When Angels Fail To Fly. John Schlarbaum
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which I appreciated immensely. I was the first one to break our connection, as I sheepishly looked at my shoes. “I bet your ears have been burning the last hour,” Amanda said, thankfully changing the subject. “There was a P.I. here asking the same questions as you. Do you know him?”
“No. I just became aware of his presence in our fine city a short time ago. I’m sure we’ll come face to face when he thinks the time is right.”
“For what it’s worth, he seemed like a pretty decent fellow,” Amanda stated.
“Did he tell you who he was working for?”
“We asked but he said he couldn’t tell us because of privacy issues.”
“Which is true,” I said. “So, what did he ask you—if you don’t mind me asking? If you do, I’ll understand. I’m not the most popular person these days and wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble.”
Amanda gave me a little smile and said, “I’m a big girl, Steve. I can handle the condemnation of my spinster colleagues, but there really isn’t much to tell. He asked the date of her last shift and if she had called to take any time off. Then he wondered if we had heard from her since she had gone missing or knew some place she may have gone.”
“All pretty standard stuff,” I interjected.
“And then . . . he asked our opinions about you.”
“I can only imagine what Dolores had to say.”
“Under the circumstances, she was pretty supportive, saying you had your faults—”
“Obviously,” I concurred.
“—but she couldn’t imagine you harming Linda in any way.”
“Was that the general consensus amongst you ladies?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We all knew you two were having a bit of a rough stretch. We’ve all been there at some point in our lives.”
I was tempted to ask Amanda if Linda had ever brought up any concerns I was cheating, but let the idea fall away. Of course she had, I concluded, feeling like a fool all over again.
“Did Mr. Ellerby say where he was going next?”
“Not really. All he said was he had other people to talk to before returning to Kelsey Lake.”
“I’m sure I’m on his wish list,” I said, shaking my head in disgust. “I think I’ve talked to everyone else, except the one person I really want to speak with.” The sentence drifted off as the city bus arrived.
“This is me,” Amanda said, as the bus doors opened and several passengers brushed by us.
A young man in his mid–teens said, “Hi, Mrs. Masterson,” as he walked toward the library.
“I hate when they do that,” Amanda said with a smile.
“It’s a sign of respect,” I countered. “Be thankful they don’t call you ma’am.”
“They do sometimes, that’s the scary part,” she said, stepping up into the bus. “If Linda contacts any of us, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks. I’ll do the same.”
I watched Amanda take her seat near an open window. “If you need to talk, give me a call. My number is listed in the staff directory.”
“I’ll do that,” I lied, knowing Linda’s staff directory was no longer at the house. “Take care,” I said with a wave as the bus pulled away.
“You too, Steve.”
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