Read Online Breaking Point by Jon Demartino - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jon Demartino
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Scared the hell out of me."
"So," I asked. "Did you let him back in?"
"Hell, no! The guy almost gave me a heart attack. I made him take off his shoes and I threw them half a block down the street. That heel thing was clever, though. The whole thing swiveled away and it was hollowed out inside. He had skinny feet or I would have kept them for myself."
We talked a little more and before we hung up, Woody remembered one more thing.
"Wait," he said. "I want to ask you something. What's the word on Caroline? Did you talk to her yet?"
"I saw her," I replied, avoiding the direct question. Listen, I've got a bunch of stuff to get done today on a new case I've got, so I'll fill you in when you get here, ok?"
"Right. You do that. So, you wanna pick me up at the airport next week, instead of Maxine?"
"I'll be there," I said. We caught up a little more and he gave me the flight information before we hung up. I wrote it all down on a stick-up pad, tore the sheet off and stuck it to the corner of the desk. Done. Next Wednesday I'd pick Woody up at Cedar Rapids, on the day before Thanksgiving.
Neither of us had to say it, but we both knew that nothing had been resolved about Caroline or I would have told him. At least I finally knew where she was after all these years. One step at a time.
While I was drinking my second mug of coffee, I returned the call to Iris Wilson.
"Iris. Rudy Murdock here. What's the story on that black and white photograph that Charlie's parents are looking for?"
"I don't know, exactly. His mother called and said they were going through the albums and there was a photograph missing from one of the books. They kept everything Charlie ever won. They have a bunch of sports trophies and photos and stuff from when he was a kid."
"What was special about this one? Do you know?"
"I don't know, maybe nothing. She said it was a black and white glossy print, not a newspaper picture. Apparently she said she still has the one that was in the newspaper from that same day, but they wanted to frame the glossy one. I hope you have it."
"I might. I haven't really looked yet. I wanted to be sure what I was looking for. Do you know what size it is?"
"She said it was a big one, so I think she meant an eight by ten. I know she said it's black and white and Charlie was getting an award or a trophy. I don't know how old he was in it, but still a kid, I think."
I figured I might like to talk to Charlie's parents, so I asked for their number in California. Iris wasn't anxious to give it to me, but I think she realized I could get it myself either from the operator or on the Internet. She sighed and recited it to me. I wrote the number on a Post-it Note as she said it, then scrawled the names Clyde and Lois Wilson above the number. Peeling the page off the tablet, I stuck it to the frame of last year's Christmas photo of the Wilson clan.
I was getting hungry and there wasn't much here to eat. I checked the snack cupboard and saw a bag of beef jerky. Just the ticket. I chewed a couple of pieces while I looked around for dessert to complete my meal. In the bottom of the bread drawer, I found a stale Payday candy bar. That was almost a meal in itself, peanuts for protein, nougat for carbohydrate and caramel for, well, for more carbohydrate. I think peanuts are a vegetable so I count them as both a protein and a vegetable. So there were at least three food groups right there. The beef jerky was tough and probably used up more calories to chew than it contained, so all in all, this
"So," I asked. "Did you let him back in?"
"Hell, no! The guy almost gave me a heart attack. I made him take off his shoes and I threw them half a block down the street. That heel thing was clever, though. The whole thing swiveled away and it was hollowed out inside. He had skinny feet or I would have kept them for myself."
We talked a little more and before we hung up, Woody remembered one more thing.
"Wait," he said. "I want to ask you something. What's the word on Caroline? Did you talk to her yet?"
"I saw her," I replied, avoiding the direct question. Listen, I've got a bunch of stuff to get done today on a new case I've got, so I'll fill you in when you get here, ok?"
"Right. You do that. So, you wanna pick me up at the airport next week, instead of Maxine?"
"I'll be there," I said. We caught up a little more and he gave me the flight information before we hung up. I wrote it all down on a stick-up pad, tore the sheet off and stuck it to the corner of the desk. Done. Next Wednesday I'd pick Woody up at Cedar Rapids, on the day before Thanksgiving.
Neither of us had to say it, but we both knew that nothing had been resolved about Caroline or I would have told him. At least I finally knew where she was after all these years. One step at a time.
While I was drinking my second mug of coffee, I returned the call to Iris Wilson.
"Iris. Rudy Murdock here. What's the story on that black and white photograph that Charlie's parents are looking for?"
"I don't know, exactly. His mother called and said they were going through the albums and there was a photograph missing from one of the books. They kept everything Charlie ever won. They have a bunch of sports trophies and photos and stuff from when he was a kid."
"What was special about this one? Do you know?"
"I don't know, maybe nothing. She said it was a black and white glossy print, not a newspaper picture. Apparently she said she still has the one that was in the newspaper from that same day, but they wanted to frame the glossy one. I hope you have it."
"I might. I haven't really looked yet. I wanted to be sure what I was looking for. Do you know what size it is?"
"She said it was a big one, so I think she meant an eight by ten. I know she said it's black and white and Charlie was getting an award or a trophy. I don't know how old he was in it, but still a kid, I think."
I figured I might like to talk to Charlie's parents, so I asked for their number in California. Iris wasn't anxious to give it to me, but I think she realized I could get it myself either from the operator or on the Internet. She sighed and recited it to me. I wrote the number on a Post-it Note as she said it, then scrawled the names Clyde and Lois Wilson above the number. Peeling the page off the tablet, I stuck it to the frame of last year's Christmas photo of the Wilson clan.
I was getting hungry and there wasn't much here to eat. I checked the snack cupboard and saw a bag of beef jerky. Just the ticket. I chewed a couple of pieces while I looked around for dessert to complete my meal. In the bottom of the bread drawer, I found a stale Payday candy bar. That was almost a meal in itself, peanuts for protein, nougat for carbohydrate and caramel for, well, for more carbohydrate. I think peanuts are a vegetable so I count them as both a protein and a vegetable. So there were at least three food groups right there. The beef jerky was tough and probably used up more calories to chew than it contained, so all in all, this
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