Chapter 7
“Brian Carmichael!” Brandon yelled at his eleven-year-old son as he entered the house yelling for his father at the top of his lungs and slamming the front door behind him.
Not only that, but he was running like the devil himself was after him.
“Just because your mother’s not here this week, that doesn’t give you the right to act like you live in the wild. ”
“Dad!” Brian stopped and dropped his backpack and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “Give me a minute.” He wheezed and Brandon and his brother-in-law, Douglas, exchanged grins.
“Maybe if he’d run more often and stay off the video games, he wouldn’t get so winded.” Douglas grinned.
“I know, right?” Brandon agreed.
“I’m standing right here,” Brian said, and it was several more minutes before he stood and took the bottle of water his father offered him. “And I ran all the way from the store in town. It only took ten minutes.”
“What store?” Brandon demanded.
“Mac’s.”
“Holy shit. That’s good.”
“Yeah. But Mac told me to come home as soon as possible and tell you what happened.”
“What happened?”
“There’s a guy in town that’s asking questions about the Perkins family.
Wants to know where they live, how he could get ahold of them and he’s especially interested in Uncle Doug and Aunt Wanda.
Been in town all week asking around. But won’t state his purpose.
” He held up his hand when he finished his bottle of water.
“Mac’s words. I overheard the guy before I came home, I stopped in after school.
When I heard the guy ask about Uncle Doug, I hid in the aisle but listened, Mac knew I was there. ”
“What did this guy ask for, or say specifically?”
“Wanted to know if Mac knew of a family by the name of Perkins that would have moved here fifteen to sixteen years ago. Parents and three kids. Two girls, one boy. Said the boy, was his best friend when they lived in the same neighborhood in California. But he wouldn’t give his own name.
That’s why Mac sent me home quickly. Said if the guy was friends with Uncle Doug, then he should give him his own name. ”
“Agreed,” both Brandon and Doug said as one.
“Did you get a description of the guy?” Doug asked.
“Got one or ten better.” He grinned and pulled his phone. He accessed his photos and handed it over. “They start from his back, and I have side views and full front.”
Brandon took the phone and together he and Doug looked at the pictures. “I don’t recognize the guy,” Doug said.
“He gave Mac a business card and said he was staying at some hotel, but I didn’t catch the name. Mac sent me home to tell you and to come to see him.”
“Where’s Sarah?”
“She went home with Beth, remember, it’s Friday, and she’s spending the night.”
“Oh, that’s right. You got time to run down there?” Brandon asked his brother-in-law.
“I do,” Doug said, and together the three of them left the Carmichael place and headed the three miles into town. They walked into the local store, and Mac nodded to them, but they wandered the aisle until the customers left the store.
“Sheriff. Deputy.” Mac nodded to Brandon and Doug. “You get my message?”
“We did. Is this the gentleman asking after my family?” Brandon asked, and nodded to his son to show him the pictures. Mac took the phone and looked.
“Yes.” He passed them a business card, and Brandon took it, but didn’t look at it. “Thanks, Mac. Know where he’s staying?”
“Down at Maisie’s, said he’d be there until he got answers.”
“Thanks, Mac.” They left and went over to Brandon’s office. In there they closed the door, and the first thing Brandon did was, “Don’t tell your mother about this. I know she and your grandparents are gone this weekend, but I don’t need her to know. Not until we get to the bottom of this.”
“Okay. Are you going to kick me out of your office now?” Brian asked.
“No, I don’t see why you can’t be a part of this, but you’re not to tell anyone, understand?”
“Yes, Sir.” Brian watched as his father pulled the business card from his pocket and turned it over and looked at it.
“Christopher Evans, Evans Investigations, with a phone number. Don’t recognize where it’s from.”
“Can I?” Brian pointed to the computer and at the nod of approval sat down and punched several keys, then asked what the number was.
“New York City, New York. What would someone from the east coast want with our family here on the west coast? Uncle Doug, you or your family ever live someplace other than California or Oregon?”
“No, but who knows where Wanda is. When she said she wanted to go off and find herself, we didn’t know and still don’t know where she is. But we don’t really need to know because we talk to her at least once a week.”
“Fern said she got an e-mail a few days ago that said she’d be busy and would check in when she could.”
“Yeah, I got one too, it was two weeks ago. Got one this morning that said she was still busy, but was okay. Nothing struck me as worrisome. It was Wanda being Wanda. She’ll tell us what she’s been doing when she’s ready.”
“So, no alarm bells from either e-mail?”
“No.”
“Dad. I searched social media for this guy, I can’t do the checks you can with your police access, but I don’t see anything funny. Other than almost a month ago he broke up with his fiancée.”
“Well, we won’t get answers if we don’t confront the guy,” Brandon said. “Brian, you can come with if you promise to stay in the SUV.”
“Okay.” Brian grinned and followed his father and uncle out. A few minutes later, as they drove down Main Street, he called out. “There he is. He’s sitting at a table at Jane’s outside.”
Brandon slowed, made a turn and went around the block so that when he parked at the curb, he was several yards from Jane’s Restaurant. “Which one?” Doug asked.
“Jane just put a plate of food in front of him and refilled his coffee cup.”
“Let’s go,” Brandon said, and looked at his son and sighed. “Fine, but if your mother finds out, we’re both in the dog house. And if anything goes wonky, run.”
“Okay.” He grinned and hopped out. “How about I go get a table close to him and you and Uncle Doug come in from behind?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Doug grinned and watched as his nephew did just that. He was close enough he could hear anything the man said. He and Brandon walked in through the front.
“Hey, guys, coffee?” Jane called out.
“Yeah, but Brian’s out on the patio, we’ll take it out there with pie.” Brandon grinned, which caused Jane to laugh.
“Fern not back yet?”
“Not until Sunday. Better make it two apples and whatever Doug wants.
“Cherry.” He grinned, and they filled their own coffee cups. Brandon grabbed a soda for his son, and they went out to the patio. Brian had sat with his back to the man so that Brandon and Doug could face him. He made a mental note to congratulate his son on his choice of seating.
After their pie was served, it wasn’t long before this Christopher Evans looked over. “Gentlemen, I see by your badges that you’re in charge around here, could I ask you some questions?”
“Sure, mind if we join you?” Brandon asked.
“Not at all,” Christopher said, and moved his plate and cup closer to him. He watched as two big men wearing badges and a boy joined them. After several minutes of silence, they finished eating, and Brandon leaned back and sipped his coffee.
“What can we do for you?”
“I’m looking for a family from my past, it’s taken me over six weeks so far, and it’s finally led me here to this town.”
“What family?”
“Perkins. I can’t recall the parents’ names, but I know there were three children.
Oldest was a girl named Fern, then there was a boy named Doug, He was two years older than me when we lived in California, and I considered him my best friend, even though I was only five and he was seven.
But who I’m really looking for is the youngest girl, she was three the last time I saw her.
But I remember her name was Wanda.” He paused and sipped his coffee.
“It’s imperative that I find this Wanda Perkins. ”
“Why?” Doug demanded, then looked at Brandon who only nodded. Indicating he could take the lead. “I’m Douglas Perkins, and I have an older sister, Fern, who happens to be the Sheriff’s wife and Brian’s mother.”
“Really?” Christopher leaned forward. “Thank god. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Christopher Evans.”
“Sorry, can’t say I do.”
“Didn’t think so, it was over twenty years ago, but how about this. I married your sister, Wanda.”
“Oh my god, Chris. What are you doing looking for Wanda?”
“Wait, what proof do we have that this is that Christopher Evans?” Brandon asked.
“I’ll willingly give you a DNA sample or fingerprints. They’re on file with NYPD because of my job. Should only take a matter of seconds.”
“Okay, follow us down to the station,” Brandon said, and threw some money on the table. “Doug, ride with him.” His tone and attitude brooked no argument.
Doug frowned, but did as he was told. He was only a Deputy anyway. But in minutes they were at the station. Christopher’s prints were run, and thirty minutes later they came back, and his picture matched what was on file.
“Okay, we’re good,” Brandon said, and pointed to a chair in his office across from his desk. “Now talk.”
“Can I get something from my car?”
“I’ll go with him,” Doug said, and they were back shortly. Once settled in Christopher began. “Almost eight weeks ago, I was engaged. We went to the courthouse and filed for a marriage license. Imagine my surprise when the clerk entered my information, and it came back. I was already married.”
“What, you don’t remember a wild night in Vegas?” Brandon scoffed. And watched as Evans pulled a paper from his pocket.
“No, this is what they printed off and handed me. Said it was in the system, so it was legal. Also said I had to get a lawyer and find my ‘wife’ and get a divorce or an annulment. I thought I’d been told years ago that Wanda died.”