Scent of Gardenia (Scott Tucker Series) (13 page)

Chapter
29

Bill
Story and I were meeting with Stephen Strong along with members of his realty
office and the Real Estate Board. The object of the meeting was to show
everyone how the processes would work from the time a new property listing was
received through publication to the various independent realty offices.

Bill and
I arrived early to set up the microfiche reader and overhead projector in the
large conference room. Bill placed three copies of the sorted existing property
printouts along with the daily adds/change report and microfiche copies.

Soon
everyone was seated except Stephen. I waited for him to arrive, explaining some
of the basics about what the people would be seeing. Stephen came in, looking
concerned about something. I hoped it wasn’t something pertaining to this
session. He gave some quick introductions. I then commenced the presentation.

I
covered the existing process with a flow diagram pointing out the problems from
a realty office perspective. The main problems were a new office, or a new
salesperson would not have a full copy of all of the available listings. It
would take many weeks to have a complete hard copy of all of the available
properties. Second, the update process was costly, not only because it required
paper, but it involved mailing multiple copies to every office. Thirdly, it was
time consuming and required every salesperson, or their office staffs, to
remove sold listings, record any listing changes manually and file the new
listings in their hard copy books.

I
covered the new process, pointing out what the significant improvements were.
Every sales person would have a complete set of available properties provided
by the microfiche cards. The new sorted listings by; price, town by price,
style of home would reference the proper microfiche card and image number. This
would assist the salesperson in finding a suitable property for the prospective
buyer. Currently, each salesman would have to look through the listing sheets,
finding properties that match what the people were looking for.

Showing
the full process and end result cleared up some of the initial confusion and
questions asked in the earlier meeting. We covered the initial cost of the
readers and publication process. I showed the initial savings figures,
projecting annual savings. However, the process improvements and the resulting
benefits at the real estate office were priceless.

Bill
also conveyed details about a ‘white paper’ outlining the future of computers. He
covered how they would take this process and make it even more streamlined. He
introduced the concept of on-line or immediate access, versus the current batch
update process. It sounded far-fetched, but he explained what was being
explored right now at the MIT laboratory.

The
meeting concluded with action items to; develop an implementation plan for the
Boston Area listings, how training would be conducted, and a roll-out plan for
the remaining listing areas. Stephen thanked Bill, me and the attendees. There
was only positive support for the new process and some expressed anxiety about
how long it would take to implement.

*.*.*

Following
the meeting, Stephen asked to talk with me privately. Bill was going to take
the equipment we brought back to our office.

I
followed Stephen to his office. He pointed to a chair facing his desk, went
around and sat down at his desk. Something was indeed bothering him and my mind
was racing on what it could be.

“Scott
thanks for meeting with me. Here’s what I want to talk to you about. It
involves for the most part my daughter Melanie.” He watched my reaction.

I tried
to act as calmly as I could, but there were many emotions tied to her. “What
about her?”

He
didn’t immediately answer, sitting twittling his thumbs. “I obviously know
about what happened to you. Mercedes has given me the shocking details of what
had happened and what she observed when she located Melanie…well their
facility. I need to share some things with you about Melanie since we’re
working closely together. There are some things that I can’t continue to hide
from you. I hope you will bear with me so we can be on the same page.”

I nodded
my head, but I really didn’t want to know anything about her or to relive that
experience.

He resumed
speaking, “As you know, I had two daughters. Melanie was two years older than
Mercedes. Melanie and Mercedes were
not
my only two daughters.” He
paused letting that set in. “Melanie was really two people. She had a split
personality. She had a good side and a bad side. You only saw the bad side.
Unfortunately her bad side consumed most of her existence.”

“She was
raped by our next door neighbor and his friends for an entire weekend. I
believe, as do the doctors, that that trauma set off most of her actions from
that point in time. She eventually tried to burn down his house. That
particular action wound up getting her committed to an asylum.”

“However,
as you know she was released. I believe her good side was a major factor in her
release. For a few years she worked right here in this office, with things looking
like they were pretty normal. That is until she linked up with the other three
women to get revenge on the men who had either raped them, or someone in their
family. Along came the investigation into the men’s disappearance, you being
held and almost killed. So why am I telling you all of this?”

“Mercedes
has talked to me about the case she’s working on involving missing men in Bermuda. As you know, her role as a profiler has given her unique skills. Well, she has
shared her thoughts about the type of person who might be behind the abduction
of these men, and the murder of one of them. She believes the profile fits
someone very much like Melanie.” He watched me closely, but I tried not to
respond. He shared, “I’m telling you this because she might not be dead. If her
body was discovered, there wouldn’t be any question about this. However,
Melanie’s body has never been found which is very strange since every murdered
man’s torso was discovered.”

The
thoughts of her being alive sent a chill down my spine. “Do you really believe
she could still be alive?”

“Melanie
had her bad side, but she was also extremely capable and when she put her mind
to something it was hard to alter her course. I give it about a one percent
chance of her still being alive, but Mercedes felt uncomfortable enough to
share her thoughts with me. So why am I sharing something so obscure with you?”
He paused, then admitted, “I don’t really know why. I told you I thought you
were a fine young man, and Mercedes has told me she’s now seeing you. I guess I
just want you aware of this. Like I said, once Melanie put her mind to
something it was hard to alter her course.”

“Thanks
for sharing your thoughts with me.”

He went
in his bottom right drawer and pulled out a frame. “This is her picture. I’m
not comfortable displaying it in my office. I’ll give you a short example of
something which might give you a better feel of what she was like.”

“When
Melanie and Mercedes were in their early teens we were fishing, the four of us;
my dad, Mercedes, Melanie and I. Melanie hooked onto something. We were just
bottom fishing, but she hooked something and battled whatever it was for over
two hours. It got late and we had to pull anchor and head back to port. We told
her she had to either bring it in, or let it go. She fought another fifteen
minutes and was taking in some of her line but then the line snapped and she
lost whatever it was. Well, she forced her grandfather to go back to that spot
each weekend for several weekends trying to catch whatever it was. She never
did catch it.”

“Mercedes
is worried about the profile she’s developed and feels ‘you’re the one that got
away.’” He looked at the picture and put it back in his bottom drawer. “Scott,
if she’s still alive, I’m worried about that now too. I would keep my distance
from Bermuda, just to be on the safe side.”

“Thanks
Stephen for sharing your thoughts with me.” I stood up and he did too, and we
shook hands.

He
smiled, came around his desk and grasped my shoulder with a strong grip. “You
did an excellent job this morning. I need you more than ever to see this
through to a successful conclusion.” He added, “I’m talking about the new
process implementation.”

I had
a feeling he was talking about more than that.

Chapter
30

I
returned to the office and met with Paddy, Mike and Bill. I mentioned how much
I appreciated Bill’s help to set up the physical side of this presentation and
how successful the meeting went. However, my mind was still playing back what
Stephen had shared with me.
Could Melanie still be alive, and could I still
be her target.

I
indicated the next actions we needed to take and that I would be working on
them over the next few days. Bill would be obtaining bids on the equipment we
needed, and also meeting with the microfiche production people to set up the
needed process.

Mike
asked, “Are you okay Scott? You look like you’re someplace else.”

“I guess
I didn’t get much sleep last night thinking about this morning’s presentation.”

“Scott,
its Friday. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and make it a long
weekend. There’s not much you can do this afternoon, so I’m sure the long
weekend would recharge your batteries.”

“If
that’s okay with you guys, I think I will call it a day.” I had never taken any
hours off and felt strange agreeing to it.

*.*.*

Back in
my apartment, I wondered if I could reach Mercedes in Bermuda before she left.
Why?
What’s the point?
I looked for the note with her flight times. Once I found
it, I realized she was probably headed to the airport by now.

Why
hadn’t she shared her concern about the profile with me? Why did she share it
with her father? What if she was right about Melanie being alive, and what if
she was right about it being Melanie actually kidnapping these men?
I had taken a statistics class. This blew my mind about how
unlikely that scenario could be.

She
would have had to survive her plunge into the ocean. She would have had to
survive the ice cold water in the middle of winter. She would have had to get
to shore without being seen. She would have had to get a new identity. She
would have to get to Bermuda, establish a new life there, be able to fund her
existence, be able to kidnap these men, dispose of their yachts, keep them
alive for many months, and keep the authorities from learning what she was
doing. More importantly, she had to keep anyone else from knowing what she was
doing.
So, based on all of that why am I uncomfortable? Because Mercedes is.

Chapter
31

Holly
and Jules got a late start. She put her clothes on from last night, but didn’t
feel comfortable with any of that. Their first stop was the hotel so she could quickly
clean up and change clothes. Jules waited patiently in the lobby, or they would
be getting an even later start.

She felt
comfortable about last night. Jules, she learned, was ten years older than she,
which didn’t concern her. Other than wearing her clothes from yesterday, she
felt like a new door opened for her future. It was amazing the number of things
she thought about since last night. Could she throw everything else away and
stay here in Bermuda with Jules? As absurd as that sounded, she was weighing
the pros and cons of that possibility. However, she had a job to do and needed
to focus on that.

*.*.*

She
dressed in comfortable Bermuda shorts, pink blouse and sneakers. She was
wearing her prescription sunglasses when she approached Jules. He immediately
folded the paper, standing up to greet her. His quick appraisal of her told her
the choices she made were good ones.

She
whispered to him, “Okay Mr. Bennett, you’ve kept me prisoner long enough. We’ve
got to make some real progress today, or we’ll be working late tonight. I’d
rather not do that.” She grabbed his hand, leading him towards the lobby exit.

He held
the car door for her and they were out of the hotel parking lot in a flash.
“Where do you want to go first?” he asked, as he drove away from the hotel.

“It seemed
like the police would have tracked down the men’s last known whereabouts. Let’s
take the boat descriptions, checking to see if we can find anyone that has seen
any of these yachts. Let’s take the most recent one, starting with the
refueling stations. If the yachts aren’t in Bermuda, as the police have
confirmed, they would have had to take on provisions including fuel. Let’s
start there.”

*.*.*

Jules
was very familiar with all of the fueling depots on the island. He picked the
closest one in
Hamilton
Harbor
. He pulled the cab into the
parking lot, asking her if she wanted him to accompany her. She told him it
would be best if she did this on her own.

She
asked the attendant who she should talk to about the missing yachts. The young
man pointed to a shack at the far end of the pier.

As she
approached the small building, she wasn’t optimistic about finding anyone
inside. She hesitated knocking loudly, as the door looked like it might fall
off. The door swung open, making her step back.

A very
heavy man with a full white beard filled the entry. “Yes, what can I do for
you?”

Holly
smiled at him. “Hello, I’m Holly Compton. I am interested in the missing men’s
yachts. Can you help me?”

He
angled himself sideways out of the doorway. “Well I’m not sure I can help. What
did you want to know?” He headed past her to the side of the pier, sitting down
on one of the benches. It made a crunch sound as he sat down. He patted the
seat beside him.

“That’s
okay, I would rather stand.” He looked much friendlier sitting on the bench.
She thought, if he had a Santa Claus suit, he would be right at home. “Once
again my name is Holly Compton, and yours is?”

“People
call me White Beard, but you can call me that or Billy. How can I help you?”

“Billy,
as you know, four men have disappeared over the last eighteen months. One of
them was found murdered. The other three are still missing. All four of them
had large yachts, which have also disappeared.” He nodded. “The last missing
man is Nils Nielsen. His boat was the ‘Import-ant.’ Do you remember that boat
by any chance?”

He
stroked his beard, looking like he was searching his memory.

She
added, “This would have been about two months ago. Here’s an insurance report
on the boat.”

He
studied the picture and description. “No ma’am I can’t say as I recall it at
all. We see many a fine yacht, as you can imagine. After a while they all seem
to blend together. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“Thank
you anyway, Billy. I’m staying at the
Bermudiana Hotel.
If you do think
of anything regarding the missing yachts, or the men, please call me there.
Thanks again for talking with me.”

He tried
to get himself up, but was struggling some. He pushed himself to the edge of
the bench, finally managing to stand. “Holly, I don’t get many sweet things
knocking on my shed anymore. It was my pleasure. Again, I’m sorry I couldn’t
help more. You might try the other refueling points. You have a nice day now.”

She
headed back to where Jules was waiting, but thought she would ask the young man
at the dock about the missing yachts. She watched him wiping down a gas pump
adjacent to the dock. She went through the same introduction.

He
introduced himself as Peter.

“Peter,
I think you know that four men have disappeared in the last year and a half.
One was recently found murdered, but the other three are still missing. All of
them had large yachts which are also missing.” He blocked the sun with his hand,
nodding. “The last missing man is Nils Nielsen and his boat was the
‘Import-ant.’ Do you remember that boat?”

“I do.”

She was
shocked by his fast response. “That’s interesting. What do you remember about
it?”

“Well,
the name caught my attention first. I never saw a boat named that before. The
people on the boat didn’t seem to know much about sailing. I had to ask them several
times to vent the hatch. I finally jumped on the boat and popped the hatch
myself. We need to do that to prevent any fumes from catching fire or blowing
the boat up.”

“Thank
you Peter this is very helpful. Please go on.”

“Well I
filled them up, asking if they wanted any potable. Again, they looked confused.
I told them ‘drinking water.’ They said yes, but again didn’t know what to do.
I took the hose, filling the tank myself. We’re really not supposed to go on
any of the boats.”

“There
was something else I remember. The young guy on the boat had three young
females with him. They were very attractive and wearing bikinis. We don’t see
many of them, but it looks like they’re getting more popular.” He smiled as his
eyes seemed to light up.

“Peter,
how soon was all of this after the date Nils was reported missing?”

“Oh, it
had to be a few weeks after that.”

She
looked at her insurance reports on the other missing boats. “Do you remember
any of these other boats?”

He
studied the paperwork, shaking his head. He started to hand the papers back and
then took another look. “Yeah, I do remember this one—‘Roger that.’”

She knew
that was the murdered man’s yacht. “Why do you remember that one?”

Before
he could answer, a man approached them. “Peter, did the Amesbury’s come in for
gas yet?”

“No, not
yet.”

The man
shook his head. “That’s strange, I thought they said they were sailing early
today. Thanks Peter.”

Holly
thought the interruption was strange. Not an excuse me, or a wait for a break
in the conversation. He just asked his question. The people she’d met on the
island had been very polite. “I’m sorry; you were going to tell me why you
remember that yacht.”

“Well,
the two men were very tall, dressed in dark outfits. They looked out of place.
That’s why I remembered the name ‘Roger that.’ Neither of them looked like they
belonged to the boat.”

“Did the
police ever come and ask you any of these questions?”

“No, but
they did ask Billy. However, he rarely comes out of his building unless there’s
a problem. I handle most of the refueling…have for about five years now.”

She
offered him a twenty-dollar bill. “Thank you again, Peter. You’ve been very
helpful.” He shook his head and held up his hands, refusing the offer. “Please
take this…take someone out to dinner. You have been very helpful.” He looked
over towards the shack, and then took it.

“Thank
you. I’ll take my mom out. She’ll like eating at a fancy restaurant for a
change.”

“Once
again my name is Holly Compton; I’m staying at the
Bermudiana Hotel.
If
you remember anything else about these boats please let me know. Thanks again.”

*.*.*

She
climbed into the cab and joined Jules. She smiled because of what she learned,
and because she saw Jules’ smiling face.

“Good
news Holly?”

“Yes.
The gas attendant remembered two of the four boats. I think the four people
traveling with Nils decided to take his boat and continue their trip. The first
missing man’s boat was docked at the filling station with two large guys on
board. The attendant said they didn’t fit the boat’s name—‘Roger that.’ I think
that gives me something to work on.”

“Where
to now?” he asked.

“What do
you know about the Customs process, entering or leaving the island by boat?”

“Not
enough to steer you straight. Is that our next stop?” he said, looking at his
watch.

She
thought about them staying in her hotel room tonight. It would be much more
comfortable; her clothes, her shower, her toothbrush, her bed… and his familiar
smell. They could still see a sunrise from the comfort of her balcony, or
possibly even her bed.
She took a deep
breath. “Yes, let’s make that our next stop—customs.”

*.*.*

Customs
officials gave them documentation about the ‘quarantine’ process, explaining
how vessels coming into port all had to go through that ‘yellow flag’ process.
They showed them the records pertaining to the four yachts. They had no records
of the vessels leaving Bermuda and had already spoken to the police about the
missing yachts.

All that
proved was that the boats all entered Bermuda and the only occupants on three of
the boats were the missing men. However, in the case of the ‘Import-ant;’ Nils
Nielsen was the operator, and four other people were with him. There was one
man by the name of Richard Damelio, two sisters; Karen and Paula Scott, and a
Marie Quinlan. These four people were also listed by the police as missing.

By the
time they finished with customs officials it was getting dark. Holly suggested
they have dinner at her hotel. Jules picked up a sports coat and then drove to
the
Bermudiana Hotel
. Holly’s plan was more complicated, involving
dinner, drinks in her room and Jules for dessert.

*.*.*

Holly
was seated on her balcony watching the sun rise over Hamilton Harbor. The comfort of her hotel room was just what they both needed last night, to enjoy their
time together. Neither had fallen asleep until the early morning hours. Jules
was an excellent dessert.

His love
making was not rushed. He made her feel so special, like never before. Jules
was still asleep. It surprised her that she wasn’t asleep herself. Her mind was
trying to focus on what was happening. She felt like the puzzle pieces of her
life were now coming together, and it was incredible.

She
never heard Jules behind her. When he put his lips on her neck, she jumped and
gasped. Within minutes his hands were touching her body. It was hard to stop
his attention, but she didn’t want to make love here on her balcony, steering
him back to the bedroom.

Not
wanting to make love on the balcony seemed strange to her since they had made
love every other place. She realized her life would never be the same again.
This was paradise…or was it Jules? This investigation was going to take far
longer than the four days she had planned. She must call Paddy to extend her
investigation…she could also save money by staying with Jules on his boat.
Right now it was hard to think about anything other than what Jules was doing.