I climbed out of the SUV and walked over to the small crowd and introduced myself. “Your neighbor Kay Dandridge is missing, and we believe she disappeared sometime last night. Did anyone see or hear anything?” There were several heads shaking with people talking among themselves.
“Does anyone here live next door?” I asked.
An elderly lady stepped forward. “I do.”
“Thank you,” I smiled at her warmly. “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”
“No, I suppose not.”
I led her away from the small group. “Have you lived here long?”
“My whole life. I was born in a house three streets over.”
I smiled. “Then you are the exact person I need to talk to.” I smiled again. “Would you care to sit down?”
“I love to but not in that thing.” She pointed to the SUV. “Why don’t you come inside?”
I nodded and followed her down the sidewalk to the house on the west side of Kay’s property.
Kay’s property was so large that the houses were not close together and I suspected there was little chance that this woman could have seen Kay’s house through the row of evergreen trees that provided privacy between the two lots.
“Let me see your ID again.” She said before we ascended the steps up to her porch.
I smiled and showed her my badge and the photo ID that went with it.
She nodded approvingly. “You care for some tea?”
“That would be nice.” I smiled again. “I’ll just wait here on the porch.” I indicated the chairs and the swing.
She nodded and went inside.
I sat down and looked out at the property. Even on the porch she likely didn’t have a good view of anything over at Kay’s house.
She returned with a tray that held a pitcher and two glasses. “Here let me help you.” I stood up and took the tray.
“Oh, thank you, you’re such a gentleman.”
I smiled. I learned a long time ago, if you treat people like they are your own neighbor they will tell you things they wouldn’t if you try throwing your badge around.
She poured iced tea into each of the glasses.
“Hmm, that is excellent.” I said enjoying the sweet tea.
She nodded.
“Now Ms., uh” I realized I didn’t know her name.
“Ms. Fowler,” she provided.
“Ms. Fowler, do you know Kay Dandridge?” I asked gently.
“Oh yes, I’ve known her family since before she was born.” She smiled.
“Do you talk to Kay regularly?” I went on.
“Oh yes, absolutely. She comes over a couple of times a week to check on me. She is such a sweet thing. She takes me shopping sometimes on the weekend. I can’t drive anymore, and I have most things delivered these days. I still like to get out and Kay takes me anywhere I want to go.”
I smiled. I was surprised not by the fact that Kay was kind. I knew she was a good person with a good heart, but it was surprising to me how little I knew about her when I felt like I knew her my whole life.
“Have you spoken to her recently?”
“On Wednesday she called me in the afternoon, and she said she would be working late but wanted to know if I needed anything.” Ms. Fowler shook her head. “She is such a sweet person, young people aren’t like that these days, she had good home training.” Ms. Fowler nodded.
“Do you know of anyone that would want to harm her?”
“I can’t think of a soul. She takes care of everyone, not just me and she helps whoever she can. One of the young families a few streets over in one of the carriages houses fell on hard times. The husband died young of cancer and left his wife with two little boys.”
“What did Kay do for them?” I asked.
“Well, the mom had been a stay at home mom and needed a job. So, Kay got her a job at her company with flexible hours so she could get the boys to and from school and then Kay set up a college fund for each of them,” she told me.
“Have you seen anything odd lately, anyone hanging around that looked out of place?”
“Besides you?”
I stared at her dumbfounded for a moment.
“Oh yes, I saw you parked across the street.” She laughed. It was the laugh of a young woman and it belied her age.
I felt a little embarrassed. “I assure you I mean no harm to Kay.”
“Oh, I know. I mentioned it to Kay, and she explained it all to me.” She gave me a sly wink.
I was tongued tied.
“Now that you mention it. I thought I saw someone standing in the path between here and Kay’s house.”
“The path?” I was curious. I had never noticed a path between the houses.
“Yes, there is a garden path that Kay put in so that we can get to one another’s house more easily than we can from the street.”
“Can you show me?”
“Of course, follow me.” She led me through the house, which was as big as Kay’s if not bigger and out the back door and into the garden. There was a place where one of the trees had been removed and a little gate installed. The path was paved and level. No chance of footprints.
“It used to be oyster shells, but Kay was afraid I’d fall and break a hip or something, so she had it paved.”
I laughed. “That sounds like her.” “Okay, Ms. Fowler you stay here.” I instructed and I walked down the back steps to see if anyone had stepped off the path and left a footprint. I walked slowly examining the area looking for any signs at all. I didn’t see any, but I would let the forensics unit check the area just to be
