CMM01 - Without Any Evidence Read online

  Claire had led a pretty charmed life. Her parents had doted on their only child. She had been sent to private schools, and had been encouraged to develop her artistic side as she searched for a suitable husband while attending college in New York. They were pretty disappointed when she showed up one Thanksgiving with Jerry Booth in tow.

  "Mr. Simon, I'm Detective Malone, this is Detective Martin, we're here to ask you some questions about your daughter."

  "Thank you for being so quick about this. I didn't realize what a mistake I had made in waiting to notify the police until I heard the words come out of my mouth talking to you on the phone this morning," Ted said leading them into the living room.

  "This is my wife, Julie."

  Ted Simon was about 5‘10“ and he seemed rather frail. Probably because he was so thin. He was balding on top and wore wire rimmed glasses. Julie Simon was also on the slim side. She was very nicely dressed in what looked to be a very expensive light blue suit and you could tell by looking that she visited the salon on a regular basis. Every hair was in place and she had perfectly manicured nails.

  "Tell us everything you can remember from the time your daughter left town."

  "Let's see. That would have been two weeks ago. I talked to Claire on that Monday and she never said a word about going anywhere. She did talk about Jerry and how they had been having some disagreements about the children. Jerry is very controlling. He has to have everything his way and everything in its place," Julie said as she sat wringing her hands and rotating the gigantic diamond ring on her finger. "You know, children will be children and they leave things out, but Jerry never allows anything out of place. Not even for a moment."

  Ted chimed in, "He's a son of a bitch and I never trusted him. Even after everything we've done for him, he's always acted as though we owed it to him."

  "Ted put Jerry through Vanderbilt Law School, did you know that?" Julie said, almost in tears.

  "Let's get back to Claire, what happened after that?" Carly asked, trying to get more information about where Claire could have gone.

  "She was supposed to call me Friday for lunch at the club, but I didn't hear from her so I called Jerry. That's when he told me she had left for a vacation. He insisted that she wanted us to leave her alone for a couple of weeks so she could think some things through. And since I knew she was having trouble deciding how to handle things, we agreed not to pursue trying to find her."

  "Wasn't it strange for her to have left without calling you, especially since you were supposed to have lunch together?"

  "Yes, I suppose it was, but Jerry made it seem so understandable. He's very good at that. Besides, I really thought she'd call me sometime while she was gone, at least when she got ready to come home. But when she didn't, we decided we should call the police. It just didn't feel right anymore."

  "Do you have any idea where Claire might have gone? Do you own a condo anywhere? Vacation property or anything like that?" Carly asked.

  "Yes, we own a home down in Naples, but we already checked there. We even called some of our neighbors to see if they'd seen her there," Julie said. "But no one has seen her."

  "Well, we'll do some checking," Bill said, "But, she's an adult and there's no sign that anything has happened to her. We understand your concern, though, and we'll let you know if we find out anything. Meanwhile, if you do hear from her, give us a call."

  "Hey Bill, what do you think?" Carly asked as they walked back out to the car.

  "Well, I don't think she went on any vacation, but then again, I wasn't raised with the kind of money these folks have. I have to plan months in advance to budget the money just to go to around the block."

  As they got back into their car, the radio dispatch came on to tell them that Claire's car had just been found. It was in the parking lot of an apartment complex off West End.

  When Bill turned into the parking lot, Carly could see Claire's black Volvo station wagon with crime tape around it. She and Bill opened their doors at about the same time and started walking over to the uniformed officer. Bill and Carly were friends with a lot of the officers, but this one was a young rookie that they hadn’t had time to get to know yet. All the officers knew who Carly was though. She had a reputation of being a hard worker. Actually, “she’s like a dog with a bone,” is more like what they all said about her.

  "Well, it looks as though we've found the car that belongs to that missing woman you and Detective Martin are looking for. And, for the record, I don't think she went on any vacation."

  "Why's that, officer?"

  "Take a look in the trunk."

  Carly could feel her stomach start to turn. She didn't know what was in the trunk, but she sure didn't like the way it sounded.

  The officer slowly opened the trunk. Carly let out a deep sigh of relief. She had expected to see Claire's body, but it was only her suitcase. That could have meant that she decided to buy all new clothes while she was on her vacation. But that would have been rather hard to do because her purse was there in the trunk, too.

  "Sure looks like this case has just made a dramatic turn for the worse." Carly said as she turned around running her fingers through her hair.

  "Okay, well, it's either a missing person or a homicide. I guess we'd better start trying to figure out which one it is." Bill said to her. "Where do you want to start? I suggest we go back and revisit the husband."

  It was getting late, so they agreed to head to Jerry's house first thing in the morning. Claire’s car would be towed and processed. Carly got into her car, turned and said in a rather sarcastic tone, "What a great way to end the day.”

  Chapter Five

  Carly decided to stop by the Tavern for a quick beer before she went home for the night. She drank tequila when she was younger. Quervo Gold, no salt, no lime. She was sure that it was the salt and lime that made you sick and gave you a hangover. So it was straight shots. A few years ago she had started trying out different wines. Now she preferred wine to anything else. Usually a Cabernet or Pinot Noir, but occasionally she’d have a nice cold glass of white. She alternated between Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. But she settled for a good cold import beer tonight.

  Hillsboro Village and thus the Village Tavern, was on her way home. She had inherited the house on Fairfax Avenue when her mom died. It was one of those older Craftsman style homes with great character. She and her sister lived there. That is, when Maggie decided to come home at all, which meant Carly spent a lot of time alone. She wasn’t totally alone. She had a cat…sort of…as much as anyone can have a cat. The cat came and went when he wanted through a small cat door. Carly always left food and water for Bogey (short for Bogart, one of her favorite actors), on the back screened in porch. He didn’t need a litter box since he was an indoor/outdoor cat and while Carly thought of him as her cat, he really didn’t belong to anyone. Kind of like Carly.

  Carly hadn't really had many boyfriends. She didn't trust men. After all, out of the two main men in her life, one had left her and one, well, let's just say it's a good thing he left when he did.

  It wasn't her father's fault he died, but she still never forgave him completely for leaving her.

  Carly pulled into her driveway and went to the door. The brick house was dark except for a small lamp in the living room, which she left on 24/7. The house had hardwood floors and area rugs and was decorated in an assortment of antiques. None of which matched, but they went together quite well nevertheless, in an eclectic sort of way.

  There was a large oversized sofa covered in a soft maroon velvet and a big comfy chair covered in a gray flannel material, both were angled to face the fireplace. The curtains were a flowered print that was popular back in the 40s. There was no television in the living room, just a kick-ass sound system.

  Carly walked through the door, dropped her keys on the table beside the door and turned the lock. She decided she was in the mood for a little jazz tonight. Something like Herbie Mann or Tim Weisburg. She threw on an album and c
ranked the stereo up a couple of notches and flopped down on the couch.

  She woke up around 3 a.m. and made herself go upstairs to her room and crawl in bed. The alarm started blaring at 5:30 and Carly jumped out of the bed, put on her sweat pants and a t-shirt and headed out the door. Carly had two favorite places to walk. One was at Edwin Warner Park and the other was at Radner Lake. They were both peaceful and private. She could walk at her own pace, depending on her mood. Sometimes she’d walk slowly and enjoy looking at the wildlife that was very abundant at both places. Sometimes she’d power walk. Today she decided to take a slow relaxing walk and she decided to walk around Radner Lake.

  It was a typical muggy August morning, so by the time she was finished with her walk she was pretty sticky. Or, as people say in the South, she was glowing. Horses sweat, men perspire and ladies glow. And she was glowing great big drops.

  Carly was back home by 7:30. She took her usual 5 minute shower and was out the door again by 7:50. As she drove through the rush hour traffic, she started thinking about Claire Booth and what it was about Jerry she didn't quite trust.

  Chapter Six

  As Bill and Carly drove down Franklin Road toward the Booth home, they looked at the houses that lined Franklin Road. These are the kind of homes where you know that the people who own them have money. There have large yards with tall trees and big sturdy gates. They drove past the house that once belonged to Tammy Wynette, just one of the legends of country music that made Nashville Music City U.S.A.

  “Did I ever tell ya that my dad said he had drinks with Patsy Cline at Tootsie’s one time,” Bill said as they passed.

  Giving him her look, Carly sighed and said, “Only about a million and one times.”

  They arrived at the Booth home at 10:15 and rang the bell. Ms. Hernandez came to the door almost immediately and invited them to come in and wait in the living room.

  Carly leaned in and whispered to Bill as they waited, "I can't even imagine living in this kind of place."

  Bill had been Carly's partner for about a year. Even though he was what everyone in their right mind considers a "hunk" with his sandy blond hair and shoulders a mile wide, Carly never seemed to notice. They treated each other more like brother and sister. They’d even bicker like brother and sister. Besides, she just wasn't very interested in men.

  At least, she wasn't interested in men until now.

  Walking toward Carly was the sexiest man she had ever seen. He was tall and dark. His hair was pitch black and pulled back in a wavy pony tail. He wore a black t-shirt that hugged his body in a way that showed all the ripples of his muscular body. His jeans fit tight against his muscular thighs. But they weren’t so tight you could “tell his religion,” as they say.

  Before the words even came out of his mouth, Carly knew he would have a beautiful voice. He had an exquisite accent to go along with his perfect physique. "Hello, my name is Miguel Alvarez. I work for Señor Booth," he said reaching out to shake her hand.

  He had a firm handshake and when he touched her, Carly felt her stomach do a flip flop. She had never felt this before and she stood there not able to get the words to come out of her mouth.

  Bill looked at Carly and smiled. "I'm Detective Martin and this is my partner Detective Malone," he said as he reached out and shook his hand. "You say you work for Jerry Booth?"

  "No, I'm sorry, I work for Jerry's father,” feeling the need to explain, he continued, “I help him around his ranch near Santa Antonio. It's a small town in Mexico, only a few hours from Brownsville. He took me and my sister in when we lost our parents many years ago. We just arrived this morning."

  Just then, Jerry and an older man, whom Carly and Bill figured was Jerry's father, walked into the room.

  "Have you any news on my wife?" Jerry asked, cutting to the chase.

  "We found her car last night and sent it to be processed," Carly said. "We have a few more questions we'd like to ask you."

  "You found her car? Where was it?" Jerry asked in more of a statement tone than a questioning one. "Why wasn't I called?"

  Ignoring his obvious irritation, Carly told him, "It was at the Royal Oaks Apartments on West End. But there was no sign of her and her luggage and purse were found in the trunk of the car."

  "Can you think of any reason why someone would want to abduct your wife, Mr. Booth." Bill asked.

  "Of course not. We're not so wealthy or powerful that someone would kidnap my wife."

  "Would you mind if we had a look around, and also, I need you make a list of your wife's friends and their phone numbers? And anyone who works for you and their numbers." Bill said quite matter of factly. "We'd like to talk to as many people as possible and see what we can find out."

  Jerry huffed and left the room leaving Carly and Bill alone with Jerry's father, whom they found out was named Wade, and Miguel.

  "What brought you to Nashville, Mr. Booth?" Carly asked.

  "Jerry called me yesterday and told me what was going on, so Miguel and I caught the first flight and here we are."

  Wade Booth was not a bad looking man. He was slightly overweight for his 5'9" frame. He had broad shoulders and a broad chest that made him look heavier than he actually was. His thick wavy hair was graying as was his mustache. He was dressed in loose fitting jeans and a denim shirt and very well-worn cowboy boots. They were the kind of boots that were worn for work, not just for show. He had been a pharmacist in New Jersey where Jerry grew up, and had done pretty well for himself. He was a widower. His wife had died of a barbiturate overdose when Jerry was 10. It was ruled accidental, but many people wondered whether it was suicide or whether something else had been amiss in the Booth household. But nothing ever came of the suspicions.

  "Can you shed some light on the relationship between your son and his wife?" Bill asked.

  "Well, I know they've had problems, but what married couple doesn't. They had been in counseling a couple of times over the past few years. I thought they were doing alright now, with the new house, more room and all."

  Carly stood and talked with Wade and Miguel while Bill took a look around the house. Every room of the house seemed to be decorated very sparsely, just as they had noticed the living room was the first time they visited. Hardwood floors throughout and extremely neat. Especially for a house with two small children, Bill thought to himself. But, he couldn't see anything that seemed out of the ordinary. No blood splatters on the walls or hidden under any rugs. As a matter of fact, he noticed there were no rugs, not anywhere.

  Carly found herself totally enraptured by Miguel. This was all new to her. She had had a few lovers before, but she had always been very much in control. She was determined not to be dependent on any man. And it was always just a physical thing with Carly. She had never really fallen for a guy. She kept thinking to herself not to let this feeling for Miguel get out of hand. Not to let her obvious lust for this man cloud her judgment.

  Jerry came back into the room and handed Bill a sheet of paper with names, addresses and phone numbers typed on it.

  "Here’s the information you wanted. From now on, I'd like to be kept informed of any new developments," he said curtly to Bill.

  Being an attorney, Jerry knew how to make people feel like he was entitled to know what was going on at all times. What he didn't know is that Bill and Carly strongly suspected he had something to do with his wife's disappearance and the last thing they were going to do was keep him informed of anything they didn't absolutely have to in this investigation.

  Chapter Seven

  Carly and Bill drove back toward the Criminal Justice Center downtown. Bill didn't like the interstate, so they drove down Franklin Road. When they hit Melrose, they decided that since it was lunch time, they'd stop and get a bite to eat at one of their favorite spots...The Sutler. It was actually a night club that featured live music, but it also had an awesome menu. The small club was dark and probably hadn’t been dusted since it opened back in the early 1970s. The walls were lined with
autographed photos of bands who had played there. Some went on to be big stars, but most didn’t. People come to Nashville to become stars. To be discovered. What most of them don’t think about is that great musicians in Nashville are a dime a dozen.

  A friend of Carly’s who owned a bar in town once said in an interview, that musicians should stay in their own town and be a big fish in a small pond instead of coming to Nashville where they are just another small fish in an ocean of talent. What she told them was to play as much as they could, create a fan base, and then, if they’re good enough, they’ll be discovered. Then they’ll be brought to Nashville to record and become even more famous on someone else’s dime.

  After looking at all the photos around their table and commenting on the ones they remembered, Carly and Bill talked about what they had learned from their interview with Jerry Booth and his father.

  “Jerry was starting to make waves like his Claire had a drug problem,” Bill said taking a big bite of his burger. Still chewing he continued, “but I don’t get that feeling about her. Whadda you think?”

  “I agree. I just don’t see it. She might be into recreational stuff, but I don’t think she’s the type to get hooked on anything big time.”

  “Well, Jerry tried to steer me in the direction of trying to make me think a drug dealer kidnapped her or worse.”

  Finishing up her last bite of burger, Carly picked up her coke, took a sip and said, “I don’t buy it and I know you don’t either. Jerry’s trying too hard to make us think she was a bad mother and a druggie and all it does is make me want more answers from him.”

  And with that, they headed out of the Sutler and back to the office.

  Chapter Eight

  Carly was sitting at her desk typing her notes when Nicole Manning walked through the door. Nicole was a close friend of Claire Booth. Carly had called her from the list of people that Jerry had given them that morning. She and Bill had split the list and had made appointments for several people to come by that day to be interviewed. Nicole was the first to show up.