Steve Demaree - Dekker 09 - Murder on a Blind Date (5 page)

When I
left Lou on Tuesday night I told him that I was in better shape than he was, so
he could call me when he got up and felt like talking on Wednesday morning, but
not to call me before
9:00
. He told me that he would concede
that I was in better shape on Tuesday, but he felt he was in better shape on
the previous Friday. I decided not to argue the point. I had no intention of
entering a two-man Iron Man competition. Finding the bathroom when I left my
bed was as rugged of an exercise as I wanted to endure. Well, other than doing
something on my Wii after I was good and awake.

Because I
went to bed much earlier than usual on Tuesday night, I was up and at 'em by a
little after
8:00
on Wednesday morning, and was
feeling good enough that I wished that the Pancake Pantry delivered. Jennifer
was due to return sometime Wednesday, and I knew she would call me shortly after
she returned home. At some point, when she felt up to it, I would go by and see
her and give her the gift I bought her. At that point, I had no idea how glad I
was that I had bought that gift, and how much I would need it. That information
came a few minutes later when the phone rang.

The phone
rang and I looked at my watch. It said
8:48
. To Lou, after 9:00 meant after 9:00, and I couldn't picture Jennifer
calling me so early, so I was puzzled as to who would greet me so early in the
morning. Curious, too. Curious enough that I answered my house phone, which is
so old-fashioned that you still dial the numbers instead of punch them in. And
my old phone certainly didn't have Caller ID.

"Hello,"
I said warily.

"Hi,
Cy. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No,
I've been up for almost an hour."

"Cy,
you know how much I love you, don't you?"

"And
I love you too, Heather. So what is it you want from me this time? Evidently
it's not as bad as the last time, since you didn't show up at my front door. Or
are you calling me to tell me you need to stop by again?"

"No,
it's pretty much straight forward. I just called to tell you the name of that
dating service that arranged the blind dates for those missing people. I
thought you might want to check them out on the internet."

"Do
you think there's something on there that only I can see that will help you
locate those missing guys?"

"Maybe."

"The
way you said that, evidently you have more in mind."

"See,
I knew you were smart. That's the reason I called you for help."

"Okay,
Heather. What else did you have in mind?"

"Well,
as far as I can tell, the website is pretty straight forward as to how they
operate, what they offer men and women. How they arrange dates. Besides, you
can print an application from their website and mail it to them."

"Wait.
Wait. Wait a minute. You're not suggesting that I become one of the guys
looking for a date, are you?"

"Well,
Cy. I thought that's what I was doing. How are you going to find out enough
about them if you don't go out on the firing lines?"

"I
think you used a good choice of words. Firing lines. Remember I already have a
girlfriend. Remember Jennifer? Remember Jealous Jennifer?"

"Yeah,
I remember Jennifer. Nice looking. Been very good for you."

"So,
I guess that let's me out."

"Cy,
I'm not asking you to marry one of these women. Just meet some of them to find
out if one of them might be our kidnapper. You don't really have to date any of
them."

"Can't
I just look at some of their pictures?"

"Cy,
just read what it says online. Then you'll understand."

"Do
I let Jennifer read it too, so she can understand?"

"That's
up to you, Cy. I'll be glad to talk to her about it."

"Heather.
How can I say this? Jennifer's still not sure that you're safe. Remember Miss
Pretty Face and Outstanding Body. You're twenty-eight and she's forty-two.
Sometimes women with crow's feet are leery of women who show no signs of
aging."

"I
show signs of aging."

"I'm
not talking about those kinds of aging that happen between twelve and
twenty-five. I'm talking about the ones that happen after you hit thirty-five
or forty."

"Cy,
just read what you see online and then we'll talk."

"How
about I read what I see online, and then maybe Jennifer and I will talk?"

"Okay,
but what I haven't told you yet is that if Jennifer wants to be there, she can
be there when you meet these women."

"I
definitely don't think that would work."

"Again
you don't understand. Just read what's on the website and then we'll talk
again."

"Why
don't you call Lou? He's already been in the hospital once. Another time won't
make much difference."

"Cy,
I need someone good-looking and charming. I need you."

"Heather,
you are going to be the death of me yet. Okay, give me the website. I promise
you I'll read what's on there, but I'm not promising you anything else."

"That's
okay, Cy. If I have to do the hard sell, I'll drop by unannounced. Oh, here's
the name of the dating service. Just For You."

"Is
that the name of the dating service, or are you talking about my last meal
before my long walk?"

"Cy,
you know you're man enough to pull this off. Ciao!"

I hung
up, figured it was time to take a vacation and not tell anyone where I'm going.
Instead I slinked over to the computer, wondered what I ever did to get in
these kind of predicaments. And wondered how I was going to face those two
gorgeous women in my life, the two people I have trouble saying "no"
to. And I couldn't see how a "yes" would satisfy both of them.

+++

I was
curious about the dating service, but not curious enough that I put it before
my devotional time and breakfast. I opted for breakfast first, figured I would
let my food settle while I spent time with God. I was able to complete both
before the phone rang again. With nothing pressing, I went to satisfy my
curiosity. I sat down at the computer, went to Google and keyed in the name of
the dating service. Once there I found the information I needed to click and go
to their website. The first thing it asked me was for me to type in the name of
the city and state where I live. Since they didn't ask me for my name, address,
and Social Security number, or for any numbers on my credit card I complied.
This took me to a new screen, one that had the information I was seeking. At
least they were very up front. The first thing they told me is that it would
cost me one hundred dollars to meet a member of the opposite sex who has a lot
in common with me. Then it told me that I could fill out an application, mail
it in, and they would contact me about a place to meet a possible significant
other. I was told that my one hundred dollars would allow me to meet up to
three women, provided the first one or two didn't provide a love connection. It
went on to say that I would meet the first woman on neutral ground, that she
would know only my first name, and that after dinner together we would leave
separately. And within a couple of days I would contact the company to let them
know what I thought of this person. If both of us gave the dinner date a thumbs
up, we would both be sent contact information for each other and it would be up
to us to make any future plans. I wondered how we were to recognize each other,
and if they would fix me up with one old hag after another until they had met
their obligation. It was time to make a phone call and find out more about
them.

+++

"Spare
me the green eggs and ham reference, Sam. I have a job for you."

"Is
this one I'll be getting paid for, or one for old time's sake?"

"Well,
I don't think I'm getting paid for it, so I doubt if you will, either. Let's
say it will be your contribution to mankind."

"Are
you saying I have yet to make a contribution to mankind?"

"No,
I'm saying that you will continue to do so as long as you can walk and
breathe."

"So,
this will go on even after they put me in the nursing home?"

"Enough
chitchat. I need to you find out whatever you can on a business called Just For
You. It's a dating service."

"So,
you're going to be running around on that girlfriend of yours, huh?"

"I
don't know what I'm doing, but I want to know their connection to a couple of
guys who have mysteriously disappeared after using their dating service."

"Cy,
if you want to disappear, there are other ways, you know."

"I
don't want to disappear. I want to help Heather find a friend of a friend who
has disappeared."

"Heather,
huh? I knew there had to be a woman in there somewhere."

"It's
a dating service. I assume there are several women in there somewhere. Maybe
even someone for you."

"Perish
the thought. Okay, tell me what you know about them."

"I
don't know much. That's the reason I called you. But I can tell you that they
are located in
Lexington
, in the heart of the
Bluegrass
State
. I want to know anything you can tell me about them. Who
owns the service? How big are they? Have they had any problems? And would it be
possible for you to hack into their computer and give me a list of their
clients?"

"You
don't want much, do you, Cy?"

"Just
to locate these missing men, and to find out if anyone else is missing."

"I'll
see what I can do."

"And
another thing. I want you to find out what you can about the place Lou was held
until he was able to escape. See who owns the house, and whatever else you can
about the place."

I hung
up. I wasn't feeling good about any of this. Maybe these two guys found someone
else through some other means and didn't tell anyone about it. Would that be
too farfetched?

I was
contemplating what to do when the phone rang. I picked it up.

"Are
you up, Cy?"

"What
do you think, Lou?"

"My
guess is 'yes,' because your phone isn't next to your bed and you answered
within five minutes."

"So,
how's your memory?"

"My
memory is fine, except for that kidnapping episode."

"You
haven't heard any more from the
Tennessee
police, have you?"

"No,
I think they bought my story. I didn't tell anyone this, but the doctor told me
if I had been out in that cold another fifteen minutes that it would have been
a lot worse."

"And
you would have blamed me, because I was the one who told you to leave those
dead bodies."

"You
mean I wasn't supposed to take them with me. You don't know how much time it
cost me dragging that couple all over the place. I wrapped them up together,
facing each other. I didn't think they would mind. The guy was taller, the
woman's lips only came to his neck. Anyway, because he was taller I hit his
head on a tree at least twice, and a couple of other times the two of them got
stuck in some branches. I think that was because of the bungee cords I used to
keep them together."

"I'm
beginning to think that the smartest two of the three got left behind in that
silo."

"It
wasn't a silo, Cy. It was a house. It was just shaped different than most
houses."

"Okay,
whatever you say. What do you plan to do today?"

"Take
it easy for a while, then head over to Thelma Lou's as soon as she gets home.
She's already called me twice this morning to make sure I'm okay."

"Ain't
love grand? But if she had called me just once I could have told her it's been
years since you were okay."

"I'll
try to forget that, since you drove down to
Tennessee
and picked me up."

"That
reminds me. You owe me $48.23 for the gas."

"I'll
think about it."

I told
Lou goodbye, hung up my old-fashioned phone, and sat down while I tried to
figure out what I was going to do. I was afraid to start reading another
mystery. I was afraid I would agree to do something I didn't want to do and end
up in the hospital when Jennifer heard about it.

I wasted
most of my morning and had actually dozed off when the phone woke me. I was
surprised that Sam got back to me so soon.

"Cy,
I have a little bit of information for you. That dating service is owned by a
husband and wife, Arthur and Edna Comstock. They're originally from Midway, or
at least that's where they spent the last several years, but they moved to
Lexington shortly before they started this dating service a couple of years
ago. They operate this business from their home. Their only employee is the
wife's mother, Irma Childers, who lives in the house next door. What will
really surprise you is how large of an operation they have. They have clients
in ten states and paid taxes on over two hundred thousand dollars income last
year."

"Boy,
that's a lot of dates. Maybe you and I should go into that business."

"I
think I'll pass. They seem legitimate. Only a couple of complaints since
they've been there, which is a small amount when you have that many
clients."

"Not
as much if half of them are being kidnapped. Maybe they are using those they
have kidnapped to produce some kind of product to compete with
China
."

"I
don't think so, Cy."

"Were
you able to get any information on their clients?"

"I'm
working on that. That will take a little longer."

"Okay,
get back to me as soon as possible. I may have to get involved in this."

I hung up
from talking to Sam and wondered how I was going to approach Jennifer with
this. I didn't have to wonder long. Ten minutes later she called me.

"I
was just thinking about you. Do you feel like doing lunch together? I picked up
a little something for you in Gatlinburg."

"Why
don't you just pick up something and bring it over here where we can have more
privacy? Besides, I'm tired from running all over the place."

+++

I hopped
on one foot as I tried to put the other shoe on, anxious to see Jennifer. She
had been gone for a week, and I wasn't used to being without her for that long.
I stopped to pick up food for the two of us. I would let her decide which one
of us got the olive nut sandwich and dainty salad, and which one would chow
down on the
Stromboli
sandwich and French fries drenched
in gravy. I also picked up a piece of pecan pie and a bowl of banana pudding. I
didn't really care which one of those she took, or if she took either of them.

I met her
at her front door with bags in hand. She met me with a quick kiss, and then she
took the lunch and set it down so she could give me a lingering kiss. She knew
I preferred lingering kisses to quick pecks.

Wanting
to eat lunch before mold got to it, we dispensed of our private display of
affection and sat down to eat. She had talked to Thelma Lou and found out that
I had been telling her the truth about Lou being kidnapped, so she asked me to
tell her more about it. I held my hand in front of my face as I talked with my
mouth full and told her what little I knew. We finished our main course and
decided to wait a few minutes before we ate our dessert. I wondered if after I
told Jennifer what I had to tell her if I would get any dessert. I quickly
pulled out the necklace I bought for her in Gatlinburg and gave it to her.

"Oh,
Cy. You didn't need to do this."

"Oh,
but I did," I answered, but I'm sure she misunderstood the meaning of my
answer. She grinned at me and asked me to put it on her. It took me a while. I
had to kiss the front and back of her neck first. Part of my lingering kisses
had to do with the fact that she had a very kissable neck. The other part had
to do with the fact that I had cold feet when it came to doing something I felt
would get me in trouble. Besides that, I'm thankful I don't have to try to hook
a clasp located at the back of my neck each day. It took me a good minute to
secure one around Jennifer's neck, and that was a whole minute from the time I
got serious about it.

"Uh,
Jennifer, just before you got back someone from the department approached me
and asked me for some help with a current case. I wasn't sure how you'd feel
about that, so I told them I'd have to check with you first."

"Now,
Cy, you know I don't mind you dabbling in some work from time to time. By the
way, how is Heather, anyway?"

"I
don't remember saying who called me."

"I
was looking at you when you said someone called you. Who that someone was was
obvious."

"And
it's still okay for me to do it?"

"It
depends on how closely you have to work with Heather."

"Oh,
she won't be involved at all."

"Then
you have my permission. Is it anything you can tell me about?"

"It
might bore you."

"Then
I think you'd better tell me."

"Well,
there are a couple of guys who have disappeared and one of them is a friend of
Heather's cousin, and of course people are concerned about him."

"This
won't involve any long travel, will it?"

"I
hope not. As far as I know, nothing overnight."

"How
did they disappear? Does anyone know?"

"Well,
there is one thing their disappearances have in common. Both of them
disappeared not long after they had had a blind date. Not that night, but a few
days later."

"Of
course, it wouldn't involve you having any blind dates, would it?"

"There
is that possibility."

"You
know. You probably need your rest. Maybe Heather should find someone else to do
this. Like Dan, or George, or even Lou."

"It's
not a blind date like you think of one."

"So,
it wouldn't involve you going out with another woman?"

"Well,
yes and no."

"I
prefer the no."

"Well,
it's like this. It's different than you think."

"You
mean she's in one place and you're in another, and you sort of just talk, like
Skype?"

"Not
exactly different in that way."

"What
other ways are there of being different? I remember what blind dates are like. Remember.
I had one with you. And from what you're not saying it's possible that this
woman is a kidnapper. I'm not that eager to lose you."

"Well,
this one is safer."

"Evidently
it wasn't too safe for those other two guys."

"But
they didn't know to be on the lookout. Besides, I don't have to pick them up. I
don't have to take them home. I don't have to kiss them goodnight. And I don't
even tell them my last name."

"Some
of that sounded a little bit more palatable, but one of those words scared me.

"Oh?
Which one?"

"Them.
How many of these blind dates are you talking about?"

"Probably
only one with each woman."

"That's
the way it works, Cy. By the second time it's not a blind date anymore, unless
you live in a nursing home. Are you telling me you might have to date several
women?"

"Not
exactly date."

"Oh?
What will you be doing?"

"Well,
I'd just be meeting them at some restaurant. We'd eat, talk, and get to know
each other a little bit. Then we would leave separately, and we wouldn't even
know each others last name. And I'll probably use a fake first name, and make
up a story about who I really am."

"There
were some other scary words in there."

"What
scared you this time?"

"Get
to know each other a little bit. How about if I meet them and wear a wire?
Women are better judges of other women anyway, and I can save you the trouble
and let you know if I think each one is capable of kidnapping."

"I
don't think it would work that way."

"How
about you taking me along, introduce me as your real girlfriend, and then I'll
go sit in the corner while you talk. I'll have you miked of course. Oh, Cy, go
ahead. The Bible says we need to let someone go, and if it's meant to be they
will come back to us."

"You
know there's no one else out there as good as you are."

"I
know it, but do you know it? But I wasn't just thinking of that. What if one of
these really is the kidnapper, and she gets the drop on you?"

"I
think I can handle myself."

"What's
the name of this place, anyway? Maybe I can meet some of the guys, maybe even
go to the same restaurant on the same night that you do. Besides, maybe the
kidnapper is a jealous man. It's harder for a woman to kidnap a man, you
know."

"Depends
on what methods she uses."

"Well,
I don't want some woman using any methods on my man. Now, would you like for me
to show you some of my methods?"

Things
were looking better. And it didn't sound like dessert would be soon. The next
several minutes we took turns kissing, coming up for air, and telling each
other how much we missed each other. It was the first time I could remember that
I was willing to wait a while for dessert.