Baby Girl Doe (Stephanie Chalice Thrillers Book 5) (3 page)

The doorbell rang at nine a.m.

“Oh-dear-God,
who the hell
is that
?”
I hate to wake up grumpy, but I guess Max wasn’t quite at ease in his new surroundings and had been up most of the night. I had just dozed off when the doorbell rang.

Camryn had showed us her place right after we had finished dinner at the café, and it was after midnight before we had a chance to look around and sign the rental agreement. We unpacked the Pack ‘n Play and our toothbrushes and went out hard. Well at least Gus did—hard enough to sleep through the night and Max’s incessant howling. I on the other hand had spent more time awake than an Eskimo vampire during the winter solstice (you know, when it’s dark almost twenty-four hours straight). I rubbed my eyes and then glanced over at my men. They were both sleeping blissfully. I slipped on my shorts and top and tiptoed barefoot down the stairs to answer the door.

I yawned as I opened the door. “Yes?” I said with bleary eyes and smudged mascara.

“Hi, neighbor,” a petite young woman said in an effervescent manner. She was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as it were—ninety pounds of sunshine in a print sundress. “I saw your car as I was driving home from church and had to pull right over. I’m so excited. This place has been empty for so long.”

I was so out of it—she made me feel like a proverbial barfly who had just awakened from an alcoholic stupor. “You went to church?” I said through squinty little slits.
Already?
How can anyone possibly be so energetic at this ungodly hour?

“I’m Kaley.” Little Miss Sunshine was practically bouncing up and down as she offered her hand. “Did you just move in?” she asked optimistically. Kaley pointed to a chimneystack just visible through a clearing in the trees. “That’s me, over there. That’s my place.”

“So we’re neighbors.”

“Yes!”
she blurted exuberantly.

“But only for two weeks; we’re just renters.”

Kaley’s smile faded, and the corners of her mouth turned downward. She looked so despondent that I wanted to buy her a pony just to see her smile again.

“I’m Stephanie.
Sorry.
You seem like someone I’d really like to have for a next door neighbor.”

“Who’s there?” Gus said.

I turned and saw him coming down the steps with Max in his arms. My tired I-can’t-bear-the-light-of-day expression gave way to a smile when I saw my boys.

“Let’s say hello.” Gus said to Max.

Max was laughing and cooing.
Sure, go ahead and mock me, you lovable little shrimp—I’d be laughing my ass off too if I just slept a solid nine hours.

I turned back to Kaley just in time to see her smile rise once again. It looked like her internal generator had just rumbled to life and was cranking a million gigawatts of electricity. “Who is
this
?” she said with unbridled enthusiasm. “Who is this adorable little guy?”

Gus came to the door. “Hi, I’m Gus,” he said, “and this is Max.”

“
He’s
gorgeous,”
Kaley said. “Oh my God, he’s
so
cute. Can I hold him? I love babies.”

The mother in me said, “What? You want to hold
my
baby?” The cop in me wanted to check her rap sheet. But then I looked at that sweet young girl—she was almost trembling with excitement. “Do you want to come in?” I glanced at Gus for approval.

He nodded.

Kaley was so animated that I thought she might swoon.

“I wish I could offer you something, but we just got here late last night,” I said. “All we have is baby food and tap water.”

“Oh, I’m fine. We had refreshments at church. I just want to hold Max.” Kaley floated into the living room. She was a lithe little thing who didn’t seem to be encumbered by the forces of gravity . . . or a bra. Okay, she was pretty small up top, but she deserved top marks for being firm.

I saw that Gus had noticed as well. In fact, it looked as if he was guesstimating her perky little cup size.

She sat down and extended her arms. Max smiled as he settled into her delicate little lap. “Oh this is heaven.” She giggled. “I’m
so
happy,” she said looking positively embarrassed. “You know if you ever need someone to babysit this little guy . . .”

“That’s good to know, but as I said, we’re only here for a couple of weeks.”

“I know,” Kaley said. “I wish you could stay forever.”

Aw! She’s so precious—can we adopt her?
I told Gus, “Kaley’s our neighbor. She lives on the other side of the clearing.”

“You and your family?” Gus asked.

“No. The place is mine now. My parents retired to Florida and left it to me. I’m here finishing school.”

“School?” Gus asked.

“Yeah, I’m going into my last year at Stony Brook this coming fall.” She stroked Max’s cheek with her finger. “You don’t go to school yet, do you?” she said in a baby-pleasing voice. Max gushed. “You’re so lucky. Yes you are. Yes you are.”

A cell phone rang. Fortunately it wasn’t mine. It was taking all I had just to absorb Ms. Energetic’s endless stream of enthusiasm. Gus picked up the phone and answered, “Lido.”

“Gus, it’s me, Rich Tate. Just checking up on you and the family.”

“Hey, Buddy,” Gus replied. “Thanks for the call.”

“How’d you and the missus make out last night?” Tate asked. “I can’t believe your luck. We were out there until two a.m. putting out that blaze.”

Gus seemed surprised. “Really, a little cabin like that?”

“It’s all wood, my friend. Every time we thought we had it contained, a new fire popped up somewhere else. So where are you staying?”

“We got incredibly lucky,” Gus said, “We went over to MTK for a bite and bumped into a realtor who had just renovated a place. We checked it out after dinner and signed a two-week lease. I slept like a log.”

I’m glad someone did.

“You’re kidding,” Tate said “Where? Not the Fisher place?”

“I have no idea.” Gus turned to me. “Hey, Steph, did the realtor mention if this used to be the Fisher place?”

Kaley gulped so dramatically that her eyes bulged.

“Hold on a minute,” Gus continued. “I think it just might be.”

“What’s with the Fisher place?” I asked

Kaley’s eyes darted back and forth nervously. A story was coming.

I saw concern in my husband’s eyes as well. “Hey, Rich, let me call you back in a bit. Yeah, looks like it might be the Fisher place.”

I examined Kaley’s expression and knew that she was about to say something I didn’t want to hear, something that was going to send me off the deep end. Our vacation rental was perfect and so much better than the termite-infested old cabin that had burned down.
Damn it! I knew that finding this place was too good to be true.
Was someone murdered here? Was it inhabited by ghosts? Jehovah’s Witnesses? I had a bad feeling about what Kaley was about to say. “What happened to poor Mr. and Mrs. Fisher?”

Kaley was playing with Max’s hands. She looked up. “Oh, nothing happened to them.”

Oh thank God.
I had overreacted.

“It was their daughter, Sarah,” she continued. “She disappeared . . . and no one has heard from her since.”

“And his wife died too?”

Kaley nodded sadly. “I guess it was too much of a strain on her. She wasn’t the healthiest person to begin with, and after Sarah disappeared . . . well, you understand. I think she had a heart condition.”

“Did you know their daughter?”

“Sarah? Yeah. Nice girl. She moved to Manhattan awhile back, right after she graduated from college. You know how it is out here: small-town USA. Everyone thinks Montauk is all glitz and glamour, but it’s deader than a corpse around here after the summer comes to an end. It’s kind of boring, and everyone knows your business. The winters are cold and depressing. Sarah was always independent.” Her mind seemed to wander for a moment. “I envied her moving to the city like that.”

Gus and I sat on the edge of the sofa as Kaley related Sarah Fisher’s tale of woe. We listened to her as intently as if we were being briefed on a homicide case. “Do you know any of the details?”

“Not really. She sort of disappeared into thin air.”

“People don’t just disappear,” Gus said. “People disappear for many reasons, but there’s always a story.”

“I feel terrible,” Kaley said. “I’m sure you’re right. I just don’t know what happened. I know there was an investigation, but I don’t think they found out what happened to her. I was staying at my aunt’s house at the time because it was closer to campus, and I only got bits and pieces of the story. I heard they found her apartment in the city empty.”

An empty apartment probably meant that Sarah had moved out intentionally, but why? It sounded as if she had just begun to enjoy the independence of living in her own apartment in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Why pick up and leave so soon? Was she in trouble? Something just didn’t add up.

Gus glanced at me knowingly, and I could see that we shared the same concern.

“Anything else you remember?”

Kaley was still playing with Max. She looked up, and her eyes began to travel back and forth uncomfortably between Gus and me. Max must have sensed it as well because he became fidgety and held out his arms for me to rescue him from the clutches of Little Miss Sweetness and Light. I guess he had come to his senses and realized that he’d be more comfortable in the embrace of his amply-endowed mother than on Kaley’s boney lap.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

Kaley looked past us to the window. “A woman was murdered.”

“What?”
I felt my blood run cold.

“A woman was murdered,” Kaley repeated. “She was pushed in front of the train at the East Hampton railroad station.”

“You’re sure?” I knew the statistics on railroad deaths pretty well and wasn’t sure if Kaley was completely clear on the details. “Most people who are hit by trains are suicide victims. Are you sure that this was definitely a murder?”

Kaley nodded nervously. “The railroad engineer was quoted as saying that the woman had been pushed. It was in
Newsday
. I think maybe that’s why I don’t know much about Sarah’s disappearance. Everyone was talking about the murder back then.”

“Was the victim someone from around here?” Gus asked.

“No. No one knew her,” Kaley said. “I think she was from upstate someplace.”

“Do you remember her name?”

Kaley was silent for a moment. I could see that she was searching her memory. She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t remember . . . Oh wait. Alana. That’s it. Alana something.”

I was on the East End of Long Island inside a gorgeous vacation rental and away from Manhattan and the Midtown North police precinct, but I didn’t feel as if I was on vacation any more. “When did all this happen?”

“At least a year ago, I guess. I remember that I was studying for my finals, so it must have been springtime.”

We didn’t like to talk about death and murder in front of Max. In fact, Gus and I never discussed the job when the little man was awake. It was sort of an unspoken rule.

Kaley looked at me—she almost seemed to be cowering. “I hope I didn’t upset you too much,” she said regretfully. “Lousy way to start a vacation, huh?”

Upset? Me? Why? Just because our vacation rental burned to the ground and now you’re slamming us with tales of woe?
“No. I’m okay, but I think Max needs some attention. After all, it’s his vacation too. So . . .” I smiled for Kaley’s sake, but my stomach was in knots.
My God, this pretty little thing is the emissary of doom. If you’d be so kind as to get the hell out of our house . . .

“Oh sure,” Kaley said as she sprang up from the sofa. “I’ve got a ton of stuff to do anyway.” She smoothed her dress and then looked up with the same beaming smile she wore when we had first met. I guess she was one of those people with the ability to compartmentalize and was back in a serene and happy place. “Sometimes I don’t know when I’ve worn out my welcome.” She walked to the door. “It was so nice meeting you. Don’t forget: call me if you need a sitter for little Max.”

I took Kaley’s number before she left, but definitely not for the reason it had been offered. There was no fire today, but for the second time in two consecutive days, I smelled smoke.

Gosman’s Café was just what the doctor ordered.
We parked our butts at an outside table with a huge red, white, and blue, umbrella—just enough sun for the adults and just enough shade for the baby. The ocean view was spectacular and helped to stabilize my emotional state while Kaley’s tragic stories tore through my mind like machinegun bullets through the fuselage of a German Messerschmitt.

Max was styling in his NY Giants football garb, a baby Giants cap, and a deep-blue jersey that read
Giants Rookie
. A pair of Baby BanZ sunglasses completed the look. He appeared very chic as he smeared sliced strawberries on his face. He was just cool enough to show everyone that he wasn’t the kind of guy who took himself too seriously.

I was still feeling stressed as I blew out a deep sigh. “Man, I need a drink. How about you?”

“I could use a beer,” Gus replied, “but—”

“You don’t mind?”

Gus shook his head. “One of us has to be the designated parent.”

I grinned. “For sure. I don’t want to get booked on a PWI.”

“PWI?” Gus ventured.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

He shrugged.

“Parenting While Intoxicated. Thank God Max is off the boob. I owe you, babe.” I hailed over the closest waitress.

A gal with jet-black hair dashed over to take our order. She took one glance at Max, fist pumped, and shouted out an enthusiastic, “Go Big Blue!” She whipped out her Droid. “Can I snap his picture? My husband is a huge Giants fan. He’ll laugh himself to death when he sees this.”

“How can we say no to a Giants fan?” Gus asked.

“My husband’s a fanatic, and me . . . I totally want to have an affair with Eli Manning,” the waitress said.

Really, even after his dismal performance in 2013?
I laughed. “Cool. I’m glad to see that we have exactly the same priorities.”

Gus gave me the hairy-eyeball stare.

“Just having some fun, babe,” I said. “Lighten up.”

Max missed his mouth and just about crammed a strawberry up his nose as the waitress snapped his picture.

She checked the shot. “That’s just
awesome
,” she hooted and then flipped around her phone so that we could see Max’s moment of genius.

“He’s such a ham,” I said as I looked at his picture. “He’s always been very comfortable around the paparazzi.”

My comment appeared to give the waitress a moment of pause. Montauk was crammed full of celebrities this time of year: actors, rock stars, and yes, even those who were just famous for being famous—I think she was trying to decide if we were part of that exclusive circle. “What can I get you?” It seemed that our moment of near-celebrity was short lived.

“How about a Bellini in a quart-size glass?”

“Tough morning?” she asked.

“Preceded by a long and sleepless night. The Giant rookie over here can be a real diva when he wants to be.”

“Him?” she said compassionately. “With that face? Sounds like he’s got the qualities necessary to turn pro.” The waitress smiled and then turned to Gus. “And for you?”

“Iced tea,” Gus replied. “I slept like a log.”

Our waitress gave Gus a thumbs-up and hustled off.

“I got about three hours sleep last night. And those stories Kaley told us . . . I mean, what the hell?”

“I bet you didn’t expect anything like that when you invited sweet little bible-toting Kaley into the house,” Gus said.

“Ya
think
? Little Miss Sunshine really shocked me. I can’t get those stories out of my head.”

“Oh gee,” Gus whined. “Here we go.” He threw up his hands in defeat. “Yeah, I know, I’m thinking about it too . . . but I’m not going to let myself get crazed over it like you do.”

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “It was upsetting to hear about the Fisher family. That’s bad karma.”

“Bad karma?” Gus grimaced. He pressed his palms together and lowered his head until his fingertips touched the tip of his nose in a Buddhist greeting. “Yes, Oh Enlightened One.”

“Don’t be a jerk.”

“A thousand pardons, my awakened spirit guide.”

“Make fun if you like. I just hope the place isn’t haunted.”

“Of course it is,” Gus said flippantly. “The first place burned to the ground, and this place is haunted. Let’s leave and look for one with bedbugs and asbestos violations. Look, we see this kind of thing every day in the city. What makes you think there’s any less crime out here in the sticks? As far as I know, you usually sleep like a log when we’re home . . . um, except for your crazy nightmares and all.”

“I know that Manhattan doesn’t have a monopoly on crime. It just creeps me out to know that we’re sleeping under the same roof as a family who has seen so much misfortune.”

The waitress dropped off our drinks. She smiled at Max again, but the dude played it cool. He ignored her, opting instead to blow bubbles into his sippy cup—he’s such a natural-born heartbreaker. She moved on to the next table.

“You can’t tell me Kaley’s story didn’t bother you.”

“Here’s to us,” Gus toasted, trying desperately to change the subject. “Try to remember we’re on vacation. What do you say we rent jet skis after lunch?”

My stomach was empty. I took a large swig of my Bellini and sat back, hoping to feel an immediate buzz. I put my feet up on the railing and cast my gaze at the sea. For a brief moment, I relaxed and all appeared to be right with the world.

The sun was bright.

The water was green.

I took a second slug, still hopeful that a buzz would kick in.
Come on now. I’m ready. Come and get me. Anytime now.
“Jet skis, you say?”

Max made a contented baby face.

“Look at him,” Gus said. “We made one beautiful baby boy.”

“I know. Look at that handsome little puss.”

“I don’t want to brag,” Gus began, “but what were the chances we’d have anything less than a stunning little stud baby?”

“I don’t know. I guess we both look pretty good on the outside, but everyone’s got a ton of genes banging around inside them. It could’ve been one of those
fugly
genes that hopped aboard the Michael Phelps sperm, swimming a record one-hundred-meter freestyle up my hooha.”

Gus sneered at me with a comical face. “I’ve got news for you, babe. If I thought there was any chance you were going to give birth to a bouncing baby troglodyte, I would have dumped your ass in two seconds.”

Yeah, right!
“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t meet me before I had all the surgery.”

“What in the world are you talking about now?” he asked disbelievingly.

“Sure. I had a hundred thousand dollars worth of cosmetic surgery before we met. I did the nose, the cheeks, the chin, the boobs, and the butt. Before I went under the knife, I looked exactly like Marilyn Manson.”

Gus snickered. “Are you trying to tell me that I could’ve had a son who looked like an anorexic Goth ghost?”

“It’s all just a roll of the dice, babe, but I guess we got lucky.” I tickled Max’s chin, and he smiled. “I guess we hit the jackpot, didn’t we?”

“Oh there you are.” Our real estate agent/vacation rescuer, Camryn, waved to us as she stepped up onto the café deck, carrying an envelope in her hand. She wore a shady, big-brimmed hat and enormous dark glasses. If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess she was trying to outsmart the paparazzi.

“Geez, talk about Marilyn Manson, look who’s coming our way,” I warned.

“That’s cruel,” Gus said.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “You mean she doesn’t creep you out just a little?”

Gus shot me a scathing glance and a demanding,
“Shhh!”

“It looks like
these
folks are having fun,” Camryn said as she approached us. “Thanks for meeting me here—my office is just down the street.” She handed Gus the envelope. “That’s your copy of the signed rental agreement.” She pulled up a chair and sat down.

Max saw her and flared his nostrils.

“
So?
How was your first night in Shangri-La?” she asked. “Isn’t the house beautiful?”

“We love it,” Gus said. “I slept great.”

“We met one of the neighbors this morning,” I said. “Everyone is just
so
friendly.”

“A neighbor?” Camryn asked with a leery, raised eyebrow. “Who?”

“Kaley. What a sweet girl. She stopped by on her way home from church.”

“Oh.” Her smile returned. “I love her. She’s a doll,” Camryn extolled enthusiastically. “She volunteers everywhere: at church, Long Island Cares, and homeless shelters. She’s a real blessing for the community.”

“That’s good to hear—she offered to babysit for us.”

“She’s completely reliable and trustworthy.” Camryn said. “I wouldn’t hesitate for minute to use her.”

“Yeah. I got that feeling from talking to her.” I looked at her pointedly. “She also told us about Sarah Fisher and her family.”

Camryn’s happy expression shrank. “I wondered if that might come up,” she said reluctantly. “Not a real happy story is it? I didn’t know the Fishers personally. I bought the house from the bank after they foreclosed on it.” She turned to Gus and then me. “It’s not a deal breaker, is it? I’m happy to return your check if you want out. Last night will be on me.”

“No way,” Gus said in an assertive tone. “We’re good.” He glanced at me. “
Aren’t we
, Stephanie?”

I had just drained the last of my Bellini. The last wave of alcohol finally did the trick. I could feel my mind drift ever so slightly. “Oh yeah . . . I’m good.”

“Great,” Camryn said. “I feel so much better knowing that’s out of the way.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “You’ll have a great time out here. Rest and relax.”

We watched as she walked off. “I’d hate to have to tell the Fisher story every time someone wants to rent the house,” Gus said.

“Yeah. Me too.”

Gus quickly glanced at the menu. “Hey, do you mind ordering the seafood Cobb for me? I want to check on the jet-ski rentals.”

“Eager to get the party started, are we?”

Gus nodded excitedly.

“Go get ’em, tiger.”

Gus bolted out of his chair.

I turned to Max, whose face was now mostly smeared with strawberries. I reached into my bag and pulled out the baby wipes just as Richard Tate approached the table.

“That’s better,” he said. “You and Gus get the 411 on the Fishers?”

“Yeah. That was one hell of a buzzkill.”

“Not the best way to start a vacation, but what can you do?”

My head rocked from side to side. “I guess we’ll just have to take it in stride.”

“Terrific. Although you may have a hard time getting your deposit back from Bill Alden for the old cabin.”

I shrugged. “How come?”

“We found a body lying in a recliner when we went through the debris. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts the old timer bought the farm.”