Beautiful Girls (10 page)

 

^{I started the Mustang and sped that sports car through city streets until I reached the familiar road that led to the cooler mountains.}

^{My destination was Mount Lemmon, the highest peak in the various mountain ranges that surrounded Tucson. Tucson was over 2,000 feet in elevation and Mt. Lemmon zoomed up to over 9,000 feet. The diner was in the eastern part of town, so I quickly passed from city to suburbs to the mountain road.}

^{I fell in love with Tucson again. It was still an awesome ride in a great car, filled with breathtaking views. I climbed from the foothills of the Catalina Mountains towards Mt. Lemmon, the tallest peak in the range. I had fun driving the Mustang up the mountain in the dark. The stars filled the sky and the lights of the Tucson valley were a white blanket far below me.}

^{I found the turnoff to Edie's cabin. It's located above the 7,000 foot level, a few miles down from the summit. The cabin is located about one hundred yards off the mountain road. It sits in an idyllic site, at the edge of a pine grove. It's a three bedroom ranch house, and has a covered veranda that runs all along the front of the house providing million dollar views of the valley far below. The cabin has a beautiful kitchen, a large dining and a living area, a stone fireplace and three bedrooms. Edie had the largest bedroom done in sky blue.}

^{The cabin was a mess. It would take a couple of days to properly clean it, days I didn't have right then. It's clear her father had been at the cabin recently. The place smelled of stale cigarettes and cheap vodka. However, Rob was gone. I found an empty two-quart plastic bottle of Russian alcohol on the dining table, a filled ashtray in the living room, dirty clothes in a bedroom corner and fast food containers in the kitchen trash. I put all those in a big, black plastic bag and tossed it in the large trash container at the end of the driveway.}

^{I opened all the cabin windows to air it out. The air temperature outside was in the sixties and there was a cool breeze. It didn't take long to air out the cabin.}

^{Rob had used the master bedroom. I stripped the bed sheets and did a medium sized load of laundry. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, and put the clothes I wore during that day in the washer, too.}

^{I had just popped the lid on a Corona I'd brought from Lake Tamarisk, when my cell phone rang. It was Edie.}

^{I spent the first five minutes giving her the cabin status. She spent the next twenty minutes talking about her internet and phone work over the last two hours.}

^{“I think I found the bar. Well, actually, it could be one of two places,” she said with enthusiasm.}

^{“Really, what are the names?”}

^{“The first is Liquid. It's a lounge in the Aria Hotel. The second is Wet Republic.”}

^{“Both could be possibilities.”}

^{“Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Both seem right. I'd try Liquid first because it's a lounge, a bar. While Wet Republic is an outdoor pool and bar, and it really wouldn't be open now.”}

^{I said, “OK, that's logical. I'll head to Liquid first. I'm not sure where this will lead, Edie, but I think we're getting near the end.”}

^{“Yeah, I agree. I read that chapter in the Bible and it's an unusual story. It kind of stands alone in the middle of David's life, doesn't it?”}

^{“It does.”}

^{“It's strange that my dad selected that one. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seems like he relates to this story. Like he knows things are over for him, that he's like Nabal, an evil man who will be punished. But, Nabal was punished by God not David. You know?”}

^{“Sure, that's the message in the story. But, it took Abigail to stop David's vengeance.”}

^{“I know, that's the part that really freaks me. It reminded me of what I asked you to do yesterday.”}

^{“Right, I know. Rob probably guessed we'd be talking like that.”}

^{“Stevie, this is hard to believe. I had no idea my father read the Bible; and to pick a story like this, it's so strange.”}

^{“I know. I guess he had a lot of time to read in prison. So, let's not over think it for now. Did you get a chance to do a map search from here to Vegas?”}

^{“Yeah, I did.”}

^{“What are the main highways?”}

^{“You head north to Phoenix on I-10. In Phoenix you need to find highway 93 and take that north all the way to Las Vegas. You'll be on 93 for about 210 miles. Near Vegas you'll pick up other highways, but I'm sure the signs will direct you.”}

^{“OK, so I-10 to Phoenix, and then Highway 93 north.”}

^{“That's right. A little over half the way on 93, it merges with I-40 for about 20 miles. You go west on I-40, then 93 will break off and head north again.”}

^{“OK, I-40 and 93 merge for about 20 miles.”}

^{“That's it.”}

^{“OK. How long did the computer estimate it would take to get to Vegas?”}

^{“A little over eight and a half hours.”}

^{“Wow, really? That's longer than I expected.”}

^{“Yeah, well, it's 447 miles from Summerhaven. I put that in as the starting point, so you have about 444 miles to drive. With that Mustang, you'll probably make it faster.”}

^{“Man, I need a good night's sleep and need to get started early.”}

^{“You better, Stevie.”}

^{“I will. So, how are you and Tawny?”}

^{“A little bored. I hope this ends soon.”}

^{“Me too, baby. So, what did you guys do today?”}

^{She confirmed what Lomita told me. “We went swimming in Dot and Charlie's pool and drove to the library in the golf cart. I let Tawny drive. She liked that.”}

^{“That's cool.”}

^{“I also got a call from the L.A. Coroner's office. They want to know what our plans are with Bambi's body.”}

^{I said, “Oh, right. What did you say?”}

^{“Fortunately, Tawny was still swimming at the time and I was sunning on a lounge chair. I said I wasn't sure, that I'd need to talk to you. What do you think we should do?”}

^{“Does Bambi have a will?”}

^{“I don't know. I'll call her attorney tomorrow. I don't think people put that in their will.”}

^{I said, “I'm not sure. If the will doesn't say, you could ask Tawny what she wants to do. You'll have to explain the options, I guess.”}

^{“This tough stuff never ends.”}

^{“I know, hang in there, baby.”}

^{Then, Edie said, “Oh, I almost forgot. I called a cleanup company and a contractor. I'm having them do work on the mansion's garage apartment. The cleanup people arrive tomorrow. They're not maids. These guys specialize in difficult conditions like this. They also do work after fires and floods; that kind of stuff.”}

^{“That's good. You were busy today.”}

^{“Not that busy. I'm already getting cabin fever, Stevie.”}

^{“Yeah, I understand. Look, I know it's premature, but I want to think about our wedding. We need to do that right away. Now that I know you're pregnant, I don't stop thinking about it. We need to get married, baby.”}

^{“That's my fiancé.”}

^{“Edie, I'm serous. I want to do the right thing right away.”}

^{“I know, I was just kidding. I do, too. I just don't know about a big wedding. Can we do something small, maybe just you, me and Tawny?”}

^{“That's a good idea. My family will be disappointed, but they'll understand.”}

^{“Are you sure?”}

^{I said, “Yes, I think so. Why don't I tell them we'll come back to Delaware very soon? We could have a party there and invite my family and friends.”}

^{“I like that idea, Stevie.”}

^{“OK, well, that's a plan. It could be a while before we head east. We have so many loose ends to resolve here.”}

^{“For sure.”}

^{As we talked, I looked at the fireplace in front of me. I looked at the fireplace tools and saw the poker. It hit me all at once. I remembered the climax of our first adventure in 1995. It happened right here, in front of this fireplace. Then, the memories flooded back of my actions and regrets since that day. This was the first time and place where my actions led to the death of someone, even if I acted in self-defense. This poker was my weapon and defense against Kathy Reese's long knife. I shuddered.}

^{From a distant place, I heard my name, twice. I couldn't respond. It was Edie's voice, saying my name repeatedly.}

^{As my anxiety reached a peak, I somehow came back to that room, that space. I reluctantly broke my focus, and said to Edie, “I'm here.”}

^{“What's wrong, Stevie?”}

^{“I looking at the fireplace and had a flashback to Kathy Reese. I, I― ”}

^{“Oh, Stevie, I understand. It hits me too, from time to time.”}

^{I whispered, “I'm sorry, Edie. I didn't mean to bring it up.”}

^{“No, don't be sorry. You saved my life and Andi's. I can never thank you enough.”}

^{“We were lucky; somehow, I don't know how I did it, really. I just acted.”}

^{“You were incredible.”}

^{The mantel clock reached the top of the hour and began to chime twelve times. I welcomed the distraction.}

^{“I'm always here for you, Stevie.”}

^{“Thank you, Edie. I'm OK. Baby, I'll wrap up for now. Look, I'll call you at 9 AM, when I'm on the road. I should be heading to Phoenix by then.”}

^{“OK, Stevie, I love you.”}

^{“I love you, too. Give Tawny a hug and kiss for me.”}

^{“I will.”}

^{“Good night, Edie.”}

^{“Good night, Stevie.”}

^{I hung up.}

^***

^{Friday, October 22, 2004}

^{I left the cabin at 7:30 in the morning. Over the course of the night I thought of other questions for Sister Carrie. I didn't like the idea of getting a later start on my trip, but felt the stop was worth it. I drove down the winding mountain road to Tucson and worked my way through rush hour traffic. I pulled into the Cactus City Kitchen before 9 AM. Breakfast clean up was under way. I was directed to the kitchen. Sister Carrie was speaking to two cooks when she turned and saw my male escort and me. She recognized me and guessed my reason for being there.}

^{“Good morning, Mr. Garrett, how are you this sunny day?”}

^{“I'm fine, Sister, may I have just a few more minutes of your time?”}

^{“I'm terribly busy, Mr. Garrett.”}

^{I repeated her key word in my reply, “It's terribly important.”}

^{She smiled at me and said, “A few minutes…”}

^{She directed me to the same table in the dining room as the day before.}

^{“So, what's so terribly important, Mr. Garrett?”}

^{I handed her the envelope containing the letter and the bible cutting. She read them slowly.}

^{She then said, “This is odd.”}

^{“It is. That's why I'm here. I've talked to Edie and we think Rob relates to this story. He thinks he's Nabal, an evil man who will be punished.”}

^{She looked at me and then looked up at the sky lights and paused. Then, she said, “Oh, I don't know. You're speculating.”}

^{“True, we are, but we feel we need to find him, before more hurt is done.”}

^{“OK. So, what do you want from me?”}

^{“Did Rob ever talk about being punished by life, by God?”}

^{Sister Carrie said, “Not to me. Like I said yesterday, he believed life never worked out for him, because of sins that changed his life.”}

^{“Do you mean Sid Gabriel's death?”}

^{“No, it was something before that.”}

^{I said, “Yes, that's what I think, too. Do you know what happened?”}

^{“I don't know for sure.”}

^{“OK, but, back to the bible story. This 25
th
chapter from 1 Samuel is a story of vengeance, vengeance that David wanted to take on Nabal. But, Abigail stopped David from doing it. We see parallels with us, with Rob and Edie and me. I'm hunting Rob, but like I said yesterday, Edie has made me promise to try everything I can to not hurt Rob when I find him.”}

^“Yes.”

^{“Do you see what I'm saying about the parallels of the bible story with real life?”}

^{“To some extent, but what do you want me to say?”}

^{“I don't know. What do think the end game is here? Rob knows we're hunting him.”}

^{“I guess it's like you said, he knows you won't hurt him. Other than that, I agree, he's a desperate person. The hurts from years ago caused him to snap. I didn't see this coming.”}

^{“I have an idea what it might be, but I think time will show us. How long have you known Rob?”}

^{“We went to high school together.”}

^{“You did?”}

^{“Yes, here in Tucson.”}

^{“Were you close?”}

^{“He took me to the Prom, and we dated a few months after we graduated until we broke up and then started dating my cousin, Sandra.”}

^{“That was his wife, Edie's mother, correct?”}

^“Yes.”

^{“Have you been close to Rob ever since?”}

^{“No. We were out of touch for years. Then, he reached out to me while he was in prison.”}

^{“Did you respond to him?”}

^{“Yes, yes I did. We wrote each other and I visited him a few times. I spoke at his parole hearing, and I offered him this job when he got out. He accepted.”}

^{“I see. Thank you for your time, Sister.”}

^{I left her staring at me and then up at the sky lights.}