Another Word for Murder (6 page)

She moved away a step or two to give her husband some breathing room and looked past him into the rest of the kitchen, where they'd been in the midst of preparing a spaghetti supper. The soft light of a late spring evening washed the walls and ceiling with a honey pink; and the old fixtures, the painted wood cabinetry, and the linoleum countertops that had stood proudly for more than fifty years had taken on a timeless placidity and an almost maternal warmth. It was hard to imagine the world having direr problems than fallen angel food cakes or hand-beaten biscuits that refused to rise. Belle found herself sighing in nostalgic regret as she turned back to face Rosco, who was now staring at the blank wall above the phone.

“No, I guess there really
isn't
anything they can do at this juncture…. Not until … Look, why don't I drive over and pick you up. You two can have supper with Belle and me…. No, it's no imposition at all. We can hash this out, and then I can handle the other issue—”

A muffled crackling of noise interrupted him.

“You're sure? I don't mind coming over there, Karen. Because you sound—”

Again, Rosco's suggestion was cut short.

“You're positive you're okay to drive? Okay … okay…. We'll be waiting for you, then.” Rosco hung up. He looked at Belle, but didn't yet speak.

“Well?”

“Dan hasn't come home.”

Belle frowned slightly and waited for her husband to continue.

“He was supposed to take the afternoon off from work and return home in time for lunch. Then all three of them were going to take Bear to the park.”

“I was wondering why Karen didn't show up this afternoon. She's always there on Thursdays. Not that what you're saying isn't potentially serious … but I was afraid … well, that it was Lily who was missing.” Belle cocked her head; her lips were pursed, her gray eyes dark with worry. Then her expression brightened slightly. “Does he have relatives he could have decided to visit? Maybe there was a family emergency and he simply forgot to beam in—”

“He's got one brother. Karen called his number, but there was no answer. She said she doubted he'd be there anyway. The parents are deceased.”

“That's right…. Karen had told me he was an orphan.” Belle hunched her shoulders. “I take it you discussed contacting NPD?”

“Yes, but a missing person isn't deemed a police problem after only six or seven hours.”

“What about the state police? Or the hospitals?” The question was posed with a good deal of hesitation; Belle winced as she said the words.

“I told her I'd make those calls with her when she got here. She's really shaken. She said that Lily had disappeared for a little while earlier in the day, and she totally freaked. Apparently, Dan believed he was being followed home the day before yesterday, and it made her jump to all sorts of nasty conclusions.”

“Whew,” was all Belle could say in reply. She reached out her fingers and touched her husband's arm. It was a gesture of both need and love.

Dinner was postponed until Rosco—with Karen at his side—made the necessary calls to area hospitals and the state police while Belle fed Lily then took the little girl into her office to play games and read stories. A good deal of Karen's panicked state had rubbed off on her daughter, causing Lily to waiver between pleased attention in the activities Belle provided and vacant and petulant distraction. “I want to go home and wait for Daddy,” she insisted several times until fatigue finally overwhelmed her, and she allowed Belle to put her down for a nap. But then only if it was in “Gabby and Kitty's bed”—meaning the four-poster the dogs occasionally shared with the human residents of the house on Captain's Walk.

After that, Belle rejoined her husband and Karen downstairs, and the three sat down to a morose supper.

“I just can't understand it,” Karen said. “It's so unlike Dan not to let me know where he is.” She paused and shook her head. “He'd never do anything to upset Lily, and this … it's just so bizarre … so out of character …”

“I assume you've got your cell phone with you in case he needed to …” Belle left the question unfinished as Karen nodded in silent assent.

“Should we try his brother's number again?”

“I did before driving over here. This time I got a recorded message saying he's in San Francisco on business. Actually, I've never met the guy, even though he only lives down in Connecticut. He's a good deal older than Dan.” Karen left the rest of her explanation unfinished, and neither Belle nor Rosco felt it appropriate to push for additional information.

“And the folks at his office confirmed that he left at noon?”

“Yes.”

“And didn't return?”

“No.”

Rosco took a deep breath. “I've got to ask some hard questions, Karen.”

She glanced down at the table. The spaghettini with marinara sauce had congealed on her plate, almost untouched. “I'm sorry, Belle. I just wasn't that hungry.”

Belle stretched out her hand toward her friend's. “It's okay.”

Karen sighed, looked up, and took a steadying breath. Her face looked as vulnerable as a child's. “Okay, Rosco. Shoot.”

“Well, for starters, the good sign is that the state police have no accidents involving Ford Explorers to report, and the hospitals haven't admitted him.”

“I know … that's something,” Karen voiced weakly.

“On the other hand, Rhode Island isn't far, and Connecticut not much farther, and we haven't checked there…. ” He paused for a moment before continuing. “In my experience, people don't intentionally disappear without having a strong motive … and a place to go. That sounds simple to say and understand, but sometimes families can be the last ones to notice telltale signs that might have been observed weeks or even months before—signs that would have revealed the person's intention before the act was committed.” Rosco hesitated again. “So what I'm going to lay out for you will be a couple of tough scenarios to imagine—especially when a couple is as close as you and Dan are—but here goes. One: Could Dan have been seeing someone else? And two: Was he depressed?”

Karen shook her head. “He loves me, Rosco! We have a wonderful life together. Everything he always wanted and dreamed about—that's what he keeps telling me—the best of everything! Why would he want to give that up? Either for some other woman or—” Karen broke down and sobbed, and Belle stood, walked around the table and put her arm around the convulsing shoulders.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Belle said. “You and Lily can have the guest room.”

Karen shook her head. “No. I need to be home. Besides, there's poor Bear. He's been acting unusually groggy all day…. No, I should get back. It will be easier on Lily if she's in her own bed…. But thank you. Thank you both for being such good pals.”

Rosco glanced at his watch. “It's only nine thirty. I know he's been missing quite a while, but it's still early. I'm certain he'll be home before long … and with a logical explanation.”

Karen wiped the last tear from her eye and said, “I wish I could share your optimism.”

CHAPTER 9

When morning came, one of the first things Belle did was telephone Karen Tacete. It wasn't a task she relished or felt especially well-equipped for, but her friend's obvious needs overcame Belle's hesitation.

Rosco stood beside his wife in the kitchen as she asked the all-important question and received the leaden response of, “No, Dan hasn't returned yet.” In the background, Belle could hear Lily begin shouting with mirth. Karen had told her daughter that her father was away on business and that he'd bring her a “big present” when he came back. Lily was celebrating what she anticipated would be a very happy reunion.

Belle felt her heart fly up into her throat. She was afraid if she tried to speak she'd start crying. She motioned to Rosco, who walked into her office and picked up the phone on her desk.

“What would you like me to do, Karen?” he said. “I'm happy to help.”

“Do?” Either distracted by Lily's noise or too befuddled to think clearly, Karen sounded strangely spaced-out and incommunicative. “I don't know…. What does someone usually ‘do' in situations like these?”

“Well, I can begin by checking on any auto accidents with the out-of-state police, in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Vermont and New Hampshire, for that matter. If Dan decided to—”

“But why would he go to any of those places without telling me? It doesn't makes any sense.”

On her extension in the kitchen, Belle heard her husband drawing in a slow breath.

“Well, for the time being, let's just suppose that he had a compelling reason, whatever it might be, and forgot to—”

“Oh …” The word was a sigh only. It sounded to Belle as though Karen were falling asleep.

“And I should check on credit cards, gas company cards … see if there's any movement there—”

“Yeah … sure … I see …”

“I'll want to talk to Dan's partner, as well. Sometimes a business colleague has a different understanding of a situation, sees things that—”

“They didn't like each other; there were increasing problems where work was concerned.”

“Well, that's helpful to know, Karen.”

“No, no … Lily honey … come here to Mommy and stop bothering Bear…. He's not feeling too well. He's still Mr. Snoozy, like he was yesterday…. ” Then Karen returned to Rosco and Belle. “Yeah … I guess … whatever you think best, Rosco. You're the pro—”

“Karen,” Belle broke in. Rosco could hear the forced cheer in her tone. “I just got an idea. Why don't I come over and spend the day with you while Rosco does his thing? I'd love to spend more time with Lily, and if the weather's as nice as it was yesterday, we can take Bear to the park—”

“No, I should wait here for Dan.”

“Well, I'd be happy to wait with you.”

“I couldn't impose …” Karen's voice began to fade away.

“It's not an imposition if I get to spend time with Lilybet…. Let's just say it's settled. I'll stop at the deli on the way over and buy us a bunch of sinful nibblies. We'll have an all-girls day. Okay?”

“Okay …” Then the phone on Karen's end dropped back into its cradle with what sounded like a crash.

Rosco's face, when he returned to the kitchen, was lined; a clear indication he was thinking the worst. “Not good,” is all he said.

“No,” agreed Belle. She dumped granola into two bowls, sliced bananas, and tossed them haphazardly on top while Rosco refilled their mugs with coffee. Neither paid much attention to the act of making breakfast, and neither spoke as they consumed their brief meal. They perched on two stools nearest the coffee machine rather than sit at the table facing the bay window as they usually did.

“All set?” Rosco asked as he cleared away the crockery and put it in the dishwasher.

Belle nodded, rose, pushed the stool back under the countertop, and began to walk toward the coat closet to fetch her purse. Then she turned back to face Rosco. “Can you take this much time off from working on your other case?”

“I guess I'll have to,” was her husband's resolute response. “Right now we're in the middle of a waiting game. Oddly, no news is good news, and Karen needs all the help she can get, both emotionally and physically.”

Belle nodded again. Her eyes were now the color of charcoal. “She doesn't sound good. Did you notice her voice seemed off?”

“Well … don't forget that her husband's a doctor.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It wouldn't be the first time a doctor prescribed ‘comfort drugs' for his wife.”

“That's not Karen,” Belle said emphatically.

Rosco shrugged. “Nothing surprises me anymore…. Why don't you check on Dan's credit card activity when you get to their house. I'm sure Karen has all the numbers. All you'll need is his Social Security number, mother's maiden name, and zip code to access the accounts by phone. Write down the dates and times if anything shows up after he disappeared. I'll run down the merchants if you find anything. I'm going to start with the partner. Maybe Dan confided something to Jack Wagner that he couldn't tell his wife.”

“Karen already said they didn't get along.”

“I'd like to get Wagner's perspective on that.” He kissed his wife lovingly. “Let me know if anything jumps out on those credit cards.”

Rosco was in luck when he rang the buzzer of Smile! at quarter to nine. Appointments weren't scheduled to begin for another fifteen minutes, but Jack, Bonnie, and Ginny—the hygienist who worked Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings—were already gearing up for the day. Fortunately, as yet the waiting room was devoid of patients.

“I'd like to speak to Doctor Wagner if I could,” Rosco told Bonnie.

She gave him her professional smile. “If it's an appointment you need, I can—”

“It's a personal matter, I'm afraid. It'll only take a minute.”

“Oh!” Bonnie looked momentarily perturbed, and Rosco sensed her scrutinizing him in an effort to ascertain what the issue might be. “You're not with the police, are you?”

“No. Are you expecting the police for some reason? Have they stopped by or called?”

“Er … no, but Doctor—” She stopped and glanced down at the appointment book, although it was plain that she wasn't really focusing on anything. “I'm sorry.” She then reached for the intercom button. “Let me buzz Doctor Wagner for you, Mr…. ?”

“Polycrates. Rosco Polycrates. My wife is a friend of Karen Tacete's.”

But before Bonnie could convey this information, Jack Wagner himself came barreling through the door that led to the examining rooms in the back.