Chapter Four #2
He shut off the engine. “I have a resource at the agency who will be sending me a complete list of where and when their credit and debit cards were used since leaving Chicago.” He set his full attention on Charly.
“Until I get that list I need to be doing what I can. This is the home of the delivery guy, Teddy Sowell, who dropped off the food bag we found in the trash at the cabin. You want to go in with me? Having someone local with me could go a long way on gaining trust.”
“Definitely.” She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten the information, but she was glad he had. She scanned the place as she reached for her door. A privacy fence shrouded the backyard. Parked next to the house was a compact car. Hopefully, that meant someone was home.
They met at the front of his SUV. “I’m operating on the assumption that Briana and Martin will have encountered the perp somewhere here after their arrival.”
Made sense. “I wish I could be more helpful about their comings and goings,” Charly offered, “but the truth is they could have gone anywhere at any time without me noticing.”
She was getting cameras even if only at the entrance to her retreat. It was the single way in or out of the property via anything other than a utility vehicle or on foot.
A little late for Briana and Martin.
Charly pushed aside the depressing thought and walked alongside Billie to the front door.
The first thing she heard was a deep, threatening series of barks.
Beyond that, and at a somewhat lower volume, was the chatter of a television.
Billie knocked and the television volume lowered while the barking grew louder.
Definitely someone home.
The wood door opened and a middle-aged man wearing nothing but gym shorts peered through the screen door. “I have my own religion and I don’t need your pamphlets.”
“Mr. Sowell, my name is Billie Jagger. I’m looking into a case involving a couple who was staying at the Bradly Retreat.”
The man glanced at Charly and his expression shifted as if he recognized her on some level.
“Yeah? What’s that got to do with me?” The raucous barking started again. “Hang on a minute.” He disappeared into the house. The sound of him scolding his dog and ordering him into the backyard drifted to where they waited at the front door.
When he returned to the door, confusion and distrust lined his face. “What’s this about?”
“You made a delivery from a local restaurant to the Willow Cabin on Saturday night at around seven-thirty.”
The man’s gaze narrowed in on Billie. “Who told you that?”
“Mr. Sowell…” Charly stepped forward, nearly pressing her face into the screen mesh that separated them. “We’re not here about your work. This isn’t about you. We’re here to ask you about what you saw and anything the couple staying at the Willow said while you were there.”
The man was clearly suspicious of their abrupt appearance at his door and didn’t feel comfortable being questioned about his work.
Charly got it. There were folks around here who didn’t like anyone nosing into their business.
Billie might not understand that considering he was from such a large city.
Mr. Sowell scrubbed a hand across his chest. “Let me get a shirt on and y’all can come in.” He wandered back into the house once more.
“Thanks,” Billie said quietly.
She looked up at the man next to her. “He just needed reassuring that we weren’t looking into his personal business.”
Billie lowered his chin in acknowledgment of her explanation.
Mr. Sowell appeared at the door again. “Come on in.”
Billie opened the screen door and waited while Charly walked inside ahead of him.
The place was dimly lit, more than a little cluttered and smelled a bit on the stuffy side.
The furnishings gave her the impression of an older woman’s touch.
Maybe he inherited the place from his mom or maybe she lived here, too.
“Sorry about the mess,” he apologized. “I worked eighteen hours a day for the last three and I’m beat. My mother’s disabled and can’t do much anymore.”
“I imagine all the deliveries keep you pretty busy,” Charly said. Delivery was immensely popular these days. She didn’t eat out much, so she hadn’t used the service in ages.
Mr. Sowell plopped into a well-worn recliner. “I work maintenance at the hospital in the daytime and then deliver at night. You wouldn’t believe it. There are some people who never go out anymore and the rest only do on special occasions. I swear, everyone stays home now.”
“It’s the same way in the big city,” Billie chimed in.
Mr. Sowell eyed him a little suspiciously, even now. “So what’s the deal with this couple?”
Charly kept quiet. She figured it was better to let Billie reveal whatever he thought needed to be told.
“My sister, Briana, and her new husband, Martin.” Billie smiled. “They came here for a short honeymoon and now they’re missing.”
Mr. Sowell pulled a confused face. “Missing? Like in vanished?”
“Everything they brought to that cabin is still there—except the two of them,” Billie confirmed. “The police are investigating the case.”
“Wow.” He ran his fingers through his hair. It was fairly short and mostly gray. The tee he’d chosen sported a logo from a local restaurant and was the same color gray as his gym shorts. “That’s crazy.”
“When you saw them,” Billie went on, “did everything appear to be okay? Nothing struck you as peculiar or out of place?”
“The man,” Mr. Sowell explained, “came to the door. He was nice. Gave me an extra good tip. That’s always welcome.”
“Did you see the woman, Briana?” Billie asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. She was on the sofa watching television.” His face scrunched in concentration. “I think she said something about being glad I arrived so quickly because she was starved.”
“Was there anyone else at the cabin or was it just the two of them?”
Mr. Sowell shook his head. “I didn’t see no one else. Just those two.”
Billie asked, “Did you notice what they were wearing?”
“He…” Mr. Sowell hesitated. “I think he had on jeans and a tee with some baseball team on it. I can’t recall which one. She never got up but whatever she was wearing had these—” he touched his shoulder “—spaghetti-like straps. I think that’s what you call them.”
“Did they seem calm? Happy?” Billie prodded. “You didn’t notice any tension? No black eyes or bruises?”
Mr. Sowell frowned. “No. They seemed normal.” He shrugged. “You know, hungry. Happy, I guess. Relaxed for sure.” His chin lifted as if he’d just remembered something else. “And she smiled at me. I remember that.” His head bobbed up and down. “She had a nice smile.”
When Billie didn’t ask another question, Charly did.
“Mr. Sowell, did you notice any other vehicles? I’m sure you’ve delivered to the retreat before.
Generally, there’s one vehicle at each parking area.
Did you see anyplace as you were driving through where there was an extra vehicle?
Maybe you saw someone coming in as you left or coming out as you arrived. ”
He appeared to think on the question for a bit. Then he met her gaze. “I didn’t see any other vehicle coming or going. I noticed the parked ones but don’t remember if there was more than one at each spot. Sorry.”
“You’ve been very helpful, Mr. Sowell.” Billie handed him a business card. “Please call me if you think of anything else or if you hear anything about my sister and her husband. I’m really worried, Mr. Sowell.”
He studied the card a moment before meeting Billie’s gaze. “I will. For sure. I’m sorry to hear of your troubles.”
They were outside and back in the SUV before Charly spoke again. “What now?”
“Now we drive out to the location where the SUV was found.” Once he had backed out of the Sowell driveway and was rolling forward, he asked, “Do you know the place the sheriff mentioned?”
“Sure. There’s a lot of tourist traffic there. They must have pushed the SUV into the water at night. Otherwise, someone would have seen them.”
“We’ll have a look and then—” he glanced at her as he braked for a traffic light “—we’ll check out the houses on the road where Briana’s tracks ended.”
“Good plan.” Though Charly held out little hope about any potential video of the vehicle that drove away with the kidnap victims, she was willing to pursue the possibility.
No need to remind Billie about that. He wanted to find his sister. Charly would do whatever necessary to help.
When there seemed to be nowhere to go on a case, her father always said you just beat the bushes until something popped up.
At this point, she decided it was time to call Shelly Phillips, her fallback plan she used from time to time to cover the office and clean the rest of the cabins.
Charly was pretty sure she wasn’t going to have time to do the work on her agenda and to help Billie as well.
And this—finding the missing couple—was top priority.
Like he’d said, time was their enemy.