Return To Forever (12 page)

“I didn’t expect this black hole but I’ve been thinking of other ways to find her. I know she shopped at Hudson’s for her wedding gown and I would bet that she was registered there for gifts. If I’m right, the groom’s name would be on that register as well as hers.”

Phil was impressed with Joe’s ingenuity. “That just might work,” he said and obtained the month and year she came in to the store where his mother worked. “Let me nose around the store’s records and see what I come up with. Call me in a week.”

Joe was encouraged that Phil saw merit in his idea and he needed the week to move in to his new apartment in Tonquish Township, less than a mile from his parent’s home. As he was packing up the last of his clothes, his mom handed him a letter from Lansdale High School’s Alumni Association. The 10 Year Reunion would be held next month at the Lansdale Holiday Inn. Included with the letter was a questionnaire asking him to fill in basic information on what he had done since graduation including wife and kid names and ages. He wondered if Mary would show up and for that chance alone he decided to attend.

Joe moved in to his new digs and was able to get a phone connected on the same day. He took a few old furniture pieces from his parent’s basement but aside from a bed, dinette set, and an old green couch, much of the apartment was stuffed with music gear. He would soon find out his neighbors’ tolerance for noise. At least he was on the first floor so moving gear to gigs would be pretty easy.

Joe’s first call after moving in was a follow-up to Phil to see what he found out from Hudson’s. “Hi buddy. Did you get the notice about our reunion? I hope you’re going.”

“Yes on both questions. Melissa is bugging me for a new dress to wear. It will have to be a big one because she’s pregnant.” Phil was excited about showing off his beautiful wife for the dick heads that were too good to be his friend in high school.

Joe was elated to hear the news. “No shit! So that limp dick of yours actually works! If it’s a boy I expect to be the godfather…OK?”

Phil laughed. “You got a deal. Now I have some good news for you. Mary registered for her wedding to Robert De Laudanum, a 1968 graduate of State College. That’s as far as I could go without raising eyebrows.”

Joe took a deep breath. “Wow…so she dumped me for some frat boy draft dodger. Having all that freedom was all it took to get her to spread her legs…and she didn’t waste any time doing it either. I can’t believe her parents accepted this unless the guy came from a wealthy family. At least he graduated.”

Phil sympathized with his old friend but he knew he had gone way too far. “I’m afraid this is all I can do for you. You’re on your own from here if you want to push this thing which I strongly recommend you do not do. Who knows…she may surprise us all and show up at the reunion.”

CHAPTER 22

J
oe really didn’t have a date to take to the reunion. He considered asking Allison but she would have never agreed to go for who knows how many reasons. Maybe his old buddy Larry Knoblauch would be interested in going with him. He knew Larry had a mobile home somewhere south of town but nothing more. He would try the old reliable phone book to get his number.

“Hey Larry…this is Joe Fedorsio. How’re they hanging?” He found Larry’s number easily and hoped he was still living at the address listed.

“Well kiss my ass!” Larry answered. “Where in the fuck have you been hiding since you got back? I figured you ran off with Mary and got married.”

Joe gave Larry the condensed version of his relationship with Mary and how she had disappeared without a trace. Larry, in turn, updated Joe on how he went to work for Delta Airlines after returning from Nam. He took his large bankroll earned dealing weed and bought a brand new Olds 442 and paid cash for his double-wide mobile home. He was now growing some primo shit in one of the bedrooms and he would sell a little to his closest friends from time to time.

“So what about the reunion? You want to go with me?” Joe asked his old friend. “Might be fun seeing some of the old chicks we used to lust after.” Joe knew this was a long shot as Larry was never into the whole school spirit thing. He had almost zero friends other than fellow co-op students and didn’t even show up for class photos or commencement.

“Nah…that would be kind of hypocritical don’t you think? I hated that school and most of the little pricks in our class. I don’t know. Let me think about it. If I go you’ll see me and my old lady there.”

“Old lady?” Joe was caught off guard at this announcement. “I didn’t know you got married.”

Larry laughed. “Not married…just living together. Her name is Rose. Met her at a bar when I got back from ‘Nam. Good kid. Probably will get hitched to her at some point. Why don’t you come over and we’ll fire up a bong.” Joe got his address and promised to swing by soon.

Well it was looking like Joe would be a third wheel tagging along with Phil and his wife if they went to the reunion together. Other than the chance of seeing Mary, going was not something Joe was looking forward to.

—

The Holiday Inn parking lot was totally full except for a couple of spots far from the main entrance. The rain was streaming down as Joe pulled in and he wished he had brought an umbrella with him. He was about to get soaked to the gills. What an impressive entrance he was about to make.

As he neared the entrance he saw Larry and Rose standing outside finishing up a doobie. “Hey asshole, want a taste before I finish this?” Joe hugged his old friend and was able to coax one last puff from the dying joint. “Pretty good shit, huh?” Larry asked proudly.

“Very tasty”, Joe replied. “And this must be Rose?” Before anyone could answer Joe gave her a hug and whispered…”You got a good one.”

Together the old friends entered the reserved room at the Holiday Inn where the reunion festivities were in full bloom. Everyone was given a name badge with their yearbook picture on it…except for Larry who never had one taken. Larry and Rose found a table and Joe went to fetch them each a beer from the open bar.

As he walked through the crowd Joe searched for any recognizable face, especially Mary’s. He found Phil who had saved a table for his friends. Melissa was radiant with the glow of pending motherhood and was hardly showing. “Do you mind if Larry Knoblauch and his girlfriend Rose sit with us?” Joe asked as he continued towards the bar. Phil was never really friends with Larry but knew him in passing and had no issues sitting with him.

Joe ordered three beers and sat at the bar looking over the crowd of faces. He recognized a few of the guys but the girls had either changed a lot or those he knew never came. Johnny Vincent wasn’t there which didn’t surprise Joe…and, of course, no sign of Mary.

“Hey stranger,” came a voice Joe barely recognized. Joe turned on his stool to see Rick Koufax, a close friend in Junior High that he only saw sparingly in High School. Rick had gained a little weight and, like Joe, had shoulder-length hair which he had tied in a ponytail. Otherwise he looked pretty much the same. “So are you here with Mary?”

The old friends exchanged hugs and Joe told Rick that he hadn’t seen or heard from Mary since she went away to college. He left out the recent events with her sister and the shoe box she had sent him. “So are you here with your wife?” Joe asked and Rick pointed to a full table with some faces Joe recognized.

“Yes, got my wife with me. We’re sitting with a few of the guys I played ball with. Let me give you my card. Call me sometime and we can have lunch or a beer and catch up.” Joe took his card and put it in his pocket without reading it. They shook hands and Rick returned to his table and Joe gathered up his beers and went back to where Larry and Rose were sitting.

Once the entire group was seated and finishing the buffet dinner, the original band from their class, “Randy and the Continentals”, started playing tunes from 1964 and sounded surprisingly good. Randy, who was the original drummer, was now playing guitar and singing and asked Joe to sit in which he agreed to do. He chose to play “While my Guitar Gently Weeps”, remembering the solo note for note.

After finishing his impromptu performance, Joe took his seat while the others hit the dance floor. This gave him a chance to retrieve Rick’s business card. “Koufax and Company; Private Investigations and Security.” No shit, he thought! Old Rick was a P.I. Maybe he could pick up where Phil left off in tracking down Mary. He would call Rick in a few days.

CHAPTER 23

A
s much as Joe wanted to call Rick right after the reunion, he thought it best to talk to Phil one last time. He informed him of his brief meeting at the Holiday Inn and showed him Rick’s business card. “So what do you think? I am very tempted to see what Rick can find out about Mary’s disappearance. He’s a professional and may have access to things you might choose not to pursue.”

Phil studied the card for a moment before answering. “Rick was a good guy when I knew him. To get a P.I. license takes a lot of work and training and to have his own shop means he probably has a background in law enforcement…maybe in the military. Just be careful, you might not like what he digs up.” Another warning. Joe was now sure Phil found more than he shared with Joe. Rick will not be holding back anything.

After another week had passed, Joe decided it was now time to call Rick. Someone with a very attractive voice answered Rick’s office line and, after a brief wait, Rick was on the line. “Hi Joe. Glad you called. Ready for that drink we discussed at the reunion?”

“Actually, I was hoping I could come by your office. I may have some work for you if you are interested.” Joe didn’t want to lay his cards out over the phone.

Rick was appropriately surprised. “Are you serious? Hell yes, we can always use some new business. Do you want to fill me in now or when you get here?”

“Let’s wait until I see you.” Joe answered and they agreed on a meeting time the following afternoon.

Rick’s office was in old downtown Plymouth, a very attractive old-money setting. His suite was located in an old renovated building on Penniman Avenue. Parking was limited but Joe found a spot near the old Penn theatre, a short walk away. Entering Rick’s office, Joe was greeted by an attractive girl in her mid-20’s who had been typing furiously. “I have an appointment with Rick. My name is Joe Fedorsio.” Before she could announce his arrival, Rick was walking down the short hall with a welcoming handshake for his old friend.

“Please sit down.” Rick instructed as they entered his office which was much larger than Joe expected. On the wall directly behind his desk was his degree in Criminology along with a ton of photos from his days in the military. Rick had been a member of one of the first Seal Teams deployed in Viet Nam. He was a founding member of Det Bravo which was a joint operation working side by side with ARVN Recon forces. Joe wasn’t sure what Rick’s final rank was when he was discharged but he was clearly one bad ass.

Joe began by going into detail on the entire Mary saga, up to and including his meeting with Allison and the stone wall she had erected. Rick listened quietly, taking a great many notes. After Joe revealed the last piece of the puzzle provided by Phil, Rick put his pen down and asked Joe if he would like a refill on his coffee.

“So, do you think this is a trail you could pursue?” Joe asked as Rick’s secretary refilled his cup.

“Yes, I feel pretty confident I can get more information for you, but it may get expensive. Phil stopped when he did because he knew he would be risking his job if he dug deeper. Some of the options I can use will require a little palm greasing but hopefully that won’t be necessary.” Rick’s standard rate was $50.00 per hour plus mileage if a stakeout was required. He said he would give Joe the first five hours no charge and felt he could complete his search within that time frame.

Joe left the meeting feeling confident he would get to the bottom of what happened to Mary. He had a little money saved for a new car but would use it if necessary to pay Rick. He had been thinking a lot about Allison and wished he could see her without the baggage of Mary hanging around their necks. Man, what a shitty track record with women, Joe lamented.

—

Where Joe was missing out with women, he was knocking it out of the park with his music. His latest band incarnation landed a gig as the house band at “The Side Door”, a new and very popular venue in Dearborn…jazz downstairs and rock upstairs. He was making $100 per night plus an override for being the booking agent. In addition he was still sitting in with Troy’s band at The Raven which actually paid $250 for each gig.

Between classes during the day and playing at night, Joe was able to take his mind off of Mary and the mystery of her disappearance. When he sat in at The Raven he always searched the crowd expecting Allison to be there. In time he would have the answers he was searching for and maybe, just maybe, Allison will look at him differently.

In just over two weeks Joe got the call he was waiting for from Rick. “Hey buddy, good news! You need to drop by so I can go over what I have and see what else you need me to do.” Joe decided to skip his Forensics class and drove over to Rick’s office the following morning.

When Joe arrived he was led to Rick’s conference room where a myriad of papers and documents were scattered across the large mahogany table. “Take a seat Joe and get comfortable. This may take a while.” Rick had removed his tie and rolled up his sleeves for his presentation.