “Will you be all right now?”

“Yes, though I’ll need to collect the rest of my things that I left at your house. I can go get them, if that’s not a problem.”

“Not at all,” Alan replied with a smile. “I’ll help while Sue meets up with her assistant at the garden shop.”

“You’ve both been so very kind and I truly appreciate it.”

She stuck by Alan’s side as we crossed the street, and I said my farewell at our curbside mailbox. I didn’t bother to remind her that she left her sister’s back door ajar since I expected that she’d return there shortly. I just hoped Liz wouldn’t have a fit that Clare had taken up residence.

They’d have to work that out for themselves.