“I have some leads to follow up on, but before I can, I need some more information.”
“Does that mean you have news of her?”
This was the tricky part. I hadn’t done much work on this case since I’d been assigned it. When they hired us and then fired us within days, any work stalled. Getting re-hired nearly a week after she’d runaway a second time cost invaluable time. While not making much progress wasn’t wholly my fault nor was it intentional, I couldn’t very well tell Mrs. Jamison that. I needed to get information from her without indicating my lack of progress on the case.
“I’d like to review some information with you, so I can determine the priority of my next steps.”
Mr. Jamison joined us.
“How can we help?” he asked as he put an arm over the small woman’s shoulders.
“I’d like to determine her last known whereabouts and chat with her friends and associates.”
Mr. Jamison frowned.
“We were under the impression that was already done.”
“Quit being hard on the girl,” said Mrs. Jamison.
“My apologies,” he said.
“To some extent, yes, but I find that visiting the last known location is often helpful and can give me clues.”
I quickly checked on Muffin and saw that I worried unnecessarily. My fierce guard dog was stretched out on the floor by my feet, snoring.
“Her last location was at the community center Downtown, Vertical Horizons. Emma Lynn volunteers there. She has such a big heart and loves helping the less fortunate.” said Mrs. Jamison.
“And how long ago was that?”
“Three days ago, we went to pick her up around eight. Once we couldn’t find her, we knew something was wrong. She’s always been so well-behaved.”
“You forgot the first time,” said her husband.
“Yes, well, that was a mistake. She had a school trip we’d forgotten about. But, this time, she left a note for us.”
That was new information and it implied that she was more than a runaway and less likely a kidnapping victim. Although, she didn’t fit the risk factors for a runaway.
Her home life was stable and didn’t include violence, neglect, or abuse. She didn’t have any obvious issues with school. The only potential issue with school was being extremely shy or possibly an outcast. She hadn’t shown any signs of mental problems.
“Are you sure that the note was from her? Do you still have the note, and can I see it?” I asked.
“No, see the thing is –” started Mr. Jamison.
His wife cut in, “We lost it.”
“You lost the last known communication from your missing daughter?”
“When you put it that way, it’s sounds kinda bad,” said Mrs. Jamison.
“How exactly did you lose it?”
“Our dog ate it.”
“Your dog? I don’t see a dog here and my dog hasn’t sensed another animal.”
“He was hit by a car.”
Really, a car is all they could come up with?
“I think you should call the enforcers.”
Or, I should contact them. The enforcers could do a thorough investigating of the Jamisons. No one could be this stupid.
“We really don’t want to involve them,” said the wife.
Of course she didn’t. If they were in any way responsible for Emma Lynn’s disappearance, the enforcers would get it out of them. And that might be attention they didn’t want.
“I need a reason why I shouldn’t turn this case over to the enforcers.”
Mrs. Jamison burst into tears. The tears weren’t going to work. This case wasn’t going anywhere except to people with the authority to investigate and arrest the Jamisons.
“It’ll ruin her future and she’ll hate us forever,” the woman wailed. “She’s going to work for the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company. She interned there last summer and once she graduates, they are taking her on as a full-time employee,” said Mrs. Jamison.
“You didn’t go to the enforcers because of a job?”
My head started to throb with the beginning of a mighty migraine. These people were too much.
“That does sound pretty unbelievable, but it’s the truth. You don’t have to trust us. You can ask around,” said Mr. Jamison.
“Who can verify about your dog?”
“Does this mean you believe us?” asked Mrs. Jamison.
“I’m not saying anything either way.”
“Come, we can show you. Spot is being prepared for burial.”
Muffin continued his trip through dreamland, and I went to see whatever proof they had for me.
I followed them to the kitchen and stretched out on the dining room table, was a dog, covered with a silky blanket and a crown of flowers. Dozens of lit candles sent out flowery scents to block out the smell of death.
Mrs. Jamison saw me looking at their bizarre memorial to their pet.
“I know it’s odd, but that’s what you learn to expect when you marry a taxidermist,” she said.
Either they were criminal masterminds that knew how to cover their tracks, or they were telling the truth. Based on the lack of intelligence and any common sense that they’d shown so far, I was going with them being honest folks.
“I’ll stay on the case. What will Emma Lynn do for the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company when she is hired on?”
“They haven’t decided, so it’s a general position until they determine the role best suited to her,” she said.
“I didn’t realize they took employees right out of school without additional training. Do you know what skills in particular they wanted Emma Lynn for?” I asked.
“We don’t. Part of taking her on as an intern meant that we needed to sign a non-disclosure agreement and so did Emma,” said Mrs. Jamison.
What was going on at Rare Herbs and Medicinals? I should pay another visit to Mr. Smith. He might be able to tell me something about these internships or why the company needed to recruit kids.
“How soon after you discovered she was gone did you come to our Agency?”
Both of them looked uncomfortable at first.
“We weren’t sure what to think. She was due to meet with her future boss at the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company.”
“So, how long?”
“A day.”
My head was pounding now. Muffin was still content, and I really wanted to get
