Chapter 4- Albetos
1457 Words
Granny entered my room holding a plate adorning a chicken sandwich.
“You gonna eat somethin’?”
I shook my head. “Got a work dinner thing to go to.”
Granny sat beside me. “You lookin’ mighty pret’ to be going out for work.”
The seventy-two year old woman pulled my blond curled hair away from my shoulders running her fingers through it.
“You goin’ with Malcolm?”
“Yup.”
“Hmmm hmm, he is somethin’ tasty. You ain’t gettin’ younger.”
“Twenty-five is still pretty young.”
“Not for a girl who keep lookin’ at her mother’s files. It ages a woman to be thinkin’ ‘bout the past all the time.”
I slammed the folder closed and leaned back. “Weird things have been happening, Granny. And I can’t help thinking about what happened with my mom. I heard mom talking about unearthly creatures of the night. Ones that moved and experienced life differently.”
“Your mother never did like ‘em creatures.”
I twisted towards her. “What creatures?”
“Child, you wouldn’t believe me even if I tried telling you.” She tapped me on the shoulder with her finger. “Now, when you figure it out. Let me know.”
“I can’t help but wonder if this group, whatever they are, may be the link I’ve been searching for about my mother. Why did she die? Maybe I could finally re-open the case.”
Granny said, “I know you've been workin’ real hard and wantin’ answers. But sometimes the answers we want, may not be what we are ready to be hearin’.”
I crossed my arms. I did want to know. My mother was onto something. Her last file was proof.
“Get up. Let’s put some jewelry around that neck.”
I smiled as I indulged my grandma. She scrutinized my choice of a deep blue dress, the same shade as my eyes. The top of the dress was lace as it hugged me until my waist where it flowed down. A slit started at my knee.
Granny smiled and left the room. She re-entered with a small box and held it out for me. Inside, it revealed a beautiful silver necklace with a large diamond in the shape of an upside-down triangle hanging at the end.
“That there used to be your mother. Before that it was mine, and before that it was my mother's. On n’ on.”
I placed it around my neck.
“Thanks, Granny.”
She smiled. “All the Vandemere family is looking down on you with protection and pride. Now, go get your man.”
I rolled my eyes. But not one minute later, I heard a knock on the door. I jerked back towards her.
“I heard the car comin’ down that dirt road.”
I shook my head and gave Granny a kiss. “You’re shameless.”
Granny followed me down the stairs to the front door. I opened it, and Malcolm froze and stared. It gave me pleasure to see him that way. He gulped.
“Adira, you look…”
Granny said, “Gorgeous, exquisite, like a full moon on a clear night.”
Malcolm smiled. “You took the words right from my mouth, Granny.”
“Happy to help.”
Malcolm didn’t look too bad himself in black slacks and a gray button-down shirt with a black suit coat.
“You ready?”
The older woman next to us shook her finger. “Now I know you claimin’ work. But don’t forget to have some fun too.”
“We will, Granny,” Malcolm said.
Half an hour later, the valet took our car, and we walked into one of the top five high-end restaurants in the city.
I nudged Malcolm at the fancy sign to the side.
Sit and eat half price with college ID. No reservations needed.
Already, there was a line of college students standing outside that door.
Malcolm checked us in, and they seated us near the glass divider. The glass had intricate designs and made it hard to see what was happening across the divide. It was obvious that was where they were seating the college students.
“How weird is that?” I asked Malcolm.
“Many places give discounts to college students.”
“But give them their own area.”
Malcolm grabbed my left wrist, I jerked it back in pain. He grabbed it again and twisted it, looking at the deep wound on my wrist.
“Glass got me yesterday.”
His hand moved down to mine. “All I’m trying to say is, relax. Life isn’t all about work.”
I leaned forward. “It is when young girls' lives are at stake.”
Malcolm leaned back, obviously disappointed. “Let’s make a deal. We can analyze and investigate until our plates arrive. After that, no more work.”
I pushed down my own frustration.
“Fine. Deal.”
He leaned forward again. “Okay. Well, we know Brittney and what I have now confirmed is the girl outside the hospital to be Sara Caphrey was here the night they were kidn*pped. Brittney called her roommate saying she was stuck in an elevator.” He tilted his head to the side. “That is not an elevator. Sounds a bit Scooby-Doo. But that’s what we got.”
I bit my lower lip looking once again at the college section side. “Who owes Albetos?”
“Garrett Shard. Recently bought the business.”
“When?”
“Five months ago.”
“And the k********g started happening four months ago. Don’t you find that odd? He buys and a month later the girls go missing and each only remembers going to Albetos.”
Malcolm rubbed his neck. “Why hadn’t we heard about these kidnappings sooner if they started four months ago?”
“They started off sporadically. It wasn’t until recently that we found them, we discovered a connection. So far, we understand that the perp keeps them for about three weeks. But where they are found is so… random.”
I tapped my finger on the table, thinking over the information. Malcolm put his hand over my tapping.
“We’ll figure it out. The next step is to get a warrant and start looking at their security videos. I noticed they have cameras outside and in here.”
“Yeah.” I leaned back realizing I wasn’t going to get any answers tonight. “You’re right.”
“Though, I think it’s odd,” Malcolm said, “Brittney mentioned an elevator. But I don’t see how a one-story restaurant would have an elevator.”
“Maybe, they have a basement.”
“Doesn’t show that on the plans I looked at. Maybe Albetos really doesn’t have much to do with it.”
“You’re probably right.” But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something.
The food was laid before us.
Malcolm smiled. “A deal is a deal. No more work tonight.”
I forced myself to match his expression. “Fine.”
“I noticed that Granny’s apple tree was ready to be picked.”
I nodded. “We were thinking about doing it this weekend.”
“Well, if you invite me over, I happen to know an amazing apple pie recipe.”
“You cook?”
He grinned. “I am a man of many talents.”
“Really? And what other hidden talents…" my voice trailed off as my attention caught onto a man, in his early thirties, brown hair, about my height, in a nice expensive suit walking towards the back of the building with two girls behind him. One was a redhead and the other a brunette. Both wore evening dresses that clung perfectly to their bodies. He turned around and flashed them a smile.
Malcolm twisted in his chair and watched. I slowly rose.
“What are you doing?”
“Those two girls were at the front of the line when we entered. No man was with them. They seem about the prep’s type.”
“Still work,” he mumbled as I followed in the direction they went.
I peaked around the corner. A wall slid open and inside was an elevator. The two girls stood there, but there was no man. The man was nowhere to be seen. The elevator door opened, and the girls quietly and almost robotically entered the elevator. It closed. The wall shut. And all was silent.
“Definitely Scooby-Doo,” Malcolm whispered behind me.
We looked at each other with no answers.
- Writer
