“Ruby’s father was a mechanic, although he’s been retired for years. But I have no clue where they are now.”
“I want you to try and find out where they might’ve gone. Go and see Ruby’s mother at her house, and tell me the second you hear anything.” I didn’t feel it was a strong possibility, but the option was still open. I tapped my fingers on the side of the table. “Where do you get your cars serviced?”
“I have them serviced at a dealership. I don’t know the mechanics’ names, I only deal with the receptionist, but I’m sure they don’t have anything to with it. That shop wouldn’t do this sort of thing.” He thought for a few moments. “Why do you say it’s a mechanic?”
“It could be nothing, but that’s where the clues are leading.”
He stared at the table, and I could almost see the thoughts going through his head.
“And,” he stated, “There’s also Damon. Millie’s grandfather.”
“What about him?”
“He’s a former mechanic. Worked hard his whole life and has nothing to show for it because he didn’t work smart.” Chase looked up. “And he’s always been jealous of my money, the way I’ve done well.”
“I thought you said he was the only member of Tanya’s family that you still got along with?”
Chase shifted uncomfortably.
“Things have been a bit tense since the last investment went south. And he’s been especially cold since Ruby came on the scene. We had a bit of a fight about it. I think he finally realized Tanya and I were finished.” Chase ran his hand through his hair again, before continuing. “He said Millie would be better off without me, that Ruby was a bad influence and that I was only good for my money.”
Chase leaned forward and looked me in the eyes, he was angry now.
“And then he said I wasn’t even much good for that, what I pay each month doesn’t cover Millie’s food, let alone anything else, and he hopes I had some trust fund set up for Millie’s future. How dare he! I worked my way up from nothing and then people expect me to share it around like a charity. Well, I told him what I thought of that. And I told him that he and all the other blue-collar poor only had themselves to blame.”
Chase let out an angry breath and relaxed, slumped back into the chair.
I waited, I could tell Chase had something more to get off his chest.
Chase sighed before speaking again.
“Maybe he’s right. Maybe Millie is better off without me. But could he really be behind this? He’s an old man, and he’s sick…” Chase trailed off.
“I don’t know,” I responded. “But it’s my job to find out.”
Chapter 14
I hated ties.
None seemed to fit my neck. Not that I looked like an offensive lineman, but my neck was solid. The jacket felt even worse. My shoulders didn’t feel free, and I felt like if I moved the wrong way, the entire suit would rip apart.
“Don’t look so rigid,” Casey smiled as we stepped out of the car. “You need to look more natural.”
“More natural? This is about as unnatural as I get.” I ran my finger along the collar of my shirt. “I could never work in an office.”
“Nobody would want you to work in their office. I’ve heard you type on your computer keyboard. You’re like a caveman thumping a stone tablet with a club.”
“Thanks.” I managed a grin. “So this is it?”
“This is where Damon said we could find him.” Casey looked up at the building. “Said he was going to be here all day.”
The American Veteran’s Club was a small building in the west of Logan Square, an area I knew well. Casey contacted Damon under the guise that we were school workers and had received an enrollment for Millie at a new Catholic school and Damon had been listed as a reference.
The building was busy, it was just after lunch time, and the volunteers at the center had just served lunch for around two hundred men and women. I liked these places. These were the places that supported returned service men and women, let them tell their stories, let them know that they were not alone, that there was someone there who would listen and help.
From what we found, we knew that Damon was very active in the community, be that with veterans, the center for the homeless, or helping out the aged community by doing odd-jobs around their homes. An all-around good guy. Or so it seemed on the surface. I needed to dig deeper, to look beneath the veneer and find out if there was another side to him, a darker side kept hidden from public view – a side that could kidnap a young girl from her parents.
We found him in the kitchen, working hard scrubbing dishes, laughing with his fellow kitchen hands. With our business attire, we didn’t fit in well.
We introduced ourselves, Damon excused himself from the kitchen, wiped his hands on a towel and led us to the small dining room at the side of the larger hall where most people were seated. There were rows of former servicemen and women all eating their meals together, some talking and laughing, others somber and reserved but all together breaking bread in solidarity. It was a sight that gladdened the heart.
He glanced over the form that we gave him, including his address and any details that we might have missed before.
“So that’s why you were at Chase’s apartment the other day,” stated Damon, “I knew you weren’t a friend of his when we first met. You were more casually dressed then.”
“That’s right. We were talking about the enrollment.”
“He said that you were doing work for
