Missing Memories Page 5

  “They’ve done a thorough search of the convention center and have been to our three rooms. They’re waiting for the police now to do a search of the entire premises and the surrounding grounds. Oh Sarah, what’s happened to her?”

  Sarah gave the petite woman a hug but couldn’t find any words to offer her comfort. She fought to maintain control herself as she felt anxiety rushing throughout her body. Until that moment, she hadn’t taken Ruth’s disappearance seriously. She was sure her friend had just lost track of time – an easy thing to do at a quilt show.

  “Has anyone called her husband?” Sarah asked.

  “Should we?” Tessa responded. “I hate to scare him, but…”

  “I know, but maybe he’s heard from her.”

  “Good thought,” Tessa replied. “Do you have his number?”

  “Yes. I’ll do it.”

  As she spoke, a few uniformed policemen entered the room and appeared to be chatting with the security people. And I’ll call my husband as well, Sarah reassured herself.

  * * *

  “So, what did the police have to say?” Charles asked patiently, trying to help his wife calm down.

  “They looked around, and they took what little information Tessa and I had. They took her husband’s phone number and said they would be calling him, and that I should wait to contact him until after they had spoken with him. Despite all that, I just have the feeling that they aren’t taking this very seriously.”

  “I can understand that,” Charles, a retired detective himself, responded. “She’s only been gone a few hours, and adults have the right to simply walk away whenever they want and stay gone for as long as they want. Without evidence of something suspicious, it’s really not a police matter.”

  “Well, it should be, Charles. She didn’t just walk off – she left her breakfast to get a box of fabric from the car, and she never came back. If that isn’t suspicious behavior, I don’t know what is.”

  Her voice had risen a few octaves as she talked, and Charles realized his words weren’t offering her any solace. My lifetime of being a cop just comes out when I least expect it, he admonished himself. “I’ll leave now and get there as quickly as I can,” Charles responded.

  She hated for him to come running to her side yet again. It seemed he was always having to give her support. How did I get along before he was in my life? she asked herself. But she could immediately answer her own question. Before she met Charles, her life was very simple. Busy, but simple. After Jonathan died, she was either working at Keller’s Market or working in her garden.

  Since moving to Cunningham village, Sarah had branched out into the world of activities, people, and education. She was now comfortable in cyberspace, had learned to quilt, was teaching classes, and traveling to quilt retreats. She had developed a loving relationship with a man, had close friends, and still had the time to enjoy her family. With all that, there had been occasional complications that she hadn’t experienced in her previous life, but she felt much better off than some of the older people she knew in the village who spent their days simply waiting to die.

  “Thank you, Charles. I appreciate that. Call me on my cell phone when you get here. I’ll let the desk know you’ll need a key.”

  “Okay sweetie, and let them know you’ll be staying at least another day. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  As she was closing her phone, a pleasant looking man in a suit and tie approached her. “Mrs. Parker?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Detective Krakowski. Could we go somewhere and talk? I understand you know Mrs. Weaver very well.”

  “Sure, Detective Kra…”

  “Krakowski,” he repeated. “Jake Krakowski. How about the coffee shop?”

  “Fine,” she responded. “First I need to speak with Tessa. I think we should just close the booth.”

  “I agree.”

  Sarah suggested that Tessa cover the merchandise with the sheets that Ruth had stored under the table. “And if you don’t mind sitting in the booth until I get back, just to keep her things safe.”

  “Of course, Sarah. I’ll be right here.”

  Turning to the detective, Sarah asked if they had contacted Ruth’s husband. He said they had and that he was on his way. They left the convention center, and the detective led her to a table in the far corner of the coffee shop where they could talk. The center and particularly the area around Ruth’s booth had become very chaotic with security people, policemen, and curious bystanders.

  “There’s been a development,” Jake Krakowski began. Sarah looked at him with trepidation.

  “What?” she asked, barely wanting to hear his response.

  “We found her purse in the parking lot. Nothing appears to be missing. Her wallet is there with cash and credit cards. Her cell phone is there…”

  Sarah’s heart sank. Ruth wouldn’t be calling her.

  “...and this suggests the possibility that she left here against her will.”

  “Kidnapped?” Sarah gasped. “You think she was kidnapped?”

  “Not necessarily but it’s a possibility, Mrs. Parker. Do you have any idea who she might have left with?”

  “Absolutely not. Ruth Weaver is a kind, loving friend and…” Her voice cracked, and she reached for a napkin. She remained quiet until she regained her composure. “Who would do this?” she asked, not expecting an answer.

  “What do you know about her? Does she have family?”

  “There’s her husband, Nathan, of course. And she has a daughter working in Kentucky…” She gasped again. “Someone needs to call her…”

  “Her husband will take care of that,” the detective said calmly.

  “Of course. Her sister and her brother-in-law live near her, and they’re managing her shop while she’s away…” Again her voice cracked, but she continued to maintain control of her emotions.

  “Parents? Siblings?”

  “Ruth was Amish. She married outside the faith and was no longer welcome in her community. Her parents are dead now, and she doesn’t see her Amish siblings, except for Anna, who also left the sect.”

  “Would anyone from her community be behind this?”

  “She been gone for many years, detective, and she’s from a peaceful community. There’d be no reason for them to hurt her. No, it’s someone else, but I have no idea who. Maybe Nathan or her sister Anna will have an idea…”

  They sat for another twenty minutes or so while Sarah ran through everything that Ruth had done since arriving at the show.

  “You were in separate rooms,” he began, “so you don’t know what she did during the evenings I guess. Could she have been meeting someone?”

  Is he suggesting she might have been having an affair? Sarah wondered. “I can’t vouch for her for her whereabouts in the evenings…well except for Saturday night when we went to the Alzheimer’s Exhibit and a late dinner, but,” she continued with growing irritation in her voice, “I think what you’re suggesting is absurd. She’s…”

  “Mrs. Parker, I’m not suggesting anything, I assure you. We have no theories other than to suspect that she may not have left willingly. Please understand that we must ask questions in order to eliminate all possibilities.”

  “I know,” she muttered, dropping her eyes. “I know. I’m just so worried…”

  They sat quietly while Sarah composed herself. He then reached for his briefcase, thanked her for her help, and as he stood he handed her his card. “Call me if you think of anything else.”

  As he walked away, she looked down at the card in her hand: Det. Jacek Krakowski. Jake, she remembered he had said. A nice man like Charles, she thought. A gentle man. She wondered how men like Jake and Charles could survive the things they had to deal with in their jobs. She slipped the card into her pocket and slowly walked back to the convention center.

  It was early afternoon, and the police were making an exhaustive search of the facility. Many of the guests were spending more time speculating about
what might be going on than they were spending time at the show. Several announcements were made to assure people that there was no danger and that the show would remain open until five, the scheduled closing time.

  Tessa and Sarah decided that they would shut down Ruth’s booth under the circumstances. As they began packing, the two young men that Ruth had hired previously appeared at the booth. “We thought you might be leaving,” the older one said. “We heard what happened. Have they found that lady yet?”

  “No, not yet, but I’m glad you thought to come by. I was wondering how to reach you. Let’s go ahead and pack up.” She suddenly remembered that the trailer and the van were both locked, and Ruth had the key. “Oh wait,” she exclaimed. “We can’t get into the trailer.”

  “Didn’t you say that detective found her purse? Maybe he has the keys,” Tessa suggested.

  “Your right,” Sarah responded. “I’ll go find him.” She approached the first police officer she came to and pulled the card out of her pocket. “Could you page Detective Krakowski and tell him I need to speak with him. I’m Sarah Parker.” Moments later he appeared at her side. “You must have been nearby,” she exclaimed.

  “Actually, I was on my way over here to meet Mrs. Weaver’s husband. He just called to say he was on his way into the building. What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to ask about her keys. We need to get into the trailer, but if Nathan is here, he’ll have the key.”

  At that moment, Nathan came running up and grabbed Sarah’s arm. Detective Krakowski stepped forward protectively. “What’s going on Sarah,” Nathan pleaded. “What’s happened to my wife?”

  Sarah nodded reassuringly to the detective letting him know it was okay as she wrapped her arms around Nathan protectively. “Nathan, they’ll find her. Everyone is searching. We have to stay strong for Ruth.” Pulling away slightly, she turned toward the detective and introduced the two men. Nathan ran his fingers through his already mussed hair, looking confused and anxious.

  “I’m sorry,” Nathan said, trying to pull himself together. “I just…where is she?”

  “Let’s sit down and talk,” Detective Krakowski said, pointing toward the chairs which the young men had moved to the side of the booth. Mrs. Parker, will you join us?”

  “Please call me Sarah,” she responded as she moved toward the two men.

  “And Krakowski is a mouthful,” the detective responded. “Just call me Jake. We’re going to be spending a great deal of time together. Let’s keep it simple,” he added with a smile. “You too Mr. Weaver,” he added as he handed Nathan his card.

  “Thank you, Jake. It’s Nathan, and I’m sorry for the histrionics. I’m just terrified. What’s happened to my wife?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

  The three sat and went over most of the same material that Jake and Sarah had discussed in the coffee shop. Nathan didn’t have much to add since he’d only spoken with his wife twice since she left home. “She called me Friday night to let me know she got here safely, and again on Saturday night. It was sort of late when she called. She’d been somewhere with Sarah, I think?” he said, looking at Sarah questioningly.

  “Yes, that’s the night we went to the exhibit and then to dinner.”

  “Did you see her speak to anyone at the restaurant?”

  “No. We were seated right away by the window overlooking the water.”

  “Where?”

  “We walked up to that seafood restaurant a couple of blocks up the street…I forget the name…Scruffy’s or something.”

  Jake smiled. “Scupper’s,” he responded. “I’ll send someone down to see if they noticed anything unusual.”

  “It was the next morning that she disappeared, right?” Nathan asked. “Right after breakfast?”

  Sarah explained how they had met for breakfast, but Ruth said she wanted to get a box of fat quarters out of the van. “She ordered pancakes and said she’d be right back.”

  “Is the box still in the van?”

  “Yes, there’s no evidence she ever made it to the van,” Jake responded.

  “Where did you find her purse?” Nathan’s voice cracked on the last couple of words, and he dropped his eyes to hide the emotions which washed over him as he thought about his wife being taken.

  “A few yards beyond the van.”

  “She walked past the van? Why would she do that?” Nathan stood and began pacing. “Nothing about this makes any sense,” he exclaimed. Turning to the detective, he demanded, “What are you people doing to find her? Why are you sitting here with us when…”

  “Nathan,” Sarah interrupted. “The police force is out searching for her. Detective Krakowski is on our side.”

  “Sorry,” Nathan muttered as he sat back down and buried his face in his hands. Sarah and Jake moved away and gave him privacy.

  “I’m going back to the station and see if there’s been any news. You have my card. Call me, Sarah.”

  “Thank you, Jake. I will.”

  “Is your husband coming? You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “He’s on his way,” she responded with a weak smile. “We’ll be heading home tomorrow.”

  He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “We’ll find her, Sarah.”

  Such a kind man, she thought as she headed for the elevator and her room.

  Chapter 7

  “Are you sure we should be leaving?” Sarah asked, still not comfortable with leaving Chicago with her friend missing. They’d only been on the road for twenty minutes, and she was already thinking they should turn back.

  “Jake said there’s nothing we can do there, Sarah, and we’re just a phone call away. He’ll be in touch for sure.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Couldn’t you tell?” Charles responded with a mischievous look on his face. “The guy’s a little sweet on you.”

  “Charles! How can you say that? First of all, I’m old enough to be his mother. And second of all…”

  “Relax, sweetie. I’m just teasing you, but he does think a lot of you. That was obvious.”

  “Well, I liked him too. He’s very kind and sensitive for a detective.”

  “For a detective? And just what does that mean?”

  Fearing that she had offended him, she glanced over but saw that he was grinning. “You know what I mean. I’m just glad he’s in charge of the case. He’ll find her, won’t he?”

  “I’m sure he will.”

  They drove silently for the next few miles. Sarah saw that her husband seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Finally she asked. “Where are you?”

  “Wondering if there’s any way I can help.”

  “Do you have any ideas?” she asked hopefully.

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it. There’s something that just doesn’t feel right. I think I’ll give Jake a call tomorrow.”

  When Charles arrived in Chicago the previous night, it was obvious that he and Jake had immediate rapport. The three had met in the evening for drinks and, while Sarah sat back quietly watching their growing comradery, the two men discussed Ruth’s disappearance and their experiences with similar cases. They would occasionally glance at her and stop talking, and Sarah knew those were the cases with unpleasant outcomes. “You boys don’t have to pussyfoot around with me,” she had said at one point. ”I’m realistic, and I know that this might not work out the way we all hope it will.”

  Jake had smiled and said to Charles, “that’s some gal you have there.”

  “I know,” he responded, winking at his wife. “I know.”

  * * *

  The phone was ringing when they arrived home. “Let it go to the machine, Charles. I need to get settled in before I have to start telling this story to all our friends.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have much to tell. They already know,” he said as he laid the open newspaper in front of her. “Local woman missing. Authorities suspect foul play.”

  Sarah, still wearing
her jacket, grabbed the paper and sat down to read it. “Oh Charles, this is terrible. Look what they say here…”

  Charles took the paper and quickly scanned the article. “This is just your usual sensationalism, Sarah. We were there! We know this isn’t how Jake sees the case.” According to the paper, circumstances of her disappearance were suspicious, and the article made it sound like her husband was the prime suspect. “It would probably help,” Charles began, “if the departments weren’t always so secretive about their investigations. That just leads to reporters speculating and what they come up with is usually worse than the facts.”

  “But Charles, I think we should call Nathan and make sure he’s okay.”

  “We can do that, and I’m planning to call Jake as soon as we get settled. Right now I’m going to walk over to Andy’s house to pick up Barney.”

  After Charles had left, Sarah sat down to play the messages. Two were from Sophie, and the rest were from members of the Friday night quilting group. She didn’t think she had the energy to tell the story over and over, so she decided to call Sophie and get the phone tree going and invite everyone to an emergency meeting at the shop. She called Anna first to make sure it was okay with her since she was running the shop.

  Anna’s husband Geoff answered the phone and said Anna was at the shop. “She’s planning to close early so she can be home when Katie arrives.” Katie, Ruth’s daughter, was working in Paducah at the quilt museum and was on her way home to be with the family.

  “How’s Anna holding up?” Sarah asked.

  “She’s worried about her sister of course, but that woman is a real trouper. She just keeps going. I think it’s her Amish background. She holds back her emotions and just keeps going.”

  “I’ll call her at the shop and see how she feels about an emergency meeting of the quilters.”

  “I think she’ll be pleased with that, Sarah. They’ve all been calling her night and day to ask about Ruth. She’ll be glad to have you explain exactly what’s happening.”