The missing link, p.6
The Missing Link, page 6
She blinked several times. “Phillip Nava?” Her vision was clearing. “I was there to see Carl Luden. I . . . I don’t know a Phillip Nava.”
“Carl Luden? Who is he?” He tilted his head in scrutiny, reaching for his phone and hitting the audio. “Mrs. Hudson, can you take me through what you did tonight and what you were doing at Nava’s house?”
Johanna tensed. What happened? Who was Phillip Nava?
“You said, tonight,” she replied. “What time is it?”
He glanced at the time on one of her monitors. “It’s close to nine p.m. on Thursday.”
“Nine p.m.,” she repeated. She’d lost hours. “My family, my business, they—”
“They know you’re here. They’re on their way. It was because they reported you missing to our local sheriff’s office that we were able to ID you.” He crossed his arms. “Your phone was gone but your car registration was in your glove compartment. We found your purse later.”
She groaned—all her contacts.
“How did you find Nava?” He returned to sitting. “A woman told us you were meeting her grandfather. That he had directed you there. But she had never spoken with him—only you. Now we can’t locate her. Who is she? How does Phillip Nava fit in?” he said, moving in closer to the side of the bed. “Just take it slow from the beginning.”
Johanna explained about Legacy Consultants.
“I told Leslie—wait, where is she? She said she knew the man . . . Nava?”
“That’s just it. We don’t know where she is. What’s her full name?” Ward soothed, as he scribbled down Johanna’s response. “She didn’t tell the EMS why you were meeting with Nava. She said she was only counting on seeing her grandfather.”
“So was I,” Johanna said, her head clearing. “Leslie Todd, is a new client. I was helping her find her grandfather, Carl Luden—not Phillip Nava. I don’t know a Phillip Nava—period. We were there to meet Luden. He told us to meet him there.”
“So you think Luden enticed his granddaughter, who he hadn’t seen in years, to a meeting where she could be implicated in a murder?”
“No,” Johanna shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense, even to me.”
He scribbled a note on his small pad. “The woman . . . er, Leslie Todd told the medical technician, that she discovered you alone at the feet of the victim, Phillip Nava,” he said. “Since she didn’t know where you were going, she couldn’t have known Nava would be there.” He paused then continued. “Were you aware Nava has dark money connections? He has a criminal record.”
“No, I was not aware. I told you I don’t know a Phillip Nava. Have you found Carl Luden? It was his house.”
“Actually, the house is owned by a family on the east coast who inherited it from their uncle. It hasn’t been lived in for years. They are holding on to it waiting for land prices to rise. They do not know a Carl Luden.”
“I guess I didn’t verify the property deed. But we had outreached to him.”
“You had a little head injury; maybe you’re getting things mixed up.”
“What—”
Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened and Ava and Trinidad hurried to her bedside. Ward moved back to the wall.
“Johanna, oh my God. We were so worried.” Ava picked up her hand, grasping it in hers. “Marty remembered the address, but GPS didn’t know how to find it.” Tears began to flow. “He was kicking himself for not having set up a file for Leslie Todd.”
“I know you, Johanna,” Trinidad said from the other side of the bed holding her other hand. “But I too was worried. I . . . I can’t lose another friend. Good, your head only has a small bandage. What does the doctor say?”
The door whooshed open.
“The doctor says there are too many people in this room.” She reached out her hand. “I’m Doctor Karen Davis.” A woman wearing a white jacket and carrying an iPad entered. “Leave, all of you. She’ll likely go home today, but I need to check her out. A nurse will meet you in the waiting area.”
“Doctor, I’m Detective Ward with the sheriff’s office, we—”
“Good to meet you, Detective, and now goodbye.” She didn’t look up from the device screen. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll testify anything she said to you today is suspect—she’s had a head injury Detective.”
Ward started to protest, but the withering glance from the physician was a warning he decided to take. He turned to Johanna. “I’ll be in contact in the morning. I hope you’re feeling better.” He closed the door behind him.
Ava and Trinidad let Johanna’s hands go with final squeezes.
Ava adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Doctor, I’ll be taking Johanna home with me. What time will she be released?”
“Depends, check in with the nurse’s station.”
Johanna understood the caution in the doctor’s choice of words. She moistened her lips and raised her voice, “Ava, Luden disappeared. We never saw him. This guy Phillip Nava was there when they found me.”
“This Nava person knows Leslie? How can that be, Johanna?” Trinidad frowned.
“I have my suspicions,” she said. “And Luden wasn’t there how—”
“What am I, a stalk of celery?” the doctor interjected. “Didn’t I just ask you to leave? Go. Your being here is not helping her.” She held her arms wide to herd them out.
CHAPTER TEN
“You can stop whispering. The office walls are thin, I can hear you,” Johanna said her fingers tapping on the keyboard keys.
Her door opened. Ava and Trinidad entered, both with arms across their chests.
“Johanna, what are you doing here?” Trinidad said. “You should be home resting. We do not need you here—well, we do not need you here right now.”
Ava took a step forward. “Trinidad is right. I know you want to find Leslie. We do too. But you’re not going to find her if you can’t think straight.” She sat in the chair in front of the desk. “Look, tell us what happened. Let us help you, we can be your feet.”
Johanna looked at both of her friends with gratitude.
“You are gems, but really I’m fine,” she said. “The sedative they gave me made me loopy, but the little pain I had is gone. I had a good sleep last night. I needed to come in. I’m more frustrated and . . . and worried more than anything.” Johanna took a breath. “And, yes it would be great to have your help. I have a feeling we don’t have much time.”
“Good, we will help you.” Trinidad took the remaining chair. “I agree with Ava we have your feet. Now, take us through everything that happened on Saturday.”
After a quick moment of puzzlement, Johanna and Ava exchanged a smile and look of translation understanding.
During the next half-hour Johanna brought them up-to-date with her client’s file and the happenings on the murderous day. Both Trinidad and Ava had reached for nearby writing pads to take notes.
“I can’t believe it was just yesterday.” Johanna shook her head. “The police interviewed me before I left the hospital and said they would be in touch. But nothing so far today. I can’t get a hold of Leslie. She’s not returning my calls or texts.” She ran her hands through her hair. “It’s making me crazy. They can’t find her. I can’t find her. She’s not picking up her cell.”
“What does she look like?” Trinidad asked, pen poised.
Johanna had a thoughtful look. “You never saw her?”
Trinidad shook her head.
“I wouldn’t recognize her either,” Ava added.
Johanna sighed. “You’re right we never met in the office. Marty met her when she dropped off her papers. Wait . . . no, he said a woman dropped them off for Leslie. I guess, he never met her either.”
The three of them looked at each other.
“No, no . . . no, I know what you’re thinking.” Johanna shook her head. “Wait, Leslie and I met with this guy at the US Marshals office. He saw her with me. We didn’t meet for a long time—he had to go to a meeting. But we did meet.”
“Well, that’s something,” Ava said. “You’re not completely bonkers.”
Johanna rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m not losing my mind, but I have to wonder if there is a reason for her keeping a low profile.
AVA
“Ava, what do you mean you’re thinking about postponing your trip?” Eric leaned over the lunch table, his voice raised drawing the glances of diners at nearby tables. “You have to it’s . . . it’s a chance of a lifetime. This is a position you’ve always wanted. Are you just going to walk away from your dream?”
“Calm down,” Ava said putting her hand out. “It’s my dream not yours.”
Eric stared at her, then nodded and lowered his voice. “Okay, that’s true. I guess I was also thinking about Aunt Lillian. I spoke with Mom this morning making final arrangements for someone to meet you at the airport to get the package from you. It’s really lousy timing. I guess I’ll just have to call Mom back.”
“Don’t try to guilt me, Eric. If you feel so bad about the package, you take it to Aunt Lillian. You’re the one who was originally supposed to go. But, I can’t leave Legacy now. I’m going to check to see if I can join the dig in later in the fall. I don’t have to be there at the very beginning.”
She hoped the disappointment she felt didn’t show. A major draw of the dig’s adventure was the enticement to be there for the site planning at the beginning.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay, let’s start over. I know you’re worried about Johanna, but at least it sounds like she’s on her way back to recovery. Right? So, that worry is going to resolve itself.” He grasped her hand. “I know we missed the mark as a couple, but let me help you with this. As a parting gift let me help you bring your life’s goal to fruition.”
“Eric, we parted over three years ago,” Ava snapped.
“It seems like only yesterday,” he replied with an exaggerated puppy dog look.
At that, they both laughed.
Silence came over the table as a server took their nods to pour refills of coffee. Ava put her hands around the cup to warm and inhaled the aroma. Eric waved the server away.
She took a sip and gazed out the window. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you? Why all of a sudden are you trying to be the thoughtful ex-husband and the dutiful son—it’s a questionable fit.” She turned back to look into his eyes—the eyes that once could make her forget her name.
Eric gave her a lopsided smile. “Do you remember Kevin Gault? He used to come over when we lived on Warren Street. Real tall, spoke with a twang—he was a couple of years younger than me.”
“Vaguely,” Ava said. “Didn’t he have a parrot?”
“Yes! That’s him, I forgot about the parrot.” Eric shook his head in memory. “Anyway, I went to his funeral a couple of days ago—”
“Eric, I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “He’d been ill for a while. But, my point is, there was hardly anyone there, Ava, just two people from his family in the room.” He clasped his hands. “I don’t want my . . . my last room to be empty. I’m trying to get my act together.”
She raised her eyebrows at the glistening of tears forming, and took a deep breath.
“Alright, let me think on things,” Ava said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. She looked down at her Fitbit. “I’ve got to go. I’m not sure how you can help Legacy but I’ll ask Johanna and Trinidad. We’ve got a couple of gnarly cases going and if I were to leave it would have to be when—”
“Doesn’t matter. Give me a chance, that’s all I ask.”
“Ava, I hear what you are saying, but it is not me,” Trinidad said as she tapped on her keyboard without looking up. “Johanna is the one who will think you are crazy.”
“Where is she?”
“Public records, I tell her I can go but she wanted to search for herself because she doesn’t know what she’s looking for.”
Trinidad squinted at the computer screen.
“What are you working on?” Ava came around the desk to look over Trinidad’s shoulder. “Still trying to find Simone Copeland’s father?”
“Yes, eventually. Right now I’m looking for Simone’s aunt.” Trinidad hit the keyboard. “And I found her.”
The lunch with Eric had taken longer than she expected. Ava glanced at the time on her phone. The music loop on hold was in its fourth iteration and she was tempted to email Homeland Security with the suggestion they use this gimmick as a psychological tactic to breakdown the mental defenses of criminals.
Before she left to do research, Trinidad had suggested she call another number in the system.
“Ava, call another number on the department’s contact list, and ask to be transferred,” Trinidad offered. “I would like to stay and hear how this ends, but I must go. Marty you can call me if you need me, yes?”
He nodded.
As far as Ava was concerned, the new number hadn’t worked and the hold music wasn’t nearly as nice.
“Are you still on hold?” Marty asked from her office doorway. He motioned at her nod. “There’s a man in the lobby—he’s a little well, intense. He wants to see Johanna.”
“Tell him she’s not here and not expected back today. And tell him we don’t take drop-ins.” Ava didn’t try to hide the irritation in her voice. “He should’ve made an appointment.”
Marty nodded and turned to leave. Ava held up her hand.
“Wait, don’t say those things.” She clicked the phone off. “That’s not good client service. I’ll speak to him. I can spend all day tomorrow trying to get through to the insurance company.”
“One other thing, he’s a little . . . overbearing,” Marty said. “He wouldn’t give me his name. Just said Johanna knew him.”
Ava pursed her lips. “Hmm, okay, let’s go meet this mysterious stranger.”
When she looked into the eyes of an elderly man standing next to the chair in the lobby Ava knew why Marty described him the way he did. Dressed simply in a blue uniform jacket with some sort of emblem, covering a pale blue shirt and tan Dockers. His piercing dark eyes didn’t match the otherwise benign appearance.
He did not return her smile.
“Hello, I’m Ava Lowell. I’m Johanna Hudson’s partner.” She let her untouched hand drop to her side. “Can I help you?”
“I need to see Hudson. When will she be back?” His voice was low almost menacing.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ava caught Marty’s slow, but steady movement inching toward the back of his desk. She didn’t want to think about what he was up to.
Evidently the stranger saw him, too.
“What are you getting ready to do?” He called out to Marty.
“Me?” Marty put his hand to his chest and with his best innocent look. “Nothing, I was just going back to my work.”
“Look, sir,” Ava said exasperated. “It’s been a long day. What is your name? Johanna will get in touch with you when she returns. However, I don’t expect her back until tomorrow—”
Just then the lobby door opened and Johanna entered.
“Hey, everybody I—” She stopped when she saw the gathering. “Hello,” she nodded to the man, and then sent a questioning look to Ava. “Hi Ava, is this a new client of yours?”
“No.” Ava gave her a pointed smile. “He’s looking for you. I was just getting his name.”
Johanna took a step back and Marty took a step forward.
“Sorry.” He ran his hand over his head. “Yes, I know she was looking for me.” He paused and then began again this time his voice was lower and controlled. “I didn’t mean to frighten you earlier . . . any of you.” He looked at each of them. “But it’s important I know.”
“Know what? Who are you?” Johanna asked, seemingly more curious than fearful.
“I’m Carl Luden. I understand you want to talk to me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Where’s Leslie?” Johanna blurted, when they were behind the closed doors of her office.
“Don’t you know where she is?” Luden said. “I had to leave the house before you got there. It wasn’t safe. There was . . . well you know.”
“You left us there!” Johanna shouted. “We could have been killed. I was attacked. Leslie found what she thought were two bodies and called 9-1-1. She was scared to death. Didn’t you see her?”
“From a distance, yes. But it couldn’t be helped,” he said. “Something came up. I’m working with the government and I can’t be seen. I knew the police were on their way.”
“Working with the government, really?” Johanna said. “I guess you didn’t notice the bodies in your kitchen you had to step over when you headed for the front door?”
“I don’t know Nava’s body was going to be there,” Luden insisted. “I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t kill him. “What do the police say? The newspapers are sketchy.”
“The police don’t confide in me, but they are looking for you.” Johanna said. “And Leslie, Leslie was totally distraught. She’s not returning my calls. She thought she was going to reunite with her grandfather and instead she’s party to a crime scene. That’s a bit much for anyone.”
“Look, there was a lot of confusion.” Luden’s eyes narrowed and his back straightened. “I had completely planned on meeting my granddaughter and getting back in touch with her life. I wanted us to be part of a family again. She has not had it easy.” He gave her a sad smile.
Johanna blinked, she had caught the thin lines of pulled facial skin—Luden was wearing a disguise.
“Mr. Luden, I don’t want to make things harder on Leslie. I felt sorry for her. My only involvement was to help her connect with you,” Johanna said. “She asked me to help her reunite with her family—that’s all.”
